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Out Alpha'd: A MM Omegaverse Alpha Romance
Oh Sihwan is campus royalty, an Alpha used to getting everything he wants. His junior year is all mapped stay on top, look good doing it, and claim the most sought-after Omega for his own.
Enter Kang Donghwa. The infuriatingly stoic freshman who’s taller, richer, and possesses an Alpha presence that makes Sihwan’s feel like cheap cologne. To make matters worse, the prize Omega only has eyes for him.
What starts as a rivalry for social supremacy spirals into a testosterone-fueled war. Sihwan is determined to prove he’s the only dominant Alpha who matters. He’ll make Donghwa bend. He'll make him break.
But when a final, desperate move to establish dominance goes spectacularly wrong, Sihwan finds himself pinned, panting, and enjoying it way more than an Alpha should. Hate is one hell of a drug, but this obsession? It might be lethal.
Enter Kang Donghwa. The infuriatingly stoic freshman who’s taller, richer, and possesses an Alpha presence that makes Sihwan’s feel like cheap cologne. To make matters worse, the prize Omega only has eyes for him.
What starts as a rivalry for social supremacy spirals into a testosterone-fueled war. Sihwan is determined to prove he’s the only dominant Alpha who matters. He’ll make Donghwa bend. He'll make him break.
But when a final, desperate move to establish dominance goes spectacularly wrong, Sihwan finds himself pinned, panting, and enjoying it way more than an Alpha should. Hate is one hell of a drug, but this obsession? It might be lethal.
610 pages, Paperback
Published December 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 1, 2026
Wonderful, but the ending? Like? It's over? At that point? I was reading and couldn't believe it. There were a few more pages missing.
Where is Oh Sihwan's emotional growth? He literally matured almost nothing, learned almost nothing. He has a problem with insecurity and doesn't even face it to be with his mate. I was very dissatisfied, the ending ruins their whole journey because in the end... nothing changes.
Oh Sihwan will still try to seek people's approval and attention, instead of living his life the way he wants.
Where is Oh Sihwan's emotional growth? He literally matured almost nothing, learned almost nothing. He has a problem with insecurity and doesn't even face it to be with his mate. I was very dissatisfied, the ending ruins their whole journey because in the end... nothing changes.
Oh Sihwan will still try to seek people's approval and attention, instead of living his life the way he wants.
Read
February 5, 2026If all the repetitions of “winter air, ink, and ginseng” were cut out, the book would go from 563 pages to probably around 340😂.
But jokes aside, is this written by a person? I have my doubts. I genuinely don’t think a human being would let “winter air, ink, and ginseng” be repeated 80 times. EIGHTY TIMES. Wow.
There are many other repetitions, absolutely unnecessary ones, like constantly mentioning that the other MC is taller. That’s repeated about 10 times, which, compared to the winter air, isn’t that many. But do I need to be told 10 times that one MC is taller than the other? Nop. I really, really don’t.
Not too sure what to think about this book. It reads like a toxic BL manga(which I'm okay with xD), and I probably would have given it 2.5-3 stars because I like some of the tropes in it and it had some funny bits. But since I’m not fully convinced this was written by an actual human, I’ll refrain from rating it for now and just leave this review.
But jokes aside, is this written by a person? I have my doubts. I genuinely don’t think a human being would let “winter air, ink, and ginseng” be repeated 80 times. EIGHTY TIMES. Wow.
There are many other repetitions, absolutely unnecessary ones, like constantly mentioning that the other MC is taller. That’s repeated about 10 times, which, compared to the winter air, isn’t that many. But do I need to be told 10 times that one MC is taller than the other? Nop. I really, really don’t.
Not too sure what to think about this book. It reads like a toxic BL manga(which I'm okay with xD), and I probably would have given it 2.5-3 stars because I like some of the tropes in it and it had some funny bits. But since I’m not fully convinced this was written by an actual human, I’ll refrain from rating it for now and just leave this review.
February 2, 2026
2.14 ☆
I honestly don’t even know what to think or what to say…
I thought I was going to read a cute MM rivals-to-lovers. Huge mistake. The story and its potential are a solid 10/10, but the execution and all the grey areas make the rating drop drastically.
Let’s start with the positives :
The chemistry between the characters — especially toward the end — is insane. If you like super protective guys when it comes to their partner, this is definitely the book for you. You want to know what happens next, it’s quite addictive.
Now the in-between ?
Personally, I didn’t like it, but I know some people love sex scenes that take up three-quarters of the book… and in that case, you’ll be well served. In the end, the relationship between the two characters is only explained through sex and the fact that they’re bonded, but… yeah, no. Overall, the relationship felt pretty meh to me lol.
But if that’s your thing, welcome to a porn with plot.
Now the negatives :
The non-consensual stuff — honestly, at the beginning, can we not just call it rape ? The lack of consent is justified with “you asked for it, you shouldn’t have pushed me too far”, very disturbing.
Especially when Kang Donghwa later realizes what he did, there could have been a genuine moment of reckoning where he understands that he raped someone (okay, why not). But more importantly, considering how complex and tortured Oh Sihwan is as a character, he completely broke him — shattering his foundation, in my humble opinion.
Putting someone in their place because of your “innate superiority” is one thing; submitting someone in a non-consensual and humiliating way (otherwise it wouldn’t be “fun,” right ?) is another. And then framing that humiliation as a kink to justify the toxic power imbalance between them? I want to die.
On top of that, throughout the whole book, Kang Donghwa is portrayed as the dominant alpha who holds the truth, while Oh Sihwan is treated like the crazy little kid who refuses to accept his submission — and is so stubborn that when he expresses his emotions in a violent and immature way, there’s no need to listen to him, because a spanking will put him back in his place.
