Full disclosure. I think the author is going to chicken out. The first five chapters of this are promising and disturbing, but then old reliable comes out. Boo hoo I was abused as a child so you have to forgive me. You've seen it before, and it's done well here, but it's boring. Also, this webtoon is about a woman in her 40's and a 24 year old man.
The beginning is super promising. We start out with a lonely divorced woman who wants to spend Christmas with her daughter. Inspector Joohyun is an accomplished officer who is well liked by many, but she doesn't have very many close friends. Her closest relationship was with her daughter, but now Yoojung is 24. Yoojung wants to party with her friends. She ditches her mother, and then inspector Joohyun has nobody. She has a ton of friends, but nobody to actually spend the holidays with. There's a certain kind of closeness that just isn't in her life, and it's very sad.
Watching her wander around, and beg her daughter to come see her, is kinda gut wrenching. I would hate to be a mom that has to accept that the nest will be empty soon. Yoojung is pretty clearly planning to move out. Yoojung also wants her to remarry and move on with life, but finding love isn't that easy. Especially when you're in your 40's with a dangerous career. Inspector Joohyun goes to a cheap bar to drink alone, and she rests her head down on a table.
This guy finds her. He leaves his friends behind to comfort her. It's Siwoo. Yoojung's friend. He's also the boy she rescued years ago. Siwoo got lost in the woods once and she found him. Joohyun doesn't know that Siwoo was going to kill himself that day. When she found him she saved his life. She's a bit nosy, and when she started caring for him he couldn't resist. Her annoying side is the part of her that he loves most.
Siwoo is a pretty fucked up guy. He became friends with Yoojung to get close to her. She has been his sexual obsession for more than half a decade. He hasn't seen her in years at this point. He tried to distance himself. He knew that Joohyun would never choose him. He tried to be normal and move on, but then they meet on Christmas.
He may or may not have planned the meeting.
Things get...weird. Joohyun knows and trusts Siwoo. He used to hang around her house alot. He was always a nice boy, and now he's a handsome man. They chat in her living room. She drinks more. Siwoo kisses her and she thinks about how lonely she is. Joohyun is insecure because she did get divorced once. Trying to date hasn't really been working for her. When she sleeps with Siwoo she feels terrible about it in the morning. She blocks his number, and forgets about him. Which is a refreshingly normal reaction.
This is the point where we get into fucked up territory. After Joohyun blocks Siwoo he goes around her. He meets up with Yoojung and she confesses to him. They are both 24. Yes. Joohyun's daughter is the exact same age as him. Joohyun freaks out and Siwoo says unforgivably fucked up shit. Basically, he is going to fuck her daughter unless she lets him fuck her. Specifically he wants her to come meet him 10 times. Then he'll leave her alone.
Siwoo ghosts Yoojung, and he starts sneaking around with Joohyun. They have some moments that aren't creepy. There's alot of sex jokes about the age gap. Siwoo seems to be hiding more shit. Joohyun is his saviour, but she doesn't know that. When she found him in the woods she thought he was just a lost boy. She doesn't know the rest of his tragic tale. So, he looks like an unforgivable pervert. He is but you know that sob story is gonna get him off the hook...
Joohyun cannot see a future with Siwoo. That's why she blocked him after their hookup. She's not the kind of woman that can be seduced with sex alone. She's also aware that their age gap is giant and frowned upon. She lightens up a little bit, because she enjoys the sex and attention...but she doesn't want to see him again after the 10th meeting. Siwoo accidentally reveals another layer of shit. Yoojung isn't really in love with him. Yoojung is kind of a piece of crap by the way. Siwoo approached Yoojung, but he didn't seduce her. Siwoo offered to be Yoojung's fake boyfriend. Yoojung wants a fake boyfriend because she's sooooo tired of her lame mom. Her lame mom who breathes down her neck all the time. Her clingy mom that needs to buzz off etc. She seems like a completely selfish brat, even though she's not outright evil. Siwoo took advantage of that, and that was the key to his master plan to get close to Joohyun again. This shows that he's extremely manipulative. He's got alot of evil potential.
Sadly, the author spends two full chapters on a sob story. Siwoo is the unwanted son of a mistress. His mom abandoned him in exchange for cash. His father is a politician who only raised him to keep his reputation in tact. His stepmother was extremely physically abusive. That's why he wanted to die. When Joohyun let him volunteer with the police station she literally saved him. He's becoming a police officer because of her. He found purpose in life because of her. The twenty year age gap between them made him fall into despair, and that's why he tried to cut off contact. He knows that he should see Joohyun as a mother figure, but his feelings became sexual. He's sickened by his own feelings.
That's why he limited their hotel meetings to 10 times. He doesn't expect anything from her. His whole manipulative obsessive plot was just a way for him to try and satisfy himself. He wanted to taste what it would be like to be in a relationship with Joohyun. He knows he will miss her forever, when they do separate.
95% sure the authors gonna cut out the yandere. Yoojung probably knows about his crush (and she probably supports it). Yoojung is a free spirit type character who wants her mom to lighten up and get a man. I can totally see this heading towards an unrealistic happy ending. Boo.
Also. I know there are tons of beautiful 40 year old women, but why are webtoon authors allergic to wrinkles?? Joohyun 100% looks better in the shots where she has some wrinkles. Don't be scared, authors. Some of us would love to see boobs/faces that aren't the exact same shape. Joohyun looks like Yoojung's twin in some panels and in my opinion that's just bad art. Draw a proper milf cowards!!!
