There’s just so many times I can say I feel bad for Juhyeok, yet I’m once again saying : I truly feel bad for Juhyeok.
His first time being so violent, tenderless and loveless … him who was so scared of having penetrative sex.
Him hurting so badly from being penetrated (and ultimately raped) yet still putting on a front to appear strong in front of su ha by saying that it doesn’t hurt.
Him trying to defend himself and escaping the rest of the assault.
Him still having his judo career at the forefront of his mind even while being raped and asking su ah to hold his end of the bargain he was forced to agree (Juhyeok let him have sex with him and in exchange su ah gives him his cum) … Juhyeok is brave, the worst is happening to him, all of his fears linked to his omeganhood are becoming true and yet he still manages to be brave.
I’ve said it in the last chapter but I truly do hope this end all conversation about Juhyeok being as "toxic" as su ah, this chapter is yet again another evidence that it’s su ah who has all the power in their relationship. He can scent Juhyeok, he can coerce Juhyeok, he can rape Juhyeok and he could force a bite on Juhyeok… Juhyeok cannot do that to him for he doesnt have the powers to do so.
As for their relationship, I truly don’t know how su ah can comeback from this. How does one form a romantic relationship with their rapist ? idk man …
I feel like Juhyeok will put up a front and act like this didnt faze him (when we as readers know it did) and slowly crumble alone, he will most likely fear su ah & goes along everything he says now that he knows what he’s capable of.
This will definitely not help his own self esteem and his relationship with his gender or even his judo career.
As for the author I believe they have asked for readers to regard Su Ah with a little bit more empathy and to allow the plot from moving and forming the whole story… which yes absolutely they are right.
However I don’t believe this equals to trying to prevent the readers from engaging with the story as it is written in so far and to level criticisms at the actions of the characters including Su Ha.
Well this is bad, this chapter reinforces what I’ve known in so far, Su Ah holds more power over Juhyeok than Juhyeok does over him. I will even say Juhyeok is powerless against him.
I commented before that Su Ah can use his power over him by using his pheromones on him without his consent, and he can choose to withdraw/withhold his support Juhyeok and his judo career by refusing to use his cum … and he proved me right by doing all of that in this chapter.
I do hope that this will put to rest the "they are equally toxic to one another !!1!" talk on here and social media because no they aren’t. There’s nothing Juhyeok can say no to Su Ah since he doesn’t have the power (materially or pheromonally) to do and he can’t force Su Ah to do anything as well.
It’s sad for Juhyeok cause it’s essentially sex work, he lets Su Ah uses his body in return for his help (and even that, the help is not guaranteed like Su Ah turned on the water to wash it away) so he can be a successful judoka, he even thinks so when he thinks "why do I have to get this far to get his cum"
As usual very sad for Juhyeok cause this just confirms his worst fear and internalized self hatred about being an omega: yes an alpha can overpower him with just their pheromones and coerce him into doing whatever and that he is weak. I said before that for Su Ah and Juheyok’s relationship to work, Juhyeok to shed all his self hatred for his omeganhood but how can it be when the people closest to him either denigrate him for being an omega (his maternal family) or sexually coerce by using their pheromones ?
Good luck to him.
Omg yess , peak analysis. Many of these dumass ngas don't see that.
really great analysis. it’s so true. i’m quite disappointed but im sure i’ll keep reading.
THANK YOU OMG I've been telling that for ages, it's so fucked up that people like that and can't event see how toxic this whole story is
Bro amen. Ppl really tried calling the uke manipulative and shit. Like the seme KNOWS what he’s fucking doin
Hum … I might be the only one who is not mad at the male consort for shaking things up between Tei and Shuraka.
the way BWAT wrote Arnata, it’s clear that it’s meant to be an Empire conquering other countries and subjugating them. The fact that Shuraka’s harem is filled with (former) princesses and a prince from other countries is a clear indication of the imperialism of Arnata (and its still death to the empire over there).
So I dont believe the former prince is doing that out of possessiveness for Shuraka, he probably wants to create tensions between him and Tei cause he’s resentful of him for subjugating his country and being now a mere concubine away from his home.
Like sometimes you really gotta destroy the empire from the inside.
As for Tei and Shuraka … the main issue is that they do not know each other and they don’t understand each other.
Both of them are stuck in the past where their main goal was to protect the other.
In that sense, Tei sill sees Shuraka as a kid and not a ruler of his own, so he doesn’t address him like one. But Shuraka also doesn’t address Tei like an adult, but like the same man he had to keep in the dark and deceive in order to get him out of Arnata before the purge.
