colonel caleb x mechanic!nonMC!reader, who's the only person he ever lets touch his bionic arm
Colonel Xia--who used to be known as Caleb to his loved ones--doesn't seek out help. It comes with the job, when the said job includes his own subordinates betraying him more often than it should happen. Everything he can do (which is a lot), he'll do himself unless there's an absolute emergency. Especially, when it comes to his injuries.
He's grown accustomed to fixing up his own wounds. He wraps the bandages around his arm or leg and then pulls it tight with his bionic arm. He has to use his teeth to keep it in place as he binds it in place, grimacing when it squeezes his skin just a little too hard. He sucks in a breath through his teeth before he disinfectants the wounds. He uses his evol to bring the medical cart closer when he accidentally kicks it away from jolting in pain. He glowers at anyone who dares to enter the room when he's tending to himself--warningly. Defiantly. His men know not to bother him anymore when he's injured, even if they're simply worried for their colonel.
The only caveat comes when his bionic arm malfunctions. It's supposed to have an emergency repair system--and it does--but he somehow breaks it again. The nature of his work, he supposes. He curses the arm, often, because it serves as a reminder for the event that changed the course of his life. It haunts him like a curse--too essential for him to tear away. And to make things worse, it breaks often. Can this thing cause him anything but trouble?
He wouldn't be so perplexed if it wasn't for the fact that his arm is made of technology beyond his own skills, though he's adamant to believe otherwise.
The wires twitch persistently as he picks at it for hours, bags sagging at his eyes because he's supposed to be catching up on the sleep he never gets. He's lost track of what he's attempted and what he plans on trying next. Eventually, he hisses in frustration and stalks to the lab, deciding he needs a new set of tools.
The only other person who'd be here this late is you.
You blink at him, eyes wide as you process who he is. He's seen you once or twice around the base. Usually with all the other lab employees, and usually with your head shyly peering at the shoes of people walking by. So he's not very surprised when you shriek and nearly drop the project you've been working on for months.
He barely catches it with his evol in time.
It must be the fact that you look like a scared cat as you sit him down at the desk. It must be that your hands seem too afraid to get close to him with your tools. It must be that in the hour that he spends sitting just a foot away from you, you only meet his eyes once. But for some odd reason, he lets you repair his arm in a comfortable silence.
And it must be the proud smile adorning your lips once his arm starts working again, that he seems to notice you a bit more after that.
He's more than aware that you're at least a tad afraid of him. Most people at the base are, and he doesn't blame any of them given that all he does is glare or command. It hasn't bothered him in the past. But he finds that he doesn't love when you spot him in the halls, and it sends you immediately scurrying the other direction.
Caleb returns again a month later for another repair. And then another. Until it becomes a routine for him to show up at the dead of night, when it seems like you're the only ones still awake in Skyhaven. The soft whirring and clicking from the work you're doing on his arm is all that echoes in the empty lab, so that all he can focus on is the way your hair grazes over the surface of his synthetic skin to look closer.
He curses his inability to feel through the arm. He curses the damn thing over and over again.
The third repair, you beam at him brightly when he tells you his thanks in a soft murmur. It still appears stiff, but it's the kind of smile that he doesn't see often in his work.
By the fifth, you smile at him as he enters the lab.
By the sixth, you stop avoiding him in the halls.
By the eighth, he starts to take the route to his office that passes by your lab, even if it takes longer.
As you work, he watches you hold his bionic arm in your hands, examining the wires like they're the most interesting thing in the world. He can see your fingertips gently touching his skin, and he thinks he can almost feel them. You fuss, insisting he needs to start using the more certified mechanics, but he's barely listening.
When you notice that he's not speaking and simply staring at you with a gentle gaze, you freeze. His eyes lock with yours. They're a nice shade, he thinks, especially up close. You're so close that he can see his own reflection in your irises. Your hand falls from his arm slowly, and he intertwines his with yours when it gets close.
