the romance was really cheesy, the ml had no personality except being a devoted perfect simp, the villains were cartoonishly evil and never posed an actual threat, this is the quintessential rags-to-riches plot in kdramas where mc outmanuvers villains and obstacles quite easily, but this was entertaining, immersive, cathartic, and a decent palate cleanser after reading smth like Innocent Wind, which I'm sure was written as a darker subversion of this particular story.
ngl this is a typical getting revenge on a cheating couple type of plot, but this scratched an itch for delving into the downward spiral of a woman who discovers her bf, whom she was planning to marry, and her close friend having an affair behind her back, and the psychological state of a really flawed, vindictive, and malicious fls who goes too far in her revenge. instead of making the emotionally sound choice to simply dump her bf and move on, she initially stays with him out of attachment and tries to forgive him, but down the line realizes that she cant move on and decides to get revenge. there's no going into the past to correct your mistakes, becoming a better version of yourself, and snagging a rich and devoted husband for a happy ending, this fl gets plastic surgery to become a beautiful femme fatale to easily seduce men, thru which she can subject her revenge targets to the same emotional anguish she experienced when she learned they betrayed her. it's a morally messy quagmire for sure and cathartic, but at the same time, it's heartbreaking cuz she's obviously feels empty and is gradually becoming a worse version of herself as she sinks deeper and is just hurting herself. i lowkey even felt bad for her targets. the love interests are pretty interesting themselves-- one a childhood friend who unconditionally loves her so he feels hurts when she hurts herself (and basically the only moral compass in this story full of flawed people; she doesnt deserve him tbh), the other, seemingly the "perfect" ideal ml in these type of plots, helps facilitate her revenge bc fl reminds him of his mom and he has mommy issues and is using her to validate a desire for attention he never received from his mom (he likes her shallowly and basically only interested in her bc she's not interested in him). both their roles dont feel unnecessary and fl's dynamic with them adds another dimension to her character. the latter is honestly hotter imo, but it's obvious fl will end up with the former. he is not the easier choice for her bc his presence and "goodness" remind her of her former self, which highlights the awful person she has become, thus she rejects him, but he grounds her in reality and doesnt let her stray too far into the deep end. she doesnt think she deserves him, but he will be absolutely crucial to her maintaining moral standards and embracing healing and self-love again. the other guy is an easier choice, he encourages her actions and comforts her after all, but if she chooses him, she's essentially choosing to embrace her self-loathing and this new persona that is a stark departure from her former self, that, deep down, she wants to return to. overall, very entertaining; highly recommend for readers who want a gaslighting morally grey fl who becomes broken in her pursuit of revenge. i would honestly reread if the translation is better.
Thissss I was literally coming to say how refreshing it is to see the same plot but the more depressing side to it
so what's the point of her reincarnating as her sister?
anyway, read some spoilers if anyone curious:
yeah her soul transfered to a stranger's body in her previous life after she was executed. she has to complete some tasks to return, and while at it, she becomes aidan's personal maid (bc he suffers symptoms of losing his 'pair', but she can alleviate it) and learns that aidan never intended for her to die. she also meets poppy who is suffering the same thing as aidan. her current life body is unconscious but continues to grow but since the time flows differently between the timelines 9 years pass before she returns to her current life. anyway, they defeat the emperor, there is a hidden villain who is also a reincarnator like mc, but mc summons her mom and defeats him. the ml is aidan, poppy is relegated to family. they live happily ever after.
finished the main story and honestly the arguments about whether the ml can be redeemed or not is practiacally irrelevent cuz ml suffers/grovels a lot (as he should) to the point i even felt bad for him and i just wanted mc to be happy even if it meant falling for ml. (coming from someone who dont give a damn abt a mc forgiving a trash ml if the redemption arc is bad). every action he commits snowballs into a resoundingly tragic consequence. and the story is unrelenting in reminding us of his reprehensible acts and that the consequences are essentially ml's karma. it's very satisfying seeing how the ml changed from cold-blooded guy who used mc as a pawn to a groveling simp who would beg and beam with joy at the faintest scrap of attention mc gives him, and who cant bring himself to do anything but weep knowing mc tried killing him several times. granted, it's a complete 180 of his previous attitude, almost jarringly so, but that and the narrative style of jumping back and forth between past and present offset my anger a lot ngl (and if he was anything less mc would've continued hating him). anyway, the story is hella angsty, mc absolutely hates ml the majority of the story (until the last 10%?) and is so desperate for revenge he secretly funded a rebellion against ml, which indirectly caused a tragedy that bit mc on the butt. but everything can be traced back to ml's actions, so everything is basically his fault and the characters remind him constantly. so yeah, rape and the other reprehensible acts aren't swept under the rug, it's a huge obstacle to any reconciliation and their relationship progressing, ml had to nearly die twice for mc to finally believe his sincerity, and in the last chapter ml does let mc leave to process his emotions and try to forgive ml, and he returns after 6 years.
Damn thanks for informing
no problem. tbh the manwha isnt as good as the novel at conveying the atmosphere and inner thoughts of the characters, so i rec checking it out. it's completed (i think)!
Thanks for the spoiler. It feels like I'm reading Toxin. Kinda the same vibe
so his childhood friend is still alive i bet but in a different form, since she's been given the name "sky seer". her power is def smth like prophecy or clairvoyance
Didn't his friend become a gargoyle or hollow smthg, or did I understand that wrong?
thats what im assumed too, but im also thinking she's a 'special' or 'advanced' form of gargoyle who retained some cognitive function (this chapter revealing her moniker is def foreshadowing her relevance in the future)
I hope so, it's so sad if she died I hope she's still alive somewhere or smthg
is it just me or is this story leaning into a poly route? like obviously fmc loves ml and doesnt like yora but there is some suspicious "flirting" between ml and yora... (there's also a lesbian couple so gay couple isnt off the table, and yk... ml's kiss to save yora).
ummm nvm i think this manga is just freaky
so like, what's the morality of creating an AU in which the teacher and student in the source material are childhood friends with similar ages to circumvent the otherwise pedophilia stuff.
fuck i had a feeling it was him when they said there was someone pulling the strings but fuck it's still disappointing as hell i knew someone that beautiful was too good to be true... ╥﹏╥
the romance is fulfilling my lucy x gray dreams so ngl im into it
good art. but cookie-cutter younger top x older bottom dynamic and plot with cliché tropes and drama, down to even ml's reason for falling for mc.
agreed. i'd like to see the author be more creative with her future works. the fact that ml fell for mc because he was 'different than everyone else', misunderstanding, miscommunication, etc etc.. generic eye rollll