*인물 소개: -서강우(공): 어딘가 의뭉스러운 기색이 있는 희운의 후배. 잘생긴 외모를 하고 명품을 갖고 다니는 덕에 학교내 인기가 매우 높다. 그의 배경을 둘러싼 여러 소문이 있지만, 재벌 2세이면서도 암흑가에서는 알아주는 1인자의 손자이자 후계자이기도 하다. 잔혹한 성품을 가지고있다. -우희운(수): 집에 빚이 많아 늘 과외와 아르바이트를 하면서도 장학금을 받아야만하는 학생. 어머니는 아프고, 하나뿐인 형은 집안의 돈을 들고 해외로 갔다. 늘 돈에 쪼들리는 삶을 살며, 소심하고 다소 주눅이 들어있는 편이다. 서강우를 좋아하여 없는 시간을 쪼개 스토킹한다.
*이럴 때 보세요: 잔인한 개아가공에게 집착당하며 천천히 그에게 길들어가는 굴림수를 보고싶을 때 *공감 글귀: “선배는 내가 말하면 응, 알겠어. 하는 거예요.”
Official english title (manhwa): Formless. Chapters: 73 chapters + extras.
4.5 stars. This was a surprise. I knew the type of content this had because I started the manhwa adaptation previously and came to the novel right away because I needed to know how close it was to the original source. I'm very glad the didn't disappoint. The novel is more explicit during the brutal scenes, having a better pacing and tone.
The story is about Woo Heewoon, a poor college student who has a crush on a junior, Seo Kangwoo. He's rumored to be a chaebol, a heir from a powerful family, or related to dirty business. Heewoon is curious and starts following him around, until one night he discovers the truth: he sees Kangwoo murdering a man. Kangwoo stops Heewoon trying to escape, so he coerces him into obeying his demands and avoid spreading his secret, in exchange of keeping him alive.
This novel goes deep into the darker themes it explores, something I'm always interested in. I enjoyed the perspective it tells the story from, mostly following Heewoon, since it makes it better to empathize with the situation he finds himself in. It also depicts an abusive dynamic really well, making it clear there's an abuser and a victim, never trying to imply otherwise. It's a story about posession and obsession, showing the lengths a person in power goes in order to get what they want.
Both characters are nicely constructed. The author did a great job at making the MC have realistic reactions to the circumstances he's living, as someone who's family has a big debt and must take care of his mom. The later is something I found endearing and a great subplot to the story. I usually find works involving young adults where the parents are gone or not really present despite being part of their lives, but the MC never forgot about that here. Then we have Kangwoo, someone in a position of power, both in money and connections. The progression of the story shows that his character is well done because he's always honest, and while his mood swings are crazy, he never pretends to be a good person with Heewoon. The narrative makes it clear that he's an abuser and it's never dismissed.
A second good thing is that the dynamic between the couple had an organic development. The manipulation Kangwoo uses with Heewoon is the key element and it's fascinating how the methods he partook in were masterfully created to use Heewoon's actions and decissions agaisnt himself. The fact that the author feels realistic, otherwise it wouldn't feel right according to Kangwoo's personality and upbringing.
The pacing was another well done element. The story was always moving and there was no moment that felt boring. Few elements were predictable, but the thrill of trying to guess Kangwoo's next moves was awesome. Ultimately, the plot feels rewarding by the finale because of how everything comes to a full circle. I enjoyed the ending because it felt beliavable. This might be a controversial opinion, but I think the decission Heewoon took was the right one according to the circumstances. It wouldn't have been beliavable otherwise, not only due to the .
Heewoon being conscious that he's a victim and never becoming too blinded is what made me feel satisfied with the progression of their dynamic. The more I think about it, the more I find them interesting, because even if Kangwoo is the one in power, Heewoon is still able to , which is a relief in a way.
PS. I forgot to mention about certain things I wasn't a fan of: some awkward sentences and bits of the dialogues, although this might be due to no official english translation for the novel, and the fact that part of dialogues (sounds) don't translate well to other languages. Giving it a pass, since it's mostly not onto the author.
Tags: (might miss some of them) -POV: third person -Content warnings: -Elements: -Kinks: -Sexual act(s): -Dynamic:
Lei el manwha. 70 capítulos, 33 paneles cada uno. 2.310 páginas.
Comienza siendo una historia bastante turbia, abusiva y toxica. Y termina siendo eso. No hubo desarrollo de personajes, no hubo arco de redención... nada. Generalmente uno espera ver cierto cambio en el vinculo pero termino siendo incluso más enfermizo que el comienzo. Porque fue el protagonista principal quien cambia, y para peor.
Tambien siento que se termino de manera abrupta, nadie podía creer cuando leimos 'the end' era poco creíble, no cerraba. Pero así fue.
Podría decirse que fue una pequeña perdida de tiempo?Si, un poco si.