But i always felt like after being free from his hometown he just felt really lost and maybe he has become familiar with daydream and didn’t want to go looking for a job again? Sort of him just going with the flow because he doesn’t know anything else and doesnt know how to live normally, and i thought he didn’t really have a specific wish either since his original wish is gone
But then again, 2 times soleum asking him why he’s still working at daydream,and one time he himself thinking about it ..hmmm kinda sus,but also maybe it’s just him being lost in life after overcoming a major obstacle
I know some people say his wish might be his sister revival..but i feel like he isn’t the type of person to do something like that? Especially knowing how flawed the wish ticket is..
(this is re: earlier ask here)
yeah I felt that way too. like he lost his purpose and doesn't really have anything else.
but also like you say it is super sus that the author makes a point of having KSE note 'perhaps BSH knows perfectly well what he wants to wish for…'
Like that has to be a hint imo
I think what bsh has in mind might be related to the sister but not exactly a simple revival.
Plus yeah, kse also told him about the wish ticket's flaws… so who knows what bsh is planning. if he even is planning something consciously.
Idk if this is only my impression but ,soleum and saheon relationship right now is good but it gives me a headache 😭sometimes they seem familiar\casual with each other that you can guess these people know each other well,then they’d suddenly say affectionate stuff to each other,then they’d tease and annoy each other,but then suddenly get awkward,and then they have arguments and hurt each other’s feelings but then act like nothing happened..all in the span of 6 chapters 😂😭like omg
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A.
It's been really really fun! I feel the same way :D I mean you can probs tell from how I keep translating dialogue and sharing thoughts orz
I've also been really enjoying the other characters we've met so far (Jin Nasol, Lee Gyeol) - really into how part 3 has developed all the characters after 2 parts of buildup :) It's been like, oooh so that's where this character was going... So that's why this character was set up that way...
In general I think BDS never disappoints when it comes to character interactions, but they've really outdone themselves imo. It's so so fun to read!
ask - but really a theory, about KSE
spoilers up to 397
Anonymous asked:
I think why Soleum was affected by the choir sound but his appearance didn't improve like Nasol because his body is a church follower who swallowed a (mimicry sect?) fragment to copy Ireum-nim, so the pill darkness cannot change his look -> might mean he won't become instrument either
And his current body has been quite resilient agaisnt darknesses? He was within arm's length of 3 A Grade ones now and was still sane enough to run and think. I suspect it's the similar when Eun Haje was "already infected" by the fox.
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A.
oooo I think this is a solid theory!
I thought KSE not being affected by pill must be related to his body as well.
It makes so much sense that it would be a church follower who used mimicry sect tricks to appear the same as KSE!
I wonder if i sound delusional saying this but, i have seen other people say it too but maybe we’re all delusional..
Basically, i feel like every other character in this novel,no matter how much they care about soleum he’s not the only center of their world and they have someone else\something else that they care about too,or in general seem pretty self sufficient and not too emotionally dependent on soleum..
(There’s maybe braun but he’s a ghost story entity so i don’t wanna mention him,also besides soleum braun really loves entertainment)
Meanwhile saheon literally only has soleum as a human connection,while he can live without him however without soleum he’s utterly lonely and only cares about survival, he doesn’t feel any positive attachment to his hometown either it’s basically like there’s nothing that ties him to this world..so is there any chance he would go back with soleum into his world..?or is that too far fetched..(that’s assuming that at the end he will return to his world and doesn’t choose to stay here since sometimes i feel like he loves this world more than his own..)
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A.
Personally I suspect the ending won't be KSE forever saying goodbye to this world. For Doylist reasons rather than Watsonian reasons - I just feel like 1) the author won't end the story by our protag forever leaving all the charas the readers got attached to, and 2) end of part 2 already had him dramatically & successfully going home so I don't think we'll get the same type of ending again.
That said.
If KSE were to leave this world forever, would BSH go with him?
I don't know, honestly.
First of all, what you said is valid.
I'd also point out that at the end of part 2, while most everyone seems to know & be fine with KSE going home, BSH got brought there without proper context & even tells KSE that he'd better pay back his debt some day (presumably assuming they'd get to meet or at least communicate again).
Since in part 3 he says 'You took my points and left', he has presumably since become aware that what happened that day was KSE leaving for good. But who knows if he came to peace with it. I mean, since he asks KSE if he still has the paper boat & that they could use it for communication, presumably BSH himself is still carrying the paper boat with him, even to this visit to the branch office. Just in case KSE will communicate…
So, yeah…
That said, I think we need to keep in mind that we don't know why he's still at Daydream.
