Unintentional Love Story Spin Off (2024)

heartwarming and heartrending

Overall: this is a prequel to Unintentional Love Story (ULS) with a focus on the side couple from ULS. Originally released as a movie and then broken into 6 episodes about 18 minutes each on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/the-time-of-fever-episode-1-18mbzov4oiw?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: past death, child abuse/beaten up, homophobia, punch

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry/tension
- sweet and caring moments
- cameo from Unintentional Love Story actor Gong Chan

Room For Improvement
- because it's a prequel the ending is open, I still would love to see what happened to the couple after ULS but we'll likely never get that (this is a rare time I would have been okay with a time gap in order to get closure on their story)
- too much blur filter
- I don't totally understand the actions of 1 character at the end because he must have realized what the drawings meant, maybe internalized homophobia played a part in not communicating/telling the truth

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They let us have this ....

In the original story Ho Tae and Dong Hee had feelings for each other but out of respect for Ho Tae mother, as she loved him and cared for him as her own, Dong Hee didn't want to have a relationship with him. Ho Tae persistently begged for Dong Hee to date him but was constantly rebuffed. They were always friends and for me at least the prequel's ending fit nicely with the sequel beginning. The writers stuck to the backstory details to create the prequel and nothing was changed.

Reason why it fit: After years of not seeing each other they finally meet. Old friends would smile as they remember their connection and the warm feeling they had for each other. As in the prequel Dong Hee still hides his feelings for Ho Tae. Ho Tae keeps forcing him to give him a chance which causes the friction between them. They are no longer boys but men with strong opposing convictions. Frustrated Dong Hee lashes out. This is where Unintentional Love Story begins.

The story was really the growth of both and nothing new was told, just the reason of why Dong Hee left and his return. Ho Tae is as thick mentally as he is insightful. As he understood his feelings for Dong Hee, he knew why he dated the girls. They would never replace the one he wanted at his side. He knew that he was wrong so he gladly took the injuries. Dong Hee ran away to come full circle back to him. Hence the reason Ho Tae told him he was not intouch with his feelings.

The story wasn't new but it felt fresh in its delivery. The moments were realistically light and not bogged down with melodrama. The actors were superb in their roles with great chemistry. What I would have loved to see, was one more episode with another 7 years passing and picking up where Dong Hee says, "Let me have this.", with Ho Tae's arms wrapped around him. Whatever errors (the story lag in 4 and 5, Won Young in the same town and school when he only newly arrived in ULS ) are easily forgiven as it was definitely worth the wait. I'm left wanting more of all four. As a movie this would have worked better than the series. Still very grateful. Rewatch - definitely!

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Left Wanting . . .

A longing that in its infancy couldn't be realized. Brimming over with desire and shame, The Time of Fever captured the curiosity, confusion, and fear that often come with the experience of young love for Queer people. Chosen isolation, violent battles waged alone in your mind, denial, hesitant steps forward before sprinting away, jealousy, and parental abuse/distance.

The cinematography and sound design lent themselves to becoming the two MLs' senses, directing our attention to where their attention was. When Dong Hee picks up on Ho Tae's breathing and everything else goes quiet, when in a tension-filled moment, after allowing his gaze to linger, Ho Tae notices Dong Hee's eyes nervously flitting away from his own. The overwhelming grip of Ho Tae's hand on Dong Hee's shoulder, the taste of citrus on Dong Hee's tongue, and the scent of rain surrounding them and soaking both their clothes.

I was beckoned in and captured. Every moment was raw and real enough to make my own breath stop or send a shiver down my spine.

The only reason I considered giving this less than a 10/10 is because it sparked a longing in ME for more.

What are you doing? Go watch it!

