Responses
It's really not way too intense or misleading at all from my point of view. He's smiling while enduring pain and suffering (physical and not just emotional), which is one of the key points of the story. He has to overcome misfortunes to keep other people safe if not actually alive, even if it means getting hurt in the process (like shielding the female character from the falling flower pot).
The cover is way too intense and misleading, which is sad - I really looked forward to, as someone said in the comments, a thriller.
It's still an okay somewhat fluff story though.