I LOVE your analysis but the last part of he will never go to therapy, I ended up thinking about walter's shirt lol. "I don't need therapy, I listen to the piano" or something
Anyway, even with this in mind, the way Heejae is throwing a tantrum and trashing his house as a response to the consequences of his own actions is gen giving me the ick lol, I just find it so childish. While he has his reasons, irl, this just wouldn't be okay. If Garam was a friend, I'd tell him to leave his ass 'cause he shouldn't be expected to manage the anger issues of a 40+ yr old man with baggage.
Thanks! I honestly find it really endearing that all three of them (Garam, Walter, and Compton) have this shared taste for funny, memeable shirts lol. I wonder if the other student (forgot her name TT) also has one. It really is kind of like a trauma bond for them haha
great analysis of his character
As much as I've been thoroughly enjoying the casual intimacy they've been having these past chapters, I do think that there is something deeply unsettling with how Heejae has been handling his own personal matters that just can't be ignored—matters that, while may not directly involve Garam, does [and will] end up affecting him at the end of the day.
Apart from the obvious power imbalance (which I doubt will ever level-out considering the nature of how their relationship started in the first place), there is also a very apparent epistemic disparity caused by the lack of communication on Heejae's part which only serves to exacerbate this. Him having to micromanage every extension of Garam's being; his sound, the venues he performs at, how he should be perceived by the public, any conception of success Garam enjoys (as evidenced by the people he invited behind Garam's back), down to his clothes, and to some extent, the people he hangs out with is a response to his guilt towards a past he can no longer change—he has no control over.
The present him who has now found a reason for being, his gem—his Horowitz, can only bathe in insecurity as he now has something he does NOT want to lose, as such, he will try everything tl prevent this from happening. Garam voluntarily leaving for his own growth and peace will force Heejae to reflect on this guilt and how he has acted because of it thus far (cause God know this man will NEVER go to therapy lol)