I cannot help but be worried about Juhyeok (which I know he’s not universally loved here but he’s very intriguing character)
It seems obvious to me looking back at the previous chapters that he doesn’t want a romantic and sexual relationship with Su Ah, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings for him (the drunken speech at the hotel is clear indication that he does) but he fundamentally doesn’t want to be with Su Ah in the present.
Which explains the fight they had concerning Su Ah scenting Juhyeok with his cum, Juhyeok doesn’t see it as sexual but a survival method yet Su Ah sees it as both sexual and romantic.
Juhyeok doesn’t want to date Su Ah like he said in chapter 16, in this one he doesn’t want to kiss Su Ah and only does so when Su Ah leaves and he doesn’t want to go all the way (meaning to have penetrative sex) with him either.
Yet it feels like Juhyeok is willing to do all of these, if it means Su Ah will keep helping in the future … and I dont know if it bodes well for them in the future. This kind of thing builds long term resentment, feeling like you were forced in a relationship and we know Juhyeok already resents Su Ah for the whole scenting/pheromones business and potentially him being a factor to Juhyeok being an omega.
Good luck to them cause they are going to need it.
Great take
The writer has been hinting at something more nefarious and heartbreaking following Juhyeok’s presentation as an omega.
If we go back to the early chapters when his mother throws him that infamous omega party, his aunt came with gifts basically saying "mom and dad decided to not come, but F it I did".
& now in this chapter, Juhyeok drunkenly says that his omeganhood has impacted his mother in a negative way.
It becomes obvious that his new gender dynamic, profoundly changed his (& his mother) relationship with certain family members.
His journey to self acceptance and getting rid of the self hatred, resentment etc… that comes with being an omega, is going to be a long one for him cause how can he love and accept his own self when his own family doesn’t ?
Thank goodness there's someone who literally read the chapter's whole narrative, coz it's fucking sickening seeing all these horny ass freaks gooning over the creep old man and all talking about how they didn't mind that old perv getting freaky ignoring that it's literally just the most basic human ethics that stopped him from SA'ing Juhyeok.
Anyways, I'm guessing it's another type of "alpha gender" obsessions within his family like the same case with Yeo Teaju's grandfather in Lowtide in Twighlight where omegas cannot be acknowledged in the family. And I think there's an internal critism about omegas being 'fragile' and not able to do anything which made Juhyeok keeps saying how he hates that system so much, and how he wanna keep proving himself that he's even putting himself in an alpha-dominated sport. Although the only wrong in Juhyeok’s part is how he also projects that insecurity towards Su Ah. I can already see that it's gonna be a messy road for him to be able to fully accept his biology.
How sad this journey on the characters memories and past was !
Juhyeok is such an interesting character as an individual who felt that because he came from a family of alphas and demonstrated strong physical abilities, was so sure to be an alpha (and so did everyone around him; his mother admit to be completely lost cause she never thought he would be anything but an alpha).
Seemingly Su-ah, thought he was fated to be an omega. Him being the contrary of that, has his own omegan father lost, but because society still sees being an alpha as more valuable and desirable, it still is manageable.
The gender expectations they both had imposed on their own relationship as children make it hard for them to reconcile the changes their new gender presentations bring to their own selves and between them as pre-teens.
The panel of Su-Ah trying to shrink himself while they were getting ice cream was so sad. The self denial but also the fear of rejection (which did come true) … whew.
Ultimately both thought their love and relationship was null and void once they presented differently. Juhyeok thinks he’s no longer valuable cause he is not the strong alpha protecting the cute omega and vice versa for Su-ha.
Despite that Su-ha still cares deeply.
I don’t believe any of them to be the villain they are just victims and products of their own society and the genderization (is that even a word) of it. very reminiscent of the genderered societalization of boys and girls in the west and the anguish we can feel if we start diverging from what society expect us to be if we are boys or girls.
In the end for their relationship to work they both (but really Juhyeok !!) will have to deconstruct what it means to br an alpha and omega.
Both are going to have to shattered these stereotypes and Juhyeok the self loathing/hating he feels at being an omega otherwise their relationship is doomed
BUT it seems like it’s exactly what the author intends to do so as a reader I’m really excited for that.
The art is gorgeous and for a chapter with few dialogues to be that sad … it takes talent !
