I love that he asked for consent every time, even in the piano scene. Duang gave a subtle nod, so discreet you almost miss it, but it’s there, and he did it twice. It’s just so cute ❤️
I really like the chemistry Fah and Phoon have. The story is very cute, and the acting is genuinely good. That said, something about their intimate relationship feels a bit strange to me.
Fah is portrayed as very passionate and clearly very attracted to Phoon, almost to the point where he can’t really control himself. Phoon, on the other hand, is portrayed as a very innocent character and doesn’t show much sexual desire at all. He doesn’t express horniness or physical longing in the same way Fah does. Because of that imbalance, their first time together felt somewhat one-sided to me, and the consent in that scene felt vague and uncomfortable.
Fah says, “Let me have you,” and Phoon replies, “Aren’t I already yours?” Then Fah says, “I’ll take it as consent.” That exchange doesn’t feel like real consent to me. It doesn’t feel like Phoon truly understands what’s happening or is clearly agreeing to it. Earlier in the story, when Fah tried to escalate things, Phoon stopped him multiple times because he didn’t seem ready, and it didn’t feel like that had actually changed in this moment. Fah also says, “I wanted to wait, but I can’t wait anymore,” which made the situation feel even more uncomfortable, as it sounds like Fah’s desire is overriding Phoon’s readiness.
The conversation afterward also felt strange. When Fah asks, “How are you feeling?” and Phoon answers, “I don’t know,” it made me feel like Phoon didn’t enjoy it, or at least didn’t fully process what had just happened.
I really hope there will be an explanation for how a human Kunyai can exist at the same time as the original Kunyai’s soul is still on Earth. The new character clearly can’t be a reincarnation of Kunyai, since the original soul still exists. That means the human Kunyai must have a completely different soul.
But if that’s the case, who is he? Why does he exist at all if he isn’t a reincarnation? If he doesn’t share the same soul, then he isn’t really the same person, and he and Kao don’t share any real history. So, why does the story imply that they’re going to end up together?
What was the point of telling us the story of ghost Kunyai and Cao if Cao doesn’t end up with Kunyai’s reincarnation? 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
I kind of wish the story focused only on the original timeline, without jumping back and forth in time or adding fantasy elements. The ghosts and other supernatural aspects don’t really add anything for me, and I find the original timeline much more interesting on its own.
Dark romance doesn’t follow the moral rules of traditional romance. A redemption arc here doesn’t mean becoming…
I understand that and totally agree with you. That said, I don’t think a dark romance has to end with the characters ending up together. It often does, that’s usually how these stories go.... but, it doesn’t have to. And if they don’t end up together, that doesn’t automatically make it a “bad” ending either. It could actually show growth for both of them separately, which in my opinion would be a much happier and more meaningful ending than them staying together while the relationship remains toxic.
Even if he becomes more self-aware and starts making conscious efforts to change, I still don’t think that’s enough. His personality isn’t really the problem, the real issue is his need for control, his trauma, his aggression, anger issues. and like you said, he’s manipulative. But, I don’t think those things are just “personality traits”, they come from his past and his mental trauma. He absolutely can and should work on himself — but not while he’s in a relationship. That’s the key point for me...
I haven't read the novel, so I don’t know how it ends, but the only ending I'd consider "good" is if they don't end up together. There’s no redemption arc for this guy. He deserves real consequences, like jail time or something equally severe, and he needs to genuinely learn his lesson before I could even BEGIN to see him as redeemable. Right now, he’s beyond redemption. I just can't imagine a world where he becomes a good person. So if they do end up together in the end, that’s not a happy ending to me, it's a really bad, depressing one.
EDIT: I understand that the point of dark romance is different, and I’m not saying that a bad/sad ending makes it a bad show. I just mean that, in my opinion, even if they end up together, which is pretty predictable and makes sense since it’s a drama, it doesn’t suddenly make their relationship good or healthy. I still think it’s unfortunate for You Shu Lang to be with someone like that. That said, I’ll definitely keep watching, because I really like this show. It portrays a fascinating, complicated relationship and shows some very interesting character development. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from watching it, quite the opposite :)
Fah is portrayed as very passionate and clearly very attracted to Phoon, almost to the point where he can’t really control himself. Phoon, on the other hand, is portrayed as a very innocent character and doesn’t show much sexual desire at all. He doesn’t express horniness or physical longing in the same way Fah does. Because of that imbalance, their first time together felt somewhat one-sided to me, and the consent in that scene felt vague and uncomfortable.
Fah says, “Let me have you,” and Phoon replies, “Aren’t I already yours?” Then Fah says, “I’ll take it as consent.” That exchange doesn’t feel like real consent to me. It doesn’t feel like Phoon truly understands what’s happening or is clearly agreeing to it. Earlier in the story, when Fah tried to escalate things, Phoon stopped him multiple times because he didn’t seem ready, and it didn’t feel like that had actually changed in this moment. Fah also says, “I wanted to wait, but I can’t wait anymore,” which made the situation feel even more uncomfortable, as it sounds like Fah’s desire is overriding Phoon’s readiness.
The conversation afterward also felt strange. When Fah asks, “How are you feeling?” and Phoon answers, “I don’t know,” it made me feel like Phoon didn’t enjoy it, or at least didn’t fully process what had just happened.
But if that’s the case, who is he? Why does he exist at all if he isn’t a reincarnation? If he doesn’t share the same soul, then he isn’t really the same person, and he and Kao don’t share any real history. So, why does the story imply that they’re going to end up together?
What was the point of telling us the story of ghost Kunyai and Cao if Cao doesn’t end up with Kunyai’s reincarnation? 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
Even if he becomes more self-aware and starts making conscious efforts to change, I still don’t think that’s enough. His personality isn’t really the problem, the real issue is his need for control, his trauma, his aggression, anger issues. and like you said, he’s manipulative. But, I don’t think those things are just “personality traits”, they come from his past and his mental trauma. He absolutely can and should work on himself — but not while he’s in a relationship. That’s the key point for me...
EDIT:
I understand that the point of dark romance is different, and I’m not saying that a bad/sad ending makes it a bad show. I just mean that, in my opinion, even if they end up together, which is pretty predictable and makes sense since it’s a drama, it doesn’t suddenly make their relationship good or healthy. I still think it’s unfortunate for You Shu Lang to be with someone like that.
That said, I’ll definitely keep watching, because I really like this show. It portrays a fascinating, complicated relationship and shows some very interesting character development. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from watching it, quite the opposite :)