As someone in my thirties, I enjoy nothing more than office romance stories! Office romance means the leads are usually in their late 20s/early 30s and are fellow grown folk. If I must go to work and pay bills, these leads must too! Which is why I am so drawn to office romances. While I work remotely now, there was a time when I worked in an office.
Now, let’s be serious. Nowhere I’ve worked has had these types of romances going on. (At least to my knowledge but who knows, I can be obvious to other people’s lives.) Lucky for me, the Office Romance tag is my best friend. I love a forbidden boss/company president and employee. Or the rivals to lovers! Inject it into my vein please and thanks!
If you’re like me and you’re looking for your next office romance BL, I’ve got you covered!
The New Recruit (Manta, Lezhin [Mature Version])
Story by MOSCARETO, Art by ZEC
Seunghyun finally lands a job with the help of a friend and on his first day, he’s already embarrassing himself in front of his super hot boss, Jongchan Kim. At first, the two keep having awkward interactions and Seunghyun thinks Jongchan Kim doesn’t like him. Little does he know, Jongchan Kim is slowly falling in love with him!
I’m so obsessed with this story, I’ve already reread it 3 times! I’ve also watched the live-action adaptation, The New Employee, on Viki. I love watching a boss being the one to chase his employees (forget the ethics!) There is minimal love drama but a lot of office politics stuff going on, so there’s a bit of everything.
Don’t Get Me Wrong, Boss! (Lezhin)
Original by Limeho, Artist GANGDDO
In Don’t Get Me Wrong, Boss!, Lim Iron is a BL web novelist whose parents are bugging him to get a “real job.” To appease them, he applies to a drink company, hoping to be rejected and continue writing. Little does he know, he accidentally submitted part of his BL web novel and caught the attention of the president, Baek Ho-ryung. He is hired and Baek Ho-ryung is working hard to win him over.
The plot alone was enough to entice me, but the story is so funny and charming, it’s addicting! I am obsessed with how much of a loverboy Baek Ho-ryung is, or well, trying to be. Sometimes he misses the mark because he doesn’t know what to do, but hilarities always ensue.
You Get Me Going (Manta, Lezhin [Mature Version])
Story by MOSCARETO, Art by Oh DoYeon
This is another story by the incredible MOSCARETO so you know it’s going to be good! In You Get Me Going, Young-won is an office worker who is waiting to meet his Mr. Happy Ever After! He’s set up on a blind date by a friend, only to arrive and discover the date is Kang Hyun-woo, his mortal enemy from work! The two bicker all day and night, but somehow end up as friends with benefits?!
I love it when the most unhinged people end up as friends with benefits, especially when it’s clear that they are slowly falling for each other. You Get Me Going is filled with so many comedic moments and it builds a friendship between both leads that we see slowly lead to love!
No Love Zone (Lezhin [Digital], Seven Seas Entertainment [Print])
by Danbi
If No Love Zone looks familiar, it’s because I recently talked about it in this post about Manhwas coming to print! This is another enemies-to-lovers story, with the enemy being the boss!
Eunkyum has a nice time at work except for when it comes to his boss, Jihyuk. Looks-wise, Jihyuk is everything Eunkyum would want. However, he is giving Eunkyum a hard time and the two keep bumping into each other off work too. Is this pure hatred or is this something more underneath the surface?
Swing Baby (Tapas)
by Mudan
Swing Baby is the perfect mix of office romance and office shenanigans. Baby (office nickname) has been at his company for years and just can’t seem to get promoted. When a new boss, Johnson (also office nickname), joins the company, he thinks this is the perfect opportunity to get his name on the map. However, the impression Baby makes on his new boss is not one he was thinking about.
I love Swing Baby because it’s such a tender story, through the art style and also the plot. It moves slowly and fast in a way that feels so natural. There isn’t a lot of high-stakes drama so it’s easy on the heart and super entertaining.
If you’re here, you’re most likely familiar with these types of stories and the tropes they contain. If you’re checking them out, please be sure to carefully check the tags and trigger warnings. We’re all adults here and we know that fiction is fiction, and enjoying things in fiction does not mean you support these things in real life.
