Oh I LOVE this take! CLOCK IT
Yeah, so far, manhwas with stepmothers, I can only recall one story that the ml is the biological father, the one with snow white. (Unless they change the story since it's been awhile since I read it.)
Oh so this is why I have been feeling irritated at hot-but-not-real-dad characters that have kids lately. I love a good wholesome romance with adorable kids in it, but every time there's a hot 'dad' character that ain't really the dad, but just adopted the kid(s), it makes the story feel... cheaped out and less interesting.
Is wanting a DILF really supposed to be this hard ,
* (long nails are giving me so much typos)
i will absolutely be the person who takes everything seriously. the one thing i hate the most about childcaring manhwas (this one included) is the fact that the “dad” is NEVER the biological father. now i’m not talking about the daddy-daughter manhwas where the mother has died. i’m talking about the very specific niche where the female lead is taking care of the child of the male lead. i’ve noticed that 9 times out of 10, the ml is never the real dad. it’s either a distant relative, a niece or nephew, or even a fucking orphan.
and i hate this narrative that a lot of authors love to paint and overuse—a virgin male lead. the deliberate distancing of any romantic or sexual experience feels a lot like purity culture. and i understand the appeal: “he’s never loved anyone BUT the fl.” but this is a childcaring manhwa? so why is he not a biological dad? like you want the hot dad baggage but not the actual dad part?
he’s a virgin. he’s never loved another woman. he hates other women oh but HER. the female lead is the ONLY one who can change him. yikes. this narrative flattens the character of the male lead SO much. like dude, he’s a fucking adult. YES he should have an ex. YES he should have been in love before. YES he should have had sex. especially if he’s like in his 20-30s. like what do you mean this grown ass man has NEVER touched a woman or even talked to another woman?
it makes me sick. it cheapens the romance and it doesn’t even feel like a true “he’s a dad” story. obviously, i’m not discrediting that adoptive dads aren’t real dads but if it’s EVERY manhwa? like single dads exist!!
it also feels a little misogynistic like oh no woman was important enough or special enough to ever wow him. i believe that authors and readers tend to insert themselves into the fl’s perspective and feel like they’re special because a man so successful has never looked at another woman but HER. and honestly, this is a very shitty take at romance. love is not always gonna be “he never loved anyone but her” it’s so boring like i LOVE a story where there’s an ex, it shows that the ml HAS some complexity to his character besides being the virgin ml.
honestly i could go on and on about this. the manhwa is cute ofc but i rolled my eyes after realizing he’s not the actual dad.