Top Secret Together Summary
Title:
ได้ครับพี่ดีครับน้อง
Series Info:
Thailand (2021)
Genre:
Romance
About:
Top Secret Together is a happy & funny BL drama.
Plot
Simai, Phob, and MaiEak are university students starting their internships at the same company. As a graphic designer, Simai is transferred to work with Lukmo, an aloof and unfriendly employee. Although Lukmo becomes annoyed with the student intern right away, Simai remains perpetually cheery and upbeat in his presence. The more Lukmo tries to close himself off emotionally, the harder Simai tries to win him over with kindness.
Meanwhile, Phob and MaiEak are working together in the creative department. They are joined by fellow intern Praew, and MaiEak immediately flirts with her nonstop. When the two of them become romantically involved, it drives a wedge between Phob and MaiEak's close friendship. Phob is jealous because he has a secret crush on his best friend, even though MaiEak only sees their bond as platonic.
The interns frequently visit a coffee shop operated by Newyear, who is Phob's older brother. Newyear often gives love advice to Phob, especially as he struggles with his feelings for MaiEak. Newyear is currently in a long-term relationship with his dentist boyfriend Both. The two of them live together and have been dating for ten years. Although their relationship is very blissful, they seem to disagree about getting married.
Two of Newyear's regular customers are Nampu and Copy, a pair of university students. Copy is an engineering student with a tough and gruff exterior. In contrast, Nampu is the perky freshman who flirts aggressively with Copy. The two of them often meet at the photocopy shop, where Copy works with his father at the family business. Although it's obvious the two guys share a romantic attraction, Copy won't disclose his same-sex relationship with his father or his friends.
Another pair who frequently visits Newyear's coffee shop is Suea and Plawaan. Suea is a senior high school student who took a year off from his studies. His mother is very controlling and dictates many areas of Suea's life. As university admissions near, Suea visits his old high school friend Plawaan for advice on a sports scholarship. Plawaan is an aspiring basketball player who hopes to make the school team. However, he feels inferior about his short height. Suea and Plawaan meet regularly after school for basketball practices, where their close friendship intensifies.
Top Secret Together Cast
Characters
Simai
Kanok (ทบทพล บูลkจบ้)
Simai is a student intern who works as a graphic designer at his company. With a bubbly and chipper personality, Simai's enthusiasm rubs off on his cold and aloof colleague Lukmo. Simai is good friends with Phob and MaiEak, calling themselves the three musketeers. He lives with his mother and has a close relationship with her.
Lukmo
Mix Chayut Amatayakun (ชยุต อมาตยกุล)
Lukmo is an office employee who works with Simai in the graphic design department. He is a hard worker, beloved by most colleagues and bosses, except for his rival Geng. Lukmo has a quiet and standoffish personality, so he clashes with Simai at the start of his internship. Lukmo's mother passed away after his deadbeat father left their family.
Phob
Aof Sutiwas Wongsamran (สุทิวัส วงษ์สำราญ)
Phob is Simai's friend and works at the same company as a student intern. Kind and reliable, Phob often helps MaiEak when he struggles with his work. He has a secret crush on MaiEak, but hasn't confessed his feelings. Phob's older brother is Newyear.
MaiEak
Sunny Tittistul Wannarathapat (วรรณรัตหห์ พจศ์ทิตติสทุล)
MaiEak is Simai and Phob's friend who does an internship at the same company as them. Coming from a wealthy family, MaiEak is lazy, incompetent, and relies on his maid to take care of him. At work, he is dependent on Phob for constant assistance, even with simple tasks. MaiEak coasts a lot on his sociability, and he's usually in good spirits.
Newyear
Newyear Kitiwhut Sawutdimilin (กิตติวัฒน์ วัฒนาธรรม)
Newyear is Phob's older brother and runs an independent coffee shop. He is in a committed relationship with Both, his boyfriend of ten years. Newyear is also a famous online influencer, occasionally hosting live streams with his boyfriend. His birthday coincides with the start of the new year.
Both
Both Nattapong Chinsoponsap (โบ๊ท ณัฐพงศ์ ชินโสภณทรัพย์)
Both is Newyear's boyfriend, and they have been dating for ten years. The two of them currently live together. Both works as a dentist, but occasionally helps out at the coffee shop in his free time. He is a bit reluctant to get married to Newyear, despite their happy long-term relationship.
