You said it perfectly
I agree with almost everything you said. I just wouldn't be too harsh on people who see it differently.
Not everyone processes stories the same way. Some readers focus on the surface events first, while others naturally pay more attention to the characters' emotional motivations. And sometimes a story like this only clicks after a second read, or even after it's finished and all the pieces finally fall into place.
That's why I think truly well written stories are beautiful to revisit. Every reread gives you a different perspective because you notice details, motivations, and foreshadowing that you couldn't fully understand the first time. Once you know the whole picture, scenes that seemed simple suddenly carry a completely different emotional weight.
For me, Yeomin's reaction was never about rejecting money. It was about trust, autonomy, and trying to understand what his relationship with Taeseo really was after discovering that so much of it had been built on secrets and lies.
People getting mad at Yeomin are fucking reading with their eyes closed. From the beginning, he was someone who worked hard for himself, something like the debt may seem "trivial" to the seme who could easily pay it off, but to Yeomin, it was proof of his tenacity and perseverance, and it was also proof of all his struggles. That's why he was reluctant to let the seme help him, cuz then what would it all be for? We know that the seme likes him cuz it's obvious, but he SAID TO HIS FACE when yeomin confessed that he didn't see him that way and that they were not lovers. So of course he felt like he was not deserving of all his kindness, cuz their relationship was still considered a shallow one that couldn't evolve beyond that. Yeomin never wanted to be a simple sugar baby who takes and takes, that isn't in his nature. Of course to the seme yeomin's simple presence is enough for him bcuz he has feelings for him but is too stubborn and dumb to admit it, so how can Yeomin ever accept the seme going through such lengths for him, with the scholarship and debt, if he feels he couldn't give back even half as much to him? Their relationship is one-sided to yeomin, and that just hurts him more and more. He just wants to be able to stand next to him like an equal, but the seme wouldn't even give him the chance to cuz he never took his feelings of doubt and insecurity seriously. Anyways sorry for the rant, obviously yeomin isn't perfect he's just a human, but i won't accept stupid slander from ppl who can't see beyond what's given at face value even when it's obvious.