You are pretty much 100% correct but, just to add, this series is up to ch29 right now and, holy fucking shit, it is worse than what you typed and might imagine.
I was a huge fan and defender of this series but it is absolute dogshit convenient disgusting what is happening in 28+29.
You call it piss poor writing but this is some of the most generic and trashiest at the worst timing with most disgusting forced character changes and interactions (she makes no sense and has no reason to flirt that much and MC is plain cringe suddenly) writing I have witnessed in any written medium, possibly ever.
gg and rip this series.