I thought it was the dad from the last chapter and I read this with my eyes half closed assuming so. What a surprise lol it kinda woke me up
Completely ignoring the rape, there's something naive about this. Yah they're in prison, these people most probably have done something to be there, but room #2 gives off found family vibes??? I could be wrong since it's this early but aren't the dynamics between gray hair and long hair somehow cute? Big shy introverted guy under the protection of the most feared guy in the area. Fearless newcomer leads big shy guy, but both of them follow long hair's word.
Even in the dialogue and the way they speak there's something youthful and even warm(???) sometimes. Idk if I'm the weird one for interpreting it this way but I find it impressive the author got to pull that off despite such a brusque/harsh background of the story.
As an asexual and an (in-denial) aro person with similar trauma it's so... Man I don't even know what to say. I think I pushed away the idea of reading this from the synopsis bc I was afraid it would trigger me or something. It hasn't! And I'm still able to empathize with Mc with a healthy distance, which means I'm not being triggered just because I've emotionally blocked myself off.
At this point, at chapter 24, I'm more concerned with the idea that existing in heteronormative spaces as an aro/ace person becomes an emotional wound that people (sometimes even I) brush off. Add on top of that the belated awakening to being aro/ace. People, even if they're coming from a place of good intent, can be very dismissive. It's been, thus far, a very alienating life experience. Lol
Edit: Noyeol confirms he's ace. Noa, Boguk, and Sujo seem to agree? But after finishing the story, I'd say between aromanticism and asexuality, the former was a bigger issue for Hyung. And I felt that. In a way I still haven't accepted I am aro bc of my idea of the way the world should be. Was my idea of the way the world /a person should be imposed upon me? Probably? Is it something I've made my own because I haven't accepted myself? Probably, yes. Do I still insist on it? Also, yes.
Anyway, onto the story:
This is a story bigger than trauma, bigger than abuse. Hyung always had this coming for him, not the kidnapping, not the rape, but the undoing of one's own world to build a new one. Not minimizing the trauma that Noyeol's crime had caused, but taking some distance and looking at it from a bigger perspective, it was what essentially triggered Hyung to make necessary changes in his life. Does that make the rape/kidnapping necessary? Of course not.
This to me is a story about breaking the illusion. The illusion being the front we put on, whether to fulfill an expectation (by the society, our family, or our own self), or to belong in a world we made up out of fear, comfort, or loneliness. That illusion is constant with all of the characters, sujo was trying to fill up the shoes of the good son, boguk was making himself small/not acting on his desires so he could remain a "victim", noa was trying to build a "stable" life, noyeol was trying to be hyung's savior out of his supposed love for hyung, and hyung was just trying to belong to the same world as others, not seeking to dig deep within himself even if he felt different, and I'm guessing it's because of his fear of abandonment. Boy was willing to go with his abuser because he was the only one who "needed" him alone.
Gosh I want to expound on this thought but I keep losing the words. Maybe later.
Edit: Noyeol was an illusion to Hyung. Noyeol, the younger brother of his girlfriend, Noyeol the helpless child whom Hyung could play hero to, Noyeol who kidnapped and raped Hyung, Noyeol whom Hyung risked his life for, Noyeol whom Hyung had plans on staying with.
I think it's safe to say I've come to the same conclusions dealing with my personal trauma. The betrayal lingered the longest. "How could they have done that to me? I was kind/loyal/generous/insert positive adjective here, etc/ to them! How could they throw away years-worth of bond/fondness/trust/etc. and betray me like that?" There were a lot of those. A lot of trying to understand WHY. Because it doesn't make sense. And, even if you try to become the bigger person while seeking answers, putting yourself in the shoes of the person who did what to you, at the end of the day, it still wouldn't make sense. You're only trying to come up with reasons why you deserved what was done to you. At the end of the day, it wouldn't make sense because there's no sensible reason to hurt another person like that, no sensible reason for someone to go through the physical torture, and then the agony that follows thereafter.
