Where Your Eyes Linger – Drama Review & Episode Guide

Tae Joo and Kang Gook are high school friends who develop feelings for each other in Where Your Eyes Linger.

Where Your Eyes Linger is a Korean BL drama about a wealthy student and his devoted live-in bodyguard. Their close adolescent friendship intensifies over time, complicated by a love triangle and family disapproval. The two characters must navigate through their coy, confusing, and complicated feelings for each other.

The elegantly simple Where Your Eyes Linger tells a compelling teenage story. The narrative is packed with meaningful melodrama and heightened emotions, conveyed powerfully by the talented actors. If you love BL, this satisfying series is among the best in the genre.

Where Your Eyes Linger Summary

Title:

너의시선이머무는곳에

Series Info:

South Korea (2020)

Length:

2 hours

Total Episodes:

8 episodes

Genre:

High school romance

About:

Where Your Eyes Linger is a sad & emotional BL drama.

Plot

Tae Joo and Kang Gook have a complicated friendship as the series progressed.

Tae Joo is a cheeky high school student with a knack for getting into trouble at school. As a notorious flirt, he has a loose and casual dating history, especially when it comes to stealing other people's girlfriends.

Since Tae Joo comes from a rich and powerful family, he has his own live-in bodyguard hired to protect him 24/7. Both Tae Joo and his bodyguard Kang Gook are the same age, attend the same school, share some of the same interests, and live together in the same house all by themselves. The two of them spend every moment together, so they're very close friends.

Kang Gook is the strong and silent type, who likes to keep his feelings bottled up inside. He has a secret crush on Tae Joo, which agonizes him because these feelings will never be reciprocated. Recently, Kang Gook has caught the eye of Hye Mi, a quirky waitress who takes an instant liking to him. While he shows no interest in her, Tae Joo wants to help out his unsociable friend and becomes their matchmaker.

The more Tae Joo tries to push his friend towards this new girl, the more distant and hostile Kang Gook grows towards him. It culminates in a tense confrontation, where Kang Gook finally drops his guard during a moment of vulnerability. This revelation causes Tae Joo to see their friendship in a whole new light, as he reassesses his own feelings for Kang Sook.

Where Your Eyes Linger Cast

Characters

Tae Joo Han Gi Chan (한기찬) Han Gi Chan Instagram

Tae Joo is a spoiled playboy from a wealthy and powerful family. He is playful, flippant, and doesn't seem to take anything too seriously. Tae Joo has a domineering father, who is tired of his son's mischief and threatens to send him off to an overseas boarding school.

Kang Gook Jang Eui Soo (장의수) Jang Eui Soo Instagram

Kang Gook is Tae Joo's devoted bodyguard, hired to live together and offer him 24/7 physical protection. With his gentle and mature personality, he is often a calming influence on Tae Joo's reckless behaviour. Besides being strong and athletic, Kang Gook also has an artistic side and likes to make DIY wire sculptures as a hobby.

Supporting Cast

Hye Mi is played by the actress Choi Yeon Cheong (최연청).

Hye Mi

Choi Yeon Cheong (최연청)

Pil Hyun is played by the actor Jeon Jae Yeong (전재영).

Pil Hyun

Jeon Jae Yeong (전재영)

Hye mi's mother is played by the actress Jung Seo In (정서인).

Hye Mi's mom

Jung Seo In (정서인)

Tae Joo's father is played by the actor Jeong Chan Woo (정찬우).

Tae Joo's dad

Jeong Chan Woo (정찬우)

Cast highlights

  • The actor playing Kang Gook (Jang Eui Soo) has a prominent role in two other BL dramas, including Nobleman Ryu's Wedding in 2020 and My Sweet Dear in 2021.
  • Tae Joo's actor (Han Gi Chan) is the lead of the 2022 Korean BL drama Ocean Likes Me, where he plays a restauranteur.
  • The actor playing Pil Hyun's character (Jeon Jae Yong) also appears in To My Star, playing the exact same role except that he's an adult. There's no direct connection between the two BL dramas, however.

Where Your Eyes Linger Review

Review

Drama Review Score:9.2

A-
Tae Joo and Kang Gook spend practically every moment together.

Before starting Where Your Eyes Linger, I heard some great reviews about this BL drama. Although I managed to avoid any spoilers, my expectations were set pretty high when I fired up the first scene. This better be as good as they say it is, I thought with a skeptical sneer.

Fortunately, I was not disappointed. Backed by some solid acting performances, Where Your Eyes Linger is an emotionally thrilling journey from start to finish. This is a tight, compact series that proves you don't need any fancy bells and whistles to tell an interesting story.

Sometimes, we speak of BL dramas that are too ambitious with their storytelling and end up being a convoluted mess. Where Your Eyes Linger avoids this pitfall by keeping the plot as simple as possible. This is a really straightforward high school love story with no major twists and turns. Where Your Eyes Linger is enjoyable simply because it's a well-executed story with good pacing, good characters, and a good satisfying ending.

