Love No Longer
❥ PAIRING: dom!s.coups x fem!reader
❥ WORD COUNT : 5.1K
❥ GENRE(S): smut/slight humor?
❥ SUMMARY: What happens when your friends dare you to break up with your boyfriend over text? AKA I still suck at summaries just read it.
❥ WARNINGS: MDNI, 18+, mentions of drinking, sexual acts, face fucking/deep throat, a lil man handling, rough cheol, asphyxiation, overstimulation, lying for a bet
❥ NOTES: Based on THIS prank that Jeonghan did on Coups but with a lil twist...while you're here, read my Mingyu fic: Petty Wars
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You're at your annual sleepover with your friends, the night only getting later. You are all gathered around the living room. You had picked out a move, but it's soon forgotten, nothing more than white noise as you all move on to play drinking games. The game you all are currently playing is a text response game. The rules of the game are simple. You must spin a wheel and wherever you land, you send the corresponding message to someone saved on your phone. Whoever you decide to text has 1 minute to respond. If you fail, you take a shot. It's already late, so you don't have a long list of people to choose from. Your turn finally arrives and you can only think of one person who might still be up at this hour.
You spin the wheel, landing on the spot that reads ‘I'm sorry I can't do this any longer.’ Your friends all coo at you as you get ready to send the message.
“Who are you sending it to?” Jurin looks over your shoulder at your phone.
“Cheol, he's the only person I can think of that might still be awake.” You reply with a smile.
"What a dick move to break up over text," Jurin jokes playfully pushing at you.
"when he gets this, he's gonna fucking kill me. Promise to attend my funeral?"
“Why are we planning funerals?” your friend Chisa walks back in with more snacks sitting in the small circle that's formed around you, all eyes on your phone.
“They’re making me break up with Cheol,” you fake cry before you send the message with a huff. They start the timer. You wait for his reply as the timer continues to tick.
“He never checks his fucking messages” you groan, rolling your eyes, clock at 30 secs.
You sigh, already accepting your defeat. You grab your shot glass and hold it out to your friend Hyo with a shake. Being the appointed bartender of the night, she pours your shot. The timer finally reaches 0 and you down the shot.
The game continued until the entire group went. The game was a bust. No one got a reply in a timely manner. Who would have guessed everyone would be busy on a late Saturday night. All your other friends are probably out parting or fast asleep. You all are just about to move on to the next game when you hear your phone ring.
“Oh shit, it's Cheol” you yell. The girls gather back around, excited squeals fill the room. You quickly hush them so you can take the call.
“Hello?” You sigh, trying to put on an act. You had never been good at lying, especially to cheol. You can only hope he can't see through your facade.
“What are you talking about?” He gets straight to the point.
His voice filters through the phone, thick with sleep sounding slightly raspy. You know how precious his sleep is to him so you feel a bit bad for keeping him up, but with your friends egging you on in the back, you have no choice but to continue with the prank. The show must go on so you pull yourself together and reply.
“I was just thinking… and I can't do this anymore. I don't want to argue with you. Let's just end it.”
Silence is all you hear on the other line.
“Where are you?” he still sounds unbothered and tired. You roll your eyes, knowing he probably still doesn't believe you. You're known for being bratty when you don't get your way. He probably just thinks you're acting out.
“Choi Seungcheol, do you think I'm joking?" You know you're pushing it, but you knew this was the only way he would take you seriously. You only use his full name when you're pissed because you know it makes him mad.
“Are you for real? Are you still mad about last week? I said I was sorry” He’s fully awake now.
Last week, you guys got into an argument because he ate your leftovers. You came over after work. You were waiting all day to eat the rest of your kimchi jjigae, but it was gone. He said he ate it because you always leave food in his fridge for days, promising to eat it later. He usually ends up having to throw it out. He claims he didn't want to be wastful, so he ate it.
"You should be thanking me,im saving the planet," he argued
You were already tired from work, and now hungry. You were extra sensitive that day, so you ignored him for 2 hours until he went out and returned with more food. He knows you're one to hold grudges, so he doesn't put it past you to still be upset.
“You're seriously gonna break up with me over some leftovers?” He says exasperatedly.
“No, it's not just that Seungcheol, it's other things too. I don't have to explain myself to you. We are over!” you pack in the dramatics.
You mute yourself just briefly when you threaten to let out a giggle. Your friends not making it any easier as they can't hold their laughter either. You shush them before unmuting the phone again. It's silent until you hear a scoff from your boyfriend.
“You can't even say it to my face? Come see me princess, you scared?” He’s pissed you can practically hear him clenching his jaw.
You try your hardest to shake the nervousness from your voice. “You don't scare me Cheol” you roll your eyes.
“Oh, now I'm Cheol? What happened to Choi Seungcheol? You better be here within the next hour or I'll come find you. You think I'm playing?” At this point, you know he's being dead serious. You're just about to tell him you're joking when your friend grabs your phone and ends the call abruptly.
“Chisa! he's gonna fucking kill me? What are you doing?” You're bewildered as you wait for her answer.
“You were going to cave, I could tell. I'm only doing what's best for you” She nods understandingly at you like she's some kind of therapist.
“Um, did you forget we were just joking…. I'm not actually breaking up with him??? This isn't a game you're playing with my life now” You have already been testing his patience tonight. Hanging up in his face definitely got you, like 10 spankings.
“But earlier? You said they were making you break up with him?”
“It was a joke!”
“Oops must have missed that part,” she squeaks nervously, trying to hide away as you hit her with a pillow.
You're about to call him back when Hyo grabs your wrist. “Noo, let's see how far we can take this” She smiles wickedly
You wait for her to continue.
“Go home, call us, and keep us in your pocket when you confront him,” Hyo finishes
“Are you bitches that bored?” you give them a blank stare.
“Yes,” they return your stare and burst out laughing in unison.
“And what would I get from risking my life for you guys”
“50 bucks?”
“hell no”
“from all of us”
you stop and pucker your lips in thought “cash app me?”
—-------------------------------------------------
You can only imagine how pissed Cheol is, so to at least lighten your punishment, you heed his warning and arrive within the next 45 minutes. You park your car, and before you exit, you dial up the girls.
“Alright bitches grab your popcorn… Chae, you still ain’t send my money” you can hear a groan from the other line, a beat of silence falls before your phone lights up indicating someone has sent you $50.
“Thank. You” you enunciate with a smirk.
“Ok, we’re gonna mute ourselves now. Don't hang up!” Jurin cheers.
“alright,” You slip your phone into your pocket.
You get out and lock your car with a beep. You’re sweating bullets, you and Seungcheol have had your fair share of arguments, both of you are never afraid to say what's on your mind but you don't think you have ever pushed this many of his buttons all at the same time before. As you make your way up the drive-thru, you feel a vibration in your back pocket. To double-check that your call was still going, you pulled out your phone. Luckily, the call didn't drop, but you noticed a new notification. It was a text from Cheol.
‘Doors open’, it read.
He must have heard you pull up. You walk through the door, and you can see a single light coming from the living room. You walk towards the light. He must have been waiting for you. You enter the room, Seungcheol sitting with his arms crossed across his broad chest, making his arms look even bigger. You hate to say it, but damn, you're glad you pissed him off. He always looked so sexy with his eyes glaring daggers at you. His thighs spread open on the couch. Normally, his man spreading would annoy you, but right now, and all you can do is stare at his thick thighs straining against his jeans. For a moment, you get too caught up in ogling him. Frozen in your spot, you can't find the words to say. Head completely empty, mission forgotten. You must have been out of it for a second too long because Cheol cocks his head to the side with a quirk of his eyebrow.
“Thought you weren't scared of me pretty girl.” his words snap you out of your trance. Remembering your mission, you set off to give the girlies their money's worth.
“I'm here like you asked. What do you want?” You try your best to sound displeased.
