Senpai x Kouhai / Sunbae x Hoobae / Qianbei x Houbei
Japanese: Senpai x Kouhai
Korean: Sunbae x Hoobae
Chinese: Qianbei x Houbei
A relationship made up of an upperclassman and an underclassman or someone more senior and someone newer at work.
Manhwa Review | Tenth Time’s the Charm by gom
Title: Tenth Time's the Charm
Hyunwoo is doing everything he can to get by. As a poor college student with chronic health issues, including amnesia and fainting spells, it’s hard to make ends meet, much less to keep a job. Unfortunately, his situation comes to a head when he returns home to find his door locked, his stuff sitting outside, and a note from the landlord kicking him out. With nowhere else to go, Hyunwoo heads out to the street with his few belongings, trying to determine his next course of action.
While out on the street, Hyunwoo comes upon a flyer looking to hire someone with room and board provided at a garden-themed cafe named The Flower Garden of Memory. As a lover of flowers and plants and needing a home, Hyunwoo has no intention of letting the opportunity pass him by. He heads straight to the cafe, only to discover the owner is someone he already knows. The night before, while at a bar, Hyunwoo saw the owner, Hansung, kissing another man in the alleyway. They both are stunned to see each other again. As if his chances of getting the job aren’t already bad enough, he passes out after smelling what Hyunwoo can only assume is Hansung.
Needless to say, when he wakes up, he’s pretty sure he’s lost the job. But after Hyunwoo begs, and coincidentally after he mentions his love of hydrangeas, Hansung gives him a chance. So begins Hyunwoo’s new job at the cafe. But it’s not all flowers and coffee; the longer he works there, the more he learns about his past and how Hansung might have been part of it. His memory seems to be intrinsically tied to this garden of memory.
Manga Review | Absolute Submission -Like Hell I’ll Obey!- by tsushiko
Title: Absolute Submission -Like Hell I'll Obey!-
Kikuma is a delinquent. He frequently gets into fights and leaves campus overnight, much to the chagrin of the teachers and staff of his boarding school. Determined to put him back on the right path, the staff reassign him to another room, one where his roommate is none other than the dorm superintendent, Takasumi. That doesn’t concern Kikuma, and he has no intention of changing his ways, but while being treated by the nurse after his recent fight, the nurse reveals that Kikuma has been identified as a sub – a secondary gender that requires the person to be dominated, commanded, praised, and punished, otherwise, he might experience detrimental health problems.
That shouldn’t be too big of a deal. Kikuma hasn’t experienced anything yet, and he doesn’t intend to, that is, until he meets his new roommate. As it turns out, Takasumi happens to be a dom – a secondary gender that requires the person to dominate, command, praise, and punish. While Takasumi probably couldn’t have stopped Kikuma’s delinquent streak usually, with Kikuma being a sub and Takasumi being a dom, Takasumi is in the perfect position to command and control Kikuma, whether he wants to be or not. But Kikuma is hardheaded. He has no intention of just going along with all of this, biology be damned.
Manhwa Review | Secret Therapy by Cheongdam
Title: Secret Therapy
Yoon Jaesung has always been the hottest shit in town. He’s got the good looks, more money than he knows what to do with, and he’s smart. One of the ways he shows just how great he is is by being at the top of his class. Unfortunately, after the return of Lee Hyun, that method of showing off is taken from him, relegating him to second place. This is unacceptable for the perfectionist that is Jaesung. It’s so traumatizing for Jaesung that he ends up with another, far worse issue. He’s impotent.
At a loss, he complains to his friends, one of whom turns him onto a streaming app called Cake. It’s a gay cam site, and with nothing to lose, Jaesung gives it a shot. Jaesung checks out the streamer his friend suggested, and while there’s nothing particularly unique about this streamer, there’s just something about him that piques Jaesung’s interest. Miraculously, this streamer cures Jaesung’s impotence problem, but as Jaesung finds out, this streamer is the only one that can get him hard anymore. Desperate, Jaesung floods the streamer with donations, hoping to meet him in person, have sex, and cure his impotence for good.
What he doesn’t expect is that the streamer happens to be someone he already knows.
Manhwa Review | All About Lust by TIRANO KIM
Title: All About Lust
Wooseung is an art student who has never dated anyone. He never wanted to date anyone until he saw his upperclassman Sunjin’s art. Without even meeting the artist, Wooseung feels drawn to Sunjin. Wooseung has never felt this way about anyone before, and he’s determined to get closer to Sunjin, no matter what it takes. In his mission to get closer to Sunjin, Wooseung realizes that what he feels may be more than simple admiration but true love.
He doesn’t have much hope that his beloved Sunjin could feel the same about him, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. He randomly confesses to Sunjin on a bench in front of their college. To Wooseung’s surprise, Sunjin admits that he has feelings for Wooseung. However, what Sunjin feels isn’t innocent love. Sunjin wants nothing more than to get down and dirty with Wooseung. Can these two stick it out even though their way of loving each other is so different?
