Hello! This counts as my first review on MDL. I usually never write reviews but this was just that good that I felt like expressing my heart out here (also, because I'm one of the early watchers, internationally. Hope this review helps the ones looking forward to watching this beauty ⁠♡)

I'll **try my best** to refrain from spoiling anything ;)

The number one thing that got me hooked right off the bat in this series were the leads and their acting, especially the character of Dong Hee a.k.a Actor Do Woo. The character had the perfect, SPOT ON amount of sensitivity and tenderness as I was expecting from the trailer. It is made very obvious from the beginning that he is fond of Ho Tae, but the way that his POV is portrayed is exactly how I would deal with romantic attractions. His eyes did most of the talking and that was really heart warming to watch. The character of Ho Tae, a.k.a Actor Won Tae Min was portrayed as a "Gung-Ho", straightforward no-bullshitting kind of character in ULS, but since it's a prequel, we get to see a more softer, mellow side of him in this. More like he's playful and all cheery in this one. Their chemistry is no joke guys, I do not mean to compare ULS with this, but I wish this kind of intense chemistry was shown between Won Young and Tae Joon :'(

Speaking of intensity, the next thing that I can't still get out of my head is how the tension between the two is filmed. As an ardent BL enthusiast when I tell you I haven't seen such beautiful tension in a while. It is not rushed, not paced just to be done with it and wrap up, neither does it feel prolonged, depending on how intimate a scene is, the tension scenes are timed differently, cutting off or continuing. I'd like to credit the direction team rightfully here, because everything, from the angles to the movement was like how actually your head would work if you had such interactions with your partner, if you know what I mean. Cinematography is worth appreciating, almost gives off an Indie movie vibe.

There are things that I feel they could've worked on, but those are like minor ones, and would not affect any of my opinion on how good of a watch this was.
Now this is a personal opinion but few might agree with me after watching this series, I feel like this "back story" was more of Ho Tae's and less of Dong Hee's, concerning pov. We only get to take away two things about Donghee's past, only obviously being that he likes the significant other ML, while most of the story revolved around Ho Tae, his past and present (in the story). I get that Donghee's character is a bit reserved but I would've appreciated some more storyline from his side .

Secondly, I do not know why I was kinda(?) expecting some kind of love traingle or introduction of a third person in their love story? There's this one character (I won't reveal) introduced in the first and second episodes that'll give you off the vibe at first, you'll sense a love triangle but that's really not it. It didn't affect any of the story obviously but I feel like something like that would've elevated the persuasion process between the leads or something, also would've given us some more storytime lol.

Thirdly, this one's really worth shaking off but I feel like the cameo of Ji Won Young a.k.a Gong Chan in this one was worth some more screen time with the natural plot flowing. He's literally there for 5 seconds or something 😭 I did expect a present time cameo where it's like back to ULS universe, but okay. No big deal, just personal wish :')

What makes this better than the Parent Story? (For me)
Mostly, it's in the filming.
I won't deny the chemistry between Ji Won Young and Yoon Tae Joon in ULS was some of the better ones I've seen in Korean BLs, but you could still tell, it's acting, after all. It was very concious, some scenes, you can't tell me, weren't rushed. However, with The Time of Fever, the chemistry between the leads was so magically captivating it'll keep you seated. It'll make you want more of their interactions. In my eyes, this one had more of that artistic vision.

Here, I conclude my review (it's pretty long 😭) but I really hope it helps. This has great rewatch value, in my opinion. The long spoken of myth with K-dramas that it's always the secondary leads/characters that win your heart rightly fits in this case. I only hope they get casted in a different drama or like a season 2 of either of the series' cause I know, I'm gonna miss them.