불우한 삶-3

Bad Life #3

by 백나라

*강간, 윤간, 폭력, 학대, 마약과 관련된 자극적인 장면이 다수 있습니다.*

5년 동안 모친에게 감금당한 뒤, 내버려지듯 시골 기숙학교로 전학가게 된 레이몬드. 그는 네 명의 기숙사 룸메이트들과 함께 새로운 학교생활을 시작하는데.

말수가 적고 무뚝뚝하지만 친절한 소년 <시몬>.
사교적이고 활발해 누구에게나 사랑받는 소년 <휴>.
꿍꿍이가 있는 듯한 비밀스러운 소년 <조지>.

그리고, 이제 우리는 <제롬>에 대해 알아야 한다.

<제롬>은 혼자 방을 썼다. 조지 말로는 학생 수가 모자라기 때문이라고 했지만 나는 그 말을 믿지 않았다. 나는 <제롬>을 처음 보았을 때부터 본능적으로 그가 싫었다. 그는 나와 키도 체격도 비슷했지만 어쩐지 나보다 더 크고 강한 인상이었다. 승마를 하는 그의 체구는 늘씬하고 날렵했으며 손이 보통 사람보다 좀 더 컸다.
매일 말을 타기 때문에 그는 승마복을 입고 오는 경우가 많았다. 다리에 딱 달라붙는 하얀 승마용 팬츠와 검은 부츠를 신고, 칼라를 푼 셔츠 차림에 가죽으로 만든 말채찍을 들고 있었다. 나는 특히 그 채찍이 싫었다. <제롬>은 종종 장난이랍시고 채찍 끝에 달린 가죽끈 고리로 휴의 턱 끝을 치켜 올리곤 했는데 그 광경이 몹시 불편했던 것이다.

290 pages, Unknown Binding

Reviews

[khai · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝗧𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲. 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗠𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁. 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀.”
- I couldn’t stop my tears at the mention Carl’s name. I feel so sad for Raymond. The pain and trauma was too much to the point he couldn’t even remember Carl’s face anymore. The guilt is killing him and both Simon and Jerome are using it to break Raymond. They didn’t like the fact that Raymond had a friend back in Bluebell, specifically Simon who was extremely jealous when he realised Raymond showing his soft side to people.

Raymond cannot catch a break. Just when I thought he was free, he’s back to square one and he’s being gang 🍇 by multiple men in this cabin as Simon and Jerome have found him. I genuinely hope in the next volume, Raymond tortures and kills all those men. He came to Laverham (in south america) for his new job which seems to be cutting and building. He got done dirty by a man named Matt who he slept with but he left with Raymond’s money and car. There was a film production happening nearby and one of the actors turned out to be Simon under a different name. Jerome also appears and then everything just does downhill from there. They take him to the cabin for him to be used by those men.

It actually broke me reading that Raymond forgot how to take care of himself. He’s just lying on that mattress and being used repeatedly and being drugged without his knowledge by Simon. Jerome comes and teaches how to brush his teeth, wash, put on clothes and how to eat again because he had forgot everything 😭

[Harleen Quinzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the same review from vol3 and vol4.

Warning: read at your own risk (this review and the entire novel itself)

Another well-written 불삶 arc from 백나라 and to be honest, despite the well-written cruel imagery and depictions in the Lavenham/Laverham arc (correct me with the spelling if wrong), I still can't shake the fact that the MC suffered more worse in this arc than the previous Bluebell arc. Well he suffered at Bluebell too, but this arc will get you more angrier than ever you had from Bluebell. Except for a fact that Raymond succeeded another part of his revenge but this time, its George paying the price.

I rated it 3 stars for some reasons: 1) Raymond (MC) suffered 🍇 too much, inhumanly disgusting and traumatizing. I keep on squinting and facepalming myself while reading this arc, stomach flipping I almost vomit. 2) The writing style, as I have mentioned in my previous 불삶 review, makes the reader feel included. What I mean is, reading what Raymond has been going through in the hands of those filthy disgusting men in days and weeks makes me feel like a bystander. A bystander who can't even stop what's going on and reach out to help him. I was literally crying. That's what vol3-vol4 made me feel like.
Suffocating and frustrating af.

Not that I can say that getting to know more of the remaining top floor boys was the best part, but we've got to see more of Simon's character unpacking layer by layer. Simon was more complex of a character than Jerome and the others. Jerome is mysterious but easy to be read and interpreted. Unlike Simon, there are lots of layers you have to peel to see the real him and this arc was just the start of it, same goes with Jerome but on a different perspective. I have also have seen a bit of changes with Jerome's character, his unfamiliar subtle emotions and approach towards Raymond.

George's death was so satisfying. George with his burnt face like Deadpool enough to make me laugh with joy added to that satisfaction. Raymond succeeded plotting his revenge towards Hugh and George. He successfully eradicated the true perpetrators of his hell life (there are some reasons why I didn't specifically include Jerome and Simon bec it'll be revealed in the next chapters and volumes). Like what Jerome said on vol6, Raymond succeeded in separting Hugh and George, the lovers, with each other.

If there's an arc that I would like to re-read, Laverham arc isn't one of them unless a miracle happened to pass by and encourage me to reread it with bravery (or if my short-term memory struck me).

[Star of the Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Life/Unfortunate Life [불우한삶]

[Vol. 1 - 6]

Baek Nara's writing style is unparalleled to other stories with similar themes as Bad Life. Raymond Goodman, as the main character, makes you feel like he's guiding you through, which is a testament to her skill. Her masterful storytelling weaves thought-provoking themes and characters, and it has hooked me despite initial reservations and evoked strong emotions and investment.

Initially, Raymond's life seems simple: an unwanted child, abandoned and trapped among sociopathic high-class individuals. But there's more to his birth and entanglement with Jerome, Hugh, George, and Simon

Truthfully, there are more cruelty that Raymond will encounter so I suggest you take a break if you can't take it anymore because it takes a rough road to get to his chosen destination.

Baek Nara explores cruelty and power abuse through Raymond's eyes, leaving you pondering the harsh realities. The 'dog/pet and master' motif illustrates gruesome consequences. The Donwell family's dynamics are disturbing, tormenting Jerome, Simon, George, Christopher, Raymond, and others.

This novel undeniably deserves a lot of attention. It has its own manhwa adaptation, a Korean comic webtoon series. I hope it gets the audience and appreciation it deserves.

Go read (at your own risk) Bad Life 불우한삶
if you haven't yet.

PS. I'll add more once I'm done with this book.