Incheol is pathetic and Pyeonghwa is a fuckin freak, I love it. I feel like Incheol originally had the intention of going about this relationship with Pyeonghwa like he has with all his other schemes for the sake of Rep. Lee, with an overexertion of dominance to compensate for the fact that he moves to the beat of another person's drum. Incheol is... well... a dog. He's an obedient servant for Rep. Lee and is willing to do anything to make right by her, even if it means selling his autonomy. He tries coping with this through the corruption of his tactics, whether it be violence, blackmail, or sex. It's not the right way to go about things, but it gets the job done and Incehol is able to feel like he finally has power over someone instead of it being the other way around.
Pyeonghwa and his disturbed nature completely flips this and exploits Incheol's weak nature and propensity to use unorthodox tactics for political gain in his favor. The violent and sexual tactics that would empower Incheol and weaken the other party is now the very thing that empowers Pyeonghwa and weakens Incheol. In the midst of trying to gain power for himself, Incheol has relinquished it to another, yet again. He may have been able to rationalize this dynamic with Rep. Lee because she actually has power and influence, but he cannot grapple with the fact that this lowly young man with a violence kink living in a ghost town is holding up his legs and having his way with him because he has more power than Incheol himself. I really look forward to seeing how Incheol begins to navigate his relationship with Rep. Lee, Pyeonghwa, and himself moving forward. Idk if he'll just condition himself to be a dog for another, or begin realizing that his pursuit of power has led him to being weaker than he's ever been... Excited to see how this unfolds!!
Wow, great comment. Yes, even though Incheol it's not a good person he fell victim to Pyeongwha in this particular situation. I feel bad for him because there's no guarantee that his plan will work.
I've been thinking that maybe (in the future) Incheol will try to control Pyeongwha with sex because he's not in control of anything else: his job prospects, his relationships, where he lives, everything is dictated by his boss.
And those scenes where there are other men in suits inside a bathroom makes me thing that Rep. Lee uses very cuestionable methods.
Genuinely love how although Joe is not a person used to violence or taking the lives of other humans, he is locked in and willing to risk his own life for Toby and Ian. It's so nice seeing Ian being cared for by other people. And the best part is, you KNOW that neither Toby nor Jo will make Ian feel guilty for putting them in harms way, unlike a certain someone we know. It sucks that Ian continues to be haunted by a past that mainly Jason and TJ orchestrated, but I'm hoping he's able to leave that all behind and live a new life of safety and peace. He deserves to go out on dates with Jo without watching over his shoulder, meet Jo's parents and go on camping trips, visit Toby and her baby every once in a while, having his job or figuring out what to have for dinner with Jo being the only stressful thing hes got going on. I hope to see this series end with Ian being able to get out of the quicksand thats had him stuck for the past 20 years of his life.
I keep seeing everyone talking about this one commenter and let me just say, leave them be! Theyre shadowboxing reading comprehension and losing, have mercy on them In all seriousness though, theyre allowed to be a TJ supporter since its just an opinion, and we still dont know how the series will end. Ian can chose TJ, Jo, or neither. Although I'm personally hoping for Jo, the TJ girlies can still hold their own desire. That being said, you better PRAY you never have a partner like TJ irl because those type of men suck the life energy out of you lmaoooo. Men like TJ can rearrange your guts and make you not want to leave (trust me I know) but outside of sex, they are lost, broken, and want an emotional support human than an actual partner. When you find yourself a Jo, life genuinely is brighter. You find someone that is caring, listens, and can rearrange your guts even better, lol. This is just a perspective you begin to understand once you start living life, going through experiences, and learn a bit more about the world. Yall love the fantasy of the toxic gangster and thats okay, but you forget that this story is about IAN and his journey to healing. Jo always has and always will be the correct answer. But in the end, the decision isnt up to us and we can only wait and see what Doyak decides!
