I get that the events in the last chapters are non-linear, I can kinda see that. And I truly want to believe Jo is the endgame.
But what about Jo’s panels where he deletes Ian’s picture as he exits Mia’s restaurant? It signifies him moving on from Ian, is it not? He even says something along the lines of “I hope that person finds happiness”.
Also I’m a little confused what you guys mean by “ended in the past”. TJ got out after two years, we see them living together etc. Is this just a fakeout? Like “what if / what could have happened” in this theory? Or did that actually happen and Ian left TJ after some time to reunite with Jo? I feel like the latter wouldn’t make sense because Ian explicitly told Jo that he was not going back to TJ. Which is why I was bothered by the ending btw because that made Ian a lying liar.
In Chapter 99, a time shift occurs between the past and the future, facilitated by the two sky panels. The first half of the chapter is set in the future, while the second half until the epilogue takes place in the past. Chapter 99 opens two years later in the future with Ian and Toby in Chicago. Pay attention to the major clues — the infamous Chicago theater, signboard and the restaurant as they aren't the same as the one you saw the epilogue. Toby is actually the key— her hair is short in Chicago but long in the epilogue, and she looks significantly happier in Chicago. Why are they in Chicago? Because Ian has finally reached his destination to reunite with Joseph, as Chicago is where Joseph is studying. The author’s intent seems to be: "You must see what Ian endured to reach this destination." The second half of Chapter 99, leading up to the epilogue, is actually a flashback. Everything we see Ian doing with TJ is a lie. Just as Ian closed his eyes when saying "ily" to block TJ out, he refuses to give TJ true atonement. This mirrors the moment Ian kissed TJ just as TJ was about to admit to causing his leg injury and by doing so, Ian trapped TJ in a "guilty cage." In the epilogue, TJ isn't truly happy cause he is anxious that Ian might leave him and haunted by the fact that they can never truly resolve the past. Furthermore, TJ has lost his identity—the gang that defined him. This exhaustion will likely lead TJ to eventually leave Ian and return to his gang life. The author doesn't show their breakup because, like TJ's character development, it isn't central to the story’s core. This story is about Ian finding his "destination," and he eventually does. Ian and Joseph are star-crossed lovers bound by tragedy, but through destiny—symbolized by Orion and the shooting star—their tragedy is rewritten. To reunite, Ian had to sacrifice his connection to the past—his Korean name. Since only TJ knows that name, it represents Ian's past self. When TJ gets that name tattooed, it signals that he has taken ownership of a version of Ian that is tied to the past. It is crucial to note that Ian does not "break up" with Joseph in Chapter 98. In his monologue, he explicitly states he will sort out his past and go where he is meant to be—which is Chicago. Joseph’s decision not to stop him was also vital cause had he intervened, Ian’s unresolved past would have eventually ruined Joseph. By parting ways temporarily, Joseph’s innocence and "blue-eyed" wholeness remained protected. Ian was able to let go of his history so that when they finally reunited, they could stand on equal footing as the best versions of themselves, rather than victims of their past that could ruin them both.