You’re entitled to your opinion and I understand the parts (even though I’m not sure why you keep reading it if you’re so averse to morally gray characters…) BUT I will just defend the protagonists’ relationships because I feel strongly otherwise. (idk how much you read until so there may be some **spoilers**)
How is ML taking advantage of MC? Just because he fell in love with someone who is mentally ill?? Can’t mentally ill people be in relationships? His conditions does NOT debilitate him. Their relationship is not unbalanced. Despite his conditions, MC has always been clear about his feelings for ML and it’s not like he lets ML have his way with him. If he doesn’t like something, he makes it known and he is snappy. Sex is part of their relationship (which is completely fine and normal), that doesn’t mean ML “use him for his sexual desires”.
ML is the one who actually helps MC’s conditions improve. Early on, when he finds out about his drug addiction, he immediately replaces them with a placebo. He entertains and goes along with all of MC’s rambling and quirks (eg. about the bugs) instead of dismissing him like the other people around MC who act like he’s crazy which frustrates MC. He’s the one who takes MC out of Kang Giha’s grasp by faking an accident and removes the chip in his head.
Later on, when they live together, ML is the one doing most of the housework and cooking and literally indulges MC so much. He even cuts his nails for him and arranges testicles implants. MC’s mental conditions have improved by then (although he doesn’t get professional help unfortunately), which is evident by the fact that he usually doesn’t see bugs anymore, comes to face with his real body, and isn’t as paranoid as before.
As for the necrophiliac part, it’s actually unclear if he was or not (author never clarifies, it was never described what he actually did down there). You say it’s questionable he goes to Paradiso but how would the characters meet if he never was that kind of person?
It’s a story of mutual salvation. I think it’s rather interesting that ML is morally grey anyway, it’s about 2 kinda fucked up people matching each other well. If ML was just another run-of-the-mill kind and perfect love interest, it’d just be another cinderella story. Sorry if you wanted that, but that sounds boring to me. And it just wouldn’t work out because deviations to either protagonists’ personalities would never result in them falling in love and getting better with each other’s company.
Thank you for input, I always love to hear the thoughts of what other people think. So I’ll respond to some of the stuff.
The placebo drug that that ML gave to the MC was to replace the GHB that Kang Gina gave him. If you can recall, the MC went out to find the ML for more of the drugs (placebos) at his apartment after he was found out by Cocaine that he poisoning the water purifier. When the MC asked for the Placebos, the ML coerced him into sex in exchange for the placebo drug even though the MC said “no”. The MC gave in thinking that he would give him the drug and then leave him alone, then the ML took him into his apartment for sex.
The part about their relationship being balanced cannot be true. The MC is essentially a slave. He was kidnapped and forced to living in the Paradiso complex and if he ran away he would have his brain exploded. The ML has complete control in the relationship because he’s rich and powerful. After the MC learned about the ML’s necrophiliac desires he didn’t want to go with him to visit Cha Myunghwan, so he gets mad and forcefully takes him out. It was even mentioned that if anything happened to Yaba, he would just bribe the Eunuchs and the Gangsters who saw it.
I understand that the ML would be far from perfect from the start, but his actions is far from reasonable. The orgy parties, using the Healers for his own pleasure despite knowing the human trafficking, the intense alcohol and drugs to further his sex, planning of his brother’s death for his own personal gain, the necrophillia, taking advantage of Yaba’s feeling to fill his lust.
The story itself starts with a very fragile character who is mentally unwell and dealing with even more unstable surroundings and people. The ML never truly cared about MC for a larger part of the story. If he did, then he would’ve thought at Yaba beyond the scope of being an object of a desire. He only started to care about Yaba when he saw how beautiful he was.
I just realized you’re the translator for the Healer novel. Thank you so much for your work!
Thanks for being open-minded. Sure we can have a discussion.
I agree that ML took opportunity of MC coming to see him to have sex. But sex is not mutually exclusive with him caring for MC. And MC was also not held hostage by that situation to be forced to have sex either. He was in love with him at that time already, and in that chapter, it’s described that he longed for him (while still being anxious and insecure), his heart was racing etc.. So this leads us to the implication that MC did know what would happen when he said the dirty words, and he was complicit in their affair.
If MC really didn’t want to, he could simply have not done that, and find the drugs from Kang Giha instead (which is the one he’s having withdrawal symptoms from). That would have been easier and better for him. But he didn’t do that, precisely because he wanted to see ML in addition getting the medicine. MC can be really adamant and obvious when he’s made to do something that he hates. When he was forcibly SA-ed by Kang Giha, he took a scissor to slash him. On the other hand, although he often says “no” to ML, he does eventually go along with it, implying that he’s not so opposed. This is his “tsundere” trait, and I’m not imposing that myself lol, “tsundere bottom” is tagged on the official korean site, meaning it was the author’s intention to have him this way.
He didn’t want to go to Cha Myunghwan not because of the necrophiliac thing (he was pretty unfazed by that) but because he was jealous of Cocaine. I’m assuming you’re talking about chapter 18.3? MC was in a bad mood because of his own insecurities: “Yiseok was trying to protect Cocaine”, “Don’t send Cocaine to your family home” etc.
