Bump Up Business (2023) - Harpers Dungeon of Thoughts
Eden is soon to debut.
Ji Hoon is ready to return.
Their agency pairs them together or a concept group.
The concept? Business Gay.
Will the idols be able to pull this concept off?
Okay… okay… okay… I already know this is going to be a touchy subject, but let me assure you, the show is not that deep. Staring the members of OnlyOneOf, a group that themselves have been toying with the “But Make It Gay” concept, Bump Up Business is roughly 2 hours of second hand embarrassment.
And I love it!
Now, are my guys actors? No. Some are better than others, but you can tell these guys are not professional actors. Of course, that is half the charm.
There are some stand outs, namely KB. He plays a good evil ex. Like there were moments I was yelling at him through the screen. Just ask my sister, she was there.
She would also like me to tell all of you that she was not watching the show and she thinks people pretending to be gay is weird. You should just be who you are. Of course she was also asking me questions about it as I was watching, so who really knows if she wasn’t watching or not.
Again, the show is about 2 hours long - eight episodes at 15 minutes a piece. I found it on iQiYi, though you probably can find it elsewhere if you wanted. Go watch it now, because I am going to spoil the whole show.
Eden (Mill) is the top trainee at his agency, so he is set to debut next. The agency thinks he would be perfect for this new group they are putting together with a former idol who is going to return to the stage. This idol, Ji Hoon (Nine), used to be in a group with Hyun Bin (KB) - more on him in a bit - but had to leave because of a scandal. So they get the guys together, announce that they are gonna be a group named Evergreen, and then tell them that the concept is “business gay.” This means that they will have to appear to be in a relationship on stage. This also means, with the way fandom is relentless, that they will have to be “in a relationship” off-stage too. Ji Hoon agrees, because he mainly just wants to be on stage again. Eden, on the other hand, is troubled. This is his first time in the public eye, does he want everyone to think that he is gay? But he agrees because he really just wants to debut.
During promotions, the guys do end up getting closer and while on a bonding retreat, Eden reveals that his first love was a boy. So this isn’t really pretending for him. Ji Hoon tells him that he and Hyun Bin were closer than most people realized, but they no longer talk because of the scandal. As the night goes on, they get a little drunk and kiss (and it’s super cute!!!) but Eden apparently cannot hold his liquor and does not remember the evening.
Now, about Hyun Bin… he is a former idol turned show presenter and is well liked by pretty much everyone. He interviews anyone who’s anyone in the entertainment business - including this piano prodigy named Jay (Yoojung) - and he wants to interview Evergreen. Is it because he still has feelings for Ji Hoon? Or maybe he’s jealous of Eden? Or maybe it is some third, even more sinister thing?
I’m gonna stop there. Go watch the show for yourself if you’d like. It is super short, like I have said, but it is cute and cringy and I absolutely adore it.
I know I didn’t mention the other two members of OnlyOneOf, Junji and Rie. Well, they did not have that important of parts. They both played trainees that are friends with Eden, but also jealous of Eden. I will say I enjoyed how talkative Junji was as he is usually very quiet.
4/5 - definitely will binge again.
Laters!
~ Harper
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