I don't get the hype the ml is so manipulative and wierd like it was suffocating to read

To each their own ig.
Personally not that big a fan of manipulators either, but i liked how the mc knew what the ml was doing and manipulated things for his own gain (death) and how the ml was blindsided by his own feelings after being so sure he was indifferent to it all.
And let's be honest here, they both manipulated each other for their own interests.