I never thought I’d say this one day: I love Sunny Wang. It’s a long story but it had something to do with my ex-OTP. But that’s all water under the bridge now where that ship has sunk. Sunny still has that defining swagger that only a true-blue rich kid like him would have, and I don’t think he’d lose it even if he’d be playing a pauper. But in NEVER GIVE UP, DODO, he is a hoot. Just as Godfrey Gao is a hoot.

This raunchy web series is about a girl who is always unlucky in love. Just when she’s about to get married, the groom somehow ends up marrying someone else. On her third chance, she gets engaged to Xu Fei (Godfrey Gao), but as she will discover, the aisle to the wedding altar is not paved with rose petals. Each episode is about 20 minutes long and there are five episodes so far.

Sunny appears in episode 3 as Xu Fei’s college buddy Li Tong (I think), who Dodo describes as “weird”. Xu Fei describes him as “over friendly” and as they go through their reunion, it becomes apparent on why he is weird or friendly.

And since this is a comedy, the plot does not really linger on Li Tong’s secret feelings for his college buddy and the audience is left guessing whether Xiu Fei actually knows about it. There is a vague conversation about Li Tong breaking up with someone because he cannot handle “him” so that sets the record straight about his gender preference. But nothing happens afterwards, except for that smack on the lips when Li Tong was leaving, which could be taken as one of their weird college traditions.

Short as the boy love sub-plot may have been, it was still interesting especially since the characters were played by two of Taiwan’s hunks, one sporting a tattoo that would put to shame gangsters. It also shows that pop culture is evolving and stories like this are no longer categorized under the artsy-fartsy genre. Or portrayed in such cringe-inducing cliches.

In fact, people are more open about it, particularly those in fandoms where they ship boy-and-boy pairings. Idols must also be aware of the appeal of “boy love” because they often play to their audience in what we all know as “fan service”. It’s all for fun and it makes fans happy, although if you’re shipping the OTP I ship, chances are slim that you’d get such service.

Which brings me to the whole point about this post, because no, my newfound affection for Sunny Wang isn’t the point I’m trying to make.

We have boy love already in mangas and animes, and hinted about in dramas (YAMADA TARO anyone?). Fan fiction proliferates with it from the rated G to the trashy. How about bringing it to a drama, not just as a sub-plot, but as the main plot? And if it’s not too much to ask, have my OTP star in it too. Santa, can you hear me?

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