egg toast

the last chapter was so sad... now that Mysterious Skin poster hits harder :/

both pyeongwha and incheol are troubled people who just can’t process their pain in a healthy way. in pyeongwha’s case, even if he gets pleasure from incheol hitting him (like in the last chapters), it’s still slowly killing him

for me, it’s less about the "benefits" he gets from it and more that he simply doesn’t know how to live without feeling pain

meanwhile, incheol endures everything just to feel useful. he sees the pain from his work as something necessary that keeps him in control. he’s honestly such a bleak character under that charismatic persona, someone who can’t survive without forcing himself through these rituals of discomfort

what makes it interesting is that while pyeongwha knows he's broken, incheol still tries to act like he's intact. it’s that constant tension between what society expects and his inner self that makes him a solid character, for me

at the same time, pyeongwha is totally removed from society - no family, no normal job. but he still hasn’t found freedom, because true freedom isn’t found through pain. suffering is just a means to an end, and that end isn't about erasing the pain, but learning how to live with yourself despite it