Dude, at this point I'm hoping everyone around Haruki is a freak because if Shirayuki tortures an innocent person just for being close to Haruki I will have to drop I would not be able to stand it
Okay, I'm sorry, I have to say my piece. I love, love, love, love, love this manhwa, it means so much to me, but dude that Mi-ok thing was not it.
I actually love how Mi-ok was first introduced. Sure she was baited as Mr. Kwon's ex, but it was only for a cliffhanger and the misunderstanding was cleared up right away. She immediately got along with Ho which I thought was adorable.
I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt during those chapters when she was acting all phobic and I was so curious to hear her side of the story. It was just a subplot, but her reason for leaving Seoul and returning home was so intriguing to me and I wanted to know so bad.
And then the reveal happened. Most of the comments have already said this, but her reason for leaving and then being against Mr. Kwon and Sung Ho is so weak like there is no reason for you to be hateful over something like that. I don't know if my opinion will differ from others here, but I don't think it is a Mi-ok problem. I think it is a bad writing problem. Of course, no hate to the author, this story is amazing, but the payoff just isn't as good as what they hyped it up to be. They hinted it and dragged it on across multiple chapters making it seem like once we see her side of the story, we can understand her. That is why a lot of people were speculating that she is a girl-kisser and projecting her internalized homophobia onto them. To me, hurt from a mother neglecting you does not translate well into homophobia because it isn't normal. She never said anything to Sung Ho or Mr. Kwon about parenting, being worried they won't be good dads, etc. so it's like she just connected two random things to be homophobic.
I don't know, I'm probably not writing this as well as I wish I could, but I just don't think her explanation came across the way the author wanted it to. Even in this new chapter, Mr. Kwon and Sung Ho consider her side of the story and try to empathize with her. If this was real, no one would even hear her out because her explanation is just so ridiculous.
I guess I'm just writing all this because I'm a little disappointed with the direction they decided to take Mi-ok's character. I thought her opening up about what happened in Seoul would bring her and Mr. Kwon closer together and develop some side character stories, but this reveal went in the complete opposite direction. If you guys have similar thoughts, though, feel free to discuss. I would love to hear other opinions.
and that is called good chemistry and build-up.
I have read wayyy to many manhwas/mangas where they begin as enemies/rivals/just don't really like each other, etc and slowly begin building up to having a relationship. And I swear EVERY SINGLE TIME WITHOUT FAIL, just when the build-up was getting to the good part, they just somehow have sex and skip to the next stage in the relationship. LIKE IT'S SO FRUSTRATING! YOU WERE JUST GETTING TO THE GOOD PART!!! And of course I am not here to police anybody's work like do whatever you want, but it feels lazy and unsatisfying. I want to see characters naturally start to like each other despite their previous hatred. I want to see them slowly fall in love and not be thrown into this awkward "we hate each other but we just fucked so now we have to figure out the aftermath." Those kinds of stories can be fun, too, but the slow buildup, teasing banter, and slowly falling in love will always be PEAKKKKK. I love it so much. Nokyoung and Junil have amazing chemistry and I feel so upset that I probably won't find anything like this for a long time.
There were a few things that I didn't really like about Junil's character though, mainly the part where he lied about Hyunjae wanting to drug Nokyoung. Like your boyfriend is a full-grown adult, he doesn't need you shielding him from Hyunjae and treating him like a child. That scene actually gave me chills like it was icky how he lied like that. Hyunjae isn't a great person by any means and he deserves to be in prison, but I don't think Junil was right to discredit his character growth like that. Again, I don't really think he deserves redemption, but I still don't like how Junil made up such a lie.
Finally, I love the mother's character. It's so good. That's all I wanted to say. I just love how she never properly shows up in the series, but she is intertwined so deeply with the plot. The reader is able to know so much about her, and she only shows up in minor flashbacks and when sent Nokyoung back.
That's all for my review, hehe. I have a lot more to say, but I don't think I have it in me to type it all out. This was a great read though.
