I agree that fiction can depict uncomfortable scenes, and wholly support it when done well, but you fail to recognize that this manhwa DOES endorse what it shows us. We KNOW that the marriage was not romantic, we KNOW that in the story the marriage is presented as something bad (as it should), and that Tei didn’t see Shuraka as anything more than a child until they were both adults, but none of this was ever a part of any of my arguments.
This story paints gross imagery of the MC comparing his love interest to his child self during and after sex, it deliberately uses wording that compares explicit actions to a young boy (Tei comparing Shuraka’s kissing to that of an “adolescent boys”), and paints scenes of a grown man cuddling with a child in a romantic context. The artist surrounds these gross moments of their relationship in bright colours and flowers, this is pedophilic. This story satisfies it’s readers through presenting young boys in situations tied to sex (Somewhere that should have ZERO room for children) as something lighthearted. If you can read these moments and pick it up as something that ISN’T wrong, then that is deeply concerning. I am not throwing around words when I call people who enjoy this while refusing to acknowledge the predatory themes pedos, because they are feeding into this.
Ok look you are taking it a stretch too far. I believe when Tei compared that Shuraka’s kissing was clumsy as to that of an adolescent boy, it meant he was kissing really clumsily like that of an adolescent boy. And their marriage was always political, Tei and Shuraka are both in somewhat similar standings of their lives, which makes this budding romance not pedophilic but more tense as they will break free of the once laughed upon political marriage and might just fall in love for real. And I believe the cuddling scene when Shuraka was a child was just that of comfort with little to no romantic connotation.
TO BE CLEAR I DO NOT CONDONE PEDOPHILIA. However I suggest we read this ManHwa while surveying the contextual clues (Tei cuddling Shuraka as a means of comfort and to make him feel better). I think the contextual clues in the scene when Shuraka was a child may not underlay much romantic connotations as Tei treated him as more of a guardian/ bodyguard. I would like you to explore the other extreme manhwas which bear themes which liken to that of the predatory aspects with scenes of rape and sexual assault and so on. I think once again the contextual clues here may present as little to none of an adult have romantically involve themselves with a child.
Also at the end of the day, I’m not saying that going forward we need to name and shame but different people may also have different preferences (you don’t necessarily have to read this if you feel it suggests pedophilia) and in this safe space where we all take refuge to wind down let’s not bash each other ok and be more respectful to one another.
All you need to do is quote the two lines they're referencing and remind them how fucking idiotic they are:
"Chapter 11:
"His tongue squirmed about AWKWARDLY. He was clumsy at even holding his breath each time our lips touched, and there was an AWKWARD air about the way he grew aroused from MERE kissing, like an adolescent boy."
All I see is Tei describing awkward actions, now saying Shuraka is just like a child to him. Very different scenarios.
"Please stay by my side tonight, I wish to fall asleep in the shelter of your embrace like years before" is something Shuraka said to Tei that I think this dumb mf thought Tei said to Shuraka
To read this and skim over it to make your own assumptions, yeah something is clearly wrong
With gloomz's ffucking 5th grade reading comprehension level
You’re presenting your interpretation as if it were the text itself, and that’s the main issue here.
The line about Shuraka kissing “like an adolescent boy” is very obviously describing awkwardness and inexperience. Comparing someone’s clumsy behavior to that of an adolescent is a common metaphor — it doesn’t mean Tei sees him as a child or is comparing him to his younger self during sex. That’s a leap you’re making, not something the text actually states.
The same goes for the childhood scene you’re referencing. The context in the story shows Tei acting as a protector in a political marriage situation, and Shuraka seeking comfort. A child asking for comfort from someone they trust is not inherently romantic unless you deliberately frame it that way. The scene itself doesn’t depict romance or sexualization.
You’re also equating soft visuals and flowers with endorsement, which is another stretch. In manhwa, that kind of framing is commonly used to highlight vulnerability, emotional intimacy, or nostalgia. It doesn’t automatically transform a scene into romantic or sexual approval.
So what’s actually happening here is that you’re taking neutral or contextual elements, interpreting them in the most extreme way possible, and then using that interpretation to accuse readers of being pedophiles. That’s a very serious accusation based entirely on a subjective reading of a few lines.
It’s completely fair if the trope makes you uncomfortable. But presenting your interpretation as objective fact and then moralizing about anyone who disagrees isn’t a strong argument — it just shuts down discussion.
If you look at the thread where I've been arguing with Mangago user Namya then you'll see what I just posted that mentions all of these things lol.
I think people are mixing up a lot of things here. The marriage between Tei and Shuraka was a political arrangement between kingdoms. When Shuraka is a child, Tei doesn’t treat him as a romantic partner at all — he basically sees him as someone he has to protect. The story itself even shows that nothing romantic happens at that time.
The romantic tension only really becomes a thing when they’re both adults, years later. So saying the story is “glorifying pedophilia” is honestly a stretch.
It’s completely fine if the trope makes you uncomfortable — not every story is for everyone. But calling other readers pedos or shaming them for reading a fictional story is going way too far. That’s a very serious accusation to throw around over a piece of fiction.
At the end of the day, fiction can depict uncomfortable or complicated situations without endorsing them. If it’s not your thing, that’s okay . But attacking people who do is unnecessary.