There's possible SPOILERS for readers who haven't finished reading the first volume.
___
When I first picked up the novel, I didn't have high expectations. After reading a lot of stories that end up disappointing me because of how the author eventually adds romance or harems into the story because their main character apparently needs a romantic relationship to feel good about themselves, I thought that Trash of the Count's Family will be the same thing further down the line.
But damn, did the author prove me wrong.
In the first few chapters, the novel's entire vibe was almost unnoticeable. Sure, there were some small details like him not being used to extravagant clothes or finding a simple meal delicious, but it wasn't obvious. It made me raise my eyebrow but I simply thought that he's a simple salaryman or something.
The first lines about him not having anyone who would miss him if he's gone in his previous world can be excused as him having no lingering attachments. And honestly, some transmigration/isekai stories do have their main characters having no attachments in their previous world. So it makes sense and it didn't alert me of what could've possibly happened to Cale, former Kim Rok Soo, for him to be so aloof and calm at the forced transmigration.
And then...he thought about poverty and pity when interacting with On and Hong. That was the first sign that he may have left a few lines out of his introduction.
It steadily got worse when he was talking to Choi Han about him being used to the cruelty of people like Venion. And then, at the first meeting with Raon, he appeared as if he understood the hopelessness of a child under an abusive adult's hand.
That's when I finally thought that TCF is a story about healing. And I was pleasantly surprised.
Sure, there's action, drama, and comedy, but TCF is mainly about moving on or healing from past hurts. There are moments when it can be called "cliche" but TCF is unique in the way it portrays Cale and his relationships. There's the found family trope that I love but what I love the most about the story is how these characters who have lost something or were about to lose something if OG Cale didn't make the deal with God of Death to have KRS replace him, is slowly understanding that they're not alone and that they can improve as a person if given the chance.
It's heart-warming and completely unexpected. I didn't read the first chapter expecting this fantasy-themed action novel to be about this.
OG Cale, Choi Han, Raon, On and Hong, Lock, Taylor and Cage, Alberu, the Dark Elves, Mary, and so many characters paved the way for me to completely fall in love with this novel.
If I sound like I'm exaggerating, then I don't care because this novel is just beautiful.
What completely blew my mind is the final reveal of Cale's past as Kim Rok Soo.
Listen, I have a love-hate relationship with KR survival novels involving monsters and dungeons and the freaking apocalypse. I love some of them and I can't stand the others. But I did not expect that Kim Rok Soo was in a world trying to survive from the effects of the apocalypse.
My first reaction was "What the actual fuck" because I 100% did not expect for the story to go that way. And my second thought was "So that's why!" Because it finally explains why he hates "papercuts"! This guy is so good at making big things about himself sound so small that it left me stunned when the big reveal happened!
I wanna slap him and hug him at the same time.
It explains why he's so good at being a commander. It explains why he's used to getting hurt or why he hates the thought of his friends and family dying with him as the survivor (I believe he has a survivor's guilt?). It explains everything.
He may be in a new world but he's still stuck in his past no matter how much he says about not thinking about what-ifs and his past. The time he spends in this new world is him slowly realizing that he's not alone and he doesn't have to be so scared.
And when I finally thought that I'm done being surprised, OG Cale appears and flips everything I knew about the character. They talk about how content they are with their new identities. They smile. They're happy. And that proves why this novel is about healing and not the simple transmigration novel full of action and comedy. Instead of getting angry at Kim Rok Soo, former Cale Henituse, for the deal with God of Death, he's just happy for the man and for himself. I just love how the author doesn't forget about Kim Rok Soo's sacrifices and rewards him with a happy life with his mother.
It's so hard not to finish the novel within weeks because of how good it is. It can be fast in some parts for the action, which makes sense since everything is happening at once. But there are also slow emotional moments that keep reminding me why I love this novel.
So yeah, this is my review about TCF. It's not a perfect novel but it's a good novel about healing and family. And I'm waiting for the second volume to be done so I can finally read the rest.
I only noticed this after remembering what he went through as Kim Rok Soo but I think Cale actually likes or prefers to wear dark-colored clothes. That, or there's another reason why he wears them.
It's not as obvious in the manhwa because the artist probably wants him to have bright colored clothes (fair) but it's been mentioned a few times in the beginning of the novel.
Cale, who used to enjoy wearing fancy clothes and showing off until just two years ago, was suddenly only wearing dark clothes, and had a completely different demeanor about him.
Chapter 43: Somehow
I'm not completely sure if he likes the color (shade?) but I remembered seeing Kim Rok Soo wearing them behind Cale Henituse in a cover.
[SPOILERS for the first part of TCF👇]
Dark clothes could mean a person wants to look cool and stylish or it could mean a person is boring. And in some ways, the person wearing black is grieving.
I looked it up because I wasn't too sure (and I don't want to offend anyone) but Koreans apparently wear black clothes at funerals.
And knowing his past, it could be that he never stopped grieving even as Cale Henituse.
Like I've mentioned before, and what most readers know about him after reading the novel, there are a lot of funerals back in Korea and he attended some of them.
People die everyday in his world and some of them don't have anyone to grieve for them. It's why he's the one who showed up in Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo's funeral.
One of the things that changed the most was the funeral tradition. The reason was simple.
Too many people had died.
And even more continued to die every day and will die in the future.
- Chapter 719
Him constantly grieving for those he lost could appear in what he's wearing.
Yes, there are moments when he wears them to look intimidating in front of the nobles or his enemies but there was this one scene after the Plaza Terror Incident when he actually wears dark clothes, albeit more luxurious.
“It is a beautiful day today. Probably because we are here to respect the fallen.”
Cale’s red hair fluttered in the wind and created a stark comparison to his black outfit.
- Chapter 48: Somehow
It's a sad thing to think about if this is actually the reason why he wears them.
Another preference that was briefly mentioned before is him liking simple clothes. It could mean several things for him.
Simple clothes could mean he's lazy (which is debatable but probably true). Simple clothes could mean he's a guy with simple tastes (also debatable). Simple clothes could mean he was poor or doesn't have the more luxurious type of clothes. Or simple clothes could mean he's used to wearing them in a world where the apocalypse is real and he needs to move comfortably to survive.
I'm thinking he's so used to getting too injured, he never allows himself to wear something different. Like if you're gonna get cuts all over your body after using an ability, I doubt you'll bother wearing something nice.
It's intriguing how a simple mention of his clothes can mean several things.
I really didn't consider the possibility of something more by judging what he wears.
From his words, to his actions, and even to his clothes, you can make different opinions and theories about him and that's why I'm having so much fun reading this novel.
‘I am very old now too.’
The old man accepted that he was getting older. Just like how tree rings don’t grow all at once, the effects of time did not avoid him as well. He then started to speak.
- Ron Molan
Chapter 34: Being Still
THE TREE RINGS?
I know it's just a metaphor but WHAT?!
I was just reading his conversation with Cale and was surprised by the sudden jumpscare those words gave me. The sentence doesn't help either. 😭
The author is so good at hiding things so early in the story. I didn't even notice it before when I was rereading this novel several times. Either that or I'm just so dumb.
I appreciate that the author doesn't add a romantic subplot for her characters just because they're of the opposite sex.
Like Cage and Taylor who, if this is a tv show, would've immediately been tagged as a couple even if they're just good friends. They're the best of friends who really care deeply for each other and right from the start, I never saw their bond as a romantic one. It's special since they understand each other so well because of their burdens and similar sense of humor. Like imagine how devastated Cage must've been in TBoaH. It must've been like losing a part of herself, her other half.
Yeah, I can see the idea that they can be a couple but it's so nice to see that the author just focuses on their friendship throughout the first part of TCF instead.
Then there's that time when Cale had Rosalyn and Choi Han help out Lock.
Cale clapped once, before pointing at Choi Han and Rosalyn.
“That is why we will pretend that you are the mother and father, or, if you do not like that scenario, then you shall be the older brother and older sister. You two will need to figure out how to protect him.”
- Chapter 30: You
I love the fact that Cale just gives them options to choose from so they can feel comfortable with each other. Especially since he knows they literally just met a few days ago. I also think that they just give off sibling vibes. Like Rosalyn and Choi Han never gave off anything else but friendship or family vibes and it's just so nice to see it happen.
I don't hate romance, okay? I actually love them. That is, when I look for that specific genre. If I'm not looking for it and it's there, I usually feel annoyed. Sometimes, it's not tagged but it still happens in the story.
