High School Frenemy (2024)

ROMANCE not bromance.

This is gay. ෆ

Im not joking, this show is more flaming than a pride parade float lmao.

This masterpiece of chaotic gay tension masquerading as a school drama has no business being as homoerotic as it is. I watched it expecting a fun, angsty teen soap and ended up screaming at my screen like it owed me emotional reparations ffs.

So we have Saint and Shin, two former besties turned raging enemies forced back into each other’s lives when their schools merge. Saint, the cold, stonefaced heartbreaker who apparently majored in being dead inside spends his days ignoring everyone like he is allergic to eye contact. And then there is Shin ♡ bless his hot-tempered, heart-on-sleeve self, who is ready to blow a gasket every time Saint so much as breathes in his direction.

I am telling ya'll, THE TENSION between these two could power the national grid. Every time I watched them on screen together, I felt like I was committing a fucking crime because the way they look at each other is illegal in at least 23 countries I'm not even joking. Shakespeare himself would be clutching his pearls.

Also the flashbacks are so sadistic because they just drip with the bittersweet remnants of a beautiful friendship and they give you just enough “we were once so happy” moments to leave you screaming at the screen, "JUST TELL ME WHAT WENT WRONG!" And when the big reveal finally drops...well no spoilers but let’s just say Saint didn’t exactly follow the friendship handbook.

And the acting is also so DAMN good. Their scenes have me convinced they are soulmates in some alternate universe or possibly in THIS one because they are fooling exactly no one.

My only regret is that these two didn’t get thrown into an actual BL because they are serving LOVERS so hard. They are giving us slow burn. They are giving us tortured yearning. They are giving us “I’d rather stab myself than admit I love you but oh god I love you so much”. Honestly, Saint and Shin have more chemistry in one glare than half the official BL couples out there. No shade GMMTV, but shade.

Side note: shoutout to Mark's character, who has autism and brings some genuinely refreshing and much-needed representation. He is so fucking precious, authentic and provides a nice breather from the on-screen storm that is Saint and Shin’s "friendship" crisis. NGL Mark is probably the only sane one here, while everyone else is busy having emotional stare-downs or fighting.

So, to sum it up: High School Frenemy is the most non-BL, BL series that ever non-BLed. It’s filled with emotions, teenage angst, broken limbs, unresolved sexual tension and enough romantic subtext to sink the Titanic. You will laugh, you will cry and you will absolutely scream at the screen, “JUST KISS ALREADY!” ♡

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