So... I read this manga from start to finish all over again, and it was a pleasant experience! The art style admittedly didn't age very well, especially when comparing it to some of the new manhwas that Mingwa has been working on, but otherwise, it is a solid story. Very rarely do I see a story center around someone who is essentially a porn star. Despite my own nuanced opinion surrounding the morality of people who sell their bodies online, I enjoyed reading Jiwon navigate college as a goody-two-shoes while also having a dirty secretive occupation. DG, however, is a whole other story. For someone who is socially awkward and has barely any friends because of his sexuality, he sure is happy to tell Jiwon how much he enjoys his pornographic livestreams! The way that he openly fawns over the BJ Alex persona throughout the story was something I found strange and off putting. It's the equivalent of someone talking to Mia Khalifa about their favorite video in explicit detail. Perhaps I am simply too prudish to understand the appeal behind that kind of behavior. In the end, I enjoyed the deuteragonists' respective character development, with Jiwon getting over his cheating ex to be okay with falling in love again, and DG finding the courage to come out to one of his closest friends from the military about him being a homosexual. Their coupling was also very sweet; after all, even porn stars deserve love, I suppose. I was also pleased to see a somewhat realistic way that people react to their relationship. Of course, we have the homophobic classmate that exposes their identity to their colleagues, and the people who could care less and congratulate them for their newfound love. Although South Korea is much less tolerant of homosexuality (at least, much less than the United States), it is refreshing to see both sides of the coin when it comes to portraying homosexual couples in regular society. There are going to be people that judge you, and others that support you, but what's most important is that you embrace your true self. That is the message that BJ Alex is attempting to communicate, and it does it in an entertaining yet charming way.............
(We don't talk about the second couple, DG's friend and the sadistic porn star, although I suppose it is progressive to see BDSM depicted in a healthy, consenting way. I suppose. It's still a little weird though.)
BJ alex