Guwon is so interesting to me. Sisyphus established himself as a ruler of great intelligence and ambition after killing the previous ruler and manipulating the political landscape to gain the loyalty of the people JUST like the story suggests Guwon did by having him say, “I’m grateful you all chose what was right”. In one of the previous chapters he says “I’ve always wanted a home like this” with no telling how he put together a village all by himself. I believe he didn’t and took it just like Sisyphus by killing the previous “king”. Not only that but his name meaning “Salvation” is just hilarious in a post apocalyptic world especially considering this one is clearly dark asf. There is no salvation but Guwon has made it so there technically is. A salvation in which there are strict rules now that it’s been taken over by a cunning king which would also explain why everyone seems to avoid him.
Not only that but in chapter 3 Guwon brings up a large boulder at the top of a hill and how it reminds him of his dedication to protecting the town and everyone in it. He said he’d do anything to protect them as he ruthlessly plunges a zombie with his bare hands (which I think parallels what happens in this chapter). In relation to that, Sisyphus’ punishment condemned him to eternally roll a boulder up a hill. His punishment was a result of his attempts to cheat death, including trapping the god of death and returning from the underworld which might pertain to Guwon’s character design with all his stitching and black skin.
It should be known that Sisyphus became king by taking advantage of an unstable political climate through trickery and manipulation. Manipulation he then used to trick death twice, first by chaining the god of death and a second by lying to the goddess of death. This will probably come up more later in Guwon’s backstory as I believe he has already tricked death twice and somehow got that boulder up the hill (metaphorically) even though he was supposed to be condemned to endlessly pushing it for all of eternity. Especially since Sisyphus’ punishment is often interpreted as a metaphor for the human condition: the endless struggle against forces beyond one’s control, never yielding any final success or relief, it would only make since that Guwon’s name means salvation. Because despite all the odds, he got that boulder to the top.
I also wanna say I made a comment about Jinwoo also hiding something big along with Guwon. Chapter 2 he wakes up trying to stab Guwon and keeps having flashbacks about his dad. The author might be trying to make him seem like just a victim but I think their might be something dark within Jinwoo too that hasn’t been explored yet.
PLEASE someone add onto their theories here. This story is a lot more interesting than I thought it would ever be ╥﹏╥
Does this have a novel? I wanna read ahead SO BADDD
Yeah there’s a novel u can read it on novel updates I think
But it have different name called "Depressing Illusion "
Red flag Guwon this, “but he threw up!” that OK BUT WHAT ABOUT JINWOO??? He literally almost STABBED Guwon in his sleep in chapter 2. One moment he was sleeping on the couch and the next he was on top of Guwon with a knife going straight for the heart WHAT??? HOW DID WE MOVE PAST THIS??? Also we know literally nothing abt Jinwoo either. Guwon just kinda picked him up and we went from there but we know little abt Jinwoo and next to nothing abt Guwon Watch them both be crazy
Oh yeah i forgot about the trustworthy unreliable narrator plot simce it doesn't really pop up in manhwas...yeah jinwoo being a bad person is plausible
I’m only on chapter 54 atm but I need to see the long haired demon butt booty naked with his cheeks clapping at maximum efficiency in the next 3 or imma riot
This story is honestly my top 10 so I hope, PRAY, the author makes another series after this is done. I honestly don’t want it to end but I’ll take anything this author throws outლ(´ڡ`ლ)
I got through the first season but I’m kind of too fend up with Rishar to continue. I get that he loves Etienne or whatever but their romance seems so superficial to because I STILL can’t see why Rishar basically worships the ground Etienne walks on. I know he goes through so much already but some conflict between them would go a long way imo. Or at least some more from their childhood showing how Rishar really fell in love with the prince. He’s in no way a bad guy but his love is somehow annoying. I’m fine with Etienne’s interest because it seems understandable! Rishar… not so much.
He just does everything for him which is crazy imo. I know he knows the prince’s situation is unfair and wants to right a wrong (which is understandable) but something about him that pisses me off. He’s obsessed for what feels like no reason and helps the MC for what feels like too much. I need my little prince to be able to help himself more often (again, which he does but it doesn’t seem like enough). I need something from the background characters helping Etienne through this instead because I found myself SKIPPING OVER THE ROMANCE which I NEVER do in yaoi, EVER. I’ll skip smut if I’m not in the mood but skipping the romance has never been done in my 6 years of BL experience! Their romance is genuinely so unenjoyable to me because I find Rishar’s dedication nothing short of annoying. Perfect semes are my weakness but not Rishar and I can’t really pinpoint WHY :///
Plot is GREAT and the characters are all enduring except Rishar. He feels so cardboard cut out made for Etienne (I mean they’re fated so duh but still) that I can’t enjoy their time together. It seems like there’s nobody BUT Etienne who can seriously help him and THATS what pisses me off.