In the beginning of part 2, a lot of people hypothesized that he may have quit, since his wish came true and continuing to go to Daydream would mean he'd be continuously facing life threatening risks. And BSH even confirms in an inner narration that the Jisan thing was his wish and it's been resolved. But he's still at Daydream.
[ep 236]
It seemed his wish to escape the village completely had already come true.
Nevertheless, he continued to work at this company, because… he didn't know.
He didn't know why he hadn't enshrined or cremated his sister’s skull either.
[ep 351]
"Why do you keep working at Daydream, Citizen?"
Baek Saheon, who was sitting on the opposite side to me, paused for a moment.
"I understand that most people who work at the company have a desperate wish. Do you… have a wish like that?"
"……"
"I don’t know."
"There used to be a reason I work here, but that doesn’t matter anymore."
"……"
"Well, if I keep collecting points… I'll probably find some thing where I'd want to use the wish ticket."
That manner of speech felt like an attempt to gloss over the issue rather than facing his own inner self.
It occurred to me that perhaps, Baek Saheon knew clearly why he wanted to obtain the wish ticket…
All this to me implies BSH has some idea in mind of how he'd like to use the wish ticket, one that he maybe doesn't really want to admit to himself.
Other than their first reunion has baek saheon addressed soleum directly at all? I don’t remember him calling out his name or juimnim or anything..but maybe it’s cuz of translation ? Or my memory is bad
If so then im really curious what he’d call him later
Also in today’s chapter was baek saheon speaking informally to soleum when telling him to convince him? And when telling him to shut up?
+ why did kim soleum suddenly switch to calling him section chief?is it cuz there were other people around ?
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A.
Anon, this is very well observed.
It's not just part 3. Even in part 2 BSH doesn't address KSE by name or rank. He just calls him things like "그쪽" which is just an indirect, not super polite way of saying 'you'. This continues to part 3.
In part 2, while talking to someone else, BSH once refers to KSE as 'supervisor roe deer' in the context of saying he knows agent grape is supervisor roe deer (and that he only wants to know who the Jisan Agent is). And then when he meets the Agent, he says 'Agent?' (without the polite -nim) which to me feels like him asking for confirmation of identity rather than calling him that.
And then in part 3 of course, he calls him '너' (casual 'you') and gets immediately shot down so keeps to '그쪽'.
That's about it.
As far as I can tell, never once does he address KSE by rank or by name throughout all of part 2 and 3.
I suspect BSH was possibly lost as to how to address this guy when he is no longer supervisor roe deer.
Meanwhile KSE calls him (depending on context) Goat, Supervisor Goat, Section Chief Goat, even "Baek Saheon".
When BSH tells him to shut up, he forgoes honorifics. But when he tells him to convince him, he uses them.
In 397 KSE specifically stops himself from addressing BSH by name and goes 'Section Chief Goat' & he doesn't use the '-nim' which you are absolutely supposed to when speaking to a superior. So I think rather than KSE trying to cosplay as a normal worker, it was bc he realizes they're basically in a darkness now so they should avoid using names.
But if we assume that saheon wants soleum to trust him and depend on him more..that has already been achieved no?
Example \When the drunken group was being deployed and they chose soleum too, an unexpected situation, he thought of where’s baek saheon? Then instead of thinking he must have abandoned him,he thought he must have been held back by the researcher
And him going into the vent with him
Also whenever saheon would ask something he would answer pretty truthfully like how he told him he saw ho’s office etc..
This means right now he completely trusts saheon..tho you can say that he might think saheon is going this far for the items, but cmon doesn’t he know saheon wouldn’t really go that far especially if it risks his life or position?
So maybe he unconsciously knows saheon cares about him,and he trusts and depends on him too…at least for now,idk how they’ll be like next time they meet
Side note i really love how soleum is so straightforward in his words towards saheon;telling him he’s glad to see him again, that he’s worried , thanking him
Hmmm does it not feel like ever since the jisan incident this is how he wanted to treat saheon(and he did in his agent persona) but there has always been a barrier and now that it’s finally gone he can be honest towards him? Idk to me soleum seems so soft in the way he treats saheon (of course with some teasing here and there) but readers seem to not notice it much since right now saheon is louder about his affection especially from reader’s perspective ( albeit in a tsundere way)
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A.
KSE certainly finds BSH to be a lot more trustworthy than he used to be, yeah! I was struck by him telling him about Ho's office too!
And in today's ep (397) he even understood "saheon language" aka he realized when BSH demands that he convince him, it means BSH is asking for a justification he can tell himself to go with him!
