Ngl, what they have is everything that could go wrong with the "opposites attract" trope lol, but they made it work ig
Like, I won't lie, they started dating 6 month-ish since meeting each other...? And I feel it was more of a crush situation, their understanding of the other wasn't that deep.
Their values, ways of living and goals weren't perfectly lined at all, maybe even clashed, but maybe it's what they wanted/needed in their own lives (kinda, it'd be depressing to live like the ML and even himself feels wrong to make someone so humanitarian as MC to become manipulative, ig it's that warmth and empathy that drew him to MC to start with).
Idk what I'm rambling about, but irl don't copy this story, it'll drive a sane person to madness to be treated like MC when you are supposedly dating a mutually "affectionate" person. And I also get the ML in some of his POVs, so it's also a dive to suddenly change your habits for a burning sunshine in your hands. Irl this relationship could go so wrong from not expressing/listening/understanding your opposite, not to mention how abusive is to date your boss with all the office powerplay (luckily ML never means it and MC has the guts to keep using the line like a jumping rope)
Spoilers ahead up to chapter 24:
Case 1: Best friend
overprotective
kissed while asleep
projecting his own trauma
Case 2: ML
drunk grape
grape and/or dubious consent
taking off condom
heat grape
liar
Case 3: MC
too sheltered yet bit more than he could chew
doormat
puts his trust where it doesn't belong
First and foremost, MC is a victim from both guys, friend causing long term damage since early, ML being such a destructive bomb omg. Even if I call him a doormat, I cannot blame him for everything, but his behavior shouldn't be fed (it's more of a cautionary example of what could REALLY happen).
Second, you all hate the friend, but I don't find him behavior THAT unforgivable besides the kiss while asleep. Yes, he's overprotective, he watches over him like a hawk, he never confessed his feelings before the plot, he is like a mom, and indeed it's because he's like a mom that some of you are annoyed?
He wants to know where MC is and who he is with, he wants to be with him all the time (for watching over and as his crush) and stops MC from furthering his relationship with ML (which in this case not only spans jealousy but come on, IT'S AN OBVIOUS RECIPE TO DISASTER). But besides the recent interference on the weekend, he never stops MC from doing what he wants. If MC can go around while lying, it's because the guy isn't that stalkerish (yet). He projects his own trauma of letting MC almost be graped by the neighbor unto MC, how he sees his guilt and fear for his safety. Hell, I'd be annoyed if I had someone like that irl but not to the extent of putting myself on harms way over a fake sense of freedom rather than talking it out. Like, freedom for what? For going out alone and drink? The funniest part is that the first drink party is quite realistic, it's hard to just blend in a party as an introvert for the first time, doing so without a friend is even harder (talking from experience). It wasn't even enjoyable.
THIRD, the ML is such a red flag since the first encounter idk y'all but taking off the condom and lying about the pill is beyond saving. Idc if feelings develope and considers MC more important over time, it's unforgivable the amount of times he takes advantage of MC. If this was real life I'd kill that motherfcker. At this point in the timeline, even if you dislike the best friend which is reasonable, no way in hell are you rooting for this jack ass??????
Like, I get it, best friend sucks but it's like going from the pan to the fire??????
Istg, it's the security that a fictional story where MC and love interest/ML/FL are determined and are SO SURE there is a good ending with a redemption and sweet arc, that overlooking the PAST and PRESENT (the process) seems like Second nature. Yall want a result, no matter how painful it is to the MC currently, specially such experiences that leave indelible marks in people. I wouldn't usually care but this story feels quite real, in a sense that their personalities and experiences feel close to people I knew or heard of. This comments is mainly due to other comments I saw where they were rooting over a grapist and trashing the best friend when the scale of their crimes do not compare??
Like, I get it, there will be redemption, happy ending and the oficial ship, maybe the plot will developed into the best friend doing something unforgivable and the ML getting better, but reading people's takes based on current affairs and information is worrying. There were times where I read such thrilling stories with peace of mind that we all agreed it was a shitty situation but seeing some takes nowadays makes me reconsider .
Girl it ain't that deep :3 and it would've been drunk grape with dubious consent if the mc was the one drunk but it was the ml and mc gave fully consent y'all love to call everything and anything grape smh
Girl, did we read the same shit, MC WAS THE DRUNK ONE. He did not consent, drunk consent isn't consent.