Nampu
Fiat Natthakorn Na Ayuthaya (ณัฐกร ณ อยุธยา)
Nampu is a university freshman who bonds with Copy during the initiation process. He is an aggressive flirt, constantly hitting on his university senior with confidence. Nampu sees through Copy's tough-guy act and believes there's a softer side to his personality. He is also convinced that his feelings for Copy are reciprocated.
Copy
Pooh Phutis Plahusahari (ภูติส พลาหุสหริ้)
Copy is an engineering student and a university senior. He is good friends with his buddies Gun and Earth. Copy works with his father at the photocopy store, a family-owned business. He tries to present a cool, tough exterior, but the flirty Nampu always manages to get under his skin.
Suea
Ronapum Pengthong Turkubi (รฌกูบิ เพ็งทอง)
Suea is a high school student who took a year off from his studies. He's now hoping to apply for university and seeks assistance from his old friend Plawaan. He has a controlling mother, who dictates a lot about his life. Suea is a mostly obedient son and does as he is told.
Plawaan
Tiger Thonwak Hatlinha (ธนวัต หัชลีฬหา)
Plawaan is Suea's old friend from high school. He loves to play basketball and hopes to qualify for the school team. After school, he practices on the basketball court, preferring to train alone rather than in a team environment. Plawaan has an inferiority complex about his height, believing that it will hinder his ability to play basketball.
Supporting Cast
Simai's mom
Simai's mother
Simai's dad
Simai's father
Preaw
MaiEak's love interest
Namo
Phob's love interest
Night
Newyear's employee
DuangPond
HR director
Nubdao
Lukmo's boss
Angie
Lukmo's coworker
Geng
Lukmo's coworker
May
Lukmo's coworker
Jan
Nampu's friend
Copy's dad
Copy's father
Gun
Copy's friend
Earth
Copy's friend
Top
Plawaan's rival
Cast highlights
- Phob's actor Aof is part of the cast in the 2016 Thai BL drama Make It Right and its 2017 sequel Make It Right 2.
- MaiEak's actor Sunny is the star of the 2023 BL series Wedding Plan.
- The actor playing Newyear appeared in the 2017 drama I Am Your King. In addition, Newyear and Both are actually a real-life couple, running a popular YouTube channel together.
- Plawaan's actor (Tiger) had a small supporting role in the 2022 Thai BL series Even Sun.
- Finally, the actor playing Night (Link) appeared in the 2020 Thai BL drama Ghost Runner.
Top Secret Together Review
Review
Drama Review Score: 6.1
As soon as I started watching Top Secret Together, my mind was immediately filled with doubt. This BL series overwhelmed me with the ginormous cast, multiple romances, and fifteen full-length episodes, like I was about to embark on a long exhausting odyssey. The frivolous storytelling in the first episode didn't inspire me, shaking my confidence about the rest of the drama. I had to ask myself seriously: did I have the endurance to continue watching?
The good news is that I liked the next few episodes more than anticipated. Once I got used to the quirky tone and the excessive silliness, I settled comfortably into the narrative. Juggling five separate romances might sound complicated, but Top Secret Together does a decent job at establishing each relationship. The two workplace couples take precedence in the plot, while the other three minor pairs are gradually introduced. Everyone has their time in the spotlight with plenty of sweet moments and cute interactions.
Top Secret Together feels like someone forcibly combined the ideas of multiple half-baked BL series into the same product. The entire cast gathers on two notable occasions, but they've little relevance to each other's plots. Five separate stories are happening simultaneously, making the series feel disjointed and aimless with a severe identity crisis. It's jarring for the narrative to jump between an office workplace romance to two random students flirting on a school campus. These minor subplots aren't interesting and take away focus from the primary couples.
The two main romances have the most intriguing dynamics between the characters. Simai might be an annoyingly sweet protagonist (emphasis on annoying), but it's fun watching him penetrate Lukmo's barriers. Phob and MaiEak are also engaging with their classic tale of unrequited love. Sadly, both relationships unravel as they progress, made obnoxious by infuriating twists, angst, and conflicts. The other three couples experience less aggravating drama, but they lack substance and depth. Their generic BL scenes won't compel you that much.
