Don't worry gurl, if the webtoon is the same as the drama, he'll tell their friends soon
I agree mostly but idk if ML has done this but he needs to clearly express that he wants a public relationship. while ML feels strongly abt loving each other in the open, MC feels as strongly abt loving not in the open. not only is it abt coming out but s korea is crazy when it comes to famous ppl dating and if they both popular on the news then their relationships could be seen as a dating “scandal” too. I really don’t get how it can be so different how famous ppl date in the US versus famous ppl in s korea. not saying they idols but some athletes get idol treatment. MC has verbally expressed that he is very opposed to pda but because he has lots of worries abt the ML’s public image. ML also has worries but loves the MC so much he wants to show him off and be a proud supporting bf. but it’s because he loves him so much that he stays quiet abt how important it is for him. he thinks it’s okay to sacrifice his own values because he loves the MC and that’s something he needs to work on. I would say the MC is communicating better than the ML because he expressed his pov perfectly and made sure the ML knows it’s not because he’s embarrassed of him, it’s because he loves him and doesn’t want any bad press or homophobic bullying coming his way. the ML is actually the only one not communicating how much being open actually means to him and how he feels sad whenever the MC doesn’t hold his hand in public. I honestly believe the MC would compromise with him if he knew so I can’t fault him for not knowing the ML’s thoughts cause only the audience really knows so far. COMMUNICATION PLEASE. I would completely agree with you if the ML had already told the MC how sad it makes him and if the MC still wanted to hide their relationship. because then he’d be trying to “protect” someone who doesn’t want protecting and I don’t like that trope. that’s like if I was from a very socially high up family and because my partner wanted to “protect” me from my family’s disappointment that they didn’t accept my proposal even tho they loved me. like part of loving someone is letting yourself be protected and not always being the one to shield your partner from pain. the most important thing is being there for one another and allowing yourself to lean on someone too. once ML tells him I think the MC will realize that only protecting someone doesn’t always make that person feel loved
it doesn’t matter if ml told mc if he wanted to be “protected” or not. the problem is mc was not considering his feelings at all and spoke over him, shoving him back into the closet he was about to come out of.
alright, here’s my take: i don’t like that MC is hiding their relationship, i find it frustrating and annoying to read. however, that does NOT mean that i do not understand his reasoning. i do. better than a majority of people in this comment section honestly.
i’m both gay and trans, and live in the USA, so i am WELL acquainted with the fear of coming out to people. it’s not exactly the same since being trans doesn’t really equate to having to hide if you’re in a relationship or not, but it is similar in the way that queer (especially men loving men) people in korea are not known to be well treated or accepted when they do come out.
i’ve come out as trans many years ago when i was a freshman in highschool, and i had to drop out and be schooled from home because the bullying was so bad. so bad in fact, a friend of mine who went to that school, in my same grade, who was also a trans man like me, k*lled himself because the people there were that vicious. i know very VERY well how scary it is to come out as queer or gender nonconforming.
HOWEVER. there’s two major things that make up my opinion; 1) gay, straight, or trans, hiding your relationship can lead to many misunderstandings and hurt feelings. not just on the side of the partners involved, but also on the friends and/or family. 2) and the most important to me, the ML very VERY clearly wants to be in an open relationship and wants to proudly show his boyfriend off. it’s frustrating for me to read because you can tell that the MC’s decisions, while VALID, are hurting the ML.
TLDR: Do I like the MC’s decisions regarding hiding their relationship? No, I don’t, and I wish he hadn’t kept them a secret. Do I understand why he would want to keep it a secret? Yes, absolutely.
There’s a difference between finding his decisions frustrating and not liking them while still acknowledging his reasonings behind them, and finding his decisions frustrating while ignorant to his struggles.