Oh Sihwan is a character with so much potential, with undeniable progressive development — except at the end, where he’d rather put his relationship at risk than his reputation. And sure, it doesn’t hurt anyone, but please, save me.
I honestly don’t even know what to think or what to say…
I thought I was going to read a cute MM rivals-to-lovers. Huge mistake. The story and its potential are a solid 10/10, but the execution and all the grey areas make the rating drop drastically.
Let’s start with the positives :
The chemistry between the characters — especially toward the end — is insane. If you like super protective guys when it comes to their partner, this is definitely the book for you. You want to know what happens next, it’s quite addictive.
Now the in-between ?
Personally, I didn’t like it, but I know some people love sex scenes that take up three-quarters of the book… and in that case, you’ll be well served. In the end, the relationship between the two characters is only explained through sex and the fact that they’re bonded, but… yeah, no. Overall, the relationship felt pretty meh to me lol.
But if that’s your thing, welcome to a porn with plot.
Now the negatives :
The non-consensual stuff — honestly, at the beginning, can we not just call it rape ? The lack of consent is justified with “you asked for it, you shouldn’t have pushed me too far”, very disturbing.
Especially when Kang Donghwa later realizes what he did, there could have been a genuine moment of reckoning where he understands that he raped someone (okay, why not). But more importantly, considering how complex and tortured Oh Sihwan is as a character, he completely broke him — shattering his foundation, in my humble opinion.
Putting someone in their place because of your “innate superiority” is one thing; submitting someone in a non-consensual and humiliating way (otherwise it wouldn’t be “fun,” right ?) is another. And then framing that humiliation as a kink to justify the toxic power imbalance between them? I want to die.
On top of that, throughout the whole book, Kang Donghwa is portrayed as the dominant alpha who holds the truth, while Oh Sihwan is treated like the crazy little kid who refuses to accept his submission — and is so stubborn that when he expresses his emotions in a violent and immature way, there’s no need to listen to him, because a spanking will put him back in his place.
Oh Sihwan is a character with so much potential, with undeniable progressive development — except at the end, where he’d rather put his relationship at risk than his reputation. And sure, it doesn’t hurt anyone, but please, save me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2026
I really wanted to like it. It was well written. But the dub-con was a little too non-con for me. Sihwan never got to make any choices of his own. He was constantly dominated or humiliated. I guess we were supposed to think he had too much pride and needed to be taken down a notch, but it was just too sad that instead of him learning to love himself and be proud of his relationship with Donghwa, he just became a shell of himself, constantly hiding away, cowering, and ashamed.
December 28, 2025
wow
That was an amazing read. I stayed up late and woke up early just to keep reading. It played out like a kdrama. Sihwan is the kind of drama I normally don’t like, but when more is revealed about his home life it all makes sense. No one is a flat character. The chemistry is insane and the writing is great. I recommend this!
That was an amazing read. I stayed up late and woke up early just to keep reading. It played out like a kdrama. Sihwan is the kind of drama I normally don’t like, but when more is revealed about his home life it all makes sense. No one is a flat character. The chemistry is insane and the writing is great. I recommend this!
January 5, 2026
I have been waiting for a book like this, and I loved it for the most part. These two are so sexy it hurts. The tension and the chemistry were amazing. This author knows how to bring two people together. I have one critique though. By the end of the book, I felt like Sihwan got the short end of the stick. He never gains any real confidence, he doesn't stand up for himself at all. Donghwa ends up doing everything himself and just accepting the everything to protect Sihwan because he's seen as perfect. I still really enjoyed the story though. I think I'd definitely read anything else the author comes up with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2026
El libro comenzó bien, tiene una buena premisa y es alfa x alfa, nada de volver a un alfa en omega, lo cual lo hace distinto de otras novelas que venden como AxA que termina siendo AxO.
Y eso que quería abandonar al inicio porque no soporte a Sihwan, especialmente queriendo ser el mejor alfa, parecía tan narcisista, pero nada como ver a este alfa tan orgulloso queriendo conquistar omegas como si fueran trofeos siendo follado por un alfa más joven que él. El contenido explícito es bueno, pero me faltó más diálogos, a mi me encanta leer diálogos durante el coito.
Para mí, Donghwa fue lo más top, me encantó siendo un príncipe de hielo que mostraba más emociones si se trataba de Sihwan. Me encantó el tema del vínculo, y me faltó más la confesión, y el desarrollo de Sihwan, para que se acepte a si mismo en lugar de buscar aprobación de los demás, y por eso no me gustó ese final apresurado. Se da entender que habrá otro libro??? No lo sabemos, porque fue tan abrupto que arruina la experiencia del libro. El final debe ser satisfactorio y eso se sintió forzado dando un final abierto.
Y eso que quería abandonar al inicio porque no soporte a Sihwan, especialmente queriendo ser el mejor alfa, parecía tan narcisista, pero nada como ver a este alfa tan orgulloso queriendo conquistar omegas como si fueran trofeos siendo follado por un alfa más joven que él. El contenido explícito es bueno, pero me faltó más diálogos, a mi me encanta leer diálogos durante el coito.
Para mí, Donghwa fue lo más top, me encantó siendo un príncipe de hielo que mostraba más emociones si se trataba de Sihwan. Me encantó el tema del vínculo, y me faltó más la confesión, y el desarrollo de Sihwan, para que se acepte a si mismo en lugar de buscar aprobación de los demás, y por eso no me gustó ese final apresurado. Se da entender que habrá otro libro??? No lo sabemos, porque fue tan abrupto que arruina la experiencia del libro. El final debe ser satisfactorio y eso se sintió forzado dando un final abierto.