“Watch that fucking attitude”
At first, you were acting, but now he was bringing the real brat out of you. You hated when he thought he could boss you around.
“You don't run me. You ever think that's maybe one of the reasons I wanna break up with you?”
This makes him smile. You can tell by the look in his eyes he's about to say the vilest thing. You brace yourself. Whatever he's about to say you already know your friends aren't letting you live it down.
“You seem to like it when I boss you around if it means you're gonna get some dick? You follow my commands just fine then? When I tell you to drop to your knees and take me down the back of your throat, I don't hear any complaints” He shrugs nonchalantly. You clench your fists in embarrassment. You can already feel the string of texts rolling in as your phone silently vibrates in your back pocket.
“Is that all you called me here for? To humiliate me?” you snap.
“Humiliate you? Where was that shame when I called you my little fuck doll and you practically came every-”
“Alright, we're done ok. OVER!” You rush out trying to speak louder than him, hoping your friends didn't catch that comment. You know it's no use, those nosey bitches hear everything.
Seungcheol finally rises from the couch and walks toward you calmly. His figure almost towering over your frame the closer he gets. When he reaches you, he bends down to be at eye level with you. He holds eye contact with you, looking deep into your eyes, searching for something. You look away from him, knowing if he looked hard enough, he could still see the love in your eyes. He grabs your face and makes you look at him.
"Let me see those eyes princess” you have no choice but to hold his stare. "That's my good girl”
you can barely keep up the act up anymore.
“You seriously through with me baby?”
“yes” you barely whisper
At this exact moment, you know the jig is up. He can see right through you. From the beginning, he knew you were lying. He just had to know for sure for himself. The only thing is, he still can't wrap his head around why you're acting this way.
“My baby just wants to act up right? Not giving you enough attention, is that it?” he mocks your pout and pecks your lips softly.
“You would never leave me, hmm?" He nods your head for you.
All you can do is stare at his lips not hearing a word that comes out.
“What happened, baby? Where did that attitude go?” He kisses you deeply this time.
Your legs feel like putty under you. He bites your lip, causing you to gasp softly. He takes the chance to lick into your mouth. You almost moan into the kiss, but a buzz from your back pocket reminds you why your here. You try again to hold your ground, barely managing to pull yourself away from his intoxicating kiss.
“You're not allowed to kiss me anymore” you breathe heavily
Seungcheol can't help but become amused at the state he's left you in, breathless just from a kiss. “And why is that?”
You swallow the nerves that threaten to bubble to the surface from what you're about to say. “I'm not yours anymore”
“Then whose are you?”
“I…. I found someone else,” you squeak out.
Seungcheol already knows you're lying, but the fact that you won't drop this little act is pissing him off. The amused smirk on his face from earlier was gone, instead replaced by a scowl and furrowed brows.
“Stop playing” he's serious.
You stay quiet.
He chuckles darkly. “You found someone who fucks you better than me baby? Are you sure about that?”
Silence again
“Answer me when I'm fucking talking to you pretty girl,” He growls
No matter how badly you wanted to be a brat and knock his ego down just a tad, you couldn’t bring yourself to tell that lie.
“That's what I thought” he crashes his lips to yours and brings a hand to the back of your head to keep you in place.
You have completely forgotten about the dare. You can only think about whatever punishment he's going to give you for acting out. He walks you backwards until your hips meet the cool wood of the dining room table. He breaks away from the kiss to turn you around, bending you over the table. He presses his hips into your ass. You can't help but grind back into him subtly.
“Do you feel that baby? Noone's ever gonna make you feel as good as me. You said you found someone else? Let's see how they compare.”
As he grinds against your ass he can feel your phone going off in your back pocket and takes it out.
You immediately move to grab your phone. He uses his free hand to grab your arm and pin it behind your back easily, pressing you further into the table. He unlocks your phone and then falls silent.
“I can explain” you nervously laugh
Your friends unmuted themselves, knowing they had been exposed. “Heyyy.. go easy on the princess over there” They snicker.
