This is basically a formulaic K-drama with some sex scenes. The plot threads and character cliches fall squarely into all the typical K-drama tropes. You can watch this without knowing any Korean, and still understand the entire plot. In an optimistic sense, this could be a sign of good visual storytelling. In a pessimistic sense, this could just be because everything is incredibly predictable and cliched. I think the main appeal of this movie would be that it's hentai with an attractive male lead. And although he's an absolute asshole, he doesn't rape anyone and can even be romantic at times (even if it's for thesake of manipulation). He's "tortured" and promiscuous, and he seduces women who seem pretty happy to have a fling with him. The bar is really on the floor when it comes to female-oriented sex media, or as Bad Boss calls itself, "femtai".
The movie is also rather plot-heavy - nearly 2 hours long. The sex scenes are quite minor in comparison to just how much plot is crammed in, actually. It's just that every part of the plot can be seen from a mile away, to the point I was wishing they'd just drop the pretense and get in bed already.
The first thing I noticed about this movie was the soundtrack. It was so bad I think whoever put it together must have had a laugh. The movie opens on a club scene and the music sounded like royalty free audio for a flash game or something. It doesn't get any better for the rest of the film. Sometimes characters are crying and the music is just conveying a completely different mood, it's bizarre.
The quality of the art is so-so. The character designs are fine but the art goes off-model a lot. Faces look pretty janky at times. Having the main guy be pretty and not an ugly bastard or NPC-level bland dude is a HUGE bonus. Because, say it with me... "The bar is on the floor."
Despite being a hentai, this movie doesn't show any genitals at all. You'll see the chest area and some bare bottoms. You'll see fondling and thrusting. The shots do not go below the belt at the front. I'll be honest, I wanted to see his dick, ok? God dammit.
The K-drama character cliches are exactly what's written on the package:
1. Son-Kyu / Kwon Seung-gyu (male protagonist)
Boss with dark past who does mean shit but is ultimately redeemable. You know he's redeemable because he's so pretty.
2. Kim Min (male antagonist)
Rival guy who gets fucked over but then whose reactions go overboard so the audience know who the true villain is, thus making the mean boss look good in comparison.
3. Chae Young-jo (female protagonist)
The young woman the boss and the rival fight over. She is just very innocent and loving and sweet and doesn't have any agency of her own. She's essentially a plot device for the two men to duke over. If this weren't hentai and she was a kitten they were fighting over, the story would amount to the same thing. There are TWO instances of her stepping into traffic without looking and getting saved. Then there's TWO OTHER instances of her IN the car and nearly getting into an accident. What is this, Final Destination?
She also goes through the typical "nerd makeover" as the movie goes on. She starts off with glasses and frumpy hair, then changes up her appearance to be sexier for Son-Kyu, then eventually gets a completely new haircut, contact lenses, and wardrobe. That's the extent of "character growth" for our main girl.
4. Baek Hye-mi (female antagonist)
An older woman from the boss's past who comes back to haunt him. She raped him back when he was young and vulnerable, and has evidence on hand to shame him for it. She threatens to ruin everything he's been building up. She's in the femdom scene, has male sex slaves, and is depicted as obsessively insane.
See? The ABCs of bland K-drama. This movie just adds a veneer of sex on top.
Son-Kyu the handsome successful charismatic playboy whose trauma turned him into an asshole? Kim Min the rival who seems nice at first then quickly becomes a disgusting piece of shit? Chae Young-Jo the helpless young lady just being yanked around? Baek Hye-mi the older woman who is, of course, a horrible evil bitch? Quintessential K-drama.
I don't know if there will be subs for this movie anytime soon, if ever, so here's a plot introduction to get you on track if you're curious about this movie and don't speak Korean (because the MAL synopsis is... strangely worded)
Son-Kyu is a manager at a large advertising company called NEONA. He has a secret traumatic past. When he was strapped for cash in his university days, he worked as a host. Look up "host bar" if you're not familiar with this concept. He was raped by an older woman, Baek Hye-mi, and this gave him PTSD. He deals with his trauma in the present by sleeping around and using women carelessly, but has frequent nightmares of what he had to endure at Baek Hye-mi's hands. This comes in the form of brief PTSD flashbacks to BDSM scenes where he's tied up in front of onlookers. These short scenes are not representative of the sex that actually happens in the movie, which is all very vanilla. Now, vanilla might be right up your alley, but I felt like I got a heaping serving of false advertising.
Within the first few minutes of the movie we see Son-Kyu with a ball gag and blindfolded on a table without much context and I thought, "oh shit???? real shit????" But no. Because of those little flashbacks I expected A LOT MORE from Son-Kyu's shenanigans. I think he sleeps with 4 different women this entire movie, all in VERY vanilla scenes. The only "fun" stuff is the PTSD BDSM flashbacks where he's being toyed with. I wish there could be HEALTHY depictions of BDSM and men who CHOOSE to take on a submissive role during sex. Again, the bar is on the floor.
