sorry for yapping (skip to the end if u want the premise/synopsis) but omg its literally my fav manhwa i literally started reading it LEGALLY because i loved this story so much. ive dreamt of this manhwa on more than one occasion its THAT serious for me.
its so hard to talk about the plot without spoiling but basically its really really fucking good. u have to follow the mc detective his way through who is putting this tattoo on the ml & along the way figure out the inner workings of the different families & character dynamics. theres a lot of flipping between the past and present and how both intertwine, to basically mold these characters into the way they are.. its really interesting imo.
also since its a mystery the amount of hints u can find are insane & its really fun to reread to notice these hints. every single time i reread it i manage to find a new hint towards a certain plot twist or theory. there isn't just one single mystery, theres many and they all intertwine with each other a little bit so i never find myself bored. the author is also really good at using chekov's gun, basically if somethings in the story it is there to be used towards a plot or character development. idk its just so fascinating imo.
as u can probably tell from the first 5 chapters, the story is very VERY plot centric. dont go into this story expecting just a steamy romance or anything, it mostly focuses on the mystery & relationships btwn the characters. ik some people didnt even realize it was a bl until they got to the 10s chapters. the romance is veryyyy slowburn and angsty because mc & ml have to grapple with the situations forced upon them. theres very little romantic progression so far, but thats fine by me cuz i LIVE for the tension, and the plots really good it reminds me of a classic mystery shounen.
the characters are extremely lovable, despite having their own flaws you can still find yourself rooting for them at the end of the day and i desperately hope they have a happy ending. the story also focuses a lot on the cast of characters, like i said earlier its more like a shounen/seinen. i cant find myself to dislike any of them (except the ones exclusively made to be evil).
ik the art may not be for everyone but i personally live for it because i like manga so im used to black and white anyways. despite it being in black & white the arts sooo good & heavily lifts the story in the vibes department. its very stylized and the author can flip between cute chibis to gorgeous full spread panels at the drop of a hat. the art also fits the story extremely well... its all melancholy and gothic.
speaking of the vibe, the story isnt really entirely depressing despite seeming so based off of the art. it starts out all mystery & setting up the premise in the 1st chapter, but by the next few chapters u can tell that there are also very lighthearted & funny moments. like i said earlier its basically shounen/seinen in terms of vibes. the story is extremely sad tho (so far) and the art enhances that. theres also cool action moments that make me incredibly hyped, almost like it was animated. during the quiet moments though it really hits hard, and basically highlights every characters emotions & thoughts, even if they arent said outloud. id compare it to reunion in terms of cinematic-ness really.
its rly hard to give a synopsis about it without spoiling but ill try writing out the premise since it can be confusing at the beginning:
- story centers around a rich family, who also have 5 other branch families called collateral lines (the different families arent actually related to each other technically i think its just an on paper thing)
- ml is the heir of the "main" family
- mc & ml are guardian & heir of the main family respectively
- each collateral line also has their own guardian and heir
- guardians are supposed to protect their heir from any harm & do whatever the heir asks them too, in return heirs give their guardian the best life possible
- it is extremely important to note: this is something pushed upon them by their families, it is not something they choose, they have been basically raised to do this as is tradition in their families for thousands of years
- the whole story is basically about the struggle for power & the interpersonal dynamics between the characters
- how the story starts is that ml has been living alone in his house for 5 years for unknown reasons (hes basically trapped btw)
- ml stopped talking to mc about 5 years ago due to unknown reasons (will be answered later in the story)
- in present time, ml requests mc to come to his house for his birthday, but rly its to ask mc find out who is tattooing ml in his sleep
- and so the story starts...
omggggggg i can tell i rlly love this manhwa!! sound pretty plot centric which is smth i love! i think usually stories like this will have a slow start and gets better towards the end. i’ll start reading it and keep u updated! (≧∀≦) thank you sooo muchhh
Yayyyy happy to hear ull give it another chance. Like I said earlier it’s my fav manhwa so I’ve made it my life’s mission to indoctrinate other people into reading it lol. pls keep me updated id love to hear ur thoughts ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
i saw alot of people highly recommens this, i’ve started it a few times but can’t go past the first 5chapters and have been putting off since. could yall give me a synopsis/summary of the story and why it’s a masterpiece without spoiling the story? thanks!