Spoilers for chapter 43
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Flashbacks to Lee Taegun and Seo Eun-Seong's past... They're at school and Seo Eun-Seong is still distraught about losing his parents. Lee Taegun looks out for him.
Lee Taegun tries to give him a chocolate bar and Seo Eun-Seong hits him for it. Lee Taegun says something like they're both the same, they're both orphans, and Seo Eun-Seong says Lee Taegun has no idea about loss and grief since he was too young to remember his parents and has always been an orphan for as long as he can remember.
Lee Taegun says what does it matter how it happened, they are both orphans now.
The other students whisper about Seo Eun-Seong, about how he has gone crazy since he lost his parents, and that he is mentally ill, and he beat a guy up for giving him chocolate.
Everyone avoids Seo Eun-Seong... except Lee Taegun. After school, he throws Seo Eun-Seong another chocolate bar and says he's not acting out of pity, he's just looking out for him. That Seo Eun-Seong should take care of himself and keep coming to school.
Seo Eun-Seong thinks about how consistent Lee Taegun is, how true to himself he is, and realizes he has a huge crush on him. Which he never acts on. They graduate school and Seo Eun-Seong thinks he'll never see him again, until he sees him on TV as the country's top S-grade esper. Seo Eun-Seong resolves to be a good human being and try to help Lee Taegun, in the same way that Lee Taegun once helped him, with no strings attached.
I guess back then Lee Taegun had no motive or agenda or helping Seo Eun-Seong. And Seo Eun-Seong is trying to do the same now... except it's hard for Seo Eun-Seong not to do so selflessly when he is in love with Lee Taegun and always has been.
It’s so sad that Taegun crossed paths with that snake after high school. He was such a nice guy and he was used and manipulated by Jaeha that now he can’t trust his own instincts.
Yeah, it's a shame. Taegun was decent, kind and trusting. Being an orphan with no contacts or wealth, I think Taegun just had nowhere to go so that's why Jaeha was able to manipulate him. I think if Taegun had a trust fund or trustworthy relatives, he would have never ended up in Jaeha's orbit or been reliant on him.
I was curious about Lee Taegun and Seo Eun-Seong's back story so I looked at the raws. I don't read Korean so my interpretation may not be accurate. Here goes.
SPOILERS AHEAD
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Seo Eun-Seong and Lee Taegun went to the same high school. After Seo Eun-Seong loses his parents and is orphaned, he is suicidal. He goes to the top floor of a tall building and is about to jump when he sees Lee Taegun below. They make eye contact. Seo Eun-Seong hesitates and just stands there. Lee Taegun goes to the top floor and sees Seo Eun-Seong. He offers Seo Eun-Seong an extended hand and says "I'll help you."
From there on in, Lee Taegun looks out for him. Gives him food and snacks. Sees that he is self-isolating and tries to talk to him. Is all-around kind and caring. Seo Eun-Seong is aggravated by this. Lee Taegun says he knows what it's like to be an orphan and that he's just looking out for him. Seo Eun-Seong says that Lee Taegun has no idea what it's like to be him and doesn't understand what the pain of loss is like, since Lee Taegun has always been an orphan, and Seo Eun-Seong once had parents but lost them.
Seo Eun-Seong is depressed and so he's a jerk to Lee Taegun and says some ugly things to the guy who was kind to him, empathized with him and was only trying to help. Lee Taegun is understandably hurt and offended, because his kindness was thrown back in his face, and I think Seo Eun-Seong is the one who doesn't understand Lee Taegun's struggles of having been alone always and having to fend for himself always.
They're both teenagers and it's just a sad situation. It makes me think that if the two of them had been friends from the get-go, Lee Taegun might not have been in such a vulnerable situation as a teenager and wouldn't have through the exploitation and trauma he went through... since my theory is that even though Seo Eun-Seong was orphaned, he probably had some sort of inheritance and relatives he could still turn to, so he was still better off than Lee Taegun. But I understand Seo Eun-Seong grief of losing his parents too, and how that made him say something utterly cruel in a moment of vulnerability.
I love how Seo Eun-seong is running interference to protect Lee Taegun and allow him to shine in his role as the hero, away from Kang Jaeha's malevolence and horrible intentions.
I wish Kang Jaeha would just drop dead.
I love how Pilwoo always finds a loophole to Seo's directives.
I think Seo subconsciously gives open-ended directives which Pilwoo can mess with because he secretly enjoys Pilwoo's attention and affection
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I've seen the raws from chapter 47. I don't read Korean so my understanding may not be completely correct.
Han Juwon has deeply conflicting feelings about Leo Seo-Dan. He's completed obsessed and possessive about the guy, and scared he might reach the point of no return and lose control. That's why every time Leo Seo-Dan pushes him away a bit, Han Juwon tries to give him an out—and KEEPS offering him an out (while he has the self-control to give him a choice).
By the time chapter 47 starts, Seo-Dan has been coming to Juwon's home for at least 10 days. Seo-Dan accepts all of Juwon's forcefulness. Juwon is actually scared of how forceful and possessive he is becoming towards Seo-Dan. At one point, he goes to put out a cigarette butt on Seo-Dan's hand, and Seo-Dan freely offers him his hand, palm up. Juwon throws the cigarette butt on the ground and is scared of his own impulses and the fact that Seo-Dan didn't resist. Seo-Dan is like, "What, you thought I couldn't take it?"
