Glorple

I will say for unaware readers, this show is more on the psychological thriller side and has a mild dose of violence, self harm, definitely abuse, and SA. I can't list all the warnings so do be aware of the severe parts of the show if you are sensitive!

I just finished watching this show. I usually write my reviews right after watching them, but I'm not even sure how to go about explaining this. This show freaked me out, made me hate characters so strongly, gave me a feeling of hopelessness and exasperation, you name it. I say all this but I truly do mean it in a good way because that's exactly what the show sets out to do! I did know what I was in for because I watched a video discussing this show among others but I'm still taken aback. Okay, I've gotta start somewhere with this review.

Let's rewind to the start! If you made me watch half of the show, I would've never suspected Jaemin of doing... all that. I did watch someone discuss this but I wasn't sure who exactly was the love interest and who were the evil ones. Knowing that there were 3 "love interests" and that 2 of them were horrible people had me suspecting everyone. Until Suhyeon came along, I wouldn't have been surprised if Seonghyeon turned out to be the controlling one because his flaws (clingy, pushy, stubborn) were evident earlier than Jaemin's. For that, I sincerely apologise to Seonghyeon. Da On is interesting too, I mean, he's the main character, of course he is. I saw people point out a flaw of Da On and even say that they think the show did too much with it; the flaw being his inability to be clear and stand up for himself. I'd say that this flaw has only been observed by viewers whenever Da On was in a scene with Suhyeon. At the start he didn't really have a reason to go against Jaemin, and he only just met his coworker (who he HAS been rude with). I didn't think of this flaw as an issue for the show, honestly I don't really consider it a flaw of Da On either. My thoughts on this issue parallel another feeling/thought I had about the relationships. If I ever have these kind of relationships, or if I ever meet (God forbid) people like that in my life, I'd probably be helpless and wouldn't be able to do much. Obviously it depends on the person, how much control they have of their life, their trust in police, their views of love and its boundaries, etc. But in my case I would be able to do even lesser than Da On against those evil men. With Jaemin, there's a strong attachment and years of relationship as well as mental debt. Suhyeon is likewise insane but he's dangerous, violent, and most of all, powerful (rich, big company, the boss). No one can convince me that they wouldn't hesitate or struggle a bit when going against these people, especially Suhyeon who does NOT stop to think whenever he has a violent urge (which actually makes Jaemin scarier because he DOES think out his violent acts before he does it). In fact, I thought Da On was really strong at the start for saying no and going against Suhyeon's orders even when that bastard had him against the wall by his collar after breaking a vase. He continued to say no to some of Suhyeon's orders after that as well. It's kind of hard to do that when someone who can and will kill you is attacking you. I'd also like to thank the show for depicting the abuses as they are, and more so for making the love interest the normal coworker and not Suhyeon, even if that's the whole point of the plot. I guess I've seen too many "love interests" do horrible things and have their shows treat it normally. But wow, I tend to put myself in the main characters shoes when thinking about a show and nothing has made me realise how done I'd be in such a situation. It makes you realise the severity of what the character is going through. This was unintended for sure but I felt my resolve to stay away from toxic and abusive people strengthen just thinking about it. I hope it had the same effect on people who actually need it. The only frustrating thing/flaw of Da On in my eyes would be him constantly walking away WHEN TALKING ABOUT IT JUST A LITTLE MORE WOULD HELP GREATLY!!! So many characters do this during arguments so I'm used to it. I was also confused during that period where he was pushing Seonghyeon away after Suhyeon pretty much threatened (and dare I say even SA'd him with a forceful make out thing) Da On. It felt like a switched flipped inside him which I first assumed was him acting rude and cold for both his and Seonghyeon's safety from Suhyeon but with what he and his sister said, it gives the impression that it's normal for him to think that? They were like "oh yeah he does that a lot and acts like he isn't good enough (something like that) for your love". If it's a normal train of thought it sure happened suddenly. Maybe Suhyeon's outburst triggered something for him to act like that.
Speaking of Suhyeon, even now, I hate him a lot. It might even be more or equal to the hate I have for Jaemin. The thing that made Jaemin bearable is that he was never really directly violent with Da On (save for the finale obviously) and also that he mostly disappeared or played a very weak role in the middle. Actually he only went insane towards the end and had the viewers attention then. With Suhyeon, he was persistent and Da On didn't even like him. I also think that any likeability is gone when you start getting unreasonably violent with someone you love and essentially become a domestic abuser. I don't think the show was trying to redeem him at the end, I myself was surprised he agreed to quit harassing Da On on his own will, so I hope that isn't the case. That scene did hit my heart though because it made me realise that years and years of bonding with both Jaemin and Suhyeon was gone just like that. That guy shouldn't be in a relationship until he can keep his anger under control. I know the show makes Jaemin the bigger villain but in my opinion both of them are equally bad in their own ways. It's interesting to note that during the ring flashback scene, it looked like Da On was pressured into saying yes to Suhyeon. I know that their relationship in uni was supposed to be almost completely healthy/normal but seeing how Suhyeon treats him now brought back that feeling of frustration and anger when I saw him once again forcefully push Da On against a wall - the same behaviour, just in the past. I don't know if it was on purpose but it felt like a pattern of behaviour, like that push and other forceful behaviour done in the flashbacks was planting the seeds for what would happen later on. I'm also unclear on whether or not these two had sex after that Seonghyeon-Suhyeon confrontation