Caleb flexes his fingers between yours. "Why would I go to someone else when you can fix me up this well?"
He half expects you to pull away. He wouldn't blame you either. But after a beat of silence that feels like an eternity to him, you just smile. Something he's come to grow too fond of.
And when you squeeze his hand back, he wonders if the arm isn't so bad. An ugly reminder, sure. He still despises that he can't even feel you squeeze back. But he thinks that if you work on it long enough--if you fix him enough--he'll grow somewhat grateful for it. Perhaps it'll become a part of him. Never quite a part of his flesh, but his being.
Maybe one day, it won't simply belong to Colonel Xia, but be a part of Caleb.
satoru gojo with a baby who looks exactly like you.
his genes didn't even try. not a speck of white in his baby girl's hair, not a sliver of crystal blue in her eyes. she's all you—from the eyes to the nose to the laugh. good lord, satoru has been blessed by the gods.
he fell in love with her the moment the doctor handed you the little bundle of joy. and when he first carried her? you just laugh at the way he almost melts to the floor.
everytime he gets home from missions, he goes straight to where you're playing with mini you. his daughter giggles upon seeing her dad. he crashes on top of the two of you, careful not to squish neither of you. first and foremost, he kisses you. then, the baby. then back to you, then back to her—it goes on and on until you go and tell him to shower.
at night when your daughter makes a fuss, it's satoru who gets up and soothes her. he carries her over to your shared room, lays her in the space between, and talks to her about anything—his latest mission, his students, her big brother megumi, how the two of you met, his bestfriend suguru, her uncle nanami, her aunt shoko.
all the while, his baby listens earnestly, eyes wide and curious like yours. she even responds sometimes! no, she can't talk yet, but she's already a good listener.
"maybe we should take you to see uncle suguru. do you miss him? who do you miss more, him or papa?"
"ah."
"there's only one answer to that. why are you hesitating?" he pokes her cheek, and holds back the urge to bite and chomp.
"ba.."
"papa? yes! that's right. you miss papa more, right?"
"ma!"
satoru gasps dramatically, "mama? you're already with her 24/7!" your baby grins, and he's in awe by how much of you he sees in her.
he picks her up with ease, and settles her on top of him. he glances at your sleeping form, "you look like your mom, you know?"
your baby also glances at you, one hand reaching out before satoru grabs her little wrist and holds it to his chest. "mama's sleeping. she's tired, we need to let her rest."
your daughter babbles, "ma-ma-ma."
"yes, mama. you look like mama. that means you're also pretty and beautiful." he kisses her cheek.
"pi. pi!"
satoru nods in understanding, acting like your baby just said something revolutionary. "yes. pretty. that's you," he pinches her nose, she huffs. "and mama. my pretty girls."
"when you grow up, you need to marry someone who'll preach your beauty like how i do to your mom, okay? never date a boy who doesn't tell you how beautiful you are every passing day." satoru whispers, eyes locked onto an identical pair to yours.
his daughter only yawns in response, dropping her head into his sternum. satoru adjusts her so she's laying on her back in the middle of you two. instinctively, your baby wiggles around, searching for your warmth in her sleep. satoru only sighs with a smile. what a velcro baby he's raising.
from jade: self-indulgent dad gojo fic bcuz im ovulating and im sleepy and i got crazy baby fever from spending a few days at my aunt's and her two month old baby boy and i also wrote this instead of stressing out over my groupworks so enjoy tehe
𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: bully! Gojo x afab/fem! reader - explicit content; minors DNI - modern au! you + Gojo are college juniors - first kiss - fingering (f! receiving) - sqüiřtıng - virginity loss - corruption kink - missionary + deep impact positions - clitoral play - unprotected sex (psa: wrap the willy, you sillies!) - premature ejaculation - pet names (baby, crybaby, cutie, princess) - itty bitty possessiveness - mention of spit/drool and tears.
𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.6k
“Yo.”
“Yes, Satoru?”
“You never had your first kiss, huh?”
