I think it'll be healthy for you to drop something you dislike reading and start reading something else
couldn't agree more!
I did which is why I wrote this comment
Bro is irredeemable
This really show someone reading comprehension （￣へ￣）
Your observations are largely correct. But, you have disregarded an important aspect of THIS story - Mokhwa himself! You can speak in generalities, but this is NOT story about general abuse, it's Mokhwa and Nakwon's.
To that, you can't gloss over facts just to fit your hypothesis. Nakwon committed powerplay rape twice. He IS profoundly remorseful, even recalling the heinousness of the acts as recent!y as chapter 84 (of 85 to date). But, it is Mokhwa's quiet strength of sheer character that is changing Nakwon faster than the inevitable reciprocal changes we are beginning to see in Mokhwa.
It was Mokhwa's character that caused Nakwon to pull up and experience a complete 180° u-turn in his feelings, even regarding acknowledging his initial lustful urges. It's only since Mokhwa has reciprocated even a little, that Nakwon has become more smitten to the point of voicing his views that Mokhwa is beautiful, sexy and seductive.
Whether the cause was simply being spoiled and indulged by his grandfather, as has been admitted so far, or something more sinister as yet unacknowledged, Nakwon is a severely damaged individual. Favouritism in chaebols and other rich families often breeds bullying, even hatred, from less favoured family members and peers. It is doubtful that Nakwon was nurtured or loved as a child/adolescent by any normal standard. He's not a born psychopath or sociopath, but he had learned/developed some of the characteristics, as demonstrated in his relationship with Hyejun whilst violently abusing Mokhwa. But, he is changing.
You speak of the control he is seeking to impose on Mokhwa - an accurate account of how these things generally work. But can you honestly say that anything he has planned or attempted to this end really succeeded? I think not. Though he continues to plot, as is his nature, he readily abandons his schemes and plans under the force of will that is Mokhwa, simply to remain at his side! Other plans are, I think, borne of his genuine love for Mokhwa and not wanting to see him just or upset - using his money and influence to conjure up the forensics and 20-strong search team for Kim Jung-Ae when she went AWOL at her parent's grave over Chuseok; rehabilitating her brother Kim Jung-Nam. If he was really an abusive manipulator at this stage, he would have capitalised on the sadness and vulnerability Mokhwa was experiencing to push his own agenda. Instead, he threw every resource he had, including the Dongyang gangsters, simply to make Mokhwa feel better. Remember, their last tryst was initiated by Mokhwa in full knowledge of Nakwon's likely reaction, and then admitted his feelings of misery, and why, only after passions had subsided. Even then, Nakwon experienced remorse at his own actions, going so far as to label then as having taken advantage of Mokhwa's vulnerable state. Her correctly rationalized that he simply had no way to know. Desperate for intimacy with Mokhwa, he did what most would have done - he thought and reacted with his "little head".
We have the privilege of being privy to the two MC's innermost thoughts. We KNOW that Nakwon orchestrates and manipulates. But, it is mostly harmless and things that most people have considered, if not tried themselves (just using less money). And he has confessed to his deficiencies in personality, even acknowledging that his current predicament is a punishment for all that he has done before.
As for Mokhwa, he has only done what he wanted to do - up to and including allowing Nakwon to rape him. This is not something the average victim (or uke) can honestly claim. But, they are both aware that Mokhwa can physically overpower Nakwon at any time. Mokhwa has hinted that he suffered such sexual violence in prison, and at least witnessed it as a gangster, and recognises it as assertion of dominance. But, he is determined NOT to go back to prison, and makes his choice. He also acknowledges a changing attitude to the sexual act between men. Nakwon even comes to admit that this was the reality of those two situations - Mokhwa choosing to allow his abuse, NOT actually submitting.
Later, as he spends more time with Nakwon, Mokhwa balances what he knows and has experienced since knowing him, and decided that Nakwon's regard and affection is genuine, despite their initial interactions. He constantly questions WHY HE ALLOWS himself to be led and for Nakwon to lead him. Ultimately, he decided its because Nakwon's feelings are genuine, as he has never left him alone and has supported him, rather than bullying him, after those first two meetings. This is acknowledged by his coming to believe that, despite Nakwon's personality deficits... "He's cute ...", as well as just how much he is desired.
As for Nakwon, he has never been truly in love, certainly not head-over-heels, or filled with such yearning that he loses control as he is now. He is bound to act in the way that will secure his own happiness. Lizzie Bennett's comments to Darcy's aunt, Lady Katherine De Burgh, during their confrontation at Longbourne, ("Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, 1813), beautifully illustrate the point that this is how ordinary people will act, even in less toxic relationships. And, don't forget that Nakwon is, as Kim Jung-Ae explained to Mokhwa, determined for Mokhwa to remain within his reach, just like her, up to and inc!using keeping him out of Gwangwoo's clutches/influence.
So, please, consider the entire picture, not just what's convenient, as well as the skill of the storyteller to present a complex, multi-dimensional story about two flawed characters navigating the rocky road of relationships in a flawed society, with both the gravitas it deserves, and humour that has made me laugh out loud more than once. And, if you feel that humour has no place in your interpretation of this as a story purely about abuse, I can tell you that humour rears it's welcome head in every situation, dire or otherwise. Maybe you just need a little more of life's experiences to fully appreciate what this author is trying to say with their story.
Personally, I wish them well.
I really tried to give this a fair shot but somehow the things the seme did is even worse than how I thought it would be. It’s worse than in typical mangas where the seme rapes the uke because of lust and moves on with it. In this story the rape is portrayed as power play that the seme does multiple times to the uke. He then proceeds to taunt him about it, stoke fear in him and then attempt to isolate the uke from the people around him. That’s straight up abuse.
The abuse doesn’t stop later on, just takes on a different form. You see the seme attempt to gain control over the uke by developing a connection with him. It doesn’t make it any better just because the uke resists a few times. The seme touches him multiple times without consent, plans to coerce him into sex when drunk, and even accuses the uke of sexual harassment. He lovebombs him and essentially manipulates him to try and get them closer, instead of giving the uke space. From his actions you can see that he barely even feels remorse. If he did, he would leave the uke for good and confess to his crimes. But in this story he is deliberately trying to continue the cycle of abuse he has started by making the uke reliant on him.
You might say its just fiction, but these kinds of tropes in fiction romanticize abuse in real life. Romantic portrayals of abuse is why people cannot see red/black flags in relationships. The problem is, usually these victims dont get a happy ending, they get killed instead or scarred mentally/physically for life. Their trauma isnt restricted to a few flashbacks, it actively impacts them.