February 7, 2026
Loved it! but I wanted more from the ending it felt like the story wasn’t finished.
July 13, 2026
2 stars just because I completed it.
August 11, 2026
Ese final fue ??????
August 29, 2026
Ooh boy, this was a difficult read, ironically enough, NOT at all because of the missing trigger warnings the story very much needs, but because of the unholy amount of second hand embarrasment Sihwan put me through. That said, I'm choosing not to hide this review even though it does contain spoilers cause I truly do believe this novel requires a disclaimer, and if the author isn't going to give it to us (again, cause this is a recuring problem throughout her books), then I'll try. If you find that there's one missing, please do comment it on the review so that hopefully people don't have to continue going in blind.
Trigger Warnings:
- Public humiliation
- Rape/Non-Con
- Consensual Non-Con
- Blood & Injury (mating bite)
- Past abuse of a child (pysical)
- Current on-going abuse (emotional, psychological, verbal)
- Physical Violence
- Attempted physical assault (I'm not sure if this is the best label for it, but close enough)
Alright, that said, here's my take on this whole thing. Sihwan is deeply insecure and his attempts to assorting dominance over the "competition" were downright stupid. This man is supposed to be intelligent AND understand how this whole hierarchy thing works, and somehow he's pulling the most petty, reputation-damaging stunts to show himself superior, when what he should've done was ignore everything; people at the top don't NEED to sabotage the NPC's to remain there. On the other hand, Donghwa was difficult to stand, too.
If you're going to claim someone's a genius, then you do have to put in the work to show that's what they are, and theres barely any instances in which he's shown to be anything more than the teachers favorite for..no reason at all? Yeah, Sihwan may have been pretty hard to stand at first, but his complaints do make sense cause the professors were gushing over this man's work without him explaining a thing, they just magically knew what it all represented.
Now, adressing *THAT* scene...I've seen many people in the comments saying that it's handled pretty badly, that everything gets brushed off cause they're alphas and all. That's not what happens. The scene doesn't get attention from either MC cause neither actually considers it rape (which it still is), Sihwan was bothered by the 'humiliating' act of being dominated by other, NOT by what actually went down, probably because he does indeed enjoy being forced, or, in softer words, for Donghwa to want him so much he 'can't control himself' and just taking, something that stems form his insecurities. Also, on this same note, Donghwa didn't out the fact that Sihwan was bonded to him, he himself didn't know, Sayoung is the one who pointed it out to him, he did however tell her that they'd slept together.
Now onto the brunt of everything. People in here are claiming two main things, that Sihwan didn't actually go through character development, and that the story ended abruptly. The last thing is true, an epilogue is lacking, and it would've done a lot of heavy lifting to show how they're doing in the future. The first thing is debatable. Sihwan is still holding to his insecurities and reputation by the end of the book, that's correct, but it's also not the same thing as no character growth. Sihwan has been abused by his parents in almost all the ways someone can be abused, not to mention it's still on-going and it WILL continue, given he hasn't cut contact with them. It's incredibly unrealistic for Donghwa and the readers to expect him to change and get better in, what? A few weeks? Especially counting on the fact that his fears were proven right, the people did indeed mocked and looked down on him the few moments they though he was the bottom in the relationship, mostly because what he says is very true, he's the more traditionally masculine of the two (not to mention he comes from a family of all alphas, while Dongwha's is only betas), so he IS indeed going to face more backlash, which is dissapointing of society, but still nontheless expected.
I guess were I'm going is that you shouldn't expect someone to get over 22 years of conditioning abuse in less than a semester because of the power of love.
Trigger Warnings:
- Public humiliation
- Rape/Non-Con
- Consensual Non-Con
- Blood & Injury (mating bite)
- Past abuse of a child (pysical)
- Current on-going abuse (emotional, psychological, verbal)
- Physical Violence
- Attempted physical assault (I'm not sure if this is the best label for it, but close enough)
Alright, that said, here's my take on this whole thing. Sihwan is deeply insecure and his attempts to assorting dominance over the "competition" were downright stupid. This man is supposed to be intelligent AND understand how this whole hierarchy thing works, and somehow he's pulling the most petty, reputation-damaging stunts to show himself superior, when what he should've done was ignore everything; people at the top don't NEED to sabotage the NPC's to remain there. On the other hand, Donghwa was difficult to stand, too.
If you're going to claim someone's a genius, then you do have to put in the work to show that's what they are, and theres barely any instances in which he's shown to be anything more than the teachers favorite for..no reason at all? Yeah, Sihwan may have been pretty hard to stand at first, but his complaints do make sense cause the professors were gushing over this man's work without him explaining a thing, they just magically knew what it all represented.
Now, adressing *THAT* scene...I've seen many people in the comments saying that it's handled pretty badly, that everything gets brushed off cause they're alphas and all. That's not what happens. The scene doesn't get attention from either MC cause neither actually considers it rape (which it still is), Sihwan was bothered by the 'humiliating' act of being dominated by other, NOT by what actually went down, probably because he does indeed enjoy being forced, or, in softer words, for Donghwa to want him so much he 'can't control himself' and just taking, something that stems form his insecurities. Also, on this same note, Donghwa didn't out the fact that Sihwan was bonded to him, he himself didn't know, Sayoung is the one who pointed it out to him, he did however tell her that they'd slept together.
