Workplace Romance
Cherry Magic (2023) is the latest Thai BL drama to grace our screens which starts off as a hilarious workplace romance with a smidge of modern-day fantasy. Achi is a simple man who keeps his head down at work and sticks to himself. However, on his 30th birthday, he realises that he can read the minds of whoever he touches all because he is a virgin. Of course, that is how he finds out that the hottest guy at the office, Karan has a crush on him.
And we are not going to take the easy way out and suggest Cherry Magic, the J-drama or the anime it is based on. Well, with some research that took us down a really deep rabbit hole, we have unearthed some BLs with workplace romance, wholesome tropes and loveable characters.
Well without further wait, here are 10 TV shows with a similar premise to watch if you like Cherry Magic.
Lovely Writer
Similarities – Workplace, romance, secret crush, Thai drama
Lovely Writer is a satire that takes a hit at the BL industry which forces writers to create scandalous content and orchestrates their actors’ fanservice moments to cater to fans’ wishes. Gene is a popular writer whose novels are well-received and adapted into TV shows.
But he struggles with writer’s block as his boss insists on making the novel spicy. In comes Nubsib, an aspiring actor who is set to play the lead in Gene’s latest show. As fate would have it, they are forced to live together with Nubsib offering to show his gratitude by helping Gene with his writer’s block.
A Boss and a Babe
Similarities – Workplace, romance, secret crush, Thai drama
What do you do when you have a crush on someone? Do you secretly dote on them like Karan? Well, in A Boss and a Babe, Gun has other ideas as he hires Cher, a gamer and a YouTuber to help his gaming company from failing. However, he has poor Cher running all kinds of weird errands that confuse our ambitious gamer. However, as Gun starts opening up, their blooming relationship threatens to come undone by dark secrets.
The Director Who Buys Me Dinner
Similarities – Workplace, romance, secret crush
The Director Who Buys Me Dinner has another Karan 2.0 but turns out he is a supernatural being who has been searching for his love. Say hello to Yu-dam, who has been looking high and dry for the child who was cursed four lives ago.
Well, in the 21st century, the cursed kid turns out to be the new employee, Dong-baek who works under Yu-dam. But while Karan advocated patience, Yu-dam has none as he has been waiting for decades and now jumps up on the chance to instantly reunite with his love.
The Middleman’s Love
Similarities – Workplace, wholesome romance, secret crush, Thai drama
Wishing for Pai to get her own storyline while she ships other people, blind to the affection of her colleague? Then you are going to love Jade who is known as his workplace’s cupid as he goes about pairing his colleagues into successful relationships. That is till he meets Mai, the newest intern who cannot take his eyes off Jade. However, Jade being the middleman he is, thinks Mai is in love with fellow intern Gus and does his best to pair them up.
Jun & Jun
Similarities – Similarities – Workplace, romance, aspiring idol
What happens when all the characters of Cherry Magic are combined into one main plot? We get Jun & Jun which follows Lee Jun who gives up on his dream to become an idol only to struggle in the corporate world as an intern at a highly competitive workplace. Enter Choi Jun who happens to be his manager, is known to trouble his interns and also happens to know Lee Jun thanks to a shared past. This Korean BL has everything from enemies to lovers to first love tropes.
Tokyo In April Is…
Similarities – Workplace, romance, secret crush
If you love the “they met in the past” trope, you are going to love all the angst that comes with Kazuma and Ren’s relationship. While Karan and Achi may have you giggling and kicking your feet, Tokyo In April Is… will have you crying and tearing your hair with frustration at all the misunderstandings and secrets.
It all begins 10 years later after an incident had Kazuma and Ren parting ways. But as fate would have it, they have ended up working in the same company. And while Ren happens to be Kazuma’s first love, he does his best to avoid him. But when has that worked out for anyone in a melodramatic romance?
Old Fashion Cupcake
Similarities – Workplace, wholesome romance, secret crush
If you are tired of teeny-boppers and high-school romance, this list is honestly for you. Here we have another BL with adult-aged leads with real-life problems and real-life solutions as they navigate work and romance. Old Fashion Cupcake follows Nozue who has a simple routine – work and sleep.
While he could care less about his socializing life, his colleague, Togawa worries for him even though Nozue is cold to him. But when they coincidentally end up in a pancake shop that happens to be a hotspot for single, young women, it turns into chaos.
The New Employee
Similarities – Workplace, wholesome romance, late bloomer
Seung-hyun would probably make Achi and Jinta proud. Well, in this Korean BL, meet Seung-hyun who is in his late twenties but is yet to get together with anyone. It doesn’t help when he runs into a hot but annoying stranger on day 1 of his coveted internship. And where would the fun be in that if they never met again? Well, The New Employee decides to throw in another twist – the hot annoying stranger happens to be Seung-hyun’s boss, Kim Jong-chan who also cannot seem to shake off this new employee.
Step by Step
Similarities – Workplace, romance, secret crush, Thai drama
Honestly, every single cold-hearted boss who secretly crushes on the cute colleague and shows it by making their life miserable should take a crash course on romance from Karan. Cause we have yet another such character thanks to Jeng who happens to be Pat’s new manager.
In Step by Step, Pat is an aspiring colleague who hopes to rise in the marketing world but he is off to a bad start when he drops his drink over Jeng. Surprise surprise, an angry Jeng decides to make it personal and make life difficult for Pat. But there is only one flaw in this strategy – Jeng actually has a crush on Pat and is doing his best to hide it by annoying him.
Ossan’s Love
Similarities – Workplace, romance, secret crush
Ossan’s Love is an ongoing J-drama series that looks at Haruta and his misadventures. He is a single man in his 30s and doesn’t seem to have any luck with women. All he does is work and go home which he shares with his parents.
But when they get fed up with him, he suddenly has to get independent. Unable to do his own chores, he decides to move in with his colleague, Ryota who is all about cleanliness. As Haruta starts opening up, Ryota and another colleague of theirs, Kurosawa suddenly confess their love for Haruta.
So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished watching Cherry Magic.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!