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I don't understand the comments claiming that this is illogical or that the dynamic between the two characters feels out of character. We understand that human relationships don't follow a linear path; often, things aren't simply black and white, but rather shades of gray. What exactly were you expecting? That after four years—accumulating all that frustration, dealing with an unstable family situation, living a life under constant control, having no one around to trust, suffering from abysmal verbal communication, and enduring an awkward, unresolved farewell—they would suddenly have calm, tender sex? And yet, you can still feel that uncontrolled frenzy—a sensation where, even if Juheom tries to deny it, he cannot help but waver in the face of his own stubbornness. The characters are acting in accordance with the circumstances of their specific context; therefore, within the narrative of the story, I feel the author did an excellent job of portraying that pent-up frustration.
downvoted by accident!!
i definitely understand that and understand why the author chose this route HOWEVER the SA wasn’t necessary imo, that’s what my issue is
excellent job by portraying angry forced sex ?
Did you read that with your feet or something? Juheon tried to be considerate—he even wanted to stop when he saw that Dohu was in pain. And Dohu, too, wanted to call it off because Juheon’s body was hurting just as much; yet they both pressed on regardless. They endured that wild, desperate, and utterly inconsiderate sex because they had spent so long yearning for one another that they simply let themselves be swept away by a pleasure charged with frustration.
wouldn't call that yearning or pleasurable in any way but you go girl
How could it not be longing? You can see they're so desperate to touch, kiss, and feel each other. It's obvious!
I lowkey wanna laugh but I’m actually concerned because wtf are you on??
• Juheon agreed to the sex because it felt like as if it was the only choice he had
-> so how autonomous was that choice?
• Dohu wanted to quit, Juheon literally said that if he does that, that he will lose the bet?
-> so manipulating him to continue
• Juheon wanted to stop when Dohu was in pain
-> Dohu used the same manipulation that Juheon used on him
This isn’t any ‘wild, desperate, and utterly inconsiderate’ sex this is straight up SA for both of them.
not to mention how it totally breaks the story flow so far. hate sex (obv fanservice for the sake of it) was not what was needed. it feels intrusive.
Both of them played under the conditions that were set. What I’m trying to say is that there was consent—it’s not as if Juheon or Dohu weren’t aware of what they were doing. I don't want to label Juheon or Dohu as rapists, because I don't feel that they are.
1) because it’s under the conditions that they set, still doesn’t justify SA
2) The consent wasn’t AUTONOMOUS. It wasn’t INTRINSIC.
3) you don’t wanna label them as rapist because you don’t FEEL that they are ????? Like I never mentioned that they are rapists? They did assault each other. But girl let’s be for real, we don’t label people on how we feel they are, but how they OBJECTIVELY are. I genuinely hope that you don’t use this mindset irl.
I understand your point of view—we aren't denying the abuse—but I was speaking from a more emotional perspective regarding the characters.
nah you right sis. this couple is written with a lot of emotional nuance that a lot of people aren't used to reading about so they end up confused. the story's called "between the lines" so reading between the lines for deeper meaning was a given.
Completely unrelated, but I was analyzing the title of this story—"Between the Lines"—and I started thinking about how, nowadays, we seem to require a message to be explicitly spelled out in order to grasp it. Whether it’s a movie, a TV series, or a book, it feels as though if the message isn't practically shoved in our faces, we simply don't get it. That complacent mindset terrifies me—the kind where you don't even bother to engage your critical thinking skills to arrive at a conclusion. And the same applies to this story, where so much is conveyed implicitly—where the characters, emotionally speaking, struggle to verbalize their feelings.
I agree 100%. They both seem very human and have such different perspectives. I think it’s kind of a practice of tolerance for them to be together