As the drama's title implies, Simai and Lukmo are fuelled by a ~top secret~ that threatens to come between their relationship. Before the big revelation, I actually enjoyed their charming banter and fierce personality clashes. After the bombshell dropped, I lost all my interest in the couple. Without spoiling the twist in this review, I thought it added an unnecessary complication to their love story. Phob and MaiEak became my favourite pair by default, even if their characters were irritating to watch at various points.
The last few episodes of Top Secret Together were noticeably impacted by the pandemic. In Episode 14, almost all the scenes consisted of characters talking over the phone. Although I'm sorry about their circumstances, the lockdown limitations made for a less than ideal viewing experience. At least they put together a reasonably coherent ending. However, it was apparent the original storylines got scrapped and replaced by last-minute contingency plans. It led to a disappointing end for Top Secret Together, which was already strained by many narrative flaws and woes.
Story
Okay story
I like the idea of a BL series about three interns in the workplace. It's a simple, clear premise that lets viewers know exactly what they're getting from the story. I wished that was the only story in Top Secret Together, instead of including the other miscellaneous storylines with the university students or the coffee shop owner. A BL workplace series has plenty of interesting material without adding all these unnecessary embellishments.
With that said, the workplace plots in Top Secret Together aren't the best. I question whether anyone from the staff actually worked in an office environment because the scenes are unrealistic. 😅 Simai, Phob, and MaiEak constantly use work time to slack off, goof around, and have loud personal chats that have nothing to do with their jobs. If it was real life, I would be so annoyed with these unproductive student interns constantly gossiping and giggling next to me.
I'm also vexed by that evil coworker constantly trying to sabotage Lukmo. What's the deal with him? And that girl who has a crush on Lukmo, her storyline never went anywhere, but I guess the pandemic interrupted the subplot. Although it sounds like I have a lot of complaints about the workplace storylines, I still think it's more interesting than the other offerings in this series. If the office scenes had better writing and added more realism, that could've been the selling point of Top Secret Together.
Acting
Okay acting
The acting in Top Secret Together is okay. I like all three actors playing the interns (Kanok, Aof, and Sunny) and can understand why they were cast in their roles. Phob's actor is probably my favourite in the cast. His scenes crying about MaiEak's rejection came the closest to moving me in this drama. I want him to feature in another BL series and see how he handles a more complex role.
The rest of the cast ranges from okay to dipping below average. Newyear and Both's actors didn't get a lot of dramatic material to work with, but they struggled with that one emotional moment between them. Before that scene, I wanted the two of them to have a more substantial plot. After that scene, I kinda understood why they only got lighthearted fluff throughout the series.
Top Secret Together Couples
Romances
Simai and Lukmo
I liked Simai and Lukmo together early in the series, back when they were just coworkers. Simai's personality is a mixture between obnoxious and sweet, so I understand why Lukmo was so annoyed by him at first. 😁 Over time, Simai's earnestness has won over his colleague, warming up this ice king with his sincere affections. The two of them have a compelling journey as they grow closer, and I remained invested in their relationship up until a certain point.
As soon as the half-brother twist was revealed, I lost all my interest in this couple. Even though I guessed correctly that they weren't related, the couple couldn't recover and get into the groove again. Simai thinks they're brothers, but he still desires Lukmo sexually. His attraction is bothersome to me, introducing a complication that takes away my focus from any romance. I also don't understand why Simai's parentage is supposed to be such a big secret, but whatever.
If I knew that Simai and Lukmo were secretly brothers, I would've given Top Secret Together a HARD PASS. ☹️ I don't know why so many BL series think turning a pair of half-brothers or stepbrothers into lovers is so edgy and exciting. However, this trend seriously needs to stop. Nothing kills a BL romance more than finding out the two characters are brothers in any capacity.
Phob and MaiEak
Phob and MaiEak go through a classic story of unrequited love, a storyline that Top Secret Together handled relatively well. Their relationship is one of the more emotional story arcs in the series, hitting all the right marks along the way. In an early episode, Phob cries to his brother after realizing that MaiEak doesn't reciprocate his feelings. Those crying scenes were done well, making me feel sympathetic towards Phob's predicament. Newyear also gave him thoughtful and sensitive relationship advice, which I appreciated.
After his rejection, Phob putting distance between himself and MaiEak is the right decision. However, there's a certain point when his standoffish behaviour seems excessive. I don't blame Phob for his emotional reactions, but some of his negativity around MaiEak makes his character a little unlikable. Nonetheless, I'm glad Phob eventually moved on and started a new romance with Namo. Unfortunately, Namo's character didn't develop beyond a plot device. However, I was still rooting for Phob to be happy in love again.
