So...what have happened to the author's writing? Does she even realize there are too many plot holes in just the 2 latest chapters? I just feel like the more she writes, the more mistakes can be found. My expectation for all sidestories at first was pretty high yet because of a dozen of random, unnecessary scenes in Paradise that lessen the story's coherence + the rushed ending of One with many things left untold that I gotta admit her writing is quite bad (then I reassured myself that was a bit okay for a side story after all) but I've never thought it could be this bad until I read chap 126. So, the ugly truth could make people feel irritated, but I still want to say it:
1. Couldn’t she come up with a better reason on why Sunhwa died? What kind of work did she experience to have her health deteriorate? How much money did they need? Don’t her parents have savings? Why her parents still managed to live through bankruptcy thought they were the core problems but their daughter got to pass away?
2. She twisted Sumin's character, or this was really the sort of person she is - Sumin's true color? I’m not sure. But all I can see now is a selfish, entitled Sung Sumin who always tries to make excuses for every mistake she made. Sumin wasn't that drunk based on the unopened wine bottles but how could she just toss aside the contact note Sunhwa gave to her like that? Even if she forgot about the unfortunate meeting with Sunhwa the next day, and she had forgotten every single detail of it for more than 10 years, but just look at how fast she remembered it when Nammi asked her to recollect memories. Lmao. And the author was even caught off guard that Sumin's behaviour in newest chapters was criticized in Kakao's comment section that she tweeted something about it, thinking that all Sumin did to the best friend who used to like her were acceptable?
3. The point mentioned above led me to wonder: Don’t tell me Alggumba’s planning to shift the blame on Seju by having Nammi saying “I just know you two were close until you met Baek Seju…” – UGGH, ex-excuse me? Just like the dark pink haired girl who slapped Sumin in this chapter. It was actually Sumin who have problems, Sumin herself is the problem. I once thought it was Seju who had turned Sumin into a distant person to her friends. But no, it was Sumin who was willing to make all the choices to stay far from her friends, even when Seju said she didn’t have to. It was her who chose to confront her darkest moments when she lost both of her parents and first love by hooking up with every woman in Korea. Nobody owes her anything.
4. People seemed to sympathize with Sumin's claim "Because you liked me that you couldn't be friends with me" that they don't even know how ridiculous it may sound to Sunhwa when she just asked her "Why should I go back to you?" and Sumin: "Because you liked me" - What is this hella disgusting reasoning? Because I used to like you that I should run into your arms and have you bang me after all these years you shut me out of your world? Don't make me laugh!
5. All Sumin cares for is basically about whether or not she would lose face to her friends, to Sunhwa, or even to herself. As long as nobody makes she feel embarrassed, she will be quite okay with it. At first I didn't want to to believe in this point, but her self-defensed act after the reunion to Nammi by saying "How ridiculous it may sound to the others - do you enjoy making me look stupid that much?" and "in any case, it might have been a good thing that I didn't run into Sunhwa after that" --- Did she even care for the fact that Sunhwa was dead, for the sake of her constant struggle to make ends meet? Sumin was scared she might have lost her face to Sunhwa in the second encounter? But did she ever think that if she ran into her after that, they could just sit in the same table, talking things out in a sober state, and she could have helped Sunhwa to overcome her hardships a bit? So that Sunhwa wouldn't have died for this lame reason? Sumin is rich though?
6. Why the letter was obviously placed on the table? As Sunhwa just died a few years ago and Nammi said Sumin wasn't in a state to hear more bad news, I would assume that it was during the time Sumin broke up with Sungji, and Seju already said farewell to her before leaving to Jeju island - which means at the end of 2015 - in around November exactly 4 years ago. And Sumin and Sunhwa met again after her breakup with first love Seju - which also means in 2005. So Sunhwa really kept that letter for almost 10 years until her death? After knowing her crush becoming this ugly? I can understand as to why Seju lingered on Sumin for 10 years, they were staying beside each other physically and mentally, and they still have feelings for one another. But Sunhwa...Ugh, she couldn't even say a single word to Sumin. Couldn't she meet new people during those years? Yet still kept the letter? I'm sorry, I. don't. buy. that. Don't try to make reasons on why she left it at that place. It's just that Alggumba couldn't think of another faster way to make Sumin know about Sunhwa's untold confession in details. The same way as Seju reading her mother's diary. But the diary was a bit more convinced to me considering Chahee was living in the villa all alone, which bored her to death, and at least Chahee didn't leave the diary right under Seju's bed.
7. Where is Sungji? Isn't this side story is meant for Sumin and Sungji 3 years later? Why is too much of Sunhwa in here, with this kind of approach? Why was she in Paradise when eventually all she could have is her death? Couldn't the author try to show Seju's school life or one of her arguments with her siblings/step-mother? Couldn't she try to develop Sungji's character more instead of letting her be Sumin's therapist all the time? Is she just there as an angel to heal Sumin's past wounds? Why was the story focusing too much on recycling Sumin's drama, which all people already know and get tired of?
8. Last point, I don't know this Sumin. Either a too hella selfish, entitled Sumin or a freaking soft who always smiles shyly to her friends that the author is trying hard to show. She seems very unfamiliar to me now. Am I reading a different story?
What can I say? Your opinion is legion, I agree with all your points and questions. I seriously hope Seju is not thrown under the bus yet again, making her guilty for stuff she didn't have any participation in. Glad Seju is happy with Won, even if I didn't like the way One was executed.
Also, from way before in the main story I could already see Sumin was the main culprit for all her own problems and basically a super selfish and spoiled person. In contrast, Seju's only problem was that she had FEAR of abandonment, and that made her act in bad ways as a reaction to fears of losing Sumin (the initial cheating, sticking around, etc).
