I went into this show very cautiously. GMM struggles to write even simple campus BLs in a sensible way, so my faith regarding a high stakes story was very limited. It's not as bad as I feared, but it's also far from being good. So naturally, I’ll go on a rant.

As expected, Ohm is doing really well as Min. He’s as always a pleasure to watch and his emotional delivery is great. Leng, though, is really struggling. He has solid moments, but he would’ve benefitted from gaining some experience in a side role first. Q is a very emotionally demanding character, and I wonder what the creators were thinking when they cast a newbie. While Leng does have good moments (the kidnapping in ep 11 was a highlight), he struggles with many scenes. Especially in romantic moments, Leng often has this confused, irritated look on his face, like when Min covers Q's ears in front of the TV. He does get significantly less awkward in the later episodes, though, and I do have faith for his future. Leng’s a hard worker, so I’m hopeful he’ll improve quickly.

The chemistry is hard to separate from the acting. I do think they have really solid chemistry but Leng’s stiffness is severely taking away from it. In moments where Leng’s acting is at its best, their chemistry really shines. In moments like that awkward ear covering scene, the sparks are nowhere to be found. So, my conclusion is that once Leng feels more comfortable in front of the camera, their chemistry will become even more apparent than it already is. Behind the scenes, Ohm and Leng have a ton of chemistry, and they look visually stunning together, so I’ll give them time. Especially since they do have cute moments that had me giddy in the later episodes. Unlike other GMM ships (cough PondPuwin cough), they also have solid kissing chemistry, and I do like that the show actually allows them to kiss a lot. I'm tired of them treating kissing between two adults like some sin that can only be done on very special occasions.

As far as characters go, I’d say this is one of GMM’s better shows. At least when it comes to Min, who’s very caring, protective, brave, and doesn’t shy away from doing morally gray things to make a living. Despite having a playful side, he’s very serious when it comes to things he cares about, and he has clear motives (at least in the beginning). Since Ohm portrays him, he also gets a ton of natural charisma.
Q doesn’t get nearly as much. He's defined solely by his trauma and the difficult relationship with his father. He’s supposed to be a spoiled rich kid, but that goes flying out the window as soon as he enters Min’s house and only comes up again in ep 11 when he fails to cook. Q's also incredibly stupid, which I don’t think is done on purpose, making him frustrating to watch. I do like his strong desire for someone to care about him, but other than that, he just feels too much like a stereotype. Like every other BL character, he suffers from nightmares, has daddy issues and likes to sing/play guitar. He also likes to play keyboards that aren’t plugged in. At least his actual job is producing music, so him serenading Min feels in-character for once. That doesn’t make it any less cringe, though. On top of all that, Q doesn't really grow or mature until the very last episode. Viewing himself as a burden is his whole stick, so you'd expect that to change gradually over the course of the story, but he's stilly pouty about the same thing in episode 11. It feels like we've gotten the same scene of Min reassuring Q seven times over.
The side characters don’t get a personality. Mhen is the sick brother, Yada’s the evil villain, Jeen has a crush on Min and Mhen, and Q’s dad makes no sense at all. The acting is overall solid. Whoever decided to cast the two Ohms as brothers deserves a raise. They work so well together, and their dynamic is my favorite part of the story. The way Mhen ships Min and Q is adorable (and a nice change since usually, it’s the girlies in BL who are the crazy shippers), and the relationship Mhen and Q develop is cute as well. They make a sweet little family.

In terms of the romance, I’m conflicted. Firstly, the whole thing feels pretty Stockholm-syndrome-ish. Since Min is the worst kidnapper in the world, though, and since I’ve seen a lot worse, this doesn’t bother me all that much. What bothers me more is how their arc moves very quickly and gets way too intense way too fast. By episode six, they are both ready to die for each other. The unclear time frame makes it hard to understand how much time has passed since they met, which doesn't help the case. I’m willing to forgive the fast intensity for a few reasons though:
For Q, it makes sense to get attached so quickly. His entire personality is basically wanting someone who takes care of him, loves and protects him. Min is doing exactly that, so it’s understandable Q would fall hard and fast. It also makes sense that he’s willing to put his life on the line for Min since he doesn’t really have anything to lose. When it comes to Min, a sense of responsibility might come into play. He had a hand in Q's original kidnapping, thusly starting the whole thing. So he might come to care for Q very quickly because he feels responsible. Paired with him being naturally protective and caring adds up. Also, the initial kidnapping and everything that followed was traumatic for both of them, so they're trauma-bonding hard which would obviously intensify their bond.