I just find it exhausting at times when novels or tv shows push for romance when there's no need or reason for it. Especially the love at first sight trope. That one just aggravates me.
Like they can explore how close two characters are without putting a romantic context to it. In fact, the "romance" that we get in TCF are mostly from Deruth and Violan and from Deruth and Jour. It can't be said it's romance either since the focus on them is about the whole family instead. Other characters never show any sign of being in love with someone either.
And I also love the fact that Cale, the main character, doesn't have a romantic relationship throughout the whole first book. He has no time for one since he's in the middle of a war, he's focused on protecting his friends and family, and he's busy fighting some crazy bastards. He never looked at another person and thought he was in love.
If Yoo Ryeo Han ever adds romance later on, ✨I still hope she doesn't✨, it's easier to accept since I know these characters are close to each other. They've been together since the beginning. They bonded and experienced a lot of good and bad things together. Although it'll be weird to me...
[On an unrelated note: If this whole post looks weird, it's because I haven't slept yet]
After I posted yesterday, I saw an opinion that I kind of agree with about the difference between Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo.
I'm gonna say my opinion without trying to offend the whole fandom. Again, you can read fics about OG Cale as MC. I will not stop you just because I have my own opinion. You are free to read whatever you want. If you don't agree with this, it's fine and if you do, don't antagonize or attack the fanfiction authors who made these fics. Let them do their own thing, okay?
This post is not a rant but me sharing my own thoughts and opinions about this topic.
To make this easier, I'll call OG Cale as Cale and OG KRS as KRS.
[✋SPOILERS for the first part of the novel✋]
Some say that Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo are the same person. While I don't know if this is true because I haven't read the second part of the novel yet, in my opinion, they are not the same.
Again, I repeat, I like Cale Henituse. He's very intelligent and kind to Basen to the point of destroying his own reputation, he targets thugs and scammers whenever he's "drunk", he's willing to sacrifice his whole identity in order to save his world after surviving for twenty years by himself. He's a complex character and in another world, if given the chance, he would've been a great MC.
But that's the thing, he is not the MC of TCF, Kim Rok Soo is. And I think some fans forget the reason why Kim Rok Soo became the MC and not Cale Henituse. Because in some fics that I see whenever I scroll down to look for something to read, Cale completely replaces KRS' presence in the story, to the point that he doesn't exist anymore.
Let me explain.
Kim Rok Soo
Kim Rok Soo is a very integral part of the story. You can't easily replace him with another person, normal or otherwise, and expect the story to go the same way it did in the novel. He did things his way because he's a chaotic little shit. He's a different person from Cale, no matter how many or few similarities they both have.
It's not because he's simply smart or OP (as some would say) that he won a war that ended in only two years, but it's also because of his past and the bonds he made as himself.
He's a person full of empathy for these people that he meets wherever he goes, regardless whether he knows them from a book or not, because he understands them and their pain. He does not hide his personality and in a way, his charisma attracts these people who see him for who he is, a kind person.
Kim Rok Soo is different because he survived in an apocalypse by himself until he meets Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo. Plus, he did not have a great childhood. He was abused and lived by himself for the rest of his childhood and teenage years because of a curse (or maybe because his uncle is just a shitty person, who knows).
The opinions he has and the way he thinks are shaped by his own experiences. He is the Kim Rok Soo we see in the novel because he grew up under these circumstances.
To say that he's easily replaceable would be too disrespectful to the sacrifices he made as both Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse.
Cale Henituse
Cale, on the other hand, is different. He lived alone for how many years because he deliberately pushed everyone away because of his grief and after what Jour told him. It's not because of a curse that he became this way but because he chose to.
Yes, everyone he knows should've tried to make an effort by comforting him or talking with him (his family, the nobles he's close to, Ron and Beacrox) but that did not happen because he's the one who chose to live like this. I've mentioned it in my post about Deruth but if a person doesn't want comfort or doesn't want to talk, they will not talk, especially someone as stubborn as Cale. To blame all these people (including the kids) and the rest of the world because of his own choice is simply not right or fair since the only one responsible to actually help him is Deruth. Violan is not given this chance nor did she try as his stepmother but it all comes down to Deruth. But of course, he did not get any help nor did he seek any.
He lived his years shrouded in grief until the very end. He's a kind person but unfortunately, life is not kind to him.
Later, he survives in the war until the White Star kills him. What did he choose to do in the end when he made that deal with the God of Death? To return to the past so he can save everyone? No. Instead, he chose to go to KRS' world to find his mother. If CJS were given the chance to decline a proposal, why didn't Cale? He could've said he'll do it himself but instead, he left it to KRS. We all know he's stubborn enough to ruin his reputation, is he not stubborn enough to make a deal to save his world as himself?
You can argue it's maybe because the God of Death didn't give him the chance to argue with it but there are other ways the god could've sent KRS to this world. Like Choi Han or Choi Jung Soo.
Choi Jung Soo
Choi Jung Soo is a prime example of what could've and couldn't have happened if he agreed with the God of Death's proposal. He is not KRS. He has his own opinions and experiences that make him unique. He is not like Choi Han who drowned in his despair in TBoaH but instead, is a man who wants to survive with his friends (brothers) and smile with them despite the pain he suffers in.
If he were to replace KRS, the story would've gone differently. He might find Choi Han and they would do their best to survive in this new world together. He may or may not find Raon and the kittens, depending on the time and location when he arrives in this world. Alberu may or may not completely trust him like how he didn't completely trust Choi Han in TBoaH because unlike KRS who is too similar with Alberu, CJS is different. He might not look for the ancient powers since he has his own ability, leaving some that the White Star could've taken like the Sky Eating Water and Super Rock. In fact, the shield could've been left at the tree unless CJS knows about it and takes it. (Let me remind you that no one in this world knows there's an ancient power in that tree in the Henituse territory.)
I can list down things he could've or couldn't have done but it might be too long.
But my point is, it could've been Cale, Alberu, or Choi Han who were sent to the past but the story would've gone differently because these people are all different in their own ways. Heck, if the God of Death truly wants to save this world, he could've sent back Choi Han or Alberu instead of Cale. Because these two are also powerful in their own ways that do not need the help of ancient powers. Just give them enough information and they could've ended the war faster than twenty years.
Conclusion
So, yeah. Kim Rok Soo became the main character for several reasons. He was an ability user and team leader back in his world, he has the curse attached to him because of the White Star, he was an abused kid who had a sad childhood.
And I think there are other reasons why, if KRS is not the MC, that the story could've ended differently. Put aside Raon who is powerful and has a connection to Sheritt and the Dragon Slayers and would be integral to the story, On and Hong could've died with no one knowing about them because they were barely mentioned in the books. Mary could've stayed in the City of Life because no one would need her to help Ron. Hannah and Jack could've died because no one would've known that they were killed. Paseton has a chance to live but no one knows where he is.
Some characters would live and some would die if Kim Rok Soo is not the main character. That's basically what I think about all of this.
The reason why they survived, aside from the books, is because Kim Rok Soo's heart is so big that he wants to help people or give them the chance to survive. Some people would ignore or not notice these people because they have their own problems to deal with.
But Kim Rok Soo just wants to live. And I think that's why the story went the way it did.
Kim Rok Soo, the man who became Cale. His life motto was pretty simple.
Living long without pain. Enjoying the small joys of life.
Living a peaceful life.
- Chapter 2: When I Opened My Eyes
Again, I'm not stopping you from reading these fics nor am I telling you to attack fanfic authors because of what they write. This whole post is just me sharing my opinion.
You don't have to agree with anything I said. You can ignore this and read whatever you want to read.
This is not a post undermining or disrespecting what Cale sacrificed and felt as a person. This is a post to share my opinion that Cale and Kim Rok Soo both deserve the respect that they should get for everything they did and to not completely erase a character for the other. But if someone does it, then I can't do anything about it.
As a Mob Psycho 100 fan, I will end this with one line that perfectly summarizes what I think about this topic.
Cale treats his ancient powers like they're his friends. Some would say he "stole" them for his own benefit but I just can't see it that way after everything I read in the novel.
Cale, former Kim Rok Soo, made a connection with these people. To me, they're not just powers to him. In fact, it feels like he understands what happened to them and if he doesn't, he quietly listens to their stories. And the way he talks to them also feels less like a selfish person who wants to use them for his own protection and greed for power but more like giving them the chance to see a beautiful world that became peaceful because of them. It's like he's comforting them after they suffered so much in the past (which is also connected to the healing thing I talked about in my other post).
