oryu's ability to write such nuanced characters in their works like this and opposites attract is so satisfying to me. i feel like it's such a waste to then strip down the characters as one thing. like boiling jihyun to just a rapist, or kyujin to just the 'good guy' or chiwoo to just a baby. (spoilers kinda) with jihyun, there's no excusing his actions; like duh what he did to chiwoo was awful and inhumane. but, to me, he became more human as the story went on. i loved the scene where he tells his dad that it's his fault he became this way. it comes across as insufferable or immature, but that made his personality so much clearer to me. he truly does struggle knowing right from wrong when provoked, and that just worsened with how much more he grew to like chiwoo. to me it was clear he hated his personality and how he treated chiwoo but even worse how much he hated himself for not being able to change. which is why i love his ending so much. he still hopes chiwoo will forgive him, but he doesn't keep chiwoo chained at his side because of that. when he told his family that chiwoo wanted him gone, and so he'll go was so extremely satisfying. like hello?? that was his truest, purest form of love in the story. and then his mirrors to kyujin is so perfectly done as well. the main difference between kyujin and jihyun is that one has a more selfish and possessive love, while the other has a devotional love. the author uses many examples of kyujin acting about as crazy as jihyun; like kyujin showing up when jihyun called him in hopes of getting to be with chiwoo without having to worry about him being the most telling one. but then she uses almost like counterexamples to show how different the two are, my favorite being when kyujin sees chiwoo finally opening up to his classmates and feels at ease instead of spazzing out. the last thing i feel i really want to point out is chiwoo's self-awareness. maybe it's just because i haven't read a lot, but it's special to me because i don't see it in a lot of mc's. when chiwoo puts distance between himself and kyujin because he's scared of making the same mistake as he did with jiyun, or even when he chooses not to get involved with his classmates because he knows he may make them uncomfortable...like it's so refreshing to see a mc know himself so well. but my favorite aspect of chiwoo is how he chose to ignore jihyun's feelings for him, out of the fear he knew was selfish (being that he didn't want things to change between them). i love how we see this gnaw at him a bit in the series. but i love more how, even though he accepts he might've been wrong for this, he doesn't let himself be drowned in this guilt and let it suck him back into jihyun. he even admits to jihyun at the end that, even after what he did, nothing between them would've changed, if only he'd stopped when asked. then tells jihyun it was all his fault. chiwoo is so strong i adore him. and yea that's my rant never stop making manwha oryu
oryu's ability to write such nuanced characters in their works like this and opposites attract is so satisfying to me. i feel like it's such a waste to then strip down the characters as one thing. like boiling jihyun to just a rapist, or kyujin to just the 'good guy' or chiwoo to just a baby.
(spoilers kinda) with jihyun, there's no excusing his actions; like duh what he did to chiwoo was awful and inhumane. but, to me, he became more human as the story went on. i loved the scene where he tells his dad that it's his fault he became this way. it comes across as insufferable or immature, but that made his personality so much clearer to me. he truly does struggle knowing right from wrong when provoked, and that just worsened with how much more he grew to like chiwoo. to me it was clear he hated his personality and how he treated chiwoo but even worse how much he hated himself for not being able to change. which is why i love his ending so much. he still hopes chiwoo will forgive him, but he doesn't keep chiwoo chained at his side because of that. when he told his family that chiwoo wanted him gone, and so he'll go was so extremely satisfying. like hello?? that was his truest, purest form of love in the story.
and then his mirrors to kyujin is so perfectly done as well. the main difference between kyujin and jihyun is that one has a more selfish and possessive love, while the other has a devotional love. the author uses many examples of kyujin acting about as crazy as jihyun; like kyujin showing up when jihyun called him in hopes of getting to be with chiwoo without having to worry about him being the most telling one. but then she uses almost like counterexamples to show how different the two are, my favorite being when kyujin sees chiwoo finally opening up to his classmates and feels at ease instead of spazzing out.
the last thing i feel i really want to point out is chiwoo's self-awareness. maybe it's just because i haven't read a lot, but it's special to me because i don't see it in a lot of mc's. when chiwoo puts distance between himself and kyujin because he's scared of making the same mistake as he did with jiyun, or even when he chooses not to get involved with his classmates because he knows he may make them uncomfortable...like it's so refreshing to see a mc know himself so well. but my favorite aspect of chiwoo is how he chose to ignore jihyun's feelings for him, out of the fear he knew was selfish (being that he didn't want things to change between them). i love how we see this gnaw at him a bit in the series. but i love more how, even though he accepts he might've been wrong for this, he doesn't let himself be drowned in this guilt and let it suck him back into jihyun. he even admits to jihyun at the end that, even after what he did, nothing between them would've changed, if only he'd stopped when asked. then tells jihyun it was all his fault. chiwoo is so strong i adore him. and yea that's my rant never stop making manwha oryu