
But dear author, wdym they will spend rest of their lives paying debts to each other its not as romantic as you think, honestly they are exactly where they started from with no maturity whatsoever. Also I liked how uncomfortable ML made the parents by mentioning the cousin, do it more. Really reminded me that they never truly apologised and in turn made it feel like MC was responsible for going NC with them. They were horrible but its okay bcs they spent six months of their lives looking for MC??? As opposed to the 10+ years MC spent alone wayward doing illegal shit to keep himself afloat. Also why did ML bring MC to see his drug addicted brother so weird idk why

RIGHT OMFG I completely agree with this, and it highlights something that’s become such a frustrating pattern in a lot of manhwas: the way toxic or deeply unhealthy dynamics are almost always reframed into romance by the end. No matter how manipulative, emotionally damaging, or imbalanced the relationship is at the start, the story will twist itself just to make it seem like everything has magically improved — and not only that, but that the very same relationship is now beautiful, redemptive, even ideal.
They paint it like the couple has “grown,” but in reality, there’s often no real accountability or emotional maturity. It feels disorienting. Like gaslighting—IT IS GASLIGHTING. You’re expected to root for something you spent the whole story recoiling from. And when you point it out, it’s dismissed as “complex” or “nuanced” storytelling, when really, it’s just toxicity being painted over with romantic tropes. And it happens constantly — to the point that it’s becoming normalized.

Not only did he agree to the reenactment of ML’s past trauma he lowkey dumped ML at the first sign of trouble and ran off, i mean whatever happened to fighting for love? Now ML is threatened, confused and doesn’t himself know what he wants to do with MC. As much as I enjoy the whole push and pull routine of a good old runaway troupe this wasn’t necessary and downright psychotic to dump his ass after retraumatising him lmao like at least scream and fight him for forgetting you get clingy get angry at eachother and have angry sex

Im so confused is the person he slept with and the college senior he confessed the same person as the cooking class person who is obviously his rival? Why do they gotta add shitty plot mechanics like that why cant they properly hate each other and have their love blossom from mutual understanding. God someone called this an Enemies to lovers im about to crash the fuck out
But this was absolute cinema