Like yeah, he's annoyed at them most of the time but he doesn't blame them whenever he gets hurt or bleeds way too much as a backlash after using them. Instead, he simply helps them achieve what they couldn't do when they died.
“I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Cale said goodbye to the rumbling tree as if it was a person and exited the fenced area.
- Chapter 5: They Met
If he truly didn't care about them, he wouldn't get angry for them or at one point, he would've let their voices disappear in favor of getting stronger.
I like his relationship with them. Like they're the voices inside his head (lmao) and it might feel like he has wireless headphones attached to his ears 24/7 but he treats them the same way he treats the rest of his friends and family and it's really nice to see.
This is kind of the reason why I feel a bit weirded out(?) when fanfiction authors would completely erase Cale's (OG KRS) existence in the fic and replace him with OG Cale and give the other the ancient powers. Like I get people like OG Cale, I do as well, but it feels kinda wrong to see them with another person after seeing Cale bond with these people. In fact, I can't imagine them being with anyone but Cale, this chaotic little shit who gives Super Rock huge headaches and makes the others go violent for or with him whenever he's fighting with an asshole. Aside from one ancient power (if you know, you know), I just can't see him having none of them with him after everything he went through with them.
I keep remembering his almost one-sided conversations with all of them because most of the time it's chaotic but the rest are just as emotional with a feeling of deep understanding coming from him. It feels like he always has someone with him so whenever they're silent, I feel like the air is too heavy (like those few incidents when I just want to hug Cale).
I think the best description for Cale is that he's full of empathy.
So yeah, this is a random topic I thought about chaotic Cale and his equally chaotic ancient powers. Yes, I'm including Super Rock who isn't normal either. He's tamer than the rest but he's definitely not normal 🤣 I swear some people who think they're normal in the story are probably in denial like Cale is.
It just popped in my head when I saw the line about the tree in Chapter 5, which I quoted above ☝️
[Note: I'm not saying these authors are doing anything bad, by the way. This is just my opinion and I usually just skip those fics when I see them. I won't stop others from reading those fics just because I feel weird about this one thing about the ancient powers]
[Second note: This is about the first part of TCF, I dunno what happens in the second part yet but I hope to see more of his interactions with them]
[Mild SPOILER??? Can this be considered a spoiler? I'll just put this here to be sure. I guess I should also warn you that this post is stupid.]
Another random thought I had today that no one probably cares about but I find it funny anyways so here I go:
Without any context, the name "Arm" is absolutely confusing and hilarious.
Like if Cale is a normal person who has a bad sense of humor (like me) and saw Ron lose an arm, he'll probably be like, "They must really like arms, huh? Get it? Because their name is 'Arm'?" And Ron would proceed to give him different kinds of lemon treat, food, and drink for a month just for revenge.
But putting my bad sense of humor aside, I don't know why they thought of naming a secret organization "Arm" and think it's going to be intimidating. Like I know Cale is also bad at naming things (aside from Raon, that name is beautiful) but wtf White Star? I know you're old but at least give your organization a better name. It's like they just want to use different parts of the body as their name because they don't have creativity.
I guess he does have a point for uniqueness because I doubt anyone made an organization and called it Leg or Foot or Head. It also says a lot about how utterly bored he is with his immortality if he doesn't even care about the bad name (unless he actually likes the name).
When I first read the novel, I couldn't take the name too seriously. I saw it and immediately laughed. And when Cale used it for his "Real Arm" agenda, I almost died because it's so funny without any context because one of Ron's arm is fake.
But remember, the author also has a bad sense of humor for using the name "Bob" several times in the story so I think I can get away with this.
I suck, I know.
I'm sorry. Please ignore this post. This is just me sharing a post nobody should see but I did it anyway. Good day! I hope I didn't ruin your day with this stupid post.
I usually don't do this, but I'll allow myself to copy my response from this post:
For those confused on this subject:
The Korean word used the secret organization in the novel is "암", which sounds like "A-M". It is a mix of puns between the Korean pronunciation of the English word "Arm", and the Korean word "암흑", "A-M-U" (or "amheug" according to google translate), which literally means "Darkness"; so it's like the word got cut in half.
So you could either translate it as the literal word "Arm" - which is what the EAP translation did, as the pun is very intentional and comes up later on in the story (and it starts from the very moment Ron lost his arm anyway)... you could also translate it as literally "Dark" or "Darkness", but that's a little too on the nose for my taste. What kind of self-respecting evil organization would call itself "Darkness"?? (That's like naming yourselves "The League of Villains" or something! ....Wait.)
Basically, "Arm" and "Darkness" both could work, but between the two I'd really pick "Arm", since the pun is now completely lost in the latter version. Which is such a shame.
The reason why I bring this up, is that I truly think that the pun works best as "Arm" and much better than "Darkness"... however, it is still an imperfect translation. When a language "borrows" English words, it has a very particular "vibe" to it, depending on context. In this specific context, the pun is English while written in Korean. It's impossible to properly convey it with English.
It's like a non-diegetic element of a show.
It gives off a meaning without the characters involved knowing about it. The reason why Cale is the only one who even remotely adresses the pun (with the whole "ripping off 3 of the White Star's arms") is because he's the only one who gets it. It's not even explained if the pun is in-universe intentional. Because yes, the author made the pun on purpose, but we actually don't know if the White Star did!! It might have been an accident, or maybe he borrowed the "secret language" phraze because he was such a giant nerd dedicated to copying the Ancient White Star via Choi Jung Gun's journal!!
...In any case, I really love the pun and how it works in the story. But it's worth noting that the other characters definitely don't know about it. One, because no one ever says "Arm, such a weird name, why would they name themselves after a body part?" or makes the connection of "Arm = reference to a limb, meaning it is one part of an even larger organization". And I know our characters are smart enough to draw these types of connections on their own.
Basically, I'm pretty sure that the pun is non-diegetic, because the pun is Korean while the characters themselves actually speak a fantasy language. Despite most of us reading the story in either original Korean text or English translation of it.
Oooh that makes more sense now. I know only two languages and barely know any Korean so I didn't understand why they were called Arm in the English translation of the novel. Thanks for explaining this to me! I also forgot the whole "Darkness" name too until someone reminded me in the comments.
Then again, the English translation wasn't the official one I read since the first time I read the novel, whenever I see Alberu Crossman, I kept trying to change it to Alver Crossman in my head until I just gave up because it's hard to keep doing it throughout 700+ chapters.
But yeah, in English, it sounds so funny to me. Thanks again for this. Most translators of other novels I read (KR, JP, CN) never explain some names and terms and the one I read for TCF doesn't so whenever Cale mentions a Korean word, I would have to look it up like imugi (which I didn't know about) but I don't think I can find the meaning of Arm on the internet because I'm pretty sure they'll just show me pictures of limbs or a literal meaning of what an arm is.
Then you might also be interested in why there seem to be two separate names for the group Choi Jung Gun created as Nelan Barrow – the very group that the White Star (Cale Barrow) originated from and destroyed: "Dragon Slayers"/"Dragon Catchers".
I was confused over the two names so I asked around. This is the direct quote of what they told me:
The author uses both, Dragon Slayer is "드래곤 슬레이어" – pronounced 'Deu-Lae-Gon Seul-Lei-Eo'; literally the English for word Dragon Slayer, but written in Korean. Dragon Catcher is "용잡이" – 'Yong-Jab-i', it's just Korean.
The Elves call the Dragons by "드래곤" – 'Deu-Lae-Gon', so I assume the English word has a more formal feeling to it in Korea. Everyone else call Dragons by "용" – 'Yong', a normal way of saying Dragon. 'Yong' is also the Chinese name for Dragon, it's not pure Korean, because the pure Korean for Dragon is "Miru".
So apparently, "Dragon Catcher" is just 'Dragon Slayer' in Korean and it's a direct English translation with a synonym in order to separate the two – while "Dragon Slayer" is literally just, the English name in the Korean version.
...My point? Choi Jung Gun – the Korean teenager who made "Nelan Barrow" his "official" name to fit in – was a giant English nerd, who thought that "Dragon Slayer" sounded cooler in English. What's even funnier is that Sheritt, the freaking Dragon Lord, agreed with him! 😂
(Imagine... 9 000 years later, the White Star continued to proudly carry this legacy – which was basically the scam equivalent of a teenager's edgy deviant art account 🤣)
[Mild SPOILER??? Can this be considered a spoiler? I'll just put this here to be sure. I guess I should also warn you that this post is stupid.]
Another random thought I had today that no one probably cares about but I find it funny anyways so here I go:
Without any context, the name "Arm" is absolutely confusing and hilarious.
Like if Cale is a normal person who has a bad sense of humor (like me) and saw Ron lose an arm, he'll probably be like, "They must really like arms, huh? Get it? Because their name is 'Arm'?" And Ron would proceed to give him different kinds of lemon treat, food, and drink for a month just for revenge.
But putting my bad sense of humor aside, I don't know why they thought of naming a secret organization "Arm" and think it's going to be intimidating. Like I know Cale is also bad at naming things (aside from Raon, that name is beautiful) but wtf White Star? I know you're old but at least give your organization a better name. It's like they just want to use different parts of the body as their name because they don't have creativity.
I guess he does have a point for uniqueness because I doubt anyone made an organization and called it Leg or Foot or Head. It also says a lot about how utterly bored he is with his immortality if he doesn't even care about the bad name (unless he actually likes the name).
When I first read the novel, I couldn't take the name too seriously. I saw it and immediately laughed. And when Cale used it for his "Real Arm" agenda, I almost died because it's so funny without any context because one of Ron's arm is fake.
But remember, the author also has a bad sense of humor for using the name "Bob" several times in the story so I think I can get away with this.
I suck, I know.
I'm sorry. Please ignore this post. This is just me sharing a post nobody should see but I did it anyway. Good day! I hope I didn't ruin your day with this stupid post.
I usually don't do this, but I'll allow myself to copy my response from this post:
For those confused on this subject:
The Korean word used the secret organization in the novel is "암", which sounds like "A-M". It is a mix of puns between the Korean pronunciation of the English word "Arm", and the Korean word "암흑", "A-M-U" (or "amheug" according to google translate), which literally means "Darkness"; so it's like the word got cut in half.
So you could either translate it as the literal word "Arm" - which is what the EAP translation did, as the pun is very intentional and comes up later on in the story (and it starts from the very moment Ron lost his arm anyway)... you could also translate it as literally "Dark" or "Darkness", but that's a little too on the nose for my taste. What kind of self-respecting evil organization would call itself "Darkness"?? (That's like naming yourselves "The League of Villains" or something! ....Wait.)
Basically, "Arm" and "Darkness" both could work, but between the two I'd really pick "Arm", since the pun is now completely lost in the latter version. Which is such a shame.
The reason why I bring this up, is that I truly think that the pun works best as "Arm" and much better than "Darkness"... however, it is still an imperfect translation. When a language "borrows" English words, it has a very particular "vibe" to it, depending on context. In this specific context, the pun is English while written in Korean. It's impossible to properly convey it with English.
It's like a non-diegetic element of a show.
It gives off a meaning without the characters involved knowing about it. The reason why Cale is the only one who even remotely adresses the pun (with the whole "ripping off 3 of the White Star's arms") is because he's the only one who gets it. It's not even explained if the pun is in-universe intentional. Because yes, the author made the pun on purpose, but we actually don't know if the White Star did!! It might have been an accident, or maybe he borrowed the "secret language" phraze because he was such a giant nerd dedicated to copying the Ancient White Star via Choi Jung Gun's journal!!
...In any case, I really love the pun and how it works in the story. But it's worth noting that the other characters definitely don't know about it. One, because no one ever says "Arm, such a weird name, why would they name themselves after a body part?" or makes the connection of "Arm = reference to a limb, meaning it is one part of an even larger organization". And I know our characters are smart enough to draw these types of connections on their own.
Basically, I'm pretty sure that the pun is non-diegetic, because the pun is Korean while the characters themselves actually speak a fantasy language. Despite most of us reading the story in either original Korean text or English translation of it.
Oooh that makes more sense now. I know only two languages and barely know any Korean so I didn't understand why they were called Arm in the English translation of the novel. Thanks for explaining this to me! I also forgot the whole "Darkness" name too until someone reminded me in the comments.
Then again, the English translation wasn't the official one I read since the first time I read the novel, whenever I see Alberu Crossman, I kept trying to change it to Alver Crossman in my head until I just gave up because it's hard to keep doing it throughout 700+ chapters.
But yeah, in English, it sounds so funny to me. Thanks again for this. Most translators of other novels I read (KR, JP, CN) never explain some names and terms and the one I read for TCF doesn't so whenever Cale mentions a Korean word, I would have to look it up like imugi (which I didn't know about) but I don't think I can find the meaning of Arm on the internet because I'm pretty sure they'll just show me pictures of limbs or a literal meaning of what an arm is.
What Kim Rok Soo probably thinks about Cale Henituse
Okay, so I mentioned that I'm rereading the first part now so I can finally read the second part of the novel.
While reading, I noticed how calm and normal Kim Rok Soo is about Cale. Like yeah, he finds him amusing and interesting, but coming from a man who has read five volumes and notices (and remembers) every little detail about it, it makes me wonder what he truly thinks about Cale Henituse.
[✋Possible SPOILERS for the first part of TCF ✋]
As I reread the story in the first few chapters, despite how little Cale Henituse's importance is in The Birth of a Hero or how few his appearances are since it focuses on Choi Han's adventure, Kim Rok Soo somehow describes moments that make Cale look like trash but it's like he understands why the noble was like that before they switched bodies (except for the Harris village since he didn't know about that until OG Cale mentions it).
Like think about it. We all know KRS grew up with his abusive uncle. He knows how bad it is to live with an alcoholic but he doesn't judge Cale's antics when he's "drunk". We also know that he's been alone most of his life so he probably thinks that Cale is just a lonely person because of his reputation.
Guessing that there are some assholes during the apocalypse (I haven't read the side stories yet but I can guess), he probably thinks that Cale is more complex than what he shows in the books because he has seen the worst kind of people that makes Cale look like a normal person. After switching bodies, Venion, White Star, Arm, and Adin are definitely 1000% worse than Cale.
Kim Rok Soo is very sharp when it comes to understanding people. He understands Choi Han and Alberu's problems and understands the trauma the kids went through. He also understands how corrupt nobles and priests are and doesn't judge Mary and the Dark Elves all because of a stupid religion. He understands how hard it was for Lock during the war and was comforting about it his own weird way.
He's a perceptive and understanding person.
Although he's incredibly bad at judging himself, he's good at judging a person through their motives and actions. It's why he somehow befriends Toonka and Bud. It's why he became allies with Hannah and Fredo. It's why he quietly listens to DHB later on. He understands people and it's why people like and trust him.
In short, he knows that there's something more than what the books say about Cale Henituse.
It's kind of the reason why it made me pause a bit when he finally meets OG Cale.
Their conversation was so calm, it's as if they knew each other for a very long time instead of just literally a few minutes ago. He easily accepted what OG Cale has to say about his mother and his new life as Kim Rok Soo and he trusts him with his former team. Like I've mentioned before in my other post, he's happy for both of them because they're both content with their new lives despite their regrets in their last lives.
Cale looked at Kim Rok Soo, who was laughing and making gestures that he would never have made, and nonchalantly added on.
“I guess you’ve really been happy.”
He recalled the moment he met with Lee Soo Hyuk and got the ‘Embrace’ ability.
Lee Soo Hyuk had handed Cale the ability and told him about the real Cale Henituse as he disappeared.
‘Oh, by the way, the original owner of your body is living well too. He’s happy. That is why Jung Soo, I, and everybody is happy.’
Kim Rok Soo had a bright smile that suited a twenty-year-old person and not someone in his mid-thirties.
- Chapter 656: Everything can be connected
I'm guessing that when he read the parts about Cale throwing bottles at a random asshole in the books, he probably thought that he might do the same thing. Remember how badly he reacted when he learned about the slaves being sent to the Empire? He basically used the same tactic but instead of throwing the bottle at someone, he drank a lot because of how pissed he was and made it look like the "trash" he is while waiting for everyone's signal.
He even has some thoughts about how annoyed he is whenever the knights or butlers would flinch away since he knows Cale never tried to actually harm them. And he knows about Cale's troubles with the staff back home in the Henituse territory.
So yeah, it's pretty sweet in a way that Cale Henituse has someone who kind of understands him and won't judge him for his actions even though Kim Rok Soo doesn't know everything about him because of the books (like his conversation with Basen).
“It looks like you will need to struggle a little longer, but anyway, live well. Please take care of my family.”
“Please take care of my team members.”
Both men let go of each other’s hand with a small amount of sorrow visible in their eyes.
Since I've talked about almost all the other important parts during my reread, I didn't want to forget the sealed god's test.
It's just... So good I'm not even sure where to start. Like, this is a moment where Cale really shines.