I don't think Seju would participate in this side story, probably she will just be mentioned or show up a little for the last time right before it ends. I'm also happy that Won is there to help Seju move on from the long term haunting past, and that she actually has her own complicating background even though it didn't get exposed in depth rather than a white paper like Sungji. Currently I just hope the author could at least try to develop her character more but it looks like Sungji can't stand a chapter without Sumin so yeah, perhaps next chapters will just focus on fluffy moments of Sumin and Sungji and how she cheered her up.
Hell, you said pretty much what most readers out there are probably thinking about this last side story, which honestly has been a letdown in terms of storytelling so far.
The evidence is piling up to prove that Sumin has always been an asshole, even before the shitstorm that happened with Seju cheating on her and Seju's brother assaulting her. If you're not her lover, she tends to treat you like crap or maybe not spare a single thought about you. Even if you're her lover, she has a habit of being dishonest with you, lying and taking you for granted - basically a doormat. Nothing really has changed much about Sumin's personality from the main story, and here in this last side story.
And as expected, it seems like Sungji has stepped in and played therapist for her again, magically helping her forget all about Sunhwa just like that. It saddens me the author is sending the wrong kind of message, meaning you can be an asshole of a person but so long as you have an angelic partner with you, there's no need for you to learn from your mistakes in the past and improve yourself.
To be fair though, maybe the author is just showing that women like Sumin exist, and they do plenty. Usually, main characters are good people, or at least turn into good people by the end of the story. But that's just fiction xD Most people never change, and a lot of times the people we at first glance consider to be "mean" (like Seju) are actually being led on/manipulated by the Sumin type of person.
In other words: Sumin is "covert", she is passive, shies away from responsibility for her actions, self-centered, she lies by omission to get what she needs and to get away from any feelings of guilt. This is very different from what most people identify as a "villain", because it's not obvious, it's not in your face. And it's very easy to be fooled by this kind of person because they seem like a victim to whom bad things are always happening, and if you get on their wrong side, you will be made to seem like the bad person who victimized them too (Seju). That's why Sungji sticks around, and that's why Seju stuck around out of guilt. It's a mistake that happens a lot.
Lol, so hilarious to see some people putting the blame on Nami while it was Sumin who was at fault here. In fact, she should have felt grateful to have an honest friend like Nami as she’s willing to point out the worst and best parts in Sumin/Seju rather than those who kept showering their friends with compliments and praising like they have been doing nothing wrong so far.
For example I’m Team Pink but I have to admit that Seju was totally wrong when she slept with the bartender out of insecurity in Sumin’s love for her and I can’t tolerate some of her manipulative and insensitive behaviours towards Sumin/Won either. So to me, Nammi was just doing the same.
1.“Why are you pissed at President Baek? It was me who held onto her, if you’re going to get pissed at someone, it should be me”
Asking for one night stand with Seju in order to know if Seju can break the taboo, and yes, she didn’t fail in making Seju spit out the nails stucking in her throat for years. Furthermore, she eventually made Sumin admit that she still loved Seju and her revengeful and selfish acts to Seju had never made sense anyway. In truth, she had no rights to blame Seju/Nami that time considering they had broken up, not to mention the fact she did hook up with Nammi once too.
2.“Why should I have told you about someone who never even crossed your mind?”
Sumin’s inexcusable fault here is, she just cut all ties with Sunhwa after graduation as if she had never existed in her life before despite having Sunhwa as her childhood friend since middle school. To the point where she didn’t get to remember her hot pretty bff Sunhwa when Sungji asked her in previous chapter if she had friends and what she was like in high school. Sumin: “No friends, I was just a loner who’s always busy studying, We shouldn’t get moved by someone who used to like us back then”. To be honest, I was laughing bitterly at these scenes so much when I read it, like “Come on, you really forget about Sunhwa that easily?” Even if they aren’t friends anymore, there is really no need to ignore her existence in your life as if she’s never accompanying you during middle/highschool days…
So that basically means, what Sunhwa had been scared of did come true, that Sumin really getting far away from her after graduation, unlike what she promised to Sunhwa that she didn’t want to stay away from her afterwards either. But eventually, she knew Sunhwa had feelings for her and she didn’t talk things out but instead, she made it as if it was Sunhwa’s problem so she pushed her bff away by saying "We'll go back to friends
when you no longer have feelings for me" which sounds no different than “If you want to be my friend again, you need to solve your own problem first”.
What’s more? Neither Seju or Nammi asked her to do so to Sunhwa and to all of her friends or just anyone trying to get to near to her. She was so busy with her new life in university that she gradually forgot she used to have a closed friend like that, and of course she didn’t mention Sunhwa even once in her daily chat with Nammi, which led her to think it would be better if Sumin didn’t find out about Sunhwa’s death forever. Would Nammi inform her this if she at least brought up Sunhwa once in their conversations? - The answer is yes - It’s just that you didn’t seem to care, so why do I should bother telling you it?
Nammi didn’t inform Sumin of this because she wouldn’t come if she did, and she didn’t expect Sumin to bring up Sunhwa at the reunion either. But could anyone hide it any longer once Sumin mentioned Sunhwa? No - that was why Nammi eventually chose to blurt out the truth. Someone else would do that if it’s not her. So where did Nammi did wrong?
Simply put, the author is the one who have biggest faults here, she’s heading to the boring, cliché plot twist in order to show that Sumin had become mature a lot of after her separation with Seju. That this time, after learning the death of her important ones, she didn’t lock herself in her own world that long anymore or push Sungji away like how she did to Seju (yet she didn’t seem to truly open up to Sungji even when they have been dating for 4 years) But still, is death the only way for Team Gaji to create Sumin’s character development? Just why did Sunhwa have to die for the sake of the main characters’ development? What was her purpose in Paradise all this time? People waiting to see her brighter life without Sumin or if she will act jealous over Sumin’s new relationship with another girl later on but what did we get? Such a waste.
