I have to say that the older characters were so well written. Like I genuinely loved the grandma and Jaekyung’s coach’s I really appreciate how much they were a positive influence on the characters lives. As a child it’s so important for you to have good adults around you. And I feel like those two characters were exactly what an adult should be for a child. Especially a child growing up in a rough situation. Truly everything outside of the main romance was so well written that I’m genuinely not even too bothered by the ending. There’s this strong theme of destruction by circumstances that is applied so well to every aspect of the story. The consequences going from “you were just there” to “this is because of what you did” was very compelling. And good way to depict the question, “when will you stop blaming your past?”. However I think where the author falls is handling and trying to understand sexual abuse in and out of relationships. It’s handle in the same way a subplot of high schools girls gossiping and get their consequences would be. They fail to see and connect that Dan wasn’t just sexual abused by Jaekyung, but by the doctor, and by the loan sharks. Portraying this repeated abuse as just “annoying” and something that is to get over, dampens the series and pulls the reader out of the story. Sexual abuse is it’s own horror and should be written like one. Like a murder or a demon attacking someone. Just like the effects of stalking and death in the story, the sexual abuse should be handled in the same way.
I would just like to say On or Off was fire. MC is smart and super capable to the point where he grew his own company. Not only that but the story has female characters that are cherished and appreciated unlike many bl slop. Speak nicely. Second of all, Work, life, balance is more slice of life than romance because the manic characters are together. Do I wish, they would drop the NTR adjacent theme, yes. Mostly because focusing on the MC’a relationship with his friends would be cool. But I understand this story is exploring the life aspect of work in a bl romcom way. Maybe later on everything will get fleshed out. The curse though is genuinely the funniest thing ever though.
I get that Minshit is a bad person and as readers we are allowed to dislike him. However, I think a lot of people are ignoring one of the important lessons of the story being taught right now. It’s not about betrayal or being strong. It’s a lesson about an unfair society that demands you be resilient in your suffering. Mincheol shouldn’t have done what he did, but the backstory isn’t trying to gain sympathy. And I don’t think the main purpose to explain his actions either. I believe the backstory is to show a how brutish and consuming a capitalist society like South Korea is. Ripping apart it’s young and moving on to the next. Happiness is a birthright to a select few and sorrow is destiny for the rest.
“What do you call the mother figure in a married couple?” SO THEY GOT MARRIED?!? I thought it was just a cute proposal! Like they are husband and wife! I wonder why Ryder decided to do that. Like before obviously it would’ve been to get Mori back and prove they can be good parents. But, this felt unnecessary and the fact he spent a long time thinking about it making me very hopeful!!! But then again I don’t think he understood what he was doing until the end
Do not read. Genuinely this made my stomach hurt. There wasn’t even a trigger warning even, in the case that, the theme of sexual assault and the harm it causes was important to the narrative. The author just added it in because they’re disgusting. MC gets brutally r*ped for hours by the second lead and drugged. This webtoon is appalling. Also taking the time to translate or upload chapter 31 is disgusting as well. Shame on the author, translator, and uploader. R*pe is still r*pe even if depicted in 2D. Just disgusting
They don’t make webtoons like this no more. Such a blessing to be able to read such an amazing story. My heart is full each time a chapter comes out.