Juwon confesses his ugliest impulses to Seo-Dan, including wanting to lock him up so only Juwon can see him. He sends Seo-Dan home and asks Seo-Dan to evaluate, while he still can, whether he really wants to continue seeing someone as extreme as Juwon. Juwon implies that if Seo-Dan keeps seeing him, it will reach a point where Juwon won't be able to let him go
Whoah, well the author does make heart wrenching stories. This 1 comparatively has less angst but I still expected them to have more fluff Σ(っ°Д °;)っ
Some more fluff would be really nice lol
Thank youuu! I love this story and I love spoilers!
Ha ha it would be great to have more of that to balance out the angst
Yeah, I love this story too.
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SPOILERS
Han Juwon is becoming obsessed with Leo Seo-Dan.
And Leo Seo-Dan enjoys being the object of Han Juwon's obsession LMAO. Leo Seo-Dan was kind of disowned by his family and has very limited contact with them. So I think he enjoys being needed and obsessed over by someone he admires and is attracted to.
Han Juwon is turned on by Leo Seo-Dan's innocence and the fact that Leo Seo-Dan likes him in a very pure way. He would never get that from a run-of-the-mill BDSM partner.
They're both into what they have going, so what's the harm lol
Hope this story has a happy ending!
Someone posted they're going to wait until this is finished, and will speed read past all the pain and suffering, and I'm going to do the same. I'll wait until all the chapters are out before I pick it up again.
I'm thinking of doing that too. After reading some spoilers from the novel readers, i don't think I will be able to handle the suffering they will face in the upcoming chapters. Not to mention it has a 10 day update, imagine the torture
Yeah, at least with the author's previous work, the bulk of the pain and suffering was in a past life and the question was whether the characters could break the cycle. I read some spoilers too and I don't want to watch the characters enter into a painful cycle in real time. You have a good point about 10 day updates. I don't want to do that to myself either ha ha
The latest chapters turns a few things on its head. Baek-Yeon isn't a helpless victim of circumstance, abandoned by his father, left in a strange place. From a young age, he sent his father away to save his life, chose where he wanted to live and decided he felt safest with an eccentric but kind antique collector and his grandson on their enclosed property. He was choosing his own path from the get-go.
Maybe yaoi logic has rotted my brain... but I'm actually loving this LOL. I'm not saying it's not problematic and full of red flags because it definitely is ha ha
I think MC is being disingenuous when he says he's afraid of ML. He's not afraid of him, he's understandably upset with him, partly because of his own growing attachment and the fact he feels it's one-sided. I think he actually feels safe with ML in some ways. He has insomnia yet sleeps soundly with him, enjoys sleeping in his arms, likes being on his team at work and is supported in ways that he wasn't in his toxic former team.
I think ML is definitely being disingenuous with MC. I think initially he just wanted to use MC as a BDSM plaything. But somewhere along the way, he started enjoying MC's company for his own sake. He enjoyed bringing him food, taking him out to dinner, wanted to sleep in the same bed after sex if MC allowed it. MC has become special to him. While ML doesn't feel he's dating MC, he feels it's now more than just a contract.
I think earlier communication would have helped, but it would have only clarified that it was a contract and nothing more. And they already had that conversation more or less But now there are some feelings involved on both sides so it's a different conversation. I wouldn't say it's a healthy relationship (or even a relationship lol) but now there is a mutual unacknowledged attachment on both sides, beyond the initial contract.
I'd agree with that assessment and it would help if the mc would open up to the ML about his past trauma...if he'd done it before things might of gone a little differently maybe... the ML might of taken it into consideration throughout all their interactions...
I agree with you and i can see why you question loving this. I feel the same lol. There are many red flags (starting with consent) but the fact that there is actual storytelling and character development kinda compensate. Im looking forward to how the story will unfold!
Thanks for your reply. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm reading the same story as everyone else In the comments, there's everything from outrage to annoyance about the latest chapter. I'm not saying the seme hasn't behaved in problematic ways (he definitely has!) and that whatever they have between them is healthy.
But the seme just offered to end the after-hours part of their engagement effectively immediately and then either find the uke a new job OR leave the company himself. I think that last part really carries weight. In the previous chapter, he also said that if the other person feels behavior is abusive, then it's abusive, and didn't question that.
I know there's a power mismatch and the seme has a position of authority over the uke. But the seme isn't threatening his career and isn't disregarding his feelings (any more...)
At this point, I just think there's more give and take going on than people might think.
Thanks, yes, I agree with you, the ML probably would have taken it into consideration if the MC had opened up about his past... although it's so intensely personal, I can understand why he didn't. With the latest two chapters, I think the ML has more of an understanding of what the MC's limits are now though
Chapter 94 makes me really sad. Derwin's lighthouses which allowed them to trade, prosper and grow, were built by Archaia (well, Brian from Archaia) and from mana, but in the main timeline, Derwin views Archaia as an enemy and is suspicious of mana.
MILD SPOILERS BELOW
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I love how Kim Shin's grandfather is all for the Kim Shin x Song Yeon-woo relationship. And that he encouraged Song Yeon-Woo to fully rely on his grandson.
When Kim Shin's grandfather was first introduced, I was wary of him. But it turns out he was only staking out places near W University because he wanted to see his aloof grandson and was curious about Song Yeon-Woo.