5 BLs That Will Break Your Heart (Then Heal It)
Need a good cry? Want a love story that pulls at your heartstrings? Or do you live for a happy ending that’s hard-earned? If that’s your mood, then these BLs are for you. This list rounds up five BLs, each with a unique story, all of which will break your heart and then slowly but surely put it back together.
Happy endings are guaranteed, but they’ll take some time and mishaps before they become true.
Warning: light spoilers ahead!
1. “Two Worlds the Series”
Kram (Nat Natasit Uareksit), a kindhearted young painter, reconnects with Phupha (Gun Thapanawat Kaewbumrung), someone he only vaguely remembers from childhood as the entitled heir to his father’s massive business. Reunited as young adults, Phupha needs a temporary place to stay and ends up living with Kram and his family.
Now forced under the same roof, the two quickly realize there is more to each other than their outdated first impressions. They become more than just friends and fall deeply in love. It’s what looks like the perfect love story taking shape, but tragedy strikes. Sucked into the treacherous world of his family business, Phupha is murdered.
Kram is at a loss for how to move on, but fate takes the wheel and decides for him. Accidentally falling into a magical pool surrounded by legend, he ends up in what seems to be a parallel world, where the man he once loved is still alive but doesn’t know him, and this world’s Kram has already died.
What’s more, Thai (Max Kornthas Rujeerattanavorapan), a guy he once knew as a violent murderer, is now kind to him and is the only person who offers him a place to stay. Thai agrees to help Kram protect Phupha and find a way to return to his world.
Why it’s worth the watch:
If you like a little magic in your show, this one has it. This take on parallel worlds makes for an interesting setup: the same people and events seem to exist across these worlds, but their relationships and the timing and order of events differ. The question is, can events be changed? Expect truly endless chaos and twists to unfold as Kram helplessly tries to change Phupha’s future.
Start watching “Two Worlds the Series” now:
2. “The Eighth Sense”
On the surface, “The Eighth Sense” looks like another university romance, with a fun surfing twist thrown in, but there’s so much more to this underrated K-BL. In fact, there’s nothing quite like it.
The story starts with a brief first meeting between two university students, Ji Hyun (Oh Jun Taek) and Jae Won (Lim Ji Sub). Ji Hyun is a freshman from the countryside without friends or any experience living in the big city, while Jae Won is an upperclassman who has just returned from the military. From their very first meeting, there is a quiet but overpowering tension between them.
A second meeting comes soon after, as the two unconsciously seek each other out, and their interest in each other only intensifies. Jae Won says they should be friends, but Ji Hyun is still hesitant about this new and mysterious guy, whom he doesn’t really know.
Later, Ji Hyun spots a poster at school for the surf club with Jae Won on it. Despite not knowing how to swim, he decides to join. Going on the club’s first trip to the beach, Jae Won and Ji Hyun get paired up as partners, and the start of their secret but quietly passionate relationship officially takes off.
Why it’s worth the watch:
“The Eighth Sense” shows a young adult relationship in an honest, realistic, and beautiful way. So much detail went into this show, from the visuals to the music, and the lead acting performances are pure excellence. This show feels indie and totally unique compared to other Korean BLs of its time. In no way is it trying to be mainstream or like other BLs. Saying this is a masterpiece probably isn’t an overstatement at all.
Start watching “The Eighth Sense” now:
3. “Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars”
In “Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars,” a down-on-his-luck man named He Xiang Yong (Jed Chung) loses his city job and reluctantly returns to his hometown by the sea. Instead of being met with open arms and understanding, he’s only reminded of the dreams he hasn’t achieved and how behind he feels in life. The only good thing that he’s gotten out of returning, it seems, is reconnecting with his childhood best friend, Wan Zhe (Yu Chieh En).
Xiang Yong is completely lost in life, but he finds an unexpected second chance in his old hideout spot by the sea. Returning there one night with Wan Zhe, the two casually make a wish under a starry night sky. His friend wishes for romance, while Xiang Yong wishes for a fresh start as someone no one knows.
When they wake up the next day, they realize their wishes have come true. Besides his best friend, no one in town recognizes Xiang Yong. He looks the same and hasn’t changed, but to everyone, even his own father, he’s a stranger.