Sunhwa deserved for her crush to attend her funeral don't you think? Whatever the arguments were Nami still was evil
Lmao thanks for mentioning me Tifa, however I want to apologize in advance because I'm afraid my opinion will rain on many users' parade so here I'm creating another topic instead of replying your comment directly.
First of all, as a reader who dearly love both Won and Seju I have to say that I'm quite half-hearted and disappointed in this chapter:
1. Before chapter 121 is released, I thought the story would end very soon with Seju jumping into a make-up sex with Won then they somehow will have a sweet talk in order to know more about one another, then something about Won's past gets revealed and they will work it out eventually and happily ever after. But seems like there's a long way to go as in reality, Seju's cries at the end had destroyed all my expectation and excitement for whatever might come, and rather than wondering the reason why Seju cried (which most readers here think because she remembered of Sumin again), I really wanted to ask her "Why would you do this?" instead. Because even when she gently hoped that Won wouldn't ruin the moment by mentioning the boss-employee's relationship but if you think of it, for 2 times, it was actually Seju who ruined the moment by breaking down all of sudden. Of course it wasn't her fault to be this broken, but seriously if she wasn't ready for it then just stop doing this to Won. As for this, I think Seju's prioritizing her own needs and feelings just like how she used to do with Sumin now.
= When she first met Won, she found her annoying and pushed her away.
= When she found Won interesting, she approached her.
= When she was sexually attracted to Won, she tried to find ways to hook up with her.
= When she was scared of changes, she fired Won.
= When she knew she might need Won, she kept Won by her side and went for another sex.
It is indeed a relationship that Seju has full control of so far. In fact Seju right now is like a poisonous candy that I don't want Won to have a taste on yet. Going back and forth like a dog obeying her owner isn't nice. How I wish she could be considerate of Won's feelings in this case too since it would be such a terrible experience for anyone to be turned upside down like that.
2. As for Won, she's remarkably considered as a very obedient character by Seju and the way Team Gaji is telling the story so far. So my big question is, what would happen if she didn't listen to Seju anymore? What if Won reached her limit? I bet people like this are the most dangerous lol because the calmer they are, the scarier it will be when they get mad. And, the saddest truth is, if Won keeps on caring too much, prioritizing Seju's feelings and going along with whatever Seju's comfortable at like this, sooner or later Seju will just take Won for granted. She'll think Won would always be there for her, and she will just care more about what she wants to do and can do with Won, instead of what they should do together. And of course I don't like it. As much as Seju needs somebody to really love and cares for her, Won deserves that somebody to do the same too. So I want Won to know how to say NO to Seju sometimes.
3. Then again, Sumin's 10 years of torture finally succeeded in brainwashing Seju that sex or "pain" is the only way to escape reality. And that was exactly what Seju was trying to do with Won, aside from having feelings for Won (which isn't passionate enough now), indeed she wanted to feel alive and a little less lonely by having somebody next to her. The first time she cried was obviously because of the guilt/remorse over Sumin, and the second time might be because of Sumin again + all the overwhelming feelings of new changes in her life in the past few weeks (Won+ selling Hello Studio + bastard brother trying to kill her + Chahee's diary). Seju was trying to wash away all these pain and unfamiliar information with sex but of course, she failed miserably. Again, I know Seju is in pain too, but I seriously hope she won't use Won for a third time to run away from it. I mean just don't drag Won too deep into the mess because she's also precious and deserves love too, it's really not easy for Seju or any of us to meet somebody like her....
4. The caller: must be from someone or about something fishy/important/urgent since it was a late night call, but when zooming the text, I'm very sure it wasn't Sumin's name judging by the way they were written in Hangul. So I placed her out of my final possibilities: Nammi, Seju's grey-haired butler, Won's ex, Won's parents, purple-head CEO, Emergency call from anon lmao. However I doubt it was grey haired dude since 99% percent Seju would just named him by his title "butler" or something in her contact list, so he's not the one needed to be blurred anyway. I mean the fact that Team Gaji blurred it on purpose tells it must be the name either of somebody we've known very well or somebody that we don't have any idea just by seeing her/his name so far(Won's ex - a well-known swimmer by her name contrastically for example). So in a nutshell, Team Gaji wanted to save their cake for the next party. Something that they don't wanna reveal yet, because once we know, we would have known many other things just like the way they chose not to write the story on Won's POV since the beginning lmao.
All good points!
After all we’re Humans and very messy ones when it comes to emotions that we can’t handel. It’s very hard to be a good person, even for a monk! At some point in our lifes, eventually, something it’s going to break, not matter the reason. How you get throu to it... well, that’s up to you. And who is next to you, accept it or not.
In the end, we are, indeed, a complex creatures!
Everyone is different but at the same time we’re all the same!
Woooooooow I'm really touch it I really love what you write beautiful words Beautiful mind Beautiful Soul yep that's you and thank you very much for saying that
I got to read a comment from someone who's not a blind Seju's fan finally. ( T﹏T )
Lol
Well, not going to lie, it was somewhat disappointing to see Seju crying once again. Was hoping it would be a full-on sweet chapter with no more drama involved, but I guess the reality isn't so simple, which does kind of hit home. I suppose even after learning the truth behind her mother and seemingly accepting her feelings for Won, she's not going to instantly change for the better. They do say old habits die hard, after all, so she still needs more time to adjust, getting used to the new and unfamiliar things. At least, Wonnie is willing to wait until she's okay.