Novel Review | Soul Vibration by Dr. Solo
Title: Soul Vibration
Chi Nan has always dreamed of working in the music industry as a singer-songwriter. He got his first taste of that world when he went on a singing gameshow where he was praised by Salinger, his idol and the bassist for one of the top bands in the world, Lotus. Not long after his run on the show, Chi Nan gets the opportunity to put out an album. However, in the middle of his budding career, he is diagnosed with an incurable ear problem, slowly but surely deteriorating his hearing ability. Unable to reliably continue his career, his agent drops him, and Chi Nan is at a loss.
Desperate to at least stay in the industry, Chi Nan ends up finding a gig as an assistant for a musician. It just so happens that the musician is the one and only Salinger. Chi Nan jumps at the opportunity to assist his idol and quickly learns what it’s like for a prodigy in the music industry as Salinger is bashed, harassed, and even harmed by the media and public. Chi Nan doesn’t care what anyone else says about Salinger. Chi Nan loves him exactly as he is. The question is, how does Salinger feel about Chi Nan?
Manhwa Review | BJ Alex by Mingwa
Title: BJ Alex
Dong-Gyun is a returning student in college. When he’s not getting back into the swing of things for school, he spends his time on Nutworthy, a cam site with lots of camboys to ogle at. Though he’s spoiled for choice, Dong-gyun only has eyes for one specific camboy named BJ Alex. Alex is muscular, lusty, and kind in his streams, and he wears a mask, which adds an air of mystique to the already perfect package. Dong-Gyun loves Alex so much that he even gets a part-time job to send him tips. Though Dong-Gyun dreams of someday meeting Alex in real life, he knows that’s only a dream, and he’s happy just to be able to see him every day on his stream.
One evening, Dong-Gyun goes out to drink with his department and ends up absolutely wasted. His sunbae, Jiwon, offers to help take him home. While bringing a drunken Dong-Gyun home, Jiwon ends up covered in puke. So, while at Dong-Gyun’s house, Jiwon cleans himself up and even helps clean up his drunken hoobae. Eventually, Dong-Gyun sobers up enough to realize where he is and sees Jiwon half-naked.
The first thing he notices is the substantial birthmark on Jiwon’s side, the same exact birthmark on Alex. When he tells Jiwon that he knows he’s Alex, he realizes the mask he wears on stream isn’t the only mask. Will Dong-Gyun be able to love Jiwon despite the fact he isn’t anything like the Alex he’s known on stream? And will Jiwon be able to keep a safe distance from Dong-Gyun, so neither of them falls in love with the other?
Manhwa Review | Sweet Dream by Goshoo
Title: Sweet Dream
Jaehee has been having some stimulating dreams, to say the least, starring her very own boss, Mr. Seo. Of course, that wouldn’t be so bad if those dreams weren’t making it near impossible to act normally at work and do her job well. What makes matters worse is that it seems like Mr. Seo is more than happy to make Jaehee’s dreams a reality. Unfortunately, Jaehee knows just what can happen when you mix business with pleasure. But for some reason, no matter how she tries to distance herself, she just gets pulled right back in.
It’s almost like he’s got this supernatural power to draw her in, but that isn’t humanly possible… unless Mr. Seo is more than a human.
Manhwa Review | From Points of Three by White Eared
Title: From Points of Three
Jisuh is in a lot of debt. Due to his last relationship, which ended in Jisuh having to bail out his cheating boyfriend from some thugs using all of his savings and loans, Jisuh has trouble trusting anyone. He is more than happy to form a physical relationship with someone, but if there’s even a chance he could get hurt, he’s quick to cut ties and run. This rule applies to the famous actor Woo Heejae.
Jisuh happens to meet Heejae on a drama set where Jisuh is filming, and Heejae is the lead actor. Heejae isn’t initially drawn to him as he’s pretty plain-looking, but then Jisuh calls Heejae a snake. Having never been perceived in such a way, Heejae is immediately attracted to Jisuh’s view of things. So, Heejae comes up with a plan to pull Jisuh into his grasp.
In exchange for helping pay off Jisuh’s debt, Heejae wants Jisuh to film him and his partner Sun-yool during their BDSM play. And while Jisuh’s role is a viewer, he imagines himself as a participant. What a surprise it is when Heejae reaches out to him and invites him to join them. It’s just a physical relationship. Nothing could go wrong, right?
Manga Review | My Dashing Delivery Driver by Sabamiso
Title: My Dashing Delivery Driver
Isshin just lost his job. Thankfully, the super hot and outgoing delivery man Haze is there to offer him a position at the delivery business he works at. Surely, this can’t be any harder than what he did at his company job, right? Wrong. As it turns out, the delivery business is pretty labor intensive, which explains how Haze ended up with his ripped body.
Regardless, thankful for the opportunity to get so close and personal with Haze, Isshin does his best to succeed. After his first major blunder, his coworkers decide to throw him a celebration, much to Isshin’s dismay. It only gets worse when Haze arrives to take part in celebrating his mistake. To dull the embarrassment, Isshin drinks excessively, resulting in him throwing up all over Haze and, in turn, his leather jacket.
With the jacket ruined and possibly even his chance with Haze ruined along with it, Isshin is determined to pay back Haze for the jacket. Haze is more than happy to take him up on the offer, taking advantage of the situation to work Isshin harder at work. Plus, this gives Haze the chance to tease his secret admirer, but what happens when Isshin takes the bait?