I’ve seen a couple comments talking about things they don’t like about this manhwa and that they’re disappointed which is totally fair. If you don’t like it then you don’t like it. For this it’s actually one of my favorite manhwa, specifically dramas. To begin with the premise is pretty simple with a swapped at birth story but what I like about it is how they deal with it and how it’s affected the characters in particular with Siyeon.
I’ve seen that a lot of people don’t like Siyeon and how she doesn’t do anything and lets herself be miserable and mistreated. To me this makes a lot of sense for her character. I think because she’s been in such an unfair situation for so long that she doesn’t know how to really be happy anymore. Her first life ended with her being completely deceived, tossed aside, and never forming a relationship with her birth parents. In that life she had no support whatsoever. The only person who cared about her was Ijun but they never got to see each other often and Siyeon does explain that when Ijun asked if she wanted to go to the U.S. with him she said no cause she didn’t want to be a burden. At that point in time I’m sure that’s completely how she felt to the people around her. The Ichon family didn’t love her and treated her like a burden and stranger leaving her completely alone.
What I mean to point out with all of this is that by the time she regresses back into the past she’s still left with all of these feelings and trauma that she feels as though she has to keep in for the sake of others cause that’s what she’s been conditioned to do. I understand why she breaks up with Ijun. Gwihyeon blackmails her and threatens her birth parents and Ijun. She can’t bear the thought of anything happening to them and feels like she needs to bear the responsibility of saving them from suffering.
I understand why she lets Eunhye, Gwihyeon, and the Ichon family disrespect her because she feels that her resentment towards them is what led to Gwihyeon dying in her past life. She’s felt so beaten down that she fully believes it when Eunhye blames her for his death. Siyeon hates them but at the same time she doesn’t want revenge. She simply wants to move on and live happily which is why she doesn’t reveal the truth about the birth swap because she wants to get rid of the bad karma the monk was talking about.
I also understand why she doesn’t reveal the truth to her bio parents right away is because she just wants them to be happy even if they continue to be ignorant of the truth. She never got to meet her father cause he died and she barely formed any relationship with her mother cause she was severely depressed. Siyeon never saw them happy and she doesn’t want the shock of the truth to break their hearts once again.
To me Siyeon is a very strong character for dealing with all of this completely on her own. I was never frustrated with her but merely at the unfortunate situation she was in and she could never fully escape from all this trauma and find true happiness.
Another aspect of this story I haven’t touched upon yet is the romance. The romance in the beginning was very sweet but takes an unfortunate turn after Siyeon is blackmailed into breaking up with Ijun. When Ijun does come back and they end up getting married he isn’t that kind to her. The other thing I like about this manhwa is their relationship and how complex it becomes but makes perfect sense as to how it became that way.
Ijun being mad at Siyeon is completely fair. He does not know anything about her side of things so to him Siyeon has been completely disrespectful towards him. She breaks up with him right after he exits the military and says she wants his brother instead. His entire life his family has constantly reminded him that he cannot have the same things as his brother. Gwihyeon gets everything simply because he’s the eldest. It all belongs to him and if Ijun tries to be better or take something from him then Ijun is the one who gets punished. Siyeon not only breaks his heart but once again reinforces the idea of him being inferior to Gwihyeon.
When they do meet again later and get married it is not out of love but because of business. Siyeon does not show him love and says they can divorce later on. She just comes across as her planning to use him for a bit and then throw him away. Near the end of the manhwa when Ijun apologizes for the way he acted towards her he explains how conflicted he felt about being married to her. He’s always loved her and so while part of him is happy and feels like it’s a dream come true he can’t just let go of the pain Siyeon caused him and feels as though his self esteem is so low he can still love the woman who hurt him.
Normally with other manhwa with a male lead acting rude towards the female lead I wouldn’t like it but in this case I think it works and makes perfect sense. I don’t think Ijun ever crosses a line with the way he acts and for the most part they actually develop a somewhat amicable relationship before they fully make amends. When Siyeon finally tells Ijun everything and why she left him and why she agreed to marry him is when he can finally see the full picture and come to a conclusion on everything. He finally has some closure after the break up and see what Siyeon thinks about the marriage. He’s always loved Siyeon in both lives and that’s actually never changed even after all the pain. He just wished Siyeon would finally let him in and be able to rely on him.
This is why the romance works because they’re both dealing with hardships that come with loving each other but having to refrain from showing it cause they’re afraid of the pain it might cause. Whether to each other or towards themselves. I love the way they slowly open up to each other and how they finally make up. They recognize the flaws and all but they love each other and truly wish to be happy together.
This manhwa was frustrating to read week to week as chapters were coming out. I love the story despite all the frustration because it feels grounded in its story and characters. It isn’t about some grand revenge but moving on from the past and finding happiness despite all the misfortunes life throws at you.
P.S. If you read all this thanks. I’ve been meaning to vent about all this ever since the manhwa ended and now I finally randomly decided to actually do it.