Funny part is that TJ name isn't even written in the story description ╮(￣▽￣)╭ So , I'm always Team JO
Even though Jason has since passed, his scheming cascades into Ian's life to this day. On one end, TJ contributed to this mess by guilting and trying to manipulate Ian into staying instead of letting he move onto bike racing. On the other hand, Jason set all these events into motion by orchestrating the murder of Jamie's old boss, a consequence that he has the privilege of not facing himself. And to think that Jamie's new boss killed Jamie's brother, an innocent civilian, to frame TJ. No wonder Ian wants to stay far away from all this bullshit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that Jo and Ian can actually move away together and start a life without worrying because this shit is so depraved and dark As for TJ..... maybe he will eventually learn that this life was never worth it and can try to find solace in living the mundane, with a new partner or alone. Will his ego allow him to do that? Find out next time on dragon ball Z!
The fact that some of you think that TJ is the one with the stubble in the red robe actually has me wondering if yall are actually paying attention to the story.... remember Jamie, anyone? Yall so worried fighting over ships you forgot this story actually has a plot
how do people even confused him for TJ. They don't even look alike. He has black hair too
I knew from the get-go that Ian only left Jo because he wanted to protect him and his family, they made it so obvious when he WANTED to write "I'll be back" but then erased it because he felt undeserving of this peaceful life and knew he'd put inncocent people at risk. He then tried to ask TJ to go with him so they can both run away from the "wet sand" (the "wet sand" being their affiliation to the gang and general criminal underworld). But Ian quickly realized that TJ is already neck deep and intends to stay, making TJ himself the very wet sand (aka quicksand) Ian is trying to escape from.
Rather than sinking with TJ as an unacknowledged lover, or going back to Jo to be a perceived liability, Ian chose to be the lone wolf who will use the money to find a life outside of his conflicting worlds. But, Jo..... Jo...... THE MAN THAT HE IS, sought out Ian because this is the love that Ian has wanted and needed for his entire life. Jo, even in the midst of his own hurt feelings, prioritized Ian's safety and well-being. Jo, despite not being gang affiliated, put himself in danger just to attempt to save Ian without the expectation that he'd choose him. TJ couldn't even kiss Ian in public, yet Jo is sticking his neck out and risking his life to save Ian and try to provide a life he knows Ian yearns for. THAT, is what love is, that is what love looks like: understanding and sacrifice.
Out of love, Ian sacrificed a life of peace to protect Jo and his family. Out of love, Jo sought out Ian to make him understand that he is someone worth fighting for and loving. All Ian has ever experienced was dependency veiled as love; manipulative tactics being used to make him stay, intimacy behind closed doors but coldness and stoicism in public, no acknowledgement of what he wants or needs from a relationship... that just ain't the right way to love. Jo going this extra mile will hopefully confirm a lot of things for Ian, and make his path to a life of peace much more clear. We're still at the point where literally anything can happen, but I'm honestly rooting for Jo and Ian to find a home within each other and live peacefully together. I also hope to see TJ be able to find peace in his own right and realize his faults so that he can treat his next partner better. This series is so good, stressful, but good
awww
Love is selfless not possessive #teamJo
preach mawmaw
Seeing past events from Ahn's pov makes me realize just how insane and freaky this man is lmaoooo. I'm really trying to figure out what was the starting point for him to become a pain chaser, and why he is so intrigued by Joo. Like yeah, Joo's hot, but there's definitely more to this than baseline attraction. Is he attracted to Joo's pride conflicting with his desperation? Is he attracted to Joo being this fish out of water who he slowly sees breaking down? I'm also interested to see if the consistent head trauma Ahn is receiving will actually play a larger role in this story. I joked earlier about Ahn likely developing CTE and bouncing off of a dick and into an urn but now.... that may not be so far off
I've been telling yall since day 1, Jo was always the right answer for Ian. As much as I love TJ's character, he is fundamentally flawed and refuses to change the error of his ways, highlighting the toxicity of his "love" as it mainly manifests as possessiveness and trauma. For years, Ian has sacrificed his agency for the sake of a lover who wouldn't even hold his hand in public, TJ wanted to keep Ian as his DL lover to hide during the day and love on at night, thats no way for a man to live. Ian finally saw what love is supposed to look like through Jo. This isnt simply Ian choosing Jo, this is Ian finally choosing himself by deciding to be with Jo. I'm so glad the author actually chose this route and didn't do a half-assed redemption for TJ so that Ian can reunite with his abuser; not every toxic relationship needs to be saved. I'm really looking forward to what comes next, and im a bit worried as to what might be going through TJs head and what he'll do. You know how he gets when sees that Ian is slipping from his grasp.... but we'll see what comes of it.
