someone save hyeondal

was okay for a light read, with enough comedy sprinkled between the drama to keep things moving. most of the comments were saying the characters stopped acting like themselves once they got together, but i actually think a lot of their behavior can be traced back to insecurities they already had before the relationship. (tldr skip to )

after getting cheated on, geonah developed some pretty avoidant coping mechanisms, treating relationships as superficial so he'd have an easier time convincing himself he was fine if someone left. so when he finally gets into this genuinely deep bond with hyeondal, it makes sense that he'd be terrified of losing it. he's never had a relationship where he was this vulnerable, and he clearly doesn't realize how much some of the things he considers harmless can hurt his partner. he's an absolute idiot about relationships, but his self-sabotaging behavior at least felt rooted in something.

hyeondal is honestly much too good for him. geonah's charisma did the serious heavy lifting because i don't know who else would fall for a catfish with that bummy lifestyle and complete lack of ambition. his anxiety-fueled actions were understandable given how obviously geonah was hiding things from him, especially this early into their relationship?? despite the grace and benefit of the doubt hyeondal had given him.

on top of all that, they had to navigate their first alpha-alpha relationship, the usual insecurities and surrounding prejudice, and geonah's meddlesome family, which is really just another consequence of his bummy ass lifestyle anyway.

so basically, this idiot geonah managed to drag this gentleman-in-the-streets-freak-in-the-sheets hyeondal into this mess of a relationship. but given how much of an idiot geonah is, i actually think the extent of the growth he managed over such a short period was fairly believable, albeit pretty meh.

the ending was a little lukewarm after all that chaos, but it was a fun mess for me. especially that omega girl arc lmao.

as for the alpha x alpha dynamic, the insecurity, prejudice, and pheromone use were all satisfactory to me. i just wish we'd gotten more of the rut scene. although i understand its role in the plot, i'm still mourning the loss of what could've been.

fav green flag alpha seme
misunderstanding-heavy, frustrating uke