Xiang Yong takes the chance at a second life and acts like someone else, but when he meets his old crush and classmate Hao Wei (Chu Meng Hsuan), it becomes increasingly hard to hide who he really is and run away from his past.
Xiang Yong may have gotten his wish, but he realizes it comes at an unexpected cost.
Why it’s worth the watch:
“Careful what you wish for” is most definitely the mantra behind this show. Somehow, this story manages to be absolutely hilarious and absolutely sad at the same time. It perfectly balances humor with honest depictions of belonging, identity, and love. As a story about trying to find yourself and wanting a life you imagined to become true, this story is likely to hit close to home for anyone who watches it.
Start watching “Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars” now:
4. “Once Again”
Shin Jae Woo (Moon Ji Yong) is a man haunted by his past in “Once Again.” When he was a young boy, his life was saved by Kang Ji Hoon (Lee Hyun Jun), a good-natured university student. But saving Jae Woo cost Ji Hoon his life. He was only a child, but Jae Woo feels responsible for Ji Hoon’s life being cut short.
One day, with the past still tormenting him, he returns to the dorms where Ji Hoon stayed before he died. What he finds is a lifeless, abandoned room where time seems to have stopped. There, he also finds an old phone. Out of curiosity, he picks up the old phone to see if it still works and is surprised to hear a man on the other end of the line. The man is Ji Hoon from 15 years ago.
Somehow, the phone transports Jae Woo to the past, where Ji Hoon is still alive, and Jae Woo is a child, not yet saved by Ji Hoon. Jae Woo meets past Ji Hoon and vows to rewrite history and save his life, even though Ji Hoon has no idea about his impending future.
Why it’s worth the watch:
This show feels like a time capsule, and it has an oddly cozy, comforting vibe, despite the rather grim premise. It definitely has the feel of an old-school K-drama, and, being from 2022, it is nearing old-school territory. However, this heartwrenching love story about loss and regrets still holds up. For a short watch that’ll make you go through all the emotions, this is the one to start.
Start watching “Once Again” now:
5. “1000 Stars”
Tian (Mix Sahaphap Wongratch), a rich party boy, gets a wake-up call when he undergoes an emergency heart transplant and learns about the girl’s heart that saved his life. Investigating on his own to find out who saved his life, he discovers it was Tofun (Aye Sarunchana Apisamaimongkol), a volunteer teacher who worked in a small village in the countryside. Her life was suddenly cut short by a car accident.
When Tian gets hold of her diary and finds her unfinished plans, he learns about the meaningful life she strove to live in the village and how starkly it contrasts with his past of partying, drinking with friends, and being reckless with his life.
Feeling both guilty and grateful, Tian sneaks out against his parents’ wishes and leaves his posh life in the city behind to step into Torfun’s life as a volunteer teacher. Upon arrival, he meets the man that she had growing feelings for: a stern forest officer named Phupha (Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri).
Phupha doesn’t take Tian seriously when he first arrives, and their relationship immediately starts on a bad note, but Tian isn’t willing to give up on repaying Torfun for the second chance at life she has given him.
As Tian and Phupha get to know each other and feelings arise, things clearly get complicated. Phupha was the one Torfun had feelings for, and Phupha doesn’t know about Tian’s connection to Torfun.
Why it’s worth the watch:
Also known as “A Tale of a Thousand Stars,” this might be a bit of throwback, but there’s no doubt it’s still making viewers cry sad and happy tears to this day. The love story in this Thai BL feels epic, and the journey to happiness is totally worth it. For a serious tear-jerker with a unique storyline, “1000 Stars” delivers.
Start watching “1000 Stars” now:
Asya’s a BL-biased Soompi writer with a love of K-pop and all types of Asian dramas. Some of her favorite shows are “Psychopath Diary,” “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!,” “Light On Me,” “The Untamed,” “Go Go Squid!,” and “Cherry Magic!“
Currently watching: “After Moving Seats, The Boy Behind Me Has A Crush On Me,” “Mr. Kill,” “Popular Serizawa Acts Weird Around Me,” “Hold On, Harutora-Kun,” “Connecting to You,” “Match Point,” “Don’t Be Too Emotional,” “Be My Player Two,” “Nour,” “Mr. Fanboy,” “Summertime,” “Unlucky Bae,” and “Class Crush Crisis.”
Looking forward to: “Love Scandal,” “Magic Lover,” and “The Love Matter.”