I think the MC has an avoidant attachment style due to all the trauma he's been though in his life. It shows with all the problems he has with committing to the relationship and all the next steps they take.
I think the author actually shows the MC's struggles very well in the story, and there is little progression for the MC because he still has a lot of work to do for his mental health, he should definitely go to therapy.
He's very lucky that ML is way more in touch with his feelings and has more emotional intelligence. You are right to point out, that without ML being the way he is, the relationship would have never happened.
But on the other hand, to get better and heal mentally, we often need someone to reach out to us and help when we don't even know how to ask for it. And the healing process is long, tedious, there will be relapses, so the struggling person need a lot of compassion.
So even though the MC is behaving in a frustrating way, I feel empathy towards them, because it wasn't his fault he had a crappy past that left him damaged.
In my opinion, I hate how this story was only able to progress, from start to finish because the ML is such a well rounded person. They only have problems when the MC is being dumb & not communicating, and the problems is only fixed because the ML can somehow read his mind
And I’m sick of it in the main story, I mean I guess it works for the tension and whatnot, whatever…but even then, I’m still pissed it took ML’s mom dying for them to get together, but only because the ML was vulnerable & they had to be together for the plot so they were. It didn’t even feel resolved.
but in these side stories when it’s implied they’ve been together for “years” and the MC has supposedly “grown so much”?
Mc so stressed, missing the ML, so in love with the ML, everything he wants is to do with the ML….then why after all this time he never considered moving in. Never considered moving to the states together, never considered being the bigger person for ML. Always just the ML figuring it out and making it out. This isn’t a bad story or a mad match up, but idk, they do seem mismatched and like, I just don’t know why the MC can’t actually be wiser, more mature and DO something good for the ML finally.
Sorry for the rant. Idk, side stories are supposed to be happy and nice I thought and show a different side of the characters. But it just looks like I’m seeing the same old thing from the main story 80+ chapters and it’s just irritating. Thank goodness the ML is such a good guy and has mind reading powers, otherwise this story would never work.