Well, I think Seju's life has been fuvked up enough, she shouldn't be forced to swallow more unnecessary drama. She needs a stable life, not another tiring triangle relationship.

I think we’re going to be finding out more f*cked up things that happened to Seju. Possibly they’ll go into detail as to why she wasn’t afraid of the assassin sent to kill her. I’m sure there’s going to be some messed up things that happened that to Dawoon as well.

Flashbacks are essential to the narrative of the story so I’m sure there’s gonna be a lot of it. Of course the story line is filled with an abundance of drama so perhaps TG won’t stray to far from their formula.

Also, as mentioned, Seju has had a lot of things happen to her so to give her 10+ chapters of healing would certainly not be enough.

Though the length may depend on the overall financial success of the continuation story.

Citrus+ would feel very different if it had been a triangle with more than half the story dedicated to scenes with Harumin or a more mature Matsuri who hadn’t given up. My only criticism of Team GJ is their difficulty (according to my perception) to make Sungji and Sumin likeable enough and not eclipsed by Seju, be it her family drama or the previous romance. Either give up or improve please...
.

I said Citrus+ because we know from the end of Citrus that Yuzu and Mei get married. Citrus+ is the spinoff where we’re seeing the journey of YuzuMei toward the end of the aisle.

The coming chapters about Sumin and Sungji are essentially like the ones is Citrus+ in that manner.

There’s less drama but there’s still a hint of conflict as we are navigated toward Sumin and Sungji’s happily ever after.

And besides, TG might not want to close the book on Sumin and Sungji just yet either. If WDTFS keeps doing well, financially speaking, then of coursework TG is going to be motivated to keep going.

I can already picture a story line for the two that’s filled with drama that has nothing to do with Seju and has to do more with their relationships with their parents.

If Es0teric is correct then Team Gaji is still trying to prolong the narrative.

It does say TBC so we’ll probably be getting more of Sumin x Sungji interactions. Team Gaji is not just going to give the completely happily ever after shots just yet.

Think of it like Citrus+. Sumin is Mei and Sungji is Yuzu. They know they love each other but they still need to work towards their happily ever after.

My interpretation is that it’s a realistic depiction of a relationship between a person with experience and one with not.

The mention of an ex with baking skills subtly demonstrates that Sumin has had a variety of experiences since she’s dated a plethora of women.

Nami’s inclusion helps show the difference in the beginning stages of Sumin and Seju’s relationship with that of Sumin and Sungji’s. The latter aren’t holing themselves up in their own little paradise like Seju and Sumin did in their relationship.

Also, Sumin was introduced to Sungji’s friends which Sumin never did with Seju in the early stages of their relationship and I’m guessing Sungji still hangs out with her friends and visits her family and it doesn’t incite jealousy from Sumin.

Sungji isn’t filled with jealousy either. She’s comfortable enough to tease Sumin about her past. She’s not trying to guilt her, which means Sumin has earned back her trust after the cheating.

Also, remember that after Seju, Sumin was completely shut off from the world.

She was a husk and is unaccustomed to dealing with feelings. She confesses that she blushes over a little thing like being called ‘honey’ because of this.

Anyway, the fact that Sumin and Sungji are aware that there’s problems in their relationship already marks an improvement. They’re talking to one another about their insecurities which I don’t remember Seju and Sumin doing.

Yeah they knew about Seju’s jealousy but they didn’t talk about why Seju was so clingy or why Sumin was perfectly happy with her whole world revolving only around Seju.

It’s already a healthier relationship because Sumin and Sungji are openly communicating, not only about the positive things like being together forever, but Sumin addresses that she’s worried. Sumin is acknowledging that she made a lot of mistakes and she’s worried she’ll unintentionally hurt Sungji somehow.

Relationships take work. It’s not all flowers and unicorns. Love alone can’t guarantee lasting happiness (which is why Seju’s new story will probably be as long as the original story, if not longer) because it doesn’t fix everything. One has to be willing to put in effort.

Also, two years have passed outside of the story but if we’re going by the assumption that it is their first Valentine’s Day together, this means that it’s been months maybe after the drama so it is only natural that they’re still in the stages of figuring each other out and trying to make things work.

I don’t think she’s completely disinterested. She had the forethought to get Sungji flowers (and Sungji’s favorite drink?)to commemorate the event and she’s willing to eat Sungji’s cake, even though she thinks she might get a little sick from it.

The scenario is realistic. Sumin has been in a lot of relationships. She’s probably had all the experiences that Sungji’s looking forward to so the activities aren’t exciting but Sumin knows the holiday is important to Sungji so she’s letting Sungji take the reigns.

What’s more important to Sumin is her forever with Sungji. And it’s just one commemorative holiday versus every day for the rest of their lives.

