iammage

In Episode 9, Yujin and the professor make Park Minjae wait for an eternity at the restaurant, and then later, Yujin asks him if he could just go somewhere else other than this college. Then, in Episode 10, the professor rudely questions why he even bothered to come back at all.

Leave everything else aside: who is anyone to question his return to his own country? This is his own college, where he studied for a long time. Doesn't he have the right to live near his friends, his family, and his mom—especially when he is already dealing with a serious illness?

So, now, he needs to accommodate Yujin so she can live comfortably in this city, and he also has to accommodate the professor so the professor can smoothly pursue his love life? It is absolutely ridiculous. Every bit of self-righteousness just blows away when it comes to Minjae's right to live his life and protect his own feelings.

For some viewers, Professor Lee's trash talk—where he questioned Park Minjae's return to the country, criticized him for starting as a professor at that college, swore at him, looked down on his pain, and degraded his disease while barking like an animal that he will protect the female lead—is being twisted into some kind of "wake-up call" for Park Minjae. That is completely ridiculous.

In this entire drama, the only character who is truly self-aware and mature enough to recognize his own faults and correct them is Park Minjae. He does not need a toxic professor to teach him what is right or wrong. It is not that he is being evasive; he is a fighter who is consistently fighting with his life and for his life.

Throughout that entire confrontation, it was Park Minjae who remained calm, dignified, and composed. If anyone else had been in that situation, or if someone who genuinely cared about Park Minjae had been present in that room, Professor Lee would not have left that place in a single piece. We really need Park Minjae's friend, Chacha, here to stand up for him! Dude is literally being bullied here. 😔

In Episode 10, Park Minjae asked the professor, "What if I had died of cancer?" Instead of showing a shred of human empathy, the professor threw back a cold, sarcastic remark: "You could have also died from a car accident while walking on the roads, so be careful if you're so afraid of dying."

This malicious comparison shows exactly how low the professor is willing to stoop. Weaponising a cruel, sarcastic analogy to minimise Minjae's real trauma and brush off his life-threatening illness as if it were a simple everyday mishap is the ultimate proof of his toxic nature.

At last, the professor snake showed his fangs and spit out all his poison! Episode 10 was good because it delivered raw, unfiltered emotions from every single character. It was so refreshing to see Park Minjae maintain his absolute composure instead of stooping as low as the professor. That is typical Park Minjae — well-composed and considerate of others, no matter what.

It only takes two to tango when both people actually know they are dancing. Manipulation isn't a mutual dance; it's one person pulling the strings while the other is kept in the dark. You can't claim it's 'free will' and 'consenting adults' when one party uses lies and hidden mind games to control the choices of the other. That's not a transaction, that's deceit.

Exactly, the professor needs to understand this: 'People are allowed to choose their own rhythm in life.' He has no right to act as a self-proclaimed strategist in someone else's life—especially the male lead's, who is already suffering and fighting to live. I don't care if the professor tangos or dances with the female lead; that is their own personal matter. But orchestrating mind games behind people's backs is where it crosses the line.

Actually, the gift was not "Park Minjae". It was the necklace and those rings. But after the professor had planned the dinner, he found out from Park Minjae's professor that Park Minjae was coming back. So, he decided to eliminate the "Park Minjae threat" first, saving the necklace and rings to give to her on some other day.

I wonder how ethical, sympathetic, or empathetic it really is to manipulate someone's emotions and play mind games just to achieve a desired result. After all, we are talking about actual people—human beings with real feelings. They are not X, Y, or Z variables, nor are they static constants in someone's personal equation. Reducing human hearts to math problems is the ultimate form of cruelty. Imagine yourself being that X or Y variable in someone else's calculation, completely manipulated by another person who treats your life like an equation on a board. Personally, I would feel utterly violated and deeply uncomfortable if I ever realized something like this was happening to me.

Some people are liking the professor simply for his looks while criticizing the male lead for his behavior. Isn't that hypocritical? In terms of actions and emotional maturity, the male lead is far better than the professor. Even though the male lead constantly lives with the fear of his illness, he remains far more considerate toward everyone around him than anyone else.

When the female lead told the male lead that she would dump him if her mother demanded it, did he overreact? Not at all. Yet, if the male lead had said the exact same thing, the female lead likely would have run straight to the professor for relationship advice. I don't mean to overly criticize the female lead, but she clearly did not provide him with enough emotional security. To phrase it better, her immature comments only made him more insecure—not to mention the fact that she wagered their relationship on a stupid bet. Despite this, female lead fans still insist that only the male lead needs to be understanding, completely freeing her of any responsibility. The male lead is already dealing with a severe illness and is being looked down upon by almost everyone. So sure, let's just crush him completely. While I won't say the male lead did the right thing by breaking up with her, let's be honest: he deserves every concession. He is a disabled individual who is suffering, yet he remains far more composed than almost anyone else would be in his situation.

Some viewers argue that the professor just "has flaws" like everyone else in the drama, comparing him to the female lead's brother or Sejin. However, the brother and Sejin have had moments of genuine emotional vulnerability and care, proving they are just normal, flawed human beings. In contrast, the professor consistently behaves like a psychopath. He constantly looks down on everyone and is entirely too full of himself, which goes way beyond having simple "flaws."

Finally, some claim that because the male lead's bone tumor metastasized to his lungs, he will die, making him the "wrong choice." But the male lead clearly stated that the doctors couldn't definitively confirm the exact nature of the lung tumor. More importantly, he confirmed that his treatment went well, his surgery and chemotherapy were completely successful, and he is okay now. Even if he were to face health risks down the line, that is no reason to look down on him. Perfectly healthy people can pass away at any moment from a sudden heart attack, an unexpected mishap, or a road accident.

I don't think there is a second male lead in this drama. As far as the professor's character is concerned, he hasn't received enough screen time to be called a second male lead.

While I don't hate him, his character is quite pathetic and disturbing. Here is why:

1. The hospital scene early in the drama: He tried to touch the female lead while she was unconscious, which made him look like a total pervert.
2. Right after her surgery: He called the male lead a total LOSER just because he had rejected the female lead. He showed absolutely no empathy or sympathy toward anyone.

Furthermore, he constantly tries to manipulate the female lead and the other characters whenever he gets the chance.

Episode 9 really highlights how he is trying to weave a web of manipulation around the female lead so she can move on, allowing him to approach her:

1. He gives the male lead's phone number to the female lead just to gauge her reaction and plan his next strategy.
2. He acts highly righteous in front of the other professor, making him feel guilty by pretending to care deeply about the female lead—all while secretly planning something else with that necklace and those rings.
3. The moment he finds out the male lead is returning and his plan might be ruined, he forces a direct confrontation between the leads.
4. Above all else, he acts incredibly "cool," as if managing everything is effortless for him.

Conclusion: Personally, I think he views everyone as variables in a maths equation. He is trying to solve that equation through manipulation to separate the leads permanently and claim the female lead for himself.