#<--makes me think of SHJ --> HYJ...

[milkbreadtoast]

random but... I tried (roughly) translating the lyrics to "skipping stones" by txt for fun/practice..! It's a really beautiful song 🤧

[honey-bird10]

Retelling of real events that happen in the tscir novel:

Hyj: has two (2) breakdowns in front of shj

Shj: i-

Shj: ......

Shj: *gets down on one knee* would you accept me to be your sugar daddy?

Hyj: no

[terrorofstars]

I think chapter 402 of sctir might be one of my absolute favorites, because it has the perfect balance of the silliness of Han Yoojin fighting the dungeon version of himself, while also showing the depth of his grief and self loathing for 'letting' his brother die.

it's that meme about not being able to stand yourself if you met them as another person/doppelganger, without shying away from why. Yoojin has only recently been able to even admit that he regressed and how it happened, and even then in not much detail, and suddenly it's out in the open for everyone - the people he cares about - to see.

the dungeon version of him went for his throat bc how dare he let their baby brother die. and he completely agrees with the sentiment. but he also hates the dungeon version right back, not only bc he's a reminder of everything he's suffered through, but also what that version of him has yet to lose - Han Yoohyun.

that version of him never held his dying brother in his arms, powerless to save him, knowing it's his fault. that version of him doesn't struggle with how he can't even manage to recover his brother's corpse. that version of him doesn't have to live knowing what it's like to have permanently lost the brother he raised on his own. it's a grief that will never end for him, a loss he can never truly recover from. how can he not be jealous? how can he not hate himself?

Han Yoojin wants to live for the Han Yoohyun he has now, but he also wants to die for the one he lost.

[hehearse]

Pls I need to hear more of your thoughts on shj and hyj and shj's relationship. There's barely any meta discussion on them😭😭

there is not much of it?? and here i thought there's lots.... (<- never went out of their way to look)

first of all sorry if that is NOT what you were looking for cause i am not a smart meta person, i can only yap in circles for a bit with various degree of success! also again. did not finish s classes

anyway. shj is such a fun bastard to think about. forever tired from everything, forced to repeat his lives again and again for refusing to take the hand that so carefully groomed him into being so powerful he won't count as human anymore. not to be the guy who only ever saw boss baby BUT oh the contrast of being so immensely strong yet powerless and unable to keep loving things. keep yourself in your place. (yes i am thinking about od and how his happy ending is being loved back by those he hurt so what of it). ANYWAY. shj is strung along by his golden leash at this point, isn't he? look at the pre-reg!shj that shows up in the chrismas dungeon. bitter, cold and tired. as kind as an icy lake that will swallow you whole if you make a wrong move. his words are harsh and cruel, yet he is unable to go further, still bantering and waiting for yoojin. NOT UNLIKE 25!HAN YOOHYUN IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT NO WAIT DON'T DRAG ME OFF THE STAGE he is a fool who is yet to fall for the human treatment. because the yoojin he met was in the middle of being hurt, and how much love can you spare when you are in constant pain?

and present shj is all ^^ and banter, but even that came only after he, merely curious, tried pushing yoojin's buttons and bending his lines. even to the point of being, once again, incredibly cruel - remember that talk of his about the rotten insides. and he found out exactly at which point that item of his starts breaking, and he stopped. points at him deciding against breaking yoojin's leg to keep in korea by force, because he got reminded of how they started their relationship. what he did at the start. he did not want to be like that anymore huh. and REMEMBER he also. chose against breaking song taewon's legs while yoojin had his broken at the same time. something about taking a different path for once.

which, if you think about, is him choosing someone else's comfort over his curiosity, which is the only thing that keeps him going. he stated multiple times how he is his own top priority, how his curiosity is the thing that matters the most. and yet. he can't break yoojin again. he wants to win his trust back. he wants yoojin to open up to him, not to do the opening by force. oh how new and how scary that must feel - to leave yourself in someone else's hands - for someone of his power... heh

also just saying. i am never letting go of the vr dungeon. shj straight up said "no one hates being loved" and "i will not end up like han yoohyun". and then he did. the monster fell for the trick of being loved like a human, put on a new shiny pink leash and is now scared his touch is too heavy and human bones too brittle. point and laugh at the fool!

as for yoojin's side. sung hyunje said it himself. yoojin needed someone that is not under his care and who can survive on their own. who can handle yoojin at his worst and not turn away. (and also the guy just cannot leave any monster unloved huh.)

