beta
i’m a girl who finds it really hard to enjoy a bunch of BL manhwas, mainly because it glamorizes rape and coercive behavior (i know, i can’t handle the spice ☹ i’m sorry lmao) and i truly thought this manhwa would be one of them, just a generic rape story where some mafia rich boy pays them some bills or life supplies in exchange of sex, but no! not really! it was like that at first, but i gave it a try and continued to keep on reading, and i was pleasantly surprised to find Taeju being more considerate of Euihyun’s consent as well as the kid’s comfort!
his way of redemption is far more gratifying than whatever sadistic beauty’s Wookyung did. i’m probably gonna be called a hypocrite since the side story follows the same plot as Waterside Night, rich guy sheltering poor dude in exchange of sex, but see the difference is:
• Euihyun tried to kill himself at the beginning of the manhwa because he believed he wasn’t good enough to provide for the kid. he didn’t know about Taeju, and even then, he was the one who saved him.
• Minho, on the other hand, tried to kill himself BECAUSE of Wookyung (he literally told him he made him so miserable he didn’t fight back when a group of men almost raped him).
After realizing his feelings for Euihyun, Taeju tries to make it right - by suggesting a lawyer when the kid was taken away by his father, apologizing to Euihyun after his violent rut, crying for him when he thought he was gonna kill himself again, barely caring that Euihyun often hits him really violently and checks up on him either way. he’s slowly turning into a green flag by doing so many things correctly, and that’s good. that’s great.
if you love sadistic beauty side story, good for you! i’m glad! but personally, i do think this manhwa tackles redemption far better than sadistic beauty