Cinnamon Milk TEA's manga / #Manipulation(3)

I came for depth, but the story delivered kink— _______ While the premise initially suggests depth—a mercenary bound to a Duke through coercion and intrigue—the execution falls short. The story never fully resolves its central conflict and instead uses the setup mainly to keep the Duke and Ilic tied together long enough to showcase smut. From my perspective, the characters felt flat. Their pasts and motivations were underdeveloped, leaving little emotional investment in their relationship. What I found rewarding were small moments of resistance, aka the two punches Ilic lands on the Duke—brief flashes of agency that contrasted with the otherwise one-sided dynamic. However, these moments were not enough to build meaningful tension or growth. My reading may diverge from the intended appeal, since I wasn’t particularly invested in the kinky, erotic aspects that many readers seem to celebrate, because of its alpha/bottom dynamic and erotic twists. These perspectives highlight how the series succeeds as a sensual, power-driven fantasy rather than as a layered narrative. Other readers, however, echo some of my frustrations. Even positive reviews note that the emotional intimacy feels lacking despite the polished art. Ultimately, the strength of Plaything lies almost entirely in its artwork—undeniably beautiful, detailed, and immersive. But as a story, it leaves much to be desired. The lack of character development, unresolved narrative threads, and reliance on erotic spectacle made it unsatisfying for me, even if it continues to work for readers primarily seeking visually stunning, smut-heavy content.

This could have easily been the story of the evil step bro that wants to take everything for the rightfully MC and work with the crazy obsessed guy that wants to ruin him. But it wasn't! It actually have everything betrayals, revenge, obsession...ect _______ SO EFFING GOOD! The plot was disgustingly beautiful, each characters get a conclusion at the end & the realistic drawing style was just so amazing ദദ・ᴗ・)✧ yet somehow something with in this story feels vague to me... certain details, maybe? Or it could be the sudden romance between the step bros... Ho Yoon motivation for accepting Se Hwan plan to murder his elder bro Tae Joo seems leaking. But I'm glad he was the main character, it gives a different prospective of what this story line story do. Se Hwan character was too much of a stereotypes and his poly amor s feeling for the siblings weren't necessary