- #1
I have very mixed feelings for this novel.On one hand, I enjoyed reading about an OP athlete. I liked how although the MC is OP, he was not the winner most of the time (re: first place winner). We get to see a progression of strong to stronger. There were instances where he'd be in fourth place then others where he'd be in third, second or first. In the big competitions (like olympics), you'd know he would win a medal but you don't know if it would be for first, second or third place. I also liked how the face slapping was moreso like karma, rather than the MC or ML being the ones to slap them. It matches the underlying "maturity" theme the author has for the MC and ML.On the other hand I found it kinda draggy with the amount of competitions and races MC participates in and how the author writes most of the MC's races as "I can go faster!" It gets very repetitive. It also kinda irked me how there was always a reason for why for EVERY time the MC performs 'badly' during a race but I also get that an OP MC needs a reason to be bad.Now for the actual romance part. While reading the novel I can 100% say that I absolutely HATED how little the MC and ML interacted with each other. It was only until the end of the main story that I learned to love it-- somewhat. The last chapter made me realize that this novel is about two mature people who are very career oriented. If either of them were to indulge in romance with each other it would have affected thier careers (MC might not have had such good results as an athlete, and likewise ML as an actor). I also loved the maturity the MC showed in understanding that ML loved him (without ML telling him) and his own realization that he liked him back. The only complaint I have is that I wished the author SHOWED us their relationship as friends rather than TELLING us they were friends.Overall I enjoyed it but if you're looking for romance it's not for you.