(as an addition i think it's very funny how ahem thanks to their parents and han yoohyun ahem yoojin ended up terrified of being abandoned and now all his favorite people are so possessive it's a shock in-universe that he is locking himself during the brainwashing, and not being locked up "at least by han yoohyun". he got the perfect company ^^)

[readerattheend]

I'm Losing My Sanity TM over Han Yoojin and Sung Hyunjae.

I keep seeing text posts with quotes and conversations between them. That's fantastic, I love it, keep up the good work everyone.

The bit that's making me crazy is that I'll read the quotes, think, "Ah, that really is so them. The author really did just commit to the bit with them. Incredible."

I'll be so sure that these lines are truly from the novel.

And...

75% of the time when I go to check the tags, it's someone's fanfiction.

I can't tell which is more true (it's probably a mix):

The fanfics are ridiculously good at capturing exactly the dynamic and communication styles of HYJ and SHJ, and/or

The author wrote these bastards beautiful men with so much homoeroticism that it really just isn't a stretch that these fanfic lines would realistically sound like something the characters would say.

Anyways, that's what's blowing my mind today.

[wovenstarlight]

and another rant i have built up over jinjae is their everything around food. the first instance i can remember is the courtesy chocolates SHJ brings HYJ after the Babar dungeon, when he's in the hospital (chapters 80/81), which he says is for HYJ due to the stress he must be feeling over HYH. and then immediately kills any goodwill in the very next sentence by going Wowww you're so useful and i'd love to acquire you etc etc. HYJ's not even the one who accepts them from SHJ, that's BYR, and later HYJ says he only eats them because he has nothing better to do (no other option than SHJ, huh...) and even then the Dokkaebi ends up eating half the box. gift that's barely accepted.

the next instance i can think of is post-human trafficking auction in chapter 127 where SHJ makes him eggs, but. well. literally as he's cooking they have this exchange:

(this got so fucking long i had to put it under a cut. takes your hand come with me on this journey)

[SHJ] “I’d like for you to stay unharmed until I grow bored. Mentally, I mean.” [HYJ] “And my body doesn’t matter?” [SHJ] “If your bulk decreases, you’ll be easier to carry around.”

so "i'm making food for you" but also "i don't care if your health deteriorates and/or you lose weight, as long as you're useful". an interesting combination of messages to send, given that HYJ's also struggling in this scene to figure out what SHJ wants from him, what with seemingly looking out for him and his loved ones by lending Sillekia to BYR for fighting HYH, but also still continuing with this "my item" shit and only looking at him for his usefulness. but this instance IS notable in that it's the first time SHJ cooks for HYJ. a slight turning point in their relationship...?

it does seem so cuz after that... HYJ becoming sick of orange- and apple-flavored mana potions because he chugs them so often, and SHJ responding to this in chapter 185 (birthday arc, before HYJ admitted he stole his memories) by acquiring swiss chocolate-flavored mana potions for him. already he's started with the little treats.

and then. sorry i'm feeling the 216 feelings. 1 minute. Okay normal. and then. yes once again it's chapter 216, when SHJ first starts making readably genuine attempts at kindness towards HYJ, starting the entire interaction by making him a drink that "looked like it was just juice, but it was actually sweet. Tasty." normal behavior from SHJ to rent out the entire rooftop pool and bar to show off his bartending skills to HYJ btw.

