
The novel does a better job of explaining but basically Taeui has a weird moral compass? Everyone else in the story hates ilay bc objectively he does bad things (murder, rape, etc)—things ilay views as necessary for his survival or aren’t a big deal bc he puts himself first. Taeui is seemingly the first person not to automatically dislike or hate him, bc he’s aware ilay isn’t a good person, but he hasn’t done anything bad to him (in the beginning) or the people he cares about, so there’s a sense of detachment there. Taeui also does things that interest ilay (he pressed a gun up to his neck, which at first made ilay angry and disinterested in Taeui, until he realized it was an empty gun—which is dumb asf but I think the reasoning is that Taeui knows it’s futile going up against ilay even with a weapon, but he knew the risks when defending the guy ilay was about to kill). Plus a short interaction in their childhood… and ilay being drawn to Taeui’s reactions

You probably know them but it’s Chrysanthemum Garden translations! For the Possessing the Obsessive Maniac’s Doll, it’s https://chrysanthemumgarden.com/novel-tl/pomcd/
They also have a bunch of other good BL novels. Mid placement game was one of my favorite.
Can someone explain what the MC has that makes him special to illay and the other guy without spoiling? Wanna start reading again but got confused last time