:)
TBH I think KSE is just a caring person who tends to get attached to people in general. And yeah, after Jisan etc, after he comes to know BSH a lot better… He definitely got attached.
Like, here's how he was in manor of the blind.
[ep43]
Right. Since we successfully made the candles that required three people, Baek Saheon isn't needed anymore.
'I only got him to accompany me to protect my mentals'
Honestly, wouldn't it be no big deal if that guy died? Actually, it might even be better for society if he died.
And here's how he is during casino arc. (trying to convince BSH to participate in the Russian Roulette)
[ep267]
In any case, it would be difficult for that guy to leave us behind and explore this subway alone amidst this insane, catastrophy-level disaster.
Eventually, he would either end up completely contaminated, becoming like Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, or wake up in reality after taking euthanasia pills - and there's no need for him to go through that risk.
…That said.
'… But what if you really do die?'
Although the doubt regarding that tiny probability is chilling.
It is something that must be done, whether you consider it rationally, or emotionally.
A shiver ran down my spine, but I did not let go of the arm I was holding. Because letting him escape from here would result in a longer and more painful death.
So in the span of 200 eps, KSE went from 'Society might be better off with this guy dead' to 'He shouldn't have to take the risk of being contaminated, or going through a more painful death experience. I have to convince him to brave this and take the quicker way out.'
So yeah KSE got attached to BSH. There has been a growing softness there, I agree.
And judging from 370 & 371 and also seeing how he didn't question BSH talking about giving him his dream essence, he definitely remembers about BSH's contribution to him going home too.
Culminating in the present…
The thing is, judging from recent eps, I think BSH wants KSE to, like, consider the two of them to be a team together, like he himself obviously does. Like he wants to be that special to KSE 😭
In a way I think he is tbh! Like as of this moment I think BSH may be the closest to a comfortable same-age friend (idk if they're same age but anyway) in the DER world that KSE has, someone you can both trust and say harsh words jokingly towards, the way he seemingly did with his irl friends & his little sibling. (He has other friends with very sweet relationships of course but I don't think he has this sort of teasing relationship with them).
KSE: she didn't give a definite answer that she did
BSH: are you an idiot? If she didn't, she'd say so!
KSE: ...!
BSH: 'I don't know' means there is something! It means you can't tell the truth, so you'll just stall for time and whine! Why would you go along with that!
KSE: She's not the type to make excuses like that. There has to be someth-
BSH: What makes you so sure? And what if there *is* something. Does it change that she ate it?
KSE: I'm going to ask her and end this instead of wasting time like this with you!
KSE: why aren't you sure?
JNS: I have no memory of eating it, but my condition has improved.
KSE: ...
JNS: I feel... unusually good.
KSE: do you mean, although you can't be sure of when, there is a possibility you may have eaten it?
JNS: yes.
JNS: I told you. I've become complete trash. Maybe I mistakenly shoved it into my mouth while taking painkillers.
KSE: ...!
JNS: Or maybe I stuffed it in with my own hands while not in my right mind.
KSE: You haven't been like that since you started taking the painkillers, what are you talking about?
JNS: Are there any other possibilities? Why else would I show symptoms. You're the one who needs to get a grip.
JNS: Since you two are suddenly going crazy, I get something happened. If you can't take someone who took the pill, just go.
KSE: ...
BSH: Okay now, right? Let's go.
KSE: wait.
BSH: What now! Ah, are you going to say, since it's someone you know, we should give her special treatment and take her along? Aren't you ashamed -
KSE: No, that's not it
KSE: I, might have also eaten it
BSH: ...!
KSE: The assistant manager and I generally ate the same things. So if she took one without realizing...
BSH: wait.
KSE: That means I ate one too.
KSE: I'm thinking maybe they hid one inside the food, the day before they gave breakfast
BSH: ...
KSE: ...
KSE: Baek, I mean, Section Chief Goat
KSE: I said this earlier too, but thank you.
BSH: What are you -
KSE: I think it might be better for you to go back to the authorized personnel area where you were
BSH: ...
KSE: right now... I can't even be sure that I didn't take one
KSE: Sorry for making you waste your time coming all the way here. For now, we'll try to escape as you and I planned, so if possible, let's meet outside -
BSH: shut up.
KSE: ...!
BSH: convince me.
KSE: What?
BSH: What would I gain by going with you? Convince me.
KSE: ...I know how to activate the old main control system of this branch office.
BSH: ...
KSE: that's how I learned about the route I'm going to take now, too.
KSE: So... By going through the path along the mud wall, you might be able to get some special audit results that you could use to negotiate with your higher-ups.
