Hojin Koo is in deep trouble. Ruthless loan sharks are after him, demanding payment for a debt his runaway brother left behind. Just when he braces for the worst, a group of suited strangers swoops in to save him. But his relief is short-lived—his rescuer turns out to be a former one-night stand with a wild proposal: become his personal plaything for a year, and the debt disappears.

Reluctantly, Hojin agrees. At first, he's nothing more than a pet for the eccentric corporate heir, but as time passes, he glimpses the loneliness beneath the man's wealth and power. As their relationship evolves and emotions stir, is Hojin falling into something real—or just making another terrible mistake?

BOSS, BXTCH, BABY has story and art by Dacto. English translation is done by Contents First, Inc. and lettering by Karis Page. Published by Seven Seas Entertainment (December 9, 2025). Rated M.

Content Warning: dubious consent, homophobia

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

I try not to judge books by their titles (which I find much harder than not judging them by their covers), but I admit no small amount of trepidation going into Boss, Bxtch, Baby. Both the title and the summary rang a few alarm bells in my “consent is sexy” romance reader brain, and now, having read volume one, I can't say that those bells weren't on to something. This is a romance where one of the leads effectively kidnaps the other and makes him sign a contract not to leave the house for a year while providing sexual favors. It's got some definite dubious consent that I'm not entirely certain isn't flat-out non-consent. But what saves it is that creator Dacto understands where it's coming from and that it's bad and takes pains to let us know why Yoonseong thinks it's his only option.

The answer is intense homophobia. Yoonseong Baek's grandfather is a despicable human being, and when one of his grandsons turned out to be gay, he did his level best to make that young man's life a living hell. That's par for the course, for this guy, who also actively resents that his only child is a girl and therefore “unworthy” of inheriting his conglomerate (this is a modern-set story, if you wondered). When Yoonseong comes out, or rather, is forced out, Gramps sends him to America to get over his “mental illness.” Rarely have I hated someone as fervently as I despise this man.

Needless to say, all of this left Yoonseong with some psychological issues. That in no way excuses what he does to Hojin, the one man who made him feel safe and whole, but it does explain why he thinks this is his only option. He even thinks he's being generous by paying off the loan that Hojin's rotten brother saddled him with. (Family is terrible in this series.) But it is wrong and Hojin is effectively being held against his will, so that's a significant barrier to enjoyment.

Hojin does figure out what's going on remarkably quickly. He's pissed, and he pushes boundaries, but I worry that the romance is going to be tainted by some serious Stockholm Syndrome. (Although, maybe not, since he is very clear-eyed about the situation.) As you can tell, I'm not comfortable with this series, and I'm a bit hesitant to recommend it. There is some potential here, mostly because of Hojin's awareness and the unusual level of psychological understanding. But know what you're getting into with this one before you decide to pick it up.