also as usual the dialogue is so chefs kiss like come on show don’t tell <3
when brett says he doesn’t want to involved in scott & co. drama, “So you DO make judgment calls” not hayden calling out brett for sticking his nose into everything fjkdlasjf come on sassmaster!
“I know you don’t like noisy places like this” ANOTHEr instance of Brett being very observant of Hayden and knowing all of his quirks! Meanwhile Hayden is only starting to let himself get to know Brett (ie. That chicken nugget conversation)
“I guess I’ll be the one to drag you to the gym then” “will you?” Hayden takes Brett’s question and surprise as confirmation that Brett sees their relationship as something with an expiration date (ie. Brett saying earlier that he enjoys football BECAUSE it has an ending date) that he’s doing it just for fun and not taking Haden seriously. But Brett saying “will you?” could also be Brett being genuinely shocked that Hayden sees their relationship that way, so he’s asking to confirm! It’s not necessarily rejection!
Frrrr itwas soo candid and ordinary and magical like normal real life conversation but also special
Yes!! I loved how normal it was like so realistic. It’s sad because the official translation actually got one part of the chicken nugget convo wrong…I asked Korean fans and they confirmed it too. The part where Brett says “if they wanted, they could go through 5 cases of beer at once” should actually be him saying “once I get started, I can finish 5 boxes of chicken nuggets in one sitting” which I feel like is need to know information about Brett lmfao
yess the author is so good at capturing that i'm honestly really impressed! it makes characters feel so alive
omg you're right that def adds to brett's character haha
Yea I’m really sad they got that part wrong cuz seriously the fact that he can eat that many chicken nuggets is adorable
like damn... but also PERFECT conclusion to season 1! One of the themes throughout this whole season has been Hayden being/feeling like a passive party (ie. a member of the audience and watching from the sidelines, being “manipulated" by Brett in the relationship and pulled around) but in diving in front of Brett and saving his life, that’s like the most “main character”/“active” thing someone can do! the clearest example of Hayden showing his agency and making a "choice"
It’s also the perfect callback to when Hayden invited Brett to watch that play with him and Hayden’s explained that he admired self-sacrifice, nobility, rising above one’s selfish instincts, etc. Saving Brett’s life exemplifies all of those traits that he believes in! Brett made fun of all of that before when watching the play and found all of it unrealistic, so I wonder what his thoughts are going to be like now eeeee
(There’s also the thorny situation - how much of Hayden saving Brett will be bc of his own agency, and how much of it is bc he bonded with Brett ie. his bodily instincts…there’s that whole thematic element of animal instinct vs. rising above your instincts, etc. but is it really an either/or situation? hmm)
ANYWAYS LOVE LOVE give me season 2 already UGHHH
story is so well thought out i love the way scenes transition (ie. bullied boy rushing off and then we see him in the foreground in that scene w/ scott) it seriously feels like a movie - i wonder if the author studied screenplay?
also yeaa we're reminded again that even though brett is a nice guy fundamentally there are still going to be times where he exhibits entitlement bc of his privilege growing up/how he was raised - can hayden change him? i think that battle when hayden starts being more assertive in the relationship + class differences will cause more friction in the second season
also a prestigious alum giving hayden advice on his love life is pretty funny fjdaslkf like get that connection hayden!!
author has been hinting at a side story on her twt it's probably coming later this month i'm so excited
this was kind of confusing upon first read but i read it again recently and it just hit so good! both prickly, somewhat insane ppl getting it on >>>> i think i didn't catch it initially bc of how poised jinwoo seems and dresses but he really is the crazy, unstable artist stereotype in many ways - the constantly rejoinder where he's aware of what a hot mess he is so he asks "do you still like me (after seeing who I am)" to colton is a really nice thematic callback at the end. ofc it's the same for colton who has his own crazy complexes.
i know some ppl think the ending seems rushed but in some ways it makes sense to me that jinwoo had this massive meltdown over a misunderstanding that was then easily resolved..jinwoo didn't even care necessarily whether his art would be displayed or not, just whether or not his feelings were toyed with. bc his whole complex is his insecurity re whether he can be loved for who he is and not just for his art, so hearing from colton that colton cared about HIM more than his art made the status of his art irrelevant? he wants to be loved so bad omg
anyways big fan of this! i think it's rare to read a story where both characters are kind of lowkey emotionally and restrained - feels really like you're reading a story about adults and there's an interesting atmosphere. i think it's interesting that jinwoo is actually 6 years younger than colton - would love to see that dynamic play out! i would read anything about this pairing tbh..
these recent two chapters really reinforce how differently they're seeing the relationship. hayden angsting bc he accidentally bonded w/ brett which makes him feel even more out of control in the relationship/over his "body"/instincts (esp considering brett didn't bond with him in return, so it feels unequal). but in his interactions with brett he's restrained and even a bit cold (brett going like "wow this is the first time you're reaching out to me first!") meanwhile brett is enjoying himself - you can tell he's very fond of hayden and he goes out of his way to make it good for him but has no clue about how feel hayden feels towards him. it's going to be amazing when he finds out!!
anyways they're sooo fun and sexy and work with each other so well (Despite the massive communication issues haha). brett biting more off than he can chew never gets old..hayden cupping brett's head so that he doesn't bang the wall - very understated and sweet <33 hayden seems like he's more proactive about wanting to get to know brett more too.. (i know what happens next) but seriously love seeing their relationship grow.
Yup. I never expected such complex dynamics. I'm satisfied.
that this convo is not going to go very well...
I want to belive in my stubborn babies