"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" is one of the BL web dramas that was the highlight of 2022's year-end. Starring Park YoungWoon (in the role of Min YuDam), Park JeongWoo (in the role of Seol DongBaek), W.O.W's YooSung (in the role of Dennis), and more, the drama ran from mid-December 2022 to mid-January 2023.

The drama is one of many excellent KENAZ productions. KENAZ is a top-tier webtoon production company that has recently expanded into drama production, as well.

"The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" tells the story of a new employee who joins a company and thinks his director is crazy because he claims to have lived 3 lives. On top of that outlandish claim, the director insists that the two of them must date each other otherwise they will both die. The drama follows the two of them as they navigate the dynamics of their relationship amidst a fantasy in the entertainment sector.

The webtoon was illustrated by Yang EunJi and written by Toisa. You can read the webtoon in Korean here and in English here.

As one of KENAZ's many gripping and entertaining works, "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" web drama was directed by Yang KyeongHui and written by Son YiSeul.

Yang KyeongHui is the director behind hit BL web dramas like "The Tasty Florida" and "Kissable Lips". She is also the director behind the upcoming webtoon-based BL drama "Love Tractor".

Meanwhile, Son YiSeul is an up-and-coming variety show and drama writer who has worked on shows like "Chuu Can Do It", "MISUN: IMPOSSIBLE", and more.

Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer did an excellent job with the adaptation of the webtoon and by creating an equally intriguing and heart-fluttering BL web drama. If you're curious about some of the specific webtoon differences between the two mediums, check out this article:

Kpopmap had the honor of conducting an exclusive interview with Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer about the production of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner". We spoke about the process of creating a drama adapted from a webtoon, took a look at the behind-the-scenes production involved in the fantasy genre, and much more!

It's always a pleasure to get to know more about what goes into the production of dramas that we enjoy watching so much.

Note: This article contains spoilers for the web drama and webtoon of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner".

 

Get To Know Yang KyeongHui Director and Son YiSeul Writer of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" 

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to speak to Kpopmap today Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer. Please introduce yourselves to our readers from all over the world.

Hello. I’m the director of “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”, Yang KyeongHui. I’ve directed works such as “The Tasty Florida”, “Kissable Lips”, and the soon-to-be-released “Love Tractor”.
Yang KyeongHui Director
Hello, I’m writer Son YiSeul who was in charge of the script for “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”. I’m so glad to be able to meet you all like this!
Son YiSeul Writer

 

About Their Choices: From The Selection Process To The Genre

Congratulations on all of your success with the web drama for “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”! As someone who plays the deciding role in which elements of the webtoon make it to the web drama screen or not, which aspects of the webtoon did you try to focus on recreating the most?

Since the webtoon’s set in a fantasy, I thought that the viewers might find it (the drama) burdensome without any comedic elements. Whilst keeping the comedic parts alive as much as possible, I tried to express the emotions in detail so that they could naturally permeate throughout the web drama.
Yang KyeongHui Director
It’s a webtoon that’s been receiving a lot of love and, as someone who really enjoyed the original work, I wanted to express a lot of things from the webtoon. However, you can’t show all of the vast stories in the drama. So, I think I prioritized YuDam and DongBaek’s characters the most - because that’s honestly the most important element when it comes to leading the story. In the end, since the two of them’s love story was the center of the story, I thought that if I recreate their characters well then the drama viewers would also be able to feel the emotions from the webtoon in the same way.
Son YiSeul Writer

 

How did you decide to take on this webtoon adaptation? Can you please walk our readers through the selection process?

Office BLs are charming. Secretive office romances are also thrilling. Then once you add the fantasy element it’s like fun thing + fun thing = something even more fun. The webtoon characters were drawn in a charming way. So, there were a lot of scenes I wanted to express through video.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I’m a person who reads a lot of BL webtoons in my everyday life. When I first got to read the webtoon, I thought it was a very intriguing story. DongBaek and YuDam’s characters are characters that say exactly what they need to say instead of being internally conflicted, you know? I especially liked how DongBaek said everything he wanted to say to the director even though he was confused. During the production period of the drama, there weren’t a lot of BL dramas set in an office background, and I thought that since it even has the fantasy element of reincarnation, it’s a very charming webtoon. So, at first, when KENAZ reached out to me with a proposal and gave me about a week to think about it, I wanted to try adapting the drama the moment I saw the webtoon.
Son YiSeul Writer

The drama makes use of fantasy elements in an everyday storyline. Considering that the mix between the slice-of-life genre and fantasy genre is regaining attention as a trend in the K-Drama landscape these days, how did you find a balance between the incorporation of both elements in “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”?

