I know the fandom is almost non-existent in 2025, but I've been fixated on Buried Stars since watching a stream of the game, and I need to ramble about Route A "mutual reliance" ending between Doyoon and Gyu-hyuk bc there's so much to unpack.
Spoilers for Route A:
The "mutual reliance" achievement is unlocked if Doyoon is unable to pick out the right clues and catch Gyu-hyuk as the murderer just before the rescue team saves the remaining party. Everyone convinces Doyoon that he's talking nonsense, and he is forced to accept the idea that Seil murdered Hyesung and proceeded to kill himself to avoid being held accountable.
But it's clear deep down, he knows that's not the truth. It eats at Doyoon that the truth is out there, and he failed to find it. He finds himself stuck in a reality where something is wrong and he is the only one who knows this, which affects his mental as he recovers in the hospital.
While Juyoung and Inha's chapters close out the same as the True Ending, bringing their personal arcs to a satifisying close as the two decide to face their past struggles and move forward for the better, Gyu-hyuk's closing chapter is obviously... off-putting.
For one, his ending section isn't right after Inha's and Juyoung's. So it is quite literally out of place. Moreover, while Juyoung and Inha's new sprite shows them standing upright, in a warm light and in a medium shot (head to waist),
Gyu-Hyuk's final appearance is noticeably "greyer" and is a medium close-up (head to chest). He takes up more of the screen, and his image is slightly tilted. Making him dominate the screen and appear "off."
Doyoon mentions that Gyu-hyuk has been visiting him every day. Which may just seem like Gyu-hyuk being a good friend. It can also be seen as Gyu-hyuk building up a dependent relationship between the two, by making sure Doyoon believes that Gyu-hyuk is the one who cares most about him, so that there is no reason for Doyoon to ever doubt Gyu-hyuk.
Gyu-hyuk pats Doyoon's shoulder, making the latter wince from pain, physically symbolizing that while Gyu-hyuk is trying to comfort and help Doyoon, he's only causing Doyoon more pain.
Gyu-hyuk says Doyoon can always lean on him, and Gyu-hyuk wouldn't be standing if it weren't for Doyoon saving him from the falling debris (a gratitude Gyu-hyuk has mentioned multiple times throughout the game). The biggest way Gyu-hyuk tries to repay this life debt is to redeem Doyoon's image as Betrayer. Gyu-hyuk tells Doyoon that he will never betray him.
The emphasis on never betraying Doyoon is meant to parallel how Doyoon has been labeled as the Betrayer by the public. It is initially believed throughout the game that Doyoon was wrongfully labeled as a Betrayer by some of his former bandmates and by Seongyeon that wanted to use this Betrayer backstory to boost interest in Bstars. The contestants assure Doyoon that the label isn't true since they're all familiar with the manipulative narratives and editing of the show.
It's only in the True End that Doyoon confesses he did, in fact, betray the band.
However, in the "mutual reliance" end, he is unable to admit this. He continues to carry the guilt of betraying his bandmates and is never able to face it head-on. He continues to bottle it inside, and the guilt of being the Betrayer only worsens with the fact that he feels as though he betrayed Hyesung and Seil, tooby failing to catch the killer.
So, Gyu-hyuk saying that he will never betray Doyoon is nothing but an empty gesture, as Gyu-hyuk doesn't know that Doyoon really is a Betrayer, and Doyoon doesn't know that Gyu-hyuk is the real murderer who put Doyoon in this traumatic state.
I read it as Gyu-hyuk trying to convince Doyoon that, unlike his former bandmates, he will never leave Doyoon. That because Gyu-hyuk is someone who "knows" Doyoon isn't a Betrayer, Gyu-hyuk sees himself as the most important, reliable person Doyoon has close to him.
Doyoon gets lost in thought about Hyesung and Seil. He still can't shake off the feeling that the truth of their attacker is out there, and he failed to bring the truth to light. This could be a mistranslation, so I won't dwell as much, but when Doyoon starts to cry, thinking of "departed friends," Gyu-hyuk's response is "I'm okay" as if he's already assuming that Doyoon is thinking of him. However, Gyu-hyuk's words can also be translated to "It's okay," so it's hard to say for sure if he was talking about himself.
