⚠︎ MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠︎

phenomenal. truly speechless. each chapter either left my mouth agape or covered my face in tears. (╥﹏╥) i would've read this in one night (๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭ if it wasn't for school restraining me from going further. there's a level of nuance and the right amount of character development, i'm surprised this story is so underrated. but it'll be my secret for those who appreciate the story. once i got ahold of the floodgates pouring down my face, i read the after-story. i truly would like to thank the artists, original writers, storyboard artists, head writers, and everyone who worked on this story. i noticed hidden details about lines drawn or lighting schemes i didn't see during my first read-through. additonally, i love the entire staff's dedication in producing a story that depicts trauma in all forms and not the typical story route they could've gone. but they wished to showcase a proper case, and they certainly delivered. i'm content with how the story wrapped up. sure, side stories about the other characters might've been nice, but all i care about is jae's happiness and freedom, along with jof's.
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some people may dislike how 'fast-paced' or 'unrealistic' this story may be. still, the only unrealistic thing is the fact a man like jof could exist and the fact the south korean government would actually give a shit, and give the right punishment to taehyeon like the hellfire he deserves. ◉‿◉

starting with jof (つ╥﹏╥)つ the one and only. a man written by a woman, for sure (to my knowledge i don't think he actually is, but he's so unbelievably breathtaking it's baffling he isn't). i guess the only awkward thing about him is his name, which is joffrey hugh johnson. it's not terrible, but game of thrones has ruined the name joffrey for all time i'm afraid ˙◠˙, BUT that's literally the ONLY THING, from the beginning, he was great. i loved how the art showcased his internal thoughts and insight into decision-making. as the author, soon-ki intended, jof never pried information out of jae. though, jof admitted he's not a perfect man. in fact, he states this multiple times. obviously, seeing it through the lens of a reader, of course, i think he's done no wrong. but he mentioned his impatience when it came to jae. but in her case (which she mentions later in the story) if she waited any longer she could've been in serious danger. this man scared me so much (for his safety) that whenever he got hurt or learned more about taehyeon, my anxiety spiked. i think this is where i relate with jae when it comes to reliance on others. i still struggle with asking for help or letting people in (not because i've experienced what jae has gone through, and i hope no one else ever does) but similarly, i feel like if i ask for help, i'll be a burden on those around me. which is what amazed me about jof. sure, one could say it's because he didn't want to lose her again after spain, but it was more than that. he knew even then she was the one. people might also dislike how the romance came about, 'fast-paced,' some might say, but i don't think that's the case. both jae and jof came from broken backgrounds. of course, jof's pain is NOWHERE NEAR as awful as jae's (don't just take my word, jof says this more times than me throughout the story) but he wasn't living life, simply surviving. there was no thrill. no emotion. just colorless. jae was the wonder and color he'd lost the day his parents died. i think jof has a secure personality. seriously, once it clicked, he loved jae; the man was on a mission. not even the heavens or depths of hell would tear him from jae. only her. she was the only person who had the power to prevent him from coming towards her. and even then, not even her words would command him away from her. his path never wavered. seriously! chapter 40 had me in tears, in fear, and in a tense atmosphere. but this man took a STABBING like a paper cut ( ˶°ㅁ°) !! HELLO?!! SIR YOU ARE BLEEDING AND COULD POSSIBLY DIE, AND YOUR FOCUS IS ONLY ON JAE ๐·°(⋟﹏⋞)°·๐ SHE IS LITERALLY HIS WILL TO LIVE. and that's what i love about him. he is the right amount of sugar, spice, and everything nice (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝) he is peak loser-ism. can't stand a moment without her. her touch, her being, her presence. but NOT in a creepy way, because if she takes her stance, he WILL LISTEN. he is possessive but the right amount. he isn't the perfect ceo like in a majority of stories, and that's where his growth is. he learns korean but isn't perfect. his plans can go wrong but he picks himself up. he gets pinned down. but he gets back up and doesn't give up. you draw the line and he will respect it. but he will always be there. never too close or hovering, but he will achieve his goal while taking the small steps to break down your walls. and you will be left to wonder if such a man exists and what you must've done to have someone willing to give up everything if it meant you would be safe. this man is such a smooth talker, always saying the right words. wanting to be used, the reassurance, the words of affirmation. i love him so much. i cried so many times because of him, and it was worse in the final two chapters, where the floodgates were pouring constantly because he had said words i only dream to hear one day. his proposal and use of words are so heart-wrenching. i love him so much (੭ ˊ^ˋ)੭ ♡ jof you have my heart.

