Love Thy Neighbor - Ch. 28 - Chapter 28

[HolySatan]

I’ve been thinking about this manga compulsively for the past week… I know this is a long response but I honestly need to get my thoughts down on paper so I can stop thinking about this manga. This is the second manga I’ve ever obsessed about, the first one being on a leash. These are my thoughts that I’ve had about the manga for the past week. I know it’s long but it basically summarizes all the chapters so far which is why it’s long. I don’t know where else to submit this so here I go. These are my thoughts about the manga:

1. Doyeon and Jinju are of the same coin. We see one of their first conversations is Jinju opening up to Doyeon about her parents while in church. Doyeon relates a lot to this. Jinju in a way represents what would happen if you disappoint your parents in a conditional relationship while Doyeon represents what happens if you keep your parents happy. When Jinju leaves her parents we can see in the background that they come from a wealthy family. Her family could have easily taken her back in but refused to after she disappoints them by marrying a guy when she’s 20. Doyeon hasn’t made a mistake and continues looking good for her family, therefore, continues getting support. Now I think doyeon admires jinju for going against her parents even if it ended up making her worse off because maybe doyeon wants to do the same thing but is such a people pleaser that she can’t. So in Doyeons eyes, this makes jinju strong in her own way.
2. A lot of people seem to think Jinju is using Doyeon in the beginning. Jinju is much sweeter than people give her credit for. In one of their first interactions together Doyeon comes back home to see Jinju huddled in her couch with all the lights off not having eaten anything. Jinju did this so she wouldn’t be any sort of burden on Doyeon. This is the point in which Doyeon starts to develop feelings for Jinju. Jinju from here asks what she needs to do to stay here. I interpret this as her trying to give Doyeon something in return, and I mean at this point Jinju offers her body. Doyeon rejects Jinju’s request, and this is where we see Jinju start to relax a bit with Doyeon, which basically turns Doyeon on. (it’s Doyeon’s kink, satisfying Jinju xD). Even if Jinju did try to leave, I don’t think Doyeon would really let her. If Doyeon didn’t fall for Jinju, then yeah Jinju would have left after a few days. When Doyeon has her sex dream about Jinju, Jinju does grow concerned for Doyeon since it does seem like something is going on. The one scene in which Jinju touches Doyeon’s cheek seemed to be on impulse, because she is worried about Doyeon since it seems doyeon is stressed.

Now I do think Jinju kind of fell for Doyeon without realizing it. Jinju does ask Doyeon questions about her life, and seems interested in wanting to get to know more about her. I don’t think Jinju realized she was developing feelings until chapter 10. Because she seemed surprised by her impulsiveness to touch Doyeon’s cheek. It’s a very caring gesture, like you’re not going to do that with your typical friends. Which indicates now in their relationship, they’re a little bit more than just friends on an emotional level. I mean.. Jinju isn’t the type to seem to put up much of a fight, but for Doyeon, she will.

 

[HolySatan]

3. Something I’ve noticed is Doyeon doesn’t like to have people meet Jinju. She also doesn’t really like Jinju going outside. She even mentions, if she could, she would have Jinju stay inside her house the whole time. But She also really cares about Jinju's health, and knows that’s not fair for her. At first, I thought it was because of the loan sharks, but when given the opportunity to tell the police (even though it was a fake) she hides where Jinju is. Why? I think because this is the first time Doyeon is feeling these emotions. Doyeon doesn’t really even have a best friend who gets her, she has walls for everyone. Jinju would be the first person in which she feels comfortable enough to let her guard down, and feel actual happiness for. So Doyeon is very possessive of Jinju. Because you wouldn’t want anyone taking away that nice/happy feeling Doyeon feels for Jinju. I’m pretty sure Jinju is aware of Doyeon being possessive, because she does mention Doyeon being uncomfortable seeing her outside. She’s even called Doyeon out on it before saying something like “You can’t control where I go” when Doyeon gets mad at her for leaving the house without her permission. Once their relationship seems to grow closer, Doyeon isn’t as anxious about it as she once was.
4. I do think doyeon finds it really cute how needy jinju can get, when doyeon is gone for a week jinju probably is getting flashbacks to how she felt with her husband. Her husband would probably be gone for weeks at a time or rarely come back home. So we see how upset jinju gets when doyeon does this and is partly the reason why doyeon falls a little harder for jinju. It sounds messed up but have you ever had an insecure but loving dog that doesn’t want to leave you alone? It’s kind of cute.
5. Animals hate Doyeon. This could have just been a joke, or a personality trait for Doyeon. If it is supposed to be symbolism, then I think it would symbolize how Doyeon actually doesn’t give off good vibes. She puts on a character, and animals can sense it. The only person Doyeon actually wants to be nice to is Jinju. Doyeon is very calculating and cunning, the only people who really see that are animals, her sister and Jinju. Her sister seems to hate how Doyeon fakes her kindness. Jinju doesn’t seem to mind, because Jinju actually accepts Doyeon for all her flaws.

 

[HolySatan]

