letting this marinate and coming back to a whole stack of decensored chapters oh i see the author is staying true to their sexy ass smut love to see it
I said this before, but that cute little scene of Andrew following Luke around and then sitting on the bed sniffing his clothes kinda gave me an inkling this wasn’t gonna be some regular shmegular love story.
Like, hear me out: Andrew has never been in a relationship. Not one where he was actually into the person. And he’s never had sex either. Luke is probably his first everything. First person to be genuinely kind to him (sure, yeah, it started with that dumb contract plan, but Luke is actually a sweet guy and it clearly turned real). First person he wanted to kiss. First person he fell in love with. First person he slept with. It’s all brand new to him.
And let’s not forget, Andrew’s been portrayed as a genius since he was a kid and it’s been heavily hinted he’s on the spectrum. We can’t expect him to magically know how relationships work, or what’s “normal” in terms of space, communication, etc. That’s just not where he’s coming from emotionally.
Also, someone mentioned this and I fully agree—this chapter is all from Malcolm’s POV so it's not exactly the most reliable narrator situation. We’re seeing Andrew through someone else’s lens, and it’s bound to come off a little skewed.
And Luke’s reaction? Honestly, he’s been nothing but accepting. Like yeah, Andrew’s a bit clingy and not super into Luke’s friends, but Luke’s just rolling with it. And considering Malcolm even said Luke was the one who liked Stacy more, it’s actually interesting seeing him be the one who’s being loved harder this time. I do think his feelings for Andrew are strong as hell though—he’s just not as intense with them.
So yeah, I’m fully here for this relationship. As long as the author handles it with care and doesn’t go for unnecessary drama, this could end up being really special. I’ll take this kind of realistic emotional messiness over some over-the-top nonsense any day
THANK YOU
people not really getting the nuance/appeal of Luke and Andrew's relationship I see and I wanna throw my two cents in, lmk if yall agree or feel free to add your own takeaways from it. Long paragraphs ahead lol.
From the start, Luke is shown to be a passionate, sweet, and deeply loyal lover. He’s incredibly attentive, sometimes to a fault, going along with even Stacy’s more unhinged demands without much resistance. He’s highly emotional, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and isn’t afraid to be vulnerable, often tearing up or openly expressing his feelings.
Andrew, on the other hand (who I personally believe is somewhere on the spectrum), had anything but an easy or loving upbringing. Pushed into the public eye at a young age and repeatedly exploited by his father, he naturally became wary of relationships and struggled with emotional intimacy.
Now, enter Luke with his ingenious plan to endear himself to Andrew so he can stay in the room. But what’s fascinating is that, without even trying, Luke starts breaking down Andrew’s walls just by being his natural, easygoing, and charming self. By the time they confront Stacy together, you can already see Andrew falling for him.
Meanwhile, Luke is just as obsessed with Andrew, he craves his validation, loves seeing him smile, and enjoys pulling him out of his rigid routine. He’s like a puppy desperately wanting Andrew’s attention. So when the kiss happens, it’s not random, Andrew is already completely thirsty for Luke at that point, and while Luke is a little naive, he’s also lowkey into it. His bi awakening unfolds in such a fun, organic way, they hang out, they make out, it’s hot, it’s playful.
What makes it even better is how Luke handles all the talk about Andy Young, he could have easily gossiped or pried, but instead, he’s incredibly respectful, refusing to engage in speculation and wanting to hear Andrew’s story directly from him. That level of consideration and care is just chef’s kiss.
And now in the recent chapter, Andrew is the puppy, he’s completely latched onto Luke, following him around, and Luke is just accepting it in the cutest way possible. Obsessed. But I do wonder if Andrew’s growing dependence on Luke could eventually cause some friction. He doesn’t seem all that interested in Luke’s friends, and I could see potential issues with jealousy or possessiveness down the line. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I’d love to hear what y’all think.