Also, Sumin might still have a little bit of a wall up. I don’t expect it to come down instantly after 10 years just because she’s in love but she’s trying and Sungji knows.

The tired bit might be just another emphasis on Sumin’s age. Remember the Salonpas patch Sungji put on her in one chapter?

I laughed a bit at the running gag. They over emphasize Sungji’s Young And Sumin’s Old. 34/35 isn’t old yet Sumin kept saying “Young people nowadays” like she’s some 90 year old woman.

last edited at Apr 12, 2019 12:22AM

That was quite the write up haha. Not much i don't disagree with, it was definitely shoved in to extend the plot and add in more drama. (Did you know, the story was never meant to be that long. Pretty sure it was only meant to be 50 or so chapters)

Ha. As I said, I’m new to the forum life so I’m enthusiastic with my responses. It doesn’t help that I’m rather opinionated. Also, I have a tendency to poke at plot holes and (over) analyze scenarios/character motivations.

If you take away the sex scenes, you do get 50 chapters though. Just kidding.

I figured something like an extension happened. It feels like while writing the story, Team Gaji fell in love with Seju so much that Sumin and Sungji were pushed to the side even though they were also supposed to be mains.

Was the whole "i know your secret" thing a red herring or just misunderstood you reckon?

I think it’s meant to grab our attention so we’ll read Seju’s follow up story.

Maybe Seju was almost assasinated before or maybe she witnessed her mother’s assassination. Basically imagine the most f*cked up things happening and all of that probably happened to Seju.

I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be more flashbacks that cover Seju and Dawoon’s pasts so we’re going to find out.

anim8tur i'm curious what your opinion on the whole assassin plot? I felt like it raised more questions than it answered.

The assassin story line was clearly a plot device meant to push Seju into Sumin’s life and for Sungji to be unable to protest.

It honestly felt contrived, like it pushed the drama to a place where it didn’t belong. We already had emotional and physical abuse then they added homicide and I feel like it created a sort of plot hole in the story because it raises the question that if the siblings wanted to be rid of Seju, why only after their father died did they attempt to do it?

Seju’s psycho brother suspected that Seju’s mom had been murdered yet a man with power like the Chairman was unable to prove any sort of foul play so the assassin was adept at their job.

And if Seju's mom really did commit suicide, I feel like one of her siblings could have gotten inspired from it. Any one of the siblings could have put a hit out on Seju some time after her mother died. It would have been believable that she’d take her own life prior to the Chairman’s death because even the Chairman believed this was a possibility. They could have killed her before there could be any question as to what her shares in the will would be or simply because they hated her.

Her sister coming from the family meeting and rushing into her room to slap her displays a level of hatred that doesn’t make plotting murder unbelievable. That and the fact that she lives with the person she hates is enough motive for murder.

I'm surprised none of the siblings pushed her down the stairs with how much they hate Seju.

Also, Chairman doted on Seju so she was showered with material wealth. I feel like seeing this should have angered her greedy siblings enough to try to do more than slap/berate/neglect/belittle Seju. And letting Seju become close to their father would only ensure a large share in the will.

Judging from the fact Seju only had a driver when she went out security had never been an issue. She didn't have bodyguards. It's something the siblings would have known all about.

And if they were worried about possibly getting caught, it's clear that Chairman prioritized his business even more so than his love for Seju. I mean, they were already stinking rich. He could have retired and devoted his life to his beloved daughter yet he allowed her abuse to take place and tried to placate her with material wealth, despite knowing how miserable she was.

As psycho brother stated, Chairman was powerless against his legitimate children’s treatment of Seju and her mother. (If you ask me doesn’t make any sense because from the way Seju talks about their failed business ventures, it seems like they’re dependent on their father’s financial support, which means he could always threaten to write them out of the will/cut off his support if they misbehaved towards Seju and her mother in anyway. You don’t get to be such a wealthy businessman, or maybe in Chairman’s case remain an exceedingly wealthy businessman, without a backbone.) Anyway, the revelation of one of his children murdering his beloved daughter would have been too much for the company so I don't think he, and board members for that matter, would have allowed a scandal like that to be known to the public.

In my case, I just threw my opinions out there, I like to discuss to get a better understanding about stories I like and even change my opinion. But some folks seem to hold on to their ship for dear life.

My current ship are Sunhwa x Sumin and Seju x Sungji. I know it's never going to happen but I can dream.

I have no problem with current canon ships and I am curious to see how Dowon and Seju's relationship will differ from Sumin and Sungji's. I wonder how Dowon will help Seju heal, if Dowon herself also has wounds Seju would need to help her with, and what flashbacks we're going to be given about Seju's and Dowon's pasts.

I like both Seju a lot and, to a lesser extent, Sungji. Sumin @anim8tur is convincing me to like her more and see things more according to her perspective but I still find the cruel 10 year treatment hard to digest. I think I can kind of tