I really hope Heejae cleans up the mess he’s made and eventually realizes just how much he fucked up all four of his students’ lives. I genuinely hope he feels remorse and sincerely apologizes to them from the bottom of his heart.
How much of an asshole can Heejae be? He’s seriously going after his former student’s career again just because Compton picked up the same shitty traits he taught him. Has no one in his 40-something years of life ever slapped some sense into this man and told him to stop being such an asshole? Like, seriously, dude, get your shit together.
It’s honestly hilarious that Heejae is so furious about what Compton has done and is already thinking about getting back at him. Like, sir, have you looked in a fucking mirror? You traumatized basically all your students with the way you treated them, and Garam only managed to understand you, fall in love with you, and put up with your bullshit because of who he is and how empathetic he is. Yet somehow you’re completely blind to your own behavior and think you’re in the right.
And now you’re planning to fuck with Compton’s career and life behind Garam’s back? The audacity is actually insane. You did a thousand times worse to your own students, but somehow Compton is the one who needs to be punished?
ig we just need a slight tick of switch for this so heejae can realize some things
right?!!!? whatever Heejae's do to Compton pissed me off so bad, i mean unc, look at yourself first????
I need someone to fuck Heejae up the same way he fucked up his students. That dumbass has no fucking idea what he’s done to them.
What the hell happened in chapter 205? Everyone in the comments is losing their minds. Please, someone spoil it for me, I need to know!
same omg I feel like that meme where all the kids are together laughing in a group and I'm the lonely kid
Garam is such a gentleman. I love how gently he’s trying to comfort Compton. Those little pats on his back feel like he’s saying, “I understand you. I know what you’ve been through.” Maybe, in the end, Garam can even give Compton the closure he desperately needs.
Garam is someone who I’d say is empathetic and emotionally perceptive. He has a good ability to look beyond people’s outward behavior and understand what’s underneath it. He can empathize with wounded people without letting them take advantage of his empathy or use him as an emotional dumping ground. He understands people, but he also knows where to draw the line. If anything, I don’t think he’s become colder—he’s just become more mature.
I think he has gotten some sort of metacognition
Yeah, I think that’s part of it. He just seems more self-aware now.
It is more like he is standing his ground
Compton is someone who is desperate for validation, consumed by resentment, and deeply wounded. He craves Heejae’s approval so much that he still can’t seem to see his own worth outside of Heejae’s opinion of him. He also seems to project his own resentment onto Garam, assuming that because they both have Heejae as a teacher, Garam must hate him too. And in his attempt to hurt Heejae, he’s slowly turning into a miniature version of him—a little knife that ends up hurting others too.
I think bad memories don’t just disappear. Sometimes they stay with you and make you want to prove to the person who hurt you that you’re better than they thought. That’s why I think all the praise Compton gets from others means so little to him—because the approval he actually wanted, from Heejae as his teacher, was never there.
Compton needs to accept that Heejae isn’t the center of the musical universe, but that’s easier said than done. When a teacher tears you down so badly that you feel inadequate and even become afraid to touch your instrument again, you find your own way of coping. For Compton, I think becoming a conductor was part of that.
I like Heejae as a character, but there’s a difference between being blunt and being an asshole. He genuinely doesn’t know how to communicate or understand other people’s feelings. I’m an adult and I still carry some trauma from my first teacher’s humiliation and insults, even though I was the best student in my class, so I can understand Compton to some extent.
I also think Garam means so much to Compton because of their shared pain. It’s like siblings who grew up with an abusive parent—they carry the same wounds and understand each other in a way others can’t. Garam feels like someone who truly understands Compton, so he becomes a kind of balm for his wounds. That may also be why Garam’s praise matters so much to him—it gets tangled up with the validation he always wanted from Heejae.
And while Garam managed to get through Heejae’s thorny exterior, truly see him, reach him, and love him, Heejae’s other students were left with anger, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy. So, according to the spoilers, I can understand why Compton feels betrayed and played when he finds out about their relationship. It’s not just jealousy; Garam got the version of Heejae that they all wanted but never got to see.
so well said. i recently binged everything in 2 days, now i wish i took it in slower. been reflecting on heejae’s impact on each of his students and the fact that one is depressed, another is a recovering alcoholic, and the third has anger management issues is pretty heavy. i am looking forward to see how compton (or if) resolves his issues. i feel like he’s had it the worse considering he still really begrudges heejae and i really hope heejae is able to give him some closure. compton’s arc has been the longest and i think most complex out of the former students and i’m so glad to be able to read it, so i really liked your analysis!
I’m glad you liked my analysis! I’ve been thinking about the same things, especially how differently Heejae’s actions affected each of his students. It’s honestly pretty heartbreaking when you realize that all of them walked away with completely different wounds and I agree about Compton. I think his arc is so complicated because he doesn’t just resent Heejae—so much of his identity and self-worth were shaped by what happened between them. I really hope he gets some kind of closure, even if it doesn’t mean forgiving Heejae. I’m also really curious to see whether Heejae will finally understand just how deeply he hurt him.
I can’t bring myself to read any other manhwa or manga anymore. They bore me to the core. . I’ve been waking up excited just to read the new chapters lately. And once again, huge thanks to SAGE for translating and uploading this gem. You did such an amazing job with it. Now, time for a reread!
Same same