Clari's favorite

So I am not insane and I am not gaslighting myself, there was a LOT of subtle details ommitted in the manhwa. Which, frankly, pisses me off more than Andante's manipulative and greedy ass.

There was a somewhat more profound exploration on Andante's shock when the stone reacted to his advances, as well as the build up on Hyoseop's fear at that moment. To be honest, it's been a while since I read the novel so I almost feel as if this manhwa adaptation is gaslighting my memory. But I am quite certain that the actual progression was not this rushed.

This may come off as a hot take, but Hyoseop's arc with Andante is not as shallow to be defined as a 'Miscommunication' arc. It is a more intricate and complex set of circumstances wherein emotional and psychological manipulation are in tandem. Hyoseop's presentation of his gullible and hopeful self is what was caught in Andante's spiderweb of ambition, in fact, Hyoseop's naivety and steadfast belief that 'things will get better' is what only made him fall deeper into hopelessness. Picture yourself panicking while in quicksand. The more one moves, the faster you sink. Hyoseop's impatience and his anxiety is what made him sink deeper which is why pulling himself out took a harder and harsher pain on him, and in the same respect, a greater sense of relief would wash over him is what freed him.

Hyoseop knew he was being used, and it does not help that, from a literary perspective, this Manhwa continuously emphasizes and presents Andante's inner dialogues of admitting his motivations and intentions to use Hyoseop. He is being painted with that one sole image of Hyoseop, like an unreachable wallflower. Andante desires him because he knows he is the only one capable of making the intricate and exclusive wallflower bend to him. His morphed idea of love is exactly what Espers experience towards their guides, /Obsession/. What Andante feels is the primal instinct of possessing a guide that complements him almost perfectly. It is not exactly love, it is merely possession, but the desire to possess, too, is a form of affection that leads to love. Unfortunately, it is what broke Hyoseop completely.

I cannot, for the life of me, wrap my head around people who would pin the blame of Hyoseop's indecisiveness and lack of courage when Andante himself is the one who defined their relationship. They are exclusive partners, yet Andante never once made it evident that Hyoseop had place in Andante's future. He only perceived the usefulness of the present. Moreover, his utter /complacency/ in Hyoseop's loyalty is not love. Andante was certain and confident because he had placed a collar and leash on Hyoseop. He leveraged in Hyoseop's vulnerabilities and used it against him and labeled it as unwavering loyalty and affection, without realizing that it was more closer to a noose around Hyoseop's neck than a collar. It was killing Hyoseop by the second, and Hyoseop only has himself to blame because he willingly placed himself in that position.

Miscommunication? No, Andante just doesn't and has never seen human beings beyond their use aside from his own brother. He is an SS Class esper whose power and mind works in a completely different realm. He has never known how to love Hyoseop for the reason that he has never loved anyone like him before. He is logical, he is calculative, his actions are measured and he keeps people at a controlled distance.

Miscommunication? No, Hyoseop has understood at face value the nature of their relationship and Andante's motives he simply clung into time and hope. If he had met Ren, after his years of solitary confinement and abuse, later in his life, then it is very likely possible he will be loved too the way Ren had seen him beyond a human guiding machine. Ren saw him as a young child who wanted to live amidst That Esper's abuse, Hyoseop saw hope and the goodness in humankind in Ren. It was that belief he clung onto the movement of time that, eventually, Andante would trust Hyoseop and welcome him in his life.

Just talk? Well, let's see how to verbalize one's years worth of trauma, abandonment, and confinement in order to show their vulnerability to their 'supoosed lover'. Andante has such grand goals, to what extent would a replaceable guide's dead past would concern Andante? That ex Esper is long gone, why must Andante concern himself over the dead?

Just talk? Let's see how to plead for affection when one's eyes are telling enough of how much distance exists between them. Andante sees Hyoseop no more than an object to display in his grasp, whereas Hyoseop revers Andante as a bright symbol of heroism and affection - after all, Andante love bombs him, and a child so deprived of affection would welcome something so sweet and warm.

Just talk? Well... Let's see how to confidently word that you were a child taken in from a human trafficking monastery to be groomed by adults of much greater power than your child self. Hyoseop has been living his whole life used, that one would wonder why he has yet to be dried out of love. It is because people like Andante exists. He is so bright and warm, that Hyoseop could only fall harder each time he dares to step out of his league and reach for the sun.

I personally appreciate the novel dragging it out. I enjoyed reading through the micro expressions and details, I also enjoyed the tidbits of inner monologue, the anxiety of it al and the back and forth decisions. It really shows that there are individuals who should never be trusted to be in a relationship, and Hyoseop never should have fallen for Andante. But he still does because he's just human who has that much trust in the world around him, and even if it was snot his fault, he learned the hard way that when things fall apart, the blame would always fall onto him.

HOWEVER, I would say that the novel, if compared to other novels, is quite mid. It is good on its own, but not as impressive to be on par with plenty other novels. For anyone who would like to read the novel from scratch, please do so but do not expect top-tier plot arcs and development. It is more simple and straightforward, if I had to describe the novel. It clearly highlights the pivotal points of the protagonist's life, as well as some deeper aspects of his indecisiveness, but it is not as revolutionary when it comes to exploring one's psyche or in terms of introspective writing.

The novel is something you can appreciate if you like digging through a focused character psyche, and it is a novel you would appreciate reading if you also enjoy imagining future scenarios and possibilities through reading between the lines. If you take the novel at face value, you will not appreciate it and will only notice the length of the so-called chasing arcs. If you take the novel at mere reputation/image of being the miscommunication brand, you will not appreciate nor notice the themes of power imbalance being subtly referred and narrated in this story.

Again, the novel is not revolutionary, but it is a decent read. Personally, the Hyoseop's switch from a guild to the association arc is something I also do not agree with, I think I found it a little lacking in terms of development and perhaps it could have been written better or executed better, otherwise it crossed my mind that it may be better to have never existed in writing in the first place. But the rest of the arcs were quite valid to me and definitely felt justified.

Anyways, with how the manhwa has adapted the story, I'll let this marinate a bit and look forward to seeing Andante's frustration, anger, realization, and guilt in visual form! I also can't wait to see Hyoseop smile comfortably too.

2025-07-08 02:06 marked