Girl, you know absolutely nothing about this man yet your dream is to marry him? Not her literally tracking him down. What if he doesn’t want to be bothered and get married. Like obviously we know how this manhwa is going to end but still. That’s some crazy behavior.
Which is why we don't complain and turn off brains for smut manhwas.
ikr
Hello?!?! Why am I nervous as if I was them? Sasaki and Miyano is like the only BL that has me get nervous whenever they take another step in their relationship. It also makes me feel hella invasive like I’m violating their privacy whenever they get more intimate but honestly that’s all part of the charm of this manga. My heart just can’t take how lovely they are.
I’ve seen a bunch of comments so far of people liking the second ML and I feel inclined to agree with that sentiment as well. I don’t hate the first ML at all it’s just that even though FL has had very little interaction with 2nd ML I already like them together way more. It really just has to do with them being able to connect more.
The 1st ML isn’t terrible at all but I think the problem with him is that he has this image of FL in his head that he’s has since they were children. It’s not wrong cause it’s not like the FL isn’t like how he thinks she is. She just has different facets to her personality that 1st ML doesn’t know about which really is what the main problem is about. They just don’t know each other. I’m not saying this is all on him. Circumstances have made it so that they couldn’t meet for a long time and now that they can the 1st ML has been fairly forthcoming for his care towards her and that he intends to marry her. He hasn’t actually confessed his feelings yet but he’s still pretty open with her.
The FL on the other hand hasn’t been entirely forthcoming. I also don’t fault her for this cause that’s just how her personality is and realistically speaking she just doesn’t really know these people. She has a bit of history with them and because of that she’s trying to be aware of how she acts. Which finally leads me onto why I already like her and 2nd ML already when they’ve barely interacted. In their first two interactions they’ve already been way more honest and open with each other than her and 1st ML. Of course they’re still hiding stuff but they already know way more about each other as people on a more deeper level. This just makes it easier to form more of a connection because there hasn’t been any expectations set up from the start for each other unlike her and 1st ML.
I still can’t be entirely sure when it comes to 2nd ML’s personality but I’m definitely not blaming him on his goal being to reclaim the stolen land from his people and suffering from a curse that started with their ancestors like a thousand years ago. Is what they’re doing perhaps extreme? Yes but also they’ve been kind of backed into a corner where it’s kind of they’re only option left. They’re considered citizens of the empire but are still ostracised and discriminated against for actions that happened forever ago by their ancestors. His people are literal victims so I don’t really have anything against his character at the moment.
Anyways, my dream scenario for this manhwa is FL retiring and running away with the world tree and living in peace and if we have to have a romance then let it be the second ML after him and his people are treated right.
They have good chemistry together purely because 1, they share similar sentiments about their duties. (FLs in tending to the world tree against her will when she wanted to be free, SMLs towards getting revenge and his land back for his people’s sake. Which also seemed to be thrust upon him against his will.)
And 2, since they’re strangers it’s easier to let out what you’re feeling without worry because you have no prior relationship. You can say what you want and it’s a weight off your chest.
You are sososo right with the ML having a glamorized perception of the FL and not fully understanding her personality due to lack of meeting up. And it’s something that’ll most likely be worked on as the longer shes in the capital. It also doesn’t help that she now has both royals vying for her, as to keep her there forever.
The best timeline is her finally connecting the dots that SML is the reason the manas getting corrupted. And instead of immediately villainizing him, she instead sees it from the standpoint of the empire did his people wrong and as the world tree caretaker uses that to help liberate his people. The cliche, “this won’t free your people, but instead further damn them.” Type writing.
Wow, I randomly decided to check on the latest chapter after dropping this ages ago and I’m genuinely shocked it ended in a poly relationship. Whenever there’s a love triangle I honestly always hope for poly but I don’t know what to think about it with this. I don’t really have the right to critique anything since I dropped it pretty early on but I just remember both MLs sucking in their own way and literally hating each other so to find them being a throuple is kinda wild.
true, we got a poly for a throuple with toxic dynamics sighhh
NEVER IN MY LIFE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS DID I EXPECT AN EXTRA. I ESPECIALLY DIDNT EXPECT SMUT?!?!