6. The first time they kiss is also their first fight with each other. Jinju thinks Doyeon doesn’t think much of her and she has a flashback to when Doyeon was basically gone for a week. Which retriggers her trauma with her husband leaving her. Doyeon really needed to kiss Jinju here, because she wanted to comfort Jinju. Doyeon also kissed Jinju because she’s scared too. Jinju hinted at having to leave because Jinju is scared Doyeon is going to throw her out so she thinks she should leave before she gets heartbroken at that fact. Of course, all worries are put at ease when Doyeon passionately kisses Jinju which is why Jinju doesn’t seem all that upset when it happens. Doyeon is mortified at her lack of self control. Jinju on the other hand is so chill about the kiss. Jinju felt put at ease, because it showed Doyeon does care a lot for her and that she doesn’t need to worry about Doyeon leaving her like her husband did. She claims she wants to forget the kiss happened but that’s because she doesn’t realize how much she likes Doyeon. I mean.. Jinju literally makes a sandwich for Doyeon when she hates making food the day after they kissed. Jinju seems kind of eager to give it to Doyeon, but nervous because she’s worried it came out bad and she’s insecure about that. Literally Jinju just doesn’t realize how happy she is about the kiss.
Now when Doyeon’s childhood friend comes to visit Doyeon but instead see’s Jinju, I bet Jinju purposely slammed the door on him. It’s subtle, but this is our first indication of Jinju being possessive of Doyeon. I mean this boy was about to confess to Doyeon, but Jinju basically slams the door on him and has him rethink his plan of confessing. Jinju knows Doyeon doesn’t have a boyfriend. I mean we can see when Jinju asks about it Doyeon is very eager to say no. Now does Jinju realize what she’s doing? I think she does. But she doesn’t want Doyeon to find out about it. Cuz Jinju is kind of scared to actually feel love. HOWEVER, later when Doyeon comes back home Jinju is literally offering to sleep together. You would think, after someone you don’t like that way, that that’s the last thing you would want to do. If Doyeon’s childhood friend didn’t come over, then I don’t think Jinju would have done what she did. It was the fact that he came over, seeming to want to confess to Doyeon, that Jinju felt the need to have Doyeon sleep with her.
7. Now the first time they have sex, Jinju doesn’t seem to regard her self as that important. And I think that’s why Doyeon said “I should have stopped” because Jinju views herself as just a tool. She doesn’t even care if it hurts or not, she’s more so doing it for Doyeon. Like she doesn’t realize both people are supposed to enjoy sex, she just thinks it’s something you do to satisfy the other party. This to me is a major indication at how abusive the relationship with her husband was. She doesn’t realize she’s supposed to have pleasure from sex. When she says she’s hitting rock bottom, a lot of people interpret it as her letting Doyeon use her however she wants so she can stay at Doyeons place. I do partly agree with that, but I also think Jinju just felt like she was cheating on her husband. She is still pretty religious, and it’s the ultimate sin to cheat on your husband. It’s hard to tell though since it’s kind of vague. But boy, Jinju is absolutely stunned when she has her first orgasm. Not just her first orgasm, but probably the first time she’s ever made moaning noises during sex. But it’s also the reason why she looks like she’s about to slap Doyeon when she recalls her husband later on. She’s very pissed at him in that scene, because she realizes just how much he was disregarding her satisfaction.
8. The slapping scene I think highlights Jinju’s possessiveness. Eun came in ready to scare Jinju away, but Jinju instead scared Eun. It was the moment Eun brought up the loan sharks that Jinju mentions how she’s had sex with Eun’s sister. Eun threatens Jinju, and Jinju threatens her right back with a scandal that would be even worse than the loan sharks. Jinju could have left quietly if she wanted to, I mean the loan sharks aren’t visiting her home anymore. But Jinju (Even though she doesn’t really show it well) is developing feelings of love and feeling loved for the first time in her life so she’s not going to let go of something good, so she’s claiming Doyeon as her own, not Euns. Now right when Doyeon comes over to the rescue, Jinju demands sex right then and there. I interpret that as Jinju needing to feel comfort from Doyeon. I’ve noticed every time there is a threat to have Doyeon taken away from her, she gets pretty needy towards Doyeon after. She’s so desperate to have Doyeon with her that she doesn’t even care if it hurts, she just needs that closeness. That’s how fragile and traumatized Jinju is from her past relationship. Now.. she gets wet the moment she thinks of telling Eun about their fucking. It could be a kink. It could also be her way of finding pleasure in claiming Doyeon. I mean she basically said to Eun “back off, doyeon is mine” and having doyeon fuck her right then and there even when doyeon was hesitant about it proves her point again.

 

[HolySatan]

9. Now when they have sex with Doyeon maybe borderline raping Jinju after Doyeon wakes up from a dream in which she grows weary of Jinju leaving her. She only has this dream because Jinju wouldn’t let her say “I love you” the night before. Again, because Jinju is terrified of these emotions too as much as she likes them. I mean in the dream Jinju seems to imply that she gave everything to her husband in hopes that she will find love. She wasted 20 years on this dream. Now that she is actually finding some form of love it terrifies her because she’s never been loved like this ever, nor has she loved anyone like this before. Doyeon doesn’t know that yet though so she’s pretty insecure when they’re fucking in the morning. Doyeon thinks it’s only because of Jinju’s husband and is scared Jinju will leave the moment her husband comes back. Jinju just can sense that Doyeon is fearful of her leaving. So she takes matters into her own hands, and I think does her own way of reassuring Doyeon. Which is her making Doyeon orgasm. It’s the first time Jinju does this. She’s very proud too that she made Doyeon orgasm.
10. Their first date is interesting. Doyeon wants to make it into a date while Jinju is trying to not. Here we can see Jinju trying to place some clear boundaries on their relationship. I think while Doyeon was away at school, Jinju may have gone next door. (This is more of a theory based on how it shows a scene of her in a different outfit looking through her old photo of her husband. I feel like that scene actually happened before they went on their date, not after since she’s wearing different clothes). She saw a picture of her husband and is pretty torn about the whole relationship in general. She knows what she is doing is bad, but she loves it. Still it’s wrong, especially with someone who is much younger than her. So she is trying to put the distances between them now before it’s too late for her. Of course Doyeon is getting pretty pissed off about the whole situation. So what does Doyeon do? The moment she can she tries to fuck Jinju. Doyeon gives Jinju a way out, but seeing Doyeons flustered face makes Jinju’s heart throb and she can’t help herself. Doyeon is so obsessed with Jinju that she doesn’t really care if there’s people coming in. She makes Jinju orgasm anyways. This turns Jinju on, knowing how badly Doyeon wants her that she doesn’t care about location or who's there. But it’s also dominating Jinju, and reminding her in a way that they’ve already crossed the line in their relationship so no point in pretending. Jinju is probably a little intimidated by Doyeon after this, I mean this girl couldn’t even get wet for her husband. Not only is she getting wet, but it looks like she had her first squirt in the public bathroom based on how there’s literal cum coming down her leg. So she’s thinking like “oh shit she knows my body more than me” and is why she says she doesn’t know what to do with this kid.
11. The kiss in chapter 28 was the first time Jinju just kissed Doyeon because she just felt like it at that moment. It was a kiss you would have with a lover which is why Doyeon is so excited. There was no need for the kiss, Doyeon was drunk and loopy, not sad. But she did it anyway because she’s in love. Which is why she seems more disturbed about the kiss than Doyeon. Again, Jinju is a very caring person but she’s terrified of her own emotions, and feels conflicted about her marriage.