We wanted to express our characters plainly and three-dimensionally so that people wouldn’t feel burdened because our production combined BL with the fantasy genre. I think that a comedic element that creates a situation is important for viewers to naturally enter a fantasy world. A funny situation gets created when YuDam, who ended up living forever by bestowing the name of his beloved DongBaek from 300 years ago, meets DongBaek for the first time and immediately says, “Let’s date.” We made it start by showing situations that would’ve flustered DongBaek and through comedic elements. It would’ve been a burdensome drama if we started with serious elements in it from the beginning, but I think it gave you the power to keep watching because it was comical. The ‘light’ image was also used to set up the god (as a higher power), giving unity through lightning strikes and flashing lights; so that even when the street lamp, a stage prop, collapsed to DongBaek, it could be understood as a ‘curse of God’ at once. The BL genre in itself can be interpreted as a fantasy. In Korea, BL has become more popular through web novels and webtoons. So, many people still feel pressured by the thought of watching it as a web drama. There are a lot of cases where emotional details or narratives that can be omitted in 2D become awkward when produced into a drama. I simply don’t think that the BL genre should be considered a fantasy. It’s something that the actors are acting out directly and as something that is even more in touch with reality; I think how LGBT+ elements are properly mixed into the web drama determines its success. Only when the characters continue to think about the love of men, which is difficult in reality, can viewers naturally immerse themselves in the web drama.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I think the scale of fantasy in this drama is on the big side… haha. A ‘god’ presence appears in the drama, too. So, it was difficult to keep all of these fantasy elements alive. When the script first came out, I remember it was expressed in a bit of a blunt way, so the director thought a lot about how to express these fantasy elements in reality. The director and I modified it several times to create a production with a mix of reality and fantasy. This was because all I needed to do was to write down whatever I was imagining in my head, but the director had to show it and implement it all to be seen directly with your eyes onscreen. The director put in a lot of effort in this regard.
Son YiSeul Writer 

Aside from the webtoon, where did you draw your inspiration for the web drama adaptation? Are there any webtoons, dramas, or games that you looked to for ideas?

I referred to the K-Dramas “Goblin” and “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?”.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I watched a lot of office dramas to find out how the story could be carried out in that space. I mostly watched the Japanese BL drama “Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!” (30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい in Japanese). It’s a production that has fantasy elements with its foundation set in reality, and it's a situation that happened in the workplace. It’s a manhwa-based drama so it was very helpful.
Son YiSeul Writer

 

Webtoon vs. Web Drama: Actors, Fans, and the Finer Details

The actors, Park YoungWoon and Park JeongWoo, from the drama adaptation of “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner” really look like their webtoon equivalent characters. How important is casting an actor who resembles the character to you? Do you prioritize the actor’s acting skills or the resemblance with their character more when you cast them for the web drama?

Each director is probably different but for me, in the BL genre, I prioritize the similarity with the character more than acting skills. I also think that even though it’s difficult, by talking enough we can bring out acting skills. I personally think that in the BL genre, the actor’s visuals are even more important. The power of one’s image is big. It’s the actors who make images dynamic. There are a few images that stay in your memory after you watch a drama. Later, the image explains the drama. In most cases, when you watch a drama you’ll often say, “I liked this scene!" That’s the power of the actors. Expectations rise even more at first because they resemble the original character. So, I purposefully made the outfits and concept as similar to the webtoon as possible. The acting in “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner” is outstanding and I think we were able to make a good production because actors Park YoungWoon and Park JeongWoo joined the project and looked like the webtoon characters.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I was lucky enough to participate in the auditions together with the director. Since the director has already produced several BL productions, his eye for actors was superb. I thought it was only right for me to completely follow the director’s opinion during the casting because seeing an actor in real life with your eyes and seeing them directly on camera makes a big difference… I thought, “Oh, so this is how you look at things during an audition.” You can’t ignore the similarity to the character when it’s a webtoon-based production, and in the case of acting ability, it’s related to immersion in the story; so choosing one between the two is really difficult… Haha. What would the director think about this? It’s difficult.
Son YiSeul Writer