Now onto the brunt of everything. People in here are claiming two main things, that Sihwan didn't actually go through character development, and that the story ended abruptly. The last thing is true, an epilogue is lacking, and it would've done a lot of heavy lifting to show how they're doing in the future. The first thing is debatable. Sihwan is still holding to his insecurities and reputation by the end of the book, that's correct, but it's also not the same thing as no character growth. Sihwan has been abused by his parents in almost all the ways someone can be abused, not to mention it's still on-going and it WILL continue, given he hasn't cut contact with them. It's incredibly unrealistic for Donghwa and the readers to expect him to change and get better in, what? A few weeks? Especially counting on the fact that his fears were proven right, the people did indeed mocked and looked down on him the few moments they though he was the bottom in the relationship, mostly because what he says is very true, he's the more traditionally masculine of the two (not to mention he comes from a family of all alphas, while Dongwha's is only betas), so he IS indeed going to face more backlash, which is dissapointing of society, but still nontheless expected.
I guess were I'm going is that you shouldn't expect someone to get over 22 years of conditioning abuse in less than a semester because of the power of love.
August 17, 2026
2 🌟 for the the first part - and 4 🌟 when we hit the 60 percent mark.
I feel I had an opposite reaction to most people.
I hated the begging- loved the ending.
The first part was draaaagggiiing. It was slow, felt childish, and I did feel the humiliation of the MC, but not in the good way.
The only thing that kept me going were the sex scenes, deviant as I am! And even then, it was a bit hard... The non-con did not sit well with me. And as things were going it felt like the only thing that would keep them sexing each others was their biology. At least for the MC, I barely felt any chemistry, care or love. Litterally, just his biology.
It was just soooo obvious from the beginning that he was insecure the "putting him back to his place" or whatever that was supposed to be just looked like taking advantage to me...
Oh! And the AI... did I mention the AI? I don't know how to explain it, but there is a feel with these recent books where we can just say the author used AI. And it gets freaking REPETITIVE! The short sentences. The metaphors that are supposed to be 'unique' but are mostly over the top.
And if you're writting from a dual POV, even if the second POV only gets a couple of chapters or so, I'm expecting a slighlty different writting style.
Ohhhh! And also, I'm sorry but there's nothing wrong with writing a 'perfect alpha'. But does he have to be so freaking perfect??? This guy scent is ammmmaaaazing. He is soooo smart every single teacher fawn over him the moment he opens his mouth. The guy isn't just a good musician - he is Mozart revived. And the swimming, habibi the swimming. The one thing our MC was supposedly great at, and working so hard to be the best at. Even that had to be stolen.
Like all that was missing was for him to be fluent in most languages and we wiuld have had Edward Cullen in the flesh. At least HE had the excuse of being immortal.
Now the good...
So as I said, I wanted to dnf that book so many times - but what can I say? I do love a bit of power exchange (even non-con, mostly when I expect it), so that kept me going.
Little did I know that it would get so much better all at once.
It's only at the 60 percent mark, I think, that the feelings start showing up a little bit more. The vulnerability, the care, and dare I say, the love.
That's how mushy I am, cuz when that started showing up a bit clearly, I started closing my eyes on all the shortcomings and would have rated this story much better.
And as for the ending that most people didn't like, I don't know why, but I found it realistic. It made sense the MC stayed how he was.
I don't care how good the di*k is, there is no way it will heal that level of childhood trauma in a few months.
And I thought it was important for the other MC to get out of his confort zone too. Do something tangible for his mate or whatever.
Yeah! The ending was great - it felt like they were finally getting on equal footing and while.I.can see why some people would have wished for a longer ending, I think it was fine. Maybe an epilogue, 5 years later, could have shown the growth a bit more nicely and realisticly, but as I said, it was fine.
It would have annoyed me if the MC, whose freaking language was societal hiearchy and whatsnot, changed his mind all of a sudden. It would have been too Hollywoodish for me.
So yep - weirdly enough, the ending was the saving grace for me.
Maybe I'll.appreciate this story a bit more if I reread it, now I know where it's going.
I feel I had an opposite reaction to most people.
I hated the begging- loved the ending.
The first part was draaaagggiiing. It was slow, felt childish, and I did feel the humiliation of the MC, but not in the good way.
The only thing that kept me going were the sex scenes, deviant as I am! And even then, it was a bit hard... The non-con did not sit well with me. And as things were going it felt like the only thing that would keep them sexing each others was their biology. At least for the MC, I barely felt any chemistry, care or love. Litterally, just his biology.
It was just soooo obvious from the beginning that he was insecure the "putting him back to his place" or whatever that was supposed to be just looked like taking advantage to me...
Oh! And the AI... did I mention the AI? I don't know how to explain it, but there is a feel with these recent books where we can just say the author used AI. And it gets freaking REPETITIVE! The short sentences. The metaphors that are supposed to be 'unique' but are mostly over the top.
And if you're writting from a dual POV, even if the second POV only gets a couple of chapters or so, I'm expecting a slighlty different writting style.
Ohhhh! And also, I'm sorry but there's nothing wrong with writing a 'perfect alpha'. But does he have to be so freaking perfect??? This guy scent is ammmmaaaazing. He is soooo smart every single teacher fawn over him the moment he opens his mouth. The guy isn't just a good musician - he is Mozart revived. And the swimming, habibi the swimming. The one thing our MC was supposedly great at, and working so hard to be the best at. Even that had to be stolen.
Like all that was missing was for him to be fluent in most languages and we wiuld have had Edward Cullen in the flesh. At least HE had the excuse of being immortal.
Now the good...
So as I said, I wanted to dnf that book so many times - but what can I say? I do love a bit of power exchange (even non-con, mostly when I expect it), so that kept me going.
Little did I know that it would get so much better all at once.
It's only at the 60 percent mark, I think, that the feelings start showing up a little bit more. The vulnerability, the care, and dare I say, the love.
That's how mushy I am, cuz when that started showing up a bit clearly, I started closing my eyes on all the shortcomings and would have rated this story much better.