then the VR dungeon arc, where SHJ can't see HYJ until he installs the first disc, but the moment he does he starts being absolutely unbearable, the relevant part being when HYJ's reached Achates and is stressed out over HYH's treatment to the point of losing his appetite, at which point SHJ sends him the "Must Eat Well" quest to coax him into eating, rewarding him with chocolate-flavored mana potions, which HYJ himself admits remind him of SHJ:

‘But why are they chocolate-flavored?’ It made me think of that person. It had tasted good.

we're told in chapter 249 that SHJ needs to expend tremendous effort to give HYJ quest rewards and that whatever he gives usually gets cut down (he's talking about point conversions there but i suspect it applies to other rewards as well). so to specifically seek out two potions, especially ones he knows HYJ will prefer more than the common fruit-flavored ones... [puts on my large jinjae-shaped sunglasses like that shit they sell for new years]

and ok i jumped ahead to 249 for the rewards thing but come back to 245 with me and look at that series of cooking quests SHJ sent HYJ to guide him through cooking dinner for himself and HYH. copying over my discord messages from when this chapter dropped for this part of the analysis:

ALSO SPEAKING OF SHJ that chain of quests at the end. he is driving me crazy but yes the cooking quests. like. okay. I mentioned before [...] that I considered this a jinjae scene chapter because. the layers of it all right. he sees hyj wants to cook for his brother but can't decide what to make/how to make it cuz the decision paralysis is hitting after the longass day he's had. so he goes ahead and picks a meal and gives him step by step instructions. overly specific so hyj doesn't hit some dumb roadblock like "idk where the spatula is" and lose it for real. it took multiple quests to give the instructions it might've been easier to give him a prepared meal from whatever store he's picking these rewards from but he spent that time anyway because I'm pretty sure going through the process soothed hyj. normality after the Everything of it all. and then at the end of it because he Knows hyj is prone to not eating when he gets stressed he baits him into eating with rewards. like. Bro. Bro like. OUGH. he cares. he cares.... AND ALSO THAT LAST FUCKING QUEST "made with a spoonful of your partner's love" IS NOT SOMETHING THE SYSTEM WOULD SAY SHJ I KNOW YOURE LEANING INTO "OH NO THE SYSTEMS ALTERING MY MESSAGES DW" AND LETTING YOUR FEELINGS SHOW. YOUR PAPER THIN MASK overemotional over cooking. god. god and even after the cooking thing knowing that hyj would freak upon waking up and not seeing hyh and so keeping an eye on hyh and sending him a quest to tell him where he is.... like fuck dude. FUCK!

ok that's enough of that excerpt this is starting to derail from food analysis. wait hold on actually 249's point about the cost of sending quests and rewards makes the cooking quest series even more impactful because how much did SHJ spend to go to that level of detail and care for HYJ!!!

anyway back to food analysis. 256 where HYJ dies to the inscription process and SHJ purposely serves him bitter tea and sweet cookies to point out that he shouldn't take rewards that come at great costs. SHJ you really love communicating things to people through food, huh? but the fact that the second he's understood SHJ takes away the bitter tea and replaces it with something less bitter and more savory. the fact that when the scout finds him, the last thing SHJ does, even after draping his coat over HYJ to protect him from the shards of falling sky, is refill his teacup. the fact that HYJ drinks it and thinks about how it's warm.

GOD!!! do you see my vision. do you see. SHJ and HYJ and cooking and eating as an act of caring. an act of love.

[tenderlytouchingjesters]

Simply I just think a qpr between HYJ, SHJ, and STW would fix me and them (but perhaps make them worse) I cannot get it out of my head it’s insane, I need to write fanfic about this

This is the dynamic in my head

[sfstranslations]

Hello! I would just like to ask because I feel like you are the most suitable person to ask this question.

Did HYJ and SHJ ever meet their pre regression self? Because I don't know if I made it and imagine it so so I thought it was canon.

(it was an extra I think. Between ch 100-200)

Major spoilers under the cut. (EDIT: FOR SOME REASON TUMBLR TOOK THE CUT OUT?? I'M SO SORRY TO ANYONE WHO GOT SPOILED BY THIS POST.)

