Anay

Kinda true

You're valid in your criticism: the author shouldn't have added such a sensitive and harmful theme without fully addressing its consequences.
It feels like a missed opportunity to acknowledge the trauma and address the issue of sexual assault in a meaningful manner.

by his morals, it wasn't violent. He even said he was chronically a machiavellian or whatever psychology word he used. The author portrays him as someone as beautiful and intriguing as he is terrifying and horrible. Most of us don't defend his violent crimes, we defend the logic in how his character is portrayed. If you want to read a book about redemption. This isn't the one, sorry. Why do you want to see someone commit countless acts of murder and violence get a happy ending when at the end of the day, he would only feel remorse towards one person? And he only feels bad when it gets in the way of what he wants. In a sense, you are excusing his behavior more than us. You want him to act nice and be liked despite who he is and what he's done

Also, if his empathy had a meter, it would always read "Dumbass, no reception"

I understand your point. I'm not mad because Ilay didn't magically become a good person, I'm mad because the writing completely ignored the character development he did have. There was -something- which was ruined just to serve another 'sexy' smut scene that caters to what's become normalized in certain parts of the yaoi 'community'. It reads as a typical trend in yaoi where non-consensual painful acts are eroticized under the guise of passion. That's what is bothering me. Maybe you're right and the author wants us to get whiplash from this to remind us who exactly we're dealing with - but where's the pain then on Taeui? Yes, we can read what he is going through but see it? Nope, it's as if it's supposed to not look like actual assault, but passionate sex. He is hurt and his pain is weirdly sexualised in that scene.

why didn’t u just respond to my comment if you’re going to be referencing it lmfao? i’m not defending ilay, im not even defending the scene. dude i dont even like ilay.

but you’re the one that’s wrong if you think that that wasn’t completely inline with his character. my point is that you’re all expecting ilay to turn it around and become some green flag to taeui, but that’s just not going to happen. you’re saying i’m just ‘consuming’, when you’re the one that took ilay’s one apology and forgot all of his past crimes of forcing taeui + harassing him and expected him to be above shoving his dick in. once again, im not defending ilay. i’m simply baffled by why there’s all this outrage that ilay is simply behaving how he’s always behaved. like twenty chapters ago ilay sucker punched taeui in the stomach and coerced him to have sex with him, and after one apology you think he’s done a complete 180? before you tell me to think deeper, practice what you preach yeah?

‘Bad tropes, bad writing’ brother again. 100 chapters in. why are you still reading? the tropes haven’t changed, the writing hasn’t either. i’ve read all of passion, dasim, and suite in the original korean text, and i’ll be the first to tell you that ilay gets better but he’ll never reach what you guys want him to be. thats not this genre, and thats not what the author wanted (and before you give yuuji too much shit she wrote this in 2006 lol). if you can’t handle the heat i kindly suggest you stay outta the kitchen

I didn't respond to your comment directly because I wanted to see how people agree/disagree with a more well written critique ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~ pure curiosity

Ohh, I (kinda sorta maybe) understand. It's hard to assume he had any character development at al, actually. He literally just told homeboy he would kill him if he left him while still holding him under duress. Ilay exhibits the patterns of abusers. They hurt you like you've never been hurt before, then give you these painfully tender moments and a glimmer of hope as if they aren't the pure source of your turmoil. He shifts his thinking and methods solely to get what he wants. He isn't growing as a person, he's just learning (terribly slow) how to get Taeui. He only wants Taeui's love because he wants complete monopoly, and refuses to share any physical/emotional part of Tay's life. He will never understand love as a "normal" person would.

For Taeui, he genuinely did display displeasure of his abuse. The writer had his inner monologue tell us point blank the pain, confusion, helplessness, and resentment Taeui feels. And how frustrating it is to feel swayed by the softness he sees in Ilay's face and voice sometimes. He flinches and is sensitive to Illays moods, and feels nothing but relief when they pass. The stress is so overwhelming he can hardly think of anything else. He unconsciously cries in his sleep. Lets not forget, in assault, one may feel pleasure whether they want to or not. The mood only seems romantic becuase he's too exhausted to fight, he just wants to let him get it over with. At first we see the brutality of the assaults through Taeuis gaze. But this was the first time we see assault through Ilays eyes. To him this is an act of passion, to tay, it's violence that he got used to in some ways and can't get used to in others. People get accustomed to abuse and even go back to their abusers, unfortunately. And this story/dynamic really demonstrates that, he proves he's horrible every chapter

Well this is embarrassing. New raws just dropped a few minutes ago, and they really did make the "sex" (assault again, really) scene too romantic I guess the abused really has completely fallen for him now. I still stand by every word I said tho