This drama is handled by a capable storyteller, with a clear vision of the narrative that will play out in less than 90 minutes. Every scene feels like it serves a purpose, every plot point flows coherently, and every reaction feels appropriate based on what happened so far. Everything in this series moves along so smoothly, never feeling too rushed nor dragging on for too long. There's a clear, steady momentum going from start to finish. When you complete Where Your Eyes Linger, you'll experience that feeling of satisfaction from a story well told.

Story

Simple story

Kang Gook and Hye Mi both realized that he didn't have feelings for her.

Where Your Eyes Linger is definitely heavy on the drama, but it never feels excessive or overwrought. Since these characters are likable, you want to root for them to work through their struggles and get together in the end.

Most of the focus was maintained on the relationship between the two leads. It doesn't introduce too many secondary characters, convoluted storylines, or other unnecessary elements that detract from this romance. It successfully understands that less is more. Just a pensive glance or a piercing line of dialogue can already convey so much dramatic tension.

Romance

Tae Joo and Kang Gook

Tae Joo and Kang Gook were physically intimate, but not physically affectionate.

The romance was an emotional journey, supported by some pretty great performances from the actors. Both go through a mix of emotions, from doubt and confusion to jealousy and anger. I felt immersed in the romantic drama between these two friends. As they fumble with their feelings for each other, it was an emotionally charged journey that kept me engaged.

I liked the relationship between Tae Joo and Kang Gook, who shared a natural and comfortable rapport with each other. However, I wished there were more displays of romantic affection between them. Yes, they stare into each other's eyes, they play-fight all the time, and they even sleep in the same bed together. There was some physical intimacy between them, but not enough physical affection.

There were some pivotal scenes when the characters could've kissed in the moment, but the series shied away from the action for whatever reason. The actors seemed comfortable with each other, so it's a missed opportunity that they didn't get to express their affection more physically.

Where's the action? Give me some kissing, stroking, petting, caressing! It's like they get every facet of BL right, except for the part where they have to show their love physically for each other. 😞

Acting

Great acting

Kang Gook is really good at acting with his eyes.

I thought the acting was above average, and both leads were pretty equal in terms of their acting skills. Kang Gook had the more emotionally nuanced role, and he was given better opportunities to showcase his range in the scenes.

The actor (Jang Eui Soo) was particularly great at giving these super longing glances with his eyes, which are brimming with emotion. So many scenes in Where Your Eyes Linger rely on Kang Gook speaking with his eyes, which he does so wonderfully.

Best Character

Kang Gook

So many scenes in Where Your Eyes Linger rely on Kang Gook speaking with his eyes.

As mentioned above, Kang Gook did have the more emotionally complex role, so I gravitated towards his character from the start. He's the guy with the secret unrequited crush, so it's just easier to feel sympathetic towards his circumstances.

Tae Joo

Tae Joo could be pretty charming when he wants to be.

As for Tae Joo, he started off as a rich brat and I wasn't fully on board with him at first. However, he was pretty charming and I did warm up to his character over time. In fact, I started feeling bad for him after he confessed his feelings and Kang Gook rejected him so harshly. By the end, both characters won me over and I liked them pretty equally.

Skin & Nudity

No nudity

There was a lot of play fighting between Tae Joo and Kang Gook.

Nope, nope, nope. They went out of their ways to make sure you don't see any skin. There was a quick scene of Kang Gook getting dressed, but we only get to see his muscular back. There was also a lengthy scene where Kang Gook helped Tae Joo to take a bath, and you'd think there has to be something on display, but all you see is a foggy shower glass panel or extreme close-ups of their faces.

Triggers

Some violence

Kang Joo was an emotionally complex character with expressive eyes.

The characters get into some fights here and there, but the physical violence doesn't feel too excessive or gory. There's a subtle air of homophobia from Tae Joo's dad, but nothing triggering was explicitly said.

Highlights

Schoolyard confrontation

Tae Joo pins Kang Gook on the ground after the dodgeball game.

My favourite scene was the confrontation after the dodgeball game. Up until that point, the characters kept their feelings mostly bottled up inside. After so long, it was exhilarating to reach this breaking point, where Tae Joo released all his pent-up emotions in this heated exchange.

This scene was angry, aggressive, and full of adrenaline. I didn't know what to expect — were they gonna kiss, fight, confess, argue, or "do it here" (which was Kang Gook's first thought 😂)?

Feedback

Hye Mi

Hye Mi seemed like an interesting character, but she didn't get a lot of screentime.

Hye Mi seemed to have a pretty quirky and offbeat personality for a female love interest in a BL drama. I would've been interested in learning more about her character, but she only got a limited amount of screentime. In a longer series, Hye Mi's character could be fleshed out more and make the love triangle even more riveting to watch.

Ending

Happy ending

Tae Joo and Kang Gook kiss briefly in the end before they cut to the credits. Lame.