I know that was long. idk maybe there's something wrong with me but this has been my interpretation of the whole manga.

 

[Cyn.bot]

I wonder if Doyeon measures her self worth with how much she benefits others. Its like, being an orphan, she has no worth and isn’t wanted by anyone unless she’s useful to them (like taking care of others, disregarding her own needs), and now after she was adopted, she has this weight of gratitude, this debt she can never pay back. (Edit: that story about mother spiders is really heavy in retrospect)

Really interesting, I didn't pay that much attention to the spider story, at first it just seemed a random thing to say to someone you just met (Like the Peter Griffin meme "Who the f**k starts a conversation like that" haha). But Jinju was having a panic attack so I thought the random story was because of that.
Then, when they were at the church, Jinju said it didn't applied to her and went flashback mode, so I didn't think much about the spiders after that.

One time I find hard to understand or pin down is when Jinju revealed to Morae the nature of their relationship, and then immediately initiated with Doyeon after, apparently getting excited remembering what she told Morae. After what happened in the bathroom scene, I guess it might just be that she's into that lol

Before her first time with Doyeon, Junji said that she usually didn't get wet, and had a hard time coming (if she ever did, because after her first orgasm with Doyeon she was like "it feels weird" "what the hell was that?"). She also said she had A LOT of experience. Sooo... she had 20 years of painful sex and no climax.
I don't think she particularly likes the exhibition, nor that she is masochist like I read some people say. This is my guess, but when she told Morae about her and Doyeon, it was only to protect Doyeon, but after Morae left, she just got horny remembering the three orgasms she got just that morning (now compare that to her previous 20 years).
At the bathroom Doyeon said Junji loved the sex when it's mindless, which makes sense if you consider Junji's feeling of guilt. Although since Doyeon was at her frustration limit, she was also more intense.

Anyway... it's sweet to see Junji is starting to fall for Doyeon

Tinfoil hat theory moment:

• Junji and Sarika Hwang are barely the same age (40 and 41).
• Professor Hwang seems to know Junji.

Coincidence? I think not! Could they have gone to the same school? Will this be a window into Junji's past?

 

[jazkin]

It’s supposed to be one of unconditional love and gratitude right? I‘m also from an Asian household so I get it, the idea of how selfless Asian parents are, how dedicated they are to their children. The baby spiders eating the mother, seeing her as just nutrients, imo that implies ungratefulness, taking lightly that sacrifice, bc theyre still young and immature, and haven’t learned to be considerate yet. It’s bittersweet and tragic. The moral of the story is to remind children of this love and how much they owe their parents. But how does Doyeon interpret this story?
We find out that Doyeon is an orphan, that she was always expected to take on the responsibility for everyone else, and that she was adopted by an affluent family for potentially political/reputation purposes…
Even if their “love” is conditional and for strategic reasons, Doyeon still needs to shoulder the weight of their “selfless sacrifice“, to have so “graciously” taken in an orphan such as herself. Doyeon is/has nothing, and these people gave her “everything”. (Might be why Doyeon never asks for anything, or seems to want anything before meeting Jinju, because she doesn’t think she deserves anything or even have the right to ask.)
So far, we don’t know exactly what the parents‘ treatment of her is like, but Doyeon seems to feel guilty/uncomfortable about this debt. The way Morae treats her is very much “you owe them, don’t you dare become a burden”, and Doyeon is fully aware of that. Even if Morae’s attitude stems from her jealousy and isn’t an extension of her parents‘ feelings on the matter, it does still seem like Doyeon believes her words to be true; that she is a burden, an “investment” for this family. Doyeon’s life isn‘t her own. She seems “free”, but that might only be because she’s pretty successful in her studies. The moment she stepped out of line and might threaten the family image, Morae barged right in and reminded her to stay in her place.
Oh but I will say that (ch9) when Morae confronted her about Jinju and Doyeon said that she’s pay them back somehow, Morae seemed annoyed that she “thinks that” of their parents. So perhaps the parents aren’t like that, but Morae is still enforcing this pressure/debt on her own, bc that’s how she believes they “should” behave as their children.
Tldr; the spider story is about love and gratitude, but from Doyeon’s pov, I believe it’s about guilt, debt and helplessness, bc children/she can never hope to repay what they’re given (even if the parents aren’t asking her to)

i never really considered this take about doyeon's pov actually, that was interesting. i don't like to write walls of text but i like reading them lol
also, on a completely not related note, i wanted to add another detail that i don't see mentioned a lot, and it's morae's (supposed) monologue at the start of chapter 9, about the smiling strangers taking dead people's place... and gunwoo saying in chap 24 that morae misses her older brother... if that means what i think, morae hating on doyeon is kind of understandable...

 

[jazkin]

Really interesting, I didn't pay that much attention to the spider story, at first it just seemed a random thing to say to someone you just met (Like the Peter Griffin meme "Who the f**k starts a conversation like that" haha). But Jinju was having a panic attack so I thought the random story was because of that.
Then, when they were at the church, Jinju said it didn't applied to her and went flashback mode, so I didn't think much about the spiders after that.


Before her first time with Doyeon, Junji said that she usually didn't get wet, and had a hard time coming (if she ever did, because after her first orgasm with Doyeon she was like "it feels weird" "what the hell was that?"). She also said she had A LOT of experience. Sooo... she had 20 years of painful sex and no climax.
I don't think she particularly likes the exhibition, nor that she is masochist like I read some people say. This is my guess, but when she told Morae about her and Doyeon, it was only to protect Doyeon, but after Morae left, she just got horny remembering the three orgasms she got just that morning (now compare that to her previous 20 years).
At the bathroom Doyeon said Junji loved the sex when it's mindless, which makes sense if you consider Junji's feeling of guilt. Although since Doyeon was at her frustration limit, she was also more intense.