You can immediately recognize Chisa’s voice. You can feel your cheeks heat up at the teasing.
“We put her up to it,” Hyo giggles from somewhere in the background.
“It was a dare, I'm sorry!” you try to recover.
Seungcheol can't help but laugh. You know that humorless laugh all too well. With just that laugh as the indicator, you know it's up for you now. He leans over your body to hover next to your ear, stroking your hair lovingly.
“Don't worry, she's in good hands” he hangs up the call and the hair he had stroking your hair grips your strands at the roots, pulling you up against his chest.
“In the room brat, show out if you want to tonight. I want you on your best behavior.” He tugs your hair, waiting for a response.
“yes daddy,” you can't help but moan. You know he won't give you anything if you're not on your best behavior. You know he's going to punish you, but you can't help but rub your thighs together at the thought, your panties practically clinging to your core with how wet you were.
He lets you go and watches you walk away down the hallway into your room. You sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for your next command. You cross your legs in an effort to control your arousal. You had been sitting for a while when you finally heard him approach the room.
“Get undressed, I want you on your knees waiting for me,” he orders before disappearing into your shared closet,
You undress and do what you're told, getting on your knees. He emerges with the toy box, setting it on the bedside table for now. You don't think it's fair how he can just stand there and look so fucking good in just a tight tee and some jeans. If he didn't do something to you fast, you were certain you would break your promise of being on your best behavior. The brat in you is never too afraid to rear its head. He's just been standing there looking at you, his features set in a permanent scowl, and you think he couldn't be any sexier. You hold back a whine, biting your lip. This seems to move him from his spot. He grabs your chin roughly, contradicting the way he gently traces his thumb across your bottom lip.
“You sorry?”
You open your mouth to answer; he takes this chase to shove his thumb in your mouth. All you can do is nod your head. Gently suckling on his digit.
“Come show me how sorry baby”
His eyes have grown dark with lust as he watched you pull off his thumb. You move from your spot on the bed and crawl closer to him. Hands immediately reaching for his belt. You can't seem to get the stupid thing off quick enough, stumbling over your hands. He grasps your wrist. You look up at him, confused.
“Slow down baby, no need to rush… I'm going to take my time with you tonight” you can sense the underlying threat in that and a shiver runs through your body.
If you thought you were soaked before, you're definitely dripping down your thighs at this point. His pants fell down on his thighs as you unbuckled his belt. You can't help but let out a near-pornographic moan at the sight in front of you. You can already feel the weight of it against your tongue. He hasn't even touched you yet and you can already feel yourself becoming cock drunk just from the thought of him. You nuzzle against his stomach as you stroke him through the fabric of his boxers.
“Don't act sweet now princess, you're still gonna get it,” he pats your head.
You meet his eyes with a dopey smile. “I know, I just love you”
You break his hard exterior a little; you see a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He leans down and pecks you softly, scattering kisses all across your face.
“I love you too, on your back for me baby.”
You lay on your back, hanging your head off the bed. He pulls his clothes the rest of the way off his body. He spits in his palm, stroking his length before he places it on your lips. No further words are necessary. You lick your lips and open your mouth for him. You relax your throat for him, letting him take control. It's better to take as much as he gives you than to tease him. You can practically feel him hit the back of your throat. You groan at the feeling sending vibrations down his length.
“Fuck baby, just like that” he throws his head back to moan “gonna fuck your throat now, ok?”
You do your best to nod, preparing yourself for him to fuck your face. He gently fits the rest of his size down your throat, trying his hardest not to gag you…. for now. One hand cradling the top of your head and the other gripping your jaw, holding you in place as he thrusts into your mouth. Gently at first to help you warm up until he was fully fucking your throat. He pauses his quick pace briefly and holds your head in place as he presses deep into your throat. He holds you there, groaning at the feeling. He's still feeling a little mean, so he takes one of his hands and uses it to pinch your nose, cutting off your only source of oxygen. You're able to hold your breath a bit before you begin to gag on his dick due to your lack of oxygen. He makes you take it for a few seconds longer before pulling from you. He gives you a few moments to catch your breath.
