Taming the Obsessive Attachment Chapter -- Discussion

This is hands down one of my favorite KR BL webnovels of all time. I understand the low ratings because their relationship starts out VERY rocky and there's a lot of noncon involved in the beginning, but their development over the course of the novel is phenomenal. The growth that both characters, although mostly on Seo Euiwoo's part, goes through cannot be understated. That's not to say that Kwon Jaejin doesn't have his own baggage that he has to deal with.

The plot is that Kwon Jaejin was an ordinary man until one day, he came across esper Seo Euiwoo while on his way home, gets exposed as a guide (a "mutant" aka a late awakener), and gets kidnapped and imprisoned by him for four years. It takes four years of back-and-forth fighting and development until they finally get to an understanding of each other and even start dating, but then a gate (like a portal) opens up in Seo Euiwoo's mansion one day out of nowhere while Euiwoo wasn't home, and Jaejin dies. The story takes place when Jaejin goes back in time to four years ago.

Spoiler

• • First off, being a mutant means the government wants you dead, straight up. The fact of the matter is that Jaejin and Euiwoo's chance encounter was mainly due to the fact that Euiwoo, the only S-Class Esper in Korea, couldn't be guided by anyone who wasn't S-Class and Jaejin is the first S-Class guide to ever exist. The only reason why the government wants "mutants" dead is only because they can't control them. You see, normally once a baby is tested to be a guide or esper, they literally get forcefully kidnapped into the military and raised as a weapon. It's obviously very shitty. As such, they're not really raised with any morality, just raised to be military dogs who follow orders. I get that it doesn't really excuse Euiwoo's actions, but it makes sense why the novel is centered around his development as a human being.

• • Following that, the main reason why Euiwoo kidnaps and keeps Jaejin prisoner in his mansion is because the government is extremely likely to find Jaejin and kill him if Euiwoo lets him go back home. Even Jaejin himself is aware of this, but he still hates it.

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So, yes, even though the couple in question is extremely problematic, I still can't help but love the story anyways. Jaejin's grief over his lover, the twenty-four year old Seo Euiwoo that he left behind after regressing, his fear that he was "killing him" by changing the timeline. A big portion of he novel is Jaejin actually learning to live with this grief, trying to find a way to move forward. He's rational, but he's also very compassionate to those around him, which you don't really get to see until sh*t hits the fan in the second half of the novel because the first half is spent in isolation, but it really comes through in the end.

I could spoil so many of the twists, especially the big one that left my jaw hanging wide open, but I choose not to. Reading the novel the first time was such a ride because both leads kept needing to develop for the sake of the plot, they kept needing to adapt to every new situation and kept needing to fight at every moment just to live happily. Like, my god. THEY ARE FIGHTING HARD!!!!

I know the ML will be a huge turn off to a lot of readers, and I understand why 100000% but Euiwoo really grew on me as the novel went on, and even though he's totally crazy, I think the MC is also a tad crazy

Like, Jaejin definitely gives off "I Will Fix Him Vibes" at the beginning but as the novel goes on, you realize that Seo Euiwoo definitely corrupted him a little LMAOOOO Jaejin became just as equally obsessed over Euiwoo and the commenters were SCREAMING for itttttt. It's only fun when both are on the same level after all ;)

Spoiler

BTW they definitely have a lot of freaky s*x. like seriously... not even gonna go into detail. I'm sure you can imagine it yourself if you're a veteran of this genre.

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I will always defend this novel even knowing how problematic it is because their development will always be *chef's kiss* to me. The novel explored so many unique and interesting ideas from a regression + worldbuilding standpoint that I can't not love it for what it is... Author please release more side stories TT_TT I love them too much...

Edit blurb w/ major spoilers:

Spoiler

I have a lot of thoughts about this novel and I'll still love and defend it to the very end. I actually reread it recently so I have a more fresh take on my mind. Anyways, I disagree about the author trying to make the reader forgive ML about all the noncon, I think the author does have a decent amount of self awareness when it comes to the unhealthy parts of their dynamic. A lot of revealed information just gets drip-fed since Kwon Jaejin isn't the most reliable narrator. The author makes it very apparent that a lot of Seo Euiwoo's actions are unforgiveable and inexcusable, especially the big one later on. A lot of Kwon Jaejin's built-up and suppressed spite comes back when it gets revealed that Seo Euiwoo wiped his memories of his childhood and family. And I don't think Kwon Jaejin truly ever forgives Seo Euiwoo for doing that (even after things get resolved), at least there's never any indication of it. But I wholeheartedly believe he can still love Seo Euiwoo despite that. Is it realistic? Not really. But I don't read fiction for it to be realistic xd

I admit that a lot of the novel is pretty contrived, like Seo Euiwoo is OP to the point that the whole novel's conflict could be resolved if Seo Euiwoo just used his S-class esper powers to take over Korea or something, but I kinda love the fact that the novel is more about his development and understanding what it means to be a human being, and learning that there's more to life than just plain violence.

I don't like noncon, but I don't drop novels just because it's present. I don't like the novel because it has noncon either, I like the novel because Seo Euiwoo and Kwon Jaejin have a complex relationship forced by a dystopian esper/guide type setting, even the KR commenters said things like that the main couple would've had a good relationship from the start if circumstances were completely different. But that's not this story, and nobody is forcing you to read a story that has noncon present. I'm particularly flabbergasted at the idea that a story could ever "justify" noncon in the first place... not that this story was ever trying to do that lol. We can disagree all day about the interpretation of their power dynamics (I think Kwon Jaejin stands his ground quite a lot and is able to draw boundaries that are followed by Euiwoo) and that's just a agree-to-disagree moment, I'm moreso confused at the blatant virtue signaling other readers over a r-19 bl smut novel that came with the appropriate trigger warnings. At least it did in the original source material.

Sorry for being a total Shen Yuan (mentally ill reader moment) but it's baffling to think us reviewers have to be given a lecture in another review about consent when that's not our responsibility. I'm just a guy who read a novel, I don't know why we're being told noncon is bad when yeah, clearly it is, we know, thanks.

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