*****spoilers****
(This is all from the novel and may not show up the same way in the manhwa) Honestly, it’s a pretty straight forward love story from the point at which the fan translations are at rn. After Nanyoung and Taerok have sex for the first time, they become more uninhibited and more committed to each other while also being torn about the fact that Taerok is planning to overthrow Nanyoung’s brother. Nanyoung almost gets lost at sea, Taerok loses his shit over it, begs the king to let him go look for him, which tips off the king to their relationship. And even though the king is disgusted, he’s more worried about Nanyoung so he lets Taerok go find him. Once he’s saved they both have to face their fate. But, thankfully their fate ends up being more than fair and they live happily ever after.
I’d also like to point out that the manhwa is missing a SIGNIFICANT portion of the first part of the novel that really explains why Nanyoung is desperately attached to Taerok. Also, the part about the lovers coin purses never happened in the novel. Another big difference is that in the novel there is no doubt that Nanyoung is his father’s biological father, while in the manhwa they start it by suggesting that he’s adopted. I’m not sure if that was a choice to make it seem less incest-y. All of this is to say that I’m not sure how much else will change in the story going forward in respects to the novel, but so far it’s decently accurate but by no means exactly the same.
I love the novel and the story overall. I do hope everyone who encounters this story takes it with the same grain of salt they offer more morbid and obscene titles on this website. The feelings these two characters have for each other are really lovely, possessive, obsessive, consuming, and almost blinding. Please treat them with care
I agree, it’s honestly a very well written story. This theme doesn’t inline with my moral, but dear god is the author so good in the build up of the story n characters. Their love also doesn’t like love boombing per se, it is like a slow burn, but both are already aware of the immoral act they are doing. The only complaint i have in this story is the sorry state of their servants. Poor them knowing full well their masters are doing bombayah everyday lol

So glad this finally has an official translation! I’ve read the novel so many times, I really love this story.