Manipulator: A person who uses deception, trickery, and coercion to control and influence others for their own gain.
From the moment Dohyun met Wooyeon, he knew he was the same kid he used to tutor. Despite recognizing him, Dohyun still chose to approach Wooyeon with a calculated plan. But why? His true motive was to spy on the isolated and bullied 14-year-old, earn his trust, and relay information back to Wooyeon’s mother.
Just because Dohyun isn't as overtly malicious as the ML from Painter of the Night, doesn't mean his actions aren't harmful. Downplaying what he did ignores the pain and heartbreak the MC went through. Dohyun didn't even develop genuine feelings for Wooyeon until much later in the story—because, initially, he was simply using him for his own gain. You can still be nice to a person obv but acting like you like that person is full on mean. He is a manipulator by that definition bc he knew his action VERY WELL. knew that mc would be upset and didn't tell him until so so much later on.
not sure if it’s just misunderstanding, but some of the things you mentioned are not true. rereading my comment, there are a few things i would have worded differently. i’ll concede that dohyun’s actions are manipulative, but again, they stem from an unhealed part of him that desperately did not want to be cast aside. does that make what he does okay? no, but it’s important context to his overall character.
also, the only time dohyun was reporting to soohyang was during his time as wooyeon’s tutor. when they meet each other in university, dohyun does not speak to soohyang until she calls him up to threaten him to not hurt wooyeon again.
also, saying that dohyun did not develop genuine feelings for wooyeon until later in the story is blatantly untrue. dohyun doesn’t develop ROMANTIC feelings for wooyeon until the middle of the story, but he deeply cared for him since his time tutoring wooyeon. so much so, that he worried that the feelings he was developing for wooyeon were not appropriate (given that wooyeon confessed to him) and he chose to leave for the military. when they meet again, dohyun initially wants to rekindle their friendship which ultimately led to his developing feelings for wooyeon.
that being said, i think everyone should read the story without forming their opinion based on other people’s thoughts.
calling dohyun manipulative is a stretch. i can spoil everything from an unbiased point of view since it seems like everyone else seems to hate dohyun for some reason, lol.
first of all, dohyun does know that wooyeon is the kid he used to tutor. he knew from the moment he met him in chapter two. he decides to approach their relationship different this time around because when he was hired to be wooyeon’s tutor, it was to report information to his mother. not great.
it is important to note that dohyun is very jaded. what the other comments have failed to mention is that dohyun was abandoned at eight years old and since then, has had the mindset of using others to excel. the first time he does this is through wooyeon’s mom, which is how they know each other in the first place. wooyeon’s mom finds him an adoptive family and when he enters university, she asks him to tutor wooyeon.
dohyun was very nice to wooyeon, and we later find out that he genuinely cared for him during their time together. dohyun was so used to being wanted on a superficial level, and wooyeon provided him a more authentic connection. this does lead him to leave for the military though, because at this point wooyeon is 14 and he is 18. baaaaaad.
anyway, like i mentioned, dohyun decides to approach their relationship differently this time around and it is when he figures out that his feelings for wooyeon are romantic that soohyang (wooyeon’s mom) calls him up and basically guilt-trips him into telling wooyeon the truth. here is where i think dohyun messed up, but not to the point where i would call him a “black flag”, lol. that term is ridiculous when one of the most read bls is painter of the night but i digresssss. anyway, dohyun doesn’t tell wooyeon the truth until they are together and have already had sex. it deeply hurts wooyeon (understandably) and then the rest of the novel is dohyun asking for forgiveness and them getting back together.
it’s the classic case of miscommunication. once again, DOHYIN IS JADED. he does some questionable things, but not nearly as bad some people are making it out to be. i say read and form your own opinions.