yeaaa I love it hehe here's my take:
we see things from minwoo's pov so all we see is him reeling and flustered over cheoljin kissing him on the hand. BUT from chealjin's pov, minwoo doesn't even go to cheoljin's competition EVEN THOUGH he said he would - instead minwoo goes and hangs out with his childhood friend. so cheoljin is jealous, he shows up, minwoo's friend is like omg minwoo's been telling me about this pretty girl. so cheoljin think's it's that girl classmate. so he "pretends" to kiss (?) the girl to make minwoo jealous. (then he rinses his mouth afterwards because he's actually grossed out)
in this chapter, when choeljin keeps asking minwoo "why (are you feeling bad)" or "just say it" he's trying to get minwoo to confess to him. basically "say that you were upset because you like me" but minwoo doesn't! cheoljin isn't 100% sure why minwoo wants him to come to his house, so he has to test minwoo's affections in other ways (basically getting minwoo to tell his childhood friend that he can't stay over anymore)
is cheoljin the skinny one that's friends w/ suyong?
love a good psycho x psycho hehehe
Really hoping that's where this is heading.
real, i rlly want teach to become as crazy as guwon, crazier even i want them to deserve each other
returning back to this after a while and woww truly still peak...the author taking and exploring all of the ugliest parts of love URGH it's so hard to do that..they have such a deep understanding of all of our strange twisted desires the way we hurt each other that ultimately stem from a desire to be loved...like truly this is a work of art...
is that you realize that at the very core of it all minwoo sees cheoljin as a beautiful girl he wants to protect in a super alpha way fljdsalfj that's what makes it refreshing like cheoljin can be a beefcake and alpha-looking hunk but minwoo thinks of him as his wife (even though he's trying to resist it!) and cheoljin secretly wants to be spoiled and keeps testing minwoo's affections for him -- like getting jealous that minwoo has other friends, "accidentally" knocking the fries that minwoo got for the others over, etc. ofc minwoo doesn't notice any of this!
ALSO the lipstick thing is illuminating bc cheoljin originally entered crossdressing competition to earn a few bucks but minwoo ended up buying a lipstick for him that was more expensive than the prize money without even thinking about it. that's why cheoljin keeps brining up him "mooching" off of minwoo - he's self conscious about it for sure.
yessss the point of the flashbacks is to establish how minwoo and cheoljin got to the point of severe mistrust in their relationship, their styles of communicating their feelings is so different and their backgrounds are polar opposites as well so it’s just misunderstanding snowballing like crazy. I’m so keen for s5 yoooo
yea exactly same I'm genuinely sooo obsessed with them. I can't wait to see cheoljin's pov of all of this bc like even in the flashbacks I wonder how he feels when minwoo seems attracted to him but will also be like I don't like men, why would I find a guy a skirt attractive etc etc like I wonder if he feels like minwoo is sending mixed signals too (and is insecure about it...)
minwoo being scared of the ocean bc it's complex and unknowable = minwoo realizing that cheoljin is the one who is like an ocean later on, just super complicated and difficult and hard to read and know. ultimately it's going to be whether minwoo is courageous enough to step closer even though the ocean can drown you if you're not careful
cheoljin saying that emotions fade, it's the decision to stay that is real love. that's why he's especially hurt and stung by minwoo "moving on" from him with norman and betrayed -- also why he's dismissive of minwoo's feelings (like these feelings are temporary ("youre still heartbroken??"), this will fade, we're meant to be together). (cheoljin is also kind of low in empathy like almost hyper-rational in a way too)
when he keeps saying things like "you still care about me you like me" it's him being domineering but also him almost brainwashing himself bc he's actually scared. cheoljin has always been drawn to minwoo's transparency and how you can read his emotions on his face (the exact opposite to him) -- so i think he means it when he calls minwoo a diamond. also why he's relieved when minwoo is turned on my him during sex. but on the other hand, minwoo is ALL emotion -- impulse driven, etc. cheoljin is not going to be able to understand why minwoo hates being manipulated (cheoljin doesn't get emotions that way, sees them as a means to an end) and minwoo is not going to get that cheoljin feels especially betrayed and hurt by minwoo "moving on" and just "selfishly" following his feelings.
urgh i could go on and on. i LOVE cheoljin so much probably one of the most interesting bl characters EVER my beautiful manipulative tragic bottom
See you get it!!!
YOU GET IT YOU GET IT YOU GET ITTTTTTT cheoljin is my fave bl character of all time is just so damn layered and complex and has no idea how to express love until he sees how it just bleeds out of minwoo and can never let him go because of that
personally i dont like him a lot, i think because i feel so much empathy towards minwoo BUT i know how complex of a character he is and i know that his actions are beyond what we see on the surface level. i read the raws and i rlly cant wait for the new season bc i think we will finally uncover that
yep i’m up to date on the raws as well, and i’m really hoping we get more of cheoljin’s perspective in season 5!!
agreed!!
argghhh this arc is SO good bc we're seeing this only from minwoo's pov but we can also see hints of things he misses like
1) when minwoo was rough with cheoljin during sex cheoljin purposefuly changed positions to stop minwoo from noticing that he had made him bleed (when he got on top of minwoo instead) + ALSO the next morning, cheoljin "spilled" coffee on purpose to hide the bloodstains on the sheets and then wash them before minwoo could notice
2) when they were younger cheoljin kicked the ball purposefully at minwoo's bully but minwoo can only focus on how cheoljin acts/flirts with others
3) how poor cheoljin is. minwoo notices how cheoljin only has one pair of sneakers, skips meals or eats really little food etc but I don't think he fully sees how poor Cheoljin is. for instance, cheoljin looked rly tired waiting for the train and there are hints he spends his nights at the internet cafe. also, cheoljin is the eldest sibling with absent parents who presumably has to take care of his younger siblings -- hence why he forges signatures and sympathizes with minwoo's brother/father
and then there are all kinds of messages with mixed interpretations: is cheoljin actually carsick or really tired? is he flirting or just being nice? it's probably both! he's 100% manipulative and flirtatious but it's both a way of getting what he wants but also testing another person's affections bc he's insecure. cheoljin is SUCH a damn good character truly my favorite character in BL. i'm so excited to read the rest of the chapters in english
Damn I love ur comments cuz I can finally understand the situation better and whats on their minds lmao so thanks :P
pleasee I want to see his devious shenanigans and tragic backstory let me innn (English translation update pls...)
I KNEW IT was too good to be true oh jian he's going to do something so spectacularly self-sacrificing and self-destructive I just know it (but also tbh one of my fav character archetypes is when someone is secretly self-destructive but smiling their way through it, if ppl have similar recs let me know)
I seriously mean it like hooowww is it so twisted but also getting at something so real like jumping from LOVE AS CONSUMPTION the desire to make them part of you ...then jumping to them being two losers blushing over feelings because that's what love is too errghhh. this is too good to just be limited to a typical yaoi slop reading audience I hope the author is using their talents elsewhere too