
This manga man…it holds a special place in my heart. I’m not usually someone who feels very “seen” by fictional characters but so many aspects of Sada really hit home with me and how I behave and interact with the world, especially love and romance. Sad to see him go because hearing his whole conversation about not being cut out for relationships and wanting to be friends who have sex really hit me like a sucker punch and made me understand things about myself lmao

Ouch this got me right in the heart in a good way. Sada was such a positive influence on him both past and present. It’s a shame they couldn’t live together on and on but it’s sort of a nice lesson about kindness and grief. Ultimately it’s unhealthy to try and change the past even when you've been traumatized by it, and that the best thing to do is learn to keep living, one step at a time, one day at a time.
I also love that Sada got the peaceful death he deserved after how violent his first one was. He was such a gentle and sweet man

I find their relationship dynamic to be super compelling, despite it mainly being just porn. They’re both extremely emotionally stunted characters in completely different ways which is interesting to see play out. I actually think they complete each other in a sort of cool way. Illic’s been raised in an environment of constant self-sufficiency and has had to compartmentalize his desires and need for care as a sort of survival tactic or whatever. The duke was raised in an extremely high control environment without much agency it seems until later, and as a result never really matured past the whole childish “I want this even if I break it” mentality. Their relationship is very like “I’ll have him even if I break him” and “I can’t let myself have anything until I’m broken”. Hence why one is so quick to say I love you even if he doesn’t love him back, and the other hasn’t been able to.
Not healthy but super compelling relationship. I’d say they should go to therapy but then it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting lmao

Look I get that this manhwa isn’t for everyone—I personally wanted Minho to have a happier life and ending—but as a translator it is SO disrespectful and fucking annoying to be constantly bashing the story with snide little commentary and promoting their own fanfiction. It just rubs me all the wrong ways, I know Korean and have legitimately been considering translating it and uploading it just so people who enjoy the story can have one that doesn’t constantly demean it, its author, and just peddle their own work. Translation shouldn’t be a vehicle to promote your own “superior” shit, it’s meant to share the author’s work. God, it’s so immature

You can dislike the content and judge it all you want, but a translator’s role is not to have moments of author intrusion to promote their material or provide derogatory commentary. That’s for comment sections not translation. And just because you’re reading it the “right way” doesn’t mean you’re not reading it, tf?? By this logic you’re also disgusting for reading it and this translator is also disgusting for monetarily supporting the author. If you don’t like don’t read it financially support. And grow the hell up.

This manga is incredibly dark and a well written exploration of how a relationship would realistically develop on a basis of rape, the kinds of people who’d be able for this to happen, and thoughtful portrayals of power and balance. It’s quite heavy and satisfying. I highly recommend it if that sounds interesting to you. Nothing is romanticized or excused between the leads, and it asks a question do when, if ever, their relationship could strike balance after something like that occurred—is balance restored after one rapes the other back? If you learned one was blackout drunk? If the other saves the other from being raped?—it’s a very unique fictional exploration of the subject, and doesn’t offer a clear answer.
That being said THE LITTLE STICKY NOTE NOTEBOOK AT THE END MADE MY HEART MELT A LITTLE THAT WAS CUTE

Not that there's any excuse for it but did they ever show the thought process for why he raped him? I can't remember if we ever saw it from his perspective. I just remember it was so unexpected and seemed uncharacteristic for him up to that point. Unless his "white knight" persona was all fake?
It always bugged me that it seemed so random.

It’s unclear but I think his white knight persona is definitely real if we take how he does stuff like stays at the office into account.
As for the rape think it’s implied to be a mix of him very clearly not being able to hold his liquor/basically completely losing inhibitions. (where we see a couple times where he completely forgets what happens when he’s drunk and asks/does sexual things without remembering) and probably being related to pining away for his coworker and it not being reciprocated

Bruh why the hell are there so many people in the comments “disturbed” about the fact that it’s an older guy getting laid in a bara manga with an old dude in the cover? It’s one thing for the age not to be your cup of tea but disturbed??? I know you’re probably 15 and up past your bedtime reading this but you’re just showing your immaturity and it’s embarrassing. Not every character has to be a svelt anime twink with doe eyes and simpering doki Doki blushes, Jesus

Dang people are so negative about this one but I’ve liked it for years. It’s quite dark and deals with a lot of serious themes in very yaoi ways but it’s an entertaining read all around about two incredibly damaged people exploring a relationship. I think it’s been mislabeled as comedy when it’s really drama and psychological, but I recommend giving it a try if those genres are things you enjoy.
I love how Skylar on the surface seems to be the one who’s a little more normal but they’re like equally unhinged freaks I love them so much. Get his ass baby!!!