Gojo Satoru takes pleasure in being your bully — nothing in his third year of college gives him much joy than being your one source of torment. Sure, he’s got everything: being the campus’ grounds #1 heartthrob, a star player on the men’s basketball team, and an excellent scholar in all his courses despite being a dickhead. But, even if he possesses the things that put him at the top of the class body, his other fountain of entertainment comes from something - or someone - that playing ball or dormitory parties can’t produce the same level of internal enjoyment.
You and he were alone in his apartment, umbrellaed under the instruction of working on an upcoming project this month. Of course, boredom is evident in the tall one’s heavy sighs as he looks through multiple articles on his laptop. Cerulean orbs wander away from the device’s screen and land on the other side of the couch; another figure glued to the armrest is concentrated on typing their keyboard to notice the prying survey.
Gojo’s ennui begins to flicker out the moment he sees you, wanting nothing to do with this damn assignment and just to mess with his favorite pushover. This is precisely why he prompts himself to ask you a question, and judging by how quickly your fingers stop typing, now his attention is hooked onto a matter way more fascinating.
He spots your flattened lips. “…Wh–Where did that come from?”
“Just curious, a random thought that came to my head.”
“Why was that the thought that—“
“Hey, aren’t ya gonna answer the question?”
You stammer. “What makes you think I never had my first kiss?!”
He lifts a brow; his round shades shine when he smirks. “So you did have a first kiss?” Your lips open with no voice, and both silver eyebrows rise from the silent answer you’re giving, only for you to close your mouth and avert your gaze elsewhere. Gotcha, he stifles a chuckle. “Thought so, you terrible liar. Embarrassed I called you out? Haha, hilarious.”
Your eyes may be on the words of your document on your laptop, but the heat on your cheeks and the uncomfortable knot in your gut kept brewing. You chew on your lips to focus on something other than the guy getting a kick out of your lack of experience — the guy you don’t hear close and place his computer on the coffee table.
“Hey,” the closeness of his voice takes you aback, and you’re surprised to see him sit closer enough to bring a hand to close your laptop. “Wanna kiss me?”
Mortified eyelids shoot wide. “Wanna—Wh-What!?!” What the fuck is going on?!? “Why would you ask me—“
A nonchalant shrug adds more weight to your shock. “Why not? It’s just you and me, alone in my apartment at 8 o’clock. Sounds like a perfect opportunity, doncha think?”
“Yeah, to do work!” Your emphasis fails as Gojo takes your device to add to the table surface. “I-I didn’t come here for you to question me and ask to—“
“You got someone else you’re waiting for?” He uses a hand to cage you from escaping, a knee between your legs. He knows he has the upper hand, observing behind shielded sunglasses as he awaits your response.
“I–W-Well,” God, what did I get myself into? “Not necessarily…”
“So, do you not trust me with your first kiss?”
“That’s…That’s not the point—“
“You’re deflecting!”
“Satoru,” the way you say his name — low and soft, a pleading whisper — makes something switch for Gojo, looking at your bashful expression with hesitant hands, barely pushing his chest. “We shouldn’t…Let’s get back to the assignment?”
That wasn’t working on him; he’d never want to stop teasing you, especially now when you look too cute. “Let me kiss you one time, ‘kay? Then, we’ll go straight back to work.” He can see the cogs work in your brain, deciphering whether he is genuine. Was he? He couldn’t tell; all he was thinking about was how your lips felt. “I promise, princess.”
You didn’t mean it to happen, but you scan from his shades to his lips; now, it’s all you can see. The bob of his Adam’s apple, when he gulps, has your breath hitch, and after a few silent seconds with no movement, he begins to descend his face lower, and your lids swiftly close. So does his as he gently places his pillowy lips onto your plump ones, and a hushed squeak doesn’t go neglected.
