I sometimes like to reread the joohae breakup just to hurt myself and feel the angst. And ...

In which chapter did they broker up??(╥﹏╥)(╥﹏╥) i want to read it again too

Yo Taku is infuriating af (that's no brainer) but Haesoo was irritating too with his wishy washy and weak ass personality I mean he let Taku insert himself into his life just like that like why tf did he do that when Taku had been such an obvious creep since the beginning and this mf just... let him mess with him all that time smh. He should've cut ties with him then and there on their first meeting when Taku very unsubtlely encouraged him to watch his porno when it was only their first time meeting eo like that's so fucking creepy if it were me I would've ditched my heels and fled that place that instant RUN FOR YOUR LIFE HAESOO--

I digressed lol. Anyways so yea that shouldve been the first red flag for him but he didn't see that.
He failed to notice how Taku slowly involved his creepy ass in his personal life, how he gradually crossed their boundary of professionalism starting from asking him to model for him when it should've just been interviews between them to outright coming at him persistently until their relationship turned full on sexual... I said this before GUYS LIKE TAKU RAISE A LOT OF RED FLAGS. This is the guy who basically stalks you by seeking you out and specifially arranging an interview with you as his first step of inserting himself into your life. This is the guy who only wants to toy with you by dating you so he could break up with you later on and see what you're gonna write about him. This is the guy who takes pleasure in seeing your pain, who wishes you ill when you break up with him this is the guy who constantly MANIPULATES you I--

I digressed again lol.
Tldr Taku had raised a crapton of red flags throughout the story and that was teeth gritting to see yes but Haesoo was just as infuriating with his lack of self authority in this essay I will

I mean I agree with everything you said about how Taku self-inserted and was really presumptuous about their r/s... he was kind of an asshat. however I dont think it was gaslighting per sae because there needs to be actual motive to manipulate haesoo’s thoughts and perception when he says that actual line. It could just be that Taku is saying what he thinks is correct. He believes after reading abt Haesoo's relationship with Joowon and seeing Haesoo cry those chapters earlier cause of everything... being with Joowon was a dead end. So he’s not saying some sort of lie to Haesoo to alter his perception, but simply speaking from what he believes is true. And in hindsight... isnt he correct?? He was wrong during their break up, but in this scene he’s kinda right. Haesoo and Joowon’s breakup was inevitable I think. And as you said... they really needed to stop and be away from each other in order to eventually fix things. Anyway basically what im saying is: taku’s words may seem somewhat manipulative, but that doesnt necessarily make it gaslighting.

I'm with you on this. Especially that part where he wanted Haesoo to watch his porno. I was interested in him as a character when I first saw him but from that meeting I had seen enough to know I wouldn't like him and as the story progressed it proved true. How many people didn't find that creepy is weird.

so you're basically saying we dont know taku's thought process when he said that, so we cant confirm if its gaslighting? uhhh i get what youre mean... but tbh taku is so manipulative on other occasions so i wouldnt be surprised if he said all that just to make haesoo feel like it's hopeless with joowon so that he can have haesoo for himself instead :// he's like the type of person that would act like they care about you, but really is only there to get what he wants.

@pendejaagresiva chapter 56 is the events leading up to the breakup. And chapter 57 is the actual breakup!

taku honestly does raise a lot of red flags. i dont get how ppl don't find his initial actions creepy. like meeting someone for the first time for your WORK, and they tell you to watch their porno??? bruh wyd. haesoo thought he was a perv too anyway i-
also just cause he liked haesoo more than expected does that make everything he did okay?? like what if haesoo genuinely liked him, but he never changed his initial view and was only there for his own fun and interest and also taking advantage of haesoo's heartbreak?? then haesoo would've been getting hurt and played by him smh. that's probably what his past partners felt ://

honestly though... i know the reason haesoo didnt turn and leave is cause he viewed himself as twisted too. when taku revealed his intentions with the sex tape, haesoo said he saw himself in taku. he knew he manipulated joowon's emotions and that his love was selfish... and taku was no different in haesoo's eyes. but while haesoo grows from that and apologizes and fully regrets treating joowon that way, idk if taku ever really learned to be better by the end. taku just gives me the "i know i'm a shit person, but i can live with that" kind of vibe. the writer was sooo easy on him and just gave him a happy ending without any real redemption (unlike joowon). thats definitely what rubbed me the wrong way about his character the most.

How about when he said I think this time it will be your taste and then made that lewd face. I wanted Joowon to just slap him into next week. That's part of the reason I just can't find any sympathy for him because he was so manipulative and heartless.

I just think about that lighter alone and think how can you like someone that over the top who has been basically watching Haesoo from afar like a stalker waiting to pounce on his prey. It's just uncomfortable.

I do like the angst sometimes just because we see how loud Joowon is about how he feels towards Haesoo, and we get glimpses of vulnerable Haesoo with him or reactions when he is alone (the tears after the "all yours" convo). You know you are reading something amazing that gives you the same feelings every time you read it, and sometimes it even adds a new layer especially after the chapters we've gotten lately.

Taku’s words are very precise and calculating, he knows exactly what he’s doing and what effect it will create. Hence the photo shoots and how he intentionally solicited painful emotions from both H and J, all for his work and amusement. Because he can’t really see or feel anything himself, he doesn’t understand love, longing or sacrifice, he can only watch from the camera’s viewpoint, making him kinda like a voyeur. At least until near the end, where he’s supposed to have some kind of epiphany and come to understand at least what it means to not be in control over someone else or your own feelings. I’m still pretty dubious about the “love” aspect, I think it’s more about loss of the romantic idea of love. Tying in with how he only sees parts of people or objects of his work, and assumes he understands their essence, only comprising what he thinks is important, and not the whole. (God, the arrogance. )

I do agree with Garden Fairy, in this sense, because it’s like he read Haesoo’s column and thinks he has both of them and their relationship all figured out. So I think he is probably speaking truthfully in that sequence. And remember how he surprisingly declared that Joowon was in love with him- like he had figured that much out from the photoshoot; it’s like he wanted to see Haesoo’s reaction there, as well.

As for Haesoo, I share Lady Lune’s frustration with him here. I was really upset that he had even more evidence that Joowon loved him, and still went with Taku, anyway. Of course I understand the dilemma with his mother, but there’s more here than that. When he thought about how he was always looking for the next new thing when kissing Taku, it felt like such a betrayal. And I was so disgusted with him for how he treated that poor guy in the very first chapter. However, now I think I understand that he had internalized this playboy persona that he had created (partly to drive Joowon mad), he came to believe it. So while he does come across as self-pitying, he also has that self-loathing that extends beyond his abilities and encompasses his character. But it’s not the true Haesoo.

Ho ho i like this comment.