So many people in the comments complaining about what Pyeonghwa did as if it wasn't apparent from the start that their interactions were caked in corruption, coercion, and violence. Incheol is one of Rep Lee's henchmen and is actively trying to gentrify a low income area for political gain and is perfectly fine with using blackmail, violence, and coercion to get that done. Pyeonghwa is a disturbed individual who uses violence as sexual currency and is willing to play Incheol's political game because he realizes that he has more power than Incheol in this dynamic and exploits that.
These are not good people, they never were, and if yall were reading the story for the sake of understanding what was going on rather than reading it just to look at smut, then yall would've known that and wouldn't be disgusted nor surprised by this because it was ALWAYS there. There is no difference between the events in ch.21 and ch.12, you can't act surprised or disgusted now. I remember making a comment a while ago that said yall were too focused on the smut and not the actual story and A LOT of you got upset, but here we are yet again where my words are proven right. If yall want smut, then read smut, but stop thinking that every BL you read is going to be some green flag story that focuses on romance and nothing else.
louder. "Our sunny days" is right there for those who want greenflag fluffy stuff. If you're still here you were supposed to know this is how things go from quite a while ago.
I can attest that our sunny days is green field for anyone who want to feel better about life and stuff
Agreed. Although it wasn't rape, it is a mutually consented transactional relationship. It deceptively looks like dub con because it was painful, but it was meant to look realistic. The motivational factor behind their sex isn't primarily physical attraction, there are many other emotions and ulterior motives underneath their act of sex, and they are both aware of that too. It was so clear to see that this act of sex was not supposed to be pleasurable, it's first and foremost an act of transaction, the physical attraction while it's there, is secondary motivation. The author made this very clear in the preceding chapters. If anyone reduces it to just rape vs consent issue, while disregarding everything else, it becomes clear they were only reading this manhwa for the sex because they thought it would be hot, which can only come from a shallow understanding of the subject matter. People are complaining about the rape because that's the only lens they are seeing the characters with, typical yaoipilled sex obsessed lens.
Honestly it's so reductive to see everything with rape vs consent lens. I hate gratuitous sex and glamorization/sensationalisation of rape but it can't be denied that rape does happen in the real world, there is much darkness in the world and stories must be written to represent with accountability and sensitivity. And these two characters are portrayed as carrying a lot of emotional baggage and scarring that influences their actions. Just like the real world.
And just because stories have rape, doesn't mean it's a reprehensible act by the author to show it, as long as they dont use it as a fan servicey plot device. This author didn't glamorize the sex, they made sure to show that while there is latent physical attraction between the two, they also resent each other and resent their reason for being in each other's lives, at least at this point of time. Sex is part of their deal. In the real world, sex doesn't only happen between two people who love each other, sex is also used as a currency for mutual benefits, as you rightly said.
Unlike most BLs, this manhwa doesn't just deal with the love story between the leads but also has a macro overarching theme about corporate greed, political power games and class clashes. But the average yaoipilled readers do not have the intellectual or emotional capacity to understand text, visual language or themes that go beyond - uke and seme sitting on a tree, k i s s i n g.