tiktok reviews are just too much, the ml is not even that bad and toxic tbh. there are wor...

No cuz I totally agree, he’s like redeemable toxic, not just straight toxic.

ikr!! u got me

omg thats what i thought too! Like no hes not that bad, but its freakishly realistic.

Tbh she alr did the same thing back
Logically, they're even
They were both assholes to each other
They both have pasts and are troubled by it (we even saw the ML has loads of unresolved trauma which affects how he sees dating)
Only way for them to move forward is by communicating. If the FL brings up the airport shit again....like bruh. You already had your revenge, used him to make profit and gain recognition in your career. That card is gone. You can't use it for the end of time. She obviously got wayyy more out of the "relationship". So if shes going to pull yet another pity party, I'll only see her as a narcissistic asshole. Bc IF she continues toying with his feelings after everything, shes a bigger asshole than he ever was. Be fr

I agree that she did get more out of it, but I definitely wouldn't say theyre both assholes to each other. I wouldn't even call her an asshole.

From his POV, she was this innocent girl that was falling for him. He knew he wasn't going to commit, that she was VERY inexperienced and would miss the signs, but led her on anyways simply for,.... what? fun?

From her POV, she was essentially cutting her losses. She'd already been hurt and gotten nothing out of it initially. It was in her best interest to at least make something of the situation. She may have entertained him once he returned but it was after he had already stated that it wasn't serious. In other words, she was proceeding with the knowledge that he was already uncommitted. Just bc he grew feelings later on, does not mean she's in anyway responsible for him being hurt when he was the one that set up arbitrary lines. She's not 'toying' with his feelings, bc as he said, it wasnt serious to begin with.

Personally, I dont think the way forward is communicating. It would be an absolute shit move if he told her his childhood trauma and she just forgives him like that. Having a sob story never entitles someone to treat others poorly, especially if they're an unrelated party. She hasn't held anything back either. She's already admitted to wanting him, but she simply doesnt want to be in a *relationship* with him. What they're really missing is *trust* and consideration.

The ML already misled her in the beginning. Thats a huge strike already for being untrustworthy and a major con for a char like the MC who is fairly simple-minded and inexperienced. He also needs to consider things from her side for once. He's very much focused on his own feelings, wants and has never truly sympathized with her, as she points out at the end.

I do agree with you on a lot of points but to say she isn't doing anything that one would title her 'asshole' is kind of strange. If she wanted just revenge (to make it even, let's say) and did exactly what he did to her, but to him and called it off, that's done. Cool. You got your revenge, now you can cut him off and move on with your life.

No, she took it one step further and made profit from him. That's fine. Even ML said, "go ahead and use me, just don't cut me out of your life after you're done writing about me." This obviously shows he developed feelings for her and as you mentioned she even repeated his words back to him and acted all "nonchalant" about his confession basically.

So now she's not just copying his actions to get revenge but developed his view on seeing things casually. The ML was literally a few mins too late in telling her exactly how he felt and why he didn't (he literally said im sorry I was a coward etcetc). He didn't say anything to invite a pity party or "sob story" those were just his own emotions and past eating away at him.

Although it's so easy to say "oh but you dont use trauma as a reason to treat people like that". He's not. And no one does unless that's how you view it. Truth of the matter is those experiences and things you view as a "sob story" has shaped that person to view the world the way they do. Not everyone can behave in an "ideal" way and fit into a box you've labeled "standard behavior" because to them it's completely different.

In this case, she was serious and wanted something special from him, he was not in the place (at the time) to offer such feelings and emotions. He has always viewed things as casual and "just for fun" because that's what he's learned to protect himself. Now, does that excuse his behavior for being an ass? Of course not.

Which is why he comes to the realization (sign of growth on his end) that he hurt her after he experiences that the things he would do to protect himself, actually hurts others. That's why I said they're even now. If the FL continues her "revenge" and drags it out, then at that point it's just her being an ass.

Sorry for the long reply, i just rather people get a light of things from both povs instead of only sympathizing with one side and dismissing the other side (also a human being essentially) completely.

Omg never apologize for a thought out response! There's an element of realism to this story so I think discussing it is fun.

Personally, I would argue that she's not actually taking revenge, nor does she intend to. Her intention is to get something positive out of what was otherwise a very sad relationship for her. Yes, she does later mirror his actions, but the difference is that she doesn't really think she's hurting his feelings because she doesn't believe he has genuinely strong feelings for her. And the reason she's so sure of that is bc she has genuine proof(him saying it was casual). Him feeling the role reversal was never her original goal. Her assumption is that he was continuing what he was doing before.

Yes she continues to entertain his advances, but unlike him, she keeps the lines much cleaner. When he flirts with her in the elevator, she leaves saying he's 'acting weird' and thinks about how he gives mixed signals despite not liking her. When they get stuck in the shed, she doesn't reciprocate his affectionate words but once again points out that he acts like he likes her but it was just her misunderstanding. When he finds out she's having lease issues and questions why he wasn't in the know, she points out that they arent that close and didn't talk about issues like that.

In contrast, the ML is aware of her feelings. She talks about going on dates with him, the story repeats how adept he is at the dating game while knowing she's wading into foreign waters for him, and he regularly pushes in her space. Even after his return, the ML assumes that the FL has feelings for him and will always 'come running back to me', despite her drawing clear lines.

Basically the difference is that the FL has no intention to hurt. She merely acts on the information she was given which is that he's just having fun. In contrast, the ML acts with a sort of negligence. He flirts, dips out, then flirts again and always just assumes that her feelings are what he thinks they are.

When it comes to his trauma, it is a very common trope in recent years to essentially earn a 'red flag' pity, basically to show that this person wasn't always bad, but just had a poor experience. You're correct in that there isn't an 'ideal' behavior to box ppl into. But what I'm saying is that regardless of the ML's history, he shouldn't be subjecting ppl to heartbreak. Bc once again, a big difference is in whether you are doing it *knowingly*. If you're a shit person, and genuinely have no idea, then hopefully they learn one day. But for this ML, he admits that he enjoys the chase, he likes that he can pick up and drop a relationship whenever. It's one thing to prioritize protecting his own mental peace after a traumatic event. Its a wholly separate thing when you're knowingly doing it at the expense of another.

His POV is really quite simple. He 'protects' himself by entertaining relationships on his terms(as he says, he can chase or drop whenever he wants), he chases what's interesting to him, he avoid overly committing words to keep his nose clean(despite chasing someone that obviously isnt experienced with casual), and he operates with the assumption that others do so on *his* terms(he assumes she's 'casual' too, then just assumes shes still in love with him despite her saying theyre not close and despite her being an ass at the airport).

Finally, I dont think she's really going to continue entertaining him the way shes been doing so far. She repeats over and over that she's just bearing with it until she has a story, and she even tries to write as much of it first as she can before relying on him, and she deleted his contact too. She's genuinely hurting here bc she does have feelings for him, and being this close in proximity while doubting his actions is why she gets so emotional at the end. Its a stark contrast to how he left her at the airport.