Anyway... it's sweet to see Junji is starting to fall for Doyeon

Tinfoil hat theory moment:

• Junji and Sarika Hwang are barely the same age (40 and 41).
• Professor Hwang seems to know Junji.

Coincidence? I think not! Could they have gone to the same school? Will this be a window into Junji's past?

also, another thing about jinju climaxing and stuff.... when she said "what the hell was that" i took some translation freedom... she actually says "are you crazy" / "this is crazy", so i personally don't think that was her first climax (i hope not) but idk it could also be who knows, just wanted to clear that up

 

[Faust9]

i never really considered this take about doyeon's pov actually, that was interesting. i don't like to write walls of text but i like reading them lol
also, on a completely not related note, i wanted to add another detail that i don't see mentioned a lot, and it's morae's (supposed) monologue at the start of chapter 9, about the smiling strangers taking dead people's place... and gunwoo saying in chap 24 that morae misses her older brother... if that means what i think, morae hating on doyeon is kind of understandable...

Oh shiiiiit yooooo
totally forgot/missed that, I was confused and thought it was Doyeon’s narration + I was pretty much blocking out Gunwoo dialogue upon rereading bc he peeves me a bit and hes not hard to understand 😂
I guess that makes the parents’ decision to adopt Doyeon more sad than calculating, that its potentially to help deal with grief, but I wouldnt be surprised that it comes off as replacing Morae’s brother to her, especially if their method of coping is the emotional avoidant type (never address his death, repressed emotions). Dealing with a family tragedy would indeed be a reason why Morae “had to grow up early”.
Coupled with what Morae perceives as a lack of sincerity/authenticity from Doyeon, I can understand why that also adds to her dislike of her. Although, I will note here that in my personal opinion, I do still find Doyeon to be kind. Even if it's out of guilt, obligation, duty, not knowing how to say no, etc., I don't think that makes the kindness she shows others any less genuine. I don't believe that kindness needs to be "natural", I think it's enough to want to help others whether it's an effortless decision or not, and without expecting anything in return (so the acts of kindness doesn't become instrumental/weaponised). I see Doyeon's practised smile the same way, that it's a form of kindness and consideration for others, to show that she doesn't mind and that they're not a burden to her. So while Morae and Karina (? the prof/mentor) perceive it as unnatural and uncomfortable (which I get), I think I'm more aligned with how Jinju reacted/wondered about it in ch4: Doyeon is sweet
and yay, glad to know ppl don’t mind walls of texts! ^^ I have trouble organising my thoughts and tend to ramble when I’m passionate about something, and my level of interest doesn’t necessarily equal my listener/reader, so it can be hard to gauge when something is too much. But then again its just a thread ppl can just not read so no harm done lmao, I’ll stop worrying about it

 

[Faust9]

Really interesting, I didn't pay that much attention to the spider story, at first it just seemed a random thing to say to someone you just met (Like the Peter Griffin meme "Who the f**k starts a conversation like that" haha). But Jinju was having a panic attack so I thought the random story was because of that.
Then, when they were at the church, Jinju said it didn't applied to her and went flashback mode, so I didn't think much about the spiders after that.

Haha I had a similar reaction. I did think it was to help with the panic attack, but the choice of the story (especially in a literary work, no RL) is just too specific and odds are that it's also meant to develop the characters, we just don't have all the pieces yet to understand what it implied

Before her first time with Doyeon, Junji said that she usually didn't get wet, and had a hard time coming (if she ever did, because after her first orgasm with Doyeon she was like "it feels weird" "what the hell was that?"). She also said she had A LOT of experience. Sooo... she had 20 years of painful sex and no climax.
I don't think she particularly likes the exhibition, nor that she is masochist like I read some people say. This is my guess, but when she told Morae about her and Doyeon, it was only to protect Doyeon, but after Morae left, she just got horny remembering the three orgasms she got just that morning (now compare that to her previous 20 years).
At the bathroom Doyeon said Junji loved the sex when it's mindless, which makes sense if you consider Junji's feeling of guilt. Although since Doyeon was at her frustration limit, she was also more intense.

Lmao when I read the "I don't get wet/I don't really orgasm" part, I was like

after how easily Doyeon gets her wet nowadays, I'm just like yah, husband probs never really tried to pleasure her and she probs just went along with it, with the expectations of "oh I guess it's me".
And that makes sense, recalling their previous sexual encounter + the adrenaline from the confrontation, and needing some sense of comfort and security from Doyeon (something HolySatan mentioned earlier). Even if Jinju seemed calm and confident when she was basically threatening Morae back, it probs didn't feel great to get blackmailed like that.
That also brings to mind when she interacted with Gunwoo (? the childhood friend). I remember someone else mentioning it in the thread, but yeah, she totally sweet talked him and got him to drop his guard lol, Morae hit the bullseye when she was like "wtf, you went in there wanting to call her out and now you're agreeing/sympathising with her? Do you realise how fucked up/dangerous that is?" Seeing the way Jinju waved him off in the end with a smile, and then went back to pokerfacing right after he leaves is pretty telling. She is able to project a facade and do the bare minimum for social interactions. That she doesn't usually with Doyeon feels actually comfortable to me. To me it means that she knows Doyeon already accepts her/wants to help her regardless, she doesn't have to act extra pleasant to gather any sympathy from her. Another user (probs HolySatan again lmao, but apologies if I'm wrong) that Jinju behaved differently after they had their first fight and Doyeon kissed her. I interpreted that as Jinju finally figuring out the answer to her question: outside of "just kindness", why are you doing this for me? What do you want from me? Why would you do all this if I'm nothing to you?" I think it was probably a relief for her to find out. Whether she sees it as genuine affection or just "ah so this is the cost/expectations I have to return" doesn't matter, but I think it's a weight off her shoulders bc one of the uncertainties of their living arrangement/relationship dynamic just went away, and she got to lower her guard (as shown by accepting to sleep in Doyeon's bed). It was like the distrusting stray cat finally approached and accepted the hand that was trying to feed her.
Oh and on that note, while it can be seen as manipulative/malicious of Jinju to have lied to Gunwoo, really, I just see it as her doing what she needs to do. Doyeon herself doesn't mind their arrangement, it's really just the easiest and most practical solution to lie to others even if they're well-meaning. Doesn't hurt anyone bc she isn't really trying to trick Doyeon in the first place, but others wouldn't believe her anyway. It shows that Jinju is capable of lying and manipulating if she wants/has to, but I'm not really worried about it bc from the get-go, she's been pretty transparent and direct with Doyeon. At most, what she is holding back is "it's best to keep this relationship physical" when she stopped her from confessing, and when Jinju was shocked at the end of ch28. She didn't just react to the kiss as "oops what does this mean ehe", it was a pretty heavy reaction/shock from her, calling it a "mistake". She accidentally inched their relationship closer to being "romantic", is part of what I think the worry could be.
edit: holy fuck, this wall, im so embarrassed lmao

 

[stiltje]

There's something I've been wondering about that the author has alluded to twice.

