love Dan, but...

Being kind while dealing with being hunted down by loan sharks, dealing with an abusive relationship, and watching your only family die actually takes a lot spine

That's right, Dan could be stronger... taller, more muscular and stand for himself, but then that wouldn't be the Dan we know.
The Kim Dan we know is a very kind-hearted person, that's his weakness.
I think that for a guy who had gone through so much in life like him, he's showing a lot of courage and strenght already. But sometimes shit is just too great and without anyone by your side makes the situation even less bearable. Sometimes, there's also no choice but to compromise with rude people like Jjk in order to keep the job you need...

I agree with you but I also agree with OP. It depends on how we’re defining “spine” or “strength.” To me I’m thinking about what conscious and deliberate actions Dan takes vs. how he just kind of happens to be as a person/character, where his actions are stemming from. Is Dan kind because he chooses to be kind—because he sincerely wants to make people’s lives better, or because he knows there’s value in being kind, even to people who might not “deserve” it—or because he’s afraid of conflict? Because he has no sense of self-worth? Does he at any point actually try to confront those loan sharks, or at least, do something other than cower away from them? Would you consider someone who constantly blames themselves for things that most certainly not their fault a strong person? etc etc.

The only real moments of strength I remember from Dan are when he is able to resist Jaekyung just a little because his own self-preservation instinct kicks in and/or something else in that moment is more important to him. And it’s not just about him fighting in those moments, of course you don’t necessarily have to fight to be strong person. But those were moments when he wasn’t doing something because of someone else’s whims. You know? When I look at Dan I don’t see a character who is necessarily intrinsically strong or a character who is given the opportunity to be strong in situations where he could be weak. I see a character who is just trying to survive. And that’s admirable, sure, some can’t even manage that, but…that, too, is just instinct.

I am very much agree

This is very real..!! ╥﹏╥

You pose interesting questions.
Even though you were adressing to Urs, I'll give my avis on Dan's case with the loan sharks.

I think the author never showed Dan confronting the loan sharks bc that never happened. He never had the occasion to do that. If I remember well, and if I'm wrong please correct me, the loan sharks were already around harassing them for money when he's a mall child. One time we saw these men trashing their house while he took refuge in his grandma's arms ; he wasn't even 10 yo, I think.
So from here on, these bastard were tormenting the poor kid and his grandma, traumatising him in the process. We never saw a confrontation Dan vs the loan sharks for the simple fact that Dan is simply not capable of opposing them and doesn't have the physical strenght to do so anyway.
I don't know if you can imagine being victim/witness of brutality while being so young and defenseless, but it marks you for life. You start to tremble of fear even before attempting something against the bastard. Plus 3-4 against one... :/ They wouldn't even give him the chance to speak. He could've tried, though the outcome would be the same.

Dan certainly can't show the type of strenght some readers expect of him bc due to the very difficult environment in which he lived while being a child he had endured the kind of violence that marked people for life, making him enabled to defend himself and very reserved to express his thoughts. So clearly he's in survival mode since always... Poor baby

(๑•ㅂ•)و✧

You’re right, those guys have been around since his childhood. And I mean yeah I don’t think Dan would, could, or even really Should directly confront the loan sharks LOL and I think it’s natural for him to be afraid of them and not want to take any action against them. But that’s also kind of the real point I was getting at when I brought them up—that a lot of his actions stem from either the sheer survival instinct that most everyone has or from his own lack of self-worth, rather than a place of strength. It’s not only the loan sharks that have kept him trapped in survival mode but also the abject poverty he’s been in, also since childhood.

Personally I think it WOULD be unrealistic regardless for a character like him to, yeah, get up and try fist-fighting the loan sharks lol. But, depending on how it was framed, him fighting them could be a display of strength, even if it was a reckless choice or one that ended with him getting hurt. It could be him saying he doesn’t deserve what’s happening to him/that he’s tired of it and he wants to try to do something about it. Even him asking someone for help would’ve shown that.