Cherry — that’s the flavor that Gojo can taste. It has to be from the lip gloss you plastered on your lips that made them inviting to gawk at, pretty lips that the tall other couldn’t stop peering occasionally. He licks the bottom, taking in more of the taste with a soft groan. You yelp, gaping your lips further to give the man above an idea, and chew on your bottom lip. More whimpers slide past your control, hands gripping his sweatshirt as he peppers you with soft kisses, latching onto yours for longer seconds from one after the other — so much for one kiss.
You’re the one to break it off, hesitantly backing away from him to breathe. Hot skin returns to the cold air, and intimate huffs fuel into the space. You open your eyes slowly, half-lidded with knitted brows and scorching ears. You examine Gojo’s neutral expression; orbs that were once filled with reluctance are now replaced with a...wonder.
An innocent wonder that nearly has Gojo shut down from seeing as your hands steadily ring around his neck. There it is again, another switch flipped. This time, a spark ignites his brain, curiosity coursed to a more indecent field after what it feels like taking your first kiss. Because the way you’re looking under him — entirely submitted to him and his touch — wasn’t something he expected to rock his core. And all he can think about now…
…Is what taking all of your firsts would be like.
“—Taaahhh, haah…! Satoru, w-wait a min—“
“Hey, baby, tell me, what’s it like having my fingers inside you?”
Gojo’s little experiment delved into different extremes; your first kiss was the starting point of the many thoughts that perturbed his thinking. He wanted to know more about your potential firsts. For example, such as right now, how you’d be if he were the first to touch your privates.
The atmosphere around the living room became hotter; the tepid silence switched with the erotic sounds and squeals that exited your system. Your legs spread apart, Gojo in between your thighs as his big, calloused hand swims under your panties to shove away and meet the bareness of your cunt. You were so wet, your liquids effortlessly coating his fingertips with barely any push. An entire mess between your inner thighs and labia. And that made Gojo’s mind go wild.
“Holy shit,” he chuckles in a heavy sigh. “So fucking wet and tight…Heh, you’re all like this because of a kiss, huh? So adorably pathetic.”
Refutation is impossible as he curls his forefinger inside, scraping your upper wall in a manner you never envisaged. “Sator—Mmmph…!” He keeps pushing the digit to the knuckle, touching crevices of your inner channel you could never reach. “O-Ohhh, Jesus…”
“Mmmm, fuck, you're twitching like crazy,” and Gojo was loving every second of it. The taller junior then decides to test something and creeps his middle finger near your opening, smearing itself with your come as lube.
You sense him push the finger in, nerves heightened. “W-Wait, Satoru, I can’t—“
“Oh, yes, you can.” He interrupts you with a cheeky sneer. “You’re practically asking for it with you twitching so much. Watch.” Gojo pushes the middle digit leisurely; your beseeching babbles become increasingly incoherent when he adds the whole thing with the other finger. Now, both of them have you shrilling from their intrepid fashion, grazing on your vaginal walls with every pull and shove until his knuckles smooch your labia.
Good God, the place is so hot, your face is hot, your body’s hot, your insides feel hot — everything is just too hot for you to handle! And your brain cannot hold itself together as the seconds go. You throw your head back, your eyes sewn shut, “OhGod, ahhck! Wait, stooop! Go slow, go slo—Ohhh!” Gojo does the exact opposite; the pace of his fingers surges to a tempo you find difficult to ride through. Your entire frame locks together, preparing for the inevitable to slip past your hold, and tremors course around you as your orgasm hits you like a train.
Simultaneously as Gojo continues to rut your soapy cunt, a clear liquid disperses out of your urethra and sprays outward. Sprinkling onto the skin of your thighs and drenching your underwear. Although you’re not the only one who gets caught, Gojo at the front gets a genuine display of you showering his forearm with your essence, damping his sweatshirt in the process, and even a bit on his sunglasses.
It happens the third time: something snaps inside Gojo once he sees your oddly beautiful teary face. It’s at that moment that something in his core breaks and permeates his entire body with a force that’s been itching to get out when he kissed you earlier. He swallows thickly because the next thing he does after this will eat him alive, a queerly anticipated feeling for the white-haired man.