So, the first time, if these two scenes are actually related, is in chapter 7, when Doyeon has her first sex dream with Jinju. They get pretty into it when everything comes to a grinding hault with the words "No, stop it". Then Doyeon wakes up.

The way the scene is presented makes me think that it wasn't Jinju who said that at that exact moment in time, but that this was actually an interaction that Doyeon had to have had with someone else, where the other person got majorly uncomfortable and asked her to stop (Eun Morae, maybe?). If so, when did this happen and what were they doing?

The second time is in chapter 15 during Jinju and Doyeon's first time. Once again, they're pretty into it, Jinju is the one who initiates things, she's on top and pleasuring Doyeon, then she says that "soon, I'll make you feel good", which in turn forces Doyeon to flip them over and switch roles, basically. She then proceeds to top Jinju for the rest of the night.

Is this a sex-related/intimacy trauma that Doeyeon has? I'm not sure that we're able to extrapolate things now given the information we have, but I would say that had Jinju not uttered those exact words, Doyeon would have let her continue pleasuring her.

To add to that, we've seen Jinju in various states of undress many a time, but we've never seen Doyeon naked. Is there a particular reason for that?

 

[NatsuD1702]

9. Now when they have sex with Doyeon maybe borderline raping Jinju after Doyeon wakes up from a dream in which she grows weary of Jinju leaving her. She only has this dream because Jinju wouldn’t let her say “I love you” the night before. Again, because Jinju is terrified of these emotions too as much as she likes them. I mean in the dream Jinju seems to imply that she gave everything to her husband in hopes that she will find love. She wasted 20 years on this dream. Now that she is actually finding some form of love it terrifies her because she’s never been loved like this ever, nor has she loved anyone like this before. Doyeon doesn’t know that yet though so she’s pretty insecure when they’re fucking in the morning. Doyeon thinks it’s only because of Jinju’s husband and is scared Jinju will leave the moment her husband comes back. Jinju just can sense that Doyeon is fearful of her leaving. So she takes matters into her own hands, and I think does her own way of reassuring Doyeon. Which is her making Doyeon orgasm. It’s the first time Jinju does this. She’s very proud too that she made Doyeon orgasm.
10. Their first date is interesting. Doyeon wants to make it into a date while Jinju is trying to not. Here we can see Jinju trying to place some clear boundaries on their relationship. I think while Doyeon was away at school, Jinju may have gone next door. (This is more of a theory based on how it shows a scene of her in a different outfit looking through her old photo of her husband. I feel like that scene actually happened before they went on their date, not after since she’s wearing different clothes). She saw a picture of her husband and is pretty torn about the whole relationship in general. She knows what she is doing is bad, but she loves it. Still it’s wrong, especially with someone who is much younger than her. So she is trying to put the distances between them now before it’s too late for her. Of course Doyeon is getting pretty pissed off about the whole situation. So what does Doyeon do? The moment she can she tries to fuck Jinju. Doyeon gives Jinju a way out, but seeing Doyeons flustered face makes Jinju’s heart throb and she can’t help herself. Doyeon is so obsessed with Jinju that she doesn’t really care if there’s people coming in. She makes Jinju orgasm anyways. This turns Jinju on, knowing how badly Doyeon wants her that she doesn’t care about location or who's there. But it’s also dominating Jinju, and reminding her in a way that they’ve already crossed the line in their relationship so no point in pretending. Jinju is probably a little intimidated by Doyeon after this, I mean this girl couldn’t even get wet for her husband. Not only is she getting wet, but it looks like she had her first squirt in the public bathroom based on how there’s literal cum coming down her leg. So she’s thinking like “oh shit she knows my body more than me” and is why she says she doesn’t know what to do with this kid.
11. The kiss in chapter 28 was the first time Jinju just kissed Doyeon because she just felt like it at that moment. It was a kiss you would have with a lover which is why Doyeon is so excited. There was no need for the kiss, Doyeon was drunk and loopy, not sad. But she did it anyway because she’s in love. Which is why she seems more disturbed about the kiss than Doyeon. Again, Jinju is a very caring person but she’s terrified of her own emotions, and feels conflicted about her marriage.

I know that was long. idk maybe there's something wrong with me but this has been my interpretation of the whole manga.

It was quite a long summary, but I agree with most of it, especially that Jinju isn't really manipulative, she just sometimes has to resort to certain tricks to protect herself, and the fact that she almost always has a poker face adds to that kind of interpretations.

I understand that you want to download your thoughts by writing them, it usually happens to me when I'm obsessed with some anime or manga XD And certainly this manhwa is quite addictive, having such unpredictable characters

 

[NatsuD1702]

There's something I've been wondering about that the author has alluded to twice.

So, the first time, if these two scenes are actually related, is in chapter 7, when Doyeon has her first sex dream with Jinju. They get pretty into it when everything comes to a grinding hault with the words "No, stop it". Then Doyeon wakes up.

The way the scene is presented makes me think that it wasn't Jinju who said that at that exact moment in time, but that this was actually an interaction that Doyeon had to have had with someone else, where the other person got majorly uncomfortable and asked her to stop (Eun Morae, maybe?). If so, when did this happen and what were they doing?

