I hate the groveling trope, and a good part of this fandoms need for Kim to beg for forgiveness to be accepted for serveral reasons.
1-It's a goddamn awful dinamic in any relationship. Anyone rquiring groveling and begging instead of an explanation or an apology is not woth the time. And Kim didn'd do anything bad enough to have to beg for forgiveness. Which brings me to my next point.
2- KIM WAS RIGHT. Hiring Porsche the way he was hired was weird as fuck. Tweedle dumb and Tweedle dumber are too in love to see shit until it is spelled to them (Korn literally tells them everything). Khun bless his heart didn't find it suspicious either (even tho the fandom tends to regard him as galaxy brained he doesn't suspect his father, he questions some of his actions regarding Tawan and Porsche but that's it). Vegas is deep on his psychosexual obssesion with Kinn and Porsche is a convenient target/mission from his dad. Gun is just stupid.
3-Using Chay isn't even that morally questionable when contextualized. Kim met a cute boy with encyclopedic knowledge about him and his music, said boy sought him out and asked him to be his tutor. He gets home, gets a folder from Big and he discovers that said stan/stalker/ maybe spy is the little brother of the increasingly suspicious hire he was investigating. He later discover that he is just a stan obssessed with him and his music (mood). Tries to abort mission, gets serenaded twice and mercilesly romanced (you brought this on yourself Kim). Reality comes calling in the form of a really cute fried egg, his brother's psycho ex and his coocoo cousin who kidnap his love interest. Cat's out of the bag and he decides to break Chay's heart publicaly so he'll go on his merry way (might not be a bad idea if Korn is watching) except that it doesn't work out.
4- I doubt that Chay would want groveling. I belive that after a short time living in the compound he would understand Kim's situation and lack of emotional resourcefulness.
In conclusion, Kim would just have to apologize for how he managed the aftermath, and just to Chay.He doesn't owe shit to anyone else.
AAnd one more thing people tend to regard Kim's investigation as useless because Korn tweeted it out, but i think he tweeted out the extremely watered version and just because he was really close to being exposed.
Apologies for the rambling, i got carried away.
-Infuriated anon who's seen too many bad takes
hello again ranty anon, i <3 you
since yesterday i've been thinking about why i dislike the groveling trope so much, because i have SUCH a kneejerk negative reaction to it. i get that other people like it! that's fine! i still don't think it's in-character for these characters, but whatever . but i'm trying to work out why i dislike it so much, personally, and i think it comes down to this: i don't ever want to feel like i'm one of the people standing in the street, throwing shit, and shouting, "shame! shame!" to punish somebody for some actual or perceived wrongdoing. i don't want to feel like that even for real live actual terrible humans. i don't enjoy gleeful, participatory, indulgent punitive justice.
and i guess i dislike it in fanfiction as much as anywhere else, and especially in what are intended to be healthy interactions. i have learned something about myself!
anyway, that unwanted detour into seriousness aside: YES EXACTLY KIM WAS RIGHT. there WAS something super fucking shady going on with korn's decision! it's unfortunate that the clunky writing of how it played out undermined that fact, but it doesn't change the fact that kim knew his father was playing some sort of game that involved porsche's family. big also knew. hell, even gun knew. that's why he told vegas to get close to porsche.
so i agree 100% with your "kim was right!" but also i want to raise you with this: CHAY WAS ALSO RIGHT.
not about any mafia stuff; that's irrelevant. he was right about the feelings between them. kim does love him. those feelings are mutual. chay was not reading the situation incorrectly. he was not being naïve or foolish or childish or any of those things. we see him, on screen, in their scenes: a) realize kim is not his public persona and decide he's even more interested now; b) learn that kim is a dork who can't flirt and decide to do all the flirting for both of them; c) decide to act on both his own feelings and the vibes he's picking up and confess while he has the chance; and d) offer honesty and openness even knowing he's unlikely to get it in return.
kim was so incredibly scared precisely because chay was so completely freakin' right about what was between them and what they both wanted.
so yeah, i also don't think chay wants groveling, because chay repeatedly says what he does want. he is justifiably hurt and angry and confused. but he's also very clear about what he's asking for: he wants to know where the lies ended and the truth began. he wants an explanation. he wants kim to acknowledge what chay believed--CORRECTLY--to be true of what was between them. he says as much when he immediately confronts kim after learning about kim's family. he gets frustrated about kim's confusing behavior in the club. chay is clear about what he wants from kim! i don't really get why some fanon/fanfic decides... that's not what chay actually wants? idk.
AND GUESS WHAT. HE ACTUALLY GETS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD THAT. IN A FUCKING SONG.
like, i know everybody loves to roast kim for "why don't you stay" when he was the one who walked away, maybe because that's the line that's in English, but like. dude. the song is part of the story, it's part of the communication between them, and the rest of the lyrics are basically stuff like: life was miserable until i met you. everything was darkness until i met you. i hated myself until you showed me that i don't have to. everything is pain and the world is terrible but it's okay because you're here.
the lyrics (esp the og thai version) are very intimate and intense! (hey, that jeff satur kid, i think he's going places with his music, you know? he's pretty good at it.) it's so so so much more than pleading for a second chance, although it is also doing that. he is, in fact, explaining himself. it's kim opening up his very, very tough shell and offering an honest look into his heart. that line about trying to love himself and finally being willing to try that? are you fucking kidding me with this sir. kim is in all ways except physical still trapped in that moment when he asked chay about his crush and chay said all those lovely things directly to his face without flinching. kim doesn't think he deserves that. he wants it anyway.
their first love language is music. that's what initially brought them together. it's a big part of how they communicate. it is what will bring them back together.
ANYWAY THE POINT IS. i agree most vehemently with your final point, that this is something that needs to be talked about and worked through between the two of them. that's not to say their brothers can't play some role. they are both loved by their older brothers, so scenarios in which older brothers become aware of the problem and encourage them toward some kind of resolution or at least toward addressing the issue are fine with me. in this show big brothers don't want little brothers to be sad! (except korn but fuck that guy.) (a topic for another day: i actually think kinn would offer the best and most thoughtful romantic advice! especially regarding what to do after you've hurt someone!)
it's when other people take that resolution out of their hands and/or turn it into some sort of punishment that it loses me. i don't think either of them would want it, and i don't think the other guys would do it.
let them write songs for each other and cry and pine and yearn and make up. they'll figure it out.
(i have so many feelings about them.)
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