Of course, Gojo is astonished at what transpired, the shock in his eyes concealed by the shades. “Did you…just squirt on me?” His ears pick up the sound of you sobbing, your hands covering your face as you whine.
Massive tears roll down your cheeks, “I—hic—I told you to wait…!”
It’s a no-brainer that Gojo pulls you off the couch and leads you to throw on top of his bed, stripping himself off his pants and briefs to free his raging erection and crawling up on top of you after chucking his shades off. A gasp leaves puffy lips when his pink glans meet the folds of your vagina, burrowing between your labia to coat with your slick.
“Satoru, wait,” you voice. “D-Don’t you have a condom?”
“Sorry, ran out of them.” Lies. Gojo knows he has rubbers tucked in his nightstand. However, the intention to use them is nowhere to be found. Because tonight – knowing completely and damn well you’re still a virgin – he had to fuck you raw. The drive to do so sent shivers up his spine. “Don’t worry, cutie. I’ll promise to pull out.”
Yet again, another deception.
Gojo pushes the tip in as he counts your breaths, watching every wince and contortion of your expression as the cockhead ventures and seeks shelter inside your slit. Your body is squirming through every exhale, and Gojo’s coaxes to relax your rigidness are somewhat helpful as you intake air. Before you know it, your mouth goes to a permanent ‘o’ shape once the tip is inserted, the act of breathing stops, and your body recoils and tenses as he slowly forces the foreign limb to carve your tightness inch by inch.
Oh, fucking shit…!! Oh yeah, Gojo thanks himself for not putting on a rubber. The firm grasp of your walls around his length nearly has him lose balance, sinking into your warm wetness clenching onto him so deliciously. He bites his lip to composure, a futile attempt as he throws in a few slow thrusts, and the snug of you has him in a chokehold. Then, when he hits your cervix, you instinctively grip onto him tighter and wrap your legs around him, and Gojo almost chokes.
“F-Fuuck, wait, wait..!” He curses, submitting to a release way too early; his hips tremble as his cock ejaculates into your vagina. Shocks rattle his brain, rolling his eyes to the ceiling at the sensation of pooling himself into you. “Shit, oh shiiiit…this fucking pussy is driving me crazy.”
It really does because Gojo, still keen from his climax, dials the cadence, rutting into you with purpose. The sudden movements have your shrieks bouncing across the bedroom walls, and hits to your womb are frequent and cause more tears to strike down without your comprehension. “Nnnmm! OhhhmyGod…! Mmoohh!!”
“Heh, look at you cryin’,” Gojo teases you from above, licking a tear before kissing your cheek and ear. “Guess that’s expected for your first time, huh…Hnnnm, God, you’re clenching my dick so much.”
“Th-That’s because you’re—“The curve of his shaft has the tip graze your walls in an angle that makes your back arch. “Ahhoooo!! I’m fuull; you’re making me fulll…!!”
“Awww, am I making you full, crybaby?” He mocks you in your ear, the snicker sounding too salacious to the drum. “You full with my dick that it got you whining and crying for me?”
I can’t do this! Your brain dissolves into mush, and your face is too hot to construct adequate consciousness. “I can feel it, I can feel…”
“What is it? I can’t hear you through all the sobbing,” Gojo unscrews your legs to maneuver one for him to straddle and the other to lie on his shoulder. The new position gave him a directed way to piston his pelvis into your aching cunt, your squeals turning into screams as pokes to your womb come with the feverish pacing. He’s hitting so deep you can’t catch up! “What, you think you’re about to cum?”
You nod hurriedly. “Yes, yesss!!”
“Oh, that’s what you want now?” The snow-headed man chortles before sneaking a hand to your vulva, where his fore and middle finger swipe on your clit. “Tell me, is that what my pathetic angel wants?” You nod again, so he pinches your bud. “Tell me properly~.”
“—Ahhnnn, ohh, Sa—‘Toruuu!!” You pan to him. “Pleaseee, please make me cum, I wanna cum…!!”