next is my mvp, my role model, jae (jaehui) ♛ i knew i would love her as a character so much, words alone aren't enough to describe it ( ;´ - `;). from the first chapter alone, i had a good feeling about her character. firstly, girl prioritizes ⊹₊⟡⋆communication⊹₊⟡⋆ (I HAVE PRAYED FOR TIMES LIKE THIS 人(＾□＾)) i was fearful when she ended up in the same hotel room as him and saw him "naked" she would be the typical screaming, 'why are you here?', 'you're a pervert/stalker!' troupe would be used. preparing for misunderstanding impact, i was surprised to land on the soft cloud of ⊹₊⟡⋆communication⊹₊⟡⋆ jae set the record straight. told him her business gave her information and handled it like a grown adult. no screaming. no calling out. no overthinking. jae already felt like an actual adult with a functioning brain it was amazing. if people are gonna point out her lying as her not communicating, the things she's lying about have too much weight for it to be not considered. she saw her time in Spain as a dream. sure, he (taehyeon) followed her, but as far as she was aware, her time in Spain was an escape. it's where she learned she could run away from her problems until she realized that she needed to close one chapter to move forward. if jof hadn't sped up the process ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ), i have faith she would've done it surely yet slowly even without his help. jof was just her missing piece to finally have the courage to step forward. i think people might misunderstand the pace of the romance. the two of them have natural chemistry. when i originally read jae used to date taehyeon, the story made it seem like they dated for a long period of time. however, this was swatted by the fact this man literally forced himself on her. for SEVEN DATES (⚆ᗝ⚆) girl wasn't even interested nor agreed to be his girlfriend! if anything, jof was the first person she had genuine attraction and feelings for. that's why the romance seemed 'rushed'. because she's a woman who works hard for what she wants. my anxiety was spiking chapter by chapter as i watched her suffer. i couldn't even get upset at her because i knew why she was distancing herself. she didn't want to be a burden. she believed for so long. molded in a short amount of time mentally, that everything that unfolded was her fault. when it wasn't. triggering her to refuse help. not only because she thought she was the reason taehyeon was the way he was, but the last time she called out for help, her grandparents were killed. hell, even I, who just don't want to ask for help for my own reasons, struggle with asking for help. if i went through what she did, i wouldn't even attempt to ask for help again. that's why jof is as ethereal as he is. jae stood on her own for long enough. it's as he said at the trial, "you are the most confident person i've ever met" because she is. everything that unfolded was thanks to her 99% contribution. she just got a 1% assist from jof. if people want to complain about why a 'man' had to step in to save jae that's where the realistic part of the story comes in. jof constantly mentions how unreliable the South Korean justice system is. if jae would've gone in 100% without jof, she would no doubt have lost. because that's just the way things are. but that doesn't mean she didn't do any less of the work to fight for her life because jof was backing her up. only means she allowed herself to receive help. jae is a nuanced character. she had her trauma. but she didn't let it fully define her. once she saw her priorities, she slowly let her walls fall. and she didn't falter. not after jof's accident. not after her life attempts. she moved forward, and I admire her so much for it. even at times when it feels so dangerous, she tells jof she can handle it, and he listens. it's amazing what communication can do for a couple. her courage knows no bounds, and she tells off people enough. sets boundaries, is goal-oriented, and intellectual. she takes her work to heart. it's no wonder why people respect her at work. i just can't help but give her a round of applause. unconscious for two months, her parents hiding a secret, she finds out the secret, feeling like a burden; her grandfather is framed/dies from a murder he didn't commit, and her grandma dies at the hands of a demon spawn. oh- and she was drugged and didn't know it was happening till she asked and, even then, was lied to by her own nurses. how can one trust anyone easily after all that? adding on to the fact she lives in a system where the demon spawn was the son of a presidential candidate in a country where corruption and jail time mean shit. plus the fact he could get away with it because he's a man and he's wealthy. and yet she secretly collected evidence, faced every situation with her head up, and found solutions of any obstacle she faced. i'm just so happy she got the happily ever after she deserved (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥)

the romance: i just love ⊹₊⟡⋆communication⊹₊⟡⋆ between jof and jae. they fell in love those days in Spain and it only got solidified when jof came to Korea. because he was willing to put his entire life to fight for her. not just love, but protection. he was worried. it came out of a place of love. but jof respects her boundaries. yet, he never admits he's a good guy. not like in a psychopath way but he apologized that he couldn't be more patient to let her come to him. but he has a good reason since their lives were on the line. i also appreciated how the side 'love' interests were dropped like flies and didn't allow to drag on. at least they didn't make wujae a 'terrible' person. he did back off and was genuinely worried about jae, but he went about it the wrong way. thankfully, he backed off and was a genuine friend till the end. i found ana to be so forgettable and funny. like the delusion levels, and jae clocking her behavior was so hilarious ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*) literally jof's whole dynamic is "i know you can handle yourself, but i want to help you. so let me help you." literally treats her like the queen she is. jae equally treats jof like the prince he is. they're both willing to drop everything to be by each other's side. and NOT jof skipping to kissing the bride without vows (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵) because they are just so in sync like that.

overall, i love this story and it really deserves the love it gets. not just because taehyeon is beyond crazy. but because men like him genuinely exist. and how corrupt the South Korean government is. which is so true. they realistically in the best way they could handled taehyeon's arrest because 'punishment' from South Korea is nothing but a slap on the wrist. but he instead became a criminal globally, so to speak. the only unrealistic thing about this webtoon is the opposition party actually being nice as a comrade to jae. because lord knows there's no 'nice' political figures in South Korea. at least to my knowledge. but yes, this story will remain dear to my heart forever.