Does he get better cause I’m going to take a break from this and come back for the plot (That plot being Etienne’s evil hot mom. I hate her but she’s fine asf) but I’d rather not have to keep skipping through some parts ╥﹏╥
(Also title is misleading. I don’t hate him. He’s just mildly annoying and what feels like an inconvenience)
Just read it start to finish for the first time and this was a ride and a half. Honestly I wish they gave more time to the MC and ML being friends or moving on outside of each other cause that’s what I feel like they really needed tbh.
Also idk if people need more empathy or to take a psych course cause conditioning in humans can happen extremely easily with the more time has passed and the psychological mind fuck that black haired bitch did to the MC for nearly a decade would NOT be easily covered up with love and affection and that’s the cold hard truth. Love the ML, SUCH an angel but the red flags were there. He should’ve socked the BHB and dragged that traumatized boy STRAIGHT to YEARSSSS of therapy, NOT his bed Before even getting with the ML, the MC needed years of therapy to overtake that conditioning which his current situation at that moment couldn’t produce. There was simply too much going on to even attempt to fix it with no time to do it, so, all that crashing and burning was needed. Everything could FINALLY come to a halt and he could finally become mentally stable and independent. No ML or BHB.
It’s not an excuse nor a plea to like him but an explanation as to why I think it’s unfair to group him in with the BHB(Gag me with a spoon). He was betrayed, traumatized, and conditioned to think so little of himself he’d ALWAYS go back to the one that will not be named. He was sexually, mentally, and physically abused for SEVEN YEARS. Him going back to the BHB was enviable given his state of mind and being blackmailed to continue after regretting it the first time is NOT his fault. No matter how cute they are not (love them 4 reals), the ML and MC meeting for the first time was doomed to fail from the start until the MC got the help he needed
Imma add on that the ML could’ve also just RAN (red flashing billboard) cause I feel like people will take that part as me blaming him, which I’m not. He was just unfortunately in the middle of the biggest soap opera like ever (poor baby)
Even from the start I could understand the mc(not that I have ever had such an episode) but I did put it on hold during the dramas(like ch75 or so) because I can't take the anxiety and suspense(I read a movies synopsis before watching it). And this felt quite realistic that I couldn't complain. Cheatings happen(for the wrong reasons) and people can change(but not quite). Not everyone is perfect. And this story did feel like the annoyingly toxic stories out there. The uke was kind of a damsel in distress but he knew what his problem was at first but couldn't help it. But he came through it on his own afterwards and the toxic seme remains toxic the good seme remains good(to some extend).
MC was definitely a damsel who needed someone to intervene but was realistically saved. He saved himself unlike these other BLs where all it takes is a few good moments to cover up YEARS of trauma (cause looking back it made no sense but I still ate it up anyway).
I had more to say and accidentally pressed post-
So like I was saying, you’re totally right abt him not being able to help it. Trauma doesn’t go away that easily compared to how these other mangas portray which is where I think a lot of people are getting the “he’s just as bad as the one who traumatized him” argument from. It took years of him taking the initiative himself with push from the guilt he felt for how he treated the ML and tried to atone without forcing the ML to go along with it.
I especially LOVE the fact the ML started trying to get back together first instead of the MC bc of this!!! He still loved him but felt guilty ever after he got better and didn’t wanna force his feeling onto the ML. So good(づ￣ ³￣)づ
I also made it short bc I had class...
And as we were both saying, the mc DID cheat on the first seme(for plot point and for the main couple to be together, it shouldn't be much of an issue and given the first guy was toxic af) and he felt too conflicted abt his feelings for the second guy as well as the first guy(obviously he loved the first one and as his feelings for the second guy grew, he became aware of his own toxic situation) and chose to remain with the first guy bc of his manipulation/gaslighting and ended up cheating on the second guy. And then afterwards he was soooo sure of his own welllbeing that he chose his health and happiness above both of them(and he couldn't go towards the ML bc of his guilt).
The thing I understand and empathize with the mc is, the way he chose to avoid both the guys.. bc I'm the type of person who tends to run away from my problems but still tends to agonize over whether I did right or not(sometimes its right, sometimes wrong).
And one more thing I like about the ML is that he is understanding and he's mostly a nice guy and not "some guy" with a big dick(AND he gave chance to the uke several times bc he loves the mc and NOT bc he is pushover). He does have a character and so does the uke and the toxic one. They were not 2D or changed their preferences/traits/character in 1 chapter. There was genuine character development. Which is rarer to see(sadly).
You get me sm dawg. These are such good characters to analyze
ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~
I thought this ended YEARS ago omg the art style change is HORRENDOUS (⊙…⊙ )
NO ANGST. PLEASE. SPARE ME