And because it was done by someone you knew, someone you cared about, someone you were fond of, you're not only pushed to move away from that trauma, but also from that person himself, and most importantly, from yourself as well...the you who shared a time with that person... I personally made a lot of progress realizing that what I was grieving wasn't the relationship that got destroyed after the fact but rather the old version of me who was innocent, hopeful, trusting, loving, open.
In the same sense for hyung, he attached a lot lot his identity on Noyeo, perhaps more than he realized. And having to completely erase Noyeol's existence for that one thing he did seemed like such a loss...after all, to Hyung, those times with Noyeol were probably some of the best times of his life, or were some of the times when he felt the most sense of belonging. He had to let go of all that Noyeol was to him, all the HE was to Noyeol and HIMSELF, so he could start again.
I love the insight on idols. The author must have done hella research on fandom culture or might be in one herself. Also, is ml is coming off as an INTP idk asdafsa
I didn't like the artstyle at first, but it occurred to me they're drawn the way idols are depicted in fanarts lolll. So if they artist intended it to be that way then props to them.
Also, even though I like a few groups, I've never really liked idol bls. idky. But I can do with this. It's refreshing but at the same time, I'd much rather read this when it's completed instead of waiting every week.
Normie just did reverse childbirth. Wtf was that. Only his face is plain. His appetite for sex is something else.
And almost all the comments (in korean) were saying go-getter ml is better than gido bc their friendship was more important than the potential relationship they could have. I saw everyone despite being pro-Gido acknowledge ml and move on, and I felt like fish out of water. This is the part where everybody moves on from Gido??? And I'm over here, logically knowing all roads leading to Gido as a romantic partner are now closed (let's be fr I knew from the beginning it wasn't gonna be him) but still rooting for him in my heart. In the sense of "look at what could have been" fhdjjsksd and that hits me deep in the heart in a way that main couple hasn't. Like. I'm almost sure from hereon no matter what happens in this story that I'll love Gido (and their non-existent romantic possibility) the most.
Idk if I'm a real yearner, a real foolish yearner, or just a Pisces.
As someone with a PHD on unrequited love... I get it. And I also get the frustration some people are having.
Mc never had greed for chaheon. Even if he's experienced lust before they put their hands on each other, it was very minimal, and he's always tried to suppress his feelings for ml, whether that be lust, love, or something else.
He's always drawn lines between ml and himself. "Ml is at the top of the foodchain; the spotlight follows him wherever he goes, etc." In a way it's idolization, putting someone on a pedestal. And when you look up at someone so much, you get used to holding your neck out. You stop being on the same playing level. Sometimes, that means a weak sense of self-worth.
Having a crush is something you do alone. Liking someone alone, having your heart broken on your own, sometimes (a lot of times) even by your own doing (although it's hard to admit). Mc is still very much in his own head. He's lived with the storyline he wrote in his mind for so long he thinks it's real life. I have a feeling it still hasn't fully occurred to him that ml is in this "relationship" as much as he is. He still holds the assumption that ml will reject him if he confesses his feelings. For Mc, it's still more comfortable being in the box he caged himself in, rather than this new territory he's exploring with ml. Surely doesn't help that ml has cryptic tendencies. This unexplored territory is scary for mc especially when he thinks he's doing it alone.
It's funny to me now but I sympathize with Mc. The pain he's experiencing now may just be due to some scenario he's made canon in his head, but the pain is all too familiar it might even be comfortable, so much so that, instead of asking ml for clarification, he's out here crying over his already broken heart.
Sex is often used to hold power over the head of one party to bend them into submission but put that in the omegaverse context and you'll have a couple whose power imbalance gets even more pronounced by the nature of the world they live in.
Also, what's with mc's names? Yejun and Noah?
I even forget the title sometimes but won't actively search for it. I only click on it once I see it on the main page and by then I'd have about 4 chapters to read. Which is a treat for me tbh. I usually cannot follow ongoing stories because of poor memory retention but this plot line is so rare I'd be stupid to have it confused with something else.
It might also be the first time I like a kidnapping story. It's still kidnapping but it's not torturous for the kidnapped and the reader.
