Cheol put so much effort into being a good son, getting good grades, never getting into trouble, always being obedient, etc. It's ironic that these qualities made his father hate him more. It seems that the more the younger son struggles, the more the father identifies with him and coddles him. I'm guessing we're going to see that the grandfather was overly strict with the sons and compared them cconstantly.
I suspected that Minyoung outing Cheol was just another manipulation tactic. I'm interested to see how it played out. Also, every time we see the uncle in the flashbacks I can't help but be disappointed. Cheol is so obvious about wanting to be with him as his son. It's really disappointing to see how much the uncle knew and didn't interfere.
I completely agree. The thing with the uncle is that he always assumes that his brother stops hitting Cheol, but even if he knows he’s not going to do anything about it. I’m assuming because of his own guilt and not wanting to hurt his brother. It reminds me of that conversation Minyoung and Cheol’s uncle had after Minyoung beat up Cheol’s father.
Also, I don’t think realistically he could just take Cheol in. He would need to report his brother and show evidence that Cheol is getting abused. Remember from the outside Cheol lives with two parents in a house. He looks clean, a good kid, and gets great grades.
I feel like it's going to turn out that the uncle didn't even try to get Cheol out of that house. I think this family values their reputation more than anything else and even such an accusation would shame the family. I think it's going to turn out that the grandfather blocked the uncle from doing anything and the uncle went along with it out of guilt towards his brother.
I knew from previous chapters that Cheol’s dad’s inferiority complex is the reason why he treats Cheol like shit. Cheol and his uncle look alike and they’re both smart. At first, I’d thought Cheol has internalized homophobia, but I think the reason why he keeps denying he’s gay or maybe bi (personally I think he’s gay) is because he’s genuinely scared of his father and can’t come to terms with his sexuality. It’s like it would be another reason why his father doesn’t love him back. Throughout Cheol’s entire life, he tried to earn his father’s approval. He wants to be the top student to please his dad. The last thing most ppl in his situation wants to do is admit, “Oh yeah I’m gay.” He knew his father wasn’t going to react well. The first thing he did after his father found out is that is get into a relationship with a woman and marry her even though I don’t think he was in love with her.
It was bound to come out though because his brother was desperate to go study abroad and Minyoung wants him to himself. There was already some foreshadowing last chapter. Unpopular opinion but I’m liking the unpacking of the past. Cheol has every right to be angry. Every person he loved played in his face including Minyoung. If anything, I think Minyoung hurt Cheol the most because he was supposed to be his safe space.
Disclaimer: Just in case, being gay does not mean you should be loved less than everyone else. Cheol’s dad is a homophobic asshole with an inferiority complex towards his brother and unhealed trauma. The exact same with Cheol’s brother.