Chapter 28

I think I finally understood Minyoung's obsession with Cheol in that chapter.

Can you help me understand? Maybe it's because it's not the actual official chapter

Did you read chapter 28? Minyoung gives a pretty detailed explanation, although it's hard to say if everything he is saying is true. He says that even though he had a normal childhood and normal parents, he still always had trouble connecting with others. His parents then died when he was very young. This made people see him as beautiful and pitiful. It kind of reminds me of Victorian times when women were said to be the most beautiful when they were dying of illnesses like tuberculosis. They became thin, sickly, and pale, too weak to even leave their bed. Yet somehow their suffering made them more beautiful.

Because he had this reputation, Minyoung attracted a lot of admirers but all of those people treated him gently and were too afraid to get close to him. In other people's eyes, they saw him as someone who should not be touched. Even people who disliked him were never mean or hostile towards him. Added to that, Minyoung's aloof personality made people want to be near him even more because people saw him as someone who was not easily won over.

But Minyoung never saw himself as pitiful. He never wanted to be treated gently. Earlier he compared Cheol to his dog and we find out in chapter 28 that the dog was quite aggressive, but that's what Minyoung liked about his dog. Minyoung likes Cheol because Cheol can see him for who he truly is. He sees that Minyoung actually doesn't like the people he attracts. Both Cheol and Minyoung see themselves as observers but not participants in the stuff that happens around them. We see that Cheol is a loner who never interacts with people and Minyoung, while being very popular, actually never considers any of the people around him his friends.

Minyoung likes Cheol because Cheol is not afraid to be honest with Minyoung. It's kind of ironic that Minyoung accuses people of liking him because he's hard to get when he lowkey likes Cheol because he plays hard to get. He likes that Cheol is aggressive in his rejections and doesn't immediately fold to his charm. Since Cheol already saw through him, Minyoung isn't afraid to be his true self around Cheol.