Spoilers for all episodes of The Boyfriend ahead. When university student Dai Nakai and musician Shun Nakanishi met on the Netflix reality show The Boyfriend, there were immediate sparks. The groundbreaking Japanese dating series brings a group of queer men together to live in the Green House, as they form deep friendships and possible relationships. 23-year-olds Dai and Shun quickly stood out among the series' cast, as one of The Boyfriend's most popular (and at times divisive) couples. Now that the series finale is streaming on Netflix and its reunion special dropped on YouTube, fans are wondering if the pair were able to make it official in the real world. Read on for what we know about Dai and Shun's relationship, post-filming.
What happened between Dai and Shun on 'The Boyfriend?'
From their first day in the Green House, Dai made his interest in Shun clear. He wrote an anonymous interest letter to Shun on the first night, and though Dai received three himself, he said that he would feel excited if one came from Shun. However, Shun wasn't interested in any of the men, saying in a testimonial that no one was his type. Dai still showed his interest throughout episode 1; he chose to learn coffee-making alongside Shun the next day, hugged Shun goodbye when he left early for his birthday dinner with friends, and even told his friends about Shun.
Dai continued to try to get to know Shun as the men began working in pairs at the coffee shop and though Shun recognized his interest, the musician was guarded. Shun noted that Dai was sincere and kind, but he sensed a red flag when he accidentally saw Dai's nudes on his phone. He said in episode 2 that he had dated players before and he was afraid Dai would be one, which made for an awkward moment when Alan Takahashi, who had previously hooked up with Dai, entered the house. Still, it was clear that Shun was interested in Dai even if he also had a wall up.
Shun and Dai continued to get to know each other over the next few days, with Shun opening up about his childhood growing up as an orphan in a group home. The pair had their first private date in episode 4, but the trip to the zoo surprisingly turned off Shun. Shun admitted in testimonials that he'd realized that Dai was much more animated and golden-retriever-like, while he was more low-key, and Shun worried that their personalities weren't suited for each other. Shun did not choose to go on an overnight date with Dai in episode 5; instead, he asked to start things over as friends, which a dejected Dai agreed to.
Things changed when 22-year-old food service worker Ikuo entered the house in episode 6. Ikuo and Dai quickly hit it off as friends, and Dai even admitted that Ikuo was very similar to his ex-boyfriend. It appeared that Shun was upset by the thought that Dai would have a change of heart so quickly, and he told Dai in episode 7 that he was upset that Dai's words and actions didn't match. Dai's response to this was excitement that Shun was being more forward about liking him. From this point on, Shun appeared to get better at communicating his feelings. He and Dai had another argument when Shun didn't volunteer to work with Dai at the coffee truck the next day, but Shun eventually admitted that he'd been drained, and apologized to Dai.
In episode 8, three Green House couples paired up for the final private dates of the season, with Dai and Shun going on an overnight date. The extremely sweet evening brought the pair closer, including a moment where they shared their mutual views on having kids. Despite Shun being iffy about physical contact throughout the season, he made a move that night, and he and Dai finally kissed.
Dai and Shun had one more argument in episode 9 when Shun got angry that Dai did not wear one of his T-shirts when he offered it. At this point, Dai was quite frustrated, and even told Shun that he didn't want Shun to take him for granted and "think [he'll] come back every time something happens." But Shun showed how far he'd come with communication; he admitted that he was very sensitive about things others would seem small and that he had been comparing Dai to his ex-boyfriend, who would always wear his shirts as a way of showing love. Once Dai understood Shun, he promised that he could deal with concerns of that nature in the future. As always, Dai was all in on Shun, and he even admitted as much when Ikuo confessed his feelings, gently turning the 22-year-old down.
On the cast's final day in the Green House, the men chose whether to leave the house with a partner or alone. Shun and Dai decided to leave together, having a teary farewell with their friends before going to the beach for one last emotional conversation. Shun recalled their time together, admitting that he was wary of Dai at first—earlier Shun had said that he'd learned not to pre-judge people during his time at the Green House—and that he'd needed time to accept that Dai's feelings weren't shallow. In a sweet moment, Shun told Dai that he was in love with him and Dai said it back. Their last scene of the season showed the new couple walking off hand-in-hand, saying that they wanted to spend every day together from now on.
Are Dai and Shun still together after 'The Boyfriend?'
DaiShun is official! During The Boyfriend's reunion special that aired on August 3, the two stars confirmed their relationship with a loving gesture, silently taking each other's hand after the hosts asked if they were still together. The couple shared that they are now living together, and that Shun even moved into Dai's parents' house for three months after the show's filming. Dai also revealed what his parents think about his boyfriend: "Despite his looks, Shun is quite crazy. They find it funny and cute."
Both Dai and Shun also reflected on their time in the Green Room during the special. While Dai confirmed that from the start he "just couldn’t see anyone but Shun," Shun admitted, "I was really conflicted until the very end. I had ups and downs. But I wanted to tell him I liked him. There was no specific [moment]."
Though the pair are still going strong, they do still often have fights similar to their early days during the show. The couple recalled having a big fight over the final bites of a sashimi dinner; they even had to get their carpet replaced after knocking over a pot. Still, they looked as close as ever in the reunion and didn't let go of each other's hands while giving their relationship update.
Ahead of the reunion, neither Dai nor Shun had addressed their relationship status on their respective Instagrams, instead sharing snapshots of their day-to-day (as well as some singing covers from Shun). Still, fans theorized that some of their more boyfriend-coded content could be hints that they're possibly still dating. Redditors even noticed that they had both liked and favorited #DaiShun edits on TikTok. On August 5, Dai and Shun finally shared their first joint Instagram post: a cute couple portrait of the two of them smiling side-by-side.
