BL — short for boys' love — is a romance genre about love stories between two men, and in Korea it has a huge, devoted readership. If you've watched K-dramas like Semantic Error or Cherry Blossoms After Winter, you've already met BL — most of those shows started life as webtoons.
It can be intimidating to know where to begin, because the genre ranges from gentle, slow-burn high school romance all the way to very explicit adult content. This list sticks to the beginner-friendly, story-first end — the kind you can recommend to a friend who's never read BL before.
BL is a broad genre, and a lot of the most famous titles are rated 18+ / mature for explicit content. The picks below lean toward the sweeter, safe-for-most-readers side, but ratings can vary by platform and chapter — always check the maturity rating before you start, especially if you're reading in public. New to webtoon apps? Here's our guide to where to read in English.
The best BL webtoons to start with
A rule-following, by-the-book computer science major collides with a charming, free-spirited design student — and the two could not be more incompatible. A slow-burn campus romance with sharp banter and genuinely lovable leads. So popular it was adapted into a hit web drama and an animated film.
Two boys who grew up in the same house — quiet, gentle Haebom and reserved Taesung — find their lifelong closeness slowly turning into something more during their final year of high school. Tender, soft, and beautifully drawn, with almost no melodrama. Adapted into a Korean film.
A lonely boarding-school student who's spent his life being passed around relatives is suddenly taken in by a wealthy, kind classmate's family — and slowly learns what it feels like to be wanted. As much a story about belonging as it is a romance. Soft, emotional, and easy to binge.
A sweet, refreshingly grown-up romance between two adult men — one shy and self-conscious about his body, the other warm and openly adoring. Gentle, affirming, and quietly groundbreaking for how kindly it treats its characters. A genuine feel-good read.
Two best friends agree to date "for practice" — what could possibly go wrong? A short, sweet, low-stakes friends-to-lovers story you can finish in an afternoon. The ideal palate cleanser if some BL feels too heavy or too long.
A man stuck in a deadly time loop keeps dying — and keeps waking up — until he realises the one person who can help him is the prickly classmate he can't stop running into. A clever, funny mash-up of comedy, mystery, and romance with a genuinely satisfying ending.
Try our Webtoon Finder AI tool — tell it the kind of romance you're in the mood for and it'll match you to the perfect Korean webtoon.