i agree. i want to have a lot of faith in the manhwa, because i was very intrigued by the premise and character building at least initially. i love morally ambiguous characters, and the dynamics between them are incredibly interesting and thought provoking. i like to see this entire story as biased from haewon's point of view - an approach so apathetic and casual to his relationships that they're arguably cruel - yet slowly, inevitably, falling for a very manipulative, toxic, and aggressive man who is most likely responsible for taeshin's death. while wujin initially appeared unwelcome, hostile, creepy, and dangerous, slowly his behaviors are more romanticized and presented as something desirable. i really really hope this is actually intentional in the sense that that numb and nihilistic haewon has a very skewed perspective of relationships and people, and less to skim over the toxic traits of wujin in order to develop a "BL-typical" romance.
while i have my gripes with the manhwa so far, i love the buildup and how tension is so meticulously created. i like seeing the cracks of wujin's demeanor slip in the midst of this "romance" haewon subconsciously believes is being developed, demonstrating that wujin is, in fact, an abusive creep no better than the other clingy and controlling (and rapist) men haewon has interacted with. i am so interested in seeing haewon further developed and fleshed out, figuring out his motivations, backstory, and his flaws that he can't escape. we know he is a very very shitty friend - and yet can we sympathize with him? as the story progresses, we slowly slip away from being critical of haewon into being guided by his perspective, opinions, and desires.
WOOOW, this was so well said. I rlly enjoyed reading your reply!! You described this manhwa perfectly in a way I can't even explain myself. We share a lot of the same thoughts about the story, which makes me so glad there's someone else who reads this BL more for its unique story rather than just another gooner material on this site. Everything you loved about it—I loved it too!
I saw bunch of comments from before I read the manhwa to see if it's good. I did start reading the manhwa, then read the novel cause I got impatient lol.
And like I don't understand why r y'all complaining about the fact that the MC and the ML are sick in their own way. It's a psychological, are y'all not reading the tags. If I'm being honest I think the way these characters were written is brilliant.
The MC not being the innocent UwU weak and emotionally fragile and is instead someone who has APD and morally grey, something new from lit hundreds of BLs (that y'all can read if this story isn't your taste). ML is the real psychopath in this story, like seriously the fucking master manipulator who managed to manipulate someone who supposedly doesn't gaf abt most things.
ML is especially smart in the way he manipulates the MC to the point that MC actually grows the gut to shift from his indifference. This is what makes a good psychological story. It really forces u to be on the side of a controversial character. Its not like killing stalking by all means (this manhwa is more tame than killing stalking), but the story really brings out contradicting feelings (atleast to me anyway lol)
Can someone who is emotionally numb and nihilistic be a tragic victim in a story?
Is it possible for the MC to be redeemed in the end?
It's easy to see in different perspectives when you ask yourself questions like these before you hate the very elements of a psychological story that makes a psychological story.
To be clear, I don't get off to the MC getting fucked by his abuser. The toxic relationship can be seen as romanticized and I don't like it. I especially don't like the darkest twist in this story (not going to spoil it but this part of the story made me almost drop it.). So don't come for me saying I like this manhwa cause I fetishize rape and manipulation. I absolutely hate it, which is part of the psychological aspect of the story. It's disturbing and twisted.
It's an above average read (if u get past all the smut)
A bl manhwa worth being on a psychological genre shelf IMO.