Well the author did say that from the beginning Taegu would be a love interest. Is it stil...

Where did they say that?

Ch 21.5

I think you may be dyslexic nowhere did the author say he was a love interest all they said is that he plays a significant role so stop spreading misinformation

It’s no misinformation.

I have two points to make.
Firstly, that was mean and uncalled for. Dyslexia is a real condition that affects reading processing and throwing it out as an insult trivializes what people with it experience. It’s also irrelevant here-disagreeing with someone’s interpretation of a manhwa doesn’t require attacking their neurological health. You can make your point without going for personal jabs.

Secondly, lemme clarify things for you.

In the English version of the Q&A, the question was: “Is Taegu Seo-in’s rival?”
The author answered: “He is, and he plays quite an important role in the overall storyline”

Sure, rival here could be interpreted in several ways, but in romance manhwa, especially one that uses romantic undertones, “rival” almost always implies: “romantic rival” unless context clearly says otherwise. English translators don’t need to write “romantic rival” every time because that’s generally understood by everyone in this genre.


In the Korean version, the Q&A is even more direct: “Q: 태구 씨는 서브 공이 맞나요?”
This literally asks if Taegu is the sub gong- the second top in BL. The author answers:
“Yes, he is the sub gong and…”

서브-showing he’s secondary to the main lead
공-top/seme/attack

Even in the Korean question the questions ending was: “right?-as in she knew the answer but needed confirmation. The Q&A didn’t reveal anything surprising- it confirmed something the author had been setting up for a while. The author drew panels that held subtle tension between Taegu and Youngwoon. These drawn-out pauses are the kind of visual cues used in romance manhwa to set up a potential love interest. Recognizing those signs is part of basic media literacy: noticing context clues like tone, word choice and framing; spotting foreshadowing; and understanding when something is implied rather than stated outright. If you didn’t spot this tension between the two, the author’s Q and A removes any doubt about it.

Anyhow, you really should phrase things differently-you could really hurt someone. I couldn’t imagine having that condition and other people just using it as a way to slight others.

You told me in one of these chapters you never said anything about some korean q&a and also youre so fucking weird "he's an adult" like okay? He literally groomed him stop justifying pedophilia theres no excuse we're all grossed out about it and its clear Youngwoon doesnt want him and only sees him as a father or brother so im sorry that some of us were in denial while youre out here trying to justify that old gross pedophile liking the mc

Ok clearly you can’t read or refuse to because it tires you out quickly. Hopefully you can read all of this. Ch 21.5 HAS the Q&A. I gave you both translations of the question asking if Taegu is the ML.

I can’t reason with people who can’t string two logical thoughts together. But pedophilia is something very serious so try I must.

(Also I don’t ship them and again you failed to have any reading comprehension-google what that is). He is not a father figure. He’s a gangster with morally grey tendencies and morals. He did not do enough to deserve being called a father figure. He ignored the abuse and only helped him enough so that Youngwoon had the tools to survive with no parental support.

Look, I get that the age gap and backstory make things uncomfortable- that’s understandable. But calling Taegu a “pedo” is just wrong and shows a lack of understanding of what that word actually means.
A pedophile is an adult attracted to prepubescent kids. Taegu knew Youngwoon when he was a kid and the story never shows any romantic or sexual feelings at that time. Where does it imply this? Nowhere. This one sided attraction only starts when Youngwoon is an adult.

Also please read up on what grooming is. You’re using this terms but you clearly don’t know what they mean.
If you’re just using “pedo” as a catch-all insult for anyone with a big age difference, fine- but don’t act like you’re making some serious, informed accusation. It just makes you look uninformed and, honestly, kind of reckless with important terms.

Don’t fuck around with the topic of pedophilia kid. I don’t care if you’re just being emotional. Don’t. It’s a very serious and painful subject.

If you want to have a real discussion, maybe try understanding the actual definitions before throwing around loaded words.

Also you’re probably a kid. It’s usually kids that can’t wrap their heads around 9 year age gaps. It’s very normal.