I must admit I laughed upon seeing this question. By god the answer is yes. They could stand to meet their pre-regression selves less, frankly. Egregious amounts of pre-regression self meeting happen for multiple characters in this novel. It's not necessarily the actual pre-regression person time-travelling, usually it's recreations of them through dungeon magic or the like, but close enough.

Most notably, Yoojin meets his pre-regression self in the Nightmare Before Christmas dungeon in the upcoming arc. Sung Hyunjae's pre-regression self is around and making trouble for a good while in the latter half of the story. (A character summons pre-regression SHJ for post-regression SHJ to talk to, and one of the first things he does is go "me and Han Yoojin have a kid, look, here are photos" [pulls out his phone and shows him Changeling], LMAO. That's around chapter 629–631, I believe.) Versions of pre-regression HYJ/SHJ from an alternate timeline where HYJ didn't regress also show up in the side stories, as I understand it?

So, TL:DR, yes. The pre-regression world will simply not let being overwritten stop it from featuring front and center.

[crynburne]

thinking about how in ABO au yj&co could change/jump the secondary genders they were born with.

• han yoojin:

omega→beta. reason? simple. hyj is a certified canon omega. has given birth 4 times and takes on the mother role. he calms the people around him and makes them comfortable, yet they also become protective and fight over him. he is a top tier omega.

he could become a beta either back in his childhood when he abandoned himself to raise hyh or in the long years of abandonment by hyh before regression. in both cases he completely ignores his own needs and desires for various reasons (he needs to take care of his little brother and has no time or resources to pay attention to himself, slowly losing his ability to sense/produce pheromones. / his physical needs and desires could be a bother and/or a weakness that people hating and out to exploit him can blame him for and he simply doesn't have time or need for that, slowly losing his ability to sense/produce pheromones)

after the regression he might get his omega traits back as his caregiver title grows, or he might still have them but they're really weak because he was just born like that and or/because he was suppressing them since childhood and his caregiver title might strengthen them later on so it's omega→beta→omega.

• han yoohyun:

alpha→beta(→alpha?). surprising but hear me out. hyh being a born s class honestly goes super well with him being your classic alpha. but his reason is basically the same as hyj: he was suppressing his nature since childhood to be able to live with his brother. this would get worse after he awakens and leaves home because he has no desires outside of hyj, and when he's not around that's even less reason to even develop them.

second reason is again because of hyj, since he can't feel any emotions and has no desires outside of hyj, he would deem his secondary gender useless and simply cut it off either in his childhood because it would get in the way since hyj was born an omega or in his teens because hyj is a beta and being an alpha isn't giving or taking anything from hyh so he follows after his brother.

the reason i added him perhaps going back to being an alpha is because in the main story he slowly starts accepting his nature and desires as hyj does it and this would also bring his alpha traits back.

• sung hyunjae:

alpha→beta. similar to hyh. shj gives off your classic alpha vibes, and he was initially that classic alpha, but he has been through so much that his alpha traits simply vanished at some point since he had no use for them whatsoever. he couldn't get close to anyone, and even if he did, he would eventually forget them after they die. so not really much room to enjoy pheromones or mating there.

also the same with hyh, he could get his alpha traits ack after getting saved by hyj. (not before the regression tho lmao sucks to be you ig). or he could be slowly getting them back along with hyj as they developed trust and feelings for each other along that path, but I'm leaning more towards the former cus as he got some of his skills and memories of past lives back after getting free from cm he could slowly get his alpha traits along with them.