And as for the ending that most people didn't like, I don't know why, but I found it realistic. It made sense the MC stayed how he was.
I don't care how good the di*k is, there is no way it will heal that level of childhood trauma in a few months.
And I thought it was important for the other MC to get out of his confort zone too. Do something tangible for his mate or whatever.
Yeah! The ending was great - it felt like they were finally getting on equal footing and while.I.can see why some people would have wished for a longer ending, I think it was fine. Maybe an epilogue, 5 years later, could have shown the growth a bit more nicely and realisticly, but as I said, it was fine.
It would have annoyed me if the MC, whose freaking language was societal hiearchy and whatsnot, changed his mind all of a sudden. It would have been too Hollywoodish for me.
So yep - weirdly enough, the ending was the saving grace for me.
Maybe I'll.appreciate this story a bit more if I reread it, now I know where it's going.
December 31, 2025
4.5 stars (rounded up due to the great time I had reading it)
Basics
Author - US (she/her), MM pen name of Minjae Kim
Genre - MM omegaverse romance
Setting - a Korean university, Seoul
Themes - I hate you (please notice me), acceptance
Vibes - push-and-pull, heated
Characters
🔥 Oh Sihwan - older junior, flashy, loud dominant Alpha of his university dept (likes showing off, boosting his scent, working out, wearing bright logo clothes, and being noticed)
❄️ Kang Donghwa - new freshman, disaffected cold dominant Alpha of the university dept (likes being left alone, is bored by life, cares about art, wears all black, super smart)
Pros
+ I HAD SO MUCH FUN READING THIS
+ This is for every yaoi fujoshi that has wanted to read omegaverse in a novel (NOT shifter omegaverse)
+ M/M alpha x alpha
+ Tropes/Elements: MM omegaverse, alpha x alpha, "enemies" to lovers, a bet, cool x fiery, opposites attract, gay for you, secret relationship, friends with benefits just to get through heat, claiming, mating bite, fated mate
+ The author really wrote the hell out of the characters' backgrounds (and that context is everything in framing how the characters act and react to others and one another)
+ This was 563 pages but I flew through it, read it in one sitting, and would have happily read 100 pages more to see more development
+ Their scents are so complementary (cold alpine forest x spiced warmth)
+ The author knows yaoi elements VERY well, and I was delighted to see many elements included, and sometimes subverted.
Cons
- I loved what happened during the "coming out" scene, HOWEVER, I did so because I thought we were going to get more chapters after that because Oh Sihwan still had so much growing left to do (Kang Donghwa's fix was more of a temporary solution imo until Sihwan could grow/change/accept himself). I am hoping/praying/on my knees that the author did this intentionally so there is room for a second book with that growth arc. I WILL EAT IT UP.
Content Warnings: verbally abusive/unsupportive/toxic family, toxic masculinity, outing someone's status (un/bonded)
Basics
Author - US (she/her), MM pen name of Minjae Kim
Genre - MM omegaverse romance
Setting - a Korean university, Seoul
Themes - I hate you (please notice me), acceptance
Vibes - push-and-pull, heated
Characters
🔥 Oh Sihwan - older junior, flashy, loud dominant Alpha of his university dept (likes showing off, boosting his scent, working out, wearing bright logo clothes, and being noticed)
❄️ Kang Donghwa - new freshman, disaffected cold dominant Alpha of the university dept (likes being left alone, is bored by life, cares about art, wears all black, super smart)
Pros
+ I HAD SO MUCH FUN READING THIS
+ This is for every yaoi fujoshi that has wanted to read omegaverse in a novel (NOT shifter omegaverse)
+ M/M alpha x alpha
+ Tropes/Elements: MM omegaverse, alpha x alpha, "enemies" to lovers, a bet, cool x fiery, opposites attract, gay for you, secret relationship, friends with benefits just to get through heat, claiming, mating bite, fated mate
+ The author really wrote the hell out of the characters' backgrounds (and that context is everything in framing how the characters act and react to others and one another)
+ This was 563 pages but I flew through it, read it in one sitting, and would have happily read 100 pages more to see more development
+ Their scents are so complementary (cold alpine forest x spiced warmth)
+ The author knows yaoi elements VERY well, and I was delighted to see many elements included, and sometimes subverted.
Cons
- I loved what happened during the "coming out" scene, HOWEVER, I did so because I thought we were going to get more chapters after that because Oh Sihwan still had so much growing left to do (Kang Donghwa's fix was more of a temporary solution imo until Sihwan could grow/change/accept himself). I am hoping/praying/on my knees that the author did this intentionally so there is room for a second book with that growth arc. I WILL EAT IT UP.
Content Warnings: verbally abusive/unsupportive/toxic family, toxic masculinity, outing someone's status (un/bonded)
January 7, 2026
There's nothing like a well written enemies to lovers romance to get the blood pumping. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A time was definitely had reading this. After reading this book, I desperately need more omegaverse authors to start giving us more MM Alpha/Alpha romances. This book hit in a way I didn't expect.
Dongwha and Sihwan's chemistry was magnetic. Not only did they have excellent rival chemistry but the sexual tension was just as insane. I loved everything about their connection. The book was funny, the sex scenes were well written imo and hot and constantly seeing Sihwan getting humbled the way he deserved was chef's kiss.
Though this book was excellent to me, I will say while Dongwha was great as a character, Sihwan left much to be desired. He was painfully insecure, which, once you know his backstory you understand why and he was very childish for a junior in college. Dongwha is younger than him but was the mature one the whole book. How sway? How? Sihwan is absolutely going to annoy readers, he does get some character growth but largely he could've been written better if I'm being honest. His saving grace is his amazing chemistry with Dongwha, that's it.
