유리 게이블과 링신루의 첫 만남은 최악이었다. 일레이 리그로우에게 총을 겨눈 신루의 목숨을 살리기 위해서라지만, 처음 만난 자리에서 유리가 그에게 총을 쏘았으니 말이다. 이 일로 신루는 유리에게 최악의 첫인상을 갖게 되지만, 유리는 그런 신루가 안타깝고 애처롭게만 느껴진다. 눈치 빠른 신루는 유리가 자신에게 애정을 갖고 있음을 느끼지만, 그런 것치고는 묘하게 담담하고 솔직한 유리의 반응에 오히려 당황한다. 서서히 유리에 대한 애정을 깨닫게 되고, 그것이 정태의에 대한 애정과는 다르다는 것을 깨달은 신루는 유리를 자신의 사람으로 만들기 위해서 고군분투하는데….
패션 : 라가(Raga) 1 1. in Seringe 2. in Berlin 3. in the bud Supplement. Another angle
패션 : 라가(Raga) 2 4. the way of love 5. the only water Epilogue. Bonus track.
I'M SO OBSESSED! I LOVE RAGA!! I LOVE YURI AND XINLU!!! To be honest, I've been brooding over this novel for months because I can't decide if I will read Passion (the main story about Ilay and Taeui) before this to fully understand the story, but I'm honestly not that interested to them. I've been much more invested to Yuri and Xinlu. And I'm so glad I went straight to Raga!
I did a little research on what does the word Raga means because it was never particularly mentioned in the book, but now I finally understand why this novel is as it is. A raga is not simply a melody, but an emotional framework in Indian classical music, something that slowly builds longing, tension, tenderness, grief, devotion, and catharsis through repetition and variation. And that is exactly what this story feels like. Not like a conventional romance novel, but like one long emotional performance. It's not exactly driven by plot twists or dramatic romance tropes alone, but a slow, deeply introspective story about emotional exposure, quiet healing, and two people gradually learning how to love and be with each other. It's slow and very character-focused, which I loved so much.
I really love the fascinating and contrasting dynamic between Yuri and Xinlu. Aside from their age gap, and the differences with their beliefs, they love each other deeply, but they also fundamentally experience love in completely different ways.
Yuri loves like water. Quietly, patiently, gently. His love is full of indulgence and care, always flowing back toward Ling Xinlu no matter what happens. Even his thoughts about Xinlu constantly return to beauty, beautiful like the ocean, like a flower blooming in water, something so lovely that Yuri cannot help but look at him with tenderness. Yuri's love is not possessive. He simply wants Xinlu to smile, even if he is not the one who gets to witness it. There is something deeply moving about a man who loves so sincerely and steadily despite being naturally pessimistic. Somehow, all of Yuri's hope exists in Ling Xinlu's wellbeing. Honestly, when reading Yuri's thoughts about Xinlu, even I can't help but also feel like I was the one in love with Xinlu. Yuri is such a wonderful person and he sees the beauty in everything despite being so "unfeeling" that I feel like he's contagious, in a really good way.
Meanwhile, Xinlu loves like thirst. He is someone terrifyingly good at controlling situations, manipulating emotions, and maintaining the image of the perfect young master: elegant, beautiful, intelligent, beloved. But in front of Yuri, all of those carefully maintained walls begin to crack. He becomes immature, emotional, unreasonable, desperate. Full of flaws. And that vulnerability feels so significant because Xinlu hates being seen weak. Yuri accidentally becomes the one person who constantly forces him to confront the emotions he tries hardest to suppress.
At first, Xinlu resents Yuri for seeing his ugliness. But I think that resentment only exists because he subconsciously trusts him enough to reveal it. One detail I especially loved was how Xinlu initially makes Yuri stand on the side of his blind eye because he cannot bear being looked at directly and seeing Yuri on his peripheral. But I feel like Xinlu makes Yuri stand on his left because he's unconsciously trusting Yuri to be on his blindside. And I think that's so intimate on its own, allowing someone into the space where you are most vulnerable long before you consciously understand why.
And despite how twisted Xinlu's love can become, Yuri never stops looking at him with gentleness. One of the details that piqued me most was Yuri briefly thinking that he wished he could be Xinlu's older brother, simply so he would have an acceptable reason to openly care for him. That says everything about Yuri's character. Even romantically, his love is nurturing before it is possessive.
And honestly? Xinlu feels incredibly BPD-coded to me. Not in a shallow or romanticized way, but in the terrifying intensity of how he experiences his emotions. The emotional extremes, the instability, the fear hidden beneath anger, the desperate need for reassurance, the way he pushes people away while wanting to be loved more than anything—it's all there. His emotions are extreme, consuming, and painfully sincere. He oscillates so quickly between anger, tenderness, desperation, fear, possessiveness, and vulnerability that it genuinely feels like he is drowning in emotions he cannot regulate. He constantly seeks reassurance from Yuri, panics at the possibility of being left behind, and equates love with visible proof of permanence. The thought of Yuri peacefully existing without him feels unbearable to him. But underneath all the cruelty and volatility, Xinlu feels deeply fragile. And Yuri, as I have said a while ago, despite being pessimistic by nature, remains endlessly gentle and optimistic when it comes to Xinlu. He never tries to "fix" him. He just stays. Yuri does not romanticize Xinlu's cruelty or instability, he just always tries to look at the frightened and lonely person underneath it. Meanwhile, Xinlu slowly begins to realize that Yuri's gentleness is not a lack of love. It is simply the way Yuri exists.
Actually, Raga lowkey (lowkey, okay?) feels like a wife-chasing novel to me (it's not crematorium though) and I ate it up completely. Every horrible thing Xinlu said to Yuri at the start eventually came back to haunt him. Every insult, every moment he called Yuri disgusting or told him not to look at him, it all reverses beautifully once he falls in love. And when Xinlu falls, he falls hard. He turns into this clingy, emotional, pathetic, lovesick disaster who can barely function when Yuri doesn't match his intensity. Watching someone so arrogant slowly become desperate for affection was unbelievably satisfying. I love this big baby called Xinlu, hahaha!!
I also really appreciated how grounded the maturity gap between them felt, which you can feel and see throughout the story. Because Yuri is 13 years older than Xinlu. Xinlu wants to be loved with the same overwhelming certainty that he himself loves with, while Yuri loves in a much quieter and steadier way. It's basically the emotional core of the story: Yuri's quiet devotion versus Xinlu's desperate need for reassurance. Yuri's willingness to let go versus Xinlu's terror of abandonment. Water versus thirst. That's why I loved it so much when I genuinely realized the significance of water to the both of them! The symbolism of water throughout the novel was really beautiful. Water here feels like healing, rest, depth, and acceptance. Vast and overwhelming, yet calming at the same time. It mirrors Yuri perfectly: steady, patient, deep enough to hold all of Xinlu's chaos without rejecting it. Xinlu, who spends the entire novel emotionally starving, finally finding someone who quiets the unbearable heaviness inside him. And slowly, the ocean becomes the place where Xinlu finally learns how to stop fighting himself and simply rest. I really love the detail about how Xinlu's aversion to water becomes something very important to him because of the same person. Xinlu and Yuri is fully consuming me!
“How could he love him this much? They were so different. From head to toe, in appearance, personality, inclinations, preferences, there was nothing they had in common. Even the way they loved and expressed their love was different. No matter how much he tried to express himself, it never seemed to be enough for Ling Xinlu. It probably never would be. Yuri couldn’t express himself like Ling Xinlu, as much as Ling Xinlu. But still... Even if he couldn’t express it, he was confident he could love him just as much.”
Yuri and Ling Xinlu's relationship feels uniquely intimate, emotionally raw, and strangely beautiful. Their dynamic is simultaneously healing and suffocating, gentle and obsessive, tender and devastating. Sometimes we all just need our own "water." A place or a person. Somewhere you no longer have to hide your ugliness, suppress your emotions, or exhaust yourself trying to survive. Somewhere you can simply exist as you are, vulnerable and fully seen without fear of being rejected for it. And to Ling Xinlu, his water is his beloved Yuri Gable. AAAAA! I'M SO OBSESSED!
novel gerçekten de çook güzeldi manhwada bu bölümleri okumak için sabırsızlanıyorum!!!!
açıkçası ne diyebilirim çılgın, takıntılı aşıkları okumaya bayılıyorum yargılamayın Xinlu da tam aradığım biri!!! bazı yerlerde sıkıntılı olaylar ve davranışlar vardı ama ne diyebilirim tuzu biberi oldu…
ve yuriye de bayılıyorum xinlu nun adam olması tamamiyle onun sayesinde oldu serinin birazda olsa soft hissi de aynı şekilde onun sayesinde oldu eğer ki seride yuri düzgün olmasaydı seri aşşşşşırı toxic olurdu. kitapta atışmaları bile şirindi!!
apparently, I’m the first one to drop a review here.. anyway. Raga will forever remain my favourite novel. honestly if someone had told me that we’d get such an interesting glow up in Xinlu’s love life and character in Raga, I would’ve laughed at them. but look what it did to me. since I’ve never really been a fan of Passion, I have to say I picked up Raga purely out of curiosity (mostly because of Yuri; otherwise I had zero interest in knowing about Xinlu’s life and back story, which is understandable considering how he was an arrogant, annoying, and downright detestable loser in Passion. but Xinlu in raga? no words. you just have to read it yourself). compared to passion, raga has a more positive, more realistic, and more romantic vibe (and unfortunately, it’s short which is able to make me cry) why do I say it’s realistic? because sometimes a love story doesn’t need excessive complexity or unnecessary details. In fact, it’s the simplicity paired with emotional depth that gives it meaning, and raga was exactly that for me. the feeling I had while reading it was like floating. to be honest, I still don’t fully know why I love it this much, maybe it’s the chemistry between two main characters, or maybe it’s its simplicity, but either way, I absolutely love it.
This novel focuses heavily on character development and quiet healing. One of the things I really appreciate is how the novel explores maturity and immaturity in a grounded and realistic way.
In Volume 1, Xinlu is angry. He's volatile, lashes out over small things, and sometimes goes way too far (like literally trying to kill Yuri at one point). His anger comes from so many deep wounds that even tiny triggers can set him off. Xinlu has already lost his so called first love and even lost an eye because of Ilay, so it makes sense that he's deeply damaged and struggling just to hold himself together.
But in Volume 2, things shift. We start to see a side of Xinlu that's rarely visible to anyone but Yuri. His vulnerability. His raw, unfiltered emotions. His need to be seen and accepted without judgment. He goes from being a bitter, reactive person who throws tantrums when Taeui or Ilay are mentioned to someone who quietly seeks Yuri's approval. Like a stray cat slowly learning it's safe to approach.
Water in Raga is symbolic. It represents calm, healing, and depth. The ocean is vast, unknowable, sometimes chaotic but it's also the only place where some people can truly breathe. It reflects Yuri's presence: steady, deep, accepting. And it reflects Xinlu's journey how he slowly learns to stop thrashing and just float.
Water holds everything. The pain, the silence, the peace, the memories. It's where people come to cry, to remember, to forgive. And in Raga, the water becomes a mirror to the soul. It's where Xinlu begins to rest not just physically, but emotionally. It's the place where he begins to become someone again. Not for Taeui, not for Ilay just for himself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ah yes, my beautiful, sweet, kind, patient, innocent, selfless, lovable Yuri and... *sigh* Xinlu. Just kidding, Xinlu actually grew on me. I love how obsessed he got by the end, screaming, crying, blocking the door because he thought Yuri was leaving, aaahh “Don't go. You've done this to me, and now you want to leave? Don't go. I absolutely won't let you go. Just try... Wherever you go... Whatever water you step into, whatever sea you step into, I will dry up all that damned water.”
The jealousy is insaneee “I will never let it go...! If anyone, whether male or female, dares to touch this body even with a fingertip, I will kill them! I will tear them apart, cut every piece of their flesh right in front of you, Anyone...—I WILL DESTROY THEM, I WILL NEVER LET IT GO...!”
Besides Xinlu being insane, they're still so cute and precious, likee “Who knows, if I find my own water, maybe I'll be the same.” Seeing the puzzled expression on Yuri's face, Ling Xinlu once again flashed his usual beautiful smile. “You said that when you're in the water, all burdens in your heart seem to dissolve, right? If I find something like that, maybe I'll smile like that too. Although... I don't really know what that feels like.” (...) “You are my water.” Ling Xinlu suddenly whispered. The soft sound of sobbing gently reached Yuri's ears. “Without you, I will always carry a burden in my heart, be crushed to death... Without you, I can't rest.”
Alsoo, I loved the Iltae crumbs. Ilay calling Tay costantly when he's away, and Tay acting annoyed but still rushing to end the call with Yuri so he can go answer to Ilay “That bastard just drags me into his nonsense whenever he's free, and this time's no different. He's called dozens of times already—‘Had breakfast yet?’ then hangs up, ‘What are you doing now?’ then hangs up, ‘What beer are you drinking today?’ then hangs up, and when he ran out of ideas, he went with ‘Sing me something’...”
it is so good like dang it might even be better than ilay and taeui, absolutely loved xinlu's character development and yuri's matureness. despite being so different, they managed to get along together just fine. I overall loved this so much and will keep rereading it omg, 100% recommend! (recommended to read passion first before this if you don't wanna be confused much)