Lee Wooyeon, Red Flag or problematic fav

Lee Wooyeon is an interesting character, and I’ve read the light novels.

And Choi Inseop is in fact a simp. (Autistic coded AF, a good person with a lot of negative self-talk, is polite and overly considerate of others to a FATAL CHARACTER FLAW, loves everything but loves Lee Wooyeon most of all)

And the author wanted to write the following tropes

ClicheTop x clichéBottom
“Evil” x “Good”
Devil x Saint
Actor x Manager/Fan/Stalker
Big x Small
Predator x Prey
Bully x Bullied
Crazy* x Normal (*don’t be ableist)
Slow burn,
obsessive top falls in love in front of our eyes,
top has psychotic breaks and episodes of melodramatic angst
First love comes true
Sometimes love is at first sight and sometimes it’s unconditional too
love is out of our control…
—Pretty privilege is real and maybe Choi Inseop is a victim loljk


Lots of people won’t be able to stomach the contents of this series, which is fair, since there is a lot of SA in the first book.

And we’re nearing the end of the main story, but the sequel is necessary to understand the relationship. And the epilogue is downright healing fuck-

It’s a roller coaster of a story.

About a man with AntiSocial personality disorder falling in love with a “good” person who for some reason loves him-almost unconditionally so.

So

For those who don’t want to read more, but want to know the appeal for trashy folk like me, I’ll give a little(huge) character analysis for Lee Wooyeon.

~~~~

Born into an incredibly affluent family, his parents realized that there was something off about him. He was too young to be properly diagnosed, but the doctors informed his parents that he may have APD.

Young Lee Wooyeon overheard this and learned to mask, copy and study other people’s behaviours. But his parents knew in their hearts, that his good behaviour was manufactured. Truthfully he really had no attachment to his life and the people around him, he was volatile, and only held back violent outbursts out of how annoying it would be to deal with the consequences.

But often he found that without intention, problems would happen around him all the time. Girls would fight over him, boys would lash out over their own inferiority complexes. It seems like no matter where he goes, people couldn’t help but notice him.

One day, a bad day, on game day, he ended up beating an opponent almost to death, his parents sent him to a mental facility in Korea and wanted nothing more to wash their hands of him.

Escaping, he found himself at JN entertainment and decided to become an Actor. And damn was he good at his job, a real money maker, his boss, the CEO loved and hated him. Lee Wooyeon knew how to manipulate people, and to twist their arms into compliance.

Lee Wooyeon thinks of himself as an animal, a lone predator, aware that he’s broken, but didn’t care for himself or for others. All he needed was to meet his base needs, for satisfaction and pleasure.

With all eyes on him, there was few means to let out his true self, to drop his mask, so he couldn’t help but find joy in bullying his managers. One by one, he passed the time, in getting them to quit all on their own.

When finally, someone unlike the others was hired.

Choi Inseop.

To Lee Wooyeon, Choi Inseop really simply was a new toy. Another thing meant to be played with and discarded at his own discretion.

Baby-faced, innocent, naive and terribly bad at lying. Who claimed to be Lee Wooyeon’s biggest fan, but whose face couldn’t hide how wary he was around Wooyeon.

Curiosity isn’t a feeling Lee Wooyeon normally experiences, and he was having fun pushing around Inseop- a boy who's been remarked to be most likely bullied in High School (he was).

For a while, they played a game, Wooeyon would test Inseop, and he would somehow exceed expectations and prove himself to be the best manager for Lee Wooyeon.

(It’s helps that Choi Inseop was stalking his special interest called Lee Wooyeon for a year before applying for the job)

At some point, Lee Wooyeon thought he knew enough about Choi Inseop, doing a background and discovering that Choi Inseop is using a false identity.

And “why” wasn’t a question that Lee Wooyeon needed to bother with.