So, my main issue isn’t necessarily how quickly their bond is growing, or how easily they both risk their lives for each other. My issue lies in the depiction. Outside of the bad guys being after Q, and Q’s mental health issues, they hardly bond. It doesn’t feel like these two actually know much about each other in the first place. I mean, it isn’t until episode 6 that Min learns what Q’s job is. I really would’ve liked for them to have more conversations about who they are as people. The show does this a little too late with Q realising he doesn't know anything about Min, and starting to make a list. I always understood he likes Min for his caring nature, but I still kinda struggle to understand why Min likes Q.
Also, it often feels a bit too one-sided with Min taking such great care of Q, and Q basically just existing and getting into stupid situations. I did appreciate that in the end, Q went to see a therapist about his struggles. Love cannot heal you from your trauma, and I'm glad we finally get a show that sends that message instead of Min being what heals Q. Love can help with healing, yes, but it is no cure. I'm not a fan of how quickly Q apparently no longer needed his therapist, but this is a promising start in a more accurate depiction of mental heath struggles.

While I do love the amount of kissing, I do have a bit of an issue with their first kiss in particular. After all these BL kisses where it looks like they don't want to be kissing at all, I appreciate how their first kiss was very passionate, but it felt like such a stark contrast to the rest of their relationship. The sudden horniness felt very out of character for both of them, and I was incredibly taken aback. It just didn’t seem fitting, especially after they’ve both just had such a rough day. Personally, I would’ve opted for a gentler, sweeter approach. I would’ve had them kiss in bed for the first time since this is where the major part of their relationship has taken place (because 70% of their bonding scenes were nightmare based). I think that would’ve been more fitting and meaningful. The kisses that follow are fine for the most part, apart from a few stiff lip-presses like in the aquarium. But I assume that's a thing about directing since Ohm and Leng have proven that they can kiss with passion in other scenes.

All in all, I think this show would’ve greatly benefitted from a side-couple. I know there’s the storyline of Mhen liking Jeen, but that doesn’t count. Maybe have two of Yada’s guards fall in love or something. Anything to get a bit of a breather from Min and Q, because especially Q can get a bit insufferable with his constant pouting and self-pity.

While I do like that there’s always something going on, I do think the show moves a bit too quickly for what it is trying to do. There’s a severe lack of downtime for Min and Q to just hang out in the first half, aka where their bond was supposed to grow most. I think this show has an identity issue. It’s not sure whether it wants to be an action show or a romance show first, so it's doing both half-heartedly. The romance feels lacklustre because of all the action, and the action plot makes little sense. Then suddenly, the action takes a complete halt for a few episodes, just to pick up again in episode 11 with a veeeery rushed kidnapping and resolving all lose plot threads (like the relationship between Q and his dad which was so broken that it should've taken them years to fix...). Everything happening so quickly and being wrapped up in a neat bow just ruined any stakes that could've been build. Why not drag this out into your final episode? Or why not start that whole thing sooner when you previously had two episodes of fluff and honeymoon phase that made the show feel like an entirely different one?

Now for the major issue with this show: potholes and characters acting incredibly stupid to further the plot (specifically in episode 6 and 7)...

