I agree with your points, I too found this story good in terms of it's plot but I cant stomach it after Wonjun did what he did and I tapped out, I tried focusing on main plot and skimmed whenever Wonjun appeared and skipped chapters. Authors often include these elements as thriller mainly to attract audiences as most often seemingly enjoy such problematic stuff (people literally comment about how it's sexy and gratifying in this platform about stories which contain problematic elements)
Although, to play the devil's advocate, Wonjun doing it is sort of him thing, He has some sort of psychological disorder that was caused by whatever happened when he got kidnapped, coupled with the fact that he's a rich chaebol ceo and can get away with whatever he does in south korea is pretty on point. However, the story doesnt try to make him to come off as a good person and instead openly shows that he's an immoral POS
I’ll start by saying that I’m not dropping this since I’m actually super interested in the plot (which is kinda crazy, because I feel like BL crime plots are impossible for me to follow) and I generally enjoy their dynamic. I adored the ML’s child personality, but couldn’t get over the fact that he was mentally a literal child (although it didn’t become the issue I feared it would). I do hope some more of that personality shows soon, although we’re definitely halfway there with ML’s cheeky self! I feel like I really tapped out when ML drugged and raped MC, though. I hated every bit of it and nearly dropped the series, but pushed on through since I do genuinely like the plot and their dynamic most of time. It didn’t feel necessary (…obviously, it’s never necessary, but it can be an effective plot device in psychological stories if utilized well) and it made me view their dynamic and the narrative differently. I really hope that BL authors stop normalizing this kind of violence. It felt like the lines were blurred since MC both sought justice yet treats himself like he wasn’t under the influence. That said, this is one of if not the most cohesive crime plots in a BL I’ve read to date! I haven’t read the novel (didn’t even realize there was one until I read the comments lol) so I may be unaware that some of my critiques and hopes for this story resolve themselves. Regardless, I did want to share my two cents on how I like the manhwa so far :D
Also, this is more of an afterthought, but it’s cool how this is technically an ABO universe but it’s not the focus! It is a relevant plot point at times (and part of that damned rape plot and scene) but it feels realistic how it’s treated like a controlled societies phenomenon rather than something that consumes daily life like other ABO stories.