"Is THAT really necessary"— Lee Hye-ri's unexpected kiss scene with a male character in GL drama Friendly Rivalry leaves viewers confused and outraged

On Monday, February 17, the latest episode of Friendly Rivalry, the recent GL K-drama series starring Lee Hye-ri and Chung Soo-bin, was released. In the same, one of the show's characters, Choi Kye-ong, played by Oh Woo-ri, was seen imagining an intimate scene with Yoo Je-i, played by Lee Hye-ri.

However, the part that caught the attention of many viewers was the sudden and unexpected appearance of a man. As part of Choi Kye-ong's imagination, she also sees Yoo Je-i kiss and share a passionate moment with an unidentified man. This left many viewers confused and frustrated, as they were not expecting passionate heterosexual scenes, given that it was a GL K-drama series.

Following the release of the recent Friendly Rivalry episode, fans and netizens took to social media to share their criticism of this particular scene. Many opined that the inclusion of a man and a romantic scene between him and Yoo Je-i was unnecessary and irrelevant to the plot. One fan tweeted:

"Why is there a man... is THAT really necessary cz i don't think so."

"I thought they're gonna have a hot makeout session BUT DAMN I GOT A JUMPSCARE INSTEAD," said a fan on X.

"When all I want is to see only women, but a guy always pops up," added another fan.

"Like did they have to throw a dude in the mix they could have just had her alone would have been enough lol. Don’t just throw dudes in for no reason keep on subject. That’s how real GL do it lol," commented a netizen.

More fans and netizens talked about how this specific scene from Friendly Rivalry made them uncomfortable.

"i don't understand what the need for including that," stated a fan.

"I got jumpscared by this scene WHY WAS THAT KISS SO MESSY EW," added an X user.

"kyung had the opportunity to imagine herself kissing jaeyi but instead decided to make her kiss a man and then strangle her," said a netizen.

"i was so damn speechless with that scene what the hell," commented another X user.

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All you need to know about Lee Hye-ri and Chung Soo-bin's latest GL K-drama series, Friendly Rivalry

Friendly Rivalry is a recent and ongoing GL (Girls' Love) K-drama series that premiered on February 10, 2025, through U+ Mobile TV. The show stars the actors Lee Hye-ri, Chung Soo-bin, and Kang Hye-won. It's categorized as a teen mystery thriller TV series that was adapted from a webtoon of the same name created by Song Chae-yoon and Shim Jae-young.

The show revolves aroung Woo Seul-ki, played by the former IZ*ONE member, Kang Hye-won. After being brought up at an orgaphanage in a province, she moves to school and enters the Chaehwa High School. The school is know for holding the top 1% students of South Korea. Due to her many differences, Seul-ki faces difficulties getting along with the other students of the school.

This changes when Yoo Je-yi (Lee Hye-ri), the most powerful student of the school, approaches her. Yoo Je-yi has a high IQ, comes from a wealthy family, and is conventionally attractive.

Aware of these factors, Yoo Je-yi is conscious of her superiority. Therefore, when she approaches Seul-ki and showcases special interest in her, the two start to become friends.

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However, the relationship soon develops into a battle of friendship and obsession. The show holds a total of sixteen episodes, and a new episode is rolled out every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. An episode is ideally 30 minutes long, and the finale of Friendly Rivalry is scheduled for March 6, 2025.