BL web dramas and webtoons are known for portraying electric chemistry between distinct characters - this is what most fans love about them. As a result, webtoon fandoms usually carry over into being fans of the web drama. When adapting “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner”, did you feel any pressure to stick to the webtoon or were you more open to changing up the story a little bit?

I really enjoyed the webtoon. So, my desire to make the drama as similar to the webtoon setting was big. Of course, there was some pressure considering the existing fans. Thankfully, the people who liked the webtoon also liked the web drama. There might be some sadness about the things that were interpreted differently. However, I think that there are more elements to talk about like how the production crew interpreted things and which aspects were drawn differently. So, fans will have fun figuring that out.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I think it’s better to be on the side of choosing to change dialogue if it means having a better flow of expression in the drama. You end up with things that were okay when reading a webtoon but might be impossible to implement or are awkward through video. Personally, when I’m watching productions adapted from an original piece, I find it fun to look for the differences in each of them. Maybe that’s why, but I didn’t feel any pressure to make them match perfectly.
Son YiSeul Writer

 

Are there any details from the webtoon that you wanted to portray in the web drama but maybe couldn’t? If so, please tell us a little bit about what they are.

The details that I couldn’t express from the webtoon are from the office romance between DongBaek and YuDam. There were a lot of scenes that I wanted to allot time to and show but, unfortunately, due to the length of the drama, there are a lot of scenes that I couldn’t show. I have a lot of regrets about Dennis’ character who was portrayed differently than in the webtoon. I wanted to unravel more of why Dennis behaves so harshly towards YuDam. Dennis thinks YuDam is a cool person and a good partner but due to his busy schedule, hate comments, and insomnia, he ends up having a mental illness; which he thinks is all because of YuDam. I wanted to include the process of his sadness (from not having his feelings recognized) changing into revenge. I didn’t express it directly but Dennis is in the early stages of schizophrenia. He’s a character who misunderstands that YuDam is trying to harm him. The fans might not have noticed but I thought a lot about Dennis’ medication container. I contemplated using the orange medicine bottle that they use a lot in Hollywood movies but then asked myself whether a top idol could bravely carry around his medicine case. That’s how I came up with the portable ashtray. It’s a shame that a star who shines brighter than everyone else carries around his medicine in an ashtray. I also created a connection between Dennis, the villain, who killed DongBaek in the past life, and the heartbreaking character who ends up killing DongBaek in the current life, but it’s a shame that I couldn’t portray this properly due to time constraints.
Yang KyeongHui Director
Dennis’ role was portrayed a bit differently from the original webtoon. In the same way that the viewers felt disappointed, I also felt a lot of disappointment. People who’ve seen the webtoon would know that Dennis originally has a lot of background and past stories. However, we couldn’t bring all of that to life due to time constraints… So, I’m quite sad that it feels like Dennis’ character ended up lacking details.
Son YiSeul Writer

Webtoon and web drama are two vastly different mediums. Were there any obstacles or difficult moments in terms of creative differences when adapting the production from one format to another?

