I should have read all the way to the bottom before voting. Just because someone internalizes guilt has nothing to do with masochism or martyrdom or any of the other things you mentioned. Internalized guilt is very common. And is a result of social pressures to make the victim feel responsible for the perpetrator's behavior. Putting the onus on the victim to then change that as well is nothing more than victim blaming.
I think you've possibly misread what I had intended to say. My point was to indicate that SooWoon has internalized the victimhood that he has suffered, and while me implying that SooWoon needs to reveal the truth to Seokjo is not required of SooWoon the points remains why then rekindle a relationship with Seokjo at all then to stop it abruptly? The latest chapter where SooWoon now indicates that he no longer wants to continue to see Seokjo reinforces, SooWoon wishy washy stance on what it would mean to have Seokjo back in his life. The main issue as even SooWoon's best friends has indicated is SooWoon's indecisiveness, preventing him from having any sort of closure to his trauma. While it may come across as furthering victim blaming in your opinion, it's not that SooWoon is responsible for his perpetrator's behavior but rather he continues to give his perpetrator power over his life by his decision interact with Seokjo. Does SooWoon want to forget about his history with Seokjo or not, does he want to comes to peace with him or not, these are the questions that he needs to ask himself. Seokjo not knowing the truth in my opinion in general has many plotholes. He lives with his aunt and uncle and obviously knows about his father's death, but it's like the reasoning of his father's suicide along with SooWoon's involvement he's repressed. Yet SooWoon mentions in the flashback that this event later went to court due to his own's father's business's involvement. Would Seokjo not then know why his father committed suicide if the court-case's proceedings would have been public knowledge to his aunt/uncle -or even Seokjo- who would have relayed the information to their teenage nephew. Again there stand to reason many ways in which Seokjo could have been told the truth in some capacity, but the author as chosen the route of SooWoon being the barer of knowledge.With this in mind, SooWoon cannot escape the past literally due to his truth contained in his hands (immobile hand), while Seokjo never has to experience the trauma that lingers because of his "amnesia". At most SooWoon revealing to Seokjo the actual reasoning behind Seokjo's father death if it wasn't already known by now could be a double edged sword of sorts. Seokjo finally gets his own closure, but now carries the weight of his father's death in its full capacity, a burden SooWoon has held entirely up till now alone. Also SooWoon finally is able to share the burden of the past, but is also punishing Seokjo with the full truth. Either way SooWoon will likely go the route of continuing to hold himself responsible and not acknowledging Seokjo having done anything wrong in order to "forgive him" and likely later date him. With a situation like this, SooWoon dating Seokjo would actually be the worst outcome in real life simply because he would continue this internal victimhood in order to rationalize his feelings and actions. It's simply cognitive dissonance more than anything. It's not a question of SooWoon playing the victim or even looking down on him for it but rather its a role he's forced himself into due to the personality that he has and his actions. This is why, I don't tend to fall in love with amnesia plot-lined narratives like this, because the character that knows the truth tends be stuck between a rock and a hard place regardless of their decisions hence my comment of martyrdom. SooWoon keeps everything bottled up so he's never happy, and we are only ever truly responsible for our own happiness not that of others it's not a way to live your life.
I understand the whole issue with their fathers but SooWoon still suffered from Seokjo’s anger. In fact while SoonWoon’s father could be blamed for the ensuing actions that changed both SooWoon and Seokjo’s lives, Seokjo decision to confront SooWoon cost SooWoon his hand even with Seokjo later using the hammer to likely get the book shelf off of SooWoon. Seokjo had the intention to use that hammer for harm in his blind rage, though for whom is up for debate. SooWoon may be forgiving but Seokjo is in fact to blame for his own actions of pushing SooWoon even while accidentally. . That he then has amnesia to completely forget this father’s father death and the trauma of forever crippling his friend’s hand is a little too convenient for me as an excuse for him not to know the truth of the events that played out. He continues to be none the wiser and until SooWoon tells him otherwise it has no affect on him while SooWoon wallows in past memories. In fact SooWoon decision not to be truthful continues to not make any sense to me as it only continues to fester a blame that he had no part of and was a victim of his father’s cowardice and his best friend’s volatile emotions. I don’t know if he likes being a maschocist or a Martyr in order to be not be angered by what he’s suffered himself when in fact he’s a victim of cicrumstance. While SooWoon’s friend is nosey she’s entirely right in asking what purpose does it serve by SooWoon holding onto these secrets he’ll never get closure if he continues to do so and technically Seokjo won’t eirher even while ignorant of it. This does explain a little bit of Seokjo’s personality however as he inheritantly mistrust people and doesn’t get close to people hence his serial fuck buddies (sidenot I think he might have slept with the boss too it feels like). I really don’t know if SooWoon’s actions stem from his harbored crush or a sense of lost friendship too because that also complicates things.