Where did you find novel can you send me a link pls
I bought the korean ebook from Ridi! ( https://ridibooks.com/books/3302017532?_rdt_sid=BookDetailHomeSetMemberBookList&_rdt_idx=0&_s_id=111080976)
Does anyone suffer consequences for torturing MC (like the guy who actually tortured him) and does ML take proper responsibility for his role in what happened to him?
I’m already blah about this bc torturing is such a flawed method of interrogation and you mentioned the org isnt very moral themselves so idc if the torture was “justified” or not based on the info we learn later about MC.
Is the vibe “oops sorry we tortured you help us and let’s all move passed this” or is it actually acknowledged that their methods were stupid and consequences are had.
English version is here but it's still ongoing (and pretty new for that) https://readhive.org/series/129881/#releases
Regarding the consequences of torturing MC:
The subordinate who tortured him was simply fired BUT this guy then decided to at least contribute to the investigation and infiltrated into the drug circle (the information he brought was what helped them find out that MC was actually involved, and this bitch was relieved that his hunch about MC wasn't wrong after all). After some months he actually became addicted to drugs himself and had to go through rehabilitation, which worked for a bit BUT then he fell for it again and started dealing drugs or something. By the end of the novel he ended up in prison, where ML visited him and told him that MC is actually alive, and we find out that the subordinate felt terribly guilty due to MCs death to the point that he cried, but ML had ZERO empathy and just left him there to rot in prison.
ML does take responsibility, almost EXCESSIVELY because after all his only fault was trusting his subordinates. He was 100% ready to go against the organization and risk his life just for a chance to save MC in case negotiations didn't work, even after finding out the truth, but they surprisingly did due to MC collaborating in return (again, strange because MC wasn't all that special and useful, but it worked so whatever).
The biggest reason he decided to leave the organization was that after falling for MC he couldn't bear to see the suffering of other people at his hands (he superimposed MC's bloodied face to that of others )
Basically the organization doesn't give a f about MC being tortured, they wouldn't have cared even if he WAS the innocent civilian he pretended to be, they only cared about killing him to cover it up. The only reason they left him alone at the end was NOT because they felt responsible but because MC could be helpful to the investigation.
From what I understood however, IN THEORY that kind of torture should have been reserved for proper criminals, not for MC who was at the end of the day still just an innocent civilian being threatened to do the dirty work (just delivering drugs), mainly because a civilian would have usually given in at the tiniest bit of torture but MC was so determined to protect his family that he endured much more
Oh yes sorry, I forgot about the English translation: the translation covers the first 4 (if you pay) chapters of the novel, which are the first volume (each volume has around 4 chapters)
I just finally finished the novel, so I might as well share some spoilers!
Despite it's tragic themes it was actually a very lighthearted story, almost slice of life dare I say. There was a lot of attention paid to MC's mental state and depression, but more to show the process of him healing thanks to ML, so it wasn't that overwhelming. It's mostly their domestic life, ML being a green flag and MC healing from his trauma.
It's also VERY slowburn: there are 3 volumes (of which the last one includes the side stories as well in the second half) and their first kiss was at around 50% of the 2nd volume, more than halfway through the main story. Until like a chapter before that they were also exclusively platonic, it seemed more like the relationship between an older brother and younger brother, or between a guardian and the one he takes care of. There are lots of hints that both fell in love with the other (ML being UNUSUALLY kind to him and concerned about his wellbeing for just feeling guilty, MC loving his presence and dreading his absence etc.), but it was only after ML suddenly realized that he fell in love that there was a tiny bit of progress. After that they both became even more unhinged in their gestures of affection, but while they kind of slept together a few times they didn't have penetrative sex until the SIDE STORIES which are like months after the end of the main story. So yeah, you know what to expect in terms of smut lol, it's mainly just them being cute.
You're GUARANTEED to develop diabetes.
I love that they are both equally in love and affectionate with each other, without one side (usually the semes COUGH) pushing the intimacy onto the other and the other always being unwilling or embarrassed, like in a lot of other stories. They're simply perfect for each other and literally can't even imagine a future without the other TT
There's also a PLOT TWIST (which a lot of you already suspected):
MC actually KNEW something about the drug dealers! About a year before the start of the story they began to threaten him with the life of his family (through his hacked phone), forcing him to deliver drugs. This brought him to isolate from everybody in his life (his parents and younger brother and his friends at university) in fear of accidentally saying something or asking help and causing their death. So when they were torturing him, he was indeed hiding something: he didn't want to talk about the drug dealers out of fear of retaliation against his family, poor baby TT
The only drama between them happened at the climax of the story, in volume 3, but you don't have to worry about that. What happened was that MC would not FOR THE LOVE OF GOD tell the ML about him actually delivering those drugs due to being threatened because he feared he would be disappointed by the fact that he wasn't actually the innocent civilian he thought. ML obviously found out at some point, and he gave him the cold treatment for a bit, BUT turns out he's just angry because MC put himself in danger by lying and also angry with himself for becoming one of the reasons MC is suffering (because he didn't want to disappoint him and therefore didn't tell him). After that they decide to have MC reveal to ML's organization that he's alive and have him collaborate with them to bring down the drug dealers, in order for them to let him be in return for assisting them in the investigation (yep, I know what you're thinking. The MC also had a bit of a breakdown realizing that he could have talked from the beginning and avoided being tortured, but he didn't trust them/the ML then so it wouldn't have happened). Then thanks to MC helping by pretending he was still delivering drugs they very easily caught the members of the organization (which were actually just 2 brothers controlling everything behind the scenes) and all ended up well. This whole arc was a bit ridiculous to me I must admit, because everything was solved so easily?? Especially the part with the organization, ML himself admitted at the start of the story that they would have zero hesitation killing innocent people and families and even discarding him once they knew he disobeyed, but they just accepted? Just like that? And in the end they even let ML go (whose dream was to become unemployed, cute), and you're telling me that this ruthless organization isn't afraid that its members are going to spill information about the org and just lets them leave? Idk, I'm happy about the lack of drama but I had to switch off my brain a bit lmao.
Well, they got their happy ending, MC reunited with his family and friends and returned to university, and went to live with ML in Seul where ML basically became his unemployed housewife AHAHAHAHAH they're adorable
So basically until then literally NOTHING happened apart from them falling in love so don't expect much from the plot, even the climax was quite anticlimactic imo.
I was also a bit disappointed that no character apart from the main characters ended up being important, including the doctor that literally disappeared after the first volume (current manhwa chapters, more or less).
So if you're looking for a heartwarming hurt comfort story without drama you're going to enjoy it immensely, but if you're here for the plot they hinted at at the beginning...well... you know what to expect lmao.
I personally REALLY enjoyed it, although as you may have noticed I wasn't really a fan of volume 3 and of some details, like the fact that we never see them tell MC's family that his 'very very VERY good older friend from the countryside' is actually his lover :(((, and also the fact that MC never told anybody about what he went through at the organization and the reason he got so traumatized, because he didn't want to worry his family (am I just a petty and spoiled only child??? If I got brutally tortured to protect my family I would at least like some recognition from them about it, I would have whined to them like a brat )