And yes, while MC is a slave in Paradiso, he’s not a slave to ML just because he’s rich and powerful. While their relationship did start off unbalanced (I concede to that), it doesn’t remain so. And that’s what plot development is for right? Like I mentioned in the previous comment, ML is the one who saves him from Paradiso. Even before that, MC escapes Paradiso just to see ML, while taking the risk of the bomb. I strongly believe that his mental conditions does not debilitate MC, he’s a strong, capable person who doesn’t let his circumstances get the better of him and that’s why he’s such an interesting character. I don’t think he is fragile at all.
You said “ML only starts to care about MC when he saw how beautiful he was” which was at chapter 8, which is very early on, so not “the larger part of the story”? The beauty part was a bit superficial I understand, but let’s be real that goes for every romance fiction
Thank for responding and being so receptive
I agree that the relationship between them, although twisted, did eventually develop into… something. But at the same time I can’t help but feel the ML is inadvertently responsible for everything that happens to the MC’s suffering.
I read the part where it was revealed that the actual owner of Paradiso was the ML. And it just made me realize further that the ML is kind of terribly awful person. I know that the he funded the creation of Paradiso in the first place to help his sister by obtaining Healers, but he knew that to obtain Healers he had to find children. He essentially funded the creation of a human trafficking business on children, and then used those children for his benefit.
He tries to help Yaba with his psychosis, but he contributed to Yaba having psychosis in the first place by funding the process of Yaba being kidnapped which eventually lead to his castration. This subsequently leads the ML being responsible for all of the Eunuchs trauma. Yaba’s suicidal thoughts, his delusional thoughts and and his psychosis are a byproduct of the ML’s actions. And after all this, he shows very little reflection for uprooting the lives of the Eunuchs which is especially sad because we see how badly they were all affected.
Of course the ML isn’t the entirely at fault for the circumstances of the Eunuchs, but he is definitely a main contributor. It’s more frustrating when you think about all of it because he paid for all of this to happen, and even if the plan of capturing the children went awry, no fingers were going to be pointed at him because he could conceal everything with his money.
Also, the part about the ML being a necrophiliac is kind of unconfirmed but is most likely the case because throughout the story he never denies the accusations. Even if he wasn’t a necrophiliac, it is still said the he WAS in the basement and on the recordings. If what the ML did in that basement wasn’t compromising to the ML, then Yaba wouldn’t have a reason to steal the DVD and give it to the ML. It just means that ML, regardless of what he did in the basement, was so harmful to his reputation that it would compromise the plan of over taking Taeryung.
I really do think the novel is very well written with great creative writing (especially with Yaba) which follows a morally ambiguous set of characters and setting. At the same time I feel sad because despite it being so well written, there is very little retribution and reflection for the ML and his actions. As I said before, the story romanticizes this handsome, rich, calm and composed guys which leads the reader to believe that if he’s all of the above, then it doesn’t matter if he does this or that.
I don't want any spoilers but my eyes happened to fall on a word "NECROPHILIA" and I was like holy shit. This shit is more darker than I originally thought.
PS: Give me the novel link please
You can read it on novelupdates and search “Healer”, but to access the chapters on there you have to create an account
Can you send the link in my message? Please I can't find it.
Istg this boy gets on my nerves, as the story progresses in the novel he becomes better… I guess? I don’t know to feel about this because like he’s honestly just an ASSHOLE. Like… He’s supposed to have mental trauma from the death of his sister’s and the his neglectful father but like even before it is said in the novel that he was always an asshole. He’s very promiscuous and I don’t even understand why the Yaba (MC) is obsessed with him to the point where he poisons Cocaine out of jealousy??? Also Cha Yiseok (ML) is just a questionable character in the first place, he goes Paradiso to attend orgy parties and listen to the songs of Eunuchs but knows full well that the Eunuchs are essentially SLAVES, but as long as he can get off while listening to the songs of Cocaine, what does he care? Also at one point he literally tries to BUY the MC so he can have sex….
It’s also revealed later in the story that the Cha Yiseok (ML) is a necrophile. I guess this wasn’t surprising but what honestly is, is the fact that the MC’s reaction to this was kind of disturbed at first, but the he kind of just slowly brushes it off like it doesn’t matter and still obsesses over him… I think the ML is a character that’s presented as a calm and composed playboy, but in actuality he’s just a rich pervert who can do whatever he wants without consequence because he’s rich and handsome, and whatever wicked things he does won’t matter because everybody likes him.
What I really do like though is the the MC because he’s stubborn and kind of careless, but you can’t help but feel bad for him because he’s gone through a lot. His mental illness is interesting to read as well as he sees himself as a fat and bug infested which just reminds the reader how unhinged he has become. I think this is also another reason why I hate the ML because he’s taking advantage of a clearly mentally ill person and using him to fuel his sexual desires.
Lastly, I’m just confused about how the ML doesn’t have any diseases or unplanned children? Like he’s been having sex with A LOT of women which is even said by the MC, but somehow he’s never contracted any diseases or had any children with all of the unprotected sex he’s had? Stories like these always detail the sex parts but never extends beyond that scope.