And yes, as much as I enjoyed the sight of Won being so kind and understanding towards the President, it would be nice sometimes if she wasn't completely passive. Just imagine for once she can demonstrate an assertive attitude, telling Seju "Unnie, I'm not your damn doormat! You can't keep fucking your way out of a problem forever!" I think President might fall even harder for the former caretaker after witnessing her alpha-ness :P
I always enjoy reading your comments @ndkwon and there are some things that I agree/disagree with you. I want to discuss these points with you if you don't mind.
Isn't it bit rushed and optimistic waiting for a happy ending?, maybe Team Gaji doesn't want to give us a happy ending, it can be tragic, bittersweet and even an open ending. Sometimes I feel that the story is a bit rushed in some chapters and that the end is near and then I think it's the opposite, and honestly I have no idea what they are going to do next.
Seju went to that Villa with the intention of killing herself because she believed that without Sumin she wouldn't be able to live anymore, she didn't go to that place for
vacations or to rest, and much less to make friends or to seek a new relationship. So why she should have been kind to Won when they met?, she's not like that, Seju is a character full of gray nuances, she can be sweet and lovely or a complete bitch most of the time, she has many toxic and harmful behaviors, with herself, with others, but that is the complexity of her character and her background. And especially with her habit of pushing people away, even remember when she blatantly insult Won by telling her that she is only good in cleaning and laugh in her face. I think she is acting according to what her character is, of course we want to see changes and evolution but this kind of thing takes time and she had some progress through some chapters, here and there, subtle, but there are.
You never know when a wonderful person can fall into your life, unexpectedly and even when you are not looking for it at all, you can't predict these things, but you can decide whether or not to accept that person and let her into your life. Seju wasn't ready to let anyone in, but she can change her way of thinking and acting with Won, right?. It's called progress and I think it had to be Seju who took the first step. But still she and Won aren't in a relationship, not even close, it's wrong that she tries to have sex with someone else she likes?. She may not be prepared for this but is she guilty for trying at least?. How can you know when you are ready for something if you never try?. And perhaps it's true that she is a bit selfish but we as humans are selfish by nature, and besides she isn't forcing Won to do anything, if Won is there, it's also because she wants, It's sad when you want to be with a person but that person is not ready to be with you, but I don't think Won feels hurt by this because there aren't big feelings between them, they aren't in love, they aren't planning a future together as Sumin and Seju used to do when they were young. And many people use sex as an escape, to disconnect from reality. This is something good or bad?. I just know that sex isn't always a good and a precious thing, it can be wild, cruel and bizarre, and Team Gaji knows how to portray these moments in a way that feels very real and shocking. I don't care if this is what she is doing with Won, because I can't blame her for wanting to feel something more than pain and hate, and Won can give her what she needs and I think this is a big part why she breaks and cries, because she is feeling the delicacy and sweetness with which Won is touching her.
About Won, I can't judge her role in this "relationship" because honestly she is still a great mystery to me, rarely can we know what she is thinking or feeling, and also
she seems to be such a reserved character refusing to talk about her past with Seju several times. But I totally agree with you here because I couldn't help thinking the same in some chapters and I fear that Won will end up being as a young Sumin that never argued with Seju and only accepted/tolerated her shits and toxic behaviors. This isn't good, and honestly I will be very disappointed if it happens again. I would like to see these two arguing and crashing, because I feel that both are strong characters that can give us moments for crying and suffer.
Ndkwon is a rational thinker but some one did mention that human beings are complex creatures which is true. Most of us are complex
I really enjoyed reading your comment there was some point you are right about it your comments always very interesting really
If they're really are going for a tragic, bittersweet and open ending, then I feel they shouldn't have bothered making One in the first place. They would have been better off leaving Paradise as the true ending for Seju if that's the case, where she leaves everything behind including the memento of her first love and heads off into an uncertain future alone. Personally, I believe it will be a happy ending even if it means Seju and Won are just going to be friends or they both go their separate ways to heal themselves with promise to get back together in the future.
I agree with you!
Otherwise this side-story shouldn’t be named One (Seju and Won) but rather something else just like the 3th story, that would just focus in Nami, unattached to no one (Simple is the best).
So, I do believe, that Seju and Won will end up, working out together their issues, until they’re in sync as One.
It's better never to take anything for granted so in the end you don't end up surprised and disappointed xD.
@ndkwon, thanks for sharing your manhwa review with us, it's very gratifying to read comments from many people about what we like in common.
For those who think the story is rushed:
1. It’s only a sidestory so the author has to skip a lot of trivial things that help Seju and Won got to know one another better (for ex: eating breakfast, lunch, dinner together and a lot of small talks every single day)
2. It’s already been around half of a year since Seju said farewell to Sumin in chapter 93, knowing too well that they would never be able to get back together. If you can see Seju’s 10 years wandering around Sumin isn’t out of love but rather obsession then seriously, it’s not that hard to move forward.
3. Seju’s actually the one who always had many paths and chances to move on than Sumin, it’s just that she didn’t want to. And based on Seju’s straightforward and determined traits (totally opposite to a soft-hearted Sumin in both relationships and businesses), she would be able to move on even faster and easier than Sumin once she wanted to. Just like the way she resigned and transferred Hello Studio to the purple-haired CEO. Again, it’s just that she didn’t want to.
