A heart-fluttering romance between the team leader and a newcomer has begun in “Love Mate”.
‘Love Mate’ is an ongoing Korean BL featuring Jeong Ha Ram, a new hire at a production company, who falls in love with his team leader Seo Yi Jun, at first sight. Will the smart and introverted Yi Jun learn to accept the enthusiastic and straightforward Ha Ram both in the workplace and in love? We’ll find out through the following episodes!
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. Read at your own risk!
Episode 1. The Sudden Confession
Meet Seo Yi Jun, the team leader from So What Media, a young single gay by choice who is relying on using the app for single men called “Plastic LOVE” to meet a perfect guy anywhere he wants to. And today, he’s meeting up with a good-looking man ‘Pietro’ from the app at the restaurant. The two finally meet and introduce their nicknames, while having their lunch and small talk — that revealed Yi Jun has been seeing a lot of guys from the app where he sorted them in such categories: Dinner, Movie, and Coffee — and is not interested to have a relationship with since he doesn’t believe in love. After having their lunch, Pietro offers to have a coffee and to go out again but Yi Jun rejects it. He did that to keep things simple because he has a rule: Don’t go out with the same guy twice. Yi Jun used to have a perfect single life until Jeong Ha Ram, his new colleague at the company. It all started in the conference room, where he was discussing his project presentation “Single’s Paradise”: pointing out that the audiences no longer believe in sweet romance; and because these days, love is not necessary and should focus on the glory of singleness. Upon hearing his presentation, Ha Ram raises his hands after Yi Jun asks if there are any questions — where Ha Ram opposed Yi Jun’s ideas — and explains why: lacks objectivity like it was made by someone who doesn’t understand what love is. And because of that Yi Jun’s project was not picked.
The next day, it seems Yi Jun has yet to vent out his anger about yesterday’s meeting and Ha Ram gave him a cup of coffee to ease his negative feelings. However, Yi Jun claims he does not drink coffee in the morning. So, Ha Ram gave him a cup of apple juice instead and apologized for his overly blunt words (Editor’s note: 사과/sagwa means both ‘apology’ and ‘apple’). Ha Ram is about to leave to go to his cubicle, and he noticed something. He picks Yi Jun’s ID in his pocket, helps him wear it, and cheers him up. (Did he make your heart flutter Yi Jun?) During break time, Yi Jun and Eun Seon, his colleague who got divorced recently went to the balcony. Eun Seon has been thinking of Ha Ram’s pointers at the meeting that night and she completely agrees with him. And later admits she’s such a coward in love. So, she asks Yi Jun, when was the last time he fell in love. Yi Jun says he can’t remember so Eun Seon made up a “romance training” and used this opportunity to find a date to revive his dead love cells.
The following day, Yi Jun coincidentally bumps into Ha Ram on the same bus. It seems Yi Jun is still holding a grudge against him since he asked him to move to another seat. When he’s about to move, Ha Ram stops him with his leg. He has no choice but to sit next to him. At his cubicle, Yi Jun is still annoyed with Ha Ram and starts randomly typing words on his project that he’s revising. And his male colleague invites him to grab a drink after work. At first, he rejected it but ended up now sitting next to Ha Ram at the restaurant. So, he asks his other colleague to switch seats, but Ha Ram moves as well as he did. He had no choice but to sit beside him throughout their drinking session. Ha Ram wanted to be cared for by his seniors so he was asked to sincerely apologize to Yi Jun in exchange for a request. So, Ha Ram promises not to call him a coward in love again. Yi Jun finally accepted his apology. He had no choice but to accept Ha Ram’s love shot request. After their drink session, while Ha Ram was walking home, he noticed Yi Jun throwing up and rushed to help him. Instead of thank you, Yi Jun started to vent his anger to him. But shockingly — Ha Ram suddenly confessed that he was in love with him at first sight!