At least, until Choi Inseop attempted to save him, and then eventually- actually saving his life. But Inseop is a strange person, with his own unique character.

And the fact that Lee Wooyeon drowned, that his heart had stopped beating, that Choi Inseop used (outdated) CPR to bring him back to life was a secret, he didn’t want Lee Wooyeon to know.

The shock comes in waves for Lee Wooyeon to the point he doesn’t even know what he wants anymore.

So when Choi Inseop, who had put a deadline for his own plans, decided to leave- this offended Lee Wooyeon greatly.

Anger is not a pretty emotion, and even for Lee Wooyeon, it can be confusing too. Lee Wooyeon, was very always good at sensing desire, recognizing it within himself and within others and so when he asks what does Choi Inseop want-

He hates the answer. He rejects it, he doesn’t buy that Choi Inseop, innocent, naive and oh so good, really followed him all the way to Korea to avenge a girl Lee Wooyeon doesn’t know.

It makes much more sense for Choi Inseop to be in love with Lee Wooyeon.

What’s really scary- is that he is not wrong, because while maybe Jennie’s death spurred Choi Inseop into action- it was true.

Lee Wooyeon was Choi Inseop’s first love.

And the scarier truth- is that Choi Inseop couldn’t hate Lee Wooyeon no matter how hard he tried, no matter how painful their relationship became.



This is the point where the manwha is at.

What comes next are spoilers for the end of the main story as well as the sequel.

It’s strange, the more often he holds Choi Inseop, the more he sees him cry, the more he finds the pitiful man pretty.

And he begins to really push Choi Inseop, because Lee Wooyeon wants to know him, and wants to understand why. As he begins to pay close attention, to learn what kind of person Choi Inseop really is. He realizes that he’s begun to act out of character but-

Maybe new emotions aren’t inherently unwelcomed.

He doesn’t fool himself into thinking he could be normal but he can’t deny this newfound desire, the depth of which will surprise everyone involved.

Especially Lee Wooyeon.

While there’s always a sense of duality in his feelings, “likes being nice, wants to be cruel”

More and more of Choi Inseop’s qualities seemed to capture Lee Wooyeon, made him feel greedy and jealous.

One after another mother, he claims Choi Inseop’s firsts. Stumbling upon an unfamiliar innocence, (seriously, Peter was more than just a virgin, he would be content in a sexless relationship, non-existent sex drive) and it’s like another game to him.

Lee Wooyeon pretty much steals all of Choi Inseop’s firsts, And even though the actor would say his manager is “normal”, Inseop’s always been a trauma kid, thus a little unhinged. lol

It’s difficult to keep the focus on Lee Wooyeon, because at some point these two become pretty much inseparable. And to understand one, you need to understand the other.

Choi Inseop wanted to discover Lee Wooyeon’s weakness, out of a selfish desire that he blames on a need to avenge Jenny. But he didn’t want to directly cause harm to Lee Wooyeon.

Choi Inseop’ greed is so interesting.

It’s the reason why he can’t help but give in to every unreasonable thing, because he himself feels like an unreasonable person. AAAAHHH.

Lee Wooyeon opens up to Choi Inseop, he gives what he thought was wanted.

He tells him, his weakness. For a manipulative reason, but out of the desire to keep Choi Inseop by his side.

Admitting to vulnerability. Touching on how Lee Wooyeon was also abandoned by his family, because of something wrong with his health.

LEE WOOYEON AND CHOI INSEOP ARE FOILS.

Asdfghjkl

I’m just

Excited for the home stretch for the main story, but all the really heart wrenching feelings really come out during the second book.

He turns into the theatre jock boyfriend and I’m just-!!!!

The character drama is so good like

Literally both of them all the time in the second book

“I’m lying for you, cause I don’t want to hurt you.”

They are so anxious as their relationship has transitioned over 3 years!!! I’m just- to me these characters really made it worth the ride and the pain.

Like ugh, fuck it -this is my problematic fav???!!!!