AND NOW THIS!!! When he is telling Saegye how to lie without hurting himself, it gives his own arc away! He's spent years figuring out how to do it, which ends up backfiring on him. You lie to yourself and eventually that becomes the truth, is what he advises. Soooo, for example, telling himself one thing is a lie while believing the opposite is the truth:
Saying "I like you" thinking *I don't like you*
Saying "I like you" thinking *I don't like you*
He lies to himself that he doesn't like Saegye which makes him able to still say it. Because he's believing his own lie! Ugh, it's such good writing!
OMG YES i always took note of that bit where jinsol explained a way to delude yourself of a lie until it becomes a truth. Makes you wonder if thats what he's been doing just to avoid falling for saegye.
And also I really can relate with your opiniom of jinsol. I dont really liked him at first read, but when I reread it a few years after it kinda makes sense since he's been living a life more disadvantaged than any of the people there. I mean being a Dare is sad since everyone suspects you, but being a False is more sad imagine you cant even say i love you to the people you love. I would have been evil to if I were him.
I keep re-reading this because I love the premise so much and the emotional unavailability of Lee Jinsol which makes him seem cool but also tragic in a way. But it FINALLY sunk into my brain where Lee Jinsol is redeemable and not merely out for himself.
So, when he gives the book his mother wrote to Saegye marking the page with his letter, I realized that the letter was saying he wants to pass the burden of Lie onto someone else but in saying "mother mother please scold me" it could be interpreted as him begging her to tell him not to do it. Asking her to stop/parent him so he doesn't do this awful thing to someone else. "I know you are suffering, but do not put that burden on anyone else!"
Maybe asking her to condemn him for being a Lie in the first place; since she said it felt like a letter he wrote in the womb, projecting her guilt onto him because she feels responsible. But she loves him. And we know he took that guilt and weaponized it against himself which is why he feels driven to such a drastic action as seducing Saegye and stealing the Dare in the first place.
And when they are on the rooftop and he is prompting Saegye to ask him questions, he truthfully nods yes that his favorite book is Robin Hood. We get a sense of his morality. He likes the story of a hero who knows right from wrong even if he's at a disadvantage to help other people. The hero who does the hard thing anyway because it's good.
He also says in his roundabout way that his biggest fear is "the thing he needs to do hurting the people around him". It gives a sense that playing this con game is something he's resolved to do but also something he feels very conflicted about. Because his father doesn't trust him and if people knew they would always think he was lying even though he tries really hard to let people know how he truly feels. He doesn't want to lie but his body is literally wired that way. So he is either hurting the people around him by lying to them or he is hurting Saegye by playing him for a fool. Either way, he wants to be Robin Hood and is in the awful position where he can't.
It makes him much more likeable as a character. There are so many subtle but amazing elements to this story. I love it.