• bak yerim:

possibly beta→alpha. I don't know girls much but after meeting hyj she would maybe develop more alpha traits, possibly from hyh also doing the same as he accepts himself more and since they're sibling n stuff, or from hyj becoming more and more omega by the day, or from hyj's caregiver title making her more protective and possessive over her omega caregiver (in a family way please i fear incest)

• noah:

omega/beta→alpha. because I can't really see him as an alpha, but riette decided that being an alpha give him better chances to survive maybe idk? so she made him an alpha just like she made him an s class even though he wasn't supposed to be one in the first place. he's at first not very good at that but as time goes on and he accepts himself as an alpha and has no problems with it. i just felt like i needed to get the noah stuff out there, he's grown on me as a character as i reread the novel.

honorable mentions for other characters and how i see them:

moon hyuna, riette, kang soyong: all of the girls are certified alphas. song taewon: I'm sorry but no matter how much you try to suppress it you're still an alpha, although he wouldn't act on pheromones no matter what. let's go suffering. yoo myeongwoo: maybe beta→alpha. he bonds with hyj at the beginning cus they're both f rank betas.

more honorable mentions of how i see some characters:

hyj could be an alpha→beta or just plain alpha because that'd be fun. he has traits such as possessiveness, protectiveness over 'his' people, and he likes asserting dominance already. this would also play well off of omega shj (I'll yap about that a bit later) he'd go 'i may be an f rank but I'm still an alpha' trying to protect his ego that is unfortunately already in shambles, and he'd share this traits with alpha hyh. also also he looks like your regular beta or silly omega but he's actually an alpha like no other alpha around him.

if hyj is an omega, i think he'd be super close to a beta and wouldn't be able to sense pheromones but still producing them and can't to control it. the clueless idiot type. everyone is so into him meanwhile he has no idea cus he can't read their pheromones. this also plays off of him having fear resistance cus he'd get dull to alphas just like he's dull to fear in the after regression timeline.

i once saw an omega!shj fic and i thought 'damn that's actually a good fucking idea' but then i regretted opening it. the idea IS cool tho. this man could definitely be an omega despite looking like the alphaest alpha ever. he'd also guilt alpha!hyj into 'helping' him with his heat and also he tops. because even if he's an omega there is no universe in which i could see him getting in the doggy pose or hyj topping a man like that. and i also have a thing for bottom alphas from that one omegaverse manga iykyk. that thing probably fucked me up in more ways than i realise (in a good way) ((maybe)).

he feels nothing during heat and he probably doesn't even have heat and this is all just an elaborate plan to fuck with alpha!hyj (in both ways). meanwhile the poor guy thought he should help out of the goodness of his heart (could go with both pre and post regression, he'd 100% make the same mistake twice since he has no memories before regression)

i also imagine pre reg shj letting his pheromones loose in front of taejin and hyj is just terrified for his ass and wants nothing to do with that man, thinking he's in heat, and stw is contemplating who to protect: an f rank or an omega (he ends up siding with hyj and even offers to help with shj's heat himself since he's also an alpha and an s class but hyj stops him before it's too late. shj is all for it tho. i can see both shj getting on his knees for his favourite silly guy to fuck with him in more ways than one and stw getting on his knees for that bastard. that poor, miserable man that's can't say no.)

tldr shj really likes getting pity points from his two favourite guys because the way they react is so funny and amusing even though he's faking it and is an s class like no other.

and and omega!hyj is super in denial. he goes 'I'm a beta I'm a beta' when he was initially an omega but his traits were super weak at 25 and ended up disappearing altogether in the span of those 5 years before regression, which is why he still thinks he's a beta at heart (the change didn't bother him at all actually he didn't even notice it at all, just at some point realising he's a beta now)

also alpha on alpha yuri with ksy and riette. because heck yeah.

[lalune9x]

I hope you would consider the first moon!jin fight! From the aquarium promise till we get yoojin back. There is something peak hotness about hyj kicking shj's ass. Also, do you have access to any of the side stories? I keep hearing stuff about alt hjyj but can't find them.

omg you are so right, thank you for reminding me… it slipped my mind but I had been intending to go back and do that part!! you’re absolutely right we have to start with the aquarium promise to give proper context for their relationship, haha.

i’ve bought the side stories on Naver Series (it’s a bit annoying to buy for non-korean residents as they require you to submit proof of ID if you don’t have a korean number, though you can farm free coins if you’re dedicated). i haven’t had time to read the side stories yet aside from skimming some parts. but i will definitely translate the alt hjyj section at some point once i get through more of the main story. i think the reason nobody has shared them fully is because of how tightly naver’s app is locked down… (it also makes it really annoying to translate because not being able to start with mtl draft is really painful.)

