because despite everything it seems like woojin and his brother have now switched sides. woojin takes on a pov where, no matter what his brother does there is no way to make amends for what’s been done. that the pain and hurt he feels cannot be erased with a conversation and some apologies. whereas, woojins brother seems to of switched his mindset. he misses his family and his brother deeply and felt and knew he was in the wrong so he said nothing to defend himself. this being the case when woojins mom said “you both never give each other an inch” but here we see woojins brother offering an inch by not fighting back and just saying “thank you” to woojin showing up at all or even asking about his life. bigoted people will continue to be bigoted, in reference to the brother asking about a girlfriend. but, when you’re ignorant and don’t understand, you act in the only ways you know. even if it’s harmful sometimes it’s not always intentional, i say that because his brother asked about marriage and a partner, connecting in the only way that feels safe and neutral to him (even though that’s a loaded question).
i feel as though woojin feeling as though his brother invited him to the wedding to dig at him for being gay might be an unreliable narrator moment because it’s obvious woojin has been holding onto those words and feelings for a while now. my first read of the chapter kind of tells me that his brother just missed woojin. despite the insensitive comment about having a girlfriend, you can tell he loved woojin. *loves, woojin. he still does and this is evident due to the invitation to his wedding. so it’s kind of sad, younger woojin wanted to put everything behind him in a way and just exist with his brother (despite the fights) meanwhile his brother wanted nothing to do with him because of woojins gayness. now it’s the opposite, woojin hates his brother down to his core whereas his brother wants to move past his mistakes and just have his brother back.
some things are deeper than skin. what’s done is done, i think woojins brother giving an inch here and taking merciless criticism (rightfully so) is foreshadowing for a possible interaction, but one where woojin is more open minded to seeing his brother or planned on his own. he’s proving he’d grown by giving an inch and breaking their no contact. you’d never invite someone you hate to your most precious and special moment in life, your wedding. maybe we will see more of their relationship develop in the future.
and remember! being hateful to those around you will leave you with nobody at the end of the day. try to be nice, it’s free.
That’s my take too. I don’t think the brother was trying to be hurtful; I think he genuinely just doesn’t know much about what Woojin has been doing for the past ten years beyond whatever he’s heard from their family or through the grapevine. It almost feels like he’s standing there thinking, “What can I ask him? What can we even talk about?” So he awkwardly asks about grad school, probably because he heard from their mother or someone else in the family that that’s what Woojin is doing, and then about marriage because it’s the most immediate thing on his own mind. He doesn’t seem to realize that it could be a painful question for Woojin until it’s pointed out to him.
Hwijun clearly wants to make amends, but reconciliation can only happen if Woojin wants it too. And Woojin himself has admitted that, even after all this time, he’s still resentful over everything his brother did. So I think it’s a combination of genuinely wanting to cut Hwijun out of his life because of the pain he caused him, but also knowing that the pain still lingers so many years later. He knows he can’t have a level-headed, civil conversation with his brother without that resentment rearing its head, so from Woojin’s perspective, it probably becomes a question of “What’s the point if even trying?” when he knows it won’t work out.
We also don’t know whether Hwijun has ever tried to apologize for his actions before. Maybe he has and Woojin never accepted it, which could explain why he doesn’t immediately bring it up during their first face-to-face conversation in a decade. But maybe he hasn’t. And if that’s the case, then it also suggests that, despite wanting to reconnect, he still hasn’t fully acknowledged or reckoned with how much his actions hurt Woojin.
I do hope they eventually reconcile. Not because Woojin owes Hwijun forgiveness or a relationship, but because they clearly still care about each other despite everything that happened between them. I also think it would make for a stronger story if we got to see both of them grow enough to overcome what’s keeping them apart: Hwijun confronting his homophobia and the harm he caused, and Woojin working through the resentment that harm left behind.
At the very least, even if Woojin ultimately can’t forgive Hwijun, I hope he can eventually let go of some of the anger and resentment he’s been carrying. Not for Hwijun’s sake, but for his own. Holding onto that kind of anger for so long can end up hurting the person carrying it more than anyone else.
preach
!!!! i agree! i think his brother was getting nervous at the silence and asked filler questions so he could talk to woojin longer. “what can else can i say…”
and i also agree, it would make for a stronger story for sure, building their relationship back together is good world building imo. and i’d love to see a lighter interaction in the future
can we please get a side pair of an older love interest for the old man. i hate him so baaddd but it’s better than him with the mc
Fr
I believe it's someone around the same age as juhyeok so maybe skip the side couple chapters if that's not for you.
it’s not that i think it’s gross to have age gap (i appreciate the heads up) i just wanna see two dilfs smh and i hate the old ass man so bad AGH SAVE ME FROM THESE SHACKLES
Rip I'm sorry I hope the information I got was wrong so you can see your two old men dream happen. I didn't assume you thought it was gross or anything btw just wanted to warn in case!
guys don’t worry it’s just me at the door omw to see my man
Yoo thank god I was so scared
i’ll keep him safe trust
it makes me sad to know there are queer people who struggle being accepted by the ones they care about in their life simply because of social image and the construct around it. i’m lesbian myself, and although i’ve never had much of an issue with acceptance within my family, i see people like me get hurt in ways that could have been me if my life and family was different and it makes my heart ache like no other. that’s not to say my life is smooth, i’ve faced homophobia. but, i’ve never faced it in a debilitating way, at least never let it.
please know that it’s okay to be the way you are. it’s okay to love who you want to love and like what you want to like. own that shit, it’s who you are and there’s nothing wrong with that. just because you’re an apple grown on an orange tree doesn’t mean you need to be an orange. it’s okay to be an apple. and it’s also okay to like oranges and apples! hope that makes sense. stay safe out there apples and oranges <3
Thank you very much for your kind words. Chapter 25 already had me sobbing sad and happy tears and after reading your comment I feel a bit more comforted ( ╥﹏╥)ﾉ. I am still trying to figure things out and heal too whilst still holding that pebble in my heart and hope to one day get to lay that pebble into a pond for it's final resting place. Wish you all the best and the others reading this too.
it’s so funny that she unknowingly created a toxic ml. lwk cracked up at that like wym you didn’t know it was rapey good on her for addressing it and offering to fix it though