My god. Ok, so, first of all, thank you for this. Like, genuinely. You have a lot of sound ideas/arguments based off of the ACTUAL TEXT, instead of what many people are going off of (stereotypes, tropes and vibes). Another thing: you should go into media analysis and critique. I think you would be a FANTASTIC book/movie/media critic.
I would like to add that Taeyeong has been absolutely enamored with Jinwoo sexually the second they started getting physically intimate. It is obvious that he is CONSISTENTLY surprised and absolutely floored by how hot he finds Jinwoo. Jinwoo is Taeyeong’s catnip. Or maybe more like heroin. If he could inject Jinwoo into his veins I think he would.
Their sexual chemistry is off the charts, and that means A LOT to Taeyeong. While it is obvious that Taeyeong used sex as an escape, it is also just simply something he cannot live without. He is a sexual person, and probably could honestly be classified as hypersexual. So this whole time he has been craving something (someone) specifically and has not once found it. The second he has Jinwoo he is instantly addicted. He needs that man like he needs oxygen. It literally makes him go a little bit crazy with how much he wants him.
I think a lot of people are thrown off by his tendency to have what I like to call “crazy eyes”. When he gets seriously worked up and freaky. Pushy for sure. He is absolutely obsessed with Jinwoo to an unhealthy degree for sure. However, this is a work of fiction. We are allowed to think that’s hot or at the very least not a deal breaker for enjoying him as a character.
I think his “crazy eyes” also convey something very vital. He never displays this with anyone else. This is the artist’s way of showcasing how different he interacts with Jinwoo sexually than he does with literally all of his other sexual partners/hookups.
Also, could you even IMAGINE Taeyeong being as dismissive and uninterested in Jinwoo as he was with that one guy in the car? Be so for real right now. The answer is “absolutely not”.
As for Jinwoo, he is just as freaky in the bedroom, which is great. He just has zero experience to understand how freaky he is or what he likes. Taeyeong DOES have this experience.
Jinwoo finds Taeyeong just as irresistible as Taeyeong finds Jinwoo. He is just so much more repressed because of his upbringing and how completely exhausted with life he is. He never was interested enough in sex to seek it out himself until Taeyeong.
He also wants Taeyeong to himself. He might do his best to lie to himself, because he denies himself of pretty much everything that makes him happy, but he really can’t deny this at the end of the day.
As for his sexual preferences, this man is a subby bottom who is masochistic and wants it rough. It gets him off to be treated meanly and to be degraded. He cums multiple times because of it nearly every time they fuck. I think that if he decided to try and have sex with a normie instead of a sadistic Dom Mike Taeyeong he would be absolutely fucking bored.
*like not Mike lmao thanks autocorrect
Like Taeyeong with his feelings, Jinwoo is confused by his sexuality and what he likes. One good example of this is in the sex scene in the car, where he gets off on Taeyeong making him choke on his fingers as he shoves his cum down his throat. He has to knee-jerk responses borne from repression and also just being exposed to only vanilla sex, and then, finally, he has to face the fact that it feels good. He really, really likes it. And he has no idea how to handle that. He certainly does not want to look at it any deeper once he’s not as horny.
He always thinks that he gets weird and impulsive when he’s with Taeyeong. I think that is mostly his sub nature and desires. Taeyeong’s Dom nature goes, “I want to fuck you right now,” and as someone who is in tune with his sexuality he just says it. And Jinwoo’s goes, “right now?You’re crazy” while his subconscious sub goes “yes please, push me and prod me until I say yes”.