[yersina]

Just came across a half-written sctir snippet that I completely and utterly forgot existed in my notes app???

//

One of the basic principles of business is that if your competitors are too stupid to recognize their own assets, take them.

-

Sung Hyunjae trusts Choi Mingi to tell him the truth when he says that Han Yoojin works at the Starbucks that’s a half hour drive from their guild building, but he doesn’t quite believe him until he walks in and sees Han Yoohyun’s brother working behind the counter.

“Han Yoojin,” he greets, walking up to the counter. Yoojin immediately stiffens, eyeing Hyunjae suspiciously.

“If you want to talk to me because of Yoohyun, I’m not making any statements,” he says gruffly, stiff but rehearsed. Pity.

“Why, Yoojin-ssi, I just want to talk to you for your own sake,” he says, giving Yoojin a flawless smile. Yoojin sputters delightfully at that, but in the end, he doesn’t look any less suspicious than before.

Cannot stop thinking abt the possibility of pre-reg seseong hyj

shj is very bastard and would have absolutely no qualms w poaching yj if he wanted to

Which he does

Cause, like, awakening definitely isn’t genetic or anything, but the very glaringly obvious media black hole around hyj is, well, obvious, and shj has never met a sore spot that he hasn’t wanted to push

So he wanders over to wherever hyj is working at the time and shamelessly tries to poach the unawakened brother of his largest rival guild

Hyj doesn’t really understand what’s going on other than that shj is holding up the line, but this is the most anyone has ever spoken to him about dungeons and awakening since yh waltzed out of his life, so he’s reluctantly but understandably intrigued

One thing leads to another, and hyj agrees to let Seseong sponsor his awakening

(yes, hyj is aware that this means he’ll join seseong afterwards. no, he’s not thinking abt hyh during all of this. he’s NOT. really. definitely. yeah.)

i have a lot of thoughts and headcanons around what exactly hyj’s stats and skills would be outside of canon circumstances, but for the sake of this verse, i’m gonna put him at stat b, skill a rank—exceptional, but not too abnormally so

and like, the familiar raising skill is impressive, but at an a level it’s not earth-shatteringly amazing, you know? the only person that would really benefit from it is ksy, so shj puts that idea on the back burner

but you know what DOES catch his attention? the teacher skill

so he starts dragging yj on every single dungeon clearing opportunity to build up his familiarity with the skill and push his limits so he can use it to its fullest extent

also. yknow when ksh (i think?) was describing why he and the rest of haeyeon are loyal to yh? and how there’s a certain level of dedication and admiration born from following someone into danger and being able to follow them right back out?

yeah. y e a h.

like, hyh is his brother, and hyj is never ever ever going to forget that. ever. he raised that boy with his own two hands and hyj loves him to the ends of the earth even if they haven’t said a single word to each other in two years

but shj is his guild leader

[hehearse]

omg your latest shj comic??? i am utterly in love and going insane with how much it makes me feel! and the choice of ksy as the person beyond the 'wall' / being hidden by the shadow, my mind is churning!!!

they're such a fascinating but underexplored duo - i would love to hear your thoughts on the shj and ksy relationship?

WELL!! DON"T MIND IF I DO!

first of all, i didn't want to use stw or hyj for many reasons. for starters, it's not shippy- no but. their dynamic invites of thinking about something. intense if you will. whatever way you interprete their relationships, they are not "normal". but ksy... she is the one who took the lead with no shj in the picture, she is the one who occupied the space next to him in the guild and acted as a bridge. bright and cheerful and sunny!! brave enough to deal with him!! with no rot inside for him to dig in etc etc. she is Normal (as normal as high ranks get yeah, but in comparison) and he cared for her. cared enough to think of her and how she's doing back in the dungeon, you know? there is a wall between them which neither can breach. Again, if you think of her in comparison to stw and hyj....... while there ARE glimpses of understanding betwen the last two and shj, i don't think it's possible for him and ksy. and yet. he made an effort. she kept making an effort and treating like maybe a scare, but her guild leader nonetheless.