God, this was a picture worth savoring. The image of you being all desperate for release, wanting nothing but to succumb to your wanton desire. You looked so ruined, like a completely different person compared to the meek exterior Gojo used to. And it’s all because of him – his words, his touches, his lips, and his dick – that you’re like this. A fact that only propels him to hammer his hips into you harsher.
“Good girl,” he bends down to close his face to yours. Surveying you make such erotic faces as he keeps playing with your clit is food for his soul. “Enjoy yourself, princess,” and he steals your lips once more for another kiss.
Your orgasm comes to you quicker than ever, thanks to the work of Gojo’s hips, the hits of your cervix, the pinches on your clitoris, and the sloppy makeout session. Your body freezes and lets the aftershocks jolt you to a rocky clarity, your head in a dense fog, and your vision just about blurry. Your legs quiver with heaving breaths, and Gojo keeps thrusting as you soon fall out of your euphoria.
The cold air blankets both of you once tense muscles calm down and bring you two back to reality. Silence befriends the lack of words aside from the pants of breath, and Gojo sluggishly withdraws his cock out of your wet chasm, whistling at the sight of his load slowly protruding out of your essence.
“Hey,” your face forms into a helpless expression. “Bet you never tried anal before.”
Tonight was dedicated to conquering all of your firsts. And Gojo means that with every bone in his body!
megumi slander is crazy because why are people calling him weak for not being able to resist to 15 fingers sukuna?
when it comes to resisting him, yuji is the exception not the rule, bro is literally built different. you know who isn't built like that? most of the other fucking characters
He doesn't do much but he's always in the spotlight.
He's just plain rude.
He doesn't try in school.
He's a good looking guy that likes to hang out with delinquents...
And he's famous for his pretty face.
- Chapter 13
Dohwa Baek is one of the most interesting and dynamic characters in Operation: True Love. Like the heroine of the story, he evolves alongside the plot, and does it in only a handful of chapters in contrast to the male lead Eunhyeok Go.
Dohwa goes from cold to approachable, and he becomes softer and debonair as a result of his interactions with the kind and cheerful Su-Ae. While his face is canonically attractive, his loyalty and longing for Su-Ae makes him an appealing character to study in the context of the collective work of the fictional Webtoon comic.
Dohwa steals our attention because we know he's going to lose in seasons 1 and 2 of the manwha, and yet he is able to give all that he has for the person he loves.
As seasons 1 and 2 progress, he opens up his soul to show his insecurities. He shares his humble home, or the moments when life has beat him to a pulp, and all these moments happen with Su-Ae. He's not afraid to be flustered, to cry in front of Su-Ae, or show that deep rooted longing every time he sees his crush. In that aspect alone, Dohwa is different from his counterpart, Eunhyeok Go, and that is why I find this character the most appealing in Operation: True Love.
Eunhyeok gets flustered by Su-Ae, sure, but as much as he tries, he does not show much vulnerability when he's with Su-Ae. He doesn't tell her what bothers him and makes him feel small. I love that Su-Ae is able to respect those personal boundaries that both Dohwa and Eunhyeok have set, but the male lead happens to have more firm boundaries that have pushed Su-Ae away post-time skip.
But Dohwa is so much different. He is not perfect by any means, but his emotional intelligence is far greater, and a person like Dohwa would make a stable partner in real life. Up to now, Dohwa has been the best, greenest flag in the series. He is far from the cool, calm, and collected trope that most fictional men fall into.
At first, Dohwa is presented as a little mysterious and a little aloof with strangers. He seems impatient and rude with people he does not know. The first impression he gives is that he's a real jerk because his guarded personality is out of necessity rather than choice.
Dohwa is initially portrayed as this glamorous, attractive young man. He's a popular character with stardom quality and countless of talent agencies vying for his attention. However, and as the story progresses, we come to understand that Dohwa feels uncomfortable with the attention he receives. As a result, most of the time he covers his face with hoodies, and face masks, and hats. He has a collection of contact cards from different talent scouts, but he ignores them or throws them away.
