"Seungho as a character deserved better than be outshined by a fan service caricature of himself"
My perception too. I call the assassin 'Seungho lesser evil twin'.
I see mostly praise for the introduction of the nameless assassin but a few are seeing the sign on the wall. Seungho is over and done as character, at least compared to what could have been.
There was no time to develop Seungho, a character that is already hard to love so it's not like there were a lot of readers who were patient with the development. There was no time to develop a bond between the main characters and the chapters became incredible shorter since this story begun.
To make things worse, the author totally undermines the main character adding a seme that really has no other function that smut without much depth but it will become the character that the readers will want to see more of it because he is ...hot and the cleaner version of a seme.
I read enough stories to see this happen more than often.
The last chapter is a bit sad to read if you feel how much Seungho character development will be affected by the new guy. A whole chapter filled with unnecessary propaganda on the hotness of an empty, cardboard character made to feast the eyes, while Seungho fades into a small side scene, outshined, less powerful as character in the story and just a cameo in the chapter.
I came to think this author will change the story to please readers who complain the most and given that readers are already pushing for a lame plot where Nakyum jumps to bed with the assassin, I suddenly feel that it's quite possible the author may change the whole dynamic to be a crowd pleaser.
I totally lost the confidence when I saw the last chapter. We will get pages and pages of shirtless assassin and Seungho, once the brilliant character will get rushed or underdeveloped arc, if not completely rebooted into a fraction of the character he could have been.
First of all, I loved this chapter although I am getting cold for this story because I sense Seungho will be neglected as character more and more from now on that a newer, hotter, shinier, 'cleaner' version of seme has been introduced.
Seungho looked stunning - classic asshole mood - and the author seems to be creating even more gorgeous outfits for him each time.
Seungho in this chapter:
Running away from Nakyum and trying his hardest to go back to the safe life he used to know. That means the booze and the whoring.
Seungho is becoming aware that he cares for NK and also that NK is developing feelings for him. He doesn't want either, feelings are a hassle for him. It was easier for him when NK hated his guts. It meant control and the well established master and lowborn dynamic. Now their sex is becoming more intimate, he is losing his grip. Between the pounding and panting, the moments of tenderness are getting more common, despite his efforts to keep it impersonal... Nakyum now reaches for him, cups his face, kisses him with wanting, clings to him for comfort... he doesn't know what to do with NK's candid confessions of desire. Even if he was confused before, Seungho clearly got to the point of a realization when he caught himself planting a caring kiss on a sleeping Nakyum.
I don't think his plan is make NK jealous, I think he really wants to push Nakyum away, fight whatever emotional bond this relationship may be creating before it's too late for him.
We don't know how much of the conversation between Inhun and NK he knows. He probably knows about the prostitute thing but does he know what caused Inhun's insult? If he found out that NK was asked to spy on him and didn't do it even to impress Inhun, that must have confused him even more. Seungho probably only knows people who would stab him in the back at any chance. NK denying something Inhun asked and refusing to betray him must have been the strangest thing for him to find out.
Now, the problem with Seungho falling in love is that this also makes him weaker to his enemies. Be Inhun or this new foul, Nakyum became his Aquilles heel.
There is a scene in here where the snake slut says 'I always thought Yoon Seungho is very easy to read. You simply need to watch closely'.
That bit is wrapped up nicely in the chapter in the whole sequence that ends up with the fuck buddy reading Seungho like a book.... the kiss meant for NK to see, Seungho keeping NK away and then his manipulation in provoking Seungho into proving that NK is not really precious or special.
I have to say that I am actually glad this little garden snake is becoming the best villains of this story, especially after the disappointment with the assassin -- that guy will not do any actual harm to Nakyum or be a real bad guy for that matter because his job is fan service and fuck Jihwa. Nevertheless, I think Seungho development already stalled, even more if the next chapter is really an arc where the assassin kidnaps Nakyum.
Seungho as a character actually deserved better than be outshined by a fan service caricature of himself.