ANYWAY!!! tldr i don't think they can understand each other, not with how thick the barrier between them is. but they care still! it's very sweet, i think. you may not get them, but still make an effort to help them out. does this make sense?

[crynburne]

ooooh the side stories...... has the "back in my days" look

i love yj x yj dynamic it's gotta be one of my favourite things from the side stories (or actually the whole novel itself). both with pre regression hyj he met for a second in dating shj quest and 32!hyj. i loved it when he said "maybe i can be a little kinder to myself too" and then three minutes later he gets to actually speak to his other self and he finds him fucking insufferable actually

seeing how 32!hyj turned out in a different environment and how he still basically came to the same point (because he's this amazing) as 30!yj was fun. i like it that no matter what happens he's still supposed to rule them s ranks around

anyway new yj I'd say a solid 8/10. not higher cus he got kinda nerfed by the end(

and oooooh sung hyunjae. don't get me started. that man TRAUMATIZED me. this is probably what people imagined when they saw hjyj together: a toxic relationship where shj overpowers hyj and isn't afraid to hurt him. and I'll be real i like my sweet hjyj partners better...

like to some extent it's kiiiinda? like our hjyj but also it's super fucked up... even 30!yoojin himself thinks "oh man what the fuck. those bitches crazy. why are you acting like nothing's wrong???" and i felt the same.

but really 38!shj changed. he also started as an asshole who doesn't mind using force when he feels like it but that man really changed, the china arc start proved it as well, because even if hyj expected him to harm him shj didn't. even if it was for his own good.

and that "it must've been way worse at the beginning" stuff about the physical harm lowkey makes me scared and not so happy... like I'm happy for you yoojin that this strong s rank is salivating over you and it gives you confidence but man.... laughing and saying you almost died that time you applied the keyword and that it was kinda exciting... sorry but this man needs to go to a mental hospital ASAP. no actually both of them.

and the way it ended with a "we're so close and we really care for each other" cra- i mean. uh. well. okay i didn't like it. it felt rushed and ik geunseo only had ~170 chapters for the side stories and this part took like 30? but it still felt like someone took the buns out of the oven a bit too early. i also don't like how shj is portrayed as good there and now i get why other hunters think that man is terrifying.

trying to get that world into the same mold as the og one i get it. that was the quest. you want them to have their happily ever after. but still i like them independent. i really liked how different it was from the og world. it was sour but still good, it had it's own identity and interesting details like how other characters would end up if yk didn't regress and how their lives would continue on.

next the diarma stuff. the chinese dungeon fight with lauchitas was super cool and i really liked it, but this time it was basically the same thing and like we already saw it. revenge, i get it. go for it and kill that guy diarma. but it still felt off for some reason. like it didn't have the same impact that ganging up on lauchitas had, even though it should be greater. there was no threat basically so it was meh.

getting back yoohyun also lacked stakes for me, like he did that already and doing it again just doesn't feel the same as the first time. the han reunion was also mmm. i actually don't remember it because it was that unimpactful. maybe that's just because i rushed the side stories who knows. maybe I'll reread them

huge w for 30!hyj stripping in front of diarma and seducing him tho. that was hot. poor cuck hyunjae was just on the sidelines watching some bastard salivate at his wife 😭 which isn't out of the ordinary lmao.

anyway i really liked the first half before the special dungeon and time fragments appeared. hyj trying to live a normal life was fun and interesting. the world building was also up my valley and i enjoyed it. the dungeon was fun I'd say exactly untill the point the two yoojins met and went on the whole saving the world and lil bro thing. the side stories are solid and the novel is good both with and without reading them.

w fairy dragon shj. thanks for coming to my ted talk. 🧚✨

SCTIR Side Story shenanigan warning* Yoojin chasing 35yo!Yoojin around with a 100% Dungeon Material pillow he pulled from his inventory in the middle of a legit brawl between them just to see if he can suffocate his other self or at least use his naptime skill in the no-damage zone is forever living in my head.