Either way, Gyu-hyuk tries to turn Doyoon's attention back onto him. Gyu-hyuk continues to assure that the two can always rely on each other, really hammering the idea of co-dependency between the two, and probably pulling at Doyoon's survivor's guilt.
Doyoon grabs onto Gyu-hyuk's arm, confirming this unhealthy relationship. Then, probably the most shocking line of dialogue to come out of Gyu-hyuk's mouth is when he says, "Doyoon, get over it. You have me."
There is a lot about this scene with Gyu-hyuk that feels off, but it could be passed off as Gyu-hyuk just caring for Doyoon as a friend, his affection to repay Doyoon for saving him, and him wanting Doyoon to focus on recovery. But the "get over it" is uncharacteristically blunt coming from a character like him. Plus, the narration highlights that Gyu-hyuk's "kind voice sounded distant," showing that his kindness is not sincere.
It confirms that Gyu-hyuk has gained control over Doyoon. And "won" since he gets away with the crime.
...
Okay, now why does Gyu-hyuk feel so strongly attached to Doyoon? Like Gyu-hyuk says, a lot of it is because Doyoon saved his life at the start of the game. But it's a lot more than just repaying the gesture.
We learn about Gyu-hyuk's tragic backstory. How he and his mom depended on each other to survive after his father neglected them both. His mom was also ill with diabetes, so Gyu-hyuk was used to taking care of others (we also see this with how he takes care of Juyoung whenever she's on the verge of a panic attack). In the True End, he expresses how hurt he was when his mom committed suicide. Before that, he felt that despite the hard times, the two could get through anything. So he was devastated to see his mom give up and "leave" him.
He clearly developed some serious attachment issues due to his upbringing. Throughout the game, Gyu-hyuk opens up to Doyoon more and more. He admitted how before, he always kept to himself and was hesitant to get close to people. But eventually, he shares parts of his life with Doyoon that he's never shared with others.
His attachment issues from losing his mom(s) extend onto Doyoon. Gyu-hyuk was so used to being codependent when his mom was alive (financially but also morally). And Doyoon because the perfect replacement to fulfill that side of him.
And like his mom, he definitely grappled with suicidal thoughts (and in different endings of the game, Gyu-hyuk will kill himself). I'm certain that if Gyu-hyuk was crushed by the falling debris, he wouldn't have cared about dying so much. But Doyoon saved him anyway. Literally giving him another chance at life. Although, he uses that chance to murder 3 people to avenge his mom, clinging onto his trauma.
In the ending where he isn't caught, Gyu-hyuk doesn't show regret for what he did, but it doesn't mean he isn't drowning in guilt. Obviously, having 3 deaths in his hands would weigh heavily on his consciousness. And to try and push away the guilt, Gyu-hyuk convinced himself that Doyoon was the one who gave him the opportunity to do it. That if his killing speee wasn't meant to be, Gyu-hyuk would've died under the falling debris instead. But he didn't, so there had to be a purpose in all of it.
That maybe Doyoon saving him means he was someone worth saving (for more than just his popularity). And he wants to live up to that expectation for Doyoon.
His closeness to Doyoon is also his way of repenting. He believes that if he takes care of Doyoon— the man who saved him from the falling debris— he would be "making up" for the sins he committed. Gyu-hyuk looks at Doyoon as a selfless hero (not knowing Doyoon did betray his former band). And Gyu-hyuk wants Doyoon to look at him in the same vain. He wants Doyoon, who he assumes embodies righteousness, to be someone who thinks Gyu-hyuk is a good person. Through this, Gyu-hyuk can believe that about himself and alleviate himself of the guilt, even if that means making sure Doyoon never finds out what he did.
"i'm tormented by my father's legacy, as well as his emotional abuse and neglect towards me and my mom"
"hey don't worry, your suffering is like. actually good for you as an artist! my dad also left me alone a lot, and i've that's why i'm able to write songs! I'm pretty good at comforting people huh?"