The second time is in chapter 15 during Jinju and Doyeon's first time. Once again, they're pretty into it, Jinju is the one who initiates things, she's on top and pleasuring Doyeon, then she says that "soon, she'll make her feel good", which in turn forces Doyeon to flip them over and switch roles, basically. She then proceeds to top Jinju for the rest of the night.

Is this a sex-related/intimacy trauma that Doeyeon has? I'm not sure that we're able to extrapolate things now given the information we have, but I would say that had Jinju not uttered those exact words, Doyeon would have let her continue pleasuring her.

To add to that, we've seen Jinju in various states of undress many a time, but we've never seen Doyeon naked. Is there a particular reason for that?

I also thought about the nudity, even when she wake up the day after doing it with Jinju, Doyeon is already dressed. I personally don't see something bad about it, but taking into account that there are so many details that seem insignificant and end up having more relevance and coherence with the passage of the chapters (like the story of the spider mom) I think that not undressing can mean something. For example, when she has a flashback of one of her ex-boyfriends asking her about having sex, she mentions that she had passed by a couple of times, maybe one time when she was about to have sex, something happened that made her uncomfortable? I don't know but at this point I understand that any small detail can be relevant with this manhwa XD

 

[HolySatan]

Haha I had a similar reaction. I did think it was to help with the panic attack, but the choice of the story (especially in a literary work, no RL) is just too specific and odds are that it's also meant to develop the characters, we just don't have all the pieces yet to understand what it implied

Lmao when I read the "I don't get wet/I don't really orgasm" part, I was like

after how easily Doyeon gets her wet nowadays, I'm just like yah, husband probs never really tried to pleasure her and she probs just went along with it, with the expectations of "oh I guess it's me".
And that makes sense, recalling their previous sexual encounter + the adrenaline from the confrontation, and needing some sense of comfort and security from Doyeon (something HolySatan mentioned earlier). Even if Jinju seemed calm and confident when she was basically threatening Morae back, it probs didn't feel great to get blackmailed like that.
That also brings to mind when she interacted with Gunwoo (? the childhood friend). I remember someone else mentioning it in the thread, but yeah, she totally sweet talked him and got him to drop his guard lol, Morae hit the bullseye when she was like "wtf, you went in there wanting to call her out and now you're agreeing/sympathising with her? Do you realise how fucked up/dangerous that is?" Seeing the way Jinju waved him off in the end with a smile, and then went back to pokerfacing right after he leaves is pretty telling. She is able to project a facade and do the bare minimum for social interactions. That she doesn't usually with Doyeon feels actually comfortable to me. To me it means that she knows Doyeon already accepts her/wants to help her regardless, she doesn't have to act extra pleasant to gather any sympathy from her. Another user (probs HolySatan again lmao, but apologies if I'm wrong) that Jinju behaved differently after they had their first fight and Doyeon kissed her. I interpreted that as Jinju finally figuring out the answer to her question: outside of "just kindness", why are you doing this for me? What do you want from me? Why would you do all this if I'm nothing to you?" I think it was probably a relief for her to find out. Whether she sees it as genuine affection or just "ah so this is the cost/expectations I have to return" doesn't matter, but I think it's a weight off her shoulders bc one of the uncertainties of their living arrangement/relationship dynamic just went away, and she got to lower her guard (as shown by accepting to sleep in Doyeon's bed). It was like the distrusting stray cat finally approached and accepted the hand that was trying to feed her.
Oh and on that note, while it can be seen as manipulative/malicious of Jinju to have lied to Gunwoo, really, I just see it as her doing what she needs to do. Doyeon herself doesn't mind their arrangement, it's really just the easiest and most practical solution to lie to others even if they're well-meaning. Doesn't hurt anyone bc she isn't really trying to trick Doyeon in the first place, but others wouldn't believe her anyway. It shows that Jinju is capable of lying and manipulating if she wants/has to, but I'm not really worried about it bc from the get-go, she's been pretty transparent and direct with Doyeon. At most, what she is holding back is "it's best to keep this relationship physical" when she stopped her from confessing, and when Jinju was shocked at the end of ch28. She didn't just react to the kiss as "oops what does this mean ehe", it was a pretty heavy reaction/shock from her, calling it a "mistake". She accidentally inched their relationship closer to being "romantic", is part of what I think the worry could be.
edit: holy fuck, this wall, im so embarrassed lmao

I totally agree. I think if jinju actually didn’t like doyeon then she would of been creeped out from doyeon after the confession. Instead she seems to let her guard down more for doyeon. Why? Some people would think it’s because she’s using doyeon to manipulate and maybe that was her original plan. But jinju keeps acting surprise by her actions towards doyeon. She keeps acting surprise by their lovemaking and how much she actually enjoys it. In this chapter I think it’s pretty clear how protective she gets for doyeon. Also we kind of know how jinju acts when she actually is being manipulating and she doesn’t seem to act that way around doyeon, at least that’s what I think. I’m dying to read some more chapters so I can add onto my analysis/revise my thoughts.

 

[Cyn.bot]

also, another thing about jinju climaxing and stuff.... when she said "what the hell was that" i took some translation freedom... she actually says "are you crazy" / "this is crazy", so i personally don't think that was her first climax (i hope not) but idk it could also be who knows, just wanted to clear that up

Welp... there goes a piece of my theory (takes paper-note off the wall).

But thanks for clearing that out. Although, judging by the wetness factor, she is still having a much nicer time with Doyeon than with her husband and can't hold herself.

holy fuck, this wall, im so embarrassed lmao

Don't be, it's nice to read other people's thoughts.
I can't write that much because I'm slow at that in english, so it would take me a looot of time, but I can read just fine, so I really enjoy it.

 

[jazkin]

lmfao the image... i completely forgot also about doyeon thinking about the kids at the children's home in chapter 9 and her scratching neck habit (happens in both chapter 10 and 11 where you can see on her neck scratching red signs)

i like when there is attention to details

PS: also sorry for this next slow update, irl stuff. I think in a couple days chap 29 is going to be out

 

[HolySatan]

lmfao the image... i completely forgot also about doyeon thinking about the kids at the children's home in chapter 9 and her scratching neck habit (happens in both chapter 10 and 11 where you can see on her neck scratching red signs)

i like when there is attention to details

PS: also sorry for this next slow update, irl stuff. I think in a couple days chap 29 is going to be out

Yeah my guess is that the kids were envious of her leaving before them. Even when she’s been so nice and caring they all stared at her with envy.

