PD Nam is clearly a jerk but in the same time, he was right to confirm that they didn't hire a heterosexual when all their show rests on the fact the chief must be gay. The issue is he's doing this to prove that Ah Jin is liar and not by professionalism.

I was surprised that everybody else thought that he had a girlfriend because he didn't do his coming out in the past and not because he wasn't gay at all. The characters are showing a trust that ML doesn't deserve at all.

Honestly, I don't like how Jin-sung doesn't seem more preoccupied by his lies than that. He's deceiving a lot of persons who work hard for this show.

I still watch this drama for Tae-wan. But I thought he understood that Jin Sung was not gay and not... I hope he would understand to avoid getting hurt by the situation. He doesn't deserve it! He's so a cutie behind his cold face :p

"Last week we left off with Tae-wan as he encountered Jing-sung’s pecs sauntering around Ah-jin’s apartment." 🤣 Great recap, @abirdword! You made me laugh more than the drama itself

Still haven't watched ep 8, but here it goes:
*kind of hate this drama for making Taewan hurt. Taeean is precious and needs to be protected
*this said, Ahjin and Jinsung have great chemistry, they feel totally drawn to each other, and they look cute playing house
*still hating Jinsung's lies, at least now Brother found out and hope he gives him a earfull
*PD Nam, bringing the exgirlfriend in. That's ridiculous, can you believe this guy?
*hope Jinsung clears things up with Taewan as soon as possible. Can't stand to see him longing for someone he can't have
*Jimwoo could be a good ally for Taewan. Hope they don't go down the second-prize loveline, and just turn him into a cool friend and a force of positivity and self-acceptance in his life

My personal opinion after these few episodes... I just feel like all these unspoken under-currents of tension that the drama is attempting to build up amongst the different characters -- Tae-wan and Ah-jin, Jin-sung and Ah-jin, Tae-wan and Jinsung, Jin-sung butting into Ah-jin and her colleague's "date" -- make these episodes so awkward and uncomfortable to watch almost the entire time. Heck, even the loveline between the writer and that junior PD feels awkward. I don't know if it's the way Jung Il-woo is portraying this role and enunciating the dialogue, but Jin-sung just feels incredibly stilted.

I don't know, it just feels like the writer doesn't have a central backbone theme to keep the plot going, the drama is just wandering around aimlessly and everything just feels like a mesh of different scenes edited together...

Thanks for the review @abirdword. Watching this show is kind of fun, but embarrassing and makes me cringe so many times.
I too like how Ah-Jin really sticks to her guns about the show.
Tae-wan confuses me. It seems that he is seeing how Ah-Jin and Jing-Sung are close and MUST see the chemistry.
Shouldn't he be suspicious at this point? I mean, he has hinted and flirted in so many ways and nothing has come from Jing-Sung - hello - a gay man would know what that hand on the wrist means, right?
Not sure how I feel about the show but I'm still watching and very curious to see how they resolve the story line.

Why does it have to be a gay man who can be kind and wise as a chef? That premise is so flawed - just saying.

I'm not sure how i want it to go. If PD Nam turns out to be gay, then he will be seen as the petty homophobic gay person who is full of self-loathing. If PD Nam turns out to be straight, he'll be seen as just the typical snooty power-mad male. This is where the writer in me pops up and i find myself wanting another layer of lovelines in a drama. I'm wishing PD Nam would fall for someone of another race. Itaewon Class is that once a year kdrama where race is worked into the story. Sweet Munchies is so good at tackling issues of prejudice, supposition, assumptions and love. Yet it all feels very human, even for a high concept story. I just want other aspects of troubled love to pop up.