And then 35!Yoojin’s Sung Hyunjae pulling out another pillow to give 35!Yoojin to even out the fight and getting beaten on instead—

[wovenstarlight]

man the credit card is a metaphor.... I keep fucking thinking about them.... like ok let me actually put my thoughts down about this whole scene. starting with the intro:

[SHJ] placed a card next to the cocktail glass. A black credit card. “The old one would have become unusable.”

the old relationship, at least from shj's side towards hyj, is no longer workable, he wants things to change, which is what this whole convo is about. and hyj doesn't accept the card (the proposal) immediately because he's still wary towards shj, still keeping him at a distance. for good reason! this whole time shj has been overbearing and threatening and pushy and just Weird. it's no wonder hyj has been 3 seconds from the pepper spray

“[…] just why would you do that?” “Because I want to.” That simple answer left me speechless. It wasn’t for my sake, but just because he wanted to. How typical of that guy. I didn’t have to feel pressured after all.

what does it say that shj is like I'll make things nice and comfortable for you and you'll be safe and relaxed!!!! but what actually makes hyj at ease regarding the entire proposal is shj acting like he doesn't really care and it's not that deep. this whole time shj's been way too interested in hyj and it's been putting hyj off but what makes him chill is shj taking an emotional step back by chalking everything he's doing up to idle whims. the monetary support as a more distant, more acceptable form of interaction compared to the offputting hyperfocus (the same kind of monetary support hyj refused from prereg hyh! because in that case he wanted the overwhelming emotion and connection, but that's not something he trusts shj with, not yet)

“Since this was a show of your sincerity, Seseong Guild Leader-nim, I’ll keep it for emergency use.”

not to read too deeply into this but Emergency Use... despite rejecting shj's guardianship proposal after this conversation he does choose to rely on him when he most needs support.... and shj comes through.... thinking of all the times in VR dungeon arc when hyjs stressed out or tired or lost and shj helps him over and over.... but that's a whole separate post let's move on

I picked up the card beside the glass. I didn’t intend on using it as carelessly as I had before.

AND FINALLY HE TAKES THE CARD... accepting that their relationship is shifting from the strict "we're using each other" of before to something more caring and thoughtful... an active choice to rely on shj to be more than just a useful tool.... a Skill, if you will....

GOD. AND WHAT GETS ME. IS THAT AFTER THIS SCENE. WHEN YOOJIN LEAVES AND MEETS BACK UP WITH YOOHYUN. HE SAYS.

“You seem… happy.”

YOU SEEM HAPPYYYYYYY

also. not related to the card but this is also such a fucking paragraph ↓

I rose from my chair and held out a hand. Sung Hyunjae took my hand—he didn’t lean on it, but still took it and stood up.

GOD. hyj being able to stand on his own. shj also being able to stand on his own which is what makes hyj open up more to him because shj doesn't depend on him to stand tall. because he can take care of himself. but also because he'll take hyj's hand anyway and stay at his side, a choice on his own part, because—as he says—he wants to. if I had to pick a quote for jinjae as a relationship it would be this. [insanely] I'm normal about these two

[hehearse]

HEAR ME OUT

Hyj, stw e shj as tarot cards.

hyj as the lovers/death (IT MAKES SENSE I SWEAR), stw as the tower/the hanged man, shj as the world/the emperor

admittedly i know very little about tarot so i am googling it all but. first of all. rude of you to come to me and NOT mention the cutest guild leader ever (han yoohyun). and secondly...

i dunno... i think yoojin as the empress could be fun? maybe? or the strength.

stw as the hanged man... yeah i see this.

shj as the world... yeah. that too.

and then because i will NOT leave yoohyun our of it. the star. and maybe the sun for yerim? hm hm