I can't believe this book isn't more popular tbh. It's everything you want in a well written enemies to lovers book. Hopefully, more people stumble across it because it definitely deserves being read. We're seven days into the new year ans this is my first 5 star read so far. Admittedly, there were grammatical errors in the book and the ending seemed rushed and not as well written as the rest of the book to me, but overall this was a highly entertaining and hot read. I would definitely recommend this book and I will be on the lookout for more from this author.
Dongwha and Sihwan's chemistry was magnetic. Not only did they have excellent rival chemistry but the sexual tension was just as insane. I loved everything about their connection. The book was funny, the sex scenes were well written imo and hot and constantly seeing Sihwan getting humbled the way he deserved was chef's kiss.
Though this book was excellent to me, I will say while Dongwha was great as a character, Sihwan left much to be desired. He was painfully insecure, which, once you know his backstory you understand why and he was very childish for a junior in college. Dongwha is younger than him but was the mature one the whole book. How sway? How? Sihwan is absolutely going to annoy readers, he does get some character growth but largely he could've been written better if I'm being honest. His saving grace is his amazing chemistry with Dongwha, that's it.
I can't believe this book isn't more popular tbh. It's everything you want in a well written enemies to lovers book. Hopefully, more people stumble across it because it definitely deserves being read. We're seven days into the new year ans this is my first 5 star read so far. Admittedly, there were grammatical errors in the book and the ending seemed rushed and not as well written as the rest of the book to me, but overall this was a highly entertaining and hot read. I would definitely recommend this book and I will be on the lookout for more from this author.
March 30, 2026
mixed feelings
*Spoilers ahead
Mixed feelings about this book. I liked the concept, Sihyoun was obnoxious with his fragile masculinity, Dohyoun didn’t give into his rage bait. However, I really do feel like this book should have trigger warnings. I have barely any triggers but I did feel a little blindsighted when the characters engaged in an activity that rhymes with certain fruit. Didn’t expect the scene in a book with pastel pink cover. Also it bothered me they didn’t acknowledge it, blaming it on alpha dynamic and putting someone in their place. That felt very toxic.
The „romantic” dynamic between the MC’s felt fabricated by the bond which is a shame because if the author held off with the spice scene a little longer, and let them butt heads for a little longer with a kiss memory lingering at the back of their minds I feel that the first unfortunate spicy scene would maybe translate differently.
Also, I have no idea if the author used AI. But the second half of the book was driving me crazy with the sentence structures that are super common with AI. I didn’t have that impression in the first part of the book, Apart from constantly „seeing literal red” it didn’t cross my mind the author could have „assistance”. The second part however… Idk, you be the judge of it.
Overall, fun concept. Sihyoun was funny in his macho posturing, the relationship dynamic was kinda ruined for me because of the first spicy scene and how they glossed over it.
*Spoilers ahead
Mixed feelings about this book. I liked the concept, Sihyoun was obnoxious with his fragile masculinity, Dohyoun didn’t give into his rage bait. However, I really do feel like this book should have trigger warnings. I have barely any triggers but I did feel a little blindsighted when the characters engaged in an activity that rhymes with certain fruit. Didn’t expect the scene in a book with pastel pink cover. Also it bothered me they didn’t acknowledge it, blaming it on alpha dynamic and putting someone in their place. That felt very toxic.
The „romantic” dynamic between the MC’s felt fabricated by the bond which is a shame because if the author held off with the spice scene a little longer, and let them butt heads for a little longer with a kiss memory lingering at the back of their minds I feel that the first unfortunate spicy scene would maybe translate differently.
Also, I have no idea if the author used AI. But the second half of the book was driving me crazy with the sentence structures that are super common with AI. I didn’t have that impression in the first part of the book, Apart from constantly „seeing literal red” it didn’t cross my mind the author could have „assistance”. The second part however… Idk, you be the judge of it.
Overall, fun concept. Sihyoun was funny in his macho posturing, the relationship dynamic was kinda ruined for me because of the first spicy scene and how they glossed over it.
June 24, 2026
2.5
From the first line, I was loving it but it changed when I was three hundred pages in and I didn't feel the love between the characters. I started skipping scenes because of the repetition. "Hello where is the communication?" And the sex scenes where to much, even for me who reads smut for breakfast.
Plus why was Donghwa calling out my boy Sihwan like that? We all know he was insecure but you didn't need to tell him that all the fucking time. It made Sihwan human because we all have insecurities but repeating it in his head and to him over and over again was giving " I don't want him but I'm stuck with him. oh well. "
And why did he have to tell his friend about the bond? It was so low of him I hated that.
And my god don't get me started on Sihwan. Riddle me this.
You were okay with your parents who are judgmental and treated you like shit to know you are a bottom but not your friends who are loyal to a fault for you?
He was so arrogant it was funny at first then the second-hand embarrassment started hitting me hard.
Anyway, it's a 2.5 for the vibe only, I loved the push and pull between them, I just wish they cared about each other more. We get only one scene of Donghwa comforting Sihwan with a hug and that's it.
From the first line, I was loving it but it changed when I was three hundred pages in and I didn't feel the love between the characters. I started skipping scenes because of the repetition. "Hello where is the communication?" And the sex scenes where to much, even for me who reads smut for breakfast.
Plus why was Donghwa calling out my boy Sihwan like that? We all know he was insecure but you didn't need to tell him that all the fucking time. It made Sihwan human because we all have insecurities but repeating it in his head and to him over and over again was giving " I don't want him but I'm stuck with him. oh well. "
And why did he have to tell his friend about the bond? It was so low of him I hated that.
