OnlyOneOf is an upcoming Korean idol group, whom I discovered earlier this year after the release of their undergrOund idOl project.

The six members are Nine, YooJung, Mill, KB, JunJi, and Rie, and like most idols, they can sing, they can dance, and they are expected to look amazing while doing it. Which they do. But… can they act? It’s a question explored in the new series Bump Up Business currently airing on iQIYI. 

Based on the webtoon of the same name, the story revolves around fifth-year trainee and soon-to-debut idol Eden (Mill) and JiHoon (Nine), a celebrity from the same agency, who debuted once, but because of a scandal was pulled back from the spotlight. Known as Lion Hear, their agency convinces them to adopt a “business gay performance” and convince the public that not only are they a group, but a couple.

It’s one of the oldest tropes in the BL genre and one OnlyOneOf has adopted. But, there’s a reason why the old ways are still the best. They work.

As the story continues, JiHoon and Eden start to fall in love with one another, for real. Those feelings manifest just intimate for another idol (and JiHoon’s ex) Hyunbin (KB) to appear and start causing trouble for the new group. At the same time, Eden’s childhood love J (Yoojung) returns to Korea and wants to work with his childhood crush in a new drama. JunJi and Rie round out the cast as Sung and Gun, who play fellow idols in the agency.

While it’s plagued by quick writing and an ultra-low budget, it’s still an enjoyable piece. Each of the series 8 episodes clocks in around sixteen minutes, so the entire thing can be watched in one setting. My one gripe is that there wasn’t enough time for the stakes to be as high as they should have been, nor were the characters as developed. an extra 14 minutes an episode would’ve made it a much more well-rounded story, but again, it wasn’t bad.

I look forward to seeing more from this group.

More BL Reviews soon so…

Stay Tuned!