This was an absolutely heartbreaking story which didn't sugarcoat the effects of abuse, mental and physical. Sexual abuse WASN'T romanticised nor justified, no matter what the translator notes said, which misinterpreted a lot of the scenes. It was so painful and realistic, i barely stomached most scenes. The ending was painfully sad because if you notice the detail of Minho questioning once again what's the meaning of staying alive, it indicates that actually nothing changed and his abuser successfully managed to break his resolve for a better life, he managed to distort his view, making him instead believe that there's nothing there for him. His first successful attempt at breaking Minho was when he beat Minho and canceled his Job opportunity. This job was an incredibly important step for Minho, it was the moment he finally found the courage to pursue something after all that guilt. It wasn't about the money, it was about the mental strength to get back on his feet and he had this utterly crashed. Then add the constant mental and physical abuse, the voice which kept on repeating to him that he doesn't deserve forgiveness and that he's cheap. The gangrape scene and him saying "pay me first" absolutely broke me. Minho didn't return to Wookyung because he forgave him but because he is trauma bonded to him, because he was made to believe that there's nothing but his abuser in store for him. He doesn't love Wookyung, not even in the sexual sense. He's a straight man that was continuously raped, let that sink in. He's not bisexual, he's straight. He's a victim of sexual abuse and nothing more. His coping mechanism of drinking to disassociate or having sex was so realistic it kind of hit close to home. As for Wookyung, yes he's also a victim of abuse, just like many abusers. This of course doesn't justify his demented actions of abuse. Noticed a certain pattern with him? Even when he felt sorry about something he did, he still repeated the abuse. He didn't stop. He was blind to ANYTHING Minho felt. Yes, abusers can feel sorry about what they do, but only in the moment, because in the end, it's all about them and the dependency they have in their victim. He is mentally ill and unless he gets treatment, he'll never be able to truly love someome. It will constantly be "sorry" then back to selfishness and abuse. The ending symbolised that nor Wookyung nor Minho changed their situation, Wookyung once again chose to be selfish by begging him to come back and Minho is still depressed and purposeless after being broken by Wookyung.
I loved this story because it's fucking realistic, unapologetically showing us the ugliness of abuse. It's NOT a romance story. Personally, i find the 'uWu hEs yAnDeRe' or 'bDsM it's SeXy when Minho cries' takes incredibly shallow regarding this masterpiece. These two aren't meant to be 'shipped', they are characters in a story depicting something very painful and true to everyday life.
This was an absolutely heartbreaking story which didn't sugarcoat the effects of abuse, mental and physical. Sexual abuse WASN'T romanticised nor justified, no matter what the translator notes said, which misinterpreted a lot of the scenes. It was so painful and realistic, i barely stomached most scenes. The ending was painfully sad because if you notice the detail of Minho questioning once again what's the meaning of staying alive, it indicates that actually nothing changed and his abuser successfully managed to break his resolve for a better life, he managed to distort his view, making him instead believe that there's nothing there for him. His first successful attempt at breaking Minho was when he beat Minho and canceled his Job opportunity. This job was an incredibly important step for Minho, it was the moment he finally found the courage to pursue something after all that guilt. It wasn't about the money, it was about the mental strength to get back on his feet and he had this utterly crashed. Then add the constant mental and physical abuse, the voice which kept on repeating to him that he doesn't deserve forgiveness and that he's cheap. The gangrape scene and him saying "pay me first" absolutely broke me. Minho didn't return to Wookyung because he forgave him but because he is trauma bonded to him, because he was made to believe that there's nothing but his abuser in store for him. He doesn't love Wookyung, not even in the sexual sense. He's a straight man that was continuously raped, let that sink in. He's not bisexual, he's straight. He's a victim of sexual abuse and nothing more. His coping mechanism of drinking to disassociate or having sex was so realistic it kind of hit close to home.
As for Wookyung, yes he's also a victim of abuse, just like many abusers. This of course doesn't justify his demented actions of abuse. Noticed a certain pattern with him? Even when he felt sorry about something he did, he still repeated the abuse. He didn't stop. He was blind to ANYTHING Minho felt. Yes, abusers can feel sorry about what they do, but only in the moment, because in the end, it's all about them and the dependency they have in their victim. He is mentally ill and unless he gets treatment, he'll never be able to truly love someome. It will constantly be "sorry" then back to selfishness and abuse. The ending symbolised that nor Wookyung nor Minho changed their situation, Wookyung once again chose to be selfish by begging him to come back and Minho is still depressed and purposeless after being broken by Wookyung.
I loved this story because it's fucking realistic, unapologetically showing us the ugliness of abuse. It's NOT a romance story. Personally, i find the 'uWu hEs yAnDeRe' or 'bDsM it's SeXy when Minho cries' takes incredibly shallow regarding this masterpiece. These two aren't meant to be 'shipped', they are characters in a story depicting something very painful and true to everyday life.