BSH: Understood. I'll go with you, so shut up and move.
KSE: Would that be oka-
BSH: Stop asking and move, quickly. I said I'm going with you.
KSE: alright.
KSE: assistant manager, let's go.
JNS: you don't look like someone who took it.
KSE: maybe the effects were used up to heal my face.
KSE: Anyway, we can't be certain of anything. Due to those pills, an absurdly high grade darkness has popped up. Since we have no time I'll brief you as we move. So -
JNS: No need. Just do what's necessary.
(Post entering through the door)
BSH: ...where did you get that handle?
KSE: I dug it up from the ground
BSH: ...?!
KSE: I think I hear the sound of water inside.
KSE: let's go in.
KSE: ...is the 'area for authorized personnel' that you know like this?
BSH: no, it's completely different. That one is just a normal office.
BSH: ...You can find the exit from here? Are you serious?
KSE: Yes. As long as I can find just one structure I recognize.
KSE: Right now, we're looking for an emergency vertical shaft.
KSE: Let's run.
KSE: Got it.
KSE: now we just go straight!
BSH: How long will it take?
KSE: About three times how long it took for us to get here... I think.
JNS: 25 mins.
KSE: What?
JNS: If it's six times, it will take about that long.
KSE: Thank you!
BSH: ...Your gratitude is so cheap. You say thank you for having your life saved, and also for someone telling you about the time!
KSE: this is the last corner. After this, we ru-
BSH: ...this is the exit?
KSE: This... shouldn't appear yet.
KSE: Anyway, I'll open this. But how does this open...
JNS: Get out of the way.
KSE: um?
KSE: ...Office?
BSH: What, why is this...
KSE: Is this the 'area for authorized personnel' that you know?
BSH: It is. This is the worker management office.
BSH: And that's... Ah, this is where the mirror is.
KSE: ...!
BSH: I thought the mirror was unnecessarily big. Assumed it must be for dealing with darkness, but it was hiding a space like this? Ha!
BSH: Let's hurry up and leave for now. Oh, and I'll be making use of this matter, so keep that in mind.
KSE: We should talk about that outsi-
JNS: oi.
JNS: Look over there.
JNS: Isn't that the person in charge?
BSH: Of course they'd be here, this is worker management office. Just leave them. They'll either die or escape on their own...
+ Ok I don't get it about 6 times. If the way that's left is 3 times the way they came in, shouldn't the total be 4 times? Idk if I'm misunderstanding or if this is a mistake lol.
Thoughts
- omg omg omg
- jns didn't eat the pills willingly!!!
- jns telling them to leave her behind...
- kse realizing in that case, he must have eaten them too...
- "convince me" and KSE finally realizes what BSH means! That BSH wants him to give him a reason to accompany him!!
- ok I laughed at BSH saying KSE says thanks cheaply. Like omfg BSH.
- oh they met the researcher again?
- I wonder if the researcher will actually die like KSE's prediction...
- line of the day : "your gratitude is so cheap. You say thanks for having your life saved, and also for someone telling you about the time!"
Ok so I translated it as 'trash' but in this ep JNS calls herself 병신
This is often used as a generic insult, but in original meaning it is specifically disparaging towards physically and/or mentally sick/disabled people.
In ep 21 (theme park arc) JNS referred to the researcher as this.
KSE: she didn't give a definite answer that she did
BSH: are you an idiot? If she didn't, she'd say so!
KSE: ...!
BSH: 'I don't know' means there is something! It means you can't tell the truth, so you'll just stall for time and whine! Why would you go along with that!
KSE: She's not the type to make excuses like that. There has to be someth-
BSH: What makes you so sure? And what if there *is* something. Does it change that she ate it?
KSE: I'm going to ask her and end this instead of wasting time like this with you!
KSE: why aren't you sure?
JNS: I have no memory of eating it, but my condition has improved.
KSE: ...
JNS: I feel... unusually good.
KSE: do you mean, although you can't be sure of when, there is a possibility you may have eaten it?
JNS: yes.
JNS: I told you. I've become complete trash. Maybe I mistakenly shoved it into my mouth while taking painkillers.
KSE: ...!
JNS: Or maybe I stuffed it in with my own hands while not in my right mind.
KSE: You haven't been like that since you started taking the painkillers, what are you talking about?
JNS: Are there any other possibilities? Why else would I show symptoms. You're the one who needs to get a grip.
JNS: Since you two are suddenly going crazy, I get something happened. If you can't take someone who took the pill, just go.
KSE: ...
BSH: Okay now, right? Let's go.
KSE: wait.
BSH: What now! Ah, are you going to say, since it's someone you know, we should give her special treatment and take her along? Aren't you ashamed -
KSE: No, that's not it
KSE: I, might have also eaten it
BSH: ...!
KSE: The assistant manager and I generally ate the same things. So if she took one without realizing...
BSH: wait.
KSE: That means I ate one too.
KSE: I'm thinking maybe they hid one inside the food, the day before they gave breakfast
BSH: ...
KSE: ...
KSE: Baek, I mean, Section Chief Goat
KSE: I said this earlier too, but thank you.
BSH: What are you -
KSE: I think it might be better for you to go back to the authorized personnel area where you were
BSH: ...
KSE: right now... I can't even be sure that I didn't take one
KSE: Sorry for making you waste your time coming all the way here. For now, we'll try to escape as you and I planned, so if possible, let's meet outside -
BSH: shut up.
KSE: ...!
BSH: convince me.
KSE: What?
BSH: What would I gain by going with you? Convince me.
KSE: ...I know how to activate the old main control system of this branch office.
BSH: ...
KSE: that's how I learned about the route I'm going to take now, too.
KSE: So... By going through the path along the mud wall, you might be able to get some special audit results that you could use to negotiate with your higher-ups.
BSH: Understood. I'll go with you, so shut up and move.
KSE: Would that be oka-
BSH: Stop asking and move, quickly. I said I'm going with you.
KSE: alright.
KSE: assistant manager, let's go.
JNS: you don't look like someone who took it.
KSE: maybe the effects were used up to heal my face.
KSE: Anyway, we can't be certain of anything. Due to those pills, an absurdly high grade darkness has popped up. Since we have no time I'll brief you as we move. So -
JNS: No need. Just do what's necessary.
(Post entering through the door)
BSH: ...where did you get that handle?
KSE: I dug it up from the ground
BSH: ...?!
KSE: I think I hear the sound of water inside.
KSE: let's go in.
KSE: ...is the 'area for authorized personnel' that you know like this?
BSH: no, it's completely different. That one is just a normal office.
BSH: ...You can find the exit from here? Are you serious?
KSE: Yes. As long as I can find just one structure I recognize.
KSE: Right now, we're looking for an emergency vertical shaft.
KSE: Let's run.
KSE: Got it.
KSE: now we just go straight!
BSH: How long will it take?
KSE: About three times how long it took for us to get here... I think.
JNS: 25 mins.
KSE: What?
JNS: If it's six times, it will take about that long.
KSE: Thank you!
BSH: ...Your gratitude is so cheap. You say thank you for having your life saved, and also for someone telling you about the time!
KSE: this is the last corner. After this, we ru-
BSH: ...this is the exit?
KSE: This... shouldn't appear yet.
KSE: Anyway, I'll open this. But how does this open...
JNS: Get out of the way.
KSE: um?
KSE: ...Office?
BSH: What, why is this...
KSE: Is this the 'area for authorized personnel' that you know?
BSH: It is. This is the worker management office.
BSH: And that's... Ah, this is where the mirror is.
KSE: ...!
BSH: I thought the mirror was unnecessarily big. Assumed it must be for dealing with darkness, but it was hiding a space like this? Ha!
BSH: Let's hurry up and leave for now. Oh, and I'll be making use of this matter, so keep that in mind.
KSE: We should talk about that outsi-
JNS: oi.
JNS: Look over there.
JNS: Isn't that the person in charge?
BSH: Of course they'd be here, this is worker management office. Just leave them. They'll either die or escape on their own...
+ Ok I don't get it about 6 times. If the way that's left is 3 times the way they came in, shouldn't the total be 4 times? Idk if I'm misunderstanding or if this is a mistake lol.
Thoughts
- omg omg omg
- jns didn't eat the pills willingly!!!
- jns telling them to leave her behind...
- kse realizing in that case, he must have eaten them too...
- "convince me" and KSE finally realizes what BSH means! That BSH wants him to give him a reason to accompany him!!
- ok I laughed at BSH saying KSE says thanks cheaply. Like omfg BSH.
- oh they met the researcher again?
- I wonder if the researcher will actually die like KSE's prediction...
- line of the day : "your gratitude is so cheap. You say thanks for having your life saved, and also for someone telling you about the time!"
