No Gain No Love, starring Shin Min Ah, Kim Young Dae, Lee Sang Yi and Han Ji Hyun, has made a name for itself during the 2024 K-drama season as one of the most “unserious” premieres. Viewers are served up some of the most unexpected comedic twists each week. In a new unconventional move, the tvN drama’s latest episode saw it upping its game on the laughter radar. However, the now-viral K-drama scene wasn’t up everyone’s alley, resulting in a divisive, impassioned debate online.
What happened during the new No Gain No Love episode?
The 11th (penultimate) episode of No Gain No Love aired on Monday, September 30, and kicked off a storm of untameable online discussions. Revisiting the decade-old K-drama archetype of the viral “Kimchi Splap” tradition ignited by MBC’s morning drama Everybody Kimchi!, the 2024 tvN series puts a modern twist on it, according to AllKpop. The brand-new dramatic scene saw Lee Sang Yi’s character, Bok Kyu Hyun, treating a serial killer to his own medicine with an unprecedented choice of weapon. Though initially seen as two glow-in-the-dark sticks, fans had to do a double take as they were hit with the realisation that the objects in Kyu Hyun’s hands were, in fact, dildos.
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Reactions to the viral ‘dildo attack’ scene in No Gain No Love
The jaw-dropping revelation undoubtedly left the K-drama fandom divided. While one side was busy gasping for air through unstoppable fits of laughter, the other was upset over the crude visualisation. Viewers eventually discovered that separate versions of the scene were pushed across different platforms. Although OTT audiences may have caught a glimpse of the sex toys, the TV broadcast reflected a different visual.
“I’ll explain the crazy reason behind the glow-in-the-dark dildo scene so they wouldn’t take a loss. They actually filmed two versions for tvN and TVING. The broadcast version had to be even more toned down than just using a blur, so they completely obscured the shape with a glowing effect. The funny part is that actor Lee Sang Yi had to film the glow-in-the-dark scene twice for both versions. It’s so hilarious, I can’t stop laughing,” read the English translation of an X user’s tweet.
“Gyuhyun beating up Jayeon’s dad using a glow-in-the-dark dildo !!!! I CAN’T BREATHE, THIS KDRAMA IS UNSERIOUS,” a fan wrote burst out laughing over the incredulous choice on X/Twitter.
Another viewer wrote, “THIS SHOW WILL HAVE YOU CRYING AND LAUGHING AT THE SAME TIME. HE WAS BEATING HIM UP WITH DILDOS, IM SCREAMING.”
Yet another X user tweeted in disbelief, “no gain no love so??? Like they got him using glow in dark dildos as lightsabers so goddamn funny.”
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A fourth fan of the show exclaimed at the unpredictable move, “never beating the unseriousness allegations and when i thought they can’t make this intense scene funny i was wrong wdym the fighting sequence was so good and here we go gyuhyun using dildos to fight like lightsabers”
On the other side of the micro-blogging platform, some fumed at the “unclassy” scene. Although the majority seemed to be rolling on the floor laughing (ROFLing), there was undeniable pushback from a few who labelled the show “cringe worthy” and the viral moment as “disgusting.”
Beyond the English tweets, even much of the commentary from Korean netizens agreed with the previous take on the show’s unusually creative hilarity.
Others also hailed No Gain No Love as a “crazy drama” but for all the hilarious reasons. Meanwhile, a few comments for the writer (Kim Hye Young) also rose to the top, declaring her a “genius.”
