3.75 Stars
"Yeah, even if everyone in the world turns their back on you I'll always be on your side."
-Kyun
Carnby Kim and Youngchan Hwang are just getting started as they draw the reader deeper into the story. With more and more of Dongsoo Seon's (Jin Seon's father's) actions revealed, I found myself immersed deeper and deeper. Reading this is like wading through a thick lake, one from which I can't escape. The air is filled with thick fog, and rays of light illuminate the scenery. A thick fog covers everything effortlessly, showing what was hidden in plain sight. This definitely isn't the most disturbing thriller to exist, but it did get disturbing (although I have barely read any thrillers, so I'm not really sure if expert thriller readers would find this disturbing😅). This put the "thrill" in the "thriller," as our protagonist Jin is driven to a point, one in which he needs to choose: the father he has always feared or the girl he has grown to like.
What his father does to the girls and women isn't entirely clear, yet a commonality between them all is that all of the females have a similar appearance. All of them are bloody and, in the end, dead, so what is truly happening to them and why? Then another killer is introduced: a woman who loathes her own appearance and hates pretty women to the extent that she kidnaps some, tortures them, and puts them through immense pain. When these two meet, it's going to be so interesting, especially if both murderers have the same target. Dongsoo's target is a young, kind-hearted girl called Kyun, whom Jin falls for.
Kyun was an interesting character that I can't wait to see more of. From my perspective, the most interesting relationship dynamic in this story is the one between Manny and Jin. Manny is a person who Jin assumed was terrible. Manny is a very conflicted person. He befriends Jin but doesn't want to be seen with him because it will ruin his reputation. He helps Jin become stronger but goes from being a friend one moment to an enemy the next. Each time he does this, he is also testing Jin in order to make him stronger, but underlying this all, he is and will become the friend Jin needs. Seeing Jin make friends and how this influences the decisions he makes is both heartwarming and foreboding.
I love the parallels drawn between the two. Manny became stronger to protect his father, and Jin became stronger to ruin his father. Jin has artificial valves in his heart, metal pins and plates in his joints, and a glass heart. People (conceited people) consider him weak because he's disabled and quiet, but Manny helps him strengthen himself. At the same time, he isn't necessarily a good friend. He uses people and gaslights them, hurting Jin at the same time as helping him. Jin has strong determination. Near the end, a scene in particular sparked my interest.
If Manny were to understand Jin, if they both have a common goal, it would be interesting to see how they enact their revenge.
"People often refer to kids who don't listen to their parents and rebel against them as "bastards". If that's what being a bastard means . . . I'll gladly become one."
-Jin
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