Sorry for the dislike. Speaking straight peak
I’m sorry but I’m a lil weirded out by some comments abt Hyesung’s mother ? are we all forgetting that she’s an omega that was abused and sexual trafficked to richer men by her husband (hyesung’s father) and that’s why she eventually leaves. like the lady didnt just up and leave one day for the sake of doing it … she endured a lot.
Hyesung leaving once his father started wondering if he was an omega, who like his mother, he could pimped out (to say very crudely) to get riches, connections and better job opportunities is also a tie in to his mother’s story.
Truthfully Hyesung and his mother got way more in common with each other than what they believe. they have both been sexually abused by their partners and discriminated against because of their status as omegas.
I get that Hyesung is the hero of the story and he’s entitled to feeling hurt from his mother leaving him behind, nevertheless his mother is still a rape and sexual trafficked survivor and I have empathy with that.
yep as a women I have empathy for her but her as a mother…the decisions she made was terrible. Same time her decisions were based on her living situations and trying to survive. It’s all a mess tbh everyone in the story is never 100% innocent. I guess that just shows how messy and complicated life can be
this isn’t a debate on whether hyesung’s mother leaving his only son is justified or what. it’s the fact that hyesung doesn’t want ANYTHING to do with her, and expects his family to do the same and respect his boundaries. because at the end of the day, hyesung hates the fact that she still left her son with her abuser, making him endure the same horror she did. it’s not about empathizing with her cause that arc has been done with already. it’s the betrayal from hyesung’s family, dangling his mistake in front of his face as if he wasn’t pushed to the edge like that.
absolutely and Hyesung’s mother was as young as he was when he had Byul cause remember when Dojun met her the first thing he thought was "she’s so young" … meaning she was just as young as the Hyesung we met at the very beginning of the manhwa, when she was being abused and sexually trafficked to various men by her husband.
There’s just no way that someone as young and traumatized as she was, could have make a good decision for the well-being of her little boy.
but I will say it’s very disturbing to see comments calling Hyesung’s mother a bitch and all cause at the end of the day (although fictional) she still is a sexual trafficked victim and rape survivor … and all that in defense of her son who was also raped
but that’s not what I’m adressing in my comment ? so I fail to see how what you’re saying has to do with what I commented.
I was only pointing out that we readers, knows Hyesung’s mother backstory and that Hyesung is entitled to feeling hurt by it but that I (I was and I’m still talking about myself) has empathy for her and the decisions she has made throughout her trauma.
Así mismo
uh yeah?? and i’m addressing your comment about how you were weirded out by some comments by saying that the readers and commenters here are siding with hyesung because of his family’s betrayal and not because his mother’s action doesn’t deserve grace. the readers here HATE the fact that she’s still in the picture, completely disregarding hyesung’s wishes. no one is undermining her trauma at all.
again and I’m sorry to insist but at no point my comment was about me being weirded out about the comments siding with Hyesung.
I started my OG comment by saying this "I’m sorry but I’m a lil weirded out by some comments abt Hyesung’s mother ?" : the comments I was referring were the misogynistic name calling (bitch in particular) to refer to a rape and sexual trafficked victim (which is why I then commented on her backstory and linked it to Hyesung’s own story).
I’ve said nothing about those who side or defend Hyesung, I ended my comment saying that Hyesung was entitled to feel however he feels about his own mother but that I (once again, speaking for my own self only) has empathy for his mother.
I believe you might have misunderstood my comment, as me commenting on Hyesung’s mother story = me chastising Hyesung for being upset at Byul and Dojun for talking to his mother and the other readers for defending him. which is not the case.
It's not about what his mother did it's about how byul and his own husband go behind his back. If the mom wants contact she should try to fix things with her own child first and not go behind his back
It’s okay to feel empathy for her past, but leaving her son (someone who can’t leave) with the man who sex trafficked her is something I can’t ever justify. Most of the comments I’ve seen echo this sentiment, that she’s irredeemable, and honestly, that’s a completely valid opinion.
I also think everyone is scared there’s gonna be a redemption arc, so they’re letting it be known how angry and invalidating that is to Hyesung.
i see! thanks for clarifying! personally, I don’t think the grandmother’s side of story holds any weight to this family drama because that’s been discussed in an old side story already. also, byul’s comment of how hyesung “doesn’t know her story” also gave me the impression that this chapter will start another debate whether or not hyesung’s mother’s actions are justified or not. and I thought your comment was steering toward that direction. sorry for not understanding your intention! i do agree that some comments here are severely insensitive toward a rape victim.
u explained this so well. i think most of the hate comments toward the mother is borne from the fact that most of the readers see character as irredeemable and irresponsible, regardless of her backstory
Sorry just saw this comment, but people hating and calling her a bitch (which is harsh, but so is leaving ur son with a rapist), has nothing to do with her being sex trafficked. It’s her actions in regards to Hyesung and Byul. Her coming into HIS kids life, conversing with HIS husband, using THEIR money is absolutely insane.