4. Sexually speaking, Won is Seju’s type: young, beautiful, cold on the outside (mentioned in chapter 4, 9) and also a muscular body that Seju wanted to have a taste on all this time (shown too clearly by the way she touched Won’s abs in the bathtub)
5. Emotionally speaking, those who really understand Seju’s character in depth must have known Seju already has some feelings for Won already since Seju’s not the type of person who can hook up with any person spotted on the streets. Seju may look strong outside but actually inside she wanted to be filled with love, to be taken care of since she was always badly treated. I can say her feelings for Won started to explode when Won princess carried her to 4th floor. If not she wouldn’t bring herself to get closer to Won after that, and wouldn’t even care a bit about the reason why Won ran back to Jeju and also her past relationships. Seju even had to bring up her deeply toxic story with Sumin first in order to exchange a similar story from Won. She was even a bit down when Won didn’t seem to be much interested in her joke and the reasons why she went to the villa + stopped drinking alcohol. It isn’t love but definitely the fact that Seju’s curious and wanted to know more about Won means she likes Won at least.
6. She tried to find other reasons on why she kept on coming closer to Won instead (“whether I’m really interested in her or it’s just sexual desire” and “I think I’m attracted to you sexually”) She just didn’t want to accept these feelings for somebody new, which is why she fired Won later on, in order to stop both of them from getting hurt since she’s not sure how their relationship after that day would be like. Her feelings for Won at this beginning stage are also different from the feelings for Sumin. Sumin was the first person who approached Seju with kindness and innocence so Seju must have felt grateful to it, and at that time she wasn’t in love with anyone yet. Or I should say there was a condition for Seju to open her heart to Sumin. But Won on the other hand was someone Seju knew nothing about except the fact that she seemed like a good person, yet Seju couldn’t help herself from approaching Won.
7. Seeing Won got hit right on the head is already enough for Seju to know where Won is standing in her heart, of course not love yet but at least she really likes Won so she couldn’t help burying the bastard brother for hurting the people around her (Chahee and Won) => This time Seju has accepted her feelings.
8. Before bastard brother came, Seju took out the gloves Sumin gave her as she wasn’t sure how would she react when meeting Sumin again in Hello Studio’s meeting later. But after Won got hit, it made Seju realize Sumin isn’t and shouldn’t be a big deal or even hindrance to her future life anymore when knowing the fact that Sumin is living perfectly without her + there’s another person who actually cares and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice her life for her + she also likes that person.
9. Chahee’s diary finally let Seju learned 3 new things: she wasn’t abandoned + she was loved dearly by her mom, and the step brother Sehyun + she must live. I must say both Chahee and Won have created another new life for Seju, both of them gradually saved and pulled her out of danger and misery so that’s why now she must learn to live her life to the fullest, which started by accepting the good things before her: Re-running the hotel and trying a new relationship with someone she has feelings for.
I don’t see any inconsistencies in all of these tho. It’s never hard to fall in love if you meet a right person anyway.
I agree with you in everything.
i really REALLY loved your comment and analysis of ‘One’ so far! I was getting pretty upset by all the unnecessary hate being posted on here especially after that heartfelt chapter, but your post totally cleared everything up so well (i guess i shouldn’t let other people’s hate affect my own perception of the story anyway lol) But either way! I was hoping to hear what you thought of this latest chapter, in particular what did you think of the seju/won reunion and the last scene as well? x
thanks so much for leaving such a detailed comment, i always love to read what people think of the story on here!
I don’t think people are saying the story is inconsistent...they are saying the story is extremely rushed and has also deviated a LOT from its original realism and “mood” into a more fantasy-like, child-like way of dialogue, scenes and ways of solving plot points. You have to understand a large portion of WDTFS readers are in fact adults who were reading it for the adult vibe of the story, and not because they want yet another generic k-drama style lesbian romance. And that’s what One has proven itself to be. Either because the author intended it to be this way, or due to Kakao editorial interventions to make the story more acceptable to teenagers, I guess we will never know.
I myself am dropping the story once One is over.
Also to your point of One being rushed because it’s a side story, well Paradise has a vibe much more similar to the main story and it was even shorter. So I don’t think that’s the issue.
I think it's difficult to compare Paradise to One... I mean, you are right about Paradise having much more similar vibe to the main story, tho the huge difference between them is that Paradise is focused on a couple and characters that we already got to know a lot in the main story - so it's rather exploring deeply already well-known relationship, rather than introducing us to completely new one, which is something way harder to do in a side-story. I agree that One changed its "mood" as the story progressed, but I'm just not sure if comparing One to Paradise is fair
So it hasn't been just one week?Ahhhh which is it?U know what if it's just been a week then like I said sex scene too soon and relationship standing rushed.If it has been longer and they just did time skips then I'm relieved.Either way I think seju does like won at least enough to want to be close to her and I am sticking to that until someone can give me a 100% guarantee or prove of how long it's been since they started to live in the hotel together.
Not sure how on earth anyone arrived to the conclusion that they've known each other for only a week... The clothes change is already an indication that a day has passed. Then theres Won ear piercing which takes an average 4 to 6 weeks to heal.
I support this comment. The only comment i am waiting for. Coz most comments here are all about being rushed and the mood is too childish. We all have personal preferences anyway on how we want the story to be. But this is how the author expound it to his/her readers. Not every reader will love it.. like it.. definitely there will be readers who would be critical about how the story should be.. and/or how the author try to portray each detail of each chapter most especially the main story. The main story is incomparable to its side story.
WDTFS:
The details are set like its a ladder of chronological event of Sumin and Sungji's relationship progression with flash backs of Sumin and Seju's past relationship.
The main story is all about SUMIN's past and present storyline.
PARADISE and ONE:
The side story on the other hand was written CONCISED NOT DETAILED yet the author did portrayed the behavioral cues of seju in PARADISE as to give us an idea what SEJU is like behaving normally.. to like someone physically.. sexually.. emotionally. PARADISE was written as SEJU's past storyline and her relationship with sumin as an introduction for ONE CHAPTER.. one chapter is all about Seju's present storyline with Won, with flashbacks of moments with sumin.
