I've been trying to wrap my mind around Jaewon's deal for a while, because I've found his character to be flat and one-dimensional, honestly repetitive from when he was a kid and first spoke to Seo-In in the hospital up until they were teenagers.
Personally, I dont think it's that he specifically wanted parental attention/love because we never see him particularly interested in his own parents. He even goes out of his way to upset them to get at Seo-In(literally outs the both of them).
My recent guess is the lack of control he has over his own life. The first time we really see Jaewon get sensitive about something is when Seo-In pokes at how sickly he is. My guess is that once Seo-In entered, he quite literally saw a version of himself that had everything and could do everything he would've wanted. Bc Jaewon can't do judo as well, spends a lot of time at the hospital, and can't take after his mom and model like Seo-In. Seo-In would be an embodiment of what his life would've been if he was healthy and capable.
As a result, he forces Seo-In into submission to be his 'shadow' and flaunts his control over Seo-In to make up for being 'lacking'. Kind of like a 'if i cant have a life, you cant either. You have to be worst off than me" to make jaewon feel better about himself.
snap snap snap
So from my understanding, Seo-In has an obsessive personality type but is afraid to reach out first because as a child, he's felt that rejection of love from his adoptive parents. As a result, he tends to probe and prod at others to essentially test and push their affection. We saw that with the couple as children, and it also explains why he's so push and pull with Yeongwoon. He tends to be sweet when the MC is, but retaliates at any slight hint of Yeongwoon pulling away.
Yeonwoon is also seen to be a little possessive of the ML(although within very reasonable bounds) but because he feels that he's been played with and used by Seo-In in the past as a stand-in(at least in his mind), now he's particularly wary of getting too emotionally invested. So he tends to push and pull too, but bc he's got this whole inner conflict going on.
Jaewon is my least fav just bc he feels very one-dimensional. He repeats the same lines over and over again, 'youre my shadow'. If we at least saw signs of him being upset by their parents attention to Seo-In, or that he was greedy for his family's attention, id understand him more. I wonder if the author will flesh out more about how his illness impacted his mental health bc most times we see him, the dude seems fine. But someone once said he's not a real antagonist, but rather a plot device, which i think makes his repetitive character traits more bearable.
The mom is interesting. She definitely cares for Seo-In, but I think she just prioritizes the idea of her perfect, unbroken family more. She might actually be more biased towards Seo-In as the stand-in for her dead son and the one that followed in her footsteps than Jaewon.
I love this analysis so much and it's spot on with everything we've been showed in the story so far. I normally find push and pull dynamics and misunderstanding tropes annoying. But with the way the story was told and the way the background was expanded on I'm more sympathic to the characters than annoyed. The reread hits different with the full context of their past now revealed.
While I hate Jaewon with all my guts I also sort of sympathize with him as well. Although he was less fleshed out compared to the main couple there's still suble character building at play for him. The reason he lashes out the way he does is because he resents the fact that Seo-in was brought in as his replacement. He's been sickly from a young age and his parents (especially his mom) are torn up about it. No matter how much they claim they love him they love the idea of a "perfect" family much more. Having a sickly child gets in the way of that, so imagine how Jaewon must’ve felt when his parents suddenly bring home a new model so to speak. One that not only looks just like him but doesn't have any "defects" either. A perfect replacement. While that in no way excuses his actions it does explain why he acts the way he does.
Overall I really love the characters and story telling. Each new chapter is the highlight of my week.
What bugs me is 10 years time skip, 10 years isn't a short time
Him intentionally hurting his hand is a tad in the direction of a red flag... but not that bad yet. He shouldn't be harming himself to manipulate Luke for attention. BUT, we also have to remember that this is basically the first time Andrew has ever found someone that he truly loves and feels care from. He's been deprived of love and happiness and so Andrew probably wants to be coddled. I don't think he's the type to object to the MC having friends.
Totally agree with your comment. Andrew has a lot to take care of in terms of mental health. Bro was never loved ans had an abusive relationship with his father. Truly hope he doesn't turn into a total Red flag. He needs time and love to ill himself and to learn whats True love is <3
lowkey I kinda hate Jaewon's character. Not just bc he's a dick to everyone but his character is literally so one dimensional. He's been repeating the same lines for the last decade, "don't forget, you're my shadow". But like, what does that even mean? He's sick in the hospital all the time(altho we don't see it), Seo-in literally has a modeling job and massive IG following. Jaewon doesn't seem interested in his parent's affection either. He just goes on and on reminding Seo-in of the same shit. Every other character feels so much more dynamic. We literally see Seo-in changing over the last few chapters, and then his bro comes and says the same lines. To me, Jaewon honestly just doesn't fit into the story well.
i agree but i think it’s because we only see him as a kid. His character doesn’t really change because he died young and only was around for a portion of seo-in’s life. it’s aggravating tho because although he was there for such little time, his actions transcend time and still effects their relationship today. If his character was multi faceted i feel like it would distract from the main plot of the story which is seo-in’s and yws relationship
*Highkey
I don’t think he’s meant to be a dimensional character, just a plot device meant to haunt the narrative. Even though it’s been years since his death, present day SeoIn and Yeongwoon are deeply impacted by his actions and the damage he did in such a relatively short period of their lives. But I do agree I think the author could have been a little more subtle than having him repeat that shadow nonsense every other scene he’s in. We can clearly see that’s what he’s trying to do, no need to have him spell it out too .
