Right? But even how it got way more or worst I still kept on reading. I just wish Dowun isn't the endgame.
I just want to know how this ends. Dowun is completely unlikable to me so I'm not even concerned about him and I hope Jayang gets what she deserves. My guess for the ending is that Lyon will either be dethroned and run away with Baek Han or she'll end up dying on the throne just like the story of her dolls when she was younger. The story where the unhappy, mistreated princess obtained the glory and power that was restricted from her but at the cost of her own happiness and in the end she fell victim to the same power and died. Tbh I just don't see how a good ending is even possible for Lyon nor do I see how a HE would occur between her and Dowun. She may have reached her dream of recognition thanks to his help but they just seem like mortal enemies to me. He can't grasp what it means to be human and give her the love & loyalty she needs, and she is too human to fully be the powerful, cold blooded ruler he expects her to be. Like @Rika77 said before, it seems that the only person who will end up with the crown and a mostly a happy ending is gonna be Dogyeol. Dowun played himself, the Yang family is destined to fall again because of their greediness, Jayang is cannon fodder for the sake of having a direct villain role, and Lyon is the tragic heroine from beginning to end which is incredibly sad considering how her life started. Baek Han has potential but his characterization is too much of a good guy. Good guys never last long in these comics. In the end, my bet is on Dogyeol pulling all the punches, ditching his family, and snagging the crown for himself.
I agree with that. He seems to think and expect that anyone would be like him, detached and indifferent, putting aside their feelings in order to reach a goal. Dowun probably doesn't undestand that his brother hates him because he is sure he did the right choice back then, never questioning his actions or wondering if his brother was hurt in the process.
I could understand his actions if he was completely unable to comprehend what other are feelings.The problem is he does get emotions (well maybe to a certain extent) or he does know how to manipulate other using their emotions. He knew the public would react positively to seeing them together for the rain dance.He knew Lyon (or the old Lyon) would like to see a shrine made for her mother or even a puppet show. The worst of all is he knew what she felt towards him. She could have been way more easier to manipulate than Jayang will ever be.I know many people think highly of him and blame Lyon for their situation, but if he had tried to just act like he liked her everything would have been a cakewalk.I can kinda give him a pass in the Dogyeol situation though, because unlike Lyon Dogyeol is pretty good at putting up an act (though he should still be suspicious of him) There was a time when I thought his 'emotional detachment' was one of character flaws that made him more interesting.The problem is the story has gone for so long but the only character traits we know about him are 'sketchy',' 'emotionally stunted' and 'calculative' ( also 'very pretty' if that counts). We know more about Baekhan, however dull he might be. Dowun had so much potential in the beginning
Blame the author, she could have developed him well, but decided to focus the main story on Baekhan, we still don't know Dowun past but as soon as Baekhan appeared, author decided to introduce him and waste 10 chapters on his past. Some people are saying they don't understand why Dowun betrayed her, it was pretty obvious,why should he deal with an irresponsible princess who is prone to not yet but soon adultery and infidelity and who is rebellious too, many are saying and trying to blame him for "betraying her", but both of them have decided to make their own paths, so neither she or any fan should be mad, he already gave her the power and throne, he has no debt or shouldn't have any reason to be loyal to her, any reason AT ALL, the only thing he was getting from her was the throne position, something he can easily get with Jayang, Lyon hasn't done anything that could make Dowun think she is worthy of not being betrayed Nonetheless author has decided to skip some plot parts with Dowun, Dowun also doesn't make sense because he doesn't have the background support other characters have, we know everything about Baek Han, we know everything about Lyon, do we know something about Dowun, no, we know nothing because author decided to not give him any point of view, she has indeed destroyed the character, she and only she. She wasted chapters on Baekhan, chapters which could have been divided to present both Baekhan and give more emphasis to Dowun, now she gives Dowun emphasis..., the amateur writing is showing off
Ofcourse it's the author's story, so any criticism is towards the author....She is not a bad writer but she did go downhill the moment she started focusing on the tropey love triangle instead. As far as Baek han is concerned we did get his backstory but we saw Lyon and Dowun grow up + characterisation shouldn't be wholly dependant on the back story. The problem isn't the fact the other characters have screen space. We got a lot of Dowun povs. The problem is that all he does in those 'povs' is to stare introspectively and look pretty. Ok, Lyon is getting annoying too( like most characters here) but she is definitely the best written character in the series. She was abused from when she was a child.The only people who had been 'sincere' to her when she was just a kid were Baek han and Dogyeol not Dowun. But everything she did then, she did for him. The way she is behaving right now maybe irresponsible for some but it is a pure human reaction. Even in the story , Dowun doesn't want to