ANYWAY. I loved your analysis, it covers their emotions and driving forces as characters really well. I just wanted to add to it by focusing on their sexuality specifically, I hope you don’t mind!
omg thank you so much for replying and saying all this?? it makes me happy that you appreciated reading my thoughts!!! and it's actually SO nice of you say that i’d be good at media critique, as, funnily enough, it's something i've kinda always wanted to do lmao
i've been rereading the manhwa over the past few days and taking WAY too many notes on it so i can reply properly hsjshshsh but yk what? my brain was working w my original comments but my adhd is clowning me now YAY!!!!!!!! i love discussing stuff like this SO SO SO much tho trust
my comments did focus almost completely on the romantic side of taeyeong and jinwoo's relationship, so i really appreciate that you shared your thoughts about the sexual side of it because you're right - sex is something that is EXTREMELY important to them and their story. their sexual compatibility and journey is basically the entire reason we have the story at all!!!
i have deadass written up like 1.5k words in a document, all the stuff i wanna say abt this topic and in response to u, but maybe i'll be able to put some more concise thoughts together later sorry this was such a nothing response
i also think it's important to remember that taeyeong and jinwoo come from completely different worlds.
taeyeong has been raised to present himself to the public in a certain way, to always act like he owns the world and like nothing can touch him. yet, no matter what he does, it's never good enough for his family. he has access to everything, yet none of it means anything to him.
he is juxtaposed with jinwoo, who has been raised to feel like he has the weight of entire world resting upon his shoulders, like he has to keep working himself to the point of utter exhaustion to be worth anything. and yet, nothing he could ever do will be enough. he has access to nothing, and he's convinced himself (and has been convinced by his mother) that nothing is worthwhile because he's "not working as hard as his mother is", so why even bother.
taeyeong has been raised to perceive and understand the emotions of the people around him, but seemingly only for the purpose of making them view him in a positive light, not really to truly connect with anyone. further, he seems to have never been taught nor allowed to learn how to look inward, self-reflect, nor care about himself and his mental well-being in any genuine capacity. he seems really disconnected from his feelings, as if he doesn't really understand the actual depth of them, nor what he's really feeling when he feels it.
jinwoo has been raised to perceive himself and his mother, and that seems to be the extent of his world, at this point. jinwoo's self-worth appears to rely heavily upon what he thinks his mother thinks of him and his choices. he doesn't seem to understand nor consider the way he appears to other people around him.
for example, jinwoo doesn't notice when his body and mind are utterly exhausted and he's spacing out, to the point of (potential) injury and property damage; he doesn't have any self-awareness when he drinks alcohol, and tends to act inappropriately for the time and place; he doesn't understand how people perceive his tired appearance, his clothing (when he wears taeyeong's shirt), etc - even taeyeong mentions that jinwoo doesn't understand how lewd he appears to others, and that he is incapable of even concealing the marks taeyeong left on him; and, jinwoo is even a bit unprofessional when it comes to his part time job, his attempts at working in the production industry, and also when giving his speech about the play in-progress. he barely smiles, his stress seeps into his outward appearance, and he allows himself to be taken advantage of because he's been taught that if he's not entirely exhausted, he's not working hard enough.
point being, jinwoo is so focused on himself and his internal struggles, and his ongoing personal battle with comparing himself to his own mother that he, unlike taeyeong, is unable to understand and interpret the emotions and intentions of the people around him. he's never been given the chance to care about anything but pushing himself.
all of that to say, taeyeong and jinwoo are completely different, but also the same. taeyeong has everything handed to him, yet none of it means anything; jinwoo has nothing handed to him, and none of it means anything.
taeyeong can understand jinwoo's feelings for him with ease: jinwoo likes taeyeong. jinwoo gets jealous over taeyeong. AND taeyeong understands that jinwoo doesn't understand the feelings of others; that's why, in chapter 42, taeyeong verbalises, point blank, to jinwoo's face "i like you, too. i get jealous over you, as well."
i think it'll be hard for both of them, going forward. jinwoo understands how much he feels for taeyeong, but he is unable to interpret taeyeong's emotions for him. taeyeong understands how jinwoo feels about him, but he's unable to understand the true extent of his own emotions, and how he really feels about jinwoo.
i guess it'll be a journey of them both learning about taeyeong's emotions then? taeyeong learning to give, and jinwoo learning to take.
[following on from this: https://www.mangago.me/home/mangatopic/23139267/]