I was pretty satisfied with the happy ending, which jumped ahead in time a few years later. It was a very sensible conclusion for them to get back together now that they're adults. I liked that their feelings didn't change for each other, and now that they are "equals", the two of them can give their relationship another go.

With that said, I hate that we have to wait until the last scene for a three-second kiss between the leads, which cuts away to the credits immediately afterwards. Imagine watching a romance where the only time the couple kisses is in the last three seconds. I'm sorry, but how annoying is that? I'm not asking for a three-hour kissing marathon here, but a little more than the bare minimum would've been nice.

Where Your Eyes Linger Episodes

Episode Guide

Where Your Eyes Linger has a total of 8 episodes. Each episode is around 10 to 12 minutes long. The last episode is around 16 minutes long. This is a short BL drama, and you can finish the entire series in under 90 minutes. Originally released as an eight-episode BL drama, it was later compiled into a movie version with minor changes in the music soundtrack.

Best episode: My favourite episode in Where Your Eyes Linger is Episode 6. This is the episode after the schoolyard confrontation scene, as Tae Joo and Kang Gook deal with the fallout. There are many emotional scenes in this episode, including a very heated exchange at the dojo. The episode also ends with a poignant exchange between Kang Gook and Hye Mi.

💋 Episodes with kissing: Tae Joo and Kang Gook share their one and only kiss at the end of Episode 8. The kiss lasts as long as this sentence.

💪🏻 Episodes with skin: There are no shirtless scenes in Where Your Eyes Linger, although we do see Kang Gook's back when he changes clothes in Episode 2.

Episode 1

★★★☆

Episode 2

★★★★

Episode 3

★★★★

Episode 4

★★★★

Episode 5

★★★★

Episode 6

★★★★

Episode 7

★★★☆

Episode 8

★★★☆

Where Your Eyes Linger Information

W-STORY

W-STORY is the Korean BL studio that made Where Your Eyes Linger (2020).

W-STORY is the Korean BL studio that made Where Your Eyes Linger (2020). Its portfolio also includes Mr. Heart (2020), You Make Me Dance (2021), Cherry Blossoms After Winter (2022), and Jun and Jun (2023).

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  2. i honestly loved where your eyes linger when i watched it. it's filled with emotions and thoughts. the two main leads shared great chemistry and both actors acted really well to bring out the best of their characters.

    yes, i'm also bothered that they kissed once only (for 3 seconds like you said), and i feel like the kiss was a bit awkward (i saw the behind-the-scenes and it seemed like the actors wanted to get it done and over with quickly hahahah *cute*)

    nonetheless, where your eyes linger definitely depicted strong emotions and a good storyline, it didn't feel exaggerated or unrealistic. i loved it!

  3. Usually your scores are spot on with my tastes, but this series just didn't do the trick for me. I felt it had potential to be something better, but everything was rushed. Aside from the terrible fighting scenes –that kinda disturbed me– I wanted more development to their relationship. They had interesting interactions, but I expected more. Nothing explicit. Maybe a few intimate scenes to see them as a couple and burst into tears of happiness and joy. Too bad we didn't get any.. 🙁

    The ending was kinda blunt. There wasn't an expectation or something.. It was the perfect happy ending, but given that their relationship wasn't explored more during the episodes, I didn't feel happy at all.. I was just waiting for it to end and move to the next series.

    Having said all that, the actors were great!

  4. "The more Tae Joo tries to push his friend towards this new girl, the more distant and hostile Kang Gook grows towards him. It culminates in a tense confrontation, where Kang Gook finally drops his guard during a moment of vulnerability. This revelation causes Tae Joo to see their friendship in a whole new light, as he reassesses his own feelings for Kang Sook." No, it's the fact that a girl is showing interest in Kang Gook that causes Tae Joe to "see their friendship in a whole new light." He is jealous and realizes he likes Kang Gook. Kang Gook reciprocates but tries to hide his feelings and doesn't quite understand them at first, and he tries to push Tae Joe away.

  5. I like this series a lot, but I have to say compared to others I feel the rating is a little high. As I usually don't see the your rating go above a C (with some exceptions), I was surprise you gave this an A. I do like this series and would recommend it to anyone, as this is one of the first Korean BL series I started with. LOVE THE ENDING. wish they gave more in the ending but it does give it its charm.

  6. Wow, I’m only reacting cause usually your grades coincide with mine, but here I really don’t understand the A-, I thought it was a terrible, terrible drama.
    I think Andy said it all, the constant fighting had me cringing, the mafiaso father or whatever was ridiculous, the plot was not it, the chemistry simply did not exist, the characters dynamic of master/slave was disgusting toxic as hell…
    Why would someone even stay friends with someone as terrible as Tae Joo? Actually the only moment of satisfaction I had was when Kang Gook told Tae Joo the only time he felt happy was when he left for Japan without him & that their relationship seemed to be over.
    Damn, that was a bad one.

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