This is just a brief analysis (hopefully brief, haha) of Dong-Hyuk's character and ending, so I welcome all non-hostile arguments/opinions/inputs.
As a start, I have to voice my disappointment with what the author did to Dong-Hyuk's character. I accept that he was introduced as a rival to Yule, but she could've taken better approaches to "ruining" his character. At the beginning of this story/manhwa, the majority of us readers were likely expecting a recovery from trauma/gang rape of Kyungsoo with a new lover, Dong-Hyuk. Then we got a completely different story when Yule returned.
Throughout the story, we have seen that the main driving force for Kyungsoo's and Dong-Hyuk's "breakdown" was Yule. Kyungsoo fell in love with Yule and then Yule broke Kyungsoo and left him. Dong-Hyuk fell in love with Kyungsoo, then traumatised by seeing Yule rape Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo rejecting him several times, Kyungsoo left him. Likely, Dong-Hyuk developed an inferiority complex to Yule and became obsessed with Kyungsoo as a result of those events. Because if you think about it, "why would you choose a rapist over me?" was Dong-Hyuk's initial thought process BEFORE he ended up raping Kyungsoo too.
As previously mentioned, imo, the author could've developed or err, "reverse developed" Dong-Hyuk's character in better ways, but we did see his gradual mental breakdown (eg. the signs, what he was stating to Kyungsoo his thoughts were). Instead of seeking therapy for his initial trauma of seeing Yule rape Kyungsoo, he began seeking sex as a form of comfort or coping mechanism, and unfortunately, became sex-obsessed.
Am I assigning blame or responsibility to Yule or Kyungsoo for his trauma? No. Because the argument is that Dong-Hyuk admitted to getting "hard" or turned on from seeing Yule raped Kyungsoo. So that event was an additive to what was already a messed up character. Dong-Hyuk was already mentally unstable and that event "awakened" his inner intentions and desires. He eventually ended up raping Kyungsoo many times in addition to almost taking his life. The author had the intention of implementing every possible things that could ruin his character. Essentially, she was trying to show us that Dong-Hyuk could no longer be the "saviour" we were hoping for Kyungsoo.
Dong-Hyuk's last breaking point was attempting to kill Kyungsoo. Although well-intentioned because he could not see a solution to Yule's psychological/emotional/mental hold on Kyungsoo, he acted on "raw" emotions. As we could see in juxtaposition, Yule is calculative and "silent" with his emotions and actions whereas Dong-Hyuk acts on "raw" emotions and actions.
In the ch.70 ending, Kyungsoo lets Dong-Hyuk go to find his own happiness. We can see that this might be the ideal thing for Kyungsoo to do since we saw that if Kyungsoo had chosen Dong-Hyuk, he was still fixated or preoccupied with Yule and that the two could never go back to their happy days before Yule intervened and the showdown at the construction site occurred.
I highly doubt it was the author's intention, but I thought it had a karmic influence, such as Dong-Hyuk used to sleep around with guys because they shared physical traits with Kyungsoo, so now he ends up oblivious to the fact that Kyungsoo's mind is with Yule and not him. So basically, Dong-Hyuk and Kyungsoo were using each other to fill a void or emptiness (Dong-Hyuk in the past with many guys and Kyungsoo in Dong-Hyuk's ending with Yule).
Can we say that the author intends for Dong-Hyuk to receive a happy ending? Obviously, in his "what-if" ending, he does not. If he ever found out that Kyungsoo still had Yule on his mind, I'd predict a murder or something worse because Dong-Hyuk developed an inferiority complex to Yule and he was obsessed with Kyungsoo.
If we follow the ch.70 ending, will Dong-Hyuk receive a happy ending? I'd like to say it's possible if he does not revert back to his previous coping mechanism of sleeping around with guys (which is actually quite dangerous, but in yaoi world, you cannot contract a disease lolness). He has the ability to move on and forget about Kyungsoo. At least the author gave Dong-Hyuk the chance to change and leave this "cycle."
Overall, Yule was the catalyst in driving two characters' "downfall" or breakdown (Kyungsoo and Dong-Hyuk). Yule created this cycle amongst the three characters:
Kyungsoo falls in love with Yule > Yule leaves Kyungsoo after gang rape> Kyungsoo falls in love with Dong-Hyuk> Kyungsoo leaves Dong-Hyuk and goes back to Yule because of threats by Yule> Kyungsoo leaves Yule and goes to Dong-Hyuk> Kyungsoo leaves Dong-Hyuk and goes back to Yule > Kyungsoo leaves Yule and lets go of Dong-Hyuk > Yule perpetuates the cycle by following/stalking Kyungsoo.
This is just a brief analysis (hopefully brief, haha) of Dong-Hyuk's character and ending, so I welcome all non-hostile arguments/opinions/inputs.
