I apologize for being a dissenting voice. I am feeling more than a bit annoyed, reading this. This story falls into a particular subgenre of 2010s BL...or even K-Drama, who tries to trade depth with drama and conflict. And I feel that age. I feel that unnecessary pileups of drama, the pointless misunderstanding, the crappy tension, the way the narrative takes the worst steps possible to heighten drama. The initial setup alone already provides enough tension, but instead of letting the plot brew, the narrative just keeps adding drama after drama. The MMORPG setting ends up feeling more like an afterthought, a replaceable framework topush the protagonists together, and it too quickly fades away the moment the romance and RL drama starts.

And the drama.... Eugh. It's grating.

I like season 2 and its efforts to ground the main characters down after the chaotic first season, to showcase their character growth, but the execution is clumsy. While there is thankfully no despicable villain like the first season, the emotional beats still repeat the same pattern as first season. They are even repeating the 'we have to spend some time apart' climax, albeit under a much more positive context.

On top of that, new characters doesn't really add to the plot. The supposed second couple feels more like dead weight than something I want to root for and see more of.

The resolution feels rushed too. There are only the shallowest efforts of reflection, of showing growth. ML's familial issues and MC's initial trauma basically was just resolved flatly without much emotional weight. And the final marriage scene that should have been meaningful and emotional just ends up feeling like an afterthought.

I'm really annoyed.

And that is too bad bcs I actually like the main characters' relationship. While the characters are generic as all hell for the subgenre, they play off each other nicely and the chemistry feels strong. I wish the story would just let them breathe instead of throwing one drama after another.

Eugh.