Netflix has brought us another anthology series based on multiple aspects of love, relationships, friendship, and heartbreak. At the Moment is a ten-part anthology series featuring ten unique tales of love. In the fifth episode of this collection of romantic stories, we get to experience a heartwarming tale of love and self-acceptance. Episode 5, titled The Perfect Dodgeball Game, follows a closeted homosexual man, Chia-hao’s journey of falling in love with a colleague, as well as his journey of ultimately loving and accepting himself for the person he was. Let’s see how his journey unfolds.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Chia-hao Meet Huang Shao-Kuang?
The Perfect Dodgeball Game opened with Chia-hao talking about his favorite game, dodgeball, and comparing it to his life. In this game, the players are required to dodge the balls thrown at them, similar to how human beings dodge their problems in life without facing them. Chia-hao was almost like a dodgeball player in real life because he never came face-to-face with the fact that he was attracted to men. He remained a closeted gay man even in his office, lying about his desires and sexuality. Whenever a female colleague approached him, he would turn down their offers, but he was a sweet talker, so women were usually smitten by his words. However, his colleagues had a misconception about Chia-hao regarding his alleged affair with the boss’s daughter, Ms. Hou. One day, when a newbie joined the office, Chia-hao’s boss asked him to keep an eye on the new guy. While Chia-hao was talking to the boss, he spotted the new guy, Huang Shao-Kuang, looking at him and making funny gestures. From the very beginning, Huang Shao-Kuang’s vibe matched Chia-hao’s, making him fall for him gradually. However, Huang Shao-Kuang was a straight guy who had a very troubling relationship with his girlfriend, with whom he used to live. However, having some serious issues with his girlfriend, Huang Shao-Kuang didn’t leave the office even after work hours. As he kept on staying at the office, Chia-hao asked him to take care of himself; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to focus on his work. Huang Shao-Kuang suggested that he should stay at Chia-hao’s place for a while, and Chia-hao hesitantly agreed.
Did Chia-hao Express His Feelings For Shao-Kuang?
At Chia-hao’s place, while he and Huang Shao-Kuang were having some quality time by having drinks together and talking about their lives, Chia-hao began to get zoned out during conversations. He started having thoughts of kissing Shao-Kuang and making out with him. Shao Kuang snapped him back to reality. Chia-hao was afraid to express his feelings, so he just remained silent. Even though he was so afraid about his sexuality that he didn’t tell anyone in the office that Huang Shao-Kuang was living with him, one day during a Zoom call, their colleagues came to know that these two had been living together for a while.
One day, Ms. Hou came back from the US. Upon meeting Chia-hao, she hugged him, which gave off the impression that they were indeed in a relationship. Chia-hao was quite a bit uncomfortable in front of Huang Shao-Kuang, who also didn’t seem very happy to see him with Hou. Shao-Kuang’s behavior seemed like a sign or a hint that he was also into Chia-hao, but neither of them could express their feelings for the other. As Ms. Hou came to the office and met with everyone, Chia-hao noticed Huang Shao-Kuang was not there. He looked for him, and after a while, as he came back to his home, he found Shao-Kuang sitting on the floor with a small injury on his finger. Chia-hao asked him if he was okay, to which Shao-Kuang replied that he had broken up with his girlfriend, whom he once loved madly. He said that it was her who suggested they should move in together, but for the time being, his girlfriend couldn’t even stand him. As Shao-Kuang was extremely heartbroken, Chia-hao tried to comfort him while also tending to his wound. But while Shao-Kuang expressed his emotions, showing his vulnerability, Chia-hao mistakenly kissed him without asking for his consent. Shao-Kuang was taken aback by this, so he just pushed Chia-hao away. He got up and packed his stuff in order to move out of his place immediately. But before he walked away, he told Chia-hao that he was a straight guy who had a girlfriend. He was also wondering why Chia-hao also had a girlfriend when he was a homosexual man. Chia-hao had no explanation to cover for his mistake, so he just remained silent.
After Shao-Kuang moved out, he began to feel guilty about the way he reacted to the kiss. He felt sorry for Chia-hao and his decision to keep his sexuality a secret. He was trying to talk to Chia-hao but couldn’t bring himself to face him after such an awkward incident. One night, Chia-hao went to a gay pub to hook up with a guy, but accidentally, Shao-Kuang was also at the pub with one of his friends. Heartbroken, Chia-hao was making out with his Tinder date, but he was in so much pain that he couldn’t even focus on his date and instead kept on thinking about Shao-Kuang. Out of agony and excessive drinking, he threw up on the other guy’s outfit. Shao-Kuang witnessed it all and felt extremely bad for Chia-hao. He took Chia-hao back home and gave him some comfortable space to sober himself up.
Did Chia-hao And Shao Kuang End Up Together?
The next morning, at the office, Shao-Kuang came to know about news regarding Chia-hao’s wedding ceremony with Ms. Hou. He couldn’t accept the fact that Chia-hao was being forced to marry someone whom he didn’t even love. So he decided to pay one last visit to Chia-hao. He entered his office and said goodbye to Chia-hao. But Chia-hao came out of his office and met with Shao-Kuang properly before bidding him farewell. Shao-Kuang hugged him in front of Ms. Hou, saying that Chia-hao needed to accept himself and love himself for the way he was. If he didn’t want to marry Ms. Hou and explore his sexuality with men, then it’s fine and nothing to be ashamed of. However, Ms. Hou, who watched the two of them hugging all along, came to talk to Shao-Kuang. She told him that she was not going to marry her best friend Chia-hao, and they were not going to move to America together.
Shao-Kuang was shocked to hear the truth: Ms. Hou was actually Chia-hao’s best friend and the only one in his life who knew Chia-hao was homosexual. Hou gave Shao-Kuang her permission to continue pursuing Chia-hao if he wanted to. However, that wasn’t the case. Shao-Kuang was a straight individual, but he was not homophobic; rather, he liked Chia-hao as his friend and wanted him to accept himself and face his fear. Finally, after Hou took off, Shao Kuang and Chia-hao became close friends. In the concluding moments of episode 5, we see Chia-hao didn’t end up with Shao-Kuang, but he ended up accepting his sexuality. He finally faced his fear of revealing his true self. He started exploring relationships and dating men, and probably he found the one with whom he felt comfortable sharing his feelings and emotions.