As a start, I have to voice my disappointment with what the author did to Dong-Hyuk's character. I accept that he was introduced as a rival to Yule, but she could've taken better approaches to "ruining" his character. At the beginning of this story/manhwa, the majority of us readers were likely expecting a recovery from trauma/gang rape of Kyungsoo with a new lover, Dong-Hyuk. Then we got a completely different story when Yule returned.
Throughout the story, we have seen that the main driving force for Kyungsoo's and Dong-Hyuk's "breakdown" was Yule. Kyungsoo fell in love with Yule and then Yule broke Kyungsoo and left him. Dong-Hyuk fell in love with Kyungsoo, then traumatised by seeing Yule rape Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo rejecting him several times, Kyungsoo left him. Likely, Dong-Hyuk developed an inferiority complex to Yule and became obsessed with Kyungsoo as a result of those events. Because if you think about it, "why would you choose a rapist over me?" was Dong-Hyuk's initial thought process BEFORE he ended up raping Kyungsoo too.
As previously mentioned, imo, the author could've developed or err, "reverse developed" Dong-Hyuk's character in better ways, but we did see his gradual mental breakdown (eg. the signs, what he was stating to Kyungsoo his thoughts were). Instead of seeking therapy for his initial trauma of seeing Yule rape Kyungsoo, he began seeking sex as a form of comfort or coping mechanism, and unfortunately, became sex-obsessed.
Am I assigning blame or responsibility to Yule or Kyungsoo for his trauma? No. Because the argument is that Dong-Hyuk admitted to getting "hard" or turned on from seeing Yule raped Kyungsoo. So that event was an additive to what was already a messed up character. Dong-Hyuk was already mentally unstable and that event "awakened" his inner intentions and desires. He eventually ended up raping Kyungsoo many times in addition to almost taking his life. The author had the intention of implementing every possible things that could ruin his character. Essentially, she was trying to show us that Dong-Hyuk could
no longer be the "saviour" we were hoping for Kyungsoo.
References are here:
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/c050/6/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/c050/7/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/c050/9/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/c051/14/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/c051/15/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/iur_chapter-63/pg-27/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/iur_chapter-63/pg-28/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/iur_chapter-63/pg-29/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/iur_chapter-63/pg-30/
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hogu_hagyeongsu/mf/iur_chapter-67/pg-46/
Dong-Hyuk's last breaking point was attempting to kill Kyungsoo. Although well-intentioned because he could not see a solution to Yule's psychological/emotional/mental hold on Kyungsoo, he acted on "raw" emotions. As we could see in juxtaposition, Yule is calculative and "silent" with his emotions and actions whereas Dong-Hyuk acts on "raw" emotions and actions.
In the ch.70 ending, Kyungsoo lets Dong-Hyuk go to find his own happiness. We can see that this might be the ideal thing for Kyungsoo to do since we saw that if Kyungsoo had chosen Dong-Hyuk, he was still fixated or preoccupied with Yule and that the two could never go back to their happy days before Yule intervened and the showdown at the construction site occurred.
I highly doubt it was the author's intention, but I thought it had a karmic influence, such as Dong-Hyuk used to sleep around with guys because they shared physical traits with Kyungsoo, so now he ends up oblivious to the fact that Kyungsoo's mind is with Yule and not him. So basically, Dong-Hyuk and Kyungsoo were using each other to fill a void or emptiness (Dong-Hyuk in the past with many guys and Kyungsoo in Dong-Hyuk's ending with Yule).
Can we say that the author intends for Dong-Hyuk to receive a happy ending? Obviously, in his "what-if" ending, he does not. If he ever found out that Kyungsoo still had Yule on his mind, I'd predict a murder or something worse because Dong-Hyuk developed an inferiority complex to Yule and he was obsessed with Kyungsoo.
If we follow the ch.70 ending, will Dong-Hyuk receive a happy ending? I'd like to say it's possible if he does not revert back to his previous coping mechanism of sleeping around with guys (which is actually quite dangerous, but in yaoi world, you cannot contract a disease lolness). He has the ability to move on and forget about Kyungsoo. At least the author gave Dong-Hyuk the chance to change and leave this "cycle."
Overall, Yule was the catalyst in driving two characters' "downfall" or breakdown (Kyungsoo and Dong-Hyuk). Yule created this cycle amongst the three characters:
Kyungsoo falls in love with Yule > Yule leaves Kyungsoo after gang rape> Kyungsoo falls in love with Dong-Hyuk> Kyungsoo leaves Dong-Hyuk and goes back to Yule because of threats by Yule> Kyungsoo leaves Yule and goes to Dong-Hyuk> Kyungsoo leaves Dong-Hyuk and goes back to Yule > Kyungsoo leaves Yule and lets go of Dong-Hyuk > Yule perpetuates the cycle by following/stalking Kyungsoo.