“You did so well for me baby come here” he helps you up onto your knees again and rewards you with a kiss stealing your breath once again.
You melt into his touch, and when he pulls away, you chase his lips.
“Behave” he warns. “Lay back for me baby,” he instructs.
You crawl up the bed and lay back, closing your eyes and waiting for what he has in store next. What you don't expect to feel is the cold metal of handcuffs binding your hands in front of you. You immediately whine, not caring if you get reprimanded. You hated not being able to touch him. This was the worst punishment of all.
“Please, no! I'm sorry, I swear I'll be good. Please let me touch you please,” tears threatening to spill.
“No baby, you're gonna take your punishment like a big girl, you got that?” he strokes your cheek lovingly. “Now stick that ass out, I want you to count each one”
You moan at that already knowing what his next punishment would be. You turn over face down, ass up. You feel his hands first at the back of your thighs; you close your eyes again and focus on the way he trails them up past your ass and down your back and up again. Following that route a few times. You fully relax against his touch. He pulls away for a moment. That's when the first hit comes. He brings down the leather paddle against your left cheek.
“One” you count,
He brings the paddle down again against the other side. You count up to five and he lets you take a small break as he rubs and massages your cheeks.
“Doing so good for me baby, we're almost there,” and then he starts up again.
His gentle actions and words from before are a ghost of the past as he brings the paddle to strike down on you again with no mercy.
“15” you finally cry, thighs shaking at the stinging.
He puts the paddle away, leaning down and litters your bruised skin in light kisses. His kisses grow closer and closer to your dripping heat. You moan at the feeling and push your hips back into his face. He grabs your hips and holds them in place as he shoves his tongue deep inside your cunt. Groaning at the taste, he pulls back and licks his lips. Diving back in, eating you from the back. He shakes his head into your core to get more of your taste on his tongue. He slips two fingers into you easily, slick heat sucking him in greedily. He doesn't waste any time curling his digits up deep into your cunt. Free hand holding you against his tough while the other fucking into you roughly. You lean away from his mouth; the feeling is becoming too much. He smacks your thigh in retaliation.
“don't run from me, I'm not done with you yet”
“I'm so close, can I come daddy.. please?” You try your best to take everything he gives you.
He doesn't answer you but pulls his mouth away from your core. He continues to drive his fingers into your heat, adding another one. You can feel your core tighten around his thick fingers.
“I can't hold it any longer,” you cry as you shake against his grasp.
Seungcheol pushes you to your limit, right as you're about to release. He pulls his fingers from you, flips you onto your back, and shoves his fingers into your mouth.
“Hold it,” he states sternly. Tears are streaming down your face by this point.
“You're done being a bad girl?” he looks down at you.
Not one coherent thought in your head, all you can manage is a slurred “yes” and a “please” and whatever else your fucked out mind can think of. You can see his eyes soften and he takes pity on you.
“Yea? Tell me what you want then.”
If you were in your right mind, you would have sent him an icy glare, but you can't even manage that in your state. He took pity on you, but not enough to pass up the chance to tease you. He hovers above you with a smug look on his face, waiting for you to catch your breath to answer him. You know he won't do anything unless you ask for it, so you take a moment to gather your bearings.
“I want to touch you”
Since the moment he put the cuffs on you, the only thing you could think of was getting them off. You wanted to run your hands up his arms and across his broad shoulders. You wanted to rake your nails down his back and pull at his hair. You needed to feel him in everyway possible. He chuckles at your request and goes to remove your restraints. As soon as your hands are free, they fly to grab his face and bring him down into a searing kiss.
You pull away briefly “Fuck me already,” you complain.
“I let up on you and you immediately made me regret it. I spoil you too much” he rolls his eyes at your brattiness.