throw her away because she is someone of value irrespective of her recent actions. Hong Lyon doesn't blame him for his 'betrayal' either. She says that she feels bad but also goes on to say that his actions were expected. I know some fans think that Dowun betrayed her 'love' ( not that he owes her love) which is probably a wrong sentiment to have since their deal was of a purely political nature + he gave her no indication of having had loved her. But that doesn't mean he is not to be blamed. The situation they are in has more to do with him than Lyon. Lyon was clearly emotionally unstable from day one. She wanted affection. That's why his father knew that the relationship was doomed to fail. Dowun knew about it but thought that nothing could go wrong and Lyon would behave like an emotion less robot along with him. The little we know off him, he IS supposed to be this great tactical guy. Almost every reader praising Dowun talks off his political savvy. But does someone who makes no efforts to understand his friend/foe/ally be given that praise? It was his responsibility to make sure that Lyon would be a decent puppet empress so that his family stays in power. His responsibility as a political strategist. But now his family is being threatened by not only Lyon but also by his own brother.
Story is on its last arc. The author published her last thumbnail/cover change though she does say that it is going to be a long while before it ends. The artwork she shared: https://m.blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=bi_onwho&logNo=222253441164&navType=tl
Team Dowun for me. He had ulterior motives, but at least he helped her out of that terrible life she led before she met him. I like complex characters rather than the cookie cutter "courteous and self sacrificing" bodyguard. I wish the author would focus on developing Dowun and the MC I stead of trying to amp up the drama with a love triangle. But truthfully, I'm biased because I never liked Baek Han from the beginning though because I suspected he would become part of a love triangle .... So think what you want.
Was here to check spoilers. Now after reading all discussions suddenly my urge to murder Dowun has risen Btw any spoilers of the story?
@Rika77 thank you for the spoiler Spoiler: not a spoiler you're right. objectively speaking, fl is the best written character in the series, though i don't like her nor dislike her. however, we got to see her past, her development, also how fl is neither good nor bad person, but just flawed, like you said very human. Dowun's character had so much potential in the beginning. it's just a waste he ended up being known only as the bad guy who lives like a power hungry robot. i mean it's ok that he's a bad guy, it suits him. but since day one i'm dying for a background story (before meeting fl) to show how he ended up the way he is now, just to give him a little more depth. idk what to expect anymore, but since this is a tragedy, i think he will die. thank god i've mentally prepared myself since chapter 60s for it. yeah, i'm team dowun. i guess there will be a lot of people condemn me for supporting such character . maybe after he's dead, then the author would give his background story. heuh... while dowun is just a bad guy with nothing good about him, except his political skills (which actually is being questioned again, since he got fooled by his bro), baek han on the other hand is also only known as the good guy. just good with no bad things about him. well, if you count 'his desire for his master thus he had a lot of improper contacts with her' as a bad thing, then so be it. but that's it. everything about baek han is just good (i'm trying hard to remember bad things of baekhan, maybe i missed something). people would eventually forgive his improper acts towards his master since it was done out of love. perhaps even, some people would not find it as a bad thing, since most of us are suckers for romance. so in conclusion, there's really nothing bad about him. the way i see it, one guy is written to be really good, while the other is just bad and nothing more. only fl has the good character writing. well, she's the mc, so it's inevitable. i just wished it could be done the same with all other prominent characters, because at first, i found this story to be more realistically written than others. the character i dislike the most is dogyeol. he's the most dangerous one imo. i get that he's hurt by what happened in his childhood, but to betray your whole fam and clan for that, idk, it doesn't feel right to me. it's like he's okay having the possibility of his bro, dad, and whole clan to be executed for treason because of that incident in the past. dowun could be said to bear the sin of getting dogyoel to be beaten in childhood (while in the first place, it was actually his own fault, so i don't see why he should not face the consequences just because he's a child. especially since this is a historical story in asian culture, where hitting children to discipline them is practiced, even to this day by some people. it's not a good practice, but that's the reality). however, if what dogyeol has done and will be done would lead to whole clan execution, then he would bear the sin of all of their blood. he's willing to go that far for petty revenge? i expected him to be matured after that incident, but i guess i expected too much of him, same like towards the author of this story. damn, it was so good before. now it's just..... anyway, this is just what i think. also, i'm not supporting dowun so he ended up with fl. god no. i support this dowun character regardless who/how he ended up with. i guess i pity him because how unfair the author treated him. don't attack me because i support dowun ok hahaa i put my thoughts in spoiler tag so not to take up too many space.