Tysm for the update. I was driving myself crazy clicking refresh wondering when the next update will be. But now I can Rest In Peace for a few days 😅

 

[Faust9]

Don't be, it's nice to read other people's thoughts.
I can't write that much because I'm slow at that in english, so it would take me a looot of time, but I can read just fine, so I really enjoy it.

Aw thanks That makes me happy/is a relief. Honestly, thoughts just race in my head and Idk how to be concise, Idk if people understand what I'm trying to say so I just say more stuff and examples to try to be clearer. I'm glad you find this interesting

I totally agree. I think if jinju actually didn’t like doyeon then she would of been creeped out from doyeon after the confession. Instead she seems to let her guard down more for doyeon. Why? Some people would think it’s because she’s using doyeon to manipulate and maybe that was her original plan. But jinju keeps acting surprise by her actions towards doyeon. She keeps acting surprise by their lovemaking and how much she actually enjoys it. In this chapter I think it’s pretty clear how protective she gets for doyeon. Also we kind of know how jinju acts when she actually is being manipulating and she doesn’t seem to act that way around doyeon, at least that’s what I think. I’m dying to read some more chapters so I can add onto my analysis/revise my thoughts.

Lol yeah, I mean, imagine if instead of Doyeon, it was some creepy gropey guy. If she felt unsafe, she would've either tried to get away, or been really uncomfortable and resigned (like sigh, wtv, I don't care).
And Jinju seems like a decent judge of character (like the way she could figure out how to counter both Gunwoo and Morae), but even she couldn't tell why Doyeon was was being so kind to her until the kiss (and before that, still thought she was sweet). Yes Doyeon is kind, but like Jinju said, that kindness shouldn't have reached the levels of sheltering a stranger for an indefinite amount of time (over 3 months at this point!) Figuring out that, [oh, this kid is just a lovestruck puppy], is a concept that Jinju can understand, especially since so far, Doyeon's affection has been no strings attached. Yes Jinju relies on her, but she wasn't the one to impose herself and tried to be as good of a guest as she could; Doyeon did everything to make her feel as welcome as possible (ex, GIRL, just take my bed). Jinju also seems to enjoy her company. Like sleeping in the same bed feeling nice, to apparently getting snacks, roots and coffee being a fun time for her lmao

And yeah I wouldn't say Jinju has been manipulative to Doyeon. She can manipulate ppl, but hasn't towards Doyeon imo. From the beginning she was under the impression that she was overstaying her welcome and was on edge, wanted to know what she had to give in return to stay (if this was a transactional relationship). Very much on eggshells bc as far as Jinju was concerned, she was at the mercy of this stranger, her safety and wellbeing entirely depended on Doyeon's whims. How can she trust her when so much was on the line? How she can she trust a stranger when her own husband and parents left her to fend for herself? She was just waiting for the other shoe to drop and if she couldn't handle it, she knew she would get thrown to the wolves.

Also, the lil gestures of comfort and affection when Doyeon is feeling low, I think that's just sympathy, it's not to gain anything from her in particular. Doyeon already made it clear that she wants to help her solely bc she cares about her and wants to, so Jinju doesn't have to do anything specific to maintain their arrangement. Idk if I'm being clear here but... for example, Jinju's smiles. She hardly ever smiles, and when she does smile at Doyeon, I believe that it's either sympathy, bc the socially appropriate thing to do or bc it was spontaneous. The things she does for Doyeon, I do believe that she's sincere about them, that she thinks it'd make her happy, and because she wants to take care of her. Anything Jinju does for her, Doyeon happily and gratefully accepts. Doyeon doesn't demand or communicate any expectations towards her, so there's no explicit pressure and Jinju is free to make her own decisions (I specified explicit bc there's also Jinju's own feelings of [what's natural or right] about the situation, which is her own internal issues, and not external/bc of Doyeon).

So like, Jinju isn't using Doyeon. Yes Doyeon is literally useful/beneficial to Jinju's literal survival, but it's a fully free and consensual decision from Doyeon's side. I think that everyone who knows Doyeon just expected her to have been unable to say no and let herself used, but really, Doyeon was really proactive in contributing to the current arrangements. Literally the only thing Jinju could have done to not have Doyeon feel sorry for her is to soundproof their walls :')

THAT REMINDS ME, the one time we see Doyeon stand up for herself (minus calling the cops and protecting Jinju against literal criminals and Morae) and say no to someone was Gunwoo. She was actually doing it for Jinju but still. But still! She does that so rarely! ^^ She's very much the non-confrontational type. I'm happy to see her make decisions bc she wants to, not bc she feels like she has to or to maintain the peace.

And about them having sex, I think it's pretty clear that Jinju enjoys it, but I do feel concerned about how she initiated back in ch15 iirc. It felt very, "this is what you want from me right? I don't care what you do." It really feels like similar to Doyeon (but darker/more unhealthy), Jinju is used to being a doormat to others. They can anything to her, it doesn't matter. She just thought she'd be happy if she was loved, iirc, (Dream-Jinju). It's pretty nice that, likely different from the sex/life she's used to where she just fulfills the desires and expectations of others, her pleasure is the focus instead. I'm happy for her ; - ; She probs does it bc she knows Doyeon wants that from her but, she does happen to enjoy it too.

PS: also sorry for this next slow update, irl stuff. I think in a couple days chap 29 is going to be out

DW ABOUT IT, FOCUS ON YOURSELF, GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING.

 

[Faust9]

Yeah my guess is that the kids were envious of her leaving before them. Even when she’s been so nice and caring they all stared at her with envy.