I can’t handle this. Literally one of my favorite BLs ever. Seeing these characters in the author’s current art style also feels insane. They look great. Also the smut!?! Never in my life did I expect to see smut. It lowkey feels wrong seeing them getting it on cause I just remember them as sweet little children. Aye but I’ll never complain about a little smut.
I MISS THEMMMM
Time to go reread this for the hundredth time.
He couldn’t have waited a little bit more! My boy was seriously about to confess! It was such a sweet moment too.
What the hell is his problem? I cannot believe that was his official introduction in this manhwa. He was such an asshole. To recap a former client pours gasoline on her and pulls out a lighter threatening to kill her in her office but the ML comes and saves her. This is all okay so far but then he has THE AUDACITY to blame her for not dropping him sooner and inviting him back which potentially put everybody in danger. EXCUSE YOU BUT SHES THE LITERAL VICTIM. THE ONLY PERSON AT FAULT WAS THE LITERAL ATTEMPTED MURDERER.
I did not read this expecting much of anything. I just thought I’d read a little to pass the time but the first chapter was enough for me after that bullshit. I wouldn’t doubt it’s one of those tropes/cliches where he’s just being harsh because he likes her and he doesn’t know how to express it correctly. EXCEPT YOURE TELLING ME HES A FUCKING LAWYER BUT DOESNT HAVE THE SENSE TO UNDERSTAND SHES JUST A VICTIM.
Anyways, I’m over it. I will obviously not be continuing this because of how much of an asshole he was right from the start. At least make him a little bit likeable first and then show him being more insufferable. I would’ve been able to tolerate it better then. I also cannot stand the fact the FL is going to like him after he pulled that shit. Fuck this shit.
Ye he’s a classic victim blamer. He also just keeps thinking that she’s dumb and that pisses me off. Like just because he’s caught her being vulnerable once or twice he’s like “everybody says she’s smart but she’s just a sensitive little girl” like fuck off. She’s as good of a lawyer as you. Plus he keeps making it seem like he’s her mentor and makes her study and work overtime because he makes it clear he thinks she’s a fuck up. Pisses me off.
I’ve seen a couple comments talking about things they don’t like about this manhwa and that they’re disappointed which is totally fair. If you don’t like it then you don’t like it. For this it’s actually one of my favorite manhwa, specifically dramas. To begin with the premise is pretty simple with a swapped at birth story but what I like about it is how they deal with it and how it’s affected the characters in particular with Siyeon.
I’ve seen that a lot of people don’t like Siyeon and how she doesn’t do anything and lets herself be miserable and mistreated. To me this makes a lot of sense for her character. I think because she’s been in such an unfair situation for so long that she doesn’t know how to really be happy anymore. Her first life ended with her being completely deceived, tossed aside, and never forming a relationship with her birth parents. In that life she had no support whatsoever. The only person who cared about her was Ijun but they never got to see each other often and Siyeon does explain that when Ijun asked if she wanted to go to the U.S. with him she said no cause she didn’t want to be a burden. At that point in time I’m sure that’s completely how she felt to the people around her. The Ichon family didn’t love her and treated her like a burden and stranger leaving her completely alone.
What I mean to point out with all of this is that by the time she regresses back into the past she’s still left with all of these feelings and trauma that she feels as though she has to keep in for the sake of others cause that’s what she’s been conditioned to do. I understand why she breaks up with Ijun. Gwihyeon blackmails her and threatens her birth parents and Ijun. She can’t bear the thought of anything happening to them and feels like she needs to bear the responsibility of saving them from suffering.
I understand why she lets Eunhye, Gwihyeon, and the Ichon family disrespect her because she feels that her resentment towards them is what led to Gwihyeon dying in her past life. She’s felt so beaten down that she fully believes it when Eunhye blames her for his death. Siyeon hates them but at the same time she doesn’t want revenge. She simply wants to move on and live happily which is why she doesn’t reveal the truth about the birth swap because she wants to get rid of the bad karma the monk was talking about.