I’ve seen a couple comments talking about things they don’t like about this manhwa and that they’re disappointed which is totally fair. If you don’t like it then you don’t like it. For this it’s actually one of my favorite manhwa, specifically dramas. To begin with the premise is pretty simple with a swapped at birth story but what I like about it is how they deal with it and how it’s affected the characters in particular with Siyeon.
I’ve seen that a lot of people don’t like Siyeon and how she doesn’t do anything and lets herself be miserable and mistreated. To me this makes a lot of sense for her character. I think because she’s been in such an unfair situation for so long that she doesn’t know how to really be happy anymore. Her first life ended with her being completely deceived, tossed aside, and never forming a relationship with her birth parents. In that life she had no support whatsoever. The only person who cared about her was Ijun but they never got to see each other often and Siyeon does explain that when Ijun asked if she wanted to go to the U.S. with him she said no cause she didn’t want to be a burden. At that point in time I’m sure that’s completely how she felt to the people around her. The Ichon family didn’t love her and treated her like a burden and stranger leaving her completely alone.
What I mean to point out with all of this is that by the time she regresses back into the past she’s still left with all of these feelings and trauma that she feels as though she has to keep in for the sake of others cause that’s what she’s been conditioned to do. I understand why she breaks up with Ijun. Gwihyeon blackmails her and threatens her birth parents and Ijun. She can’t bear the thought of anything happening to them and feels like she needs to bear the responsibility of saving them from suffering.
I understand why she lets Eunhye, Gwihyeon, and the Ichon family disrespect her because she feels that her resentment towards them is what led to Gwihyeon dying in her past life. She’s felt so beaten down that she fully believes it when Eunhye blames her for his death. Siyeon hates them but at the same time she doesn’t want revenge. She simply wants to move on and live happily which is why she doesn’t reveal the truth about the birth swap because she wants to get rid of the bad karma the monk was talking about.
I also understand why she doesn’t reveal the truth to her bio parents right away is because she just wants them to be happy even if they continue to be ignorant of the truth. She never got to meet her father cause he died and she barely formed any relationship with her mother cause she was severely depressed. Siyeon never saw them happy and she doesn’t want the shock of the truth to break their hearts once again.
To me Siyeon is a very strong character for dealing with all of this completely on her own. I was never frustrated with her but merely at the unfortunate situation she was in and she could never fully escape from all this trauma and find true happiness.
Another aspect of this story I haven’t touched upon yet is the romance. The romance in the beginning was very sweet but takes an unfortunate turn after Siyeon is blackmailed into breaking up with Ijun. When Ijun does come back and they end up getting married he isn’t that kind to her. The other thing I like about this manhwa is their relationship and how complex it becomes but makes perfect sense as to how it became that way.
Ijun being mad at Siyeon is completely fair. He does not know anything about her side of things so to him Siyeon has been completely disrespectful towards him. She breaks up with him right after he exits the military and says she wants his brother instead. His entire life his family has constantly reminded him that he cannot have the same things as his brother. Gwihyeon gets everything simply because he’s the eldest. It all belongs to him and if Ijun tries to be better or take something from him then Ijun is the one who gets punished. Siyeon not only breaks his heart but once again reinforces the idea of him being inferior to Gwihyeon.
When they do meet again later and get married it is not out of love but because of business. Siyeon does not show him love and says they can divorce later on. She just comes across as her planning to use him for a bit and then throw him away. Near the end of the manhwa when Ijun apologizes for the way he acted towards her he explains how conflicted he felt about being married to her. He’s always loved her and so while part of him is happy and feels like it’s a dream come true he can’t just let go of the pain Siyeon caused him and feels as though his self esteem is so low he can still love the woman who hurt him.
Normally with other manhwa with a male lead acting rude towards the female lead I wouldn’t like it but in this case I think it works and makes perfect sense. I don’t think Ijun ever crosses a line with the way he acts and for the most part they actually develop a somewhat amicable relationship before they fully make amends. When Siyeon finally tells Ijun everything and why she left him and why she agreed to marry him is when he can finally see the full picture and come to a conclusion on everything. He finally has some closure after the break up and see what Siyeon thinks about the marriage. He’s always loved Siyeon in both lives and that’s actually never changed even after all the pain. He just wished Siyeon would finally let him in and be able to rely on him.
This is why the romance works because they’re both dealing with hardships that come with loving each other but having to refrain from showing it cause they’re afraid of the pain it might cause. Whether to each other or towards themselves. I love the way they slowly open up to each other and how they finally make up. They recognize the flaws and all but they love each other and truly wish to be happy together.
This manhwa was frustrating to read week to week as chapters were coming out. I love the story despite all the frustration because it feels grounded in its story and characters. It isn’t about some grand revenge but moving on from the past and finding happiness despite all the misfortunes life throws at you.
P.S. If you read all this thanks. I’ve been meaning to vent about all this ever since the manhwa ended and now I finally randomly decided to actually do it.