Cale. Rok Soo, which we're told means 'to always grow green, even in winter'.
And we see that in this test.
The sealed god throws him into one of the worst moments of his life, expressly to make him despair.
Instead, Cale takes that moment and uses it to rewrite the past, and erase all his regrets.
This is where we really get to see what post-apocalyptic Korea was like. And over and over again we learn how badly things went then, even as Cale makes sure it doesn't happen like that again.
We also see some of his years of experience, and maturity. Especially with how he handles Park Jin Tae, who was a bully and a tyrant - and also died in Cale's first life, fighting to save everyone in the shelter.
You can see what we've seen all along. Cale doesn't judge leaders by the petty stuff. He judges them on how well they take care of their people.
This is also where Cale, Choi Han, and Alberu really become an amazing trio.
Choi Han, who bargains a large chunk of his life away (just the time he'd be alone, as he ties the length of his life to Raons) in order to join Cale in his test.
And Alberu, who the Sun God helps possess a monster called the Dark Tiger when his real body is sleeping.
Those three are so tight knit now, it's beautiful. Real ride or die friends.
Especially when you remember where they all started.
It's also, as always, a time where you have to pay attention to the subtleties. This is Cale's past, and he's focused on making sure everyone survives... But Choi Han and especially Alberu can see the desperation, the struggle, and the near starvation of all the survivors. Alberu has a couple of moments when he's out of the test and giving updates to their friends, and you see him struggling. Because Cale asked him not to overly stress them (the kids especially) and basically say it's fine... And Alberu's like 'how can I tell them that?!?'
And then, naturally, there's Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk.
Younger versions, and not the ones Cale knew. But still, we get to learn more about his earlier found family.
We also see things going on back at home. Since his physical body is still there, his friends have to rescue him.
And we see how they're able to perform, even without Cale to call the shots.
We especially see how well Raon has grown, as he makes important decisions on how to find the monster statues.
Even more importantly, we have this at the end.
– Do you really think that this moment is the end of despair?
Cale looked down at the rose gold lights burning in his hands.
He opened his mouth to speak.
‘Is this moment the end of despair? No. Absolutely not.’
“This is just the beginning of the despair in this world.”
It was just the beginning.
Despair would reveal itself in many different forms in this world from now on.
“But people have hope now.”
After about a year since the world had turned into a mess…
The people who had always lost, struggled, and barely managed to survive will be victorious for the first time.
They would destroy this despair known as an unranked monster.
The sealed god who had been silent for a moment asked as if he was sneering at Cale.
– Do you have hope as well?
It seemed to be implying that Cale was someone who could not have hope.
That was how it sounded to Cale.
Cale slowly shook his head.
“No.”
He did not have hope.
However…
“I have certainty.”
Cale needed something more certain than hope. Finally, he had gotten it.
“This place will draw a different future than my past. I’m certain of it.”
He was certain that more people would survive than in his past.
He was certain that they would have better lives.
That was not speculation. Although it was a future that was yet to come, Cale believed it to be the truth.
In fact, Cale wanted to be the one to finish the first step toward that certainty.
The burning rose gold thunderbolts moved away from Cale’s hands.
He started to speak again.
“This is the first time I’m saying this to a god.”
Toward the silent sealed god…
To the god who had tried to give him despair…
Cale said the following.
“Thanks.”
He really meant it.
“My memories didn’t end in despair thanks to you.”
It's not that he defeated despair. That despair will no longer exist.
But there's hope, and he is certain that the future will be better.
And even more so - he is grateful that he had this chance to change his memories.
He took this thing that was supposed to break him, and used it to fix himself instead.
There is certainly a lot to love about that arc – there's a reason why it became one of my favorites. But for me, the most defining moment of it all is when Cale calls all the shelters leaders and starts reciting the numbers of each of their survivors.
You could see this scene as Cale flexing his "unfair" future knowledge, I suppose. He's from another world, a "future" version of it so to spak, so Cale can pass his knowledge as "power of prophecy" and scam everyone into participating in the Unranked Monster hunt. But, I want to focus on a simple question:
...Why does Cale remember each and every number of survivors?
Ignore "Record" for a moment. Impossibly good memory aside, why on Earth would anyone bother to remember such a specific statistic? It would be one thing if he just remembered the total number of all survivors all over Korea. Why did Cale memorize every single leader & their shelter's "performance" during such a critical time?
The first answer that surely comes to mind; those were the people he used to work with. He even states as much in his inner monologue. They were people who were in charge in the future, and he often had to contact them for cooperation (likely with much difficulty on his part, considering the huge egos of all the "big shots" involved). It also explains how Cale knew the best method to convince them; instead trying to invoke sympathy or chivalry or even fear, he promised them "victory" on a silver platter – something they all wished for more than anything else at that point. By understanding how many people each of them managed to save, Cale could also estimate how strong they were, and how effective they were as leaders overall.
But the second reason is a bit more subtle than that.
Cale is, at his core, someone with countless regrets. It's stated as much in the attempted Failure Test in the Sealed God's Temple; he is someone who measures each failure equally, constantly processing & reevaluating data for answers in order to figure out how to prevent disasters the next time they strike. In other word, he was learning all those statistics in order to learn and save more people in the future.
As for the scene itself...
There is something deeply profound, about Cale remembering each and every single number. It is testimony of how much time and effort he must have put into studying such a devastating period of time. Time which became his own personal "Test of Despair", no less.
Most people would have tried their best to forget such trauma, but no. Each number Cale recites is not just something he read once in a report – it's evidence of the countless hours he must have spent mulling over this information, the analysis he put into it, and the conclusions he must have drawn that let him save more lives.
And it's even more amazing to realize that if Cale had been given any more time and resources... he would have headed towards every single one of those shelters to prevent all those deaths. As we have seen with his own shelter, as well as every other shelter he managed to reach later on... He would have managed it, too. He's someone capable of having 0% casualty rate whenever he gets fully involved.
Those numbers of survivors exist in his memory because all the people who died were people Cale wished he could have saved too.
"he would have headed towards every single one of those shelters to prevent all those deaths" reminds me of one of the earliest chapters where we learn Cale was planning on going to "help Choi Han out" with Harris village- except it was too late.
Just the fact that even though he went so far to "avoid" Choi Han's "wrath" (lol) he was 100% IN if it meant saving those people's lives. I wonder how he would have done it.
If I were Cale, and was given enough time to save Harris Village... 🤔
I think I would have evacuated everyone ahead of time and arranged it to look like a random monster attack from the Forest of Darkness destroyed the village shortly before the assassin squad arrives. That way Arm wouldn't suspect a "leak in information". Perhaps Cale would take things a step further, and frame someone else – the Stans or the Empire, for example, like Cale does on several occasions – or even prepare a counterattack...? But I don't think Cale would have done that last part with such limited information on Arm and few strong allies so early on. He always aims for overwhelming advantage to avoid casualties. Especially since we know that the White Star was going to show up in the forest, so attacking head-on would have ended in a complete disaster. But evacuating the Harris Village residents without anyone dying would absolutely be doable.
...I suspect that's the exact reason why the God of Death didn't transmigrate him earlier to let Cale save the village. Because of the possibility of having him face the White Star too early. If Cale met him on accident so early on, he 100% would have died. From a cruel, pragmatic standpoint... the risk simply wasn't worth it.
(I'm still throwing shade at Choi Jung Gun for not writing more info on freaking Cale Barrow in his stupid book series, Cale could have absolutely used that info)
[Mild SPOILER??? Can this be considered a spoiler? I'll just put this here to be sure. I guess I should also warn you that this post is stupid.]
Another random thought I had today that no one probably cares about but I find it funny anyways so here I go:
Without any context, the name "Arm" is absolutely confusing and hilarious.
Like if Cale is a normal person who has a bad sense of humor (like me) and saw Ron lose an arm, he'll probably be like, "They must really like arms, huh? Get it? Because their name is 'Arm'?" And Ron would proceed to give him different kinds of lemon treats, food, and drink for a month just for revenge.
But putting my bad sense of humor aside, I don't know why they thought of naming a secret organization "Arm" and think it's going to be intimidating. Like I know Cale is also bad at naming things (aside from Raon, that name is beautiful) but wtf White Star? I know you're old but at least give your organization a better name. It's like they just want to use different parts of the body as their name because they don't have creativity.
I guess he does have a point for uniqueness because I doubt anyone made an organization and called it Leg or Foot or Head so he's the first one to do it! Good for him.
