The omega is only slightly manipulative? Dude, he basically set a trap & made the beta be the bait! When he drugged the beta to have sex with him & the alpha got all super jealous when he saw the hickey the omega purposefully left behind & then imprisoned him as he brutally used him during his rut, that was all in the omega's calculation to estrange him from the alpha! I can't call that slightly manipulative. Yes, he might be treating the beta nicely now that things are going according to his plan, but really, does the end justify the means? Nah, the omega is just as trash as the alpha, he just did it covertly & thus appear better than the alpha. But on the inside? They're both the shittiest tops that really deserve each other & they should leave the beta alone!
Jihyuk bit the bait cuz he was deeply unhappy with his relationship with the alpha though, and the omega had bid his time becoming his friend and trying to be reliable to him when he began his crush. On the other hand, the alpha just automatically grabs at and assaults him even after he figures out that he fell in love with him, hurting him both physically and emotionally by digging up old wounds. Even if he got possessive seeing Jihyuk with marks from somebody else, the reasonable person would talk to him and try to be understanding, and instead the alpha treats him like used trash despite knowing Jihyuk's feelings for him. In the end, it's just a matter of attitudes on how they treat him, and are they both terrible? Yes, but comparatively, the omega is still better in terms of how they interact with him.
Dude, my gripe with the omega is this: he knew full well the alpha is going to react in such a horrible way, especially with his rut being so close. He expected the beta would be treated brutally as the alpha's sexual relief during his rut, & especially so with his provocations (that's why he left obvious hickey on the neck). And driving a wedge between the 2 was his ultimate goal because he wanted the beta to walk out of the toxic deal with the alpha on his own. He calculated all that & still went on with it! People kept screaming about the shitty alpha assaulting the beta & even knotting him when he was unconscious, but many failed to see that it was the omega who brought upon the circumstances deliberately & calculatingly in the first place. And like a hero he opened up his arms to the beta during his most vulnerable moment & heartbreak while feigning ignorance. You don't do shit like that to someone you love, knowing it'll bring physical & emotional harm to them just so you can sever their ties with someone else so you can have them after. Nah, the omega is bat crazy. He is just a different kind of beast than the alpha, but cut out of the same cloth. Both are the worst in their own games. They don't deserve happiness. And if in the end the beta is too gullible to see all these, & fails to cut off ties with both, then it's on him for bringing disaster upon himself.
Probably the last thing I'll say about this, sorry, but again, true, I agree they're both terrible people, and omega is crazy for it, but his plan would've only worked if the alpha had reacted as he expected - that of being a terrible person who doesn't value Jihyuk or their relationship, and that association of his character is verified by what the alpha does, proving to the omega that the alpha is undeserving of Jihyuk's affection. If the alpha had done anything else in reaction, the plan would've absolutely crumpled in on the omega, but because the omega knew the alpha's an absolute ass that didn't value his friend and crush, the plan didn't, justifying to him why he needed to split them up. To me it was just a matter of how much they valued him, and the omega went on greater, albeit shitty, lengths to keep him while the alpha didn't care about Jihyuk when he had him, and even after they split, didn't value him as a person, but rather just as a target of possession, judging by the manhandling...
I don't even care if the omega hyung is slightly manipulative, at least he cares enough to be thoughtful in treating the man he loves well and acts only with consent unlike that alpha bastard that assaults the one he supposedly loves literally almost everytime he sees him even after realizing his love (╬ ̄皿 ̄)凸