When last we left our confused high schoolers, Kongthap and Atom worked through some issues and even had their first kiss. What now?
New School Year, New Problems
Luckily our gang of four is still seated together. Unluckily, Mudmee is upset which means she’s scary. Guess what? It’s Half’s fault. They’ve been going on dates but it’s just a lot of eating PPL and disappointing near confessions.
Also, Atom’s-best-friend-guidance-counselor is now their homeroom teacher. He says he’s handing out an aptitude test but it seems more about what they want to study. Mudmee, Half, and Kongthap all have goals but Atom just wants to make money. He doesn’t know how.
Later, Atom accidentally finds out about Kongthap’s birthday in a week. Meanwhile, Mudmee wants Half to join her in watching a Meteor shower. His response is lackluster and later he even encourages her to go with another guy who invites her. Poor Mudmee.
Atom’s money problems become immediate and so is his solution
Because he doesn’t even have funds to take Kongthap out on a birthday date. No problem! He instantaneously gets a job as a server at his baking-senior Sin’s cafe. Sin suggests he’d make more money in the kitchen but Atom is afraid. Also, he only has one week. Is Sin paying with cash? Maybe.
And like that, it’s Kongthap’s birthday. Half comes to the cafe but Atom got the story from Mudmee, so he’s also angry with Half. Sin also knows about what’s going on with Half and Mudmee because Atom told him.
Half doesn’t care, he needs someone to talk to
He’s so impressed by how Mudmee and Atom have grown, he feels inferior and like he can’t live up. Sin points out that just because a cake is bigger doesn’t mean it tastes better. I don’t get it but I like it. He points out to Half that a relationship is just about two people liking each other. Mind blown, Half leaves.
Mudmee is at the meteor shower party where she angrily flings the eraser off the roof. Half runs like he’s in a Japanese drama, but when he gets to the party she’s gone.
Downstairs, where she’s looking for the eraser with the help of the two friends who gave her terrible advice. Half overhears her tell them that she’s realized Half isn’t responsible for her feelings, and that she should let him go.
Her friends leave and Half shows up with the eraser. There’s a cute conversation where he lists his faults and she already knows and likes him. He tells her he likes her and asks her to be his girlfriend. They gaze at the stars together.
Atom saves the day in improbable ways
First, Kongthap and his friends come to the cafe to celebrate his birthday. Then, Sin burns a finger and is unable to do any cooking. But Atom can’t help because of a harrowing kitchen incident that left his mother’s body covered with scars. Yikes! He absolutely, can never, ever, cook again.
Sin points out that Kongthap won’t have any food to eat. Atom gets over his mother’s scars and cooks a meal for his boyfriend.
Later it’s just the two of them. Kongthap tells Atom his birthday wish was for Atom to find what he wants to study. Maybe it’s cooking? This is based on a Japanese BL so someone needs to be cooking. Also, Atom went from traumatized and goal-less to healed and goal-full in one meal. I have envy.
Atom’s present to Kongthap is matching shirts for him, Atom, and the cat. Aww.
But later, Kongthap’s mom sees the shirts and a snapshot of him and Atom together. Ominous!
Atom may or may not go to Bangkok with Kongthap
Because Kongthap’s first choice university is there. Atom thinks he can never get in so there’s no point in going. This upsets Kongthap, but later he tells his mom he’s going with Atom. But when he’s on the train and Atom joins him, Kongthap looks surprised. What is going on?
They make up with PPL and then we get Bangkok subway PPL. As they tour the school Atom supports and encourages Kongthap. He’s reluctant to check out the cooking facilities, but Kongthap pushes and we get some cute cooking together.
Kongthap admits he felt strange when he realized Atom wouldn’t attend with him. He felt like something was missing. Atom says he felt the same way, it’s because they’re special to each other.
Back home, Half gets tortured by Mudmee’s father
Half discovers that Mudmee’s father is a Thai yankee, her mother is Japanese, and they have a gun vault in their house. The father aggressively pushes Half until he declares he’ll date her despite his fear. Here’s that growth he wanted.
The father wants to exchange punches until the mother slaps him like Mudmee once slapped Half. It’s all a set-up, her Dad is some kind of actor. Half kisses Mudmee in front of her parents and runs.
Atom and Kongthap grapple (not so) long distances
Kongthap makes the mistake of frightening Atom about ghosts and has to share a twin bed with him. Back to back, they talk about making a long-distance relationship work. Writers, Sriracha is 1.5 hours from Bangkok. There’s video chat. It’s not like they live in a massive country like the United States in the days of rotary phones. I’m so tired of this.
They decide they can make it work because it’s them. The next day Kongthap takes Atom to the train station because Atom is going home first. Both feel the weight of a future of living 1.5 hours apart as Kongthap walks away from the train. Then, Kongthap turns around.
Atom is off the train. He wants to study in Bangkok with Kongthap. He never set high goals because he feared failure, but now he’s afraid of not trying his best.
Kongthap wanted him to try too but didn’t want to pressure him. Atom feels pressured but encouraged. That’s adorable. There’s some good hugging.
When tropes work for me, and when they don’t
I like that Kongthap is a gentle pressure on Atom to push past his fears and get what he wants. On the other hand, I’m tired of the long-distance relationship trope. I’m tired of the boyfriend-meets-dad trope. I’m tired of the getting-over-my-trauma-and-discovering-my-true-potential-trope.
The problem really isn’t the tropes. The problem is the characters. I’ll watch a trope I’ve seen a million times to see how a character deals with it. But Atom, Kongthap, Mudmee, and Half aren’t doing it for me here. There’s just not enough to them. Atom is scared of everything. Also, he sings. Kongthap is dense. Also, he sings. Mudmee is fierce. Half is upbeat.
I need more. I want their flaws and strengths to be complex and baked in, not something that just appears to get resolved in an episode or two. Atom’s kitchen terror is the perfect example.
It’s not that I don’t like Atom and Kongthap, but credit for that goes to Gemini and Fourth. They’re not bad actors. They’re cute together. I like watching them. So at the end of the day, I’m enjoying watching Gemini and Fourth, not Atom and Kongthap.
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