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A Rush Job with Potential
Bump Up Business is a short South Korean BL series adapted from a webtoon by RK Studio, airing on iQIYI. With 8 episodes of around 15 minutes each, it offers a unique glimpse into the K-Pop world, mixing fanservice with the realities of the industry. The plot revolves around Eden, a rookie idol about to debut, and Jihoon, an older celebrity in the same agency. As a pair, they’re marketed as a "business gay performance" couple—a premise meant to boost their popularity, but one that quickly blurs the lines between reality and performance as they grow closer.
The first thing that struck me was the series’ K-Pop setting, which I found refreshing, though I’m not the biggest fan of the genre. Music lovers will appreciate the soundtrack, but the drama itself struggled to fit its 40-chapter webtoon source into a limited runtime. This was perhaps its biggest weakness. The pacing felt rushed, with too many subplots crammed into too little time, leaving key relationships—especially between the leads—underdeveloped. By episodes 7 and 8, I found myself checking the clock, sensing the show’s desperate race to wrap things up.
Despite these pacing issues, the actors—many of whom are idols in real life—delivered charming performances. Nine, in particular, reminded me of a young Seo Kang Joon, managing to be both endearing and amateurish. There were moments where I almost connected deeply with the characters, but the story didn’t give me enough time to truly care.
What stands out in Bump Up Business is its subtle critique of the K-Pop industry. The show highlights the performative nature of fanservice, a reality that most K-Pop fans are aware of but perhaps don’t always acknowledge. The tension between pretending to be gay for fame while not being accepted as truly queer is poignant, especially in a conservative society like South Korea’s. The series flirts with these deeper themes, but never fully explores them, leaving us wanting more.
The ensemble cast, featuring members of OnlyOneOf, was solid overall, though some, like Rie and Junji, didn’t get much screen time. KB, who played the antagonist, was particularly memorable—so much so that I found myself genuinely disliking his character, a testament to his acting.
The show, while not groundbreaking, has its moments of entertainment. There’s light-heartedness in the way the leads banter and tease each other, and the music, composed by the idols themselves, is a highlight. Still, the absence of a proper kiss scene, for instance, left me feeling a bit cheated—especially when it seemed like the series was building up to one.
In short, Bump Up Business is a decent watch. It’s not perfect by any means—the rushed pacing, underdeveloped plotlines, and missed opportunities hold it back—but it does offer a fun and interesting take on K-Pop and BL. If you’re into K-Pop or BL dramas, it’s worth checking out, if only to see how the genre is evolving in South Korea.
The first thing that struck me was the series’ K-Pop setting, which I found refreshing, though I’m not the biggest fan of the genre. Music lovers will appreciate the soundtrack, but the drama itself struggled to fit its 40-chapter webtoon source into a limited runtime. This was perhaps its biggest weakness. The pacing felt rushed, with too many subplots crammed into too little time, leaving key relationships—especially between the leads—underdeveloped. By episodes 7 and 8, I found myself checking the clock, sensing the show’s desperate race to wrap things up.
Despite these pacing issues, the actors—many of whom are idols in real life—delivered charming performances. Nine, in particular, reminded me of a young Seo Kang Joon, managing to be both endearing and amateurish. There were moments where I almost connected deeply with the characters, but the story didn’t give me enough time to truly care.
What stands out in Bump Up Business is its subtle critique of the K-Pop industry. The show highlights the performative nature of fanservice, a reality that most K-Pop fans are aware of but perhaps don’t always acknowledge. The tension between pretending to be gay for fame while not being accepted as truly queer is poignant, especially in a conservative society like South Korea’s. The series flirts with these deeper themes, but never fully explores them, leaving us wanting more.
The ensemble cast, featuring members of OnlyOneOf, was solid overall, though some, like Rie and Junji, didn’t get much screen time. KB, who played the antagonist, was particularly memorable—so much so that I found myself genuinely disliking his character, a testament to his acting.
The show, while not groundbreaking, has its moments of entertainment. There’s light-heartedness in the way the leads banter and tease each other, and the music, composed by the idols themselves, is a highlight. Still, the absence of a proper kiss scene, for instance, left me feeling a bit cheated—especially when it seemed like the series was building up to one.
In short, Bump Up Business is a decent watch. It’s not perfect by any means—the rushed pacing, underdeveloped plotlines, and missed opportunities hold it back—but it does offer a fun and interesting take on K-Pop and BL. If you’re into K-Pop or BL dramas, it’s worth checking out, if only to see how the genre is evolving in South Korea.
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