Chapter 105 discussion?? i don't understand korean so i'm curious, is dowun jealous, and why did he mad to his brother TT
@spill the tea Spoiler: Chapter 105 Yeah so I sorta translated the most recent chapter and had the summary up on a discord server but Ill put it down here as well! ( sorry if it doesn’t make a lot of sense) Well from the most recent chapter Hong Lyon ( I hope I spelt her name right) demands Jayang if she has the ring (the engagement ring that dowun gave her) which Jayang doesn’t answer and from what it seems she’s believes she’s being falsely accused and doesn’t deserve such treatment because she is also a royal ( this part I had the hardest time with). Dowun stops the two and says that both her bodyguards and Jayang will be interrogated ( not sure what about) and the queen remembers the dream she had where Baek Han died and started to get overwhelmed by that fact it may come true and judging from the dialogue she faints or passes out. Then it cuts back to dowun father who arrives back at the palace and a servant tells him tht dowun has left his younger brother (I can’t remember his name right now) in hostage and tied for four days Then there’s an interaction between dowun and his younger brother that I can’t really understand but dowun asks him why he’s doing this and if he wants their clan to fall or something and then the younger brother goes to say something about how he wanted to grow up and be like his brother so he wouldn’t be a burden to him But dowun would never change or his view of his brother so the younger brother keeps saying how hard he’s been trying to show his brother his terrible heart(?) and about how he’s already felt something ( I couldn’t translate what it was but maybe something like lose or betrayal) from the queen and how her heart no longer belongs to him and now belongs to the bodyguard and how the look she used to show him when they were kids also no longer exists for him And at the end he seems to be pretty pissed and says “what’s all this bullshit your saying” Spoiler if any of this is wrong you are welcome to correct me
Spoiler: 106? Dowun pushes his brother against a wall and chokes him saying that he'd cause ruin to their family, Papa Yang (Dowun's father) walks in and says: "What are you doing?! He is your younger brother!" To which Dowun leaves with contempt. We go back Lyon who seems to be talking to her maid abt something (Sorry I didn't understand this part) seems like they were reminiscing about their past and the Maid was saying that Lyon's compassion was sweet and sincere. Moving on we see Dowun put Jangyang into a prison cell and then to poison her to death. Jangyang dies (she chokes from the poison and her vision darkens so I'm assuming?) Moving on, Lyon looks prepared to do something, tying her hair and then goes to Baek Han and his other Baek brother, who are tied up. (Probably because of Dowun??) I sincerely believe the antagonist of this entire novel is Dowun. He was made a very good villain from someone who you could (wanted to) trust because you wanted the affection and power that he offered but if you don't follow orders- you could die?? Though I was simping for Dowun (lowkey simping for Baek Han too) I think he made a good villain. And as for Lyon, she'd probably die in her own tragedy by saving her loved one (Baek Han). *** Spoiler: Synopsis of the manga So yeah the entire synopsis was Hong Lyon, a pitiful young princess with only a title, but no power nor authority, meets a young boy named Dowun who offers to help her become a true royal princess… but at what cost? This truly shows the costs of being Royal and wanting power- you would have to loose everything else you love to gain that. I think this is the moral of the entire (cringe) story. THE END.
