I think the people who refuse to engage with Ray’s character beyond calling him a groome...

oh real. i thought so too. i mean its obvious to anyone with a functional brain cell that Ray is the Bad Guy and is supposed to be viewed as such. And he is a part of Ban's history. which also obviously means he'll get a lot of screen time. if readers don't like conflict or morally ambiguous characters and off-putting graphic scenes, i'd say go read something else. it was crystal clear from the start that this story isn't rainbows and sunshine. its city lights and dark alleys. we get good bad and ugly. cause thats what makes a story intriguing and engaging.
critical media analysis in the trenches...etc...