It also says a lot about how utterly bored he is with his immortality if he doesn't even care about the bad name (unless he actually likes the name).
When I first read the novel, I couldn't take the name too seriously. I saw it and immediately laughed. And when Cale used it for his "Real Arm" agenda, I almost died because it's so funny without any context because one of Ron's arm is fake.
But remember, the author also has a bad sense of humor for using the name "Bob" several times in the story so I think I can get away with this.
I suck, I know.
I'm sorry. Please ignore this post. This is just me sharing a post nobody should see but I did it anyway. Good day! I hope I didn't ruin your day with this stupid post.
I have come to the conclusion that we, the TCF fandom, do not know how to talk about TCF without telling absolutely the entire story and filling people with spoilers.
I have a best friend who's also reading TCF, that's kind of how we met actually. She's slow at reading (dyslexia you know, of course I would never rush her, she can take all the time she needs), and I keep accidentally spoiling her stuff!! I managed to keep quitet about the most crucial plot twists because she asked me and I tried my best, but still – I keep slipping up!!
This is unacceptable.
I have self-reflected, and I think it is time to make amends!
We need a new tag, people! We can't keep doing this! I love spoilers and I never minded them, but many people do! How can they even look for TCF content without tripping over OG Cale and Kim Rok Soo and all the times Cale bleeds later on in the series? This can't go on!!
From now on, I am going to be using THESE tags for any spoiler-free TCF content:
#tcf no spoilers
#lcf no spoilers
#trash of the count's family no spoilers
#lout of the count's family no spoilers
(Note the <'> symbol, some tags use <’> instead)
I probably won't have a lot of content in the near future under these tags, but it's still better than nothing!!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Things that qualify as "no spoilers":
no mentioning characters or events from Part 2
no diving into Cale's backstory
no OG Cale info
no plot points further than manhwa content
no characters yet-to-be introduced in the manhwa (yes, no Eruhaben just yet, RIP)
no mention of Cale's abilities from Earth
Feel free to join in on the "project"! We gotta be open and welcoming to people who don't like spoilers, right?
So I was reading a TCF reaction fic, I think it was Beginning of the End by who-stole-my-fries. And in that one of the Choi Hans, TCF Choi Han I think, was talking about what happened at Harris Village. And he said something like "I used to wonder how anyone could take another person's life. After that [the assassination of Harris Village], I realised how blind I'd been". Something along those lines.
What a line. What a line to have in a fanfiction. What a line to have Choi Han, the protagonist of The Birth of a Hero, the hero of a story and a hero in this world too, say. And it doesn't really matter which Choi Han said it, because it was referring to an event they both experienced, so we can assume that they both had this realisation.
This somewhat but not really links to an interesting theme among Cale and his friends and family. Because they are heroes, they're saving their world and other worlds and saving people. But none of them are completely pure or morally white. They all have, can and will do evil sadistic things to the people who hurt those they care about and put them in danger and they won't feel remorse for it. They have no qualms about killing or torturing or getting revenge. Because, yes, they're saving the world, but one of their main motivations, main reasons for doing this, is each other, to keep each other safe, to protect each other, to get revenge on behalf of each other. They only do those things to evil people, villains, but it's so interesting, because I feel like if you put them in other worlds, not their story but other stories, they'd be seen as vigilantes or even, in worlds with black and white morality, villains.
And I always think that's really cool. When a story doesn't have that black and white morality, when the heroes have to do "bad" thongs to win. Because really what's the alternative? They don't kill or torture people, they let them live, imprison them or something. Considering some of the villains are gods and others have special powers and abilities, that won't work. And these people aren't going to change their minds and suddenly abandon goals they've been working towards for decades and centuries. There is no alternative.
Or maybe there is. Realistically Venion could have simply been imprisoned, left with the knowledge that the brother he hates, the brother he thought he'd got rid of, had the position he always wanted as Marquis. But he tortured a child, a child dragon, but still a child. So is imprisonment punishment enough? I'd say no. Not for this. For abusing and torturing a child since they were born.
And that's one of the reasons I love these stories. Because there are so many stories where the villain is allowed to live at the end, hoping that justice, the system, will deal with them. But sometimes, sometimes revenge is understandable, sometimes the only way to stop the villain, is to kill them.
Choi Han wondered how anyone could kill another person. But then people came for his family, his friends everyone he knew and cared about, and he realised how blind he'd been.
Sorry, idk what this was. That one sentence or couple sentences from a fanfiction just stuck in my brain, not the exact words but the meaning. Ugh, god, I love TCF and I love fanfictions based on TCF.
Honestly same. I love the way the author portrays the characters in the novel. Like when I first read it, I was blown away at the stuff Cale and his group did because at the end of the day, why would they care about killing or torturing the enemy if the enemy can do worse things to innocent people who can't even fight back?
[Note: There might be some SPOILERS I might say here, if anyone is reading this. If you don't like spoilers, please don't continue if you haven't read the first part of TCF. Thanks!]
Like the one scene during the "Ghost" operation during the war is still retained in my mind because of how one-sidedly brutal the "battle" was. But at the end of the battle, Cale decided to have the corpses brought back so they could bury them properly. Because he knows that some of these people are just forced to join a war they didn't even want to be in.
He's not completely heartless but he's not completely merciful either. He and his group are just trying to protect their home and they also just want to survive. I think it's also because he has this experience as Kim Rok Soo, who attended a lot of funerals of those people who died in his previous world that didn't have friends or family. So Cale's respectful enough to gather the bodies of those who died in the war. It's pretty sad.
There's also the bit when Choi Han or was it Raon who got angry at a bear who wanted "revenge" because his fellow people died. Like yeah, they'll die because it's a war and they were just fighting back.
I like the novel for showing the dark parts of being involved in a war. The author doesn't sugarcoat how bad it gets. It's not all fun and games.
I've also read that reaction fic. It's very entertaining and thought-provoking.
You know...I had a sudden realization as I'm starting to re-read the novel so I can catch up to the second part (I'm getting really impatient and I just want to read more of their chaos).
Despite how easy he makes it seems, Cale's natural charisma is one of the reasons why a lot of people are quick to trust him.
Like imagine meeting all these distrustful characters (Molan father and son, Choi Han, the kids, Alberu, the dragons) and have them trust, follow, and care for you for the whole story? And he also handles them like it's a piece of cake? He's "scared" but he sometimes lets them get away with doing stuff like a tired old man. Like I know it's a thing that his friends and family are so done with him being a chaotic little shit who faints every few minutes but imagine being in his shoes and dealing with all these dangerous and equally chaotic little shits.
That's basically impossible. It's extremely hard to do the same thing he did. If it were another person, they won't even last a minute with them. They'll probably experience different kinds of trauma or death or worse.
And this guy is completely oblivious to it.
I mean, if you know his past as Kim Rok Soo, it makes a lot of sense but even then, I don't think he was in the right headspace to notice his charisma in his previous world. He's so in denial about himself even in this new world though and I honestly understand why some nobles were so scared of him. Sand Ailan was right. He's like a king.
At this point, I don't know who's babysitting who, especially if you remember the mess Choi Han and Mary did when he was away. Or when Rosalyn did something explosive. Or the kids. Or Ron. I guess it's because he's so extra in the way he does things that it kind of hides how crazy the rest of the characters are.
At best, Alberu, Beacrox, Bud, and Lock are the "normal" ones in the group if you can even call anyone "normal" in this story. You can't change my mind. Even Eruhaben doesn't count. He's also a little shit from time to time and he's proud of it.
Fair warning, there will be some SPOILERS so if you haven't finished the first novel or you care about spoilers, I suggest you don't continue reading. Thanks!
I'm a reader of fanfics, manga, manhwa, manhua, and novels. I basically consume different stories whenever I'm bored (which I usually am).
But the things I've read most often involve parents, which I'm not really looking for but it's there so whatever.
I had to read stories with basically the same plot but different...ingredients but the thing I notice is that most stories involve abusive or neglectful parents. And it's weird to me. Like can't heroes or villains have good parents and they turn out the way they are because of other circumstances? Obviously, it's because authors want us to root for the character but for me, it's just lazy writing.
So imagine my annoyance when, after reading the first volume of TCF, I see several fics hating and trashing Deruth Henituse and saying he's the worst father in existence.
I get it. He's not the best father. His wife, who he loves very much, died and left him as a single father. He has responsibilities as a count and soon marries Violan who has Basen by then. They have another kid soon after, which is Lily. He seems to entrust the responsibilities of the heir to Basen after OG Cale's reputation took a nosedive. In a sense, he appears as if he doesn't care about OG Cale's feelings and reputation and looks like he's focusing on his other children.