In a webtoon, even if you cut off emotional narratives it can look natural because they focus on stories, compared to the connection of cuts. However, in a web drama, if the character’s emotions are cut off, it becomes unnatural. I think the process of making these points natural is simultaneously the most important factor and difficult to do.
Yang KyeongHui Director
I think the director would’ve had a hard time especially because this drama had fantasy elements. When I write the script, I write it down thinking, “Won’t it work out well if we do it like this or that?” but since it’s up to the director to implement it… haha. I know that the director had a lot of things to think about because of various realistic problems, but in my case, it was the most difficult to decide the things to keep and cut from the webtoon’s huge volume. If I could, I wanted to diffuse everything but since screen time is limited… I worried about how to adapt things without making them awkward, how to keep the webtoon’s charm alive, and how to show the drama’s charm, too.
Son YiSeul Writer

 

Final Remarks & BL Webtoon and Web Drama Recommendations for BL Fans

As webtoon-based dramas are gaining popularity globally, especially for the BL genre… Is there anything that you’d like to say to fans of KENAZ productions and dramas? Can you give them a sneak peek of what to look forward to in 2023 or a recommendation on what to watch next if they enjoyed “The Director Who Buys Me Dinner?”

KENAZ is a company that has many stories from lively and bouncy genres to fantasy genres. There are a lot of excellent productions but I personally want to recommend “Rose and Champagne” out of the BLs.
Yang KyeongHui Director
Lastly, thank you for loving KENAZ’s dramas. If you enjoyed watching this, I recommend watching another drama produced by KENAZ called “Blueming”. It’s a drama based on the webtoon “Who Can Define Popularity?” and I like this webtoon! The production of season 2 has been confirmed. So, I’m also waiting for it as a fan myself~
Son YiSeul Writer

You can read "Rose and Champagne" here (scroll to the bottom of the page for different language options), check out our cast and summary for "Blueming" here, and read "Who Can Define Popularity " in English here.

Thank you once again to Yang KyeongHui director and Son YiSeul writer for taking time out of their busy schedules to answer our questions! We hope that BL and K-Drama lovers will continue to support their productions and are looking forward to seeing more of them in the future.

Check out the teaser for "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" here:

What did you think of "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner"? Did you read the webtoon, as well? Let us know your thoughts on this BL production in the comments! 

 

At Kpopmap, we list up all the dramas and web dramas based on webtoon. After 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 dramas based on webtoon, it is time to have a look at 2022!

Here are the dramas based on webtoon that aired in 2022.

Stay updated for 2023 and the following years here:

 

1. "Business Proposal" / Schedule status: From February 21

The web novel and webtoon "Business Proposal" also called "The Office Blind Date" (in Korean "사내 맞선") by HaeHwa, Perilla, and Narak is adapted into a drama. It tells the story of an ordinary office worker who disguises herself and goes on a blind date with her attractive boss in the place of her friend with the goal to end this unwanted marriage blind date after her request.

Ahn HyoSeop and Kim SeJeong are the leads. The drama airs on SBS from February 21.

To find out more about the drama and webtoon, check the cast and summary here.

Read 5 differences between the webtoon and K-Drama here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

2. "Tomorrow"/ Schedule status: From April 1st

The fantasy webtoon "Tomorrow" (in Korean "내일") by RaMa is adapted into a drama. It tells the story of the job seeker Choi JunWoong who fell into a coma due to an accident and entered the Special Crises Management Team of the underworld. The Special Crises Management Team was created because there have been too many suicides leading to an unexpected situation in the underworld. Their duty is to take care of humans with a high risk of suicide and to make them want to live.

The drama was produced by SuperMoon Pictures, who previously worked on "My Strange Hero" and "Goodbye to Goodbye", and StudioN. SF9’s RoWoon, Kim HeeSun, Lee SooHyuk, and Yoon JiOn are cast. The drama aired from April 1st on MBC.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

3. "All of Us Are Dead" / Schedule status: From January 28

The webtoon named "Now at our School" (in Korean "지금 우리 학교는") by Joo DongKeun is adapted into a drama. It is a zombie related webtoon restricted to readers under 18 years old, written in 2009. It tells the story of those isolated in a high school where a zombie virus has been spread, and those who are trying to save them.

The drama is a Netflix Original Korean drama under the title "All of Us Are Dead". The PD of the drama is Lee JaeKyu who worked on dramas such as "The King 2 Hearts" and movies "Intimate Strangers", "The Fatal Encounter", and "The Influence". Yoon ChanYoung, Park JiHu, Cho YiHyun, Lomon, and Yoo InSoo are the leads.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check our cast and summary here.

