[Final Review] Semantic Error

When I promised myself to reset my Dracula body clock to the normal human hours, I was pretty sure I ran out of BL dramas to watch. And boy, I might have been wrong! TikTok algorithm was wildin’ and I’m out here curating yet another checklist of dramas to watch and review.

And so I’ve finished watching Semantic Error at 4am. I slept it off.

Plot Recap

Sangwoo omitted names of his sunbaes who didn’t participate in their presentation and he couldn’t care less about the consequences. He named their numbers as Freeloader 1, 2, 3… X. As a result Jaeyoung failed to graduate and delayed studying abroad.

Sangwoo walked around the campus looking at design exhibits. Jaeyoung’s design piqued his interest. Sangwoo started another mobile game as a project but his designer backed out the last minute. He asked his designer if she could hook him up with Jaeyoung. She did. Upon learning that Jaeyoung is Freeloader #3, Sangwoo continued to look for another designer.

Jaeyoung made it his mission to antagonize Sangwoo but not to the point of bullying. He moved next to Sangwoo’s apartment, wore red all the time, enrolled in Sangwoo’s classes and sat beside him. However, Sangwoo wasn’t infamous as a genius for nothing. He was able to avoid Jaeyoung but not until Jaeyoung saved Sangwoo from some creepy mentor. It’s not that Sangwoo needed saving, anyway. Nevertheless, this started their friendship. Jaeyoung was vocal from the start that Sangwoo was surprisingly attractive. Sangwoo was just out there repressing his feelings. Eventually, Sangwoo decided to work on his game with Jaeyoung. He could only repress so much, am I right? LOL. Sangwoo stole a kiss from a fake sleeping Jaeyoung. It was all Jaeyoung needed to pursue Sangwoo.

Upon learning Dex offered Jaeyoung a job in France, Sangwoo initially rejected a romantic relationship with Jaeyoung. Eventually, Sangwoo yielded and confessed his feelings. Jaeyoung wasn’t really intending to go he negotiated on the timing and staying back for his project. Then, recommended Sangwoo to be their developer. Sangwoo and Jaeyoung officially became a couple.

Character Review

Chu Sangwoo

I love Sangwoo. He’s a loner but he is not a weirdo. He’s neither a pushover nor a psychopath. A lot of dramas push introverts in either of these stereotypes. Most of the things he does were reasonable based off of his character profile. He also has the typical flaw of people who are ruled by logic which is repressed emotions. His character development was predictable but it’s still enjoyable to watch, anyway.

Jang Jaeyoung

I’d be lying if I don’t admit he caught my attention. He’s cute and I do like his carefree character. He does what he wants when he wants it without thinking of the consequences. The best part is he learned how to negotiate and plan to make his career work on his terms. See? There’s workaround solution to make career and love work. You don’t have to choose.

Overall Review

Let’s face it, at the core of every drama would always be the chemistry of the actors. And these young men? They had aplenty! Nothing was special about the plot. I wouldn’t expect much for 8 episodes. It felt like watching a long movie, not a series.

Jaeyoung may have caught my attention but I stayed for Sangwoo. I like that this show followed and broke a few clichés. This drama followed an enemies to lovers trope and opposites attract trope. I was happy there was no socioeconomic gap between characters and no one needed saving from the other character.

I give this drama a 4/5. The only reason I can’t give this a perfect score is because it’s predictable, has lots of overused tropes, we never heard them speak French and we never saw what the mobile game was about. Nevertheless, it’s rewatch-worthy.