The designer guy looks like a past lover of hers, was recommended by her husband and reported her steps to him?
How much y'all wanna bet that the husband hired that guy to seduce her and make her out to be a cheater so he can divorce her without giving a single cent? The husband must be doing precisely what the lawyer is talking about on chapter 3.
FL is not keeping a poker face, sadly. The cheater saw someone peeping and the very next day she ditches the table where they were fucking? It's too obvious.
uuu interesting take
This ending is not open at all guys. You see the blurry dead sheep in the end? That's Dennis in the bottom of that pit.
Also, just because the ending wasn't lovey-dovey it doesn't mean it's bad, this was actually great and got me thinking over here, my jaw is on the floor.
I was hoping the comments about her seeing him and her mom fucking were metaphors or something. Nope, they were fucking indeed and she saw it indeed.
This is my first time seeing this manga. The name is Asagiiro no WHAT? The random Portuguese got me surprised.
For those who don't know, "saudade" is the Portuguese word for the emotion of missing someone or something, something similar to nostalgia but not quite.
In chapter 1, Ren's internal monologue says Matsuri is the person she had been "dying to meet", so I guess that feeling was "saudade"
tysm for bringing this attention i woulda never known
You're welcome ^^ I'm happy to share this
I'm not in the mood for porn without plot, and this one got on my nerves with the lack of communication. If this was real life I could be more patient, but how the hell are you trapped in a game simulation but decided to hide things and actively avoid your coworker for DAYS instead of trying to figure out how to leave?
Because...They had sex
The smut is the last few chapters is good but damn... how did this man not know what was being said about his own wife, by his own servants, under his own roof, for 4 months and so loudly?
This might be the lowest rating I've ever seen on this site. I mean, even the worst slop gets at LEAST a 7 here. Congratulations to the author for making utter garbage.
Where did y'all see the romantic undertones in this because I don't remember that at all~... What's going on in these comments? If Taegu really is attracted to the kid like that it's gonna be weird indeed but y'all must have caught something I didn't.
no they r just delulu that's it I see it more as a father son relationship
People keep saying the author said he was a romantic interest but nowhere did they say that and ive always seen him more of him caring about Yeongwoon because of regret and guilt not because he wants him romantically but people are just pedos so ofc they will defend it and justify it if it was romantic but im still confused on why so many are actually trying to justify predatory behavior im not saying he is though but those pedos view him as a romantic interest for some gross reason and everytime I call them out they call me immature and just try to attack me like they need to be put on some fbi list because whats with their aggression?
NO YES I AGREE I dead said the same thing to someone else he def cares more because of his regret n guilt no where in the book did I wonder oh does he like yeongwoon yk. Idk y ppl r so weird n nasty they their saying oh he's weird or I don't like. him BC he's going after yeongwoon but it's like y'all r the one twisting the story yk n yes everyone is entitled to their own opinion n ppl can take different things from books but this take is just under acceptable.
But the author did say he his a romantic interest in the side notes
Not that i like that either tbh. Quite unnecessary
but the author did say he is the second ml so...
No they didnt nowhere did they say that all they said was that he was an important character to the story how does that mean hes a romantic interest? Also IF he is why are so many of yall trying to defend it? Not the author if they do make him a romantic interest but the fact that IF he does have romantic feelings for the mc why would yall be defending those type of feelings?
Where? Please show the reference to this side note. Which chapter?
In chapter 21.5 page 4. He is stated to be Seo In rival. I currently hope it is meant by the answer of the author as a simple rival and not romantic, although the person who posed that question meant rivalry in a romantic sense of why. On another note though, do you fucking read?? Who is this "yall" you speak of? On the answer above i clearly stated and i quote "not that i like it either tbh" did you just overlook that yeah? So no I'm not yall and you don't generalize, you are against those who want to see at least a romantic involvement from Taegu? Then go discuss to them instead of annoying random impartial people who don't like don't care
I replied to the person above you, interpret the answer i gave as one i said directly to you as well
*way
Because you and others automatically assume hes a romantic interest if you know the author didnt say he was a romantic interest then why did you say he was? You spread misinformation then get mad when someone calls you out?
Thank you for the reference. And sorry if you took something I said as an offense, I was just really puzzled after looking at the comments because I didn't recall this.