In the second half of the series, MaiEak slowly discovers his feelings when he gets jealous of seeing Phob and Namo together. Some scenes were frustrating to watch, especially when MaiEak sabotaged his friend's relationship. MaiEak admits it took him a while to accept his attraction towards a guy. However, he's also the one who rejected Phob in the first place. Dude, can you make up your mind already?
One of my favourite lines in Top Secret Together is when Namo told MaiEak: "You had four years with Phob and you BLEW it.", which is funny because it's true. 🙊
Newyear and Both
Initially, I was impressed with the level of intimacy between Newyear and Both. These two seemed like an authentic couple, shared a comfortable rapport, and didn't shy away from physical affection. Later, I found out these two actors are dating in real life, which explains why they're so in sync. Top Secret Together plucked out a popular YouTube couple and featured them in the series. I don't mind the stunt casting, but it puts a tiny asterisk next to their relationship scenes.
The Newyear and Both storyline feels very flat. They are the picture-perfect couple who have been together for ten years, but nothing interesting happens to them. Their characters coast through each episode with virtually zero drama, so their scenes are fluff for almost the entire series. The only moment of tension is when Both randomly accused Newyear of flirting with Night, a conflict SO contrived that I'd rather they stick with the fluff. 🥱
On the positive side, I'm glad to see a happy, healthy long-term gay relationship in BL. With that said, these two have no point of interest throughout the fifteen episodes. I'm better off watching one of their YouTube vlogs, where there's more narrative between them than what we actually get in Top Secret Together.
Nampu and Copy
Surprisingly, Nampu and Copy might have the most complete romantic storyline out of all the couples. Besides Newyear and Both, they were the only other couple to share a kiss in the series. They were fortunate enough to have filmed the kissing scene right before the lockdown was initiated. As a result, Nampu and Copy made sense as a couple.
With that said, their storyline is so generic. All the scenes feel like a watered-down version of SOTUS or any other BL university drama. Nampu and Copy also feel irrelevant to the main plot, not interacting with other characters outside Newyear. Their relationship feels isolated, as if these two don't fit in with the rest of the series.
Nampu and Copy are an okay couple. I'm not thrilled with Nampu's aggressive flirting style, but I guess it seems to work on Copy. Some of their interactions were kinda cute, and their first kiss was also a nice moment. However, there's just not much weight or substance to this romance, and I don't think they were necessary to Top Secret Together.
Suea and Plawaan
Suea and Plawaan aren't a bad couple, but they feel completely out of place in Top Secret Together. The two of them have no relevance to the main characters or any other storylines. Their basketball subplot occurs in its own isolated universe, taking up valuable time that could be allocated to the important romances instead.
Suea and Plawaan might fit in better with another high school BL drama, where their storyline makes more sense. Plawaan's inferiority about his height and his failed basketball ambitions can be somewhat interesting if developed properly. However, his character and the romance didn't feel like a priority in Top Secret Together. Suea and Plawaan were easily the least essential characters in the series.
By the way, Plawaan quitting basketball because his douchebag rival beat him in an unofficial match is really dumb. Why would his character honour this bizarre bet?😓 His conflict with the one-dimensional villain feels silly, like they wanted to stir up manufactured drama in this banal storyline. I wasn't a fan of how Top Secret Together developed this subplot at all.
Top Secret Together Ending
Ending
Sad ending
The ending in Top Secret Together was heavily affected by the pandemic. You start noticing around Episode 14 (maybe even earlier) that the in-person interactions stop, replaced by a series of phone conversations instead. The original storylines were headed towards a certain direction, but they got derailed by these lockdown restrictions. As a result, the ending got affected too, changing the trajectory of the romances.
In the Top Secret Together ending, Simai has to leave the country with his dad. He spends his last night with Lukmo, as they share a bed together. When Simai leans in for a kiss, Lukmo rejects him by placing his fingers between their lips. Simai is already gone by the time Lukmo wakes up next morning. His parting gift is a silly photo of Lukmo that he designed during his internship. In the final scene, Simai returns to the office after an indeterminate amount of time has passed. Lukmo smiles at his return, but we're left to speculate the state of their relationship.