People like you are the reason I can't keep stressing these points in stories. If literacy wasn't an all time low I would turn off my brain and just read as well
Wow :0 i think i read the wrong chapter then can you send me the link where you read it and tell me the chapter no if you remember:3
https://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/feel_my_benefit/uu/br_chapter-251420/pg-1/
Chapter 1 to 2, MC doesn't act like he's fully sober, his personality and thoughts don't match those once in school or with his sister. He doesn't remember well what happened once he wakes up.
Tyy for this bro, I wanted to read this but nah after seeing all the comments—this was the nail in the coffin
The dislikes is crazy, people just hate being told the facts, I appreciate you for this
I read chapter 1-2 and nope'd out, glad to see ppl pointing this out! Great analysis
Honestly, I read so many terrible "romance" stories I wouldn't call this the reddest of them all, can't even call myself a Saint. But I need more people acknowledging the bad and read, rather than making the blind eye and read with that twisted reality
The sudden ABO mention was a "ah, that explains it" moment to suddenly having dubious con right off the bat
Im no saint and read shit ton of toxic stories, so I usually don't write bibles on plots that are obviously built on insanity.
But I at least expect readers to be on the same page regarding the toxicity, at least not supporting abuse. The story isn't all that surprising, with the plot being an ABO even less. But what truly disgusted me were the readers comments. Idk whether to be surprised or disgusted at the dislikes
THISSS bro I was thinking of reading tht new Pearl Boy spin off (even tho i couldn't read the main story rip) bc I love psycho bottoms. But some angel (who still loved the story) pointed out some aspects which could be prominent triggers for me so I saw myself out. The rest of the dumbasses were tryna defend what was going on and calling it 'not rape or forced prostitution with torture porn'. Like i don't need u to stop reading toxic shi (as long as it's not CSA, tht just makes you a pedo), I don't even need u to advocate for less SA in bl; I just need u to acknowledge when smth is toxic and point out the triggers for ppl who need it. Lord knows I'm no saint, I've read plenty of toxic shit in my heydays but AT LEAST i have the werewithal to understand when certain aspects are triggering or unacceptable for other readers. When u complain or try to fight ppl who point this shit out, you are simply confusing + hurting the ppl who need the triggers and could genuinely use the warnings yk?
Understandable, but tbh, I really like it and love reading it. And my opinion is based on seeing the 2nd season. The characters grew on me.
That's also understandable, there is such thing as character growth, and I've also experienced it with many stories such as lost in the clouds.
but it's quite unacceptable how some people view/react to the characters right now, with the current situation. Not like future stocks, but what they were and are rn
I've read worse, no worries lol
But with all the "positive" comments on tiktok I expected something "greener" or even shounen ai (yeah, ik I usually don't read tags if sinopsis is interesting enough)
I'd be pissed as hell if my company threw me and my wishes under the bus for a jerk that humiliated me mid meeting with the boss. Maybe not as much at the jerk if I know/think we don't get along, but him pulling strings to make me do work that wasn't intended for me? I'm not doing overtime that I'd ALSO dislike!
On the more common flags (besides work abuse), he's a big perv and a thief, and BAD at communicating, istg boy your problems would be done for if you just confessed or something instead of letting the misunderstanding fester with trauma. Nothing impressive like killing you brother, but this story isn't that dramatic neither, it's already a piss off for a (law abidding) modern setting.
Not complaining about the story, but the girlies recommending this story so much for being so good and non toxic should stfu, that's false advertisement, not a bad story but not a rainbow and sunshine.
Edit:
For all the ones disliking the comment, I'll need you to sit down and read again, what exactly am I saying wrong? Because it's concerning If you disagree on the actual red flags I pointed out.
And as a tldr: I'm not complaining on the story being red, I'm complaining on the readers that recommended the story as "green", because their reality perception is wrong and/or are lying for the sake of recommending the story to others.
Love the story for what it is, not for what you think it is.
