Akatsuki no Yona - Ch. 243 - The Night We Parted Ways

[kami_chan]

such a painful chapter, I can't stop putting myself in Hak's shoes, my poor boy 😞

 

[crimony]

this was a cathartic chapter. Hak said everything i wanted him to say. my regret is that Yona will probably never get the chance to say these things herself to Soo-won, but it's nice how Hak saw everything she could be and defends her openly like this. it's an element that makes their romance quite mature for a shoujo manga.

the worst part of Soo-won is his arrogance that HE knew best and HE had the right to shape these fates for everyone. he was very young when he made these decisions after all, and i'm still surprised he could show his face to Yona at all after murdering her father himself. but i guess it's that kind of confidence that makes someone a king.

"I didn't want to choose her either." i wish Hak made Soo-won openly say why (it's implied but i want the oomph). Soo-won admits readily to selfishness but not to any other inadequacies, like possibly that Yona is better than he is currently, not simply "a worthy successor."

 

[hanahananomi]

Lesser of two evils​

Soo-won is definitely a selfish guy but he also had a painful life with horrible losses through it. Obviously that does not justify killing Yona's father and causing everything that happened on the beginning of the story, but I agree with him that Yona wouldn't be able to be a decent queen before, and now she is ready. Passing the crown to Yona is definitely not a very good gift, but it has its benefits.