Happy Ending Outside the Fence (2022)

unique dynamics with confusing execution

Overall: the bizarre editing/timeline in the beginning and lack of explanations made this unnecessarily confusing. I did like the different take on a love triangle. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki.

Content Warnings: harassment, manipulation

What I Liked
- this was a love triangle that I actually liked
- a morally gray character (aka good intentions, wrong actions)
- good production value (except for the odd editing)
- a female character who wasn't a stalker fan or evil ex
- the ending

Room For Improvement
- this has some bizarre editing and I had to re-watch the beginning of episode 1 to figure out what was happening, as an example in episode 2: first minute is a partial recap of episode 1 set 3 years in the past followed by five minutes of new scenes (presumably still in the past), then at 6 minutes in there is a recap of the last episode in the present and a new scene added, then at 10 minutes of 26 minutes we have the final scene of episode 1 and new scenes from then on
- they should have actually shown the kiss right away to explain their relationship three years ago and then they needed to confirm what their relationship is in the present
- never really explain what happened in the past or how all the "plans" would actually work
- lack of agency from Jung Woo and our supposed hero did the exact same thing that the villain did with making choices for Jung Woo instead of making choices with Jung Woo
- multiple mediocre kisses

Question - is self-publishing not an option in South Korea?

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Bad try...

The main issue with this drama is that it really wants to be deeper than it is. It’s like that one friend who insists on wearing sunglasses indoors to seem mysterious, but in reality, just bumps into furniture. In an attempt to be as enigmatic and "artsy" as possible, the show throws the viewer straight into the middle of the plot without a map or even a vague sense of direction. Explanations? Pfft, who needs those? Character introductions or motivations? Absolutely not—figure it out yourself by squinting at cryptic expressions and awkward pauses, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll piece it all together.

We’re presented with three main characters, and the storyline juggles between them with the grace of a toddler trying to juggle flaming torches. Add in some random time skips, and you’ve got yourself a thoroughly confusing start. But surely, you think, surely the middle part will make everything clearer, right? Wrong.

Take, for instance, the mysterious "crime" that Cha Jung Woo committed to be banned from writing under his own name. Everyone in the drama talks about it with such cryptic vagueness, you start to wonder if even the scriptwriters know what happened. The more you think about it, the less sense it makes. In the age of digital printing and self-publishing, this whole "banned writer" storyline crumbles under the weight of its own illogic. What’s stopping him from publishing a blog? Or an e-book? The drama seems to think that being vague equals depth, but really, it’s just confusing.

And as for the romance—well, let’s just say you can forget about that entirely. One day, they wake up and decide, "Hey, I think I want to be with that person," and poof, we’re supposed to believe there’s a grand romantic connection. But there’s no build-up, no sparks—just two people suddenly deciding they’re in love because, well, the script says so. It’s about as romantic as accidentally grabbing the wrong person's hand in a crowded elevator.

There’s nothing particularly memorable about this drama—except, perhaps, for that one song they use repeatedly, which might just get stuck in your head whether you like it or not.

Overall, I’ve seen worse dramas, but I’ve definitely seen better ones too. If this show didn’t spend so much time pretending to be more profound than it actually is, it might have been a far more enjoyable experience. As it stands, it’s like a shallow pool trying to convince you it’s the ocean—just don’t dive in expecting depth.

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Tropes: office romance, identity theft, cohabitation, messy gay

This is a complicated and engaging plot about professional ego, reputation, safety, and trust, but not much about romance. Or maybe it is but it’s a romance about an editor’s love for a writer’s work? Or for the writer himself? And is there a difference?

I think this would have worked better as a romance if the Writer had known the Editor in (at least) a friendly way in the past/at school as well - so there was more established dynamic to their instant affection and shacking up. Apart from my qualms around the romance thread, the plot is actually good. It’s very angsty and tense for something so simple, which suits this length of show.