Kim Min is a guy from Son-Kyu's university days that fucked Son-Kyu over morally, financially, you name it. Kim Min starts working under Son-Kyu at NEONA, and Son-Kyu sees his chance for revenge - playing nice until he can spring his trap. His plan? Steal Kim Min's girl, Chae Young-jo, who also works under him.
The following goes beyond premise and into SPOILER TERRITORY:
Since Son-Kyu's such a ladyβs man, Chae Young-jo falls head over heels for him in no time. Whereas Son-Kyu is just using her as a pawn to get back at Kim Min, Chae Young-jo genuinely cares for him, making gifts for him that he carelessly throws away. Talking lovingly to him on the phone, not knowing that he's literally getting head from another woman as they speak.
So yeah, Son-Kyu is a fucking asshole, but this is a K-drama, and he is the male lead, and by the power of toxic romance cliches, he will be redeemed god dammit.
Son-Kyu rubs his sexual dominance of Chae Young-jo in Kim Min's face at every chance. He also ruins Kim Min's career up by assigning him tasks that he already knows Kim Min will fail at, and then berating him for his failures mercilessly. Kim-Min loses his composure, sexually assaulting Chae Young-jo in an attempt to "reclaim" her, only for Son-Kyu to show up and rescue her, therefore further establishing Son-Kyu as the good guy. Kim Min then assaults Son-Kyu openly in the office, getting himself fired. Son-Kyu performs his coup de grΓ’ce by personally delivering Kim Min's belongings to his house. Kim Min completely loses it and tries to stab Son-Kyu, only for Son-Kyu to trip him and kick him while he's down.
As he spends time with Chae Young-jo, Son Kyu begins to develop actual feelings beyond just using her. Her endless selfless acts of love finally... gasp.... change him! Can I get an "AH SHIT HERE WE GO AGAIN" for the horrible unhealthy romance tropes?!?!?! Wow!!! He's about to take on a new path of in life and not be a toxic bastard, but we're only half way through the drama, babyyyyy
Kim Min is now on his own path of revenge. He digs up dirt on Son Kyu's past, and finds Baek Hye-mi. Baek Hye-mi is still obsessed with Son Kyu after all these years. She's willing to get her hands dirty to have him under her thumb again. Kim Min helps her kidnap and drug Son Kyu. She has an entourage of body guards and a sex slave who are all loyal to her, and they corner Son Kyu with no escape. In his desperation, Son Kyu pulls a "YOU'LL NEVER HAVE ME!!!" and stabs himself. Baek Hye-mi panics, then is drugged by her sex slave who was jealous of Son Kyu this whole time. Son Kyu makes his escape, all the while bleeding out from his self-inflicted wound.
Meanwhile, Kim Min has kidnapped Chae Young-jo. He has completely gone over the edge, and wants to prove his love for her by raping her. Son Kyu shows up just in the nick of time to delay him, and the two men fight. Son Kyu is too weak from blood loss, and Chae Young-jo convinces Kim Min to spare him by pretending to offer herself willingly, only to hit Kim Min in the head with a lamp while his guard is down. This is arguably the only "active role" she takes during this whole story. Congratulations.
With Kim Min incapacitated, Chae Young-jo rushes to Son Kyu's side. Obviously, Kim Min isn't completely down. He rushes at the couple again. Son Kyu sacrifices himself by pushing Kim Min out the window and the two fall to their supposed deaths.
Sometime later, we see Chae Young-jo visiting a grave. This is revealed to be a total red herring because it turns out it's just her parents' grave. She goes to a cafe, where unbeknownst to her, Son Kyu is working. Through flashbacks we see how he got there. He couldn't face her after all that happened and escaped from his hospital bed to build up a new life. Chae Young-jo doesn't see him and leaves the cafe. Son Kyu runs after her. The two of them make eye contact across the street. The end.
This movie had so many near misses with traffic accidents I wondered if she was going to run out into the street and nearly get run over again.
My enjoyment of this bad movie is shockingly high because I watched it with a friend and we could not stop laughing. If I watched this wholeheartedly, I would have dropped it only a few minutes in. It is too bland to be a good hentai and too predictable to be a good drama.
The credits were rolling but I was still laughing because I remembered the climatic fight scene. Son Kyu is holding a chain necklace when he gets punched and there's a slow motion scene where he's falling back and the loose golden rings of the chain are slowly tumbling through the air. My friend said "Oh my god he's Sonic" and then we both broke down laughing to the point of tears. We were so tired after this movie that our brains were melting. That scene was surreal.