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The warmer side of tepid

I was more partial to the main couple, but this is still a nice companion piece to the series it span off from, especially for people who wanted to see more of the second couple. It takes some some time and a lot of suspension of disbelief to see the actors as high school characters, but the characterization of the relationship is well drawn. Since this is a direct prequel there was only going to be one kind of ending, unless it was going to show parts from the series. If there was something that could have been shown a bit more is Dong Hee's relationship with the aunt which is a major reason he took himself out of the equation for as long as he did at the end. I really like the build up to the kiss with Ho Tae refusing to call Dong Hee hyung and how Dong Hee has offered to teach Ho Tae what ever he wanted, which leads to Ho Tae asking Dong Hee to teach him how to kiss leading to Dong Hee thinking caveating the teaching lesson with Ho Tae calling him hyung would stop him, but it only doubles down the tension when Ho Tae asks his hyung to teach him to kiss. Kudos to the writing.

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Ended up loving it more than the Parent Story (ULS)

Hello! This counts as my first review on MDL. I usually never write reviews but this was just that good that I felt like expressing my heart out here (also, because I'm one of the early watchers, internationally. Hope this review helps the ones looking forward to watching this beauty ⁠♡)

I'll **try my best** to refrain from spoiling anything ;)

The number one thing that got me hooked right off the bat in this series were the leads and their acting, especially the character of Dong Hee a.k.a Actor Do Woo. The character had the perfect, SPOT ON amount of sensitivity and tenderness as I was expecting from the trailer. It is made very obvious from the beginning that he is fond of Ho Tae, but the way that his POV is portrayed is exactly how I would deal with romantic attractions. His eyes did most of the talking and that was really heart warming to watch. The character of Ho Tae, a.k.a Actor Won Tae Min was portrayed as a "Gung-Ho", straightforward no-bullshitting kind of character in ULS, but since it's a prequel, we get to see a more softer, mellow side of him in this. More like he's playful and all cheery in this one. Their chemistry is no joke guys, I do not mean to compare ULS with this, but I wish this kind of intense chemistry was shown between Won Young and Tae Joon :'(

Speaking of intensity, the next thing that I can't still get out of my head is how the tension between the two is filmed. As an ardent BL enthusiast when I tell you I haven't seen such beautiful tension in a while. It is not rushed, not paced just to be done with it and wrap up, neither does it feel prolonged, depending on how intimate a scene is, the tension scenes are timed differently, cutting off or continuing. I'd like to credit the direction team rightfully here, because everything, from the angles to the movement was like how actually your head would work if you had such interactions with your partner, if you know what I mean. Cinematography is worth appreciating, almost gives off an Indie movie vibe.

There are things that I feel they could've worked on, but those are like minor ones, and would not affect any of my opinion on how good of a watch this was.
Now this is a personal opinion but few might agree with me after watching this series, I feel like this "back story" was more of Ho Tae's and less of Dong Hee's, concerning pov. We only get to take away two things about Donghee's past, only obviously being that he likes the significant other ML, while most of the story revolved around Ho Tae, his past and present (in the story). I get that Donghee's character is a bit reserved but I would've appreciated some more storyline from his side .

Secondly, I do not know why I was kinda(?) expecting some kind of love traingle or introduction of a third person in their love story? There's this one character (I won't reveal) introduced in the first and second episodes that'll give you off the vibe at first, you'll sense a love triangle but that's really not it. It didn't affect any of the story obviously but I feel like something like that would've elevated the persuasion process between the leads or something, also would've given us some more storytime lol.

Thirdly, this one's really worth shaking off but I feel like the cameo of Ji Won Young a.k.a Gong Chan in this one was worth some more screen time with the natural plot flowing. He's literally there for 5 seconds or something ? I did expect a present time cameo where it's like back to ULS universe, but okay. No big deal, just personal wish :')

What makes this better than the Parent Story? (For me)
Mostly, it's in the filming.
I won't deny the chemistry between Ji Won Young and Yoon Tae Joon in ULS was some of the better ones I've seen in Korean BLs, but you could still tell, it's acting, after all. It was very concious, some scenes, you can't tell me, weren't rushed. However, with The Time of Fever, the chemistry between the leads was so magically captivating it'll keep you seated. It'll make you want more of their interactions. In my eyes, this one had more of that artistic vision.

Here, I conclude my review (it's pretty long ?) but I really hope it helps. This has great rewatch value, in my opinion. The long spoken of myth with K-dramas that it's always the secondary leads/characters that win your heart rightly fits in this case. I only hope they get casted in a different drama or like a season 2 of either of the series' cause I know, I'm gonna miss them.

