Weak Hero Class 1: Is Suho In Love With Si-eun Romantically or Friendly?

I've gotten variations of this question dozens of times.

One rainbow-profile commenter even called me out: "🔗 This video talks for 7+ minutes while saying nothing."

Ouch 😂

I caught what rainbow-profile really meant: they wanted a direct romance definition. They felt like I was bush-beating.

But here's the thing: I wasn't avoiding the question to be annoying.

I was avoiding it because I genuinely believe the sophistication of this drama lies in its refusal to define these boys' emotions with adults' boring language.

Think about it.

Teenage boys—especially boys like Suho and Si-eun—don't sit around having feelings-talks.

They don't say: "I care about you" or "This is all for you."

They just... feel.

And they express those feelings through:

Weak Hero Class 1's direction honored that.

The show didn't force these characters into boxes they wouldn't naturally fit into.

And I have no intention of doing that either.

I'm not putting labels on the two protagonists to define them in boxes.

Because the moment you label it, you limit it.

Okay, let me get real with you for a second.

This might make some people uncomfortable, but I'm gonna say it:

This is really my personal... taste, I guess?

If this drama had commercially marketed itself as full-on boys love, I probably wouldn't have fallen for it this hard.

(Don't misunderstand me—I have zero prejudice against genres that deal with boys love outright. It's just not my taste, you know what I'm saying?)

But here's what the production team did brilliantly:

I think, they found the middle ground.

Most viewers watching this drama will detect the undertone bromance.

It's there.

You'd have to be actively ignoring it not to feel it.

But the show never makes it explicit.

And among school action genres, youth stories, and works based on bromance chemistry that are loved for a long time and form fandoms, this is actually a pattern:

They don't deal with boys love themes outright, but they always hint at it as an undertone.

Let me break it down:

If they leave it ambiguous:

If they'd defined Suho and Si-eun as a couple:

Totally makes sense, right?

So I think this work—the production team, actors, and director—maintained the right balance of bromance devices to immerse most audiences while telling the story they wanted to tell, instead of catering to specific audiences.

You feel me? 😌

One of the things I love most about my comment section is the diversity of perspectives.

Different people bring different lenses.

And that's the beauty of this show.

It's like that viral dress—you know, the one that can look white, black, blue, or gold depending on the lighting and your preconceptions?

Director Yoo created that.

Let me share some of the most compelling lenses my subscribers have offered.

"Personally, I think that Si-eun and Suho have a truly genuine friendship and an intense connection that is important and deep enough to be considered a first miraculous kind of love... but I didn't see any sign that their mutual affection and admiration was actually a sexual attraction."

She continues:

"Perhaps it might become one some day but I suspect that they're both heterosexual and, at this point it doesn't really matter anyway because they are finding something in each other that is more important than a first romance, fling or sex."

More important than first romance.

Let that sink in.

"They have each found someone who accepts and admires and will fight to protect them... just for being... who they already are... with no other strings attached."

This is the part that hits hardest.

No conditions.

No performance.

No need to be different, better, or more acceptable.

Just: "I see you. I accept you. I will fight for you."

Elaine calls this "a totally amazing thing" that we shouldn't underestimate.

Why?

"Because neither of them has ever experienced it before. And it's life changing... especially for Si-eun but also for Suho."

Here's where Elaine drops the real wisdom:

She's right.

We do this constantly.

We have entire vocabulary systems that elevate romantic relationships:

As if friendship is the consolation prize.

But Elaine pushes back:

Truth bomb: Some marriages end. Best friends remain.

Another passionate subscriber, Asuka also introduced me to a concept that perfectly captures why Su-ho and Si-eun were always going to find each other:

Sigma fellowship.

Let me break this down.

Suho doesn't need or want a pack following.

He's not trying to be popular. He's not campaigning for respect.

He just... effortlessly dominated Byeoksan's hierarchy because of his charisma and his ability to enforce respect for his personal space.

People naturally gravitate toward him, but he doesn't need them.

That's sigma energy.

Si-eun is also a sigma, but in a different way.

He doesn't want a pack following either. He's perfectly content being alone.

But unlike Suho, Si-eun is affection-starved. He really needs true friends, even if he doesn't know how to ask for them.

His vulnerabilities make him a target:

So he gets picked on, unlike Su-ho.

But here's the key: Sigma does not mean invincible.

When Suho looked at Si-eun, he didn't see a follower.

He didn't see competition.

He saw potential sigma fellowship.

Someone who gets it without words.

