I know that this whole franchise has a big fan base so they are probably not going to like my musings on this special episode!

I am sorry but I do not see the chemistry between these two men. They act like a stern father and a naughty kid pair. The stern lawyer is the adult in this relationship while the middle-aged hairdresser is the kid, hiding and scared of being told off. I had the same impression when I watched the first season of the drama: they looked like two best friends sharing an apartment. If I am not mistaken, they each had their own room so they are not sleeping together. There is a scene in this special episode, when the lawyer comes home late, sleeps and leaves without his "partner" noticing it.

Some would say that they had been living together for a long time, the routine has been set and the passion felt at the beginning of a relationship never lasts forever. That is true here, if that is the case! They obviously care for each other but the intimacy is not there. And I do not mean the NSFW kind of intimacy but simple, daily, spontaneous touch of hands, the obvious ease of being together, a sense of content and happiness. Nothing is there! Maybe it has to do with their generation, the culture, their upbringing which forbids them from expressing emotions? Kenji, the hairdresser, is obviously in awe of his "partner", wanting his approval and very jumpy around him when he thinks that he's done something wrong. I haven't read the manga, but Kenji's exaggerated gestures and twirling around is very cringy to watch. He looks and acts like one of those trans thai BL characters used for comic relief, very OTT! But he can be serious and not overact which he showed in a couple of scenes when he suddenly stopped fidgeting and started talking normally and not with the usual baby voice!

There is the interesting second couple: funny to watch, completely toxic and happy to be so! And with so much more chemistry than the main couple!

This special brings nothing new to the drama or any development of their relationship. At one moment, the lawyer falls asleep on the couch and Kenji, trembling like a leaf, tries to steal a kiss, but the lawyer wakes up before he manages to do anything. What kind of relationship is this when you cannot kiss the man of your life freely, at ease at your own home?

Therefore, I wish they would stop selling this as a BL: it is a simple roommates bromance, though one would like to be more! No matter how much the lawyer claims to be gay, he does not act like someone who is in love with the person they are living with. He seems to be what people nowdays call Aroace. Right?