In the story, the ML's early flirtations with Wooyeon were driven by ego rather than genuine feelings, and he didn’t start truly liking Wooyeon until much later. As stated from comments. His behavior from when they were teenagers felt predatory, as he encouraged flirtation and described Wooyeon’s body and mannerisms in childish ways, adding to a groomer-like dynamic. The ML continued deceiving Wooyeon for years, even after reuniting, and missed several opportunities to confess the truth. His apologies were self-centered, and Wooyeon ended up apologizing more than the ML did, despite Wooyeon's reasonable fears about being manipulated. The ML’s apologies felt more focused on himself than on addressing Wooyeon’s pain, and it seemed like the narrative expected readers to blame Wooyeon’s mother for revealing the truth when it should has been the ml for accepting it in the first place. Karma fr.
Omg this came out. I remember hating and being so disappointed when I read the novel bc the ml was lowkey green flag in omega complex but in the novel he is such a bitch and a manipulator