Boy, with Caution – Series Review

Kiwoo is a lonely high school teacher.

Jang Kiwoo is a contract teacher. He has spent years bouncing from one school to another, never staying anywhere for long. His latest job brings him to Nakhon High School, where he's filling in for a teacher who suddenly fell ill. Kiwoo has actually worked here before. Years ago, he tried to help a troubled student, but she still dropped out. Ever since then, Kiwoo has wondered whether he's actually any good at being a teacher.

His personal life isn't doing much better. Kiwoo is married to Jiyoung, but this relationship is pretty much over. She lives somewhere else and doesn't even want to stay overnight at his apartment. Whenever Kiwoo's mother visits, the estranged couple suddenly pretends to be happy together. Jiyoung comes over for dinner and acts like she still lives with her husband. The second Mom goes home, so does she. Kiwoo keeps up this ridiculous charade because he doesn't want his mother to know they're falling apart. She still suspects the couple may be heading for divorce, no matter how much Kiwoo insists everything is fine.

At his new school, Kiwoo quickly notices something strange about Hyunjae. The teenager skips class constantly and keeps showing up with fresh bruises. His university application form is blank too. Clearly, this kid has problems. Yet, the other teachers tell Kiwoo to stop worrying about Hyunjae because he's the school chairman's son. Don't discipline him. Don't interfere with him. Simply pretend you don't see anything. Thanks to Daddy's powerful position, everyone has decided it's easier to let Hyunjae run wild. Kiwoo doesn't feel the same way.

Hyunjae grows attached to his new teacher.

Kiwoo is lonely outside of work. One night, he creates an account on Amuna Random Chat, an app where strangers talk anonymously. His username is Regret. He talks to another user, Sunflower. They complain about life and confess thoughts they wouldn't normally say out loud. Since Kiwoo doesn't feel close to the other teachers, these messages become his only source of companionship. He enjoys talking to this mysterious stranger without realizing the person on the other side of the screen is Hyunjae.

Hyunjae used to hang around Youngmoon, who is the school's resident drug dealer. Hyunjae wants nothing to do with him anymore, but Youngmoon won't let him walk away that easily. Instead, he pays Jungha to harass him. Jungha has earned the nickname "vending machine" because he'll do whatever you want for money. Jungha's grandmother is in the hospital, so he needs to pay her bills. Jungha is also dealing with an injury that ruins his athletic career. As his life falls apart, crime is an easy way to make cash. Sungwon, his classmate, sees Jungha heading down a bad path. He wants to help his friend before things get worse.

Youngmoon wants to frame Hyunjae for theft. He pays Jungha to hide a phone inside Hyunjae's bag, then makes a huge scene about the "stolen" property. The other teachers advise Kiwoo to follow procedure and punish Hyunjae without asking questions. Kiwoo believes his student is innocent and won't discipline him. Hyunjae is used to adults ignoring him, judging him, or treating him like trouble. Kiwoo is the first teacher who takes his side. From then on, he becomes increasingly attached to Kiwoo and craves more of his attention.

Boy, with Caution is THE teacher-student BL drama to end all teacher-student BL dramas. We've seen BL creators try to make love stories between teachers and their students before. None of them were well-written, so I could easily dismiss them as trash. No further comment! But then, this series comes along and tackles the taboo storyline with the seriousness it deserves. The characters have messy relationships and complicated feelings. Even though the romance makes me uneasy, this drama is strangely compelling.

Every episode leaves me feeling so helpless. Hyunjae is treated like garbage, while Jungha struggles with money. Worst of all, there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Life keeps getting worse… Despite another day of hell, the characters hold back their tears and try to act tough. Only a tiny grimace or a wounded look in their eyes reveals how much they're hurting inside. Nobody needs to sob or scream for us to understand how much they're suffering. The angst is like a slow poison, quietly killing our optimism.

Kiwoo's actor (Ryu Se Il) is fantastic as the depressed teacher. I love the melancholy in his expression, as if Kiwoo is haunted by a lifetime of regrets. He shines during the heavy scenes, including that confrontation with his mother in Episode 6. I like the actors who play Hyunjae (Ha Jung Hoon) & Jungha (Lee Jung Chan). Both portray raw emotion without making their performances feel theatrical. Jungha has also perfected that teary-eyed look, which gets me every time. A special shoutout goes to Jitae's actor (Jung Jae Woon), who makes the villain so menacing.

As teacher and student, Kiwoo and Hyunjae's romance is inappropriate. Kiwoo has crossed a line, going from "Hi, I'm helping a troubled teenager!" to "Oh shit, I'm getting too close to him!" Their relationship isn't like a sleazy man trying to seduce this kid. Instead, both characters are going through a rough time emotionally. Kiwoo? Clinically depressed. Hyunjae? Lost and abandoned. The series doesn't ask us to cheer for this couple. It simply explains how two unhappy people ended up together. Neither guy was in the right headspace to make sensible decisions about love.

At first, I was fascinated by Kiwoo and Hyunjae's complex relationship. But then, I watch them spend time together, and… oh dear. Why are their scenes so awkward? After Kiwoo shows a little kindness, Hyunjae seems obsessed with him. He even tries to wear a wedding ring by Episode 3! Meanwhile, Kiwoo seems pretty sad for a guy so in love. If he's this miserable, I don't know why they're together. Near the end, they say cringy lines like "My heart wavered for you…" Ugh, please stop! The awful dialogue reminds me why I was rooting against this icky teacher-student romance.

As for the secondary couple, I'm shipping Jungha and Sungwon. I like them, but their storyline is repetitive. Every episode, Sungwon begs Jungha to avoid the bad guys. Jungha doesn't listen, so they have the same conversation all over again. Ugh, we're going in circles! They barely make any romantic progress until the finale. And then, the series ends before they even get their first intimate moment. Boo! I demand more! I wanna see these two actors paired together again, preferably in a smutty BL drama. Just have them make out for ten episodes. No more angst, please!

Do I want Kiwoo & Hyunjae to live happily ever after as a couple? Hell no! I'm fine with Mr. I-Kissed-A-Student ending up alone. That said, the final scene is heartbreaking. Kiwoo sobs uncontrollably, leaving the viewers with one last emotional gut punch. Overall, I enjoyed this series as a dark psychological drama. I'm not into the romance, even though the kissing is pretty good! I appreciate that Boy, with Caution has a fascinating story, which tackles a morally complicated topic. It makes me think harder, squirm a little, and pay closer attention than the usual BL series.