Something i like about this author is that she doesn’t kill major characters off and doesn’t use that as shock value, but yet the stakes are high and we as readers can still be on edge since instead of death major contaminations happen in which the characters feels half dead?like jang, also ehj-rjk during the city arc,and to some extent minseong, and in some cases it lasts for a pretty long time ..or permanent physical\mental damages
So i wonder if it’ll always stay that way? That nobody would truly die but some would go through tragic fates regardless,personally i wouldn’t mind deaths as long as it’s not my favorite characters and that’s the problem ..nobody would want their favourite character to die but something like that happening would also make the novel’s atmosphere feel serious..
(Just a note - we don't know author Baek Deoksu's gender! although many do assume them to be female due to having written Debut or Die.)
I remember gasping out loud when Jang Heoun's death happened. Other people in the room asked me what was wrong & I had to tell them I was just reading a novel lmao
And although he has been revived, it hasn't been fully fixed…
Similar with Minseong, as you say.
So yeah I like how there are still stakes even if character permadeath doesn't happen.
Personally I feel like this author will continue to refrain from permadeath of major characters. Just a sense I get from reading DoD & having followed GDCG this far. But who knows…
How do you think Kim Soleum and Baek Saheon's relationship would change if BSH learnt that KSE was the living incarnation of Ireum-nim (if not just directly Ireum-nim itself)? Saheon should most likely still harbor either a grudge or severe trauma from his childhood in the village right?
I may be wrong but I always felt like Saheon's whole "survive at all costs" thing was very similar to Soleum's "I want to go home" condition. Because the best way to keep a broken person functioning per se is to give them a far-away goal that the pursue single mindedly. It's a survival mechanism.
well KSE is straight up Ireum-nim. one of the many Ireum-nims anyway.
I think it'll depend on whether BSH is capable of understanding the "truth" of the world i.e. they're all written down words etc, the things that the visitors in Jisan utter when they go insane. That will decide how much of it he'll be able to understand while keeping his sanity, right?
That said my first instinct is :
KSE is from another world -> I don't think this will bother BSH.
KSE has the power to read about BSH and his world -> I think BSH might be like 'this explains a lot' / 'why don't you know about A or B or C then?' etc
KSE is the specific being that the villagers of his hometown worshipped -> well. well.
KSE had the power to create/delete anything from BSH's world -> this would require BSH not going insane when he realizes he's in a written world…
I'm sorry for the stupid question but what's the difference between sahsol and solsah? T T
ok I'll just link to an article
Previously in QooPedia, we looked at the difference between Yaoi, Bara, and BL. This time, we'll be looking Seme and Uke.
basically in kr/jp/cn BL (idk about other countries) the top bottom dynamic gets conflated with a lot of other stuff (usually dom/sub for example, although not always) so there's a preference even within what you might think of as the 'same ship'.
in fact, to most kr/jp/cn creators, it isn't the same ship at all. it's like the opposite of your ship.
in general kr/cn/jp creators tend to be very sensitive about this stuff. it's very very impolite to see someone's sahsol work and go 'oh I love your solsah!' and vice versa. so it's best to be careful when quote retweeting, commenting etc.
I see some people speculating that this part 3 might be about soleum rising in ranks and maybe by the end of part 3 become a director? The continuous ho yuwon mentions\references of him becoming a director from here is sus and even his room being near his office..I would really love that but then what about the elephant in the room that is the nameless church \religion (not sure of the name)..and that he has their id..but as much as I’m curious about them too it just isn’t as fun as daydream..
Also him telling the researcher he’ll die..saw someone saying it feels like he’s exerting his authority as one of editors of this world without realizing it..? Pretty spooky stuff
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A.
[direction of story]
honestly I have no idea where the story is gonna be headed (aside from probably dealing with the religion, since KSE did pick that id card from the machine)
I don't know if in this story about the evils of capitalism I want to see KSE solve things by rising in the corporate ranks and becoming director. But it will doubtlessly be fun if it happens…
a lot of my friends are really excited / looking forward to more religion stuff, personally I'm not really into them either, but since KSE is also specifically not into the religion (lol) I trust in BDS's ability to make them fun to read about. I did really like the happy ending sect twins & am hoping to see them again.
[researcher death]
now that you mention it, yeah, looks like it's gonna happen, right? What with the state of the branch, it would make sense for the researcher to actually die tonight.
I really wonder what’s the purpose of the author changing saheon’s team to h if it doesn’t matter that much? To indicate a lot happened in 3 years? But still just him becoming section chief is enough to indicate that..idk really weird,especially when you know he’s a named character so this is a change from his original setting..
and soleum doesn’t know he has changed groups right?
Also the researcher saying there’s a rumor that anyone who enters ghost stories with him dies..i wonder if it’s true? Like i know he’s still selfish but there weren’t really talks about him being like this before he became section chief,at most people just thought of him as typical daydream employee ..also he doesn’t seem to have earned the viper nickname so at least there’s that
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[why squad h]
Now that you mention it I'm curious as well.
