this story was so cute. I was a little worried with the whole step-sibling crush thing, but I think it was handled really well. also, I like how yuna and inui never crushed on each other and yuna was consistent with her crush. it was refreshing to not see the childhood friend angle pushed. loved rio—he was so cute <33
the emotions were really compelling, if at sometimes frustrating. like the fear of passing your peak and being desperate for a better, passed time. also, in the beginning of their relationship, when he gets bored as she “lost” her fire and drive. in other manga where attraction was built off of competition or resistance, I always questioned how the spark remained after they got together, so I was satisfied (and anxious) seeing that touched on in this story.
also, while I get preferring ootomo, I felt that the clock started counting down the moment their relationship began. yes, he was sweet and they were able to bring some pedestrian sense of joy to each other, but throughout the story they reiterate that natsume is different from the others and that she and kou have that fiery connection. being with ootomo lifted her from her monotonous and lonely routine so that she could face her career again, but kou was the one in her heart the whole time.
ahh they’re so cute—thought it was pure fluff and humor until jinhyeong’s backstory came out which was a pleasant surprise.
tbh I was hoping for uyun to be the bottom <//3 hopefully they’ll develop a switch dynamic or something cause they were sure giving those vibes in the beginning. also I swear uyun’s abs came out of nowhere like his physique changed in the span of one chapter.