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BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION

In 2023, a story about a young man who spies on his company president's favorite reclusive artist to get his job back, captured the hearts of Korean series enthusiasts in general and lovers of boy love stories in particular.
TVING's original drama 'Unintentional Love Story', based on the manhwa and webtoon of the same name, written by Phoebe, starring Cha Seo Won as Yoon Tae Joon, and Gong Chan as Ji Won Young, showed us a second couple, played by actors Woo Tae Min ('You Make Me Dance', 2021), and Han Do Woo ('Love Playlist: Season 5' (2021), the former playing Go Ho Tae, and the latter playing Kim Dong Hee.
Loved by fans and the cause of the so-called "sub-disease" or love for the protagonists of the stories attached to the main one, at the end of the series complaints rained down requesting that the story of Ho Tae and Dong Hee be resumed to tell the exciting previous relationship between these two young people that was not included in the series, especially one that reflected their exciting school days.
Ultimately, the request was to represent in another work the vague narrative and interesting relationship of the couple made up of Go Ho Tae and Kim Dong Hee; but equally, that the future main couple was assumed by the same actors, with the same character names.
Thus came the idea of ​​filming a spin-off to tell a sad, but at the same time beautiful and tender story of two children who grew up together and discovered mutual love.
Directed by Yang Kyung Hee, a renowned director who has filmed several BL stories, such as 'A Tractor Loaded with Love' and 'The Director Who Buys Me Dinner', both from 2023, or 'I Wanna Bite It' ('Kissable Lips' ), from 2022, and 'Florida Banjeom', from 2021, and with the script masterfully crafted by Shin Yoo ('Where Your Eyes Linger', 2020), the film 'The Time of Fever' ('When your temperature touches my fingers' '), introduces the viewer to an immersive narrative journey.
At the forefront, Won Tae Min shines as a straight swimmer who one day discovers he's in love with his best friend, along with Han Do Woo's nuanced portrayal of the character he plays, and the support of a talented cast who bring depth to their respective roles.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR AND HIS WORK

In the film, its director approaches the issue of homosexuality with an intimate and personal approach, a topic that, as has already been said, he has addressed on previous occasions.
Yang Kyung Hee's work is marked by a display of sexual and emotional discovery, a theme that is addressed in a very suggestive way in 'The Time of Fever'. Far from reaching that need to search for personal identity from the beginning, with this film, the South Korean director takes up a love story not told in depth in an original story already brought to the small screen.
Therefore, from the perspective of the journey to the roots, a reunion between two old friends ends up becoming a labyrinth of passions. What stands out about the script is that it gets rid of superficial flourishes or moral dilemmas about the conception of masculinity. Although at certain moments he highlights the clichés surrounding homosexuality, he then puts them aside to reveal an internal story. Thanks to this, it gives the public a love story without consuming, where the fact that they are men becomes something circumstantial, but necessary.
In this way, the film talks about feelings and the attractiveness of emotion, where the physical becomes the result of an intimacy that occurs prior to sexual relations. It cannot be denied that that depth about what it means to love, desire or suffer is what makes the difference. Although the story follows a structure that has already been seen previously in other films, also with LGBT+ themes, perhaps, that naturalness of the unexpected love between two people with a common past makes it become a different film.

