Ok besides the admittedly awesone s** scene, WHATS WRONG WITH THE ML?
Dude has complete memory loss prior to a certain time, and physically has some insane scars(have they explained an of it yet?), and was yakking in the toilet and then speaking to himself. PLUS, there's that scene where the girl and the doctor went quiet and dipped right away when he showed up at the dinner table. And what was the girl up to in that storage? And the sus dad for the sick kid?
Plus, what are the zombie/maggots even doing when they come back? Like just roaming around or do they retain some sort of consciousness? The MC has stated that they arent really harming anyone.
I was a big fan of this story in the beginning bc I thought there was more to know about the chars and their personalities.
But there isnt. The main characters are quite flat and the only thing carrying them is this push and pull dynamic caused by the ML's baseless obsession with the MC. Some of the side characters had more dimension, like Taehee
The fact that the MC decided to....just give in bc the ML was persistent is.... not super appealing to me...
It wasn't even like the MC changed his mind or was convinced otherwise. it was quite literally that he just gave in.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
MAYBE Seo-In did kiss the brother, to make the MC jealous. Honestly, he's just a little unhinged enough and petty enough. I'm realizing that now with the recent chapters.
They're both a little off their rockers. They're both emotionally clingy and dependent on their transactional relationship. it's not truly romantic on either side. Well aite then.
YALL idc if its the brother or the gangster, ILL FIGHT ANYONE THAT COMES IN BETWEEN THEM.