I would appreciate it if Wai antis could give this a little read with an open mind. I'm up for any discussions too! Just don't leave hate on this!
First of all, I do not condone outing anyone publicly. That is very evidently wrong in real life. However, seeing the kind of hate that Wai is getting outside of that is genuinely just disheartening at this point and making it hard for anyone to enjoy the show. Wai has a reason to be angry too.
I do not mean to excuse Wai’s actions, simply to explain them. I do not mean to change anyone’s mind about him but to show them other perspectives (and yes there are other perspectives) of the whole situation. Everyone trusts P’Aof all the time so I really don’t see why not with this specific plotline. I know it’s easy to hate Wai, especially from PatPran’s POV but he is not a one-dimensional character to be boiled down to a villain. If P’Aof didn’t think he was worth redeeming, he simply would not have done that.
To be frank, it is just hypocritical to hate on Wai, especially after seeing the events that lead up to everything. A lot of people think Wai started the whole feud but all he did was show the Engineering Gang his middle finger. It was the EG that decided to make things violent, cornering him and trying to fight him 4-on-1. As much as I think the EG have become better, this does not erase the fact that they ganged up on him.
Immediately after this, the EG harass Wai at his workplace. Not only that, they film it and put a video of it online. Again, good on Pat for removing it but it doesn’t erase the fact that this happened. I don’t know how many of you have worked in the service industry but that is the shittiest thing a server can face (not mentioning the fact that Wai was literally held at gunpoint in Ep. 9). Wai is POWERLESS in that situation because it’s his workplace and he needs the job.
That brings me to the next point. Out of all the characters whose stories we see, Wai is the only one that needs a job to support himself. The show has set up multiple times that Wai is not from as well-off a family as Pat, Pa, or Pran. He NEEDS this job. It’s also why he needs Pran’s help with the play. I can see how the scene where he convinces Pran to take the job comes off as manipulative, but looking at it deeper, it’s more desperate than anything. Imagine working a shitty job, on top of keeping up with schoolwork, on top of going through rigorous rugby training which you cannot get out of because you NEED the scholarship to get you through school, on top of working on the sound design for a play. He’s way in over his head and it is not wrong of him to ask his friend, someone who does not need to do any of that, to help share his load. I can’t phrase it well but I also believe in the theories people put forth proposing that Wai saw Pran behaving weirdly on the beach trip, maybe like he did when they first met, and decided this was a way to get him back in touch with music, something that makes him happy.
Circling back to the behavior that the EG showed in the bar, none of them have ever apologized to Wai for it. Neither have they shown any remorse for trying to gang up on him and beating him up. This is where the hypocrisy comes in. I see no one asking for Korn or Pat to apologize for their actions. And that’s FINE because it was a part of the story and we have moved on from it. As should be the case with Wai. Korn is a good ally but being an ally doesn’t automatically absolve him of his sins. He’s suddenly everyone’s “best boy” despite being violent and disrespectful before. AND I GET IT. He’s a multidimensional character too and I love him but if you’re going to extend that courtesy to him, extend it to Wai too.
Last but not least, Wai’s actions are not justified, but his anger is. As viewers, we see Pat as he is with Pran and his friends. Fun, kind, communicative, so on and so forth. He’s a walking green flag for us! Rightfully so, too! But none of this happens in front of Wai. Wai does not see Pat as a kind person. Wai remembers Pat as someone who ganged up on him, as someone who sat by and watched as his friends harassed him at his workplace and recorded it. To Wai, Pat is a bully, simply put.
Now I would like you to imagine your BEST FRIEND dating someone like that. Dating someone who has been physically aggressive towards you (without apologizing) and whose friends have harassed you at your workplace (again, without any apologies) and keeping it a complete secret. You would be mad too!!
Pat has done nothing to redeem himself in Wai’s eyes and neither have the EG. Until now. It makes perfect sense that Wai only opens up to him after he steps up for him in the bar. In the bar, Wai is still powerless as a server but Pat has the ability, as a patron, to look out for him, and HE DOES. This is what redeems HIM in Wai’s eyes. This is what Wai needed to see.
I think Wai still needs to apologize to Pran. But I also think Pran’s apology was needed. I don’t get people who say that Wai is making this relationship about himself. He’s looking out for HIMSELF. Pat HAS hurt him in the past. Once again, in his eyes, without seeing the story that we have, it seems like his BEST FRIEND is dating someone who BULLIED HIM in a place where he couldn’t even fully defend himself. You would be lying if you think this wouldn’t anger you too.
P.S. – While I conceptually do not agree with the outing, I can see why it wasn’t made a big deal out of. Homophobia and PatPran’s sexuality has little to do with the main plot of the show. The conflict of the show isn’t centered around their sexuality but the conflict between their families and their faculties. Of course, this cannot be extended to the real world, but, for me, this is believable in a fictional world. Even with the thing with Korn going with the flow of the seniors outcasting Pran, it’s never about the gender of who he’s dating but their faculty.
P.P.S – I love Pat and Korn with my whole heart but their examples had to be used for this, please forgive me hehehehe.
P.P.P.S – I think anyone working in retail or service industries should be allowed to commit any crime they want. It’s the least they deserve.
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