To be clear, the DER article about BSH we see in ep 2 doesn't mention which squad he's in, so we don't know if this is a change from how he's supposed to be.
But now I'm wondering if maybe we will be seeing the DER version of Viper later, and that guy will be squad F, or something like that.
[rumor]
To be precise it doesn't say anyone who enters with him dies, it says the employees who entered with him kept turning out dead. Ok it's similar but I just wanted to be clear.
BSH himself mentions the supervisor who "went missing" but in reality died. He could be lying for dramatic effect of course… but Ig I don't really see any reason to doubt the rumors at this point.
As we all know, his default setting is to survive at all costs, no matter what happens to others, even if it involves sacrificing others. Like, he doesn't bully or torture other people just for the hell of it, but he will not hesitate to sacrifice them to save his own life. So it makes sense to me that in many instances he'd be the only survivor.
Like think of the darknesses he entered with KSE. If not for KSE, BSH may have been the single survivor (or one of the few survivors) of :
abyss transpo (from their car)
manor of the blind (BSH mentions using other bodies for payment which KSE blocks, but KSE secretly thinks it would have worked)
Ngl it kinda feel like things are going a bit too smoothly for kse but also I hope jns is okay.... and didn't take the thing but also there is no way there isn't someone higher than bsh watching him right? Because even if he is in the standard teams of d-w who os to know something changed he still dropped from f to h before became section chief right? Just having a prickling feeling.
A.
[JNS]
tbh I'm pretty sure JNS did take the pill… we've previously seen from the stamp darkness that nowadays JNS will do risky and dangerous things without a second thought if there's a chance of pain relief…
Which tbh is so understandable and human orz. Physical pain is the worst. Unending chronic physical pain is the WORST.
Maybe KSE should have put more effort into warning JNS about it, stress to her that it's a beauty pill so it'll do nothing for your headache etc. (even if he doesn't know if it will do anything for the pain). But probably he didn't have enough time & moreover I suspect he simply didn't imagine he'd ever need to warn her more about it, bc JNS is smart and capable… :(
Physical pain is the worst.
[BSH]
ok I can't remember the source for this, but I vaguely remember that other than ABC and XYZ, the order of the alphabets doesn't really matter. Previously we've also seen Dolphin move squads along with a promotion. So I don't think it necessarily implies something bad that BSH moved squads.
That said I am worried that someone has noticed BSH acting weird, esp bc KSE keeps being worried about that possibility. Since BSH was part of Ho's project team, although he seemingly escaped unscathed, it doesn't seem unreasonable that Cheong would be keeping an eye on him.
long ask about soleum & saheon, spoilers up to 396
Q.
(Some soleum and saheon think pieces ..it’s kinda messy tho and might not be accurate)
(Also really long🥀🥀💔feel free to skip)
Yeah you’re right, i think the way soleum thinks\treats saheon has improved significantly but it’s overshadowed by his annoying oblivious feelings (like he still is not sure why bsh is helping him) and also because saheon comes off too intense so you kinda might not notice soleum’s subtle changes.
Like you said he’s not putting up a front anymore,he’s very comfortable and unpretentious around him like how he treats his friends\sibling although yes sometimes they get a bit awkward.
He openly tells him he’s glad to see him again and that he’s worried about him, +he doesn’t want saheon to be afraid of him anymore like how he didn’t like it when saheon finched and said it wasn’t his intention,+he indulges him sometimes in saheon’s absurd requests like him saying i beg of you(albeit a little sarcastic😭)+ he trusts his words and actions completely! When previously he would have thought saheon is sabotaging him\betraying him.
That said,i think the reasons they clash a lot is :
-their complicated relationship up until now;
like saheon’s fear towards soleum still surfing up sometimes , him still not completely accepting they’re the same persom and also his really different feelings towards both personas combining into one..soleum still thinking that saheon might have lost his affection to him ever since he learned he’s the agent ,and still not understanding why saheon helps him because saheon has betrayed him a lot and was always a transactional person..he still doesn’t seem to realize he’s a special person to saheon…
Yes their dynamic until now had way too much misunderstandings and masking and selfish motivations so now it feels like they’re starting a new and it’s not easy to unravel such a toxic dynamic
-saheon is not a mentally healthy person\too traumatised ;. his attachment is intense and unhealthy,his communication style confuses soleum like he’s tsundere ,his mood switches a lot,etc basically he’s a little unstable which makes sense.