THE HISTORY

Produced by Number Three Pictures Co., Ltd., the film tells us that Ho Tae and Dong Hee have grown up as brothers since childhood. Ho Tae, who was born in Gangneung and moved to Seoul the year he graduated from primary school due to problems with his father's business, was never particularly interested in studying. For this reason, he started swimming at the school he transferred to in the South Korean capital.
Owner of enough talent to occupy a high position on the swimming team, he is forced to return to his hometown after his father's funeral, because his mother decided that they would return to start a business.
Upon returning home, Ho Tae, now 17 years old, discovered that Dong Hee, who is two years older than him, had filled the space that had been empty for a long time. Dong Hee, who had been expelled from his father's house after admitting to his family that he is homosexual, found a roof over his head in Ho Tae's uninhabited house.
Born as sons of friendly mothers, both, without any full siblings, grew up together as older and younger neighborhood brothers.
In the summer of Dong Hee's third year at High School, Ho Tae returned. The two meet again and end up living together under the same roof.
Despite their close brotherly bond, Dong Hee, who has hidden his homosexuality after being beaten by his father, who also called him "mentally ill" for this reason, cannot help but feel emotional when he sees Ho Tae, who is like a real brother to him, but he is also his first love, and he tries to repress his feelings. But it's not easy to bury these feelings.
Similarly, Ho Tae, who sees his friend as a kind young man who likes to smile, confronted with Dong Hee's presence, also develops feelings for the boy whom he has not seen in a long time, but is confused by those feelings sensations stirring inside him that he had never experienced before.
In an effort to escape his confusing emotions, Ho Tae begins dating girls in superficial relationships, which inadvertently causes pain to the previously independent Student Council president and valedictorian of his school.
As their dynamic changes after an unforeseen event, the delicate balance of their relationship hangs in the balance.

OF ACTORS AND CHARACTERS

Having a cast with few performers allows the acting direction to be focused and give greater impact to those who participate. In this way, in 'The Time of Fever' the protagonist duo is exploited above all. On the one hand, Woo Tae Min offers a metamorphosis in his character that gives him the ability to shine at an acting level. Along with this, you can see that he has a connection with the camera, giving realism and naturalness to his character at all times. Furthermore, the mischief with which he balances the most subjective effect contrasts with the sensitivity that he lets emerge at every step. It should also be noted that he is generous with his co-star, given that they form a team with great chemistry, where the tension necessary for this type of narrative is perceived.
On the other hand, Han Do Woo uses that connection with his co-star to his advantage, given that what begins as a performance in the background ends up exploiting his quality as an actor. On the one hand, it has that exquisite familiarity, which combines perfectly with the tone of the film and, then, it knows how to perfectly convey that whirlwind of sensations that lives inside. Likewise, it would be important to highlight the difficulty of being on a more restrained level, in the face of a reaction that follows that slower line, but letting out all the emotional tear that it suffers, with gestures and physical expression, something that it achieves perfectly.
With solid performances from both actors, I would highlight actor Do Woo's deeply repressed emotional performance. Won Tae Min's acting, which was childish but serious, is also very good.
They both express their feelings and emotions well. Both powerfully show the vision of two people leaning on each other's shoulders and seeming lost in deep thought.
Personally, I can perfectly empathize with the feelings and circumstances of the two characters.

SOME THOUGHTS

Korean LGBT+ films and series have gained significant popularity in recent years, captivating audiences with their heartfelt narratives and compelling characters. This lineup is joined by the spin-off of 'Unintentional Love Story'.
From the trailer, I anticipated that the reunion between the two old friends would provoke a complex mix of emotions, particularly for Dong Hee, whose affection for Ho Tae runs deeper than brotherly love. Upon learning that 'The Time of Fever' was in the process of filming, I was deeply curious to witness the synergy between these two young actors, and I must admit that they did not disappoint me.
This is one of the Korean LGBT+ film productions that delve into themes of love, friendship and self-discovery within the context of same-sex relationships. Through its delicate depiction of emotions and nuanced storytelling, this film offers viewers a unique combination of romance and drama, providing insight into the complexities of love and identity in contemporary Korean society.
The temporal background of the work is from the fall of 2013 to the spring of 2014, and from there it jumps, in its final scenes, to the present, to make it coincide with the story told in 'Unintentional Love Story', in which It tells the reunion of Dong Hee with Ho Tae, when the former returns to his hometown after studying in Seoul, while the latter runs a business with his mother.
As was the case with the OST sung by actress Cha Seo Won in 'Unintentional Love Story', the OST sung by Won Tae Min in 'The Time of Fever' is one of the many notable aspects of the film.
In addition to "You Call My Name", by B1A4, used as the final song, we will hear in the soft and emotional voice of the actor who plays Ho Tae the song "What If (원태민), composed by Kwak Jeong Im, which captures the deep emotions of the film, and "Someday Again" (언젠가 또 다시), by Masa (도우).
The viewer will feel as if the lyrics of the songs and the content of the film are intertwined, further increasing the emotions.
And the kiss scenes, especially the first one... still shake me because of their tension and the tremor of that moment.
The cameo of Gong Chan, who played Ji Won Young in 'Unintentional Love Story', is a special and long-awaited appearance.
The cinematography is exquisite. The day and night views of Donghae-si, Samcheok-si and Gangwon-do, Samcheok Meister High School and Mangsang Beach, where the film was shot, are beautiful.
Even knowing that the ending would not be happy, in order to connect the story with that told in 'Unintentional Love Story', the exploration that 'The Time of Fever' makes about sexuality is one of the most attractive that South Korean cinema has given. in a long time, with maturity, without resentments and with much more reality than fantasy. A story that will break our own internal and external limits, as it will make us cry, it will tear our hearts, but we will always keep in mind that the story of Ho Tae and Dong Hee does not end here.
Despite the lack of sincerity of the two in not expressly acknowledging their feelings, the rapprochement between both characters, very well carried out by Woo Tae Min and Han Do Woo, is honest and credible, a teenage friendship that is slowly growing. They are the story and it is the chemistry between them that allows the film to be beautiful, at the same time sad and heartbreaking.

