It’s Joe Jonas but yeah I totally get what you’re saying
Yiyoung it's thinking wrong. He is perfect for director Kang. He is young and will bring back the younger side of Daehyung as well. Daehyung dated only older women and he kinda lost his young self while dating them. I bet that comparing to Yiyoung the feelings that he felt with his exes were just admiration. I bet Yiyoung was the only one who cried and worried about him. He is the only one who puts Daehyung before himself. And for Daehyung exes the work comes first.
to give another example Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was 22 when she started dating much older Jason Statham, nowadays they both have successful careers, a healthy relationship and a very happy family. An age difference is not always what complicated relationships but the way a person was o was not allowed to grow and be mature enough to make certain decisions and to deal with the consequences of those choices. Sophie Turner spent her childhood and teen years on game of thrones, she never really had the chance to actually live her life before she decided to jump into a marriage. Yiyoung is young and there is a significant gap between him and Daehyun, but it is very clear how mature he is and how he can carry himself through situations that are out of his comfort zone, yes he struggles a bit, we all struggle with insecurities no matter how old we get, but he has definitely proven that emotionally and mentally he can navigate through his own life as a capable adult.
The thing is there relationship actually mimics Daehyung’s relationships in actually just in reverse. While they of course have a romantic relationship, much of their relationship is dominated by the fact Daehyung acts as a mentor to his younger partner just like Daehyung’s previous partners similarly played such a role once a upon a time. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying an older partner and seeking out maturity. The issue is Yiyoung had no life experience of his own and the expectation is Daehyung is his forever. Meanwhile Daehyung has been in Yiyoung’s shoes and lived a life that’s allowed him to grow into himself by having multiple partners, lived in various places, and taken on multiple career opportunities and roles. He knows who he is. Yiyoung doesn’t have that same confidence while entering into their relationship. Realistically he would question if he’s good enough, maybe even feel saddened or resentful that he’s settling so quickly or so young missing out on experiences to meet his partner half way sooner. It’s why I mentioned Sophie Turner and excuse me Joe Jonas because they had a similar situation and are a current public example of age difference. Sophie being significantly younger and having had a childhood crush on Joe even said herself she was insecure entering their relationship but wanted to be with Joe because she became dependent on him during her bouts of mental illness. Joe gave her an ultimatum of when she had cold feet about marriage ultimately convincing her given his own expectations and experiences he wanted for a relationship and a family within his time plans. Now we see the fall out of two very different people at different points of their lives attempting a relationship that was never at equal footing.
I will say of course age differences can work, the issue is difference in maturity, life experiences, expectations, and social/financial play significantly more a role in an age difference relationship than say a closer in age relationship because of the wider gap age has in acquiring the above mentioned.
Excuse thank you for the correction!
Is there a reason responses are being deleted?
My comment isn’t to say age gaps can’t work, it’s that age gaps have a larger hurdle because of two individuals having larger differences in life experience coming together. My own parents are an 18 year age gap, I truly have no issue with it as long as they are consenting adults. My point is Yiyoung is a capable adult but his personality isn’t, we’ve seen that numerous times. He’s very insecure and unsure of himself that means something, and that isn’t remedied by simply being in a relationship, that’s learning to get to know yourself and what you want for yourself in life. That takes time, that takes making mistakes, and certainly trying things outside of your comfort. Like I said I enjoy this couple but I’m making a realistic observation that they wouldn’t last if there isn’t the foundation of them coming into a relationship at equal footing. They’re not at that point at no fault of each other, it’s just simply the reality. Add to the fact how they met and the setting, there is a significant imbalance that is always the elephant in the room and is a point both have brought up multiple times and is made more apparent by their current business venture which Yiyoung points out muddies their relationship.
I like this plot like I really do. But realistically they just wouldn’t work with this much of an age difference and extreme life experience and that’s reinforced by this latest chapter 19. Yiyoung would be extremely insecure having never been with anyone prior and his need to meet the standards of his much older partner would mean growing up faster than he needs to grow into himself and make the messy mistakes that actually come with his age and the growing pains of your twenties. Literally look at what’s happening with Sophie turner and Joe Jonas* for this very reason, I kind of wish we had a time skip with Yiyoung in his actual 30s before the two of them had become a thing but it is what it is. I still love this plot given how “healthy” compared anything else that’s come out lately, but it certainly isn’t realistic.
Edit: I believe Yiyoung has “dated” before but I don’t think he’s been physical with anyone before Daehyung likely