Someone who doesn't need the pack either.

An equal.

And this is why—even in an alternate universe where the incident never happened and they carried on paddling happily as a trio in a canoe—Suho could never be as close to Beomseok as he is to Si-eun.

Because Beomseok wants to be an alpha.

That's a fundamental difference in nature.

Beomseok needs validation. He needs the pack to recognise him.

Suho and Si-eun? They don't need any of that.

And that's why their bond is so rare.

Now we get to my favorite part.

I introduced Asuka to the Korean concept of 전우애 (jeon-u-ae) — comrade love.

And here's the kicker:

The word itself already contains 애/愛 (love).

It's not "comrade friendship."

It's not "comrade bond."

It's comrade LOVE.

Let's talk about the scene where they restrain Gilsu together.

This is 전우애 in action.

A bruised-up Suho, dehydrated and still concussed from a bat to the head, looks like he's about to lose his first fight.

Then a desperate Si-eun protects Suho with a belt and an attitude that screams: "Don't touch him, you bastard."

One loving brick to the knee.

One romantic kick to the face.

And the two high schoolers have subdued their local gang lord.

And then they exchange words so precious, they echo in Si-eun's warmest dream:

"You're really psycho (thorai)."

But the way Su-ho delivers it?

It sounds like: "I can't stand how much I love you."

This is 전우애.

This is comradeship.

This is Su-ho's love confession to Si-eun.

Some couples pronounce affection like hastily written Christmas cards.

Even when they're together, their minds are lost in their own little separate phone-worlds.

But Si-eun and Su-ho's actions speak louder than words.

And their words mean more than what they say.

Asuka put it perfectly:

"I think… they are saying 'I love you' all the time."

Let's talk about what I consider the most admirable wordplay in the entire series.

The final scene. The yellow hospital light sequence.

The Exchange

Si-eun: "미안해" (mianhae / Sorry)

Suho: "나도" (nado / Me too)

What I Hear

When Si-eun suddenly says "미안해" (mianhae)...

I hear "사랑해" (saranghae / I love you).

I feel like, two heterosexual boys, post-tragedy, using wordplay to hide sincerity—as teenage boys do.

Both "미안해" (mianhae) and "사랑해" (saranghae) end with the action verb "해" (hae).

The sounds are close enough that your brain can almost hear them as the same thing.

Especially in that moment.

Especially with that lighting.

Especially with Suho's faint smile.

Si-eun actually said: "I love you."

And Su-ho's faint smile with "나도" (me too) was the automatic response.

Okay, so after all of this—after all the lenses, all the viewings, all the subscriber discussions—where do I actually land?

Through My Personal Lens:

I also think Suho is Si-eun's first love.

I don't think that emotion can be explained any other way.

Though defining it isn't the point.

To my eyes, Suho was hetero.

Also, Suho is attracted to "strong mental will."

When he praises Yeong-i, he notes her wildness and "guts"—qualities he says are supposedly rare in girls.

He spots that same quality in Si-eun.

That's what draws him in.

It's not about gender. It's about strength of character.

Is It BL?

Here's my take:

True BL would've made sexuality central.

This drama consciously excluded that.

It's not about coming out. It's not about sexual discovery. It's not about navigating a same-sex relationship in a heteronormative world.

Those are the themes that define BL as a genre.

Weak Hero Class 1 isn't doing that.

But Did They Share Love?

Absolutely.

If That's Not Love, What Is?

Suho was attracted to Si-eun's strong mental will.

They shared 전우애—comrade love.

They said "I love you" all the time, just not in those words.

They found sigma fellowship in each other.

They held each other so precious that they would bleed in each other's place.

If that's not love, what is?

Speaking of different perspectives...

Asuka and I started discussing whether the canoe trio (Suho/Si-eun/Beomseok) could realistically maintain their friendship as adults post-coma.

That conversation evolved into a mid-length fictional arc series 😂

In reality, different social classes make it unlikely they'd cross paths again.

But in our fictional deluluverse, working-class Mr. Ahn visits Dr. Yeon's clinic without an appointment 😂

What's Actually In There

Our arc isn't just fiction—it includes deep character analysis and philosophical themes we couldn't fit into YouTube videos.

Started as a joke between Asuka and me, but it's grown into deep Weak Hero character analysis plus post-coma speculation.

I'm the bricklayer adding local flavor while Asuka simmers the fictional arc soup.

The blog's getting renovated for easier reading—stay tuned.

Continue reading, 🔗 click here

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