This One is Quite Subtly Brilliant

★★★★½

At this point, I’ve read the official translation to ch32, the unofficial to ch85.5.

If you like “Honey Bear” & “Punch Drunk Love”, you might like this~ Also, it’s very much the “KageHina” dynamic, so it can certainly be read as Haikyuu AU.

Seme MC, Uke ML. Defies & subverts a lot of typical BL tropes [but not all of them]. Their relationship starts out a bit iffy and has some rocky moments, but it only gets better & better.

Ah-Seong is truly quite precious - a few scenes & facial expressions of his made my heart ache, he is carrying a lot of pain. I really love him as the protagonist. He has a charmingly prissy & finicky personality but reveals how tender, sensitive, considerate, & kind he is. A little controlling & possessive and certainly makes mistakes, but in my opinion never enters red flag territory.

Jeonsu is the perfect foil for him, super adorable, & oh-so-supportive. I enjoyed seeing his viewpoint on things - he has a wonderful perspective on life. He is bold & unpredictable in the best ways. Honest & fun, if not a little childish. He knows exactly what he wants & is quite self-assured when it comes down to it.

Overall excellent communication - even when they themselves aren’t quite sure of what they’re feeling or when they’re confused about the situation. They speak openly with each other. Consent, even for kisses. In-depth explanations of what it means to be a good, respectful partner. Stopping when someone says “no”. Thoughtfulness in their approach to each other, or regret when they make a mistake. A few clumsy/awkward yet endearing moments. A lot of “firsts” together. No big misunderstandings that keep them separated for too long - they can’t get enough of each other & are wanting to be together as much as possible. They’re smitten & always thinking about the other.

Love the “opposites attract” angle that’s explored to its full potential. They help one another become better, happier people while still being accepting or teasing a lil bit. They build an extremely sweet & compelling relationship where they really cherish each other. They’re able to relax, goof around, & be comfortable with who they are. They form an incredible bond & I absolutely love their unique, well-rounded, reciprocal dynamic!

Spoiler: GREAT detailed smut, with a lot of sensuality, passion, & foreplay. Ah-Seong loOoves sucking Jeonsu’s dick LOL it makes me happy. A moment where Jeonsu is in pain & Ah-Seong stops. Ah-Seong mulls over making Jeonsu’s first time special & treats sex as a "big deal" to be taken seriously. Jeonsu is cutely eager. Haven’t had full penetrative sex yet, but they’re gonna because they’re both so desperate for it~~ & PLENTY of other sex acts in the meantime. Some of the makeout scenes are HOT.

All of the characters are interesting with many intriguing interactions. Even some of the minor characters stand out, like Haechan's secretary. A few good female characters [with smaller roles]. Lots of depth - especially in the two leads. Min is probably a lil divisive, but I really appreciated his character & role in the story. He was a little pathetic and made me cringe a bunch but I still thought he was fascinating & liked whenever he appeared. He shook things up.

Kinda cool settings with the chicken restaurant & Ah-Seong’s fancy hotel/bakery/cafe. Two side characters work in the gaming industry. I'm grateful that this manhwa got away from typical “corporate” workplace settings while still having their careers play a large part.

Art style seems to put some people off - has typical “yaoi” features like wide mouths & big hands, but it WORKS!!! I think the art is so stunning with a lot of thought & effort put into it. The line art has such a soft, smooth touch & a desaturated graininess to the colors that give it a warm, cozy vibe. There’s a neatness to the posing & composition. I paid special attention to the angular parallel lines of Ah-Seong’s cuffs & wrists - there was something very satisfying about it. Along with that, the lines of the clothing & wrinkles in the fabric are beautiful. Character designs are nicely differentiated. Personal fashion tastes & wardrobes. Different hair & hairstyles. EXCELLENT varied facial expressions. The anatomy is gorgeous too [idk why but I really liked the belly buttons]. Chibis are cute with fun moments playing up their size difference. Simple color-coding in the sound effects/reactions that make it easy to understand which character is doing what. There’s clearly tons of love & a delicate touch from the manhwaga. Can’t praise the art enough

Highly recommend!! Though I think some people might not like that Ah-Seong thinks to himself several times that Jeonsu ugly & calls him an “idiot” a lot [though both are often said with love & affection and at a certain point he replaces "ugly" with "so cute"]. Also, their relationship is in a very blurry area for a big chunk of the current chapters - despite being impressed with their communication, it takes them a while to figure things out & it causes some strife. And some people will want more “story”: the story is really just them getting to know each other & spending time together under the guise of “dating lessons” - while Ah-Seong battles personal trauma/depression, some work related things, & his horrible father.

Regardless, it made me feel so many different things & I enjoyed savoring each scene in every chapter. I chuckled pretty consistently. A lot was cute & fluffy. Plenty was very sexy & hot. Some heavy emotional moments too. One scene broke my heart. Another made me cry and think “this is a masterpiece”.

Have a couple little nitpicks myself but can’t help falling deeply in love with this one. It’s so special & I can’t wait for more~~

TW for parental abuse, sexual assault [done to Ah-Seong by older male], and suicide attempts/ideation

A note about the translations: the official is wonderful [not perfect], but the unofficial is less-than-ideal. The scans aren’t good quality, there are typos/grammatical errors everywhere, & some parts ended up confusing or contradictory because they were translated poorly. It was kinda frustrating. Also, some minor things are different from the official like “Ah-Seong” called “Seong-Ha”. If you’re patient, stick to the official or wait for it to marinate - but if you really want to read the unofficial, it’s still worth it in the end despite the low quality & I’m grateful for their efforts~~ I’m just gonna have a blast re-reading as the official comes out ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱✮⋆˙