fyi it’s not that nanjo is obsessed or head over heels for the twink. i think him bombarding the twink w gifts is similar to hush money?? becuz nanjo used to (or still kinda is) a straight man so I think him being so adamant with sunhwa is a way of repairing his own “manly” pride, as topping sunhwa, who’s closer to femininity than mokyeong as he’s small, petite and cute, grants him nanjo proximity to heterosexuality. i believe nanjo is still struggling with coming to terms with his own homosexuality and admitting his attraction to mokyeong probably seems like an admittance to being gay. with that being said, nanjo is not some innocent damsel in distress in need of being saved from the claws of a gold digger.
there’s a lot more nuance to his character than the “innocent, naive rich man being conned.” it’s called boundary of delusion because every character in the manhwa is somehow deluding themself to believe one thing that fits their own agendas
ok I could’ve worded that better, but nanjo sounds like someone who’s deep in comp het. as a previous str8 man, sleeping with sunhwa, a cute petite boy vs sleeping with mokyeong, who’s taller and more dom, makes a HUGE distinction to nanjo, who’s probably still clinging to heteronormative ideals. it’s even more evident when sunhwa threatened to expose his sexuality, which is probs why he’s been sending the twink SO many gifts. it’s a way of shutting him up!!
Wowowowowowow
This is the greatest analysis. Big fat like
nanjo ACTUALLY has a huge attraction to mokyeong but that’s something he can’t admit. it’d be insulting to say that nanjo, a grown ass man, plus a successful CEO at that, would be so naively strung along by sunhwa. nanjo is probably VERY clear about his role—he’s supposed to be the hot, dominant top who has more than enough means to spoil his bottom and the set-up is perfect for him because it makes him feel like a “man.” this kind of relationship is something nanjo can accept, hence he clings to it, as that’s the last link to his past heterosexuality.
contrarily, being with mokyeong prob feels like a betrayal to all his ideals. mokyeong doesn’t need to be spoiled, or protected. in fact, he puts it up nanjo’s ass and nanjo fking digs that shi. i mean, do you think he would’ve agreed to the ridiculous contract to sleep with mok if it wasn’t something wasn’t already interested in?? IT’S INTEREST! HE WANTS TO GET DICKED DOWN and he can’t handle the fact that he wants the dih so bad. im just begging to see the day where we can get nanjo’s pov cuz he’s acc so interesting as a character
I live for these comments deaaar
Hands down! You just hit the very core of it!
That's what I came to believe, cause Nanjo seemed really attracted to Mokyeon.. But he doesn't seem to come to terms with it that he might have feelings for him..
The deed itself was really vile; Mokyeon fucking him right in front of Sunhwa who is supposedly his "boyfriend" & then exposing the dirt of his friend etc.. but that's not the core of it.. they were secretly fucking anyway! So what come! They are all in the wrong, but one thing is deadly true; Mokyeon is entirely & completely in love with Nanjo & doesn't falter in confession at any cost
i love ur analysis
maybe you're right. but still why it has to be Sunhwa, definitely Nanjo is not innocent. He's rich, he can get some other cute guy, and it's not easy to threaten a rich guy as it's very easy for Nanjo to get rid of him.
I absolutely love love love your nuanced take about nanjo!! I’m also really curious to see how the author is gonna write nanjos pov!
I’m thinking maybe bc sunhwa is one of the only ppl that’s close to Mokyeon
Ok, I absolutely love this perspective! It never occurred to me that Nanjo was desperate to talk to Sunhwa to bribe him off of revealing his secret. I assumed there was some deep seated internalized homophobia and probably pressure or threats from his family regarding his sexuality so he was cruel to Mok because he had to keep him at a distance to not fall for him, but I didn't really get his obsession with Sunhwa. It's obvious he's struggling with how much he loves being the bottom, but the man was begging for that dick when they were in the shower, and that probably messes with his head because there's no way to explain it away like it's no different than being with a girl. I really like your interpretation and I'm anxious for the Nanjo POV chapters the author promised!!
Exactly my thoughts. Everything said aside, but he is OBSESSED with Sunhwa. We saw it clear enough through the story progress. I don't know what plots the author will elaborate about this & how he will bring the two main leads' relationship to life (Mokyeon & Nanjo as shown on the manhwa cover)
Agreed! I made a comment yesterday about how confused I am with Nanjo's obsession with Sunhwa. Like bro showed him the texts of Sunhwa scheming and he didn't even care. Is it going to be like all the cdramas and kdramas, like he secretly saved my life once so I owe him? Lol. It's so strange! The season 1 authors note says we get a happy ending with just the 2 of them but I'm hella confused on how we get there.
They always find a way for the two leads.. but let's hope it's gonna be good enough & convincing.
Cause this is absolutely among the top BL manhwas for me
Me too! This is the 2nd manhwa I ever read and it remains in my top 10 after reading hundreds now!!
it could either be love, nostalgia, or nanjo’s obsession with clinging to his leftover “masculinity.” but imo, rather than obsession/romantic interest, it looks to me that nanjo is “strangely” indifferent or uninterested in the fact that sunhwa has conned him. nanjo seems more affected by mok’s role throughout all this than sunhwa himself. if he (nanjo) truly liked sunhwa, he would’ve cut all contact with mok as soon as the deal fell through and focused on sunhwa.
plus, the reason nanjo probably seems unaffected to being presumably scammed, might be that he already knows that sunhwa is two-faced, but he seems to accept it as long as sunhwa can play his own role as the “delicate, innocent, cute bottom.” i feel like nanjo’s more concerned with the way he looks to others, hence why he’s absolutely floored when sunhwa seems mok fucking him. mok, who’s fickle, manipulative, and an asshole, is a flawed lover for nanjo’s standards but nanjo can’t help but be drawn to mok (like how his face only cracked when mok confessed to him about his feelings).
Exactly, my thoughts. Maybe Nanjo liked him first. of course he won't openly admit it.
imagine being the rich heir to a tycoon with a perfect inverted triangle body, big ass, large pecs, 10/10 luxurious suits and branded watches and ur fking romantic prospect is a manipulative lying piece of poo, zero loyalty, can throw his OWN high school friend under the bus to dive into bussy!?!? boy u needa get another black eye frl if u think u can bag mr korea without any suffering