As a BL it kinda isn’t (sorry to say) though, there’s no BL tropes dropped and no real romance beats. This is about dishonesty and pride and there is an elegance to the theme. Which is essentially the idea that possession is not love, and therefore, those who love the Writer have to prove their love by letting him go. Honestly, I’m not sure how to rate this show as a result. This is a blog about BL and this wasn’t that.

RECOMMENDED (but not if BL is what you’re after)

P.S. For a change I like the OST, Leo is one of my favorite main singers among the honey-voices of Kpop. Speaking of, Leo is stupid pretty here.

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Great series This series is under rated on MDL.

In my mind this is a short/mini-series. For sure this could have gone 45-50 minutes per episode with plenty of great scenes. But a lass, there are a few spaces between the smiling pearly white teeth of this series. The good stuff first, the basic story line was just awesome. Literary book writers intrigue and drama. The cast was also very strong. For sure Joog Woo carries and sold the series. His smile and electric personality lite up the screen in many scenes. I think Leo was and Karam did a great job, but I think the script and/or directing keep them from shining. For sure Ji Yeong was very strong and very convincing. Im also deserves some credit for being a likeable side kick who bails. So, the elephant in the room is what the hell did "writer Cha do to start this entire series? That would have been nice. The ending was a bit too quick and could have developed more and created more tension and a release to the happy (3 some) ending. (???) The other complaint was the lack of passion in the kissing scenes. (DFK) Ha Jong Woo did elevate this series significantly. For sure, this is under rated being under 8. Please that is unbeleivable. It is at least a 9 I gave it a 9.5.

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Whistleblowers dilemma

I really like this drama. It has layers and depth because we are not spoon fed all the issues and have to wait for the reveals. Leo's role is intriguing and a warning for anyone that wants to be rescued as he shows he needs Jung Woo to fail so he can keep this role.

The premise of being a whistleblower for corruption in the publishing world and the severe backlash he suffers is very real. ***
Jung Woo is a timid introverted character who uses his writing to express himself but after the whistleblower incident he retreats into the arms of Leo, his professed protector.

After years of isolation from his craft Jung Woo meets the sunny optimistic publisher Tae Young and he begins to heal and believe in himself again.

The reveals are done well and outcomes were not predictable as all invested parties could be swayed. I liked that the plotline was the focus more than the relationships.

The acting was okay but could have been more animated with greater use of micro facial expressions and definitely some coaching around the DFK. The BL aspects were somewhat wooden, however, in context with all three main actors having very little acting experience I think they did okay.
NB
The director was also a producer on the drama "Kissable Lips" that suffered the same issues.

Well worth watching.

***A quick search and I found;
"South Korean whistleblower Kim Yong-chul, who has written a book about his efforts to expose alleged corruption and greed at Samsung, faces censure and isolation.
The former Moon Jae-in administration announced in June last year a series of measures to help protect whistleblowers by stressing the importance of such people in making society better. But now the government has gone on to sue Shin (Shin Jae-min, 32, who identified himself as a former deputy director of South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance), for leaking classified information. The irony is self-evident."

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Okay with a side of Cute

Oh man, how do I describe this show? It's... confusing, cute, and with a potential that could have been better. Not sure how else I'd describe it.

First, the acting. I am a huge fan of VIXX and so was excited to see Leo on here, but honestly I wasn't super convinced by his acting. He seemed to only have an expression of annoyance most of the time, and didn't really excel in micro-expressions, which I think his character called for. However, there were moments when his character elicited emotional reactions from me (mostly anger lol), which does mean that he has promise. But the biggest letdown was honestly just the lack of chemistry between him and Karam, which could be attributed to the fact that their relationship is deteriorating at the time of the story, but even in the beginning scene, I didn't really feel anything.

Similarly to Leo, I found Karam a little lacking, but he seemed to have better chemistry with Ha Jong Woo than with Leo (that might be more because of Jong Woo, though maybe not!). I did enjoy his moments of happiness whenever he was opposite Jong Woo, and I do think he did well, but he was wooden at times - not sure if that's because of it being a BL or just his general lack of experience in acting.