-ultimately they’re very different,with soleum being altruistic and saheon self preserving,they don’t understand each other’s pov..
and i notice saheon has been making a lot of compromises for his sake (ever since jisan) while soleum only in these chapters kinda listened to him (which..saheon being happy about it is not a very good thing,as this means saheon might always stay this way ,which makes me think what was the point of soleum’s teachings in the hospital arc?)but also this is not on saheon completely as soleum himself in part 3 have had some selfish thoughts like cutting the oxygen from everyone..
-for whatever reason soleum is way too dense about saheon’s feelings and always tries to link back saheon’s kindness to him being greedy ,maybe it’s hard for him to accept someone like saheon can be kind towards anyone ? Or the reasons that i mentioned above
-and again saheon only having soleum in his life just results in the relationship feeling too imbalanced
-they still haven’t had a thorough conversation on the whole agent thingy i think? and must of saheon’s realizations has been from slip ups and casual remarks, i feel like they need to have an even more honest and vulnerable conversation,which i don’t know if it will ever happen cuz saheon himself doesn’t seem to want to want to talk about it..
-and yeah both of them saying they don’t know what the other person is thinking ..
(And yeah I’m really curious if in part 3 there will be any more development or it’ll stay this way,anyway i still think their dynamic is a little complicated which i like but it can also get a bit frustrating..)
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Ok I'll go through this one by one
[KSE not realizing he has become a special person to BSH]
In KSE's defence, all that realization, all the 'for the first time he felt 'fulfillment'' etc happened in BSH's head and KSE has no way of knowing 😭 esp since in Jisan it was BSH helping KSE. so KSE is just like ok alright I managed to talk him into it. Phew.
And then BSH continues to help KSE -> KSE : ok he feels positively towards the Jisan agent for some reason…? ig that talk back then etc was more memorable for him than I thought…? anyway that's good. Let's maintain this persona.
And then BSH finds out that KSE is Jisan agent and that the psycho act was an act and seems to want some kind of payback. But at the same time he still seems to feel positively towards Jisan agent, in fact he just seems to want to help KSE in general. -> KSE : ok idk what's going on inside his head
Like I get why KSE would be confused lol. At least he trusts that BSH really does want to help him.
and yeah, like you said, BSH is not easy to understand due to his communication style etc 😭
It's pretty funny bc once upon a time KSE actually understood him very well. He used to see through BSH completely. No longer the case lmao.
[KSE's altruism and BSH's self-preservation]
Well, relationship is a two-way street. After reading 395 and 396, I think just as KSE wanted to teach altruism to BSH, BSH wants to teach self-preservation to KSE. esp since BSH seems to believe KSE is more self-sacricifing than KSE really is. (A friend pointed out that back in Jisan when they talked, KSE also admitted to suicidal feelings, so that probs didn't help.)
And I don't think GSGW is trying to tell us that altruism at the cost of one's life is always the answer, esp when you consider what happened to KSE in scale court. KSE realized that he had been persuing altruism while suppressing the 'less than ideal' parts of himself, and this was seen as a bad thing. KSE had to accept his selfishness and other ugly parts.
So I think GSGW isn't simply trying to be like 'BSH is a bad person who needs to give up his selfish ways'. Esp in 395 and 396, his requests to KSE were reasonable, and KSE accepted them pretty easily. (In 395 esp I think KSE would have abandoned that guy even without BSH requesting him to)
Back in hospital arc, what Jisan agent told BSH is 'there's no reason to kill when you can both live'. One way to interpret this statement is 'If you can't both live, then, well…' <- which does fit with how KSE operates.
So I don't think their beliefs are inherently incompatible.
Of course, with this JNS situation, they're going to clash. I think, as before, BSH will accuse KSE of unnecessary altruism & idealism, and KSE is going to try to appeal to rationality. But this time KSE def just wants to save JNS bc he's attached to her & I can't really think of a rational reason why it would be better for them to save JNS, so it may be a real clash…
[more convo]
I don't think they necessarily need to talk more about the whole agent thing bc at this point, BSH knows that KSE knows he knows, and KSE knows that BSH knows he knows. If this was irl I'd say please talk, but this is a novel, so I don't know that they need to rehash this.
But I do think they need to talk about their different ideals since they're clearly on different pages on it (with BSH believing KSE is more idealistic than he actually is, etc)
Anyway all this means BSH's story is still unresolved, which means there'll still be more BSH focused stuff in part 3 :)
Since this is a novel, if your story is completely resolved, then there's not much left for the character to do… so I'm glad BSH's story is still ongoing.
