edgepedia

Arts and culture / Screen and stage / Film and television / Series and fictional screen worlds / International serial drama and telenovelas / East Asian drama series / East Asian web and streaming serials / Titles Sp to Z

General · Edgepedia4 min read

Where Your Eyes Linger (너의 시선이 머무는 곳에)

Where Your Eyes Linger (너의 시선이 머무는 곳에; Neoui Siseoni Meomuneun Gose) is a 2020 South Korean BL (Boys' Love) web drama about a chaebol heir and his bodyguard, childhood friends whose relationship turns romantic. It is widely regarded as the first BL drama produced in South Korea, and it streamed internationally on Rakuten Viki.1 • 2

Key factDetail
Native title너의 시선이 머무는 곳에 (Neoui Siseoni Meomuneun Gose)1
FormatWeb drama, 8 episodes of about 10 minutes each; Viki's listing adds a ninth "Interview" episode1 • 3
BroadcastViki, May 22 to June 12, 2020, two episodes each Friday1
Lead castHan Gi-chan as Han Tae-joo, Jang Eui-soo as Kang Gook, Choi Kyu-ri as Hye Mi1
Director and productionDirected by Hwang Da-seul; production companies W STORY and Energedic Company1
Genre standingWidely considered South Korea's first BL drama2
ReceptionIMDb 7.6/10 from about 3,200 votes; Viki user score 9.34 • 5

Spoilers

Premise and cast

The story follows Han Tae-joo, the 18-year-old sole heir to the TB Group conglomerate, and Kang Gook, his childhood friend and unofficial bodyguard trained in martial arts. After fifteen years of friendship as client and protector, the two begin to develop feelings for each other. The romantic tension is activated when a new transfer student, Hye Mi, goes on a date with Kang Gook, provoking Tae-joo's jealousy and bringing long-suppressed feelings to the surface.1 • 6

Han Gi-chan, later known for The Wedding Banquet, played Tae-joo, and Jang Eui-soo played Kang Gook.4 • 7 The supporting cast includes Choi Kyu-ri as Hye Mi, Jeon Jae-yeong as Kim Pil-hyun, and Jung Seo-in as Hye Mi's mother.1

Production

Producer Chang Jae-eun of Energedic Company, which developed the drama with W STORY, said planning began in 2019. She wanted to combine the global appeal of K-drama with the BL genre's established fan bases in Southeast Asia and the Americas, and chose a romantic-comedy framework familiar from Korean drama, aiming for what she described as "Korean boys' romantic comedy love" rather than a generic BL template.8

The leads were cast through auditions. Jang Eui-soo cut his long hair after his first audition and was described by the producer as the most passionate presence on set; Han Gi-chan impressed at what was his first audition. The comic character Kim Pil-hyun was added after the director, judging the early script too melancholy, pushed for a lighter tone.8

Release and reception

The series aired on Viki from May 22 to June 12, 2020, with two episodes released each Friday.1 The producer said the international response exceeded expectations, with fans spreading the series on social media, YouTube, and blogs, and that the domestic reaction was also strong.8 The South China Morning Post called the series a trail-blazing entry for the BL genre in Korea, following Thailand's 2gether and Taiwan's HIStory.9 On IMDb the series holds a 7.6/10 rating from about 3,200 votes, and Viki users give it 9.3.4 • 5

After the series, the story was compiled into a feature-length film of 84 minutes, released digitally in 2023, which streams on Rakuten Viki.10

Legacy

Where Your Eyes Linger opened a Korean BL production wave that followed Thailand's success in the genre. The Korean Film Archive's database describes it as the first BL show in Korea, noting that it faithfully carries out the genre's conventions while depicting the subtle emotional exchange between its two leads.2 Tatler Asia ranks it among the most influential early Korean BL dramas.11

Director Hwang Da-seul continued in the genre with To My Star (2021), which shares the character Kim Pil-hyun, played again by Jeon Jae-yeong, and is listed by IMDb as a spin-off.4 Later Korean BL titles such as Mr. Heart (2020) and Color Rush (2020) followed within the same year.12

References

  1. Where Your Eyes Linger, DramaWiki
  2. Where Your Eyes Linger (2020), Korean Film Archive (KOFIC)
  3. Where Your Eyes Linger Season 1, JustWatch
  4. Where Your Eyes Linger (TV Mini Series 2020), IMDb
  5. Where Your Eyes Linger, Rakuten Viki
  6. Where Your Eyes Linger, MeMento Boys Love
  7. The 13 Best BL K-Dramas of All Time, Marie Claire
  8. Where Your Eyes Linger producer talks about BL experience in Korea, K4US
  9. Korean LGBT drama Where Your Eyes Linger is a game-changer for yaoi storytelling in Asia, South China Morning Post
  10. Where Your Eyes Linger (2023) streaming, JustWatch
  11. LGBTQ K-dramas showing how Korean TV storytelling is changing, Tatler Asia
  12. Korean BL filmography listing, Journal of Daehan Nursing Research (KCI)

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Sp to Z

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

Notice something wrong?

© 2026 Biostate AI. Free to use with credit under the Edgepedia Community License. Developers: read Edgepedia by API or MCP. Embed a reference card.

Report an error in this article

Where Your Eyes Linger (너의 시선이 머무는 곳에)

Pick at least one reason.