i feel like i remember a comment a bit ago saying how it didnt make sense for the MC to even tolerate the ML, since he had such strict morals. however, this season has clearly shown that MC is becoming quickly disillusioned about the system he works in. his family represents the more conservative side of the spectrum (i.e., narrow ideals about morals and ethics) vs the ML who is the opposite side, but neither are inherently evil. i’m curious to see which will come first: him passively allowing the ML to make things happen for him (perhaps unethically) until he is forced to confront his own complicity OR abandoning his current ideals and the system to take matters into his own hands. i kind of hope it’s the latter since he’s holding ppl at gun point lol
i’m actually glad that the artist made a point to show that Taeui is flaccid the entire time. his internal dialogue also honors what he is going through in the novel. i get that their first encounter was dub con/non con but this interaction is different and it’s shown as such. this kind of shows the “darker” side of yandere pairings (unmarred by pretend fluff and flattery over obsession). doesnt make it better that we all have to sit through weeks of this sh*t but still.
maybe i’m misremembering, but i could’ve sworn the ML mentioned that he takes birth control and multiple suppressants. if so, in theory he shouldn’t be as worried about pregnancy but y’know what ABO isnt exactly science based so
i hope whoever commented last time wondering if the jizz would go everywhere in his stomach or if his organs were there, just simply transparent, is satisfied lol
y’know what Nanjo DOES have beautiful balls, i’ll give him that. i cant comment on the smell like some people but i can agree that what’s his face might be onto something xD
why was this actually so good? ㅠㅠ like yeah there were occasional plot holes or HUH moments, but maybe i missed the tags but i didn’t expect to be reading a dark almost psychological thriller!! i’ll mark this for spoilers in case someone hasnt finished reading it.
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the cult plot was genuinely insane but also felt relevant. religious cults are a pervasive issue in Korea and if someone wanted to watch a Korean drama about it i would recommend “Save me” starring Seo Yeji. what was fascinating about this cult, is that it almost became karmic retribution for Yisin. as a character he’s deeply flawed, but not unlikeable. while being unknowingly manipulated he makes a very BAD choice that leads to the cult as it currently exists: fanatics obsessed with immortality believing that engaging in cannibalism will earn them it. he becomes consumed by the very monster he created and realizes in each “timeline” (i use this to loosely refer to his stretches of memory erasing) that what he himself started, is not reproducing the same environment that harms helpless children like he once was. his revenge is generally self serving and driven by guilt and a sense of personal responsibility. he is of course not the only one to be blamed and was sadly surrounded by literal psychos. and when it “resolved” his life isnt magically fixed and the villains still exist.
i also somewhat appreciated that the SA scenes seemed relatively intentional from the author’s end. yeah, it’s not THAT cute to have it be slapstick comedy. however, in the scene at least the MC wasn’t terrified. whereas later you see Yeonhyeop snap and what was appreciated is he didnt truly make it seem like he was overcome with desire and “couldn’t help himself” which is what we often see. we see Yisin’s terror, his struggle, and that Yeonhyeop is truly obsessed with him and while he says it’s love he also admits he desires to dominate someone he feels he should be entitled to. in this sense and given their dynamic, it felt like a relevant and thoughtful choice (mind you i’m never actually a fan of SA being used as a plot device specifically, if a story presents itself as CNC/dubcon slop that’s an entirely separate matter).
i also really appreciated that in Yisin’s quest to right his wrongs we can see that no one is truly/wholly “good” in the story. generally they are morally grey or downright twisted, but capable of occasionally doing decent or good things that are still ultimately self serving. but i digress.
it’s complex! thoughtful! exciting!! i would love to own this. it’s a solid 8/10 for me.
like he’s always been manipulative but i appreciate that he is also complex. his family sucks! hope he starts treating MC better soon
this will include some spoilers from the novel so proceed at your own risk.
hoping to avoid responses about “if you don’t like it don’t read it” or “did you not like what kind of story this was?” this story perplexes me for many reasons. there are many overlapping plot points yet i still struggle to see what the “point” of it is. often in fiction when you have yandere type characters the general idea is that their love interest is an exception to their violence, at least to some degree. that doesnt ever excuse their violence, but at times does offer their love interest some degree of autonomy.
in this partnership, Taeui does not have any autonomy and he never has. there isn’t revenge, there isnt really any emotion at all aside from Ilay’s desire to conquer and possess him. their relationship is largely unchanged from the beginning to now, insofar as Taeui has grown but Ilay is the same emotionally stunted violent loser. it gets to a point where you wonder… what is the point? what message is the author trying to convey? because it’s certainly not romantic or erotic; that doesn’t seem to be the intent.
i often stick around with darker stories to see what the larger message or goal is, but this doesn’t seem to have one. from where i stopped on the novel, this scene was physically nauseating. what we see here is actually less graphic and more tame than the novel. but thankfully (for now) seems to be honoring the original depiction insofar as Taeui is NOT enjoying this and he is fully aware he is being raped (this is important because this is often glossed over in fiction). it goes on for MANY chapters. and by the time it finishes and Taeui gets to speak, Ilay is not remorseful. Taeui basically just accepts his fate as being the only one who can “manage” Ilay so that he doesn’t kill his entire family. like i didnt think i was signing up for graphic DV and IPV but here we are…
i think this is one of those unfortunate circumstances where the reader might hope the black flag has some bit of humanity due to their attachment. but unfortunately, like Caesar, Zhenya, and Ilay, their true nature is even more obvious when they don’t get what they want or think theyve been betrayed.
as someone who peeked ahead at the novel, if the way the manhwa depicts it is accurate, it’s not going to be good. to me, it’s actually worse than how their unfortunate relationship began. Taeui genuinely doesnt think Ilay was capable of doing what he does. and there isnt resolution afterwards. it’s quite unsatisfying.
i definitely think this has been a story with darker themes, plus the main leads did have some moments together where consent was somewhat dubious. HOWEVER, i strongly feel that this reunion scene would have been just as impactful if Yujin was being physically beaten alone. to then segue from assault (which yes, it’s still SA even if the interruption prevented rape) to him being assaulted by Aaron in his sleep is crazy. the author could have Aaron be dark and obsessive without all that. like he stalked him across the globe… that’s enough to make him sketchy?? :/ anyways. i’ll still finish the story but it’s always a bummer when there’s out of place SA to add tension where there was already enough.
that’s why she said his bathroom was like a hotel!! (￣ε(#￣)Σ it’s very standard to have the bathroom be a wet room with the shower attached to the sink. plus mans has an OVEN (rare finding, usually has to be installed or requested during extensive renovation) and a dryer ㅠㅠ
i’m sorry WHAT??? i didnt expect this to be fluffy but i didn’t expect the toxicity to take a turn for abusive and attempted rape like how TIRED and overdone is this writing choice??? writers, FIND BETTER WAYS TO CREATE CONFLICT