RIGHT THAT PART. this is also why I commented that the grandmother’s backstory has nothing to do with the current arc, and at this point, the comments toward her. that’s done and gone. most of the comments here are just a reaction to how shameless her actions are when hyesung clearly stated that he doesn’t want jack shit from her
I would have to disagree with you on this. putting aside BL fans/yaoi fans propensity to call women in the works they enjoy misogynistic slurs like bitch. I really do think it’s insensitive to call any woman a slur but even moreso a rape victim.
Just like I thought it was uncalled for and nasty for people to call Hyesung a bitch for not returning dojun’s feeling despite having been assaulted by him in the OG story.
Maybe it’s because I work with victims of sexual assault and I know the weight and use that word carry, regardless of their good or bad actions.
You dont have to justify her actions brw. Regardless of how you feel, victims of sexual assault such as Hyesung’s mother, sometimes do not take the best actions due to their own trauma.
what’s redeemable for a victim like her honestly ? And why is the onus not more on her and hyesung’s abuser ? (Those are just my musings, I’m not attacking you and your opinion).
I guess we will see however in so far my understanding was not that she was trying to fix her relationship with Hyesung (I think for that to happen both him and her will have to confront their own trauma) but more to have a relationship with Byul. (If I’m wrong feel free to correct me).
All that to say that I’ve a lot of things to criticize about Love is an illusion works (specially when it comes to the use of sexual assault as development for a romantic relationship) but I believe that the portrayal of Hyesung’s mother as a victim is very honest and brutal which makes a lot of people passionate abt that whole arc.
Whether or not people use the word “bitch” really comes down to personal feelings about it. From what I’ve seen, most of the people using it in this comment section seem to be women (though I haven’t specifically checked for comments with that word), so ultimately it’s a matter of personal morals and comfort.
Your opinion on the word “bitch” is definitely valid. Some women use it casually and as a universal term, while others see it as degrading toward women and refuse to use it. Everyone’s upbringing and experiences shape how they feel about the word, so perspectives will naturally differ. It’s similar to how some women (especially men) use the word “female” instead of the grammatically correct term “woman.” It really depends on what you grew up hearing and what feels natural to you.
In my opinion, the reason why people are talking about her and not the abuser is simply because he is no longer in the picture. I honestly forgot what happened to him, and I forgot about the mother too until they brought her back.
I’m not sure if she wants to have a relationship with Hyesung, but I do feel it is incredibly disrespectful to form a relationship with Byul considering that Hyesung wants nothing to do with her. This is especially personal to me since I’ve gone no contact with family members, and the idea of them contacting my kids genuinely infuriates me (simply my opinion, others may disagree).
I also think it’s very brutal and honest, and I think a lot of people relate to Hyesung which is why everyone feels pretty personal about it.
And just when I thought that Su Ah was already at the bottom for raping Juhyeok … here comes reproductive abuse !
The mere fact that he entertained the idea and tried to trigger a heat to Juhyeok just so he could sexually assault him ( cause Juhyeok has expressed that he didn’t want and still doesn’t want to have sex with Su Ah) but that, on top, he tried to forcefully impregnated him ??? that’s insane.
Su Ah should be in jail.
I do not believe that Su Ah actually gave him the morning after pill, I’m sorry but the words of a rapist mean little to me, so I do hope if there’s a pregnancy Juhyeok gets to kill that thing.
I’m glad that Juhyeok stood up for himself, however the aftermath of the rape and the way it’s handled is a bit weird and reeks of the romanticization other readers commented on.
Juhyeok should be more devastated about what occurred, for all intents and purposes he’s a character that feels a lot better it anger or joy. And also he called Su Ah a rapist chapters before this one yet now he doesn’t… ok I suppose.
I’m frankly more interested in how Juhyeok is going to navigate what happened to him and how that will impact him be it with judo or his omeganhood.
Congratulations to Su Ah for making every preconceived ideas, fears, stereotypes etc … Juhyeok had about being an omega, becoming true. May he rot in hell