You're in the right track! I think it started of with the kiss! He offered himself than the football and it was his first pang of jealousy in a way he acted it out as "practicing". I love the way its portrayed, the plot is plotting but I do personally think Malcolm won't cause any setbacks, Andrew's learning to love and so is Luke!
Girl, you're an angel, I'd totally forgotten the begging of the story, but now, not anymore keke
You explain so beautifully
wonderfully analyzed and explained ❣❣❣ perfect 100 no notes i mean i will still have notes i yap too much... id love to reciprocate your proper punctuation and capitalization but i'm on my phone .. i agree he's probably neurodivergent and i think andrew is still opposed to opening up in general (unnecessary, as he would likely put it) hence the reply to luke about getting along with malcolm being lukewarm. rather than him being jealous or petty about anything, i know andrew is a pretty self-confident man despite being very clingy which is part of what i love so much!
he's not insecure about luke being an actor or the thought of him having to kiss other people because he knows luke only turns into a mess when he's in His arms specifically :) the framing for the scene where he kisses judy is really great at showing this where the kiss is out of view and the mirror shows luke and andrew kissing. luke kissing for acting? cute (clingy andrew is still jealous as heck but he's not gonna be toxic or make an issue out of it). kissing andrew? luke is melting as we speak ... obviously jealousy could definitely still be written into the story in other ways in the future but so far i love how it's been handled so far!
Omg don't worry about it that comment took me like 30 minutes to write and edit lmao. I don't usually write like that unless it's for work of a thesis or sth lol. But yeah I agree with your points. I think the last part came off a bit from what I intended/meant. Nerd project has so far strayed from angst/miscommunication between Andrew and Luke and I hope it stays that way and that any "issue" that might arise gets dealt with promptly and doesn't get dragged out and that the angst/hurdles they have to overcome are all external and they both face em together, if that makes sense. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
True true, I also don't think Malcolm or any of Luke's friends will have any issue with it. The story is set in the US and while it's currently becoming a cesspool of intolerance again, most college students are not homophobic. I will say tho I need Stacy's reaction to them like wanna see her realize how badly she fumbled lmao.
a huge thank you to the translator you're truly doing god's work, sending you lots of love and I hope you find someone to help you with this!! The notification is not sth I mind either, like someone said rereading nerd project is never a chore especially since we get to actually understand what they're saying unlike with the machine translations.
Also Puppy Andrew thooo
wow i have been keeping this on the back-burner for years now, for some reason I was not vibing with the whole pet thing and I had just come here from ouroborous plus it was still at around 10 chapters but im so fucking glad i gave it a chance again and read it without bias or anything cuz it's possibly one of my favorite stories now my god.
One thing i love about this author is how real and three dimensional the main characters feel and i was rooting for everyone (yes even the younger brother) and im so happy i powered through it this weekend.
this is insane lmao ive also read the raws and it just keeps getting wilder lool
not me crying reading this chapter, like I loved the dialogue and yeah yoogoon is kinda a mess but he's a mess who just wants to be loved and is very damaged so im kinda forgiving his shit cuz i want my baby junghae to be happy and they're so fucking cute as a couple.
Also did not mind the makeup sex not being shown personally, this manhwa unlike the artist's previous works does not really have hot sex anyways and I kinda lowered my expectations when it comes to smut lol.
reading the smut and make out sessions in this manhwa really got me going like that alexa demie meme vid where she's just moaning in bed
What a terrible (but also great) way to end the season fuck me. Like everything about this is just so nuanced and hard hitting and like fuck that situation is insane and to see how Brett basically went full self defense after thinking back to the moment his brother rejected his "gift" was so heartbreaking. Like it's obvious Brett does not have full range of emotions (I don't think i'd go so far as to call him a sociopath tho) and he's just preemptively dealing with the fallout/hurt he feels is imminent. Hayden's chock and emotions especially in the moment are definitely understandable too and I can't wait to see how they will bridge out this issue god i love them so much