This is just me... if youre going to analyze how the author wrote Paradise.. most especially 'One'(Concised). The pattern is almost the same with the Main Story (detailed). Only the main character on each storyline has changed.
One week after Won got hit on the head to be exact. Seju said farewell to Sumin in late November or early December 2015. Then she went to hotel in March 2016 and she must have been staying there for at least 1,5-2 months already.
I can only see Paradise as a huge mess that the author wanted to prolong as much as possible since it's the story about Sumin - Team's favorite character as well. Instead of focusing deeper about Seju and Sumin's past love (which Paradise is about) Team Gaji chose to portrait another girl having unrequited love for Sumin while even Seju didn't know who the hell she was. If nothing changes if we cut some parts out of the story, then I can say it isn't important. Apart from that, Paradise is only a collection of random scenes to fill up the story. There's not even a specific storyline you know, of course there are still some scenes connected to each other reluctantly. But anyway thanks to Paradise, I can know more about Seju and foresee how their relationship couldn't go any further and shouldn't end up together even if there's no cheating incident.
- Paradise: 2 familiar characters with well-built backgrounds that we have known for years.
- One: 2 old-new characters with not yet known backgrounds and also not very sure how bright/dark their future relationship would be.
School life romance is different from boss-employee relationship, everyone has to grow up and react differently to different people and situations.
Seju was expecting for a tight hug or some cheesy words at the beginning from Won like "I miss you" which was said at a wrong time like Seju complained lmao I found it funny that her face turned pretty mad at the rock head.
Won must have something else she's been hiding from Seju besides the diary since when Seju asked her, she looked scared like "wtf..." but then she looked relieved when Seju said she heard Won's parents used to work at the hotel. And I think it will be about her somehow "ugly" past, the deal with Seju's brother or the real reason why she ran back to Jeju since she hasn't told it to Seju yet.
I'm glad that there's somebody who really understands and knows where Seju's coming staying next to her now. Last scene is about Seju being horny again lmao, so I bet next chap they will finally have a steamy sex based on the author's tweet. And maybe we will get to know more about Won's past after their bedtime. Because I actually think both of them aren't in love yet. Just more than friends but not yet lovers. So they need to know about each other more.
@ndkwon As always I love reading your comments and analysis
i Love your detailed analysis of the ONE side story.
Amen to this! I absolutely adored your analysis and your points. You didn’t just state a point- you also elaborated on it and backed it up which I loved! Keep up the good work! :)
bc I dont follow her on twitter what was the authors tweet?
Right to the point. Thanks a lot for this :)
well said.
Lol while almost everyone is battling over Seju x Sumin vs Seju x Won, immature vs mature readers, fast pace vs slow pace and here I found none above is as interesting as the death of Seju's mom as well as her close relationship with Won's parents, because it is too obvious now that Won was arranged to work for Seju since a long time ago. There's also a possibility that little Won had met Seju's mom before because:
1. Her parents already got married and became the caretaker couple like Seju's bastard bro mentioned when they were still working for Chahee.
2. Seju said Chahee gave birth to her in a place where she was called a mop (Seoul) yet she was killed by bastard bro in the hotel (Jeju).
3. Seju's old loyal servant (grey hair dude) appeared in chap 119 + 107 seemed to not know anything about Won's parents and Chahee.
=> Chahee was forced to stay far away from Baek family so that Seju could be raised separately by her father, she might have managed to stay alive for a few years after Seju was born.
So just what really happened to her in the villa during the time Seju's in her womb? Also her suspicious relationship with Seju's good brother - Sehyun. I know this sounds ridiculous but just what if her death was faked in order to be safe. What if she went overseas with Won's parents and didn't dare get back because of some unspeakable reasons? What if she's still alive and has been watching over Seju all this time?
Though I don't even believe very much in these possibilities, but whether or not Chahee's still alive, there's surely many interesting things left about her to figure out. And Won to me isn't just a love interest for Seju to move on from Sumin, but she's also like a blind date setup by Seju's parents so that Seju can get to know more about her mother and learn to love herself more after knowing that she wasn't abandoned by Chahee - the mother that should have loved her unconditionally. This is what the sidestory One is for. That Seju's world mustn't revolve around only 1 person, that she's worthy of love and so much more. That a good woman who has everything like her shouldn't just keep her head low all the time.
@ndkwon I wrote the same theory here a while ago about Seju's mom and Won but nobody think that this could be possible lol.
Interesting theory. :)
Even though anything is possible, I doubt it's going to head into an even more complicated story involving Seju's mother faking her death and had been watching out her daughter this whole time. We are talking about one hell of an elaborate plan that requires dumb luck, meaning the bastard brother was so careless to not make sure she's actually dead, bribing people to lie about her death and so on.
Regardless, it'll still be worth knowing more about her mother, most likely through Won parents. And I wouldn't trust the bastard bro's assessment at all that the parents were leechers after money. Knowing how corrupted his mind works, he wouldn't have spotted genuine friendship if it was right under his nose. I expect soon enough Seju will find the closure she needed about her mother and be at peace with herself. I mean that was the main reason why she came to the villa in the first place.
Rather than Sumin, I believe it's mostly the guilt built over 10 years for the mistake she had done that haunted Seju, because up until now Sumin hasn't really mentioned the cheating again and made it clear that she has forgiven Seju, also because of her low self-esteem and the long-term torture Sumin gave her that pathetically led Seju to the point where she thought she's always the one at fault and could never be forgiven, which answered why she couldn't sleep with any other people than Sumin and tend to push them away one way or another (Nammi, purple head, and now Won). I also believe Seju has let go of Sumin as she admitted in previous chapter it gradually became more like a habit and obsession in order to feel alive. If not, Seju would remember those times she slept with Sumin during her sex with Won instead of Sumin's slap when she betrayed her. So what Seju needs to overcome now is her guilt over the cheating because it happened too long ago and she had paid enough.
