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joowon was always the better choice for haesoo. the issue was that joowon struggled to find the best way to support haesoo, and he was also in denial about his own emotions. however, joowon’s love was always his top priority in his relationship with haesoo. he consistently put haesoo first, even when it meant making difficult decisions because of their complicated stepbrother dynamic. joowon prioritized haesoo’s happiness, even if it caused him some pain.
on the other hand, many people misunderstand taku’s intentions and believe he’s the better choice. but in reality, taku was never the better choice. his love was selfish. taku was drawn to haesoo because haesoo gave him a sense of novelty, and while taku did have feelings for haesoo, the way he treated him was often manipulative and pushy. taku would pressure haesoo into situations that haesoo wouldn’t have chosen on his own, making haesoo feel uncomfortable and easily persuaded.
readers who think taku is the better choice may focus on how he fell in love later, or how he showed emotion or kindness on occasion, but they overlook everything joowon and haesoo went through together. joowon went to extreme lengths to make haesoo happy, even if his approach wasn’t always perfect. from haesoo’s perspective, it’s easy to underestimate the effort joowon put into their relationship, but it becomes clear in the later chapters that joowon has always had haesoo’s best interests at heart.
meanwhile, taku always prioritized his own emotions, which led to a possessive love. his feelings for haesoo were driven more by the newness haesoo brought into his life, rather than genuinely loving haesoo for who he was. taku admits that his love was selfish. in contrast, while joowon also had a possessive side, his actions came from a place of love—not competition or a desire for something new. joowon loved haesoo for who he was, not because of how haesoo made him feel.
if you reread the story with a more open mind and a deeper understanding of haesoo and joowon’s relationship from the beginning, it becomes clear that they’re the true endgame. their love is pure and built on a deep bond. taku’s feelings were real, but they were mostly driven by the new experiences haesoo gave him, rather than truly loving haesoo as a person. this is why taku’s love was possessive and why he was able to move on after three years, while joowon was never able to move on.