Read 6 differences between the "All of Us Are Dead" webtoon and K-Drama here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

4. "Island"/ Schedule status: From December 30

The manhwa (manga) and webtoon "Island" (in Korean "아일랜드") by Yoon InWan and Yang KyungIl is adapted. It is about the monsters of Jeju Island who have been looking for opportunities to get rid of the human world for a long time, and their story when they started to target a chaebol heiress who arrived in Jeju Island.

Kim NamGil, Lee DaHee, ASTRO's Cha EunWoo, and Sung Joon are the leads.

Find out more about the drama and webtoon in the cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

5. "Cherry Blossoms After Winter"/ Schedule status: From February 24

The BL webtoon "Cherry Blossoms After Winter" (in Korean "겨울지나벚꽃") by BamWoo is adapted into a drama. It is a romance drama about the friendship of two youths and their search for true love.

Super Five’s Ok JinWook and Kang Hui (Kang Hee) are the leads. The drama was released on February 24.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check our cast and summary here. For a complete introduction to the characters, check here.

Read 6 differences between the webtoon and drama here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

6. "Again My Life"/ Schedule status: From April 8

The revenge webtoon "Again My Life" (in Korean "어게인 마이 라이프") by Lee HaeNal is adapted into a drama. It tells the story of  Kim HeeWu, a hot-blooded prosecutor who is murdered and gets to travel back in time after meeting with the Grim Reaper. He is ready to take revenge on a corrupt politician named Jo TaeSup.

Lee JoonGi, Kim JiEun, and Lee KyungYoung are the lead actors. The drama aired from April 8 on SBS.

If you want to know more about the webtoon you can have a look here.

You can check our cast and summary here for the full details about the drama.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

7. "Kiss Sixth Sense" / Schedule status: From May 19

The romance webtoon "Kiss Sixth Sense" (in Korean "키스 식스 센스") by Got W and Jocobong is adapted into a drama. It is about the story of a woman who sees the future of someone she kisses, and their love triangle.

Yoon KyeSang, Seo JiHye, Kim JiSuk, and Lee JuYeon are cast in this Disney+ drama.

To know more about the webtoon, its plot, and its characters, click here.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check our cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

8. "The Sound of Magic"/ Schedule status: From May 6

The webtoon "Annarasumanara" (in Korean "안나라수마나라") by Ha IlKwon was adapted into the Netflix drama "The Sound of Magic". It tells the story of Yun Ai who lost her dream of becoming a magician and is living in difficult circumstances. She meets a magician and gradually starts to want to realize her dream.

The director Kim SungYoon who worked on "Love in the Moonlight" and "Itaewon Class" was in charge of the Netflix adaptation. Ji ChangWook, Hwang InYoup, and Choi SungEun are the lead actors.

Have a look at the webtoon and the main characters here.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check our cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

9. "Semantic Error" / Schedule status: From February 16

The BL web drama "Semantic Error" is the adaptation of the web novel "Semantic Error" (in Korean "시맨틱 에러") written by Jeosuri in 2018. The web novel was adapted into a webtoon in July 2020 (still ongoing with the illustrations from Enji). The campus BL "Semantic Error" tells the campus romance about the inflexible SangWoo and his encounter with the campus’ most popular student, JaeYoung.

Former KNK member Park SeoHam and DKZ’s JaeChan are the lead cast. The drama was released on February 16 on WATCHA.

For more information about the webtoon, check here.

You can check the cast and summary here for more information about the drama.

Read about 6 differences between the webtoon and the drama here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

10. "Jinxed At First" / Schedule status: From June 15

The fantasy romance webtoon "The Jinx’s Lover" (in Korean "징크스의 연인") by Han JiHye and KooSeul is adapted into the drama "Jinxed At First". It is a story about a man who adapts himself to his life full of misfortune, and the goddess, who jumps into the unknown world to lift the curse.

For the drama, the director Yoon SangHo is in charge. Na InWoo, SeoHyun, and Ki DoHun are the least cast. The drama started on June 15 on KBS.

Check out more about the webtoon here.