So, half eaten popcorn and a cup with 2 straws... is that normal to share? Like, there are 2 drinks and 1 popcorn combos usually at my local cinema? So it's not about saving money
I feel like they are more slender in this chapter than before, where are your muscles Kang Chana? Everyone's torsos are so long lol
The stress is taking a toll on them
Instead of losing hair they're losing fat lol
(￣∇￣")
I wish I had fat losing problem
I noticed toooo! Their body got a lil bit longer than usual, their torso and legs are so longgg
If u look on the artists twitter, thats just how they draw anatomy sometimes especially in sketches. Deadline is tight maybe
ISTG Y'ALL WHO ROOT FOR THE ML WITH THIS FINE 2ND LEAD IN FRONT ARE INSAAAANEEEE
Like, for those times and this genre standards, he is such a good ML I cannot bring myself to like the ML over the 2nd
Suspicious? Ofc, all men do is lie, ML did a whole plot to unearth the tribes looking for the gun's design. But at least 2nd stopped himself from doing things the MC dislikes and actually tried courting him.
He can't solve the MC's troubles nor take revenge for him? With which opportunity? He was busy looking for a corpse ah. Not like MC wouldn't have taken revenge himself if he wasn't busy surviving or that ML made his life any easier.
MC suffered enough, why would I wish further peril on him?
I read this on and off, maybe a I re read it all in one setting to see how the pacing really goes?
Maybe I wanted a more descriptive ending to the blond jerk, not just "this bad thing happened to him due to his choices", maybe a kind of reflection on his suffering, whether he laments it or not.
I did like the reveal of the ML's identity, not too rushed nor slow.
As for how they dealer with the chairman, I remember it going on for like 3 chapters? I would have cut it down to 2 if they insisted on a cliffhanger. But that old man shouldn't have gotten away with just dead after all that disgusting shit they pulled off.
Maybe the spin off will cover more about the MC's new desire to live, because if you are gonna end it in some inspirational line, you have to back it up ah. The story has been stress inducing over all the happenings, it would be nice to see where that reason to live lies, whether his new friends and colleagues, the fall of the past and present evil, and not just a lover who was pushing your buttons like a perv lol.
The friend falls in and out of love so easily, I could relate cuz I'm a face con (tho not romantically interested in anyone)
I can accept not caring of his first crush who he kissed but got a "girlfriend" after, like, let's be strangers. But I wouldn't brush it out if I cried and my bestie did his best to make me feel better. Wdym "get it yourself", what's the purpose of making them interact when besides being strangers, bestie dislikes him because of me
If I crush on every handsome boy I see, it's a me issue, why would I ask my bestie to intervene for
Did this old man know the antidote to the imae poison all this time?
And MC's mother asked him before? Did he let a woman become a widow and a child become an orphan? Did he give the answer at the time?
DESERVED YOU DARN WRETCH, how could he die from 2 bullets, he needed more.
One would think that with a life expectancy of 40 years, teenagers in the past were already adults. But these past live versions were even more inmature than the modern version lol
Like, bro, you were already gonna elope, what was the family business gotta do with you, mail you gay escapees living expenses every month?
And imagine being so petty to curse your own new life self everything for almost getting together with you dead lover (yknow what? Scratch that, I'd be petty towards that coward but I wouldn't just harm myself wtf)
It's also a strange way of working the reencarnación thing, usually it comes as memories more than an actual ghost/soul haunting. Like, didn't your soul go through the Yama's recycling station? Clean the plast- soul, melt and produce again lol
Anyways, it's not a bad story, a bit uncomfortable how Kiriyama was assaulted/used by the ghosts while we didn't know they were past lives (not like it makes it any less weird). And to believe it was all caused by a brain fart from the original past lives ah. Hayato was a dumbass as well, they did the deed but never thought about how to advance until the very day/moment of the arranged marriage? As I said, I'd be seething for centuries.
very agree about the elope thing, when they were discussing about being ready to abandon everything, why would they care about whatever happened to the family business, they dont affect them in the slightest, or better put they should just commit a double suicide in front of the bitch so she gonna be traumatized for her whole life
About the eloping touma was the one speaking about eloping I think hayato made a more contemplative face about it but when they were reconciling in the river hayato said "if he had been more prepared he would have been able to ". So from that we see hayato didn't want to just run away without a penny to their name he needed time to organize stuff probably put aside things for them to not have to suffer after just running away