Without another word, he brings one of your legs up and throws it over his shoulder. You take his length into your grasp and line him up to your entrance, dragging him through your slick, coating the head. You pull him down into another kiss. He slowly sheathes himself in your warmth until you can feel him deep in your stomach. You both moan into each other's mouths. You bite his lip at the feeling. Even with how wet you are, Even with all the prep, he still manages to splits you open on his fat cock. He lets out a deep groan and you release his bottom lip. You lick at it to soothe the inflicted pain.
“You can take it baby” He leans back onto his knees, taking your other leg in his grasp as well and pressing them against your chest as he drives his hips into yours over and over again. Only noise filling the room is the sound of skin meeting skin, Seungcheol’s deep groans, and your moaning.
“I'm so close” you reach up to grab a handful of his hair. “Please don't stop,” you cry.
Really, he should pull out of you and make you finish on your own, but lucky for you, Seungcheol is too far gone to think of doing anything that evil.
“You're so fucking tight… take it just like that,” he rambles. “So good for me, give me all you got” he rubs at your clit, giving it a few smacks. You can't help but cum around his thick length.
“You're gonna be so full of me, I don't want you spilling a single drop, you hear me?”
You nod, thighs shaking at the oversensitivity. His thrust starts to lose rhythm as he feels himself get closer. He bites at the junction where your neck and shoulder meet. His hips stutter as he groans. He releases deep within your cunt and after coming down from his high, he pulls out gently. Right when you're about to rest your eyes and bask in the afterglow of your amazing orgasm, you hear the vibrations of your favorite toy.
“I can't… I can't take another one, please”
“I know you can princess. Give it to me. Be my good girl just one more time” he kisses the inside of your thighs before he slots himself in between them to prevent them from closing. He really is evil because when he places the toy on you, it's set to its highest vibration. Within seconds, your back is arching off the bed, and your thighs are trembling.
“Fuck… daddy It's too much” you nearly scream you grab at his wrists but he doesn't move an inch.
“Take the rest of your punishment angel” you try to close your legs around him as best you could, but that only earns you a slap on your thigh.
“Hold your legs open” he waits for you to do as you're told but you can't even feel your legs anymore. He pries them open and shoves 3 fingers in deep, hitting your g-spot when he curls and scissors them. You squirt all over his arm and thighs. He pulls the toy away and lays a few smacks against your clit to help you ride it out. Shocks of overstimulation surge through you, causing your hips to jump at each hit. As you come down, he sets your thighs down and licks them clean. You can't bear to keep your eyes open any longer, threatening to fall asleep. You feel him lie atop of you with a yawn, crushing you under him.
“ugh get off me asshole,” your voice rasps, nearly gone.
“I didn’t fuck the attitude out of you yet?” his voice rumbles against his chest. You immediately fix your approach.
“baby you're squishing me would you please get up”
he finally rolls off of you, pulling you against his chest.
You hit his chest “you almost killed me”.
Seungcheol can only laugh in response. After resting his eyes for a few more seconds, he gets up to run a bath. He returns to your side and picks you up bridal style, taking you into the bath. He leaves to change the sheets, then joins you in the tub. He gets in behind you and he cleans you up. You can feel yourself dozing off in his hold. After cleaning up, you get changed into something comfortable and get into bed. You get comfortable against his chest and fall asleep in his arms.
The next morning, you check your phone. Last night, the group chat had blew up. Memes were being used to poke fun at you, your friends holding nothing back. You can't help but laugh, and you close your phone. Do you think it was worth it? Yes. Not only are you $200 richer, but you got some good dick last night as well. You close your eyes and get some more rest.
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Commentary: In South Korea, the mere mention of feminism can end a conversation
MELBOURNE: One of my former colleagues from Ewha Womans University recently went on a blind date in Seoul. Her date was elated to learn that she attended one of the finest institutions in the country. However, things took a turn when my colleague mentioned her research areas: Gender and women’s studies.
“My research interests literally scared that man away; luckily it was not me,” she told me.
That’s a bit of an odd reaction by her date, you might think. Not so in South Korea, where gender equality and the feminism movement are polarising issues.