Imagine being so attractive that people are constantly whispering, taking pictures, and building an image that is far removed from the harsh reality of daily life. Dohwa lives a lie around his friends, so he is catious about revealing his secrets. This need for secrecy makes Dohwa able do discern when people are objectifying him or trying to use him.
Ra-Im's confession to Dohwa:
Ra-Im: Wanna go out?
Dohwa: Cut the crap. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?
Ra-im: I thought maybe if I have something good, I won't want what's not mine.
Dohwa: Something good? Am I some kind of object to you?
Ra-Im's haphazard confession in chapter 28 is an overall representation of how people view him in general. Better yet, that's the best representation of how Dohwa feels around others. He's the eye candy girls want to show off -a boost to people's egos. He's the guy that other guys feel jealous about, and he vehemently rejects that fate. He hides from people while working unassuming jobs to make ends meet. He wants to be treated as a person, rather than an object, and so he displays this unapproachable, impassive look with strangers. He looks cold and uncaring at first glance, but get to know Dohwa Baek, and he is the sweetest, most attentive guy.
The difference lies in how our heroine treats Dohwa. Su-Ae is able to see the person rather than the idol. That's why Su-Ae worms her way into his heart - because she feels empathy for his situation. What stems from passing curiosity on Dohwa’s part later blossoms into genuine affection.
As an example, in chapter 39, Su-Ae is able to understand Dohwa sentiment of inadequacy.
Su-Ae: Everyone's looking at you. And talking about you.
Dohwa: I'm use to it.
Su-Ae: You don't look that used to it. You look uncomfortable. Wanna wear your hat?
Dohwa: Yeah. Put it on me.
Su-Ae's Thoughts: Huh. I guess being popular kinda sucks too!
The thing is, Su-Ae is ok with the version of Dohwa that doesn't feel confident and comfortable in his own skin. She lets him hide when he needs to, does not pester him about his private life, and she even helps him when he's trying to hide from others.
Take the arcade scene in chapter 34 when Su-Ae runs interference with a man (later revealed to be Dohwa’s father) who is searching for her friend. She does not hesitate to help him in that karaoke booth, and it later sets the stage for his real confession. It seems Dohwa wants to find someone who can see him without his social mask. He yearns to build a connection that will not judge him unfairly, that is why he takes a risk with Su-Ae and reveals his most guarded secrets, possibly risking his reputation in the process.
Dohwa’s Private Confession:
Dohwa: That was my dad at the arcade that day. And I have three part-time jobs.
Su-Ae's Internal Narration:
I had so many questions. But I didn’t dare ask any of them. And what I eventually said was...
Su-Ae: You don't really look like your dad.
Dohwa After Laughing:
I really wasn't looking for a response. I was just curious what you might say if I told you this. But it's not as bad as I thought it would be.
- Chapter 48
Dohwa, while hesitant, swallows his own pride without reservations, but most importantly, he is able to form a genuine connection with Su-Ae. That heartfelt connection is one of the main reasons why I love Operation: True Love, and why I want to see where the story will end. There are so many human moments that Dohwa brings into the story, and because they tend to be subtle, most readers miss it.
The difference between Eunhyuk and Dohwa’s roles has never been clearer than in the recent chapter.
Even though Eunhyuk is framed as the main male lead , the supposed endgame, the story itself refuses to treat him like one. Eunhyuk exists in isolation. His arcs begin and end with himself. Beyond his family drama and his relationship with Suae (which he’s already lost post-timeskip), he has no narrative function left. Every time the focus shifts to him, the story hits “pause.” The world shrinks; the plot evaporates.
We’ve seen this twice now.
At the end of season 1, once Eunhyuk and Suae got together, the main plot all but vanished until the timeskip, and what reignited it? Dohwa’s return, and more specifically, after Suae assists him with shopping in chapter 112 (the narration about signs).
