i think people are kind of disappointed because her circumstances didn't align with what they were expecting. but consider this, if it ever got out the village chief and a man were in a relationship, the villagers would definitely not take it well, considering its mostly an old and conservative population. haebom would have two choices then, either deny they're gay or accept it and choose to rather be ostracized by the people. she knows he would rather be an outcast and she's just projecting her personal experiences of what it feels like to live as someone with a different situation compared to everyone around her and she doesn't want that for him. it's not about how underwhelming her backstory was but what she thought of her life and how she genuinely wanted something good for haebom, though I agree she didn't regard his personal feelings on this subject.
ok i just binged read this and i still can't figure out what was the reason mc managed to be the only player who could lead his empire into reaching so high on the tower. it's not like he has any special skills other than the parasocial relationship he has with them. 'the power of love' is that it?
I think the novel expounded on this but this manhwa is more focused on the romance aspect. You can find summary/spoilers on Novelupdatesorum site