Korean men generally admire the prestige associated with Ewha Womans University graduates, yet they are simultaneously unsettled by the very academic pursuits that empower these women.
It reflects a contradictory blend of admiration and apprehension, where respect for the graduates’ intellect (jiseong) clashes with unease towards feminism. The tension highlights the complex dynamics of gender relations in modern Korean society, where women advocating for equality are sometimes shunned or even targeted.
In the presidential election two years ago, conservative candidate Yoon Suk Yeol courted “anti-feminist” male voters and pledged to abolish the Gender Equality Ministry, accusing it of treating men like “potential sex criminals”.
The 2024 World Economic Forum global gender gap report ranks South Korea 94th out of 146 countries in an index that examines economic opportunities, education, health and political leadership.
BURNING SUN SEX SCANDAL
The situation is further exacerbated by rising violence against women. According to a 2023 report in The Korea Times, crimes against females rose to 28,228 in 2021 from 16,006 in 2007. Additionally, 86.7 per cent of victims of violent crimes in Korea were women from 2011 to 2020.
The Burning Sun sex scandal of 2019 that involved high-profile K-pop stars is an example of the issues plaguing South Korean society.
The scandal, centred around the Burning Sun nightclub in Gangnam, Seoul managed by former megastar Seungri from BigBang, involved drug-fuelled sexual exploitation, gang-rape and illegal filming and sharing of those acts by well-known figures such as singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young and celebrity Choi Jong-hoon. The scandal also revealed collusion between various celebrities and the police.
The sexually explicit videos and images of unconscious women were disturbing, and reflected a pattern of dehumanising, incapacitating, loathing, and objectifying of women.
Seungri was convicted on multiple charges including procuring prostitutes for potential investors and served an 18-month jail sentence. He was released in February 2023. Choi was released in 2021 after serving two years and six months, and Jung was released in March this year after serving five years.
The case returned to the spotlight recently after a BBC documentary released in May revealed the high personal price suffered by the two female journalists who exposed the scandal.
Viewed as feminists waging an unsubstantiated assault against innocent K-pop stars, Kang Kyung-yoon and Park Hyo-sil were harassed both online and offline. They endured abusive comments, death threats and phone calls in the early hours. During this time, Park suffered two miscarriages.
ANTI-FEMINIST BACKLASH
The various forms of violence against the Burning Sun victims as well as the journalists stem from a mix of anti-feminism and deep-rooted structural problems.
Women’s studies in South Korea can be traced back to the 1970s, but the feminist movement in the country largely began to ride the wave of the global “MeToo” movement in the 2010s.
In 2016, the senseless killing of a woman in a toilet by a man near Gangnam Station catalysed a powerful feminist awakening in South Korea. The man told police he had chosen a woman as his victim “because women have always ignored me”. The attack became seen as a symbol of misogyny.
From that moment, Korean women began to rally and harness their collective strength, fully embracing the worldwide feminist momentum. It was during this period that communities like Megalia and Womad emerged. However, their form of feminism was associated with radicalism and hostility specifically towards men, turning feminism into a “dirty word” in the country.
In November 2023, a man in his 20s launched an indiscriminate attack on a part-time worker at a convenience store simply because she had short hair, labelling her a feminist.
This reflects a broader societal tendency to stigmatise women. Men often blame women for their own struggles, such as low marriage rates, without acknowledging structural issues in a patriarchal society.
In July, Seoul City councillor Kim Ki-duck was criticised after he made unsubstantiated comments connecting a rise in male suicide attempts to an increasingly "female-dominant society". He argued that women’s increased participation in the workforce over the years had edged men out and made it more difficult for them to find marriage partners.
According to a survey in 2021, 84.1 per cent of women in their 20s believe that discrimination against women is serious in South Korean society. Conversely, 78.9 per cent of South Korean men in their 20s feel discrimination against their gender is serious too.
To navigate gender conflicts in South Korea today, my former colleague - and others like her - will need to keep advocating for change. Perhaps one day, friends will be able to speak freely among each other about gender issues without being afraid of judgment.
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