Disclaimer: I don't remember any of the characters names, except, "chef" "designer" "girl (not woman, girl)".
I've read all your comments and my take is different. Never mind all the ideas about what or what not is good writing, good characters, how they portray gay characters, etc. I wasn't paying attention.
All I was paying attention to was the fact I think the chef just doesn't realize he's gay. He has way more chemistry with the designer than with the girl. In fact, she's annoying me so much I can't stand it. It seems like she and the chef have a brotherly/sisterly relationship, not romantic. I'd rather he end up with the the designer.
Having said that, the kiss at the end was it for me. Plus the fact the younger gay brother now sees the designer as gay and is smiling too big. Does that mean they'll end up as a couple? Aargh.
I'm disgusted enough with these events that I've tuned out until it's over and I'll check it out then to see what happens. Yes, I'm shallow enough that I'm doing the same thing I accuse others of doing, quitting because I don't like what's happening or who's going to end up with whom (remember King Loves??)

I absolutely adore Jung Il-woo (Haechi was one of my top dramas for 2019), and was excited when I read about this show. (Many Kdrama watchers may not know that JIW is an accomplished chef, loves to cook for his friends, and has participated and/or competed in several cooking shows, where he does very well. Plus I just like the guy).

That being said, after I was introduced to actor Lee Hak-Joo, and his lovely, sensitive, nuanced portrayal of obviously closeted designer Kang Tae-Wan, and witnessed the amazing sexual tension in that scene of him taking Chef Park Jin-Sung's measurements for his outfit for the cooking show's pilot episode, I got a very uncomfortable, tight ache in my heart, and every episode so far has just made that feeling worse.

The joke isn't funny. And to give some credit to the writer and PD, they aren't playing it for laughs. But while I'm thankful neither Tae-wan nor Chef Park's sweet younger brother, Jin-woo, are being presented - in the historical Kdrama fashion (see atrocity SWDBS) - as OTT, offensively stereotyped LGBT characters, used as a running punch line for jokes, in what passes for "comic relief" in these horrible dramas, then WTF actually IS the point of this drama??

While I appreciate Chef Park's financial desperation that led him to agree to the pilot episode of the show, his continued deception about his sexuality is just too uncomfortable and problematic for me. I have a problem that his motivation went from financial desperation caused by people other than himself, to advancing his romantic interests by saving Kim A-Jin's career. Too many innocent people, including the people he loves, not to mention himself and his business/career, are going to be hurt.

And I just can't stand to see Tae-wan waiting there, confused by the mixed messages, but ready to open his heart to Jin-Sung, only to be inevitably shot down. And although Ji-sung seems utterly clueless about Tae-wan's attraction to him, his rudeness to and impatience with Tae-wan is painful to see.

I haven't watched this week's episode, but it looks as if merde is going to hit the proverbial fan, and then what? How is this fixable? How do any of them set aside what is going to be seen as an epic betrayal, and move forward with their relationships intact?

If only. But I don't know what "if only" there could be here. If only Jin-sung were really a closeted gay man, and ended up being the one who as struggling to accept his sexuality? If only Tae-wan wasn't falling in love with Jin-sung, but saw him as a confidant, in whom he could safely confess his sexual orientation, and ask for advice about living openly as himself? Maybe meeting and falling for someone else? Like the younger brother? (Not as a consolation prize, but as the initial attraction?)

I don't know what could happen to make this show anything but an uncomfortable hot mess, and painful to watch. What I see is Ji-Sung on his way to ruining his...

I've been bingeing from episode 1 till now. The premise of the gay chef coming out in the show was okay - Jin-sung had a lot of misgivings after the first shoot so when they got a regular slot he didn't want to do the show. He agreed to do the show for Ah-jin. I think Jin-woo's got a better perspective of what Jin-sung's action implied in the show.

I am starting to think our Designer needs someone much better than the chef. I really don't care what happens to the chef at this point, I am finding him to be a bit of A-hole ( the character, not the actor ) Interesting to see how it all ends though I must say it is quite sloppy right now. ( episode 7 ) I do enjoy the romance building between the writer and assistant- I like them together. PD Nam is many things but at the same time, I find him interesting.