Anyway, I read 21.5 and then I looked for the original korean sentence in the raws to be sure. The exact words are "Q. 태구씨는 서브공이 맞나요?", which means "Q. Is Taegu-ssi a 서브공?"
서브공 is the combination of the words "서브" (sub) and "주인공" (hero/main character), so it can be translated as "sub-lead", a character that is important to the story, second only to the main characters.
I did read that a 서브공 can mean a "second lead" in BL, and that meaning is VERY common, I would say the most common, but seems like that's not always necessarily the case. I hope that's not the case though because I think it would be very creepy indeed. The non-romantic meaning fits the author saying that he has a significant role in the story in the answer so I hope that's how it leans.
oh u did it research n I loveittt
Yeah i don't deny i did assume since the line of topic was posed in that sense anyway from the questioner, as a romantic rival, that's how the translation goes. "Spreading disinformation" lmao you can calm your fiery ass down over a simple misinformation, and i'm glad he won't be a possible romantic interest. One can assumes also by possessive and "touchy" he got over Yeongwoon when he saw the hickeys you know. You on the other hand should stop being actually mad and aggressive as a first response when communicating, you talking about assuming? Listen hypocrite you are the first to assume i "shipped" the two of them without even reading what i said. Now you talking shit because i got your on your own stupid ass way of behaving is that right? Well if you can't help it stay mad then
Ahh no don't worry you didn't offend me. As "interpret my answer as directly meant to you as well" was for the reference to the chapter and page only. OK so the translation seems to be fair. I personally assumed on the romantical side of rivalry too but surely i hope it's not, and if it's gonna be, looking at Yeongwoon only in love with ml, it seems pretty much one sided anyway, and that's somewhat acceptable. I honestly don't like triangles of any sort and this one would be absolutely ruining the story, thankfully it's clearly not going that way. Someone said, considering the most recent chapter, that when Taegu got touchy when he saw the hickeys was because of some type of brotherly instinct, considering how he saw him all bruised up in the past, and honestly i'm starting to lean more on this predicament, we will see anyway and can't wait for Tuesday. Thank you for your research
I never said you shipped them stop making up shit because youre mad at some goddamn comment
Your line of wording started with "why are so many of YALL trying to defend it". You punkass bitch you don't even know what you write in an electronic piece. Pretty sure you don't even have the courage to reread your stupid message, of all the discussion that happened in this topic yours is the last useful, no purpose to what you said at all. Even a saint would get mad with your stupidity sybau
Ahh you mad
It's funny how all the comments agree he's a terrible detective. He can't even come up with a believable excuse for why he wants to get close to Ma Leo.
And why is he letting himself get spotted so easily when he's supposed to be investigating? In the first place, since he's undercover shouldn't a different detective follow Ma Leo to the hotel? Following him just everywhere ruins his cover.
This is interesting, I don't think it's josei though. Seems like a "seinen" with a female protagonist. Quotation marks on seinen because this is a Korean webtoon so this is not how they classify things.
Seems like josei to me.
I don't think it is. Let me explain why:
- Majority of josei are romance manga, which is not the case here
- You could argue that this is one of those rare non-romance-focused josei, but there's a strong male-gaze aspect, which I suspected from the start and the more recent chapters confirm it. The dress and boots combination that she starts wearing from chapter 7 onwards is a male idea of what looks good and there are unnecessary zoom-ins on her boobs
- Aside from the male gaze aspect, the art itself is very much what you would see on a Seinen instead of Josei. This might go unnoticed if you're not familiar with the differences, but josei usually is more cutesy while this one resembles Lookism
- Seems like at least one of the authors is a man judging from his name (Kwak Dongju) and men do not usually write josei
I get where you’re coming from, but I’d argue that this manhwa actually fits better under Josei than Seinen. Here’s why:
1) Not all Josei = romance.
Romance is common in Josei, but it’s not the definition. Josei is really about stories that resonate with adult women, whether that’s romance, work-life, or darker psychological themes. This series deals with power dynamics, self-worth, and manipulation and those are issues that adult women relate to even without a love story.
2) The “male gaze” doesn’t disqualify it.
Plenty of Josei titles (Midnight Secretary, Paradise Kiss) include sexuality, stylish outfits, and even provocative framing. What matters is the narrative perspective. Here, the female lead is still the one driving the story. She has agency, and the focus stays on her choices and struggles.
3) Art style ≠ demographic.