Meanwhile, MaiEak walks into the coffee shop, where he finds Phob and Namo happily interacting with each other. We cut to MaiEak's monologue, where he accepts the fact that Phob chooses Namo over him. MaiEak decides to wait for Phob, hoping that a future opportunity will come in which his unreciprocated love is returned. As for the other three couples, they all have generic happy endings.
Ending explained
If there was no pandemic, Top Secret Together would have a happier ending. Originally, any misunderstandings should've gotten resolved in these last few episodes. They'd make up, have their first kiss, and become an official couple by the end of the series. However, none of that happened in the actual finale! Since they had to cut the storylines abruptly, we don't get the lovey-dovey romantic scenes between the two central pairs.
The ending to Phob and MaiEak's storyline comes as the biggest shocker. I thought Namo was a decent boyfriend for Phob, the type of guy he should pick to move on from MaiEak. However, I never actually believed they'd still be together in the finale. It's unconventional for the BL lead to end up with a minor supporting character instead of his fellow costar. To my surprise, Phob didn't break up with Namo in the final episode. Meanwhile, a heartbroken MaiEak could only lament over the one who got away.
Even though I don't think Phob and Namo were intended to be endgame, I'm oddly okay with the two of them together. As Namo said himself, MaiEak had four years to go after Phob and he blew it. MaiEak realized his feelings too late, so he has nobody to blame but himself when Phob moves on with another guy. It's a sad ending for his character, because he's now the one to experience the anguish of unrequited love. Nonetheless, I'm glad Top Secret Together took this route and went for a realistic ending with their relationship.
Top Secret Together Episodes
Episode Guide
Top Secret Together has a total of 15 episodes. Each episode is around 40 minutes long. There are outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage at the end of every episode. This is a long BL drama, and you can finish the entire series in under 12 hours. Top Secret Together aired its first episode on May 14, 2021 and ended on August 20, 2021.
★★☆☆
★★☆☆
★★★☆
★★★☆
★★★☆
★★★☆
★★☆☆
★★☆☆
★★☆☆
★★☆☆
★★☆☆
★★☆☆
★★☆☆
★☆☆☆
★★☆☆
😡 Episodes with triggers
Episode 6-15
From the end of Episode 6 and onwards, Simai and Lukmo discontinued their romance because of incest. It's revealed later on that they technically don't have the same father, but Simai doesn't know the truth. Episode 7 is when a lot of the drama explodes. Simai argues with both his parents and Lukmo, then cries about his predicament.
Top Secret Together kept amplifying the romantic moments between Simai and Lukmo, regardless of whether they're presumably brothers or not. The two characters never engage in any actual romantic interactions, although they come close occasionally. The incest drama continues to the end, and Simai never actually discovers the truth about them.
💋 Episodes with kissing
Episode 9, 12
Newyear and Both kiss twice during Top Secret Together. Their first kiss occurred in Episode 9 at the New Year party, and it's a pretty steamy kiss between them. 😚 Their second kiss happened in Episode 12 after they got engaged.
Nampu and Copy also shared a kiss at the end of Episode 12. The two of them were stargazing together, and Copy suddenly initiated a kiss between them. The kiss was a pleasant surprise, easing Nampu's earlier concerns that he didn't know how Copy felt about him.
The other couples do not kiss during the series. The COVID restrictions may or may not have affected any kissing scenes between the main couples. Simai and Lukmo ALMOST kiss in Episode 15, but Lukmo rejects Simai in the last second because he has to keep up the lie that they're brothers.
💪🏻 Episodes with skin
Episode 4
There are no shirtless scenes in Top Secret Together, other than a quick shot of MaiEak in the swimming pool in Episode 4. We only see his backside though before he jumps into the pool. Does that count as a shirtless scene? I don't know. Other than this one moment, none of the other actors show skin during the series.
Top Secret Together Information
Links
- Facebook Top Secret Together Facebook
- Gagaoolala Top Secret Together Gagaoolala
- Instagram Top Secret Together Instagram
- MyDramaList Top Secret Together MyDramaList
- Twitter Top Secret Together Twitter
- YouTube Top Secret Together YouTube
- YouTube Both and Newyear YouTube channel
STAR Bangkok
STAR Bangkok is a Thai BL studio that made the series Top Secret Together (2021). Top Secret Together is the first and only BL project made by the studio so far.
I just watched this series so my question comes pretty late but didn’t Lukmo’s dad tell him that Simai had a different father or was the translation incorrect?