And my god don't get me started on Sihwan. Riddle me this.
You were okay with your parents who are judgmental and treated you like shit to know you are a bottom but not your friends who are loyal to a fault for you?
He was so arrogant it was funny at first then the second-hand embarrassment started hitting me hard.
Anyway, it's a 2.5 for the vibe only, I loved the push and pull between them, I just wish they cared about each other more. We get only one scene of Donghwa comforting Sihwan with a hug and that's it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2026
Damn, this book was long as hell.
It was a mix of everything I like in books and manhwa. I've always been a huge fan of BL manhwa, and I definitely got the same vibes from this book.
I had a hard time with Sihwan at first. He's loud, vain, proud, and cares too much about what people think of him. Just like Donghwa said, it was a bit exhausting to see him pretend all the time. Reputation has never been important to me, so I couldn't really relate to him. Once we discover why he is the way he is, it all makes sense, though.
This story was really fun to read, but I couldn't give 4 stars because I wasn't a fan of the ending. Sihwan had basically zero character growth. He's still as painfully insecure by the end. His ego is still as important to him as his relationship, maybe even more.
It was a mix of everything I like in books and manhwa. I've always been a huge fan of BL manhwa, and I definitely got the same vibes from this book.
I had a hard time with Sihwan at first. He's loud, vain, proud, and cares too much about what people think of him. Just like Donghwa said, it was a bit exhausting to see him pretend all the time. Reputation has never been important to me, so I couldn't really relate to him. Once we discover why he is the way he is, it all makes sense, though.
This story was really fun to read, but I couldn't give 4 stars because I wasn't a fan of the ending. Sihwan had basically zero character growth. He's still as painfully insecure by the end. His ego is still as important to him as his relationship, maybe even more.
January 4, 2026
4.5/5 stars
I ended up liking it a lot lot more than I thought I would but the ending is quite a miss it needed more time spent on it because as it is all of it happens way too fast. Still giving it a really good rating for how I felt about the MC at the beginning and how he grew on me. Once again wishing the half stars were a thing.
At the beginning Sihwan is quite an asshole so I wasn't sure how things were going to go but the fact that he regularly had a reality check with the other MC made it more enjoyable. What I liked is how the explanation of why he is the way he is was brought up. It's nothing groundbreaking but the little hints which on their own wouldn't be chocking but all aded up made a lot more sense once you got the whole picture.
Strong inspiration from K-drama especially in the way wealth is represented. Sometimes the references were a little too on the nose but it wasn't frequent to the point where it got annoying.
I ended up liking it a lot lot more than I thought I would but the ending is quite a miss it needed more time spent on it because as it is all of it happens way too fast. Still giving it a really good rating for how I felt about the MC at the beginning and how he grew on me. Once again wishing the half stars were a thing.
At the beginning Sihwan is quite an asshole so I wasn't sure how things were going to go but the fact that he regularly had a reality check with the other MC made it more enjoyable. What I liked is how the explanation of why he is the way he is was brought up. It's nothing groundbreaking but the little hints which on their own wouldn't be chocking but all aded up made a lot more sense once you got the whole picture.
Strong inspiration from K-drama especially in the way wealth is represented. Sometimes the references were a little too on the nose but it wasn't frequent to the point where it got annoying.
January 3, 2026
A solid 4 stars book for me.
This book got me reading till early morning, both main characters are enjoyable even with some omegaverse traits blending into tomething darker but it never went fully there. Sihwan even when a jerk was really interesting to read and we spend most time on his mind, Donghwa analysis of him is pretty accurate and when we get to know the family of both we get to fully understand them (well Donghwa not really but we love him as he is). My only problem is that when we get to that HEA it just stops on it's tracks and the book finishes, I kind of understand that the issues and sweetness are completed but I could've read other 3 chapters of their live when they get to live their love "freely".
The dynamics are really strong on this book so people who enjoy traditional omegaverse should give this book a chance.
This book got me reading till early morning, both main characters are enjoyable even with some omegaverse traits blending into tomething darker but it never went fully there. Sihwan even when a jerk was really interesting to read and we spend most time on his mind, Donghwa analysis of him is pretty accurate and when we get to know the family of both we get to fully understand them (well Donghwa not really but we love him as he is). My only problem is that when we get to that HEA it just stops on it's tracks and the book finishes, I kind of understand that the issues and sweetness are completed but I could've read other 3 chapters of their live when they get to live their love "freely".
The dynamics are really strong on this book so people who enjoy traditional omegaverse should give this book a chance.
September 5, 2026
im suspicious of the writing. the repetition of phrases and sentences were so annoying, but in the way were you start to question whether your reading human bullshit or ai bullshit. there was this specific confusing part where it says that donghwa was shirtless but then in the following paragraph it mentions him taking off his shirt. hmm.
then theres the obvious rape aspect which was just crazy to me bc of the way it was described, especially later on. why was it made to seem like sihwan was at fault for “taking it too far”. like bro, be deadass.
this was honestly just a boring read. no character progress at all for sihwan. he’s literally a lame ahh boy in the beginning all the way to the end. then theres donghwa who’s lame, but in a felon type of way yk where you cant even ignore it.
then theres the obvious rape aspect which was just crazy to me bc of the way it was described, especially later on. why was it made to seem like sihwan was at fault for “taking it too far”. like bro, be deadass.
this was honestly just a boring read. no character progress at all for sihwan. he’s literally a lame ahh boy in the beginning all the way to the end. then theres donghwa who’s lame, but in a felon type of way yk where you cant even ignore it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2026
I really enjoyed this (a lot more than books I usually give 3* too), but there were just some issues that really bothered me.