Josei isn’t always “cute.” Some of the most iconic Josei (Nana, Tramps Like Us) have gritty or stylish art that could easily be mistaken for Seinen. What really matters is the intended audience and the emotional themes.
4) Author gender doesn’t decide demographic.
Sure, men don’t usually write Josei, but it’s not unheard of. Demographics are based on audience and themes, not the author’s gender. There are plenty of male authors in Shoujo/Josei spaces, and their works are still classified that way because of content.
5) Seinen usually leans into external conflict (action, crime, sci-fi), while Josei digs into internal and interpersonal struggles. This manhwa is clearly more about psychological survival and self-value than about action or politics. That puts it much closer to Josei in my opinion! Just a darker, non-romantic version of it which deviates from the norm but still is in the genre.
I think you’re basing your argument on some really limiting assumptions. Like Josei has to have a “cute” art style, or only be created by women. That’s not how it actually works. Josei simply means stories aimed at adult women, and those stories can range from romance to workplace drama to darker psychological themes.
This series fits that perfectly: it centers on a female lead, deals with power dynamics and self-worth, and focuses on internal/emotional conflict over external action. Those are classic Josei traits, even if the art style is more "seinen" than "josei" or the authors aren’t women.
So while it might borrow some visual elements you’d expect from Seinen, at its core the perspective and themes align much more with Josei. Assuming it can’t be Josei because it doesn’t fit a narrow checklist really misses the broader picture of what the genre represents.
I said it myself that not all josei is about romance, not all josei has cute art style, but I'm looking at these aspects together. It all adds up to this title not being josei.
Also, I don't deny that there's sexual frames in josei manga, but there's a difference between female gaze and male gaze. For instance, there's lots of webtoons that are just porn, and yet there's a clear difference between porn aimed at women and porn aimed at men and you usually can tell with just one glance. The outfits, the angles and the art style play a part in this, we can't pretend it doesn't.
And of course the gender of the author doesn't dictate the genre of the comic, but how many men write josei or shoujo? It's far more common to see women writing seinen or shounen than men writing comics with female demographics.
And just for the record, not all seinen is about external conflict. There's more seinen with internal conflict than there is josei with male authors. You say I made generalizations, but this is a generalization too.
Now let's look at ALL the aspects. This is non-romantic, male-gazey, has stereotypical seinen art and male authors.
Anyways, as I said in the original comment, this is all guess work since korean comics don't use these categories. This is listed in the original site as simply "story" and "thriller".
I see where you’re coming from, but I think you’re still over-relying on surface traits to define Josei vs. Seinen. A few extra points to consider:
1. Psychological storytelling is strongly tied to Josei.
-While Seinen certainly can have internal conflict, its dominant identity (hallmark ) is still tied to external, plot-driven conflicts. This manhwa is driven almost entirely by psychological tension, manipulation, and emotional stakes! ( style much closer to classic Josei dramas than to Seinen’s structure)
2. Josei doesn’t exclude darker or male-gazey works.
-Josei historically includes titles that are gritty, sexualized, and even exploitative at times. Flowers of Evil and Helter Skelter (both Josei) don’t shy away from using sexuality and discomfort through a female lens. Just because a story has “male gaze” elements doesn’t mean women aren’t the intended or engaged audience.
3. Female-centered narratives are rare in Seinen.
-Regardless of outfits or camera angles, this story is still led by a female protagonist whose POV drives the narrative. Seinen rarely makes women the central subject without reducing them to side characters, trophies, or supporting roles. However , Josei, normally explores flawed, complex women as leads. That’s the mold this story fits.
4. Market reception matters too.
-In practice, the readership skews differently. A webtoon like this is marketed on websites and platforms where it's predominantly female readers, which is part of why fans see it as Josei. If it were Seinen, it would likely be pushed alongside male-oriented action/fantasy thrillers.
5. The “checklist” approach oversimplifies.
-Yes, the art leans Seinen-ish, yes, there’s fanservice, yes, the authors are male but none of these outweigh the main themes and intended audience. If anything, that mix just shows Josei is evolving and borrowing aesthetics from Seinen, rather than proving it “isn’t Josei.”
6. Korean webtoons blur the categories anyway.
-Since you pointed out they don’t officially use these labels, all the more reason not to force-fit it into Seinen just because it has male authors or sharper art. If we’re applying Japanese demographic terms, then Josei is the closer fit because of its themes and focus, not Seinen.