The New Employee (2022)

The best kind of normalcy.

Adults playing adults, no over the top childish miscommunications, realistic (though underdeveloped) problems one can face in the workplace, great natural chemistry and likable female characters - all that made me happy.

Not gonna lie, Kim Jong Chan was the star of the story. I’m so done with cold and emotionless bosses, as if you cannot be professional and dedicated to your work and have personality. Luckily, Jong Chan does not follow the stereotype we usually get. He might be direct and focused, strict with people who work in his team, but he also has a really warm and fun persona outside of the workplace.

Woo Seung Hyun was a great character to watch, but I wished they set up the fact he was a “late bloomer” more, and explain what it means. For me, it was obvious, but I can also understand if people started to complain he was too childish and naive for his age.

Personally, I enjoyed his story. Not quite knowing yourself, your goals, what you are good at and what kind of job would be best fit for you in your late 20’ is not exactly uncommon, and I think many could relate to Seung Hyun in that aspect.

Storytelling wise, I do think they did a decent job with presenting all the different plotlines. Sure, some kind of died without much exploration or closure, some got a rushed conclusion - but for 7 episodes, the show had a good flow and pacing.

Cast did great. Kwon Hyuk fits both the strict boss at work, and sweet boyfriend after, and Moon Ji Yong made Seung Hyun seem like a believable character as this innocent and hardworking intern. I also cannot stop myself from hyping Ye Ji Won being part of the cast, because we have not seen such a big name in K-BLs yet - maybe this is the first step to make the genre more mainstream.

Production was great. It did have this web series on the lower budget vibe for just a few shots, but overall - no complaints.

Overall, I’m just happy we got to see a normal relationship in BL. Yes, I do enjoy the exaggerated plots too, they are entertaining, but this wholesome mundane take is something I truly crave in the romance genre, and The New Employee delivered.

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