BUT he's not the worst father either. Listen, you may hate him for whatever reason, whether you've consumed too many stories with bad parents or you see yourself in OG Cale, BUT he's an okay parent.
Let me list the top three fathers that are absolutely disgusting compared to him before I explain why I think he doesn't deserve all the hate he's getting:
1. Marquis Stan
We all know what happened to Taylor Stan and while we can blame it on Venion, it's also because of their father. Their father is basically an asshole who wants to see his children fight for the heir's position. And he doesn't care if they end up killing each other for it. It's basically like watching sports for him at this point. He's mainly the reason why Venion grew up into a twisted bastard. While yes, Venion is not innocent in any shape or form after what he did to his brother and Raon, it's obvious he became that way because of his father.
In fact, Taylor is also a victim of Marquis Stan's abhorrent parenting. He's not evil like his family but he learned to be independent and to fight back because he doesn't want to become like them. He died in the original story.
So yeah. Marquis Stan is absolutely disgusting and no one can change my mind that he's the worst existence among all the fathers in the story.
2. White Star
The only reason why he's not number 1 is because he's not a literal father but he does pose as one for DHB. If you know what he did to dragons, then I don't need to summarize it for you. For those who don't, you need to read the novel because it's going to be a long explanation. All I can say is that he's also the reason why DHB became so crazy. And honestly, I'm glad that even if Cale is very guarded at DHB, he still gave him the freedom to choose and repent later on.
3. Zed Crossman
He's the lesser evil of the two but he's kind of like Marquis Stan but tamer.
He basically has his three kids fight for the throne while ignoring or favoring one over the other. And he doesn't even try to hide that he doesn't care too much unless it involves his plans.
He basically wants to see who is more fit for the throne but he doesn't stop them from sabotaging one another.
Honestly, I put all the effort on Tasha and Obante's part that Alberu became a better person. Zed is completely useless.
---
So...is Deruth a bad father?
Before I answer that, here's the thing about OG Cale. He's a complex character who is grieving most of his life and wants to protect his siblings in his own twisted way. In order to do that, he needs to act like he's trash and push everyone away. But is that Deruth's fault? Eeeeh kinda but not really???
They both lack communication as father and son. In fact, the moment KRS, now Cale Henituse, was forcefully transmigrated into OG Cale's world, it's shown that Deruth is trying to communicate with his son.
The first few chapters show that he cares for his son in his own way when Cale sits down to join them in breakfast. He attempts to talk to Cale even though he was hesitant. He seems surprised but happy when Cale answered. Yeah, it's shitty that OG Cale's family and Ron didn't notice he got switched but in all honesty, it'll be hard for a normal person to come to the conclusion that a God was involved. If I were in their shoes, I would find it suspicious (probably thinking that something happened that changed that person's actions and personality) but I wouldn't think of transmigration or God of Death. Conspiracy theories aren't the first thing I'll think of. That's just dumb to use as an excuse for hating the Henituse family.
People, fans, want family drama but in all honesty, they're just ruining OG Cale's character in the way they do it. It's actually disrespectful to his sacrifice for his family. He made that deal with God of Death not only because he wants to see his mom but also because he wants his family to live after they all died in the war against the White Star. He lived through that war with him as the sole survivor of the whole family. That sucks. He could've stayed but he didn't want to and also because he already died in the future anyways. If he wants to help them as himself, I doubt he'll shut up about it to the God of Death, regardless if it's a literal god he's gonna argue with. Let me remind you that this guy is so stubborn, he made a trashy reputation to help his brother.
Instead of doing it himself, he chose to let KRS (who didn't know he's going to be involved in a war in another world btw) save his world and family in exchange for seeing his mother. He chose to leave not because of Deruth (not completely, at least) but because he simply wants to. And he's content with his decision, regardless of his regrets.
By the way, his mom, Jour, is also not pretty great if you think about her decision before she died (my unpopular opinion but whatever). I do think her final conversation with him and her following death traumatized him in a way that I can't help but feel angry for him. It's mainly the reason why he hates the Harris Village that Choi Han ended up in. It doesn't excuse his reaction to the village later on but it does explain why he hates the place, even if it's not their fault his mother died. So yeah, I don't like his mother (I'm not talking about her reincarnation btw. She's a kid). That's not the way to care for your son, ma'am.
Deruth is obviously trying but a relationship needs to work between two people and not just one. That's what you call a one-sided relationship, guys. It's why OG Cale and Violan are not close. Both of these characters don't try to be close, maybe not because they dislike each other but maybe because of a misunderstanding or whatever (who knows).
Cale only got close to her because he actually treats her with respect (also because...you know...he's an orphan and was abused as a kid so deep inside, he thinks Deruth and Violan are good but not the best parents). And whenever Cale gets hurt or is in a bad situation, we sometimes get their reaction. They're worried and angry for him. They want him to stay away from danger. In fact, the last few chapters are basically Deruth getting angry at Cale for endangering himself (completely understandable).
You can also argue that Deruth didn't try hard enough. Well, let me just tell you as someone who's been depressed since I was a kid that whenever my parents try to ask me what's wrong, I usually reply with "nothing" or "I'm fine." So for parents to try harder doesn't usually end up with a heart-to-heart talk unless the other wants to talk.
So yeah, I think KR novels and manhwa are basically the reason why some readers immediately jump in defense for the character they like because of possible abuse and neglect from parents. Without thinking about it properly. Like please, if you hate a character, at least try to understand them first and list down the other worst characters before you actually say that they're the worst.
Side note: The worst thing that I also notice is fans also target Basen and Lily. They include the whole Henituse family and write a fanfic about how abusive or neglectful all of them are. BASEN AND LILY ARE LITERAL KIDS. WTF ARE YOU GUYS THINKING. They didn't do anything to OG Cale??? They're just there?
Did I just create an account to rant about how stupid some fans are? Yeah, pretty much. You can hate on Deruth but don't include the kids. They're kids??? Without any involvement with OG Cale and Deruth's drama?
Reminder: I haven't read the second volume because I'm planning to read it when it's completely translated. That way, I won't have to wait too long for the next chapter.
I don't see the Henituse family as abusive or villains but Deruth Henituse is a absolute fool.
[Keep in mind that I speak from a place as the oldest Halfsibling of my family with a ab**ive stepfather i despise and a mother who was more interested in my younger siblings, so therefore my opinions are emotionally charged.]
Lily and Basen are children. They are blameless in anything, because they are babies.
Violan I hold a tiny bit accountable. She is an adult woman who already had one child, so she should have had some understanding of Cale and reached out, but she was also a stepmother who thought Cale hated her. I can see her thinking along the lines of wanting Cale to come to her when he's ready, not to mention she was pregnant soon after joining the household and had to deal with everything that happens with that.
Deruth I have no sympathy for. Don't misunderstand, I don't hate the man, but I do think he's an absolute fool.
He relied in his /six(?) year old son/ for emotional support, and then when he felt better brought a stranger and her child into the house without talking to Cale about it, and thought Cale would easily adjust. Then, when Cale started acting out at /eight years old/ his strategy was to let Cale do as he pleased and throw money at him hoping the problem would fix itself. Newsflash: that's not how children work. The Henituses as a whole all seem rather stone faced, and emotionally constipated, maybe Deruth didn't know /how/ to approach his son, but he was an adult ass man, he should have tried harder.
Not to mention, children suddenly acting out like that is a huge red flag. I understand that TCF takes place in a different world and a different time period, but if a child starts acting out it's usually a sign of something else happening behind the scenes. And do not get me started in Cale's drinking and going out unsupervised. At the start of TCF, Cale is 18 years old, and it's insinuated that he's been drinking for /years/. I don't know the drinking age in this world, but I don't have to in order to be uncomfortable with a teenager going out unsupervised to drink. Given that Choi Han was able to smack Cale around in BoaH, I don't think Cale had any gaurds with him when he went out(though maybe he did when he was younger but then got rid of them when he was 18). Regardless, What if someone slipped something in Cale's drink in retaliation for Cale's foul mood? Sure the people might not have done so because of who Cale's father is, but it's still a possible outcome. The world is a dark and sick place, and sure it's useless thinking about "What ifs" in a fictional world, but actually it's not as I look at all characters and world building as 'real world' when analyzing it.
Okay I kinda spiraled into a rant, back on topic.
