dulcedays's Topics (123)

this story is so good pls we love you translator

even though this chapter is seemingly very romantic and it seems like a lot of readers just read it that way (?) i thought there also was this off-ness with brett where hayden seemed really into the date but brett was (understandably) more detached/numb and processing things much more passively than usual. imo it's impressive that the author was able to convey this sense of disquiet!

hayden's belief that the boundaries bw fantasy and reality are very blurry is SOOO LIBERAL ARTS like hello were you my classmate..being with hayden is definitely a kind of escape for brett and the fantasy is both real but also kind of fake since we know that hayden is actually being kept in the dark re. everything that has been happening. like we get these pockets of romantic fantasy every time hayden adn brett meet up but we know they are not actually on the same wavelength

brett musing about what hayden has given him when hayden gave him a safeword..in the past brett preferred that things were out of his control/hayden acted unpredictably bc that's what represented freedom was for brett but now imo he's realizing that hayden gave him freedom through CHOICE (via safeword) - i think that's kind of the beginning of a real paradigm switch for brett. but there's still a whole host of issues to contend with between them (including hayden's overly romanticized version of events, still). a real calm before the storm-type chapter.

so real..i'm excited to see more of sunbae's personality beyond happy himbo

yes, those were goons hired by the politician to intimidate brett against testifying in court (bc brett promised to testify on behalf of the shooter and talk about how the shooter had been driven to shoot bc he had been bullied by the politician's son). there will be some more details of what went down in later chapters!

brett kisses the police essentially to say - here's my dna; you can investigate if you want, but there's no way you can share the details with anyone else because you'll have to explain why the dna is on your lips. essentially brett is making sure that any investigation stays private (he really doesn't want anyone else knowing what happened and any media attention)

so typical of brett that he knew he was being targeted by powerful people this whole time, and also how he's repressed and scarily hyper rational as always :(( looking forward to the day brett is just allowed to FEEL and be vulnerable instead of constantly being on guard and calculating next steps!!!???

the juxtaposition between the fairytale timeline of hayden looking forward to their date and brett literally going through TRAUMA is so crazy and is such a consistent theme throughout this season (brett involved in high risk manipulations in politics/dealings with the police vs hayden in his straightforward romance story). LOVE the way the author pulls the contrast off bc it really hones in just HOW different brett and hayden are in the worlds they live in and how they operate.

no waaay i thought this would just be a one shot...actually love their bickering dynamic i will be here

and the characterizations are kinda fun like you have this mobster who's obsessed with a corrupt prosecutor who's still thinking about how to salvage his career the whole time fadslfjfjlk a true career climber. anyways hotter than limited run tbh

i LOVE characters like chuljin so much like the reverse tsundere ie. bright and charismatic on the outside but lowkey manipulative and highly intelligent inside like i just love characters that are very hard to read even as they fool everyone with their charm...if he bottoms i will be catered to in a way i've never been catered to before (pls author-nim..)

when he was startled by the lawn mower omg..he was so cute in such a pure way. crazy that every time he's not with hayden we see him kind of cold and aloof and scheming but in contrast you can really tell how comfortable hayden makes him...

brett talking about how he wanted to be a rock star but how that desire died when his dad just made it easily available and achievable to him...really encapsulates how bored he is in life . hence why he's a thrill seeker and constantly trying to push boundaries to feel alive..that's why he found it almost disappointing when hayden listened to him using his safe word (bc things feel less interesting when he can control them) BUT i think he's going to find another sense of freedom through hayden who actually has been pushing against him expectations constantly and actually CAN'T be controlled. so intrigued by how the author is going to have them grow and change heh

like that's crazy what

Keep seeing comments about how Brett is playing with Hayden but I think that’s a misunderstanding of their conversation. Maybe it’s easier for most of us to identify with Hayden - similar to Hayden, we feel like Brett has all the power right now (we’re also probably more emotional like Hayden lmao)

but imo, Brett IS taking his relationship with Hayden super seriously and is trying to treat Hayden as equally as possible - ie putting tons of effort into thinking about Hayden’s preferences, making sure Hayden’s “career” benefits from associating with him, etc. that’s the main reason why he feels like Hayden is insulting him the whole time in this convo and their prior ones: (1) Hayden claiming that Brett ISN’T taking the relationship seriously when in fact, Brett feels like he’s been putting a lot of effort into it; saying that (2) Brett is using him as a toy as escapism from his boring, high class life, when Brett has been trying hard to treat Hayden as an equal (Brett: “This relationship started only because I tricked you into it. Since then, I’ve tried my best not to be dishonest with you about anything.”)

From Brett’s pov, he knows Hayden wants his love, but as a hyper-rational person, love feels just too abstract for him. It’s not something he feels like he can promise concretely or even fully understand - and for Brett, not delivering on a promise means he’s failed his end of the bargain. So for Brett, being the MOST honest about what he feels like he can give Hayden concretely is his way of respecting Hayden as an equal. It’s also how he’s been taught since young: giving tangible, concrete gifts (““I can’t promise that kind of intangible emotion from my end, nor do I want to”)

Brett doesn’t have that love to give to Hayden, and he’s not sure if he ever will. he thinks that Hayden will be inevitably be disappointed even if he waits for it, and then will leave the relationship, WHICH BRETT DOESN’T WANT!! so Brett is basically like - I know that I can’t give you what you want and that you’ll leave eventually. But I’d like this to last as long as it can, so what can I give you instead? He’s seeing this as a negotiation between two ppl and views Hayden issuing love ultimatums as one-sided, like he’s browbeating Brett over the head and deciding things on his own.

Basically it breaks down to:
For Hayden: I want your (Brett’s) love
For Brett: I don’t want our relationship to end.

In some ways, both are related to dominance. Hayden wants Brett to give his feelings because Brett would actually be giving up something ie. making himself vulnerable and risking himself. Brett doesn’t want Hayden to one-sidedly end the relationship and leave no room for negotiation/prolonging the relationship based on other terms; he doesn’t want to give Hayden the power to set the terms of when the relationship ends.

DELICIOUS DELICIOUS stuff from the author as usual I’m utterly obsessed