Questionable plot, carried by the acting

Generally enjoyable, questionable plot that gets lost around the middle, side ship is better than the main, and the entire show is carried by the acting.

PLOT
Starts off pretty strong with some minor plot holes that most people would be okay with brushing off. Around probably episode 6-7 is where the plot holes start getting glaringly obvious and hard to ignore.
Loses most tracks to the original plot (poor bartender becomes a bodyguard to pay for his brother's college and their house) pretty damn quick, too. By the end, it's turned into all but a murder mystery.
Everything seems to have very, very convenient ties back to Porsche, who was originally, again, just a poor bartender.

CHARACTERS
the good: Porche, Pete, VEGAS, Tankhun
Vegas is the biggest saving grace for this whole series.
the bad: KINN, most of the other bodyguards, Korn

ACTING
Bible, Build, and Apo carried this whole fucking series. Bible ate up all of the screen time and I found myself wondering when the next Vegas scene was coming, his acting was so good. and Build and Bible's chemistry was so good that they somehow made that ship work (below). Apo carried the entire KinnPorsche ship on his back, someone get this man a back massage.

SHIPS
KinnPorsche - To recap, we've got a noncon first sexual encounter as Porsche was drugged, a major power dynamic at play, and that power dynamic is consistently used as leverage? Plus a host of trust issues and miscomm. Gotcha.
Jokes aside, I was rooting for this pair. They were generally likeable, had fairly good chemistry, good sex scenes, and a good sprinkling of true compatible and cute moments. However, as I already said, Apo carried this whole fucking ship.
KimChay - This one is weird, they don't have chemistry, Kim treats Chay like shit and then is upset when Chay cuts him out. More screentime dedicated to this pair would have done them well as I feel like we missed some character and ship building.
VegasPete - By FAR the most chemistry of the three main. Their entire situation does give very big Stockholm-y vibes, which I don't love. HOWEVER, their first time did have explicit consent, and they have the best communication between any of the couples here. I wish we got more VegasPete. Also, Build and Bible did such a good job, especially in those really rough scenes. My one hope is that we get a season 2 or a spinoff dedicated to mainly VegasPete and a healthy relationship progression.

FIN
The end of the series was generally unsatisfying because of how it ties up the "loose ends" and the murder mystery it turned itself into. I wish it had taken that time it spent on Porsche's parent's murder into VegasPete, but beggars can't be choosers. I enjoyed watching it for mindless entertainment, but it's not top-tier cinema. The action scenes are nice, though.

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One of my favorites!

This was a really solid drama! I genuinely enjoyed nearly everything about it.

Notes:
1- lead couple chemistry and development
The chemistry between Yu Zhen and Shi Lei was top notch, really nice to watch. The development was kinda stinted at times and felt like it made a couple big jumps in certain spots, but given all the other things that I enjoyed about this drama, I personally don't find it a big issue since it was fairly mild.

2- side couple
Really cute! Honestly one of my favorite side couples I've come across.

3- backstories
My biggest gripe with this drama is that due to the short length and relative slow pacing, it feels like the hints at both Yu Zhen and Gang's backstories were wasted. We were given just enough about Yu Zhen's backstory to be lead to believe it would be a major block in his and Shi Lei's relationship, but it wasn't except for the existence of the Single Rule. There was wasted potential in specifically Yu Zhen's backstory and would have provided an opportunity to further develop Yu Zhen and Shi Lei's relationship.

4- Shi Lei's mom
Oh, I'd die for this woman. It was really refreshing and just NICE to see a mother in a BL encouraging her son. Shi Lei's mom deserves the whole world, and that scene with Shi Lei and his mom killed me.

5- relative low secondhand embarrassment
This is a personal pet peeve I have in dramas, but I find them unwatchable if the secondhand embarrassment is too high. It was fairly low with this one - it was mostly just awkward interactions that are normal with the person you like.

I really enjoyed Be Loved in House: I Do. It's one of my favorites and definitely does retain rewatch value for me personally.

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