1. Plot inconsistencies- only on small things, but they just bugged me. One example is where they sit in the lecture halls. For a large part of the book, Donghwa sits at the front, then it's mentioned his usual seat is at the back.
2. If the MCs are in different years, why are they taking the same classes? Maybe University works differently in Korea than in the UK, but we have different courses for the different years.
3. That abrupt ending. Crazy decision! We finally see some emotional progress from Sihwan and it ends! I was expecting some kind of confrom
1. Plot inconsistencies- only on small things, but they just bugged me. One example is where they sit in the lecture halls. For a large part of the book, Donghwa sits at the front, then it's mentioned his usual seat is at the back.
2. If the MCs are in different years, why are they taking the same classes? Maybe University works differently in Korea than in the UK, but we have different courses for the different years.
3. That abrupt ending. Crazy decision! We finally see some emotional progress from Sihwan and it ends! I was expecting some kind of confrom
February 15, 2026
Okay
Out Alpha’d was a decent read. I enjoyed the constant push and pull between the MCs, but I never fully warmed up to Oh Sihwan in the second half. I kept expecting real growth — especially after he visited Kang Donghwa’s family and saw what a loving home looked like — yet he mostly stayed the same and still seemed more concerned with his image than openly loving Kang. Kang really tried to be the bigger person and let things roll off his back, but Sihwan just wouldn’t ease up. The ending felt like it needed one more chapter to wrap things up properly, and I just wanted a bit more character development for Sihwan overall.
Out Alpha’d was a decent read. I enjoyed the constant push and pull between the MCs, but I never fully warmed up to Oh Sihwan in the second half. I kept expecting real growth — especially after he visited Kang Donghwa’s family and saw what a loving home looked like — yet he mostly stayed the same and still seemed more concerned with his image than openly loving Kang. Kang really tried to be the bigger person and let things roll off his back, but Sihwan just wouldn’t ease up. The ending felt like it needed one more chapter to wrap things up properly, and I just wanted a bit more character development for Sihwan overall.
May 11, 2026
Okay, I enjoyed this book at like a 5 level, but I don’t think I can in good conscious give it a 5 lol. It’s exactly the kind of trashy romance books I like and I enjoyed the different power dynamics that were explored. I wished S had decided to not be such a coward in the end, but knowing his parents, I can see why power hierarchy is such a trigger for him- what he needs is therapy lol. But S and D were so cute together by the end, I was literally smiling like an idiot as I read the scene with D’s family. Overall definitely super enjoyable, but not winning any awards for grammar or story telling anytime soon lol.
July 19, 2026
Where has this book been all my life???
You know those books you put off for no real reason, you just don't know why, but the timing is never right, and then you finally read it and it turns out to be the best book ever? Yep, that was this for me. I’m so mad at myself for waiting this long!
This was true enemies-to-lovers right until the end: pure angst, perfectly timed and sexy-as-fuck spice scenes, and an intriguing, fun plot that felt completely authentic to the premise. Honestly, I'm just shook. This author is about to become a new favorite, and this book is going to stay with me for a LONG time. WOW.
Do yourself a favor and READ IT.
You know those books you put off for no real reason, you just don't know why, but the timing is never right, and then you finally read it and it turns out to be the best book ever? Yep, that was this for me. I’m so mad at myself for waiting this long!
This was true enemies-to-lovers right until the end: pure angst, perfectly timed and sexy-as-fuck spice scenes, and an intriguing, fun plot that felt completely authentic to the premise. Honestly, I'm just shook. This author is about to become a new favorite, and this book is going to stay with me for a LONG time. WOW.
Do yourself a favor and READ IT.
March 29, 2026
this was great! i loved actually having an alpha/alpha dynamic versus one where they're both alphas but then one ends actually being an omega (or turning into one). my only wish is that there was more explored after their relationship comes out. it honestly felt like an abrupt ending in that regard. there was also some repetitiveness but that didn't affect anything. i devoured this thing so fucking fast. it's well over 500 pages but didn't feel like it with how immersed i was
June 23, 2026
everything I want in a omegaverse
I love this book so much! Ughhhhh I can’t express how much I enjoy this! This might have to be the top 5 book I read in 2026 so far! I didn’t want to put this book down and everytime I did I thought about it nonstop!
If you are in omegaverse lover pls read this
I love this book so much! Ughhhhh I can’t express how much I enjoy this! This might have to be the top 5 book I read in 2026 so far! I didn’t want to put this book down and everytime I did I thought about it nonstop!
If you are in omegaverse lover pls read this
April 20, 2026
slow start but terrific ending!
I picked this up and put this down at least four times. I was initially bored with the story and pacing. As a content editor I wanted to chop the first 100 pages down to 20 tops.
But the last 100 pages are legendary, fyi.
I picked this up and put this down at least four times. I was initially bored with the story and pacing. As a content editor I wanted to chop the first 100 pages down to 20 tops.
But the last 100 pages are legendary, fyi.
August 12, 2026
Great book!
I was pleasantly surprised at how captivating the story was. I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to reading this authors other stories. I’m a big fan now!
I was pleasantly surprised at how captivating the story was. I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to reading this authors other stories. I’m a big fan now!
January 3, 2026
This was really long but I didn't mind it because it was such a fun read. I appreciate the consistency of the characters and how they didn't magically change to fit a narrative at the end.
January 15, 2026
This was funnn
I wish they were enemies for a bit longer.
The continous description of hair, tight fitted clothes and pheromone boosters bored me.
But besides that?
It was highly entertaining .
I wish they were enemies for a bit longer.
The continous description of hair, tight fitted clothes and pheromone boosters bored me.
But besides that?
It was highly entertaining .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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