The same pattern just played out again: a string of Eunhyuk-centric chapters where the story stalled, until chapter 120 brought Dohwa back and, with him, the plot’s heartbeat.
Dohwa is the complete opposite. He’s woven into every major thread: the love system, Marang, Haru, and even Suae’s creative arc. His introduction defined the series’ central theme — the boy with the most love points and the girl with none, two foils whose connection anchors the narrative. It’s hard not to wonder if Dohwa will be the key to ending the love system itself.
He’s also vital to Marang’s storyline: first as the talent they pursued for his unnatural “love points,” and now as their “last hope” amid the company’s downfall. Even Suae’s writing improved through him, his insight into Gray’s character helped her push past her block and subtly elevated her story, something even Haru picked up on in his reviews.
What truly sets Dohwa and Eunhyuk apart, though, is how the author frames their love for Suae. Eunhyuk’s realization takes up a few passing panels, a quiet, almost reluctant admission with no build-up or aftermath. In contrast, Dohwa’s realization spans two full chapters, with him realizing he likes Suae in chapter 54 and that he’s in love with her in chapter 70. Even their confessions reflect that difference: Eunhyuk’s arrives in chapter 89, brief and anticlimactic, capped with him calling Suae his first love, a phrase that sounds final, not promising. Dohwa’s, however, lands in the milestone chapter 100 and is written with deliberate grandeur; he confesses using a quote from The Black Rose of Versailles, tying his love for Suae to Gray, the second male character she adores so deeply that he inspired her to write her own web novel.. One is a closing note. The other is a prologue.
At this point, Operation: True Love might be the first manhwa where the “main” male lead is treated like a second male lead, and the second male lead carries the narrative weight by being involved in all the major storylines. Which leaves two possibilities: either the author is secretly terrible at structure (unlikely, given her precision), or Eunhyuk was never the true male lead at all. It was Baek Dohwa from the start.
People who say that Operation: True Love is ruined because of the timeskip and that it came out of nowhere are delusional as hell. There's a reason why the beginning of the story was fixed in 2014 and the early narrations were in the past tense. You guys are only mad because the story isn't following the predictable way you wanted. Another dumb thing to assume, because they should have guessed that the author had some plot twists in mind when she declared that your typical story was predictable, boring and sad.
Why a Suae × Eunhyuk Ending Would Undermine Operation: True Love’s Own Critique
Operation: True Love isn’t just a romance; it’s a meta commentary on how romances are written. The author built a mirror story, The Black Rose of Versailles, to expose what she finds hollow about the genre’s familiar formulas.
Within that mirror, Dohwa serves as the author’s mouthpiece. He calls the original Black Rose ending sad, predictable, and boring, and Suae fully agrees with him. That agreement matters, it positions both characters as reflections of the author’s own stance.
Now, consider what it would mean for Suae to end up with Eunhyuk, the clear parallel to Prince Edward. To repeat that pairing in Operation: True Love would make the manhwa’s ending identical to the one its own characters dismissed. The author would be disproving her own argument, turning her story into the very thing she labeled sad, predictable, and boring.
Suae’s role pushes this even further. When she calls out how exhausting and repetitive love triangles are, she’s not just critiquing The Black Rose of Versailles but the genre itself. Her answer to that cliché is rewriting it, penning her own version where Cindy ends up with the second male lead, Gray. In doing so, Suae turns critique into creation, offering the antidote to the predictable romances she disdains.
Together, she and Dohwa form a deliberate mirror; he deconstructs the story, and she deconstructs the genre itself. Their shared perspective rejects romantic clichés.
So if the author were to have Suae end up with Eunhyuk, a “Prince Edward” figure within her own narrative, she would undo the very thesis her characters have voiced. It would betray the self-awareness and critique at the heart of Operation: True Love.
In short, an Eunhyuk ending wouldn’t just be disappointing; it would contradict the story’s entire reason for existing.
baratheonpilled
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titsay