NGL i love the ML's mom. There's something about a rich parent finally trying to keep their kids humble(altho it clearly didn't work, but that seems just as much to do with being bored hot).
hahah I think it was his dad who spoiled him, also u know the saying that people are attracted to partners who are like their parents? garam to me seems alot like his mom lollll
I don't like the 'romantic' relationship, or whatever progress it's on. IMO I like relationships that are written to show how personalities/values mesh. Kim Dan's side, I get it. He viewed JJK as a protector and admired his work ethic a lot. JJK has never been interested in Kim Dan as a person outside of what he could do for him. This new 'concern' for him feels like its arising out of pity more than anything else.
At this point, im reading more just to explore their individual stories. JJK has some major anger issues that tie into his desperation for success. It seems to stem from some sort of trauma, that drives him to want to be the best and unaccepting of anything less. IDK how Kim Dan is gonna temper that.
Kim Dan has some major abandonment issues. He struggles to live on his own, both literally and mentally. Again, not sure how JJK can possibly help with that. At this point, it feels like the characters are getting pushed together out of co-dependency, guilt, pity, and fear. I don't love it but i'm curious how the author is gonna navigate these personal issues of the characters.
Ik, JJK has done some really crappy things in season 1, but im okay with this version of him. He has a rough edge, but no one else is coming around to take care of Kim Dan ok. But lowkey, im real tired of Kim Dan's alcoholism. Like bro, your doctor says you have an issue and you're literally walking into the ocean regularly. As a medical professional and our MC, please at least put some effort into getting your life together.
The sex at this point, feels so inconsequential. Like the author throws it in there, ignores the problems that arise from it, and moves on.
bruh, kim dan was literally human trafficked and forced into sex by his employer (which is the second time this has happened to him), where he couldnt quit because of his DYING GRANDMOTHER. Let him have his problem, its literally not even jjk business at all.
I think if we throw jjk into the sun, thenkim dan will have a much more stable mental state without evil mma man around
I definitely think that when they get into it, JJK's aggression crosses a certain line that transactional relationships can't justify. But on the other hand, I wouldn't go as far as trafficked just because the MC did agree to a transactional relationship for a financial benefit. It sounds harsh but Kim Dan needed a certain lvl of aid that no one else could/or was willing to provide. JJK's problem is that he takes it too far by being aggressive and disrespectful, which is not okay even if its transactional. Even still, Kim Dan did not have to work for JJK, it was a choice he took to settle debts that weren't brought on by the ML.
His grandma is lowkey thriving for her age. Yes she's old, but she's at peace and happy where she is. My point was that his grandma is doing as well as someone her age can be, but Kim Dan needs to at least start moving in the right direction, which is accepting that other ppl can't be permanent figures in your life. I think the whole point in the first part of this season is that throwing jjk into a dumpster wouldn't solve Kim Dan's problems. If they never met, his self-esteem definitely would've been better for sure without all that verbal abuse he went through at the end of season 1, but he'd be buried deep in debt with loan sharks physically coming after him and potentially his grammy. Plus, his abandonment issues were still a thing. If JJK never found him in season 2, Kim Dan quite frankly would've been long gone in the ocean.
All in all, while the romance sucks and the characters arent particularly likeable, I think the author bringing some unique dimension to her fictional characters.
They have a similar premises but the vibe and focus are quite different. Dash feels less romantically focused and a little more plot. The narrative focuses a lot more on exploring the swimming itself, the competitions, and the commercialization of athletes. The relationship is definitely still there and developing, but the time spent on it is on par with the plot itself. I'd say there's trouble brewing with Kavva.
Do yourself a favor and find the novel bec it’s soooooooo good.
Based on Seo-In's problematic behavior in the past and in the present, my guess is that HE actually kissed Jaewon/brother. He likely gets jealous of the gangster hyung in the past and did it to trigger MC. We see that he's clearly upset that the MC isn't obsessed with him + even in the present he'll flash his sexual relations in front of Yeongwoon to get a reaction. (lowkey toxic)
In the past, this triggers Yeongwoon to pull away for long enough until Seo-In has to leave for a few months for work. My guess is that during that time is when Jaewon started bullying Yeongwoon and that's when we see him with all those bruises and his dad getting paid off. The goal was probably to isolate the ML when he returns. The mom likely paid off the dad so they won't sue Jaewon. The dad probably had a really bad reaction and ultimately Yeongwoon decided to take this 'settlement money' and run away, probably feeling more justified bc it was for getting beaten up.
Like this
He's Garam-sexual.
*favorited comment*