Perhaps Doyeon felt guilty? They were super dependent on her after all, and being adopted means leaving them behind to fend for themselves. I'm thinking it's Doyeon's perception of things, it looks too much like a horror manhwa to have a bunch of orphans staring at ppl like that haha
And, bc I know that under stress, sometimes ppl scratch themselves so hard that they break the skin

 

[HolySatan]

Aw thanks That makes me happy/is a relief. Honestly, thoughts just race in my head and Idk how to be concise, Idk if people understand what I'm trying to say so I just say more stuff and examples to try to be clearer. I'm glad you find this interesting

Lol yeah, I mean, imagine if instead of Doyeon, it was some creepy gropey guy. If she felt unsafe, she would've either tried to get away, or been really uncomfortable and resigned (like sigh, wtv, I don't care).
And Jinju seems like a decent judge of character (like the way she could figure out how to counter both Gunwoo and Morae), but even she couldn't tell why Doyeon was was being so kind to her until the kiss (and before that, still thought she was sweet). Yes Doyeon is kind, but like Jinju said, that kindness shouldn't have reached the levels of sheltering a stranger for an indefinite amount of time (over 3 months at this point!) Figuring out that, [oh, this kid is just a lovestruck puppy], is a concept that Jinju can understand, especially since so far, Doyeon's affection has been no strings attached. Yes Jinju relies on her, but she wasn't the one to impose herself and tried to be as good of a guest as she could; Doyeon did everything to make her feel as welcome as possible (ex, GIRL, just take my bed). Jinju also seems to enjoy her company. Like sleeping in the same bed feeling nice, to apparently getting snacks, roots and coffee being a fun time for her lmao

And yeah I wouldn't say Jinju has been manipulative to Doyeon. She can manipulate ppl, but hasn't towards Doyeon imo. From the beginning she was under the impression that she was overstaying her welcome and was on edge, wanted to know what she had to give in return to stay (if this was a transactional relationship). Very much on eggshells bc as far as Jinju was concerned, she was at the mercy of this stranger, her safety and wellbeing entirely depended on Doyeon's whims. How can she trust her when so much was on the line? How she can she trust a stranger when her own husband and parents left her to fend for herself? She was just waiting for the other shoe to drop and if she couldn't handle it, she knew she would get thrown to the wolves.

Also, the lil gestures of comfort and affection when Doyeon is feeling low, I think that's just sympathy, it's not to gain anything from her in particular. Doyeon already made it clear that she wants to help her solely bc she cares about her and wants to, so Jinju doesn't have to do anything specific to maintain their arrangement. Idk if I'm being clear here but... for example, Jinju's smiles. She hardly ever smiles, and when she does smile at Doyeon, I believe that it's either sympathy, bc the socially appropriate thing to do or bc it was spontaneous. The things she does for Doyeon, I do believe that she's sincere about them, that she thinks it'd make her happy, and because she wants to take care of her. Anything Jinju does for her, Doyeon happily and gratefully accepts. Doyeon doesn't demand or communicate any expectations towards her, so there's no explicit pressure and Jinju is free to make her own decisions (I specified explicit bc there's also Jinju's own feelings of [what's natural or right] about the situation, which is her own internal issues, and not external/bc of Doyeon).

So like, Jinju isn't using Doyeon. Yes Doyeon is literally useful/beneficial to Jinju's literal survival, but it's a fully free and consensual decision from Doyeon's side. I think that everyone who knows Doyeon just expected her to have been unable to say no and let herself used, but really, Doyeon was really proactive in contributing to the current arrangements. Literally the only thing Jinju could have done to not have Doyeon feel sorry for her is to soundproof their walls :')

THAT REMINDS ME, the one time we see Doyeon stand up for herself (minus calling the cops and protecting Jinju against literal criminals and Morae) and say no to someone was Gunwoo. She was actually doing it for Jinju but still. But still! She does that so rarely! ^^ She's very much the non-confrontational type. I'm happy to see her make decisions bc she wants to, not bc she feels like she has to or to maintain the peace.

And about them having sex, I think it's pretty clear that Jinju enjoys it, but I do feel concerned about how she initiated back in ch15 iirc. It felt very, "this is what you want from me right? I don't care what you do." It really feels like similar to Doyeon (but darker/more unhealthy), Jinju is used to being a doormat to others. They can anything to her, it doesn't matter. She just thought she'd be happy if she was loved, iirc, (Dream-Jinju). It's pretty nice that, likely different from the sex/life she's used to where she just fulfills the desires and expectations of others, her pleasure is the focus instead. I'm happy for her ; - ; She probs does it bc she knows Doyeon wants that from her but, she does happen to enjoy it too.

DW ABOUT IT, FOCUS ON YOURSELF, GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING.

Lol the last manga I’ve gotten this obsessed with analyzing has been on a leash 😂😂. I’ve spent like a year reading that manga and I still get confused with scenes. This one has been unexpectedly more enjoyable than I thought. I’m ngl I originally judged the art style and character design but after reading a couple of chapters I got way too invested.
I think when doyeon is actually smiling and not faking it she blushes. The only person she’s blushed in front of (I think) is jinju. As of now I feel pretty confident in saying they both have a mutual love for each other. Do I think both of them realize it? No. Jinju for sure is in denial. While doyeon knows she likes jinju, I do think she’s insecure about their status and she has every right to be tbh.

I mean all it takes is the husband coming back which I do think will happen. I mean it would be kind of weird if he didn’t come back. It would feel like an unresolved part of the story. Maybe he leaves jinju to go off himself? But that would feel kind of like a cop out. I think jinju will come back to him. I think she loves doyeon more but I think she would still go back to her husband even if he’s trashy. I’m honestly so curious how jinju will respond if the husband comes back.

 

[BananaGreen]

Sorry to raise such an abrupt question on such a late date, but there seems to be a little mistake in the translation. I noticed that when Jinju came to pick up Doyeon home, Professor Hwang just said that you were the first to come here and the Korean lines refer to "그쪽 이 1 번 이던데 , 가족 이신가 ?", which directly means "You are the number 1, are you family?". Since Professor Hwang didn't call many people to come here, I tend to interpret that "number one" as "the number one person in the address list" or "the first contact" (the first person to call when there's something happening to the phone's owner).
All the things above are just my personal views, and maybe there's something wrong. Since I am a non-native English speakers, there may also be some mistakes in my expressions, please pardon me for this comment which seems to be strange.