The Controversial Romance Everyone’s Talking About

A teacher crushing on someone she thinks is her teenage student? Undercover High School just went there.

The internet is literally freaking out over episodes 3 and 4. Some fans are shipping it, others are calling it straight-up disgusting.

Is this K-drama actually normalizing creepy teacher-student dynamics, or are we all just waiting for the big reveal? Let’s dive in.

What’s Undercover High School About?

Undercover High School stars Seo Kang-joon as Jung Hae-seong, an NIS agent demoted after a mission failure. He goes undercover as a high school student to locate King Gojong’s missing gold bars. Jin Ki-joo plays Oh Soo-ah, his homeroom teacher who’s developing feelings for him while believing he’s a minor.

Here’s the twist – she actually met him as an adult first and had a crush, but now she’s his TEACHER, completely unaware of his real identity and age.

Reddit Fans Are Deeply Divided

Reddit and X are completely divided on this storyline. A top Reddit comment with 27 upvotes stated: “I’m having a hard time with the romance subplot because the female lead thinks the male lead is a student. It’s a bit icky until she finds out the truth.” They specifically mentioned the “slipping and landing on lips moment” and “dabbing at his wounds” as uncomfortable scenes that crossed the line.

Another Redditor explained why it feels so off: “The imbalance, with ML knowing the truth, gives him an advantage, making the dynamic painfully and glaringly obvious.”

Episode 4’s Night Visit Scene Sparked Outrage

The controversy peaked with episode 4’s night visit scene. One X user didn’t hold back: “ep 4 last part was so disgusting!!! Why would a teacher visit her student at night in his house just because he’s sick? The teacher knows him as a student and even gets butterflies???”

Another X comment delivered this take: “I’m sorry y’all gonna call me too woke or whatever but I’m having a hard time seeing their romantic scenes knowing she’s supposed to think he’s a student and she’s his teacher like I’m sorry but my brain just think gross.”

Not Everyone Is Bothered

But not everyone’s bothered! Some fans are actually living for the tension, with comments like “The teacher student chemistry hits the spot” getting decent upvotes. Another fan simply stated: “I enjoy the chemistry between FL and ML.”

Many viewers are just begging for the teacher to discover his real identity ASAP. As one fan put it: “I hope FL finds out ML’s identity next week to fully kick start the romance.” Another added: “I hope she finds out his identity soon so their romance doesn’t feel creepy.”

The Show’s Defenders Have Their Say

Some defenders argue the show is actually commenting on how adults don’t critically analyze these situations. One Redditor noted: “The show toes the line well, with ML’s appearance and behavior clearly not high schooler-like, fitting the show’s premise of others not critically thinking about it.”

The drama is available on Viki and Prime Video for American viewers, with new episodes dropping weekly. It’s maintaining a solid 8.5 rating on MyDramaList despite (or perhaps because of) the controversial relationship at its center.

What Do You Think?

So what’s your take? Is Undercover High School serving problematic content or just playing with taboos before making everything okay with the big reveal?

Would you feel differently if the genders were reversed? Drop your hottest takes below – this comment section is about to get SPICY.