You can check the cast and summary here for more information about the drama.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

11. "Internal Medicine Director Park" / Schedule status: From January 14

The comedy webtoon "Internal Medicine Director Park" (in Korean "내과 박원장") by Jang BongSoo is adapted into a drama. It tells the life of a doctor who dreamed being acknowledged but his life turns out different.

Lee SeoJin and Ra MiRan are cast in this TVing drama which started on January 14th.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

12. "The Golden Spoon" / Schedule status: From September 23

The webtoon named "The Golden Spoon" (in Korean "금수저") is adapted into a drama. It tells the adventures of a kid that became a golden spoon (meaning from a rich family in Korean or a silver spoon for English speakers).

The drama was announced to be produced back in 2019 and was finally aired in 2022. BTOB's SungJae, DIA's Jung ChaeYeon, Lee JongWon, YeonWoo, and more was casted.

To find out more about the drama and webtoon, check the cast and summary here.

Read more about the characters and the plot in this introduction.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

13. "Superior Day" / Schedule status: From March 13

The webtoon "Superior Day" (in Korean "우월한하루") by Team GetNam is adapted into a drama. It is a thriller about an ordinary father facing a situation where he has to kill a serial killer living next door to save his kidnapped daughter.

The OCN drama stars Jin Goo, Ha DoKwon, and Lee WonKeun.

You can check the cast and summary for more information about the drama here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

14. "The Forbidden Mariage" / Schedule status: From December 9

The historical romance webtoon named "Joseon’s Ban on Marriage" (in Korean "금혼령-조선혼인금지령") by Cheon JiHye and SanChaek is adapted into the drama "The Forbidden Mariage". It tells the story of King Lee Heon, who lost the crown princess 7 years ago and issued a marriage ban, and Ye SoRang, a marriage scammer who appears and says she can be possessed by the spirit of the deceased crown princess.

Kim YoungDae, Park JuHyun, and Kim WooSeok are cast for this MBC historical drama.

You can check the cast and summary for more information about the drama here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

15. "Spring of Crush" / Schedule status: From May 18

The BL historical webtoon "Spring of Crush" (in Korean "‘춘정지란") by Noh MyoungHyi is adapted into a web drama. It is the BL historical romance drama of three men that takes place when the lead character pretends to be a woman and marries to take off his status of slave.

Yoo YoungJae and Kim Sung are the lead roles.

You can check the cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

16. "Gaus Electronics" / Schedule status: From September 30

The webtoon "Gaus Electronics" (in Korean "가우스전자") by Kwak BaekSoo is adapted into a drama. It tells the joys and sorrows of office workers at the multinational Gaus Electronics.

Director Park JoonSoo was in charge of the adaptation. Kwak DongYeon, Ko SungHee, Bae HyeonSeong, and Kang MinAh are casted for the drama.

To find out more about the drama and webtoon, check the cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

17. "Summer Strike" / Schedule status: From November 21

The webtoon "I Don't Want To Do Anything" (in Korean "아무것도 하고 싶지 않아") by Joo YoungHyun is adapted into the drama called "Summer Strike". The webtoon tells the growing pains experienced by a 26-year-old girl named YeoReum. The drama will tell the story of YeoReum who declares she will lead a strict life at the age of 28.

GT:st (a subsidiary of Studio Dragon) and director Lee YoonJung ("Coffee Prince", "Cheese in The Trap") are in charge of the adaptation. Yim SiWan and SeolHyun are the leads of the drama.

To find out more about the drama and webtoon, check the cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

18. "Unlock The Boss" / Schedule status: From December 7

The comic webtoon "Unlock The Boss" (in Korean "사장님을 잠금해제") by Park SungHyun is adapted into a drama. It tells the story of a boss trapped into a smartphone, and his new employee who found the phone. The story revolves as they dig to find the truth.

It is a KT Studio Genie original series. Chae JongHyeop and Seo EunSoo are cast into drama.

To find out more about the drama and webtoon, check the cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

19. "Weak Hero Class 1"  / Schedule status: From November 18

The webtoon "Weak Hero" (in Korean "약한영웅") by Seopass and Razen was announced to be adapted into a drama. It tells the story of an ordinary-looking high school boy who becomes the best fighter in a high school full of bullies.

