yesssss, this, agree. I see it the same way. They cannot be "normal lovers" since they haven't ever been normal to begin with. They're still building up their relationship, and I like it how it is going, with Yugeon telling Shinjae he wasn't "guiding him" ;-; <3
Agreed! I think that was an important moment since it was Yugeon comforting Shinjae, not guiding him. And I think them apologizing to each other shows that they are trying to communicate more—Shinjae doesn’t want to jump to conclusions and think the worse and Yugeon is trying to explain and defend himself without shutting down.
Agreed! And I think them apologizing to each other is a baby step for them—Shinjae is trying not to think the worst or jump to conclusions and Yugeon is trying to defend and speak for himself without shutting down.
this!!!
I see a lot of peeps confused by the sudden relationship and dynamic of Shinjae and Yugeon, so I wanted to share my understanding.
One of the main themes of the story is sacrifice—everyone in the story has sacrificed something to be in the positions they are at the beginning of the story, especially Shinjae and his crew, who have completely rid themselves of all emotions to help forget their pasts and what they have to do in the future. Aside from our cutie psychic, all of the other three begin to feel more like themselves again, and not tools of the government, when they’re alone with Yugeon, who represents something they don’t even understand anymore. And they revert back to treating him as if he were like all the other guides to save him and themselves from the inevitable. Especially Shinjae. And eventually, Shinjae realizes he’s in love with Yugeon but he literally has no clue how to act on these emotions nor control them nor choose between the one thing they’ve been used for as a tool (defeating the final gate) and what he really wants as a man.
Yugeon is broken. He lost everything in horrible ways and the one person he hoped to protect was taken from him after he endured the abuse from Shinjae’s crew, so everything was for nothing. And instead of being by his brother’s side, he was kneeling at the feet of others and swallowing his pride. I don’t think Yugeon is as tough as he wants to be. I don’t think he’s a fighter on par with Shinjae, and if the world hadn’t have fucked up, he’d probably be the light of everyone around him—a good student, a gentle smile, a warm hand. And after his brother died, he decided to go with Shinjae because what else is there? He knew he would either die alone or with them, and slowly, he started to see Shinjae as a light, a moth mesmerized by a dangerous flame.
Right now, I think Shinjae and Yugeon really want to be in love, like, they love each other, but there’s absolutely no way for them to do so normally. They’re not normal. They’re shattered and hurt. Shinjae is prone to anger and degrading words because that’s how he put other guides in their place for years. And Yugeon has trouble fighting back because his place was always a doll, to be quiet and look pretty and give others what they want.
I think in the last few chapters we get to see how these two really do care about each other. Shinjae always comes to his senses after Yugeon assures him the nightmare is over.