Or let’s take how he acts around Jaekyung—again, I would never say that Dan could, would, or should try to physically fight that guy. He was unfortunately Dan’s employer and, of course, the top MMA fighter in the world. It wouldn’t end well and it makes sense that he would just suck it up and deal, to an extent. But at the very least he could feel some indignation about how he’s being treated! At the very least he could feel some resentment or anger towards Jaekyung, if even a little. He could recognize when some things are so clearly not his fault or not in his control, even if ultimately it won’t change his actual circumstances. But he hardly ever does any of that—he is just constantly blaming himself and apologizing and even at times making excuses for Jaekyung’s behavior and actions. I get having poor self-esteem but goddamn. Some of it is a tad too unrealistic, no? At lest to me, without seeing how Dan got to that point…

That to me is what makes Dan feel so flat and gratingly weak as a character. If Dan responded to what was happening to him just a tad differently, or we saw how and WHY he mentally broke down to the point where he would feel the way he feels about someone like Jaekyung and go as far as he does for him despite how poorly Jaekyung treats him, even if almost everything else stayed the same about the plot, he’d feel a bit more compelling. I keep saying this but reading Jinx feels like reading a story about someone kicking a puppy over and over again. Like goddamn. His teeth won’t do any damage but when’s he gonna bite?

The question is,"Does he at any point actually try to confront those loan sharks, or at least, do something other than cower away from them?" Maybe,he tried but came to realize that confronting them will only add misery to their already miserable life. Plus, he witnessed how brutal and bully those people are since childhood. So instead of confronting them,he did four jobs to make sure he could pay them. But like you said,( and I really like it )"But sometimes shit is just too great and without anyone by your side makes the situation even less bearable."

Dan certainly can't show the type of strength some readers expect of him bc due to the very difficult environment in which he lived while being a child he had endured the kind of violence that marked people for life, making him enabled to defend himself and very reserved to express his thoughts. So clearly he's in survival mode since always... Poor baby - FACTS!!.. you're so right about this..

I get what everyone is saying, because of course I don't expect a 10 year old to have a gang fight with four loan sharks, or to not have any trauma/ unconventional responses as a result of trauma.

He is clearly a soft-hearted man, which could be a strength in some instances. Unfortunately, soft-heartedness is not what is going to help his situation, and clearly hasn't helped him until now. Even then, the only person he shows more than surface level kindness towards is his grandmother- he works in a medical field, of course he comes across as kind and caring. You could argue that he is kind to his colleagues at the hospital and the gym, but I feel like people frequently mistake politeness (a requirement of not only his job but also Korean culture) with actual kindness. I think Dan is very polite (possibly overly so as a result of his twisted childhood), but I wouldn't say he is especially kind. He always seems to act out of obligation, or to people please, in my opinion, and doesn't go out of his way for anyone other than his grandmother. His grandma, however, is clearly kind. Grandma shows real strength in being kind to everyone and being continuously optimistic when she is literally riddled with cancer on death's door. If Dan is falling under so badly already, I hate to think what would happen when his grandma inevitably dies.

What I would hope from a STORY, however, is not a tale of someone who is in a horrible situation while taking no real action to make it better (i.e. drinking himself into a stupor every night, crying when he messes up at work rather than bettering himself, not going to anyone when the abuse from JK initially started), but one of a character that is aware of their shockingly bad situation and doing everything they can to be rid of it. As someone else has said, if he just took his situation slightly differently, I wouldn't have the opinion that he is such a wetwipe. For example, it baffles me that he would take the wild accusations about the ankle spray without so much as a peep. He is incredibly meek to not even be inwardly angry about how quickly people turned on him when there were witnesses to the event and when he worked so hard for them beforehand. THAT is my gripe with him as a character- as it has been said before, it makes him feel very one-dimensional and unrealistic. Like, why he isn't furious for being continuously r*ped? I am furious for him!

All I can say is I really hope he gets some character development this season, as he sure didn't get any in season 1. I know it really doesn't come across well, but I am NOT a Dan hater. I still think he is a sweet soul who doesn't deserve what the story has thrown at him, and I sincerely hope it gets better for him. However, this can be true at the same time as him being a soggy lettuce. JK is definitely the real villain and it will take a miracle and some very good writing to redeem him, but I want to see them both grow. Preferably far away from one another.

I'm busy now but will reply, guys. Please keep this subject alive

I'm busy but still read this long essay. I agree with you ma'am. Actually,I agree with you all that are here(▰˘◡˘▰)

Sameヾ(☆▽☆)