Jaedam Media signed a co-production contract with PLAYLIST. It is a Wavve Original drama. Park JiHoon and Choi HyunWook are cast among others.

Find out the cast and summary here.

Check out more about the characters and vote for your dream cast here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

20. "Oh! Boarding House” / Schedule status: From February 22

The BL webtoon named “The Fifth Boarding House”  (in Korean “하숙집 오!번지” ) written by Penguin is adapted into a web drama. It tells the romantic relationships of the tenants who are living in a boarding house together.

Im SungKyun and Shin YongSeok are the lead actors of this drama.

Find out more about the drama and webtoon check the cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

21. "Blue of Winter” / Schedule status: From March 15

"Blue of Winter" (also known as "Judo Boys") is not based on a webtoon but a webtoon is released along with the web drama. It tells the story of three protagonists who meet at a judo competition in high school and become intertwined in an interesting fate as they build their respective futures.

Jeon YuBin, Min InGi, Lee JeongMin, and Yoo YoungMo are the leads of this BL web drama.

For more about the web drama, check our cast and summary here. For more about the webtoon "Blue of Winter", have a look here at its introduction.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

22. "Blueming” / Schedule status: From March 31

The BL webtoon "Who Can Define Popularity?" (in Korean "인기는 무언가 잘못되었다?") by Tak Bon is adapted into the web drama "Blueming". It is a campus romance between two film department students, which started when SiWon, the student who tries hard to gain popularity, meets DaWoon, who is naturally popular around everyone.

Kang EunBin and Cho HyukJun are the leads.

Check out the cast and summary here, for more about the drama and teaser.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

23. "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" / Schedule status: From December 15

The webtoon "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" (in Korean "밥만잘사주는이상한이사님") by Toesa and Yang EunJi will be adapted in a drama. It tells the story of a new employee of a company thinks his director is crazy because he said he has lived 3 lives and that they must date or they will die.

Park YoungWoon, Park JeongWoo, and W.O.W's YooSung are cast in this web drama to be released in 2022.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

24. "The Law Cafe" / Schedule status: From September 5

The webtoon "Love According To Law" (in Korean "법대로 사랑하라") by IlLi and No SeunGa is adapted into a drama. It tells the story of former Miss Korea and lawyer Kim YuRi quit the big law firm she was working at and set up her own "Law cafe". She thought her dreams were brilliant until she met the owner of her cafe's building for her rent contract - her old friend from high school JungHo. What could be the true feelings of this person who sways her heart?

Lee SeungGi and Lee SeYoung are cast in this KBS drama.

Check out the cast and summary here, for more about the drama and teaser.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

25. "Connect" / Schedule Status: From December 7

The thriller webtoon "Connect" by Sin DaeSung is produced as a drama by Disney+. It tells the story of a man  who lost his eyes to a organ hunters. He gets connected to the person who received a transplant.

Jung HaeIn, Go KyungPyo, and Kim HyeJun are casted into the drama.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

26. "Seasons of Blossom" / Schedule status: From September 21

The high school romance webtoon "Seasons of Blossom" (in Korean: "청춘 블라썸") by HongDuck and Nemone is adapted into a drama. It tells the love and friendship of 18-year-old high school students who are just starting their youth.

So JuYeon and Seo JiHoon are casted into the drama. The production company Playlist is in charge of the adaptation. The webtoon is popular in and out of Korea with more than eight languages available.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English.

 

27. "The New Employee" / Schedule status: From December 21

The BL webtoon "The New Employee" or "The New Recruit" (in Korean "신입사원") by Jake (first published as a web novel by Moskareto) is adapted into a web drama. It tells the love story of a company team leader and an intern at an advertising company.

Kwon Hyuk, Moon JiYong, and Choi SiHun are the lead actors. The drama is a Watcha original.

For more information about the drama and webtoon, you can check here.

Webtoon links: Korean (need to over 19 years old) / English.

 

 Season 2

28. "Work Later, Drink Now 2" / Schedule status: From December 9

The season 2 of the drama "Work Later, Drink Now" based on the webtoon "Drinker City Girls" (in Korean "술꾼도시 처녀들") by MiKkang is confirmed. It tells the stories of 3 women of 30-year-old who drink alcohol as their life religion.

