#the sudden chinese was so unexpected i had to pause and rewind to check if i'd misheard it

[secriden]

so i'm checking out hidden agenda because i'm deep in my joongdunk feels still and wAIT did joke just... confess his love to zo in episode 1 just right there to his face??? and also essentially make zo participate in a bastardised version of the nuptial wine cup ceremony??!?

he literally says, "我爱你, 你爱我, 你懂吗" ("I love you, you love me; do you understand?") but the translations don't acknowledge it at all. and honestly its a stretch to believe that zo wouldn't recognise at least 我爱你 - i think most people in SEA would, regardless of whether you speak Chinese, cuz its such a common phrase.

actually i guess we could read this scene as zo understanding what joke says but brushing it aside because he doesn't think joke is serious. which. hmmm...interesting.

(out of curiosity did most non-Chinese speaking viewers pick up on this anyway because it's a fairly recognisable phase? or did you guys have to find out from like fandom reactions?)

but damn ok joke!?!? the whiplash i'm feeling from watching joong go from playing "took nearly the entire series to verbally admit his feelings out loud" kluen to "straight up says he wants be near you in episode 1" joke!!

god damn the way his entire expression softens in this scene tho. ugh. ; A; what a moment to silently let the audience see joke's feelings about zo (like sure we can infer interest/attraction but this is fondness).

also joong's eyebrows are eyebrowing so hard in this show and i'm living for it. <3

and is that actually joong's voice in the bar when joke is performing?? like can joong sing?!? i had no idea!! <3 wait are a lot of thai actors also singers? is that just A Thing (like Daou and Offroad are also singer-actors and i know Boss has an album. and ofc there's Jeff). is THIS why they make the actors sing their own OSTs??

i honestly did not think it was even possible for dunk to look cuter then he did as dao, but somehow they managed it with zo!!! the huge glasses, the poofy fluffy hair, the fact that zo spent 90% of this episode with the most adorable pout on his lips!!! it helps that they always put dunk in these slightly oversized shirts so he looks so smol even when he's at least as tall (possibly taller?) than joong.

ljkasldfkjasldfj i just-- this shot is already making me so delighted! *O* also, i'm giggling so hard at the visual shorthand of joong's shirt being unbuttoned nearly to the middle of his chest while dunk is buttoned nearly all the way up. the visual shorthand of "confident" vs "shy" boys in Thai BL cracks me up.

yeah there's that sexual tension from SIMM. somebody please tell me they get to do more than peck each other on the lips and cheek in this series because it was really frustrating the way they naturally have this electric chemistry and then it would just have to fizzle out or get redirected to humour as kluendao. it was like emotional edging. x'D