Out of the three main characters, I think Ha Jong Woo carried this show. His bright, bubbly personality (and that smile!) was super cute and I enjoyed every scene with him in it. That's not to say he can't act seriously - this was proven to us in the more emotional scenes he got towards the end. He also seemed the least wooden when it came to the kissing scenes, but that's kind of a low bar here. Either way, I came for Leo but very much stayed for Jong Woo.

Speaking of the kissing, I was sad to see the DFK (dead fish kiss) back again in a K-BL. We had had a good run with some of those like Semantic Error and To My Star that I had kinda forgotten K-dramas really like a good DFK! Again, not sure if this is due to the acting, directing, or some other behind-the-scenes, but it would have been nice to see a good kiss instead of just putting two lips together. But alas.

As a few other reviewers have said before, the plot gets a bit confusing. Not sure if it's the editing or the writing, but sometimes I was confused about what happened or why certain characters reacted certain ways. My biggest confusion was why everyone reacted to the "big reveal" in the last episode -- was it really that bad? The story was also wrapped up a bit too quickly. They drew out a lot of the drama and then wrapped it up in a nice bow in the very last episode. I would have liked to have seen more of character growth and development, but I acknowledge that you can only do so much in eight episodes.

All in all, it was a good show. I've seen better and I've definitely seen worse, but overall it's one of those you watch when you have nothing else to do.

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Tedious Journey

Cutting straight to the chase, this series is so boring to get through. One of the reasons for that is because a good junk of the story focuses more on Jungwoo's scandal than the actual romance of it all. Which would be fine if the story were engaging, but I found myself having fallen asleep twice, watching it 2x speed, and not even caring if I missed some dialogue. Hell, by the last three episodes, it was a generous skim-through until it was over.

Let's Dive In.

Happy Ending Romance is a very tedious watch. The first two episodes are dedicated to Taeyoung wandering around trying to find Jungwoo, who's too busy pouting around his over-protective boyfriend Junghyun. And whilst happening, I'm sipping my matcha latte wondering when I'll get into this shit. Some parts were engaging, but not enough to gain my interest.

On top of it being a boring watch, I caught myself coming back to MDL to read the description because half the time I had no idea what was going on. And the twist being that Jungwoo was Junghyun's ghostwriter? Was I supposed to gasp? I mean, the entire story centers around Jungwoo not being able to write under his name due to past situations, so of course he's ghostwriting.

I thought about dropping this too many times for my liking. The only reason I didn't was because it was only 30-minute episodes, so why not just finish it? But if you have to think about dropping at all, then it's probably not worth the watch.

Onto some things I did like, like Taeyoung and Woojoo's friendship, Junghyun's wardrobe -- Taeyoung's actor. I mean, that man is gorgeous, the way he smiles and the way his eyes smile too, I mean, he's perfect. Kisses weren't all that bad, of course, I've seen better, but at least they didn't shy away from giving us as many kisses as we could hope for.

Ratings:

Story: 5.5/10 - incredibly dull, incredibly boring. Some parts interesting, but most parts not. I liked Jungwoo's story up until a certain point when they drag on it too much. Taeyoung and Woojoo's friendship is fun to watch, along with watching Taeyoung cause he's beautiful.

Acting: 8/10 - Acting good. Jongwoo (Taeyoung) did the best, with Tucheol (Woojoo) second. Everyone else was decent. The acting was probably this series' strongest aspect. I wouldn't mind seeing this group of actors again.

Music: 6/10 - Wasn't distracting. Good.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - I'd recommend this for Jongwoo (Taeyoung) only. Like damn, he really is a sight to behold. Other than that, there are other K-BL's out there (Cough cough, Love Tractor) that I would recommend more.

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Confusing one still good enough

The first thing you should know is that it's very confusing at first due to the lack of clarification. You won't even know what's going on. Jun Woo is crying and asking, "What can I do? I messed up everything." Jung Hyun is standing by him. I had no idea what was his mess. I thought Jung Woo killed someone, but it was the opposite. He speaks against corruption, and he is completely boycotted by the entire association. Thank God I read the synopsis to get clarification on this confusing situation.