First off, Q is an idiot. I know he has little to live for, but is it really necessary to put yourself in danger all the time? He wanders around the streets while he knows someone’s out to kill him. He follows Min into an abandoned warehouse, knowing he’ll meet the guy who wanted him dead. He just follows suspicious and dangerous people around, hoping it’ll go well. The boy acts without thinking, thus doing things that put both him and Min in very dangerous situations. It makes him feel like a complete idiot, and it gets increasingly more frustrating to watch.
He’s not the only one suffering from being dumbed down, though. In episode 6, Yada threatens Q’s father, Q, and by proxy, Min and Mhen. Q’s dad says he needs to get his son to a safe place, and offers Min money to keep his distance. Min turns down the money, but why in the world didn’t Q’s dad just send all three, Q, Min and Mhen, to safe place together? Min is a gifted fighter, so he could act as Q’s bodyguard. But nope, when Min turns down the money, Q’s dad just leaves. We don’t even see the end of that conversation, but I just assume he was like "Well, it was worth a shot. Guess I’ll go now.“ Also, he’s a police officer who just walked in on a crime scene where Yada’s men clearly beat Min black and blue. I’m pretty sure he could’ve arrested them, or at least taken them to the office for interrogation.
Then it’s Min’s turn to act like a prick. Instead of grabbing Q and Mhen, and travel somewhere far away, they act like nothing happened. Like their life wasn’t just threatened. No packing suitcases in a tizzy and frantically trying to get away. Nope, this is the perfect time to play guitar and follow Q to his music studio where they have a make out session. Thus leaving Mhen alone at home like he didn’t just get very frightened. It makes Min feel inconsiderate and goes against everything he stands for. His motivation for everything has been to protect his brother. But now, he just leaves him home alone, and puts himself into dangerous situations to save Q, which could result in Min’s death and leave Mhen all alone — sick, without money and family. The three should’ve ran away together. Q is a rich kid who has a job and probably a whole ass trust fund. He could’ve afforded a hotel for all three of them. But instead, they ruin all sense of suspense and ruin Min’s character in the process. Honestly, when Q told Min "You're stupid" for wanting to be with him still, I couldn't have agreed more. Maybe getting beat up really knocked all the braincells out of Min... If they just ran away, Q nearly getting beaten to death and Mhen panicking in the bathroom in episode 7 could've been avoided. I'm glad that by the end of the episode, they finally came to their senses and Q agreed to go to Vancouver. However, the breakup was unnecessary. Apparently both Q and Min are the type to "go all in", but a long-distance relationship isn't even crossing their minds? Not that they needed to do long-distance because Q never ends up going to Vancouver and their whole break up happens for useless and confusing reasons that I still cannot fully explain. If Q was just sitting around at home, why didn't he try to go see Min sooner?
I might have been a bit too harsh on Q, because it seems like he’s inherited his stupidity from his mother. In the flashback to the two of them getting kidnapped, Q’s mom successfully frees them both. She then proceeds to tell her son to run away and call for help while she stays behind. What the hell is the logic in that? Clearly, when the kidnappers return and see your son gone, they’ll take it out on you, and kill you. Sorry, woman, but getting shot was pretty much your own fault. If you ran with Q, you would’ve at least had a chance at living.

All in all, I find the show entertaining and it has its fair share of sweet moments. From episode 5 on, the quality goes down the drain — from unplugged keyboards to characters acting stupid and somehow, everyone's motivations go flying out the window. I'd say episode 5 to 7 and Q's constant back and forth about wanting to be with Min but then realising he's a burden that follows are the most frustrating things to get through. If you make it past that, most of their troubles just disappear for a while and it feels like you're watching an entirely different show where there aren't any stakes at all anymore (they pulled the same thing with Never Let Me Go, so I already saw it coming). It’s sad to see yet another GMMTV show suffer from bad writing, but I’m not surprised at this point. Though the series feels at least somewhat original, it’s dragged down by checking all the tired BL clichés. Trips to the ocean and the aquarium, sponge baths, nightmares, wiping food off each other's lips — you name it, it's all there. And of course we need to shoehorn in a stupid jealousy storyline with zero purpose at all because that's obviously more important than spending time on Q's relationship with his father or something otherwise important. To conclude, this is not GMM's worst, but it's definitely not its best either.