in front of Da On's apartment. That make out scene was already uncomfortable and definitely pressured at the very least, so my heart stopped when I saw Suhyeon wake up kind of shirtless and in new clothes in Da On's bed. That is so concerning I pray for Da On's sake that isn't the case cause that adds to the horridness these men subject him to. I wish the show cleared that up but maybe I'm just stupid and it's very clearly implied they did sleep together. I'm also questioning why Da On wasn't clear that what Suhyeon was doing wasn't related to a love for Jaemin but for him instead (though I'd argue an obsession) especially after Suhyeon started making out with him in his apartment?? Why would he make out with you if he's trying to get Jaemin back or spite him? Maybe Suhyeon used sexual assault as a weapon before but its not like the viewer would know that. Either way, Suhyeon can go to hell and back and I can't find it in my heart to be happy that he did the bare minimum and stopped stalking and harassing Da On. He's lucky there's a bigger evil because the things I would've said wouldn't even be in the review right now; physical domestic abuse is a bit more alien to me thankfully so I'm not used to it and haven't heard many excuses for it, my tolerance is a bit low.
I think they did a good job balancing Seonghyeon and Da On's relationship because it let me breathe in between all the grim events. I like that he's also flawed, like doing too much and clinging, but definitely not to the extent that our 2 satanic hellspawns are. There isn't much to say about him because he's a pretty normal love interest all things considered. Bless his persistence when there's an argument because where Da On walks away, he chases him and makes sure that there isn't something left unsaid or misunderstood. Except for that hickey thing, I was screaming at my screen for Da On to just say that Jaemin assaulted/forced himself onto him and that's why he has that. I understand why people would want to keep such a thing private but he was ready to clear the air in Seonghyeon's apartment until Seonghyeon cut him off and was like "no need to explain, I get how it is", and he just gave up trying to explain a very explainable thing? I was surprised to see Seonghyeon say and cut Da On off continously like that, like that's my communication king right there what happened? But I understand he was deeply hurt :( also shout out to Seonghyeon's actor (Cha Sun Hyung) for having a ridiculously contagious smile for a character like Seonghyeon who would definitely have a feature like that!
Now, Jaemin. Despite being what I'd say the main antagonist, I don't have that much to say about him, at least compared to Suhyeon. The reveal that he knew Da On before their first official meeting was crazy, it makes so much sense and implies stalking on an insane scale. Crazy how different it is when a similar reveal was done with Seonghyeon, made me love the couple even more. Jaemin is the kind of obsessed, violent and severely mentally ill character you'd see in mangas, manhwas, animes, movies, any fictional setting. Which is why it was so unsettling seeing it being depicted a bit realistically (at least before the finale). He didn't even need to be crazy rich like Suhyeon, just financially stable; he would pay strangers some money to interfere with Da On's life. If you asked multiple people on the street to do that, with the money in hand, someone's guaranteed to accept. Crazy how he makes Suhyeon look sane. I loved when even after going through the disgustingly manipulative theatrics of stabbing himself 2 or 3 times in the arm in front of Da On to guilt trip him, he's left alone at the hospital with a note rejecting him. I love when Da On does stuff like that, I was proud. I did find it crazy when he kidnapped and then tried to kill both himself and Da On (that's where my fictional point comes in) but I think that's because he was simply MIA for a good chunk of the show and he was completely normal at the start so I wouldn't really count that either. The thing that separated him and Suhyeon was the strategy of violence which Suhyeon didn't employ, it was all violence and no strategy with him. To be fair I did suspect that Jaemin was gonna do something extreme when his lack of presence and strong role was becoming a bit too obvious. I still didn't expect that insane kidnapping scene, I was at a loss of words there. This man was really dressed like a dang groom or something and taking photos of a powerless, tied up Da On like it wasn't the grossest thing ever. Let alone THE MURDER ATTEMPTS!!! I feel guilty saying this but I kind of loved it when he went no filter crazy in the police station, laughing in Suhyeon's face and going "you'll never know why I did that contract". Hell, I started laughing with him cause his mental state is unbelievably cooked LMAO.
I also have to disagree with the reason for Suhyeon leaving Da On alone. It's not that you couldn't protect him, you kind of already did by kicking Jaemin at the last second and consequently knocking him out when he was about to finally stab Da On, but more so that you were horribly abusive. The amount of times he grabbed Da On's jaw like that made my own jaw hurt. Not only that, but he constantly belittled Da On (he even did that in one of the uni flashbacks!). My view of how the show handled Suhyeon is ever so slightly iffy because it felt like in the build-up of Jaemin his wrongs mattered less, but I'm glad that his violence was shown as something negative and his anger issues as a problem.
Overall, I cared and engaged with the main character a lot, constantly wondering what he did to deserve two of the most evil men on this Earth being obsessed with him. The tension really gave off thriller vibes which I have been missing a lot recently and I enjoyed Jaemin even if he doesn't have a strong role until the very end. I liked when Seonghyeon and Da On would come to an understanding after an argument, very satisfying. The abuse is negatively portrayed and when it comes to a more realistic domestic abuse case like Suhyeon, it could help people reflect on their own similar relationships and maybe give them a push to get out of such a thing, or it could be a valuable cautionary tale for those who are new to relationships. For the rewatch rating, it might be a bit lower than expected but that's because this show is pretty heavy with its mistreatment and abuse aspects so it might be hard to sit through all that again. Still, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who have a love for psychological thrillers like I do but still want something slightly calm (thanks to the normal romance).