Why does everyone think Ricky is Hojoong’s son? That wasn’t a flashback, it was a dream he had after losing consciousness. When he wakes up, he literally addresses it as such, “A dream..? Since when?”
Also the timeline wouldn’t align, his son is still a child. The panel where his kid is being taken is just MC imagining what’ll happen to his son if he doesn’t pay off his debt. At the start of the story, it’s stated that he recently separated from his wife and that she and their son are living with her brother so it can’t be Ricky. Also iirc when Ricky was 11, Hojoong had just retired so Ricky is significantly older than Hojoong’s son.
In Jiwook’s defense, who wouldn’t get pissed off after hearing some stranger go on about how badly they’d want to screw you? And bro was licking his lips??? I would’ve crippled him. I think he should’ve done worse. Also people are getting on him for being stupid and saying he deserves it but I don’t think someone deserves to get beaten to a pulp and raped for being stupid. It’s also stated on numerous occasions throughout both the novel and the manhwa (the manhwa alludes to it but the novel is more direct) that Jiwook is an idiot. He’s literally described as “simple-minded” multiple times and he even acknowledges it. It’s also established pretty early on that he completely lacks impulse control and has poor emotional regulation. He’s VERY straightforward. When he’s angry, he lashes out. There’s never any thought put into it and we see this time and time again. (Ex. He didn’t waste any time on confronting Juyeon nor did he even bother to even think about his situation and plan ahead, he literally jumps straight into it) Also whenever we see things from his pov, everything from his goals to his motivations are always kept very simple and surface leveled because there’s no thought put into them. There are no layers, he never really hides what kind of person he is because he’s literally incapable of it. He ends up forgetting about the photo multiple times because he’s genuinely just that simple. He gets side tracked very easily and often falls off track because he gets too caught up in his own emotions. When he turns off his phone in fear of Juyeon’s reaction, he’s literally behaving like a child running away/hiding after doing something they shouldn’t have because he’s scared of being punished. He’s very immature. They know they shouldn’t, but they lack the self control necessary for resisting temporary satisfaction and yet they also lack the emotional maturity needed for accountability. Everything we see him do is for his own satisfaction and benefit. Personally I think his character is actually very realistic and very well thought out. Especially in this case, where it’s clear that Jiwook is a narcissistic asshole. He perfectly encapsulates that stereotype. His pride is deeply tied to his insecurities. Internalized homophobia and misogyny which are both deeply intertwined with his need to conform to traditional views of masculinity. The man is overcompensating through projection and aggression. There’s also the blatant sadism. I believe there was a panel where he admitted that he enjoyed putting people down because it satisfied him. He’s very self aware but lacks the ability to change of his own volition because he’s under the belief that being a bully is the only way he can ever amount to anything. It’s the only way he can feel comfortable because it’s his only way of escaping his own insecurities. Putting other people down allows him a sense of both power and control. It allows him to feel superior when deep down inside he feels insignificant. This is also why he fails to be compliant, because in his mind he feels that he’s above it even when he’s clearly at a disadvantage. He’s entitled and the idea of him submitting or admitting defeat would mean (to him) that he’s no better than the people he’s been bullying. I’m not justifying his actions, Jiwook is a bad person, point blank. I do think he’s a well written character though and I appreciate how complex he really is. Another thing about the situation that I think people are overlooking is how difficult it would be for him to actually seek help. In real life, most men would react the same way. A lot of men don’t seek help in fear of being judged and also because they’re convinced that it’s “emasculating”. The system works against victims anyway, especially in SK. Victims of SA are often left vulnerable to all kinds of public scrutiny and harassment and if you do get lucky enough to have your report taken seriously, you still have to go through the trouble of a public trial. It would defeat the purpose of him trying to cover up what happened to him because if he reports it, it’d be made public and everyone would know what happened to him. Obviously, we know that ends up happening anyway but like I said before, Jiwook isn’t very smart so it’s clear that he never thought that far ahead. Also he was inebriated + the two were seen leaving a drinking party so it’d be very easy for Juyeon to get away with it and even if he were to get charged (which I doubt because he’s super rich, amongst other things) he wouldn’t be jailed for long. Jiwooks’s pride is destroying his life and he’s unable to let go of it because it’s (in his mind) all that he has.
On another hand, I don’t think he deserves any of this. I think the revenge stopped being revenge a long time ago. The extent is far too much. It’s very clear in the novel that Juyeon has lost sight of it and is really doing it for himself. I think what makes the story so interesting are the characters. This was an insanely difficult read (especially as a male victim of sa) and it’s definitely the kind of story that you read once and then never touch again. Every character in the story absolutely sucks. Not a single good person, including Suhyeok, who’s pretty much a bystander for the most part and when he does try to help, it’s very clear that it stems from a place of guilt because of how complacent he initially was. The ending is very realistic in my opinion but I do think the best ending would be one in which Jiwook dies. He would’ve been better off dying after this, sadly. Juyeon pretty much turns into the very same person he hated but much worse. Where as Jiwook is self aware, Juyeon isn’t. Jiwook understands why he treats people the way he does but Juyeon doesn’t. He’s genuinely out of touch with his own emotions and really does lack empathy. He’s pretty much a sociopath. While I do sympathize with what he endured, just like Jiwook, it doesn’t justify his wrongs. Juyeon is ridiculously evil and it becomes very clear throughout the story that what starts off as revenge is later twisted into a form of obsession. He terrorizes Jiwook in an effort to heal past wounds but the more he attempts to fill the void, the emptier he feels. In the end, he’s never truly satisfied and ends up being worse off than when he started. He’s beyond redemption and genuinely fails to see what kind of monster he’s become in the pursuit of revenge.