Spoiler According to chapter 114 Lyon told Dowun that she wants to break off the marriage and prolly gonna announce to the public on the next day
I binged the manhwa this past week and needless to say I'm flabbergasted by the FL's indecisiveness and wishy-washy thought process. (i used papago to TL along with my knowledge on context and stuff so take everything I say with a grain of salt;; I just hope to give a scuffed summary of the situation at hand because it makes me sad and mad at the same time) Spoiler: Spoiler: 105-109 From what I understand, when Dowoon locked his brother up in the storage or whatever, they talked about how the past still haunts the brother, etc etc. The brother dude goes on to express (? I FORGOT,, IT WAS EITHER HE EXPRESSED IT OR DOWOON FIGURED OUT HIS INTENTIONS) that he wants to see Dowoon suffer/go through the pains he did when he got whooped and betrayed (for lack of better words). From here on out, I will present a reenactment because it's faster Dowoon was like "that's not gonna happen" Brother: "but it's already happening" → "you're losing FL's heart to the guard//she doesn't look at you that way anymore" Dowoon proceeds to get mad and choke his brother until the father comes in Regarding everything with Jayang: Dowoon got her into the palace and conspired with her but it turns out he was a double-double agent (i think) because he ends up poisoning and actually killing Jayang this time. what i find interesting is that she said something about 'how it'll be his turn soon and that she'll meet him in hell' (again, it's not word for word and take everything I say with a grain of salt) but it might be a foreshadow of Dowoon's death (another interesting thing to note is the FL also dreamed about Baekhan's death a few chapters earlier) n-e-ways → Dowoon apprehends Baekhan and Baekmu along with Jayang (before poisoning her), but the FL and friends work to save Baekmu and Baekhan. The FL told them to go back to the Baek clan believing it'll be safer there than at the palace because she realizes she lacks the power to protect them. Baekhan eventually agrees, but as they were leaving they were stopped by Dowoon. The FL asks for Dowoon to let them go promising him that she'll do everything/anything he wants and will obediently follow him if he lets them go which he agrees to. that marks the end of chapter 109 but I do want to say some things regarding the FL and both MLs: Baekhan: - The FL admits that Baekhan is her 'light' in her darkness or something → which may or may not indicate her feelings for him - Baekhan and the FL makes a promise with each other that they'll see each other again (because he leaves the palace to go to the Baek clan) → the token of their promise is one of the earrings Baekhan gave her for her birthday → he's supposed to give it back to her when they see each other again (that sorta thing) Dowoon: - I think at this point in time Dowoon romantically likes the FL but it'll be a while before he admits it - When the FL found out that Dowoon had killed Jayang, she was happy to know that he didn't leave / abandon her / give up on her yet → which may mean she still likes him idk But yeah that about sums it up very very vaguely (and maybe inaccurately) FL is extremely indecisive and powerless and I definitely find her less likable. But overall, I'm interested in seeing how this would end because a tragic ending seems more than likely.
Tbh, I find Lyon more like an easily controlled puppet. Currently she is too easy to manipulate by Dowun's (I still simp for him though) hand. Even Baekhan is manipulating her (more like has a huge influence over her) and she looks like she is ready to give up everything for him. She is starting to end up like the puppet at the beginning of the story, what was her name again? Oh, Peony. Lyon has the crown, but Dowun is playing the strings, Baekhan is playing like the lover who she would sacrifice everything for him. Tch, truly pathetic. *** Question: Someone said that Lyon is going to break her engagement with Dowun, is it true?
I don't have access to the paid chapters (110-114) but I'll probably do another summary on the next 5 chapters once they're out. and yup, I agree, she even admits herself that she's a figurehead. But if what they said about her breaking the engagement is true, then that shows for much-needed character development. I wonder when this manhwa will end though because it seems like we finished another small arc with ch109 (comeback of Jayang).