- #1
This is most definitely my favourite Korean novel. It's interesting and funny and hurts my soul like no other. And before anyone gets turned away at the beginning of the novel by how quickly MC forgives his brother--THERE WERE MAJOR REASONS FOR HIS ACTIONS. It will be expanded upon later. It doesn't just get swept under the rug and disappear. The reasons are legitimate and worrying, and although Yoohyun could have handled it better, he was a CHILD when everything started to go wrong. That isn't a complete excuse for what he did, but it should be taken into consideration. Now for the review--The men are diverse, the women are QUEENS, and MC is a goddamn princess. There are so many cute kids, human, adult, beast, or something else entirely, and I love how he loves them.I love and feel pained over how he essentially hollows himself out just so he can offer up his everything to his kids. Whether for their happiness, memories, or lives, he's willing to be tortured and slowly rot away on the inside with a smile on his face. He's broken and he knows it, but can't and won't change it. He doesn't want them to know and tries to be the adult in every situation.I love how the kids love him. How he becomes their world and the different relationships they develop.I love how the big "good guys" aren't always good. That they're suspicious and this continues to be expanded upon. That different people in the group have different opinions and actions. It makes me think and keeps me on my toes.I love his interactions with Sung Hyunjae. They alternate between the most out-of-pocket, off-the-wall conversations and deep, sad glimpses into how damaged MC is.Obviously there are differences between the novel and the manhwa, major ones being that some characters and plot were cut. Though the biggest thing is that the manhwa replaced a lot of the soul-crushing moments, where MC is buckling under the weight of so many problems that no therapy will ever be able to fix, with comedy. Of course, comedy isn't bad, but I just wish they'd been able to make it more like the novel. And frankly, without the introspection of written text, the manhwa portrays him as a lot less jaded and depressed.As for the novel--Is it queer baiting? Yes. Do I believe that MC and Sung Hyunjae are secretly gay for each other? Also yes. Do I believe that MC could start a harem if he really wanted to? Also also yes. Would he? No.Anyway, I definitely recommend reading this. Prepare for heart pain and heart break. You're about to read about a shattered glass house that never learned to take care of itself and a bunch of lost children who come to love each of its shards.