Things I liked
Thank goodness the writer moved on from the handsome and popular guys from university and fell in love at first sight with a guy. Even if the situation is perplexing, you can find solace in the middle of the series. One thing I appreciate is that Maker attempted to show some of the darker aspects of the literary world. How powerful people can destroy weak people. There is depth of emotion, struggle, sadness, and unhappiness. I like Leo's portrayal of the possessive one because I've seen guys like him in real life; they'll do anything to put someone in a cage they've built even if there's love. And who will Jun Woo pick? This part will keep you on your toes. Is he going to go with the supportive one or the possessive with one?

There are lots of factors that they need to address. The series must begin with proper clarification, or the audience will be kept in suspense until the very end. You feel irritated by the possessiveness of Leo. Overall, it isn't the best or the worst. You can watch if you want.

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An Empty Space

It's definitely a quality drama. The team behind it cared about what they were making, and you could tell. They had a specific style in mind, evident from the color palette. Jung Woo's world is listless, drained, and hollow. And so the world we see is made of muted colors, conversations go round and round, and the days seem to repeat.

I found the commentary on passiveness and possessiveness interesting, as well as the under-the-radar—at least to the character—manipulation (you could see how, over time, one would give in).

Something just felt missing. I can't put a name to it. And I wanted more of the love-triangle aspect. The trailers and teasers made it seem like it would play a significant role. Unfortunately, we were fooled.

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Not bad but not good either

The show is unique I'll tell you that but the plot is very confusing. Sometimes I don't even understand the point of conflict. Like even till now I don't get what Cha Jung Woo did so bad that they cancelled him from the writing, they acted like he killed a man or something. Also they do something in the series, just so they could cancel that thing and do another thing, like it was laughable to me, like they build all that tension for what. But I would say they did the gaslighting part very. Even I thought that Jung Hyun was a good guy until much much MUCH later in the series. Now the acting is done well, I have no complains against it. The main leads chemistry was good and Tae Young's smile is soo cute. Half of the reason why I watched this was because of him lol. The music was really good. Overall it is a good series I guess but it is a bit confusing.

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Refreshingly different.

Interesting, complicated. Great acting. LGBTQ in a natural way. Minimal BL tropes. Maybe a little slow but also fully engaging. First episode is confusing; gets easier to understand from episode 2. Tries to tell various stories in parallel at different points in the timeline. This series is high on emotional/dramatic tension. Feels a bit like a mystery. The ending sequences are too short to release the accumulated tension. A bit more casual dialog in the final rooftop scene would have helped. Left me wishing for a few more loose ends to be tied up. A very nice change of pace, just be prepared for some confusion.

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Expected way more

Its been a while since i watched a k-BL since i know how lacking they can be sometimes, and its understandable since its a genre that is still newly being introduced to the korean public, but still i expected a bit more. One of the reasons that made me watch this drama was Leo being part of the cast, and tbh him being a cast member and the cast members themselves in general might have been the only good things about this drama.
Ill now be listing what negative points i found in this drama:
1) it was a bit slow paced
2) i really dont know why everyone had to bend over backwards to help cha jungwoo when he is the one who self distructed( like he couldve made his point in a better calculated way and avoided destroying his career). In this drama wveryone was trying so hard to help him acheive his dreams even though they were not obliged to, and whenever it was time for jungwoo to give a reaction to that he was always so self entitled imo. His character was written to be annoying and abnoxious tbh.
3) idk why but to me it appeared to me like taeyong was house wrecking and it just didnt sit well with me. Like he clearly knew that jonghyun and jungwoo were together, but he still went for it.
All in all i feel like all of these points goes back to the idea that the story was poorly writtten with soo much room for improvement.
Would i watch it again? Def not
Would i recommend you to watch it? If u uave nothing better to do then go ahead but proceed with caution.
Hope this helps someone 😊

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