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Great acting but clichés and cowards

While it's good to see a prequel to Unintentional Love Story I'm not completly happy with the story.
First, I don't like clichés like "we are both guys, so it does not matter" ? When can screenwriter just skip such BS.
Second, I am not a fan of cowards, in my eyes both of them are. Kim runs away from his love of his life and Go does not admit his feelings and does not communicate them. Because of the non-communication the end is what it is, even when both understand what they feel.

So I am a bit split If I really like this movie... Production quality was top notch, the acting was also top notch but the story left a bitter taste in my mouth. While not every love story does need a happy end, this end is especially unsatisfying.

Overall it's worth watching even when it will not satisfy everything.

Edit: After some reflection, this story is inconsistent with the original series "Unintentional Love Story", because if you see ULS you will recoginze; a) Did Kim really go to an university in Seoul and if so, what did he study? He should be a doctor in ULS but he owns a coffee shop. b) Go tells Kim, that he always breaks up with his girl which means they never have kissed or had any closer than friends relationsship before. He did that in this story too, he knows his feelings, so he would not have dated a girl again imho. If that would be a famous franchise I would say this story is not canon.

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ALL THE FEELS

I was not ready for this. The angst, the romance and the chemistry! I was not remotely prepared for how emotionally taxing this would turn out to be, especially considering the fact that this is a prequel.

It reminded me of small, indie productions. Ones that are set around a particular location that holds significance to the leads, with rich emotional backgrounds that may not be fully explored to facilitate smooth storytelling, but you can still situate it to the leads and their actions. The music they used, the cinematography and the bright yet blurred colours, it was beautiful. And above all, the tension. I've noticed it many times, but the way it's filmed just increases the already solid romantic tension between the leads two-fold.

The use of random and ambiguous dialogues at certain points really accentuated just how much of their relationship was the same way, there was a lot of certainty, but it was encompassed in chaos and heartbreak.

The ending made me want to revisit Unintentional Love Story so bad, it's the perfect set up to watch it again, now knowing the backstory between Ho Tae and Dong Hee, watching how it changed and how it will change again. Plus, Gong Chan's cameo, I mean, it was incredible and just made me want to revisit it that much more.

This genuinely served, those yearning gazes, genuine chemistry, paired with an emotional story and a romantic lens made for such a touching story.

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Heartbreakingly beautiful

I think that when something makes you emotional, there is something truly well done execution wise.

When I Feel your Warmth is, in simple words, a very well crafted love story with great acting.

The stares, the hidden emotions, the love, the strong and complicated feelings between the two characters were portrayed in such a delicate and memorable way.

A bittersweet series, full of angst and heartbreaking moments, but also full of warmth and inexplicable emotions, something that accompanies first love and how special it can be for each person.

I truly hope we get to see more works like this in the future.

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