Apink’s EunJi, Han SunHwa, Lee SunBin, and Super Junior’s Siwon who were cast for the first season, are also cast for the 2nd season.

Check our cast and summary here for more about the drama and the characters.

Check out the 4 differences between the webtoon and the drama here.

Webtoon links: Korean / Not officially available in English.

 

29. "No, Thank You 2" /  Schedule status: From January 8

The webtoon "Daughter-in-Law" (in Korean "며느라기") by Soo ShinJi was adapted in 2020 into the web drama "No, Thank You". A season 2 is released in 2022. It tells the episodes that happen to the ordinary daughter-in-law Min SaRin after she got to meet her in-laws.

Park HaSun, Kwon Yul, Moon HeeKyung, and Kim JongGoo are the lead actors of this Kakao TV web drama.

For more information, pictures, and teaser of the drama and webtoon, you can check our cast and summary here.

Webtoon links: Korean / English Instagram

 

Stay updated for 2023 and the following years here:

 

Over the last 3 years, there has been a high influx in the production and releases of South Korean BLs as many production companies have finally listened to the pleas from fans of this themed series and created amazing works that have no doubt satiated their desires. 2022 has no doubt been a very successful year for this themed series as its popularity has even fostered the creation of more dramas in this genre.

Like the rest of the K-Drama genres, one of the things that make people enjoy a series is the visuals of the actors. And a prevalent element that makes fans swoon harder for their favorite male leads is the height difference between them and their love interest. Quite similar to BLs today, an almost subtle but vital part of what makes their stories and scenes even more special and attractive is the height of the actors.

Many of the BL actors today are either models and/or idols as well. So, it is no surprise that many of the main leads have an amazing body proportion and towering presence.

With many of these actors posing as some of the tallest actors today, here are the tallest BL actors who are over 179cm tall.

 

1. Park SeoHam - "Semantic Error" - 193cm

 

2. Eom SeUng - "Behind Cut" - 189cm

 

3. Park YoungWoon - "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" - 189cm

 

4. Kang Hui - "Cherry Blossoms After Winter" - 188cm

 

5. Won TaeMin - "You Make Me Dance" and "Unintentional Love Story" - 187cm

 

6. Jang EuiSoo - "Where Your Eyes Linger", "My Sweet Dear", "Nobleman Ryu's Wedding" - 187cm

 

7. Son HyeonWoo - "Sing My Crush" - 187cm

 

8. Chu YoungWoo - "You Make Me Dance" - 186cm

 

9. 2Z's BumJun - "Behind Cut" - 185cm

 

10. Kim KangMin -  "To My Star" - 185cm

 

11. Cho HyukJun - "Blueming" - 185cm

 

12. Lee KiTaek - "Bon Appetit" - 185cm

 

13. Ki HyunWoo - "Semantic Error" and "Jun & Jun" - 185cm

 

14. SF9's ZuHo - "Starstruck" - 185cm

 

15. VIXX’s Hyuk - "Color Rush 2" - 184cm

 

16. ATO6's Yoo HyunWoo - "Tinted With You" -  184cm

 

17. Han GiChan - "Ocean Likes Me" and "Where Your Eyes Linger" - 183cm

 

18. Kang EunBin - "Blueming" -  183cm

 

19. THE MAN BLK's Cheon SeungHo - "Mr. Heart", "Where Your Eyes Linger", and "Jun & Jun" - 183cm

 

20. Hur HyunJun - "Color Rush" - 183cm

 

21. Lee ChanHyeong - "My Sweet Dear" - 181cm

 

22. ZEROBASEONE's Kim JiWoong- "Kissable Lips" and “Roommates Of Poongduck 304” - 181cm

 

23. Jin Gun - "First Love Again" - 181cm

 

24. Son WooHyeon - "To My Star" - 180cm

 

25. Yoo Jun - "Color Rush" and "Color Rush 2" - 180cm

 

26. Ko HoJung - "Choco Milk Shake" - 180cm

Which of these actors is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.