Editorials 
1
Are We Defined by What We Do or What We Choose?
What a drama… Fangs of Fortune really makes you question human nature.
What makes someone evil? Is evil something that already exists inside a person, or is it something shaped by circumstances, choices, and the struggles they go through?
When does a human become a monster?
Maybe the line between good and evil is much thinner than we think — almost invisible. And when you walk on that line, you have to be careful, because you never know when or why that line might disappear.
Episode 17 made me think about this even more through Zhao Yuanzhou.
He is the Demon King, but at the same time, he wants to live like an ordinary person. During the Blood Moon, he absorbs all the hatred and anger of the demons, until he completely loses control of himself. He isn't consciously choosing to hurt people, and he isn't even aware of what he's doing in that state.
Then, when he returns to himself and realizes what happened, he's devastated. He knows people died because of him, and he punishes himself for it.
But this is where I started questioning the idea of guilt and regret.
How can we ask someone to regret something in the same way we would expect them to regret a conscious choice when they had no awareness, no intention, and no control over their actions?
Usually, when we talk about doing something evil, we imagine someone who knows what they're doing, knows it's wrong, chooses to do it anyway, and later regrets that choice.
But what happens when there was no choice?
Of course, the consequences are real. The people who died are real. Their loved ones have every right to be hurt, angry, and unable to forgive him.
But at the same time, Zhao Yuanzhou is also suffering from something he never consciously chose.
And that's what makes this story so heartbreaking to me. It doesn't simply ask, “Is he good or evil?” It makes us question where evil comes from, what makes someone a monster, and how much of our morality is actually defined by our choices.
Maybe being capable of evil doesn't automatically make someone evil.
Maybe what makes us human is the constant struggle between the darkness inside us and the part of us that chooses to resist it.
And maybe the hardest question is:
If the darkness inside you takes away your consciousness, your free will, and your control, can you truly be judged for what you did — or are you only responsible for what you choose when you are yourself?
What makes someone evil? Is evil something that already exists inside a person, or is it something shaped by circumstances, choices, and the struggles they go through?
When does a human become a monster?
Maybe the line between good and evil is much thinner than we think — almost invisible. And when you walk on that line, you have to be careful, because you never know when or why that line might disappear.
Episode 17 made me think about this even more through Zhao Yuanzhou.
He is the Demon King, but at the same time, he wants to live like an ordinary person. During the Blood Moon, he absorbs all the hatred and anger of the demons, until he completely loses control of himself. He isn't consciously choosing to hurt people, and he isn't even aware of what he's doing in that state.
Then, when he returns to himself and realizes what happened, he's devastated. He knows people died because of him, and he punishes himself for it.
But this is where I started questioning the idea of guilt and regret.
How can we ask someone to regret something in the same way we would expect them to regret a conscious choice when they had no awareness, no intention, and no control over their actions?
Usually, when we talk about doing something evil, we imagine someone who knows what they're doing, knows it's wrong, chooses to do it anyway, and later regrets that choice.
But what happens when there was no choice?
Of course, the consequences are real. The people who died are real. Their loved ones have every right to be hurt, angry, and unable to forgive him.
But at the same time, Zhao Yuanzhou is also suffering from something he never consciously chose.
And that's what makes this story so heartbreaking to me. It doesn't simply ask, “Is he good or evil?” It makes us question where evil comes from, what makes someone a monster, and how much of our morality is actually defined by our choices.
Maybe being capable of evil doesn't automatically make someone evil.
Maybe what makes us human is the constant struggle between the darkness inside us and the part of us that chooses to resist it.
And maybe the hardest question is:
If the darkness inside you takes away your consciousness, your free will, and your control, can you truly be judged for what you did — or are you only responsible for what you choose when you are yourself?
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