Wooow thts a very goood explanation i was also confused whether kang mu likes kirin or not may be they become close just cuz they both become partners in crime and kang mu's psychopathy got an new kind of affection from kirin thts wht i thought
After reading your opinion I thought about other story, the painter of the night ..of course .. I felt that Seungho is such a psycho person too. I would like to accept his personality when think about his past .. My feeling about these twos is quite the same but for SH I can’t except him if he let other guys bully his love one.. man .. I feel distress because the last chapter and I couldn’t push it out of my mind so.. it’s such mixed feeling about two protagonists here..
anyway, .. Kirin is in the better condition than NY in painter of the night. Kangmu might not say he love him or act like he care about him but his possessiveness is clear that he like Kirin.
I love your comments. They are so well said and made me reflect a lot about human psychology and how complex it is.
I really appreciate your insight about this manga, the make me realize that I have somehow not seen the whole picture.
*it
wow I have to apreciate this long note :D
This comment contains SPOILERS and is a continuation of a previous spoiler thread located here: http://www.mangago.me/home/mangatopic/6808516/
Okay, since I'm sick of people debating whether or not Kang Mu likes and or loves Kirin, let me first ask the question: what, exactly, is love? Is it simply having a favorable impression of someone? Is it simply liking someone because they're useful to you in some way? Or is it actually a term that's used to describe an amalgamation of (usually) positive feelings towards someone or something? As a matter of fact, although there is an official definition of the word "love" in dictionaries, it really isn't a simple concept, especially since many people have a subjective understanding of the term. Not to mention the fact that the majority of individuals don't really try to analyze their feelings towards others, usually because it's difficult and or bothersome to do so. For instance, do you "like" a certain person because they're attractive? Or because they have a good personality? Or because they're wealthy? Or because they buy you desserts all the time? What if one or a couple or all of those things disappeared? Would you still "like" them? Would you still "love" them? If the answer is no, then that's quite normal.
It's a fact that humans tend to operate based on a cost-benefit analysis, even if it's a subconscious tendency for some. Consequently, we tend not to "like" or "love" things and or people that are useless to us. I know this might put a damper on the extremely romanticized concept of "love" that the media has ingrained into us but it's true. Even if it's hard to accept, it's better to at least try so that you can gain a better understanding of yourself, of other people, and subsequently, the world around you.
Lastly, "love" truly does come in all shapes and sizes, as they say, simply because people are not the same! A certain person is capable of feeling emotions in an entirely different manner from another, not to mention expressing their emotions in an entirely different way.
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Now, let's take a look at the relationship dynamics between Kangmu and Kirin as well as address whether Kangmu truly is an unlikable psychopath, a monster in human form with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
--> Kangmu developed an interest in Kirin after getting to know Kirin's sister
--> Kangmu cared about Kirin's sister because she was the FIRST PERSON in twenty-
something years who listened to him, sympathized with him, consoled him, and
more importantly, ACCEPTED HIM. The sister accepted a person who, as far as he
could remember, was rejected, not just by society, but by his PARENTS. As a child,
his father forced him to see countless doctors, specialists, etc., because he felt that
Kangmu's psychopathy was an unacceptable condition that needed to be cured.
However, all of the doctors stated that it COULDN'T be cured, only suppressed.
Therefore, Kangmu's psychopathy is an unalterable part of himself and to be told
that it's unacceptable means that his very EXISTENCE has been deemed
UNACCEPTABLE, that it's just plain WRONG. How could anyone, much less Kangmu,
be unaffected by that? Our resident psychopath is DEFINITELY capable of feeling
upset and he certainly has been upset by his condition his entire life, if in a very
detached way.
--> As Kangmu played his little killing game with Kirin involved, we can see that he
became infatuated with the feeling of being partners-in-crime with Kirin. Why?
Because the bond they share is deep--it's HEAVY, especially for Kirin,
since he consciously aided and abetted Kangmu in committing multiple crimes.
He might not have been able to do the deeds with his own two hands but the
ensuing GUILT of participating in a crime for the sake of his vengeance weighs
heavily on him, although it's not like he regrets his actions. He was grateful that
Kangmu was there to do the actual killing that he couldn't bring himself to do, even
though the victims deserved it. On the other hand, Kangmu has felt emotionally
and mentally isolated by his psychopathy his entire life. Thus, it's a matter of course
that Kangmu is quite ecstatic with this bond of being partners-in-crime with Kirin, since it
provides him with a sense of connection, camaraderie, etc., that he's been missing his
ENTIRE LIFE while normal people take it for granted in their everyday lives. And let's
not forget that Kirin is the second (and most likely the last) person to accept Kangmu
as he is.
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I hope this enlightens my fellow readers!