I also understand why she doesn’t reveal the truth to her bio parents right away is because she just wants them to be happy even if they continue to be ignorant of the truth. She never got to meet her father cause he died and she barely formed any relationship with her mother cause she was severely depressed. Siyeon never saw them happy and she doesn’t want the shock of the truth to break their hearts once again.
To me Siyeon is a very strong character for dealing with all of this completely on her own. I was never frustrated with her but merely at the unfortunate situation she was in and she could never fully escape from all this trauma and find true happiness.
Another aspect of this story I haven’t touched upon yet is the romance. The romance in the beginning was very sweet but takes an unfortunate turn after Siyeon is blackmailed into breaking up with Ijun. When Ijun does come back and they end up getting married he isn’t that kind to her. The other thing I like about this manhwa is their relationship and how complex it becomes but makes perfect sense as to how it became that way.
Ijun being mad at Siyeon is completely fair. He does not know anything about her side of things so to him Siyeon has been completely disrespectful towards him. She breaks up with him right after he exits the military and says she wants his brother instead. His entire life his family has constantly reminded him that he cannot have the same things as his brother. Gwihyeon gets everything simply because he’s the eldest. It all belongs to him and if Ijun tries to be better or take something from him then Ijun is the one who gets punished. Siyeon not only breaks his heart but once again reinforces the idea of him being inferior to Gwihyeon.
When they do meet again later and get married it is not out of love but because of business. Siyeon does not show him love and says they can divorce later on. She just comes across as her planning to use him for a bit and then throw him away. Near the end of the manhwa when Ijun apologizes for the way he acted towards her he explains how conflicted he felt about being married to her. He’s always loved her and so while part of him is happy and feels like it’s a dream come true he can’t just let go of the pain Siyeon caused him and feels as though his self esteem is so low he can still love the woman who hurt him.
Normally with other manhwa with a male lead acting rude towards the female lead I wouldn’t like it but in this case I think it works and makes perfect sense. I don’t think Ijun ever crosses a line with the way he acts and for the most part they actually develop a somewhat amicable relationship before they fully make amends. When Siyeon finally tells Ijun everything and why she left him and why she agreed to marry him is when he can finally see the full picture and come to a conclusion on everything. He finally has some closure after the break up and see what Siyeon thinks about the marriage. He’s always loved Siyeon in both lives and that’s actually never changed even after all the pain. He just wished Siyeon would finally let him in and be able to rely on him.
This is why the romance works because they’re both dealing with hardships that come with loving each other but having to refrain from showing it cause they’re afraid of the pain it might cause. Whether to each other or towards themselves. I love the way they slowly open up to each other and how they finally make up. They recognize the flaws and all but they love each other and truly wish to be happy together.
This manhwa was frustrating to read week to week as chapters were coming out. I love the story despite all the frustration because it feels grounded in its story and characters. It isn’t about some grand revenge but moving on from the past and finding happiness despite all the misfortunes life throws at you.
P.S. If you read all this thanks. I’ve been meaning to vent about all this ever since the manhwa ended and now I finally randomly decided to actually do it.
this is not the the best out there, but i agree with most of what u said.
this story is heavily character-driven and more josei than romance. and i personally love how it's very josei at its core. exploring deep into a human being, her circumstances, and her growth amidst it all. eventually, she becomes a character i root for very much.
i don't know what people expect. this is obviously not a romcom. so if people are here for the unrealistic plot and heart-fluttering unrealistic romance... imo they're in the wrong place to begin with.
i'm here to witness a human being healing her wounds and building a place she could call her own.
i'm here for the depth i couldn't find in most romance josei. very few can go this deep.
that, and the strong, introverted FL are my favorite things about it. :)
I’m so happy this series is being continued and we’re getting to see them navigate adult life and how they’ve settled into their relationship. Genuinely one of my favorite manga. The first one certainly had issues but overall I really had a fun time reading it and I liked how they explored gender and sexuality. I desperately wanted to see more of the main couple which is why I’m excited for this sequel!
If u don’t mind could u paste the link of the first one I rllly love this story n can’t find itt
Just remove the first part where it says zenbu and you’ll find it