Coupang Play’s original series ‘Absolute Value of Romance’ has everything fans love: comic romance, school life, and BL! While it might not have a record-breaking score yet, it’s gaining huge word-of-mouth among enthusiasts. It’s a bold move for the platform and a great chance to rediscover the hidden talents of the lead actors.
Premiering on the 17th of last month, ‘Absolute Value of Romance’ (or ‘Ro-Jeol-Gap’) follows the chaotic school life of a high school girl who writes BL novels about her handsome teachers. The “ten-million-viewer actress” Kim Hyang-gi stars as Yeo Ui-ju, while Cha Hak-yeon, Kim Jae-hyun, Son Jung-hyuk, and Kim Dong-gyu play the flower-boy F4 teachers. It’s a meaningful shift for Coupang Play, which previously focused on mainstream hits like ‘Boyhood’ or sports broadcasting, to dive into the trendy and niche “BL and internet novel vibe” high teen genre.
With the finale approaching on the 29th, ‘Absolute Value of Romance’ has already landed in the top 10 of the Prime Video ‘Top TV Shows’ category on FlixPatrol across major Asian and South American countries. Director Lee Tae-gon told Ilgan Sports, “From the moment I first encountered the original webtoon, the energy of the work was bright.” He highlighted the show’s unique charm, noting, “While it’s sometimes depicted as childish or exaggerated, it’s a work where the growth of each character is clear.”
He added, “The writer completed the personality of the work with the playful and daring imagination of a BL writer and F4 teachers, and the final puzzle piece fell into place when actors with high synchronization to the original characters joined.”
Regarding the remaining episodes, he asked fans to “focus on the growth stories of the characters, such as Ui-ju becoming more serious about her dreams, Woo-su growing from a teacher into an adult, Dong-ju (Kim Dong-ju) who carries pain from the past, and Gi-jeon (Son Jung-hyuk) who turns failure into success.”
