BadBitch's Topics (310)

Saaame

I think even though he had a rational reaction to his father’s murder, he was still deeply traumatized, and when his mother raped him, it completely broke something in him, and I don’t think mentioning the duration of the rape is relevant, it would be really disturbing no matter how long it lasts, especially when the rapist is your own parent.
I don’t believe Sangwoo is sexually attracted to his mother, but the scene where he tells Bum that his uncle raping him was consensual sex and constant parallels between Bum and his mother might confuse some people. When he later apologizes for saying Bum consented to sex with his uncle, it becomes clear that he was projecting his own trauma on Bum. Unfortunately, many rape victims blame themselves for what happened, and, in my opinion, in Sangwoo’s case it comes down to two things: 1) He’s struggling with the fact that his own mother was the one who raped him because, even though she was a terrible parent, he still loved her; 2) A myth that “men can’t be raped” might play into his view of the incident, as many men that were forced into sex aren’t acknowledged as victims of sexual assault.
That makes all the parallels between Sangwoo’s mother and Bum have a new meaning – they are both people that he isn’t sexually attracted to. One is his parent, and the other is a man. The author themselves confirmed that Sangwoo is heterosexual, and it is shown in scenes when he either has sex with Bum to punish or placate him. It’s Sangwoo taking control of his sexual interactions to never feel as powerless as he did when his mother assaulted him. (On that note I would really recommend reading “Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai”, it explores similar themes and is really good!)
His mother’s constant comparing Sangwoo with his father (i.e. her romantic and sexual partner) forced him to start associating her with sex. He’s obviously not processing any of his trauma and turned to violence and murder as a result.
But coming back to his sexual feelings towards his mother, I think the most telling moment was when we were shown how shocked and hysterical he became during the rape, he literally threw up and started shaking. So, even though Sangwoo did display signs of having oedipus complex prior to his father’s killing, it’s pretty clear that he was not sexually attracted to his mother.

wow... a good explanation

Oh, I would also like to add that Sangwoo saying that rape in both his and bum’s cases was consensual is just him reframing the traumatic event. If the sex was consensual – yes, it would be disturbing but at least in his mind it would make it less cruel than it actually was. If the sex was consensual it would mean that his own mother didn’t just put him through one of the most painful and scaring events of his life. And if the sex was consensual it would mean that he had a choice or any kind of agency in the incident, which he didn’t in reality. So Sangwoo is just comforting himself, not claiming that he wanted to have that kind of relationship with his mother.

I don't remember Sangwoo being raped by his own mother....oh my goodness..my brain must've blocked that memory out to keep me sane....

Thank you so so so much, I wished the story was more explained by their actions or ny the author, but it wasn't as clear for me as it was for you. I really want a mini story after his mother's death where we can see his journey to insanity tho

By*

Yeah, no problem! :) It’s a common complaint that the author didn’t show Sangwoo becoming a serial killer and his first kill, and I really agree on that…
Maybe the author got tired of exploring the serial killer aspect of the story and didn’t want to draw murder that looked fun like in the beginning. The manhwa definitely focused more on the effects of psychological trauma by the end.
Let’s hope that the author gets inspired to go back to the story and explore it a little more!

The good ol' Bom

ah yes, bom x sengwoo for life

I'm ☠☠
This is more emotional/tragedy where as KS was more like a thriller for me