My guess for next chapters:
+ Won kept calling Seju "president" even when she has changed their title to "Dowon ssi - Seju unnie" so Seju decided to fire Won as she didn't want Won to bother their boss-employee r/s anymore. I guess it's time for them to be friends, equally. So perhaps the moment Won suddenly comes out of nowhere to save her from the assassin attack will prompt Seju's emotional attraction towards Won, and she will believe that Won truly cares for her as a friend/sister or whatever since she has freed Won from the caretaker's responsibilities, and this will just bring more pain if she finds out Won's still working for her as a bodyguard later on. But maybe Won will tell her the truth next chap who knows lol.
+ Seju realized that just like Sumin, she shouldn't let the past hinder her future if she wanted to move on so she made another single red mitten, completed the pair and goes back to Seoul and returns them to Sumin as the first and also last gift that isn't bought by money Seju can give her, like the time she wondered why Sumin wasted time for a single handmade scarf when she could use the same amount of time to buy 100. And probably, at the end of the story Seju would make clear the things that could cover her cold hands aren't Sumin's leftover mittens, but Won's hands since Gaji kept showing how big they are (also long fingers) from the beginning of One lmao, and now in this chap it was shown that she gripped them tight and not even dare touch Seju here.
I found it interesting to highlight this issue from the hands of WON had never thought about it. On the glove I always found that Sumin had made a pair and not just one. His perspective of the next chapter and end of this saga I could not agree more.
Anyone checked chap 80 where Seju first time went shopping with Sumin? I don't think she was bragging on her little knowledge learnt from Sumin about milk expiration date but rather, she tried to remind Won with this little "advice", in case Won don't know about it.
However unlike Sumin, when Seju bought 4 litres of milk and other canned stuff that didn't even fill up "layer 1" of their cart, Sumin immediately assumed Seju was about to evacuate to somewhere and reacted like they wouldn't be able to finish them all in just a few days due to short expiration date. And Seju really thought it would be true which led her to finally ask Won "For how long can 2 people eat this much of food?", as we can see their cart this time is really full. It's all filled up in the second time she does grocery shopping with somebody else. Hence unlike Sumin again, Won answered this will be enough for "just 3 days" which I think, kinda confused Seju and caused her to become a little speechless. As if something is out of her expectation and she probably needs some time to reconsider the truth behind expiration date. It turns out the little knowledge she got from Sumin isn't 100% correct because it still depends a lot on different human stomach capacity.
I feel like this is another comparison from Team Gaji again, that Seju can do the things she thought she wasn't able to do with Won now, physically and emotionally. Just like the only answer given by other teachers to a difficult math question, now there's somebody else showing her that there's still another way to solve it. In fact after freaking long toxic 10 years Seju has finally found "The One" that can attract her in many aspects, that she's willing to give herself another chance to move on, like Seju admitted she had prepared herself for it (maybe she did have a hard time fighting against her demon after Won asked if they could sleep together, causing Seju to determinedly cut her hair to let off steam?) and perhaps from now on she's ready to get exposed to many new things from Won as well. At least I'm glad Seju's willing to walk out of her painful past and move on.
Seju is such a dork to ordinary life, like buying grocery,,she rarely had to do anything for everyday life cause everything is provided by her family when she live at her family house,,we don't know how seju life as an adult alone, but seeing she never buying grocery by herself i assume she got someone to take care her everyday life also, like food, cleaning, etc,, strangely enough that doesn't make seju a spoiled kid, but make her cold, can't react to another person warmth, expressionless because of the lack of love,,
but for things related as bussiness, she is great,,
I didn't realize seju cut her hair in one? I read one few times already,, in what chapter you think that seju cut her hair?
Right after Won asked her to sleep together, beginning of chapter 114 when it showed she was brushing her hair and in the last scene before flashbacks appear where Won out of sudden caressing Seju's hair like she also noticed that too and only had a chance to observe it closely when Seju had fallen asleep.
I see,, seju only cut it a little,, i guess that's why i didn't realize,, not like in main story that she cut her hair short,,
I was ready to "fight" with you because I thought seju doesn't cut her hair xD, honestly I din't even notice this, but then I check chapter 113 and her hair is much longer there, wow, some of you have a pretty good eye for these little details.
This is Unrelated to topic,,
Sorry i accidentally down vote you,,
And i can't edit my vote
Anyone notice Seju cut her hair? I really wonder the reason why ╥﹏╥
Flashbacks again...I really hope this is the first and only I see Sumin in One, there's so many things to tell so Team Gaji, don't waste it. I don't know what to say about these flashbacks either, disappointed? But well, now I'm glad that this toxic cycle had ended so that Seju can move towards a brighter future with someone else. As far as we can see, Seju has opened herself a lot to Won, the fact that she gave her shoulder for Sumin and now it's someone else that gives her a shoulder to sleep comfortably is indeed a comparison, that Seju is also a human, she also needs someone to take care of her. Won was really worried for her tho, I wonder what made she ran away from the mainland back to Jeju. Next chap's gonna be very much interesting as we'll probably see them flirting (Seju seems want to kiss Won in the last panel) or even swimming. (▰˘◡˘▰)
can't agree more, had enough of sungji face in seju story,, #－.－)
I apologize first if my words might sound harsh to some people, but in terms of SALES, if you don’t either know a fucking single word of Korean language to understand what’s really happening not just on Twitter but also on other Korean forums regarding Korean readers’ point of view on each side-story OR have access to the current platform of WDTFS - Kakaopage which shows you the exact number of views and comments for each chapter then you’d better shut your mouth rather than use your hallucination to create MISLEADING information to perhaps please your own emotions.
