EPISODE SUMMARY
Baby Hojin’s mad. His mother is reading him a fairy tale called The Wise Prince, and Hojin’s quite upset with the prince in the story. Of course the dragon didn’t open his castle door for the prince — He showed up with a sword and a cannon! If it were Hojin, instead of weapons, he’d bring the dragon some flowers and something tasty to eat. Because if he’s nice, the dragon wouldn’t hesitate to open the door.
The fable is the perfect analogy for Hojin’s life philosophy. Be a kind person. Because if you want to be loved, isn’t it only logical that you be nice?
Hojin ends his bittersweet retelling of his past and reassures Yoosung that his father isn’t some trump card he’s waiting to use. Unlike his brother, Hojin’ll never ask his father for help. Yoosung can rest easy: Hojin is his completely for the year, as their contract states. But Yoosung is still curious about something: if Hojin is always nice to his partners, why did he get dumped so often?
Not wanting to be abandoned like his father, Hojin believed being kind all the time in his relationships was the best thing to do. He didn’t do anything exciting or adventurous. And well, that makes for a very boring relationship. Who’d want to keep a boring lover? But being kind was too deeply engrained in him. No matter what he tried to spice up a relationship, he’d always return to being nice. For Hojin, his goal is to make his partner feel relaxed when they’re together. If he’s boring by doing so, so be it. Because being nice means he won’t hurt anyone; it’s the only way he knows how to love.
Yoosung reaches his hand out to stroke Hojin’s face, thinking he’s crying, which catches Hojin by surprise. His attempt to console Hojin is a brand new experience for the former bartender. Usually, he’s the one listening and consoling people. Hojin pulls the executive director in closer for a hug and declares that he loves Yoosung. While his face is buried in Hojin’s neck, Yoosung blushes.
DISCUSSION
One thing that I caught reading this episode that I never noticed before was in Hojin’s flashback, when he’s quitting the swim team, he leaves his coach’s office and unzips his track jacket. Beneath his jacket, he’s wearing a bowtie and vest. This is the same outfit we see him wearing in episode 11, when he’s talking to his host bar friend in an alleyway. He really went straight from being a high school athlete to working at a bar to support himself when his mother died.
I have to say that I have the same philosophy with relationships as Hojin does, but I have absolutely no guilt or shame about it. I used to feel guilty when I was younger because I thought being nice all the time meant being perceived as boring. Maybe that’s true, but I’m old enough not to care anymore. To me, being kind is consistent. Being kind is predictable. And that’s exactly what I want in my personal and professional relationships. I’m over dealing with unpredictable and dramatic people.
Anyway, enough about me. Back to Boss Bxtch Baby. I think this is the first time we’re seeing Yoosung react positively to Hojin’s feelings. And that wasn’t a slight blush either. If I had to guess, that confession of love was probably the first Yoosung has ever had in his life. It’ll be nice to see, from this point going forward, how Yoosung’s actions towards Hojin changes. He may not realize what he’s feeling, but he’s feeling something, and I’m sure that’s going to result in some pretty interesting situations.
Read Boss Bxtch Baby on Tappytoon [R15 Version] [R19 Version]
Series Details
Original Title: 보스 빗치 베이비
Author/Arthist: Dacto
Publisher: Lezhin
Audience: NSFW
