- #1
I appreciate that, density aside, the MC doesn't instantly fall in love with the ML and initially thinks he's a just a nice guy without personally finding him romantically or sexually attractive (though of course he can see that the ML is hot). And after the drama hits the fan, he's alarmed and wary and does want to get away and actually tries to do so, even if he's also confused by the ML's apparent affection and suspicious of his motivations.
[collapse]Also, if typical ABO dubcon and related s*xual tropes aren't your cup of tea, don't read this story. It's not as violently r*pey as other stories but so far there is either no overt consent or there is only manipulated-consent/dubious consent, i.e. pretty typical omegaverse stuff. UPDATE up to chapter 97: Just updating my review to say that everything I said in the original still stands, in the same good-as-expected-of-the-genre way. There is a lot more sm*t later on of the same typical reluctant-omega-in-heat, sometimes with a little more dubcon edge and sometimes with a little less.The plot has been feeling a bit like it's dangling too many teasers without enough solid answers by this point, so I hope we get some more actual reveals soon. Not that there aren't reveals, implications, clues, and foreshadowing, of course, but the non-romance plot stuff involving Min-jun's identity seems like it's dragging its feet.As far as poor Do-hwa's bewildered relationship with Min-jun goes, it's still as-expected in all the tropey-but-satisfying-for-the-genre ways, with the genres being romance, thriller, and omegaverse—but not psychological/dark despite how easily it could go down that route. I, uh, don't think poor Do-hwa has the depth for dark psychological, lol, ahem. Here's a little lightly-spoilery-but-not-too-detailed summary of how the amnesia stuff is going by this point:SpoilerDo-hwa: I have amnesia! (I hope Min-jun doesn't realize I'm faking it.)
Min-jun: Oh my, poor seonbae, don't worry, I'll take good care of you.
Do-hwa: (... does he realize I'm faking amnesia? Oh god I hope he doesn't know I'm faking amnesia. I can't tell.)
Min-jun: *private conversation with someone else*
Do-hwa: *eavesdrops* (Oh no! He knows I'm faking amnesia! But as long as he doesn't know that I know that he knows, maybe I can muddle through!)
Min-jun: And how are we today, my dear sweet seonbae?
Do-hwa: EVERYTHING IS FINE, AND I AM WELL, MY MEMORY HAS NOT YET RETURNED. (... does he know that I know that he knows?)
Min-jun: How absolutely wonderful. Let's do the horizontal tango all night.
Do-hwa:... (I can't tell. Also, I'm still scared of him but also I have strange feelings toward him. What are these feelings? I don't understand! Even though it's totally obvious that I'm attracted to him and slowly developing feelings but also I'm still very reasonably terrified of him and want to escape, but also I dunno why I think sometimes he's just so sweet and I want to be with him but oh god he's a mu*derer and what if he kills me too arrrgh!)
I will say that Do-hwa's confused thoughts and emotions teetering between attraction and fear are a bit more interesting than the typical, in that he's sort of really ignorant about his own attraction and doesn't recognize it, while the fear and suspicion remain at the forefront most of the time. So it's not the typical "omg I love him but I'm also scared", it's a more atypical "I am developing strange feelings but I'm also legit terrified."
It's also more interesting a portrayal in that there are times when Min-jun doesn't do anything particularly crazy and Do-hwa gets lulled into a sense of security and forgetting his terror, and then BAM Min-jun will whip out a gun and blood will spill and Do-hwa will be like "HOLY SH*T HOW COULD I FORGET HE'S CRAZY" and resume being terrified.
[collapse]I can safely say that Do-hwa has devolved from "hapless all-too-average protagonist" caught up in the claws and machinations of a far stronger and very dangerous yandere, into the next level down of "hapless all-too-average idiot protagonist", where he makes quite a lot of dumb predictably stereotypical decisions like "Min-jun told me not to go out, not to drink, and not to meet my friend that he dislikes, but I'm sure it'll be fine if I sneak out just this once to meet my friend and I won't drink... oh my friend already ordered me a beer, I guess I'll just have to drink it... " or comes up with brilliant ideas to make Min-jun break up with him by badly cooking him an overly-seasoned meal, or... yeah, Do-hwa seems to be shedding brain cells as the story goes on though because everything fits into the typical romance-tropes. I'm not annoyed, just a bit eye-rolly.Min-jun's yandere behavior and kinks do gradually escalate over time, which poor dumb Do-hwa struggles with but generally sort of just reluctantly accepts because he has no choice or tries to find ways around them (usually unsuccessfully or temporarily). Although they are typical red-flag/yandere behaviors, the way the story is written and the way Do-hwa's character is, it's not nearly as dark as you might expect—honestly, I keep bringing up Do-hwa's decreasing gray matter, but it's like he's just too dumb to realize how bad things are so although these things trouble Do-hwa, they aren't destroying or consuming him.I'm not sure if it's meant as comedy but it's more bemusingly amusing than anything dark. Min-jun's increasingly extreme behaviors are more like bothersome annoyances, which Do-hwa realizes are weird and often dangerous and he's still often scared of Min-Jun, but he's not living in constant terror or being slowly broken by Min-jun. Do-hwa's still trying to figure a way to escape, but uh... good luck with that, bro.Some examples of Min-jun's escalating behavior:SpoilerOf course he's increasingly possessive and stalker-y of Do-hwa, eventually getting to the point of literally chaining and handcuffing Do-hwa to the bed any time Min-jun has to leave the apartment and otherwise always accompanying him anytime Do-hwa needs to go out. This isn't a punishment or BD*M thing though, as he makes sure to leave snacks and a mini-fridge and entertainment within reach to make sure Do-hwa is comfortable with limited movement.
And Do-hwa thinks this is weird and extreme and kind of upsetting, not to mention inconvenient, but he knows he has to tread carefully around Min-jun's possessiveness. However, the emphasis from Do-hwa's thoughts is more on the inconvenience and weirdness of it all, rather than OMFG THIS GUY IS INSANE. (Those kind of thoughts are typically reserved for when Min-jun commits actual violence against others. But being chained up to the bed daily? Nah, that's just worrisome and annoying.)
Min-jun also eventually insists that Do-hwa only pee in front of him and never lets him go to the bathroom alone unless it's to do #2, so chaining him to the bed is an extra perk for him as Do-hwa is now technically unable to reach the bathroom on his own. Note though that if this kink is not to your taste, aside from maybe the R18 scene where Min-jun briefly brings it up because they're getting it on in the bathroom, there's no real further detail or scenes involving it besides simply mentioning it as a point of frustration, inconvenience, and embarrassment for Do-hwa (at least up to chapter 97 or so).
They also engage in frequent R18 marathons lasting for days due to typical omegaverse stuff and Min-jun's increasing pressure/desire for Do-hwa, which Do-hwa isn't intellectually into but physically of course it's a different story and emotionally he's, uh, still confused. Min-jun seems to be aiming to get Do-hwa pregnant sooner rather than later, but also seems to be arranging things in certain ways for still-unknown reasons.
[collapse]At any rate, I've been entertained enough to keep up with the regular chapter updates. The translation also continues to be quite good. So if you're in the mood for a thriller omegaverse with a hapless omega protagonist caught in the clutches of an increasingly yandere mysterious killer in a story that actually isn't really written as dark, tragic, or psychological, I recommend it.