its definitely abit uncomfortable but i think gable acknowledges it as well lol…….
Since modern romance often ties "love" to physical desire, people tend to forget that in literature (considering this manhwa is an adaptation of a novel with the same title), first love can also be about pure admiration, appreciating someone's beauty, or even a meaningful moment that leaves a deep impression without any sexual desire at all. And that's exactly what we see here. It's still valid to call it first love. You just need to understand that love can take many different forms, so don't apply your own understanding of love to what Yuri meant when he called it his "first love," because that's obviously going to make you feel icky. If you still find it creepy (damn it) because Yuri was 25 while Xinlu was 12, that's exactly why POV matters. We get to see how Yuri himself describes those feelings (which you already noticed), and based on what's actually shown in the story, they don't fit the medical criteria or legal definition of pedophilia either.
I remember Yuri once imagined himself as Xinlu's older brother, like what is he was his older brother. The one who everything sexual was Xinlu himself. He's a horn dog
*I remember Yuri once imagined himself as Xinlu's older brother, like what if he were his older brother. The one that made everything sexual was Xinlu himself. He's a horn dog.
it is creepy that a 25year old first love is a 13yr old child
It is a good thing that it was not portrayed at something lustful. I try to understand it as not “first love” but just admiration of a pretty thing. “ohh he looks pretty. cool” vs “he looks pretty, i wanna touch him”
but still makes me feel icky