it's been such a long time since i've actually read a very well written bl novel (those thai ones are not it lol). the way both ju taeseon and lee chaeha are written, ugh they're both just so tormented and broken, but the way they both healed each other. this novel is literally a must read because this drama is NOT doing justice to it. having 25 minute episodes for a 1k+ page book is way too little. I mean, they're doing great, but the way this novel captured all those emotions, the angst.

first of all, there was NO SA or rape or any type of force, everything was consensual, so the kiss in the drama was unnecessary, and also that stabbing scene too (but i liked that lol). so, i hope this clears up what some people were arguing about, "that's sexual abuse." well, ask the directors. nvm. and the whole revelation of ju taeseon being the actual son of Kang Wooseong, the whole scene was handled so well and IT WAS SOOO ANGSTYYY. I swear ju taeseon went through such incredible development. he's a perfectly written complex character and i'm just glad that he was never unjustly cruel or did anything to harm chaeha just because of his father. and even then, even when there was a chance that his father was guilty, he was willing to reconsider their relationship. and ugh i cried. like fine, he was wrong for not telling chaeha about all that at first, but he didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around him because of the truth. he would've never told him about being the son of Kang Wooseong if chaeha's father had been guilty and they would've lived together anyways. like idk man, he was so caring and i just loved him sm. and chaeha is literally NOT a doormat. idk, i thought that at first, but man 😭 his resistance, endurance, and the way he handled everything, MAD RESPECT.

overall, this novel was reallllly good. just wished the cases and the overall plot weren't so long, like 1k pages is hehe not fine 😭 but they gave so many insights, and if someone is very much interested in investigations, murders, and all that, this is really good in that way as well.