Deruth does love his son, that is something I will not dispute. He is not some super abusive and evil man. But, there were multiple points where he could have and should have stepped in and stopped his son's self destruction. But he didn't. When the souls switched, he didn't notice, which yeah he didn't know his son well, but rather than be worried about the sudden change(again another huge red flag) he seemed relieved that his son's rebellious phase was over with. He was emotionally neglectful, and extremely distant with Cale.
In conclusion, they all need to sit down as a family and go to therapy. They're not evil, just very flawed human beings. Which is good, it adds depth to the characters and makes the world and people feel /real/.
[Note: There will be SPOILERS about the first part of TCF so if you haven't finished the first part or you don't want spoilers, I suggest you don't continue. Thanks!]
When I first read the novel, the most common mistake new readers often make was they all thought that Cale is omniscient and because he knows everything, it's inevitable that he'll be OP. "Which is the same boring cliche KR novels and manhwa are nowadays." Yeah, I saw the comments. There were a lot.
I think, once again, it's because of how in most KR novels and manhwa, the main character usually knows the whole story of a novel they read or a game they played before they transmigrate to another world. They don't have all the details but it's more than what Kim Rok Soo knows.
Because that's the thing. The difference is that Kim Rok Soo doesn't know the whole story. In fact, he only read up until five volumes of "The Birth of a Hero" before he transmigrated in another world.
He, like us, doesn't know how the story ends.
I might be getting repetitive but the reason why I love TCF is because the author, Yoo Ryeo Han, doesn't share everything to us right off the bat.
They never info dump us with the whole story about how OG Cale actually made a deal with the God of Death, about Kim Rok Soo's past as an ability user, about Choi Jung Soo, and about the existence of the White Star. Instead, all these plot points are gradually revealed later in the story.
And I honestly prefer it like this. This way, we can only guess what will happen next. It's not a boring story but a mysterious one because there's something we won't expect.
The story starts with Kim Rok Soo opening his eyes in another world.
We are never completely told what Kim Rok Soo read before he transmigrated. The most he tells us is a summary and a few details here and there at the start of the novel.
We only find out more by experiencing it through Cale's point of view. We read his thoughts about the novel. And we follow him in his journey around the Eastern and Western continents.
But as mentioned at the beginning, he doesn't know how The Birth of a Hero ends. His knowledge stops at the end of volume five. Everything else depends on him.
But even before the war happens, there are already some hints that Cale doesn't actually have all the information he needs. He is not fully equipped with everything about the book. He, like us, is in the dark about certain factors that can affect his goals.
Indestructible Shield
When the shield was first mentioned, Cale questioned why no one took it.
'No wonder nobody ended up taking control of it. But then why would the author mention something that could be useful but was never actually taken by anybody?’
- Chapter 11: Picked It Up
It's odd because it's found in the territory where Choi Han appears in the beginning of the story. Yet from volume one to volume five, not a single soul knew of its existence.
It's the first ancient power he gets because he read the book and he's the only one who knows about it. He doesn't know why it's there, he doesn't know why no one took it, nor does he question it any further. His only goal was to get it.
It's only when the Glutton Priestess tells him about her past that he finally gets the bigger picture.
The fact that this tidbit was shrugged off by Cale, and probably some readers, as something unimportant only to find out later in the story about its huge connection to the original White Star is just insane. And it's the reason why the books he read aren't informative at all. Because why did it leave out this piece of information if they want him to use it to save their world?
He didn't even know a single thing about the current White Star at the start of the story and here is a random ancient power sitting prettily in the Henituse territory that actually has a connection to the same guy Cale Barrow wants to imitate. He was utterly clueless like the rest of us.
I'm not gonna lie, I was shaking my head by how dumbfounded I was when I first read the novel. I was questioning everything I read in the early chapters, thinking if there's something else that I didn't notice (there were a lot actually).
The fact that the author gives us only a little info about the tree where the shield was found and its connection to the other ancient powers only solidified my respect by how good the author is at hiding this plot until the big reveal.
The Wolf Tribe
‘The novel didn’t say which of the divine items they brought.’
If Cale knew what the divine item was, he would be able to get one step closer to the identity of the secret organization. Unfortunately, the novel only described how the Wolf Tribe became weak because of the divine item. He had no way to determine the identity of the secret organization.
- Chapter 32: You
When Cale sends Choi Han to find Rosalyn and Lock, Choi Han returns with Lock who was about to transform into his berserk mode.
Later, Choi Han explains what happened and Cale realizes that a lot of things changed compared to what happened in the book. For one, Lock did not hide and fought back against Arm. Another is instead of assassins, the ones that appeared are official members.
For some, including me, this can be excused because of Cale's actions. He's a new variable to the story and thus, he ends up changing a lot of scenarios that happened in the story.
But, thinking about it, this is the only thing that is completely different from what happened in the books. Everything else is the same aside from when Cale is actively doing something like becoming a guardian to three kids or getting the ancient powers that originally belongs to someone else. Unless Cale acts, nothing actually changes.
There's the bombing at the plaza that also changed but that can still be excused as Cale ruining Arm's movements early on and them revising their plans.
Lock however, is not influenced by Cale. He could've stayed hidden just like in the book but in this case, he didn't. Arm could've sent assassins but they didn't. There is no reason for them to change from assassins to official members. Plus, instead of killing all of them, the wolf children survived.
This is not because of Cale.
So...does that mean that the book he read is not completely reliable?
Pretty much, yeah. Which already answers the question if he knows everything like a cliche main character does. No, he doesn't know everything. And the books he read can be taken as a guidebook but an incomplete one with a few mistakes here and there.
Let me remind you that this happened before the war started and there's already something Cale doesn't know or expect.
[Side note: I only realized this whole bit about the Wolf Tribe while reading a freaking reaction fic. If I had not read that fic, I wouldn't even realize how weird this one is. Am I dumb? Don't answer that.]
White Star
Another reason why Cale is not omniscient even though he looks and acts like it, is because he didn't find out about the White Star until the war against Arm and the Indomitable Alliance.
This man is like a god to his followers and allies and not a single person in Cale's group and even outside of it knows about him. Not even Ron, who has his whole family annihilated and later loses his arm in the process, knows about him.
Again, the five volumes of The Birth of a Hero never mentions this elusive White Star. The only reason he knows about this guy is through interrogation and torture. So when he finally appears in the Mogoru Empire, all Cale felt was anger and fear.
Because this unexpected factor is dangerous.
Cale knows they're completely unprepared to face this new player in the game. Eruhaben, an ancient dragon, was getting his ass kicked by this man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and the dragon even told them to run. What everyone considers a very strong existence in this world is telling them that there's no hope in defeating him.
And the most shocking out of all of this is that Cale never expected how the White Star knows that Cale and Choi Han have their "time warped for them". He knows something about Cale just by looking at him.
So the books by this point are basically useless and he has to rely on himself and others to plan ahead of time. He works extremely hard for it.
He has to dig information using his Record to find out about White Star. He has to talk to the World Tree to get the weapon to use against the White Star. He has to talk to Sheritt to know more about the White Star and his curse. And he has to find out from OG Cale himself on how to finally kill the White Star.
It took the whole book to finally defeat him.
And none of these are mentioned in the books he read.
So Cale, in conclusion, does not know everything like what some readers once complained about. He has some pieces of the puzzle but it's like if he needs a hundred pieces to complete the puzzle and he only has ten, then he's never gonna complete it.
He knew about the first five volumes and the rest were just him and his allies' hard work. It's pretty much why he's so stressed in the whole book, zooming around the two continents just to look for the White Star's weakness while also juggling different problems like more wars or the God of Despair or finding the earth attribute the White Star needs.
So yeah. Don't judge a book by the first few chapters and expect to know everything.
end notes:
Alberu better give him his slacker life when this story ends.
Nelan Barrow and the God of Death really made him work for it.
I'm not gonna lie, I want someone (Cale) to kidnap Choi Jung Gun and interrogate him about why the heck he didn't explain the important bits in his "guidebook" and why the whole thing about the wolf tribe became different from what was written. He could've at least mentioned what the secret organization's name is but he left it to Cale instead. It's just the name, CJG. Why are you hiding it? Is Choi Han in the books really that slow or what? If you want someone to save your world, at least send more information like the name of the secret organization. You talked about the Indestructible Shield's location but can't spell Arm? Shame on you, CJG.
If it wasn't KRS that was transmigrated and it's just a random normal person, that person would've died even before meeting the White Star.
Or maybe Nelan Barrow just wants to be an author like Yoo Ryeo Han and be all mysterious about it.