The truth is, the only person in this universe who truly knows if the sales were good or bad, if they plummeted or rocketed is Team Gaji, not someone who according to Alggumba, reading illegal translations while hiding behind that “Anonymous identity” to throw in the bomb that sales begins going downhill after Paradise or One, making others who were engaged in the other following stories feel downhearted, to again, being satisfied and proud of your favorite couple? Do you really enjoy it that much? I’m not even a fan of Will story but it’s so annoying to see people trampling over it to worship their own favorite.
And if you want to talk about sales, I gotta say I don’t know a bit about it since I'm not Team Gaji but here is the number of views, comments, and topic discussion (which are mostly similar to sales):
556000 views in total (chapters with sex content got higher views than usual since there are also newer/redrawing scenes)
+ Main story: 2000-3000 views each chap
+ Paradise: 5-7k views each chap, 4k comments, 30 topics (2 delay, 1 hiatus = 1 week of free reading as a compensation)
+ One: 5-7k views each chap 5k comments, 44 topics (no delay)
+ Will: 6-7k views each chap, 2k views starting chap 127, 1k comments
BUT are these directly proportional to sales? Only Team Gaji knows.
+ In terms of characters (based on polls, readers’ demand, and reactions on social media):
Korea (Sumin -> Sungji/Seju)
International: Seju -> Sumin/Sungji
+ In terms of couples:
Korea: Sumin Sungji -> Sumin Seju/Seju Dowon
International: Seju Dowon -> Sumin Sungji -> Sumin Seju
https://imgur.com/a/0eb5fIb Many other proof on Kakao, weibo, aminoapp, insta, facebook, twitter,… but I’m too lazy to capture everything.
Couldn't agree more,btw, a twitter blogger, voted for a favorite couple as of Nov. 30: Suju x Won 38%, Sungji x Sumin 32%, Seju x Sumin 26%, Sungji x Dawoon 4%.
Nov 2017: announcing Paradise would be around 10 chapters
March 2018: announcing she planned ~30 chapters in total for spinoff
https://twitter.com/alggumba/status/973240939861831680?s=20
Sep 2019: complaining on illegal translation, causing negative impact on the sales on former platform, which eventually led her to kakaopage.
I'm sorry I typed the wrong name of Seju. a twitter blogger, voted for a favorite couple as of Nov. 30：Seju x Won 38%, Sungji x Sumin 32%, Seju x Sumin 26%, Sungji x Dawoon 4%.
Woww... It's surprising! Never did i think the author plans to finish the sequel, like 5 side stories in only 30 chapters u.u It would be much more rushed than i can imagine. Still sad it's going to end t.t
seeing the images, except in korea, seems to be baek seju is much more popular than the main couple. i dont understand why baek seju is not so popular in korea too, that's sad.
Lol dude, don't make me laugh please. These polls don't mean much because they are in FB groups and other websites where the majority of people are reading the illegal version. It is very reasonable to say that after Paradise the sales tanked because it was only during One that Team Gaji complained about it, even though the series had been illegally uploaded to a bunch of websites since literally 2015. Besides it's just basic logic here: what is the "competitive advantage", the "special factor" that WDTFS has over other series that I can spend my money one? Since Paradise ended, because the story became so rushed, there is no special factor in this manga. I know several people including myself who were paying for it up till Paradise and then stopped paying; not because they necessarily prefer Seju and Sumin together, but rather because Sungji and Dowon are highly undeveloped characters and whenever the story focuses on them, the quality drops, and it feels too rushed.
I repeat:
1. Team Gaji complained about sales in general, back to the days when it was published on Lezhin and til now when she switched to Kakaopage - the only reliable platform in copyrights issue so far in Korea, to minimize illegal uploads in both foreign and international markets. Did you even know illegal upload of WDTFS sidestories in all Korean pirated websites have been stopped?
2. She complained during ONE because people demanded it so much during One era which she couldn't help but spill the hot cup of tea she's already holding for years lol
3. I only captured some, it's not everything but it says something. Much better than something with nothing but words so far.
4. Which factor proves the quality drops when it focuses on Sungji and Dowon? Did the author ever focus on Dowon?
5. Whom are those several people? Who are you again, Anon?
6. Proofs of Paradise selling best? Proofs of One's - Will's sales tanked?
7. Don't just say, prove it.
Different culture has different perceptions I guess. Maybe for them, women with big boobs are seen as the slutty type who can't be faithful in a relationship. She's the third wheeler trying to get in the main couple's way during the main story, so that's not going to make her too popular. You could argue she's not as cute as Sungji, who has that childlike innocence about her.
you're so good at lying, paying on lezhin or tappytoon where paradise hasn't even been released pffttttt i think i know your identity already and i guessed you should have noticed why not so many people agreed with anything you said pftt there must be a reason u know. you're so obsessed with Paradise and overpraise it like it's the world's 8th wonder pftttt shit talking about other stories which don't focus on your babies Sumin and Seju while in fact Paradise was just a fucking piece of shit that's only great at the very final chapter which wrapped up everything and should be enough with that single chap only pffttt Others chapters are a whole random, unnecessary, chaotic mess that people don't even know who are the main characters anymore. Paradise - sumin and sunhwa? pftt Sorry sorry dude, I too know a lot of people who were wishing for Paradise to end soon to see Seju's new future without that scumbag Salmon and sure it is fucking great pfttt suminxseju is the ship the majority don't want to see, remember this fact （￣へ￣）