Disclaimer: I’m mainly typing this because, in the past year, I’ve dealt with so much homophobia in my main fandom (not K-drama related). As a queer fan, it’s been a real blow to the soul each and every time. So, yeah, I’m absolutely ecstatic and grateful that Sh**ting Stars did not go for a cheap laugh.

1) The real problem, obviously, is the gross invasion of privacy and it is treated as such. When the Starforce boss asks if Soo-hyuk is dating Tae-sung, it isn’t with any hint of disgust or negative judgment. He’s merely caught unawares by the article and wants to confirm the facts in order to be able to contain the PR damage. The way his questions and Soo-hyuk’s affirmative answers build up, the joke is about how all these innocuous coincidences have turned into perfect, tiny puzzle pieces to make this one big, completely absurd rumor happen. Likewise, Soo-hyuk’s exasperation is obviously due to the scurrility of him currently courting Han-byeol and Tae-sung being his actual love rival, not his (alleged) boyfriend. This is obviously a messy situation all around, but not because they’re both men.

2) When Ki-bbeum and her colleagues talk about the article, they compliment Soo-hyuk’s appearance and his visual compatibility with the nation’s boyfriend Tae-sung. I think it’s a particularly nice touch to have the sole male colleague in the scene comment that he could see both of these handsome men being in a relationship because it implicitly removes the shame and stigma associated with the mere possibility of them being together for real. This way, it’s clearly signaled that this group of characters has no problem with queer people and relationships.

3) Soo-hyuk’s secretary is fast to confirm to him that she harbors no prejudice against queer people. While we don’t know if she’s being completely honest here, I would say that it’s generally a nice, supportive gesture. Overwhelmed, Soo-hyuk threatens to sue her immediately. As we see, he is hounded by phone calls, so it is easy to imagine what bullshit he’s probably already dealt with. Furthermore, since he has already been established as a private person (= no house parties) valuing his boundaries (= no work after 6 pm), this stress response is to be expected from a lawyer and isn’t indicative of homophobia but rather an attempt to reestablish professional boundaries. This conclusion is confirmed in a later scene when Soo-hyuk signals his absolute disinterest in blurring personal and professional boundaries with his hobby matchmaker of a secretary. He doesn’t want her meddling in his private life, regardless of her thinking of him as straight or gay.

4) During the interview with Ki-bbeum, Soo-huyk jokes about his parents calling him about his so-called boyfriend. Again, the situation is framed not primarily as a gay issue but as a frustrating invasion of privacy as it increasingly interferes with Soo-hyuk’s professional life. Soo-hyuk additionally emphasizes how much he values his working hours when he mentions that he’s only giving this one interview because he’s already wasted enough of his time as it is. 

Two other nice details:
– Soo-hyuk is allowed to be more verbally annoyed with his yearbook picture popping up online than the implication of him being queer. 

– That one male reporter (who commented on the handsomeness of both men listed in 2)), of all people, is the person who asks Ki-bbeum if the rumors really aren’t true. For whatever reason, he almost seems disappointed.

5) During Soo-huyk and Tae-sung’s stairwell meeting, the running gag about their gay relationship becomes part of their game of chicken. Who yields first, loses. Instead of using this situation to emasculate either of them, the show turns the situation around on both men: In order to prove their masculinity and to successfully one-up each other, they each have to choose to become part of the joke. Honestly, I thought it was hilarious. While I’ve seen scenarios like this one before (albeit, primarily, with straight male characters acting like offensive caricatures of gay men), I liked that there was still a believable restraint in Soo-hyuk and Tae-sung’s interaction. 

And the hilarity doesn’t end here because when Jung-yeol leaves under the guise of giving the two love birds some privacy, it’s primarily to escape the much-despised stairwell. So, in conclusion: All three men are handling this running gag with absolute grace and positivity. Soo-huyk even uses Tae-sung’s happy new relationship with Han-byeol as a bargaining ship to win back his elevator rights which is an appropriately hilarious conclusion to their little stairwell standoff saga if you ask me.

6) Last but not least: Soo-huyk talks with his mother on the phone and jokes about Tae-sung not being his type, even if he were into men. (!) This scene was absolutely not necessary in terms of plot advancement because it doesn’t relate to any of the show’s other characters. Still, it tells us a lot about Soo-hyuk: First and foremost, he is unbothered enough about the situation to actually tease his mother who, by contrast, seems to be very bothered. That’s a major boss move right there and deeply funny to me. I also really like that he does this quickly after acknowledging to himself the emotional impact of Han-byeol’s rejection. Although he doesn’t have much to laugh about in this situation, Soo-hyuk decides to cope with good-natured humor. 

In conclusion: I don’t know if Sh**ting Stars intentionally went out of their way to keep this plot point light and inoffensive, but at any rate, I was majorly charmed by and laughed a lot about this week’s episodes. They also cemented Soo-hyuk as one of my favorite characters on the show. So far, he’s treated Han-byeol with nothing but respect and courtesy, communicated his feelings for her clearly without pressure, and readily accepted her rejection without making his complicated emotions afterward her problem. He’s professional, mature, emotionally intelligent, and serious yet soft around the edges. I also quite liked that Han-byeol featured in the gay rumor story only so far as to recommend Ki-bbeum off-screen in order to write the article because it allowed for more revealing, private scenes with Soo-hyuk. I really hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of them — and, of course, him — in the very near future.

YES YES YES. Everything you just said. As a queer person, fandom spaces and kdramas can be exhausting with because there is just so much homophobia floating around – both subtle and overt. I was just as terrified as you that Sh**ting Stars would use this plot to ramp up the homophobia and make degrading, offensive jokes. After all, they certainly didn’t care for nuance in their racist depiction of “Africa”. So imagine my shock when they don’t fall into the territory of offensive jokes and caricatured depictions of queerness, but rather treat it as it is – a gross invasion of privacy of two individuals. I’m so relieved. This plot also had the double benefit of making Soo-hyuk a much more fleshed-out, well-rounded character for me. He was really sweet and respectful before, but nothing more. I think his reaction to this rumour showed off his personality far more succinctly – mature and emotionally intelligent.

Excellent analysis from you, @massani. And personally speaking, it’s really nice to know there are other queer kdrama fans on this site. It’s a good feeling to not be alone.