This story is captivating albeit not the best out there. Many people dislike the story because none of the characters are "good people". To that, I just say most people in life aren't all good. If anything I find this story is great in showing how messed up everyone was in a way or another/ Some of the characters of course were way worse and completely shitty people and others were just bad in the way they showed their emotions when hurt. I like how the story portrays the faults of each character and how their own demise came to be. True I may end with one of the worst characters staying alive but that is life. Sometimes those who are the worst of the worst are the ones who end up on top not always those that are good. This is a sad story and you probably won't like any of the characters. The side story reveals to us how things came to be and may be the most liked part of this whole webtoon because we have inherently "good characters". Honestly, I think I liked the story because of how everyone had a dark side. How stupid the mermaid was at times and though this may reveal something...We learn why she was so madly in love with him from the side story. That necklace was old magic, magic which made it easier for the mermaid to fall madly in love and do whatever for the male character who had it. Then the curse placed on the mermaid Dee/Merin also plays a part in her having such a bad ending. She was destined to fail and her happiness to be short-lived. Everything ties in well in the end. Lewen living and getting what he wanted and seemingly being happy is the only ending that makes sense in that he was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. It can even be theorized he knew he was going to kill his brother by doing what he did. He had a choice much earlier when he found out that she, Merin/Dee, was a possible liability. He chose to let her stay and get closer to his brother until the only outcome would be his brother's downfall. I like this story because it was able to grab my attention so well I kept reading until the very end which is why I give it 5 stars. However, I would be lying if I said I didn't hate how horrible these characters were as people. They show the ugly side of humanity and how emotions can also make people act in ways they really shouldn't. So I can understand why people dislike the story. Overall the story explains itself pretty well in that we can understand the lore and what drove this twisted love to begin. The ending sucks in that Lewen lives and gets what he wants but like I mentioned before sometimes bad people win.
Merin the Mermaid