Woo-yeon is heralded as one of the most promising rising stars, adored by the nation as an actor. It seems impossible for anyone to dislike such a gifted and kind-hearted man with his blessed looks. Or at least, that's what people who don't truly know Woo-yeon believe. In truth, Woo-yeon is manipulative, cold-hearted, and dangerous. However, his new manager, In-seob, is his biggest fan and is determined to stay by Woo-yeon's side through thick and thin. Except… remember how those in the know can't hate Woo-yeon? Well, In-seob might just know more than he lets on…
Original Novel
Original Webtoon
Official Translations: English, German, Thai, French, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Japanese (Cmoa, renta, Mecha Comic, DMM)
Note:
• Before the launch of Season 2, the artist had to redraw all of Season 1 due to complaints from Korean fans about Woo-yeon's appearance. Many overseas fans expressed their disappointment as Woo-yeon's tan skin tone was lightened, and his masculine features were diminished.
• May 4, 2023, Korean complaints about Woo-yeon's...
In-seob is so frustrating. He acts weak-willed in spite of his motivations, and he's not very clever considering what he's trying to pull off. He doesn't change at all even after 60 chapters so I'm willing to bet he never will.
Woo-yeon is a bit more compelling, and it seems like he might get more interesting, but still nothing to write home about.
I've only kept reading this long because I'm interested in seeing how the plot unfolds. It's slow going, though.
Smut/CW:
I think the strong point of this webtoon adaption of a webnovel is the art. I really tried to get into the story but the two main MC's did not hold my interest and neither did Jennie(Jenny?). I had no interest in the overall backstory and the motivation of In-Seob for approaching Woo-yeon...I think I was a bit put off by the overal personality of Woo-yeon himself...(how their character was written).
Again, the art? Really great. I especially loved how the art and the designs were at the start of the serialization.
This is a manga about married couples falling out of love. It's dark, disturbing, nerve-wracking, yet hopeful at times. It deeply explores the thoughts and emotions of the 4 main characters.
What i really like about this is how realistically the characters behave. Everyone is human. Humans make mistakes. You can try to change yourself but fall back into the bad habits. You try communicating, but the other party refuses to listen. No one's fully right, and no one's fully wrong. It's all gray, which makes sense cuz when it comes to human emotions, there's no right or wrong. Emotions are gray and murky, while being multicolored at the same time.
If you want a story about 4 people trying to deal with their failing marriages (whether it be trying to fix it or giving up), this is the one to read. Otherwise, you should skip this.
Note: Not nsfw, and yes, since this is a manga about failing marriages, the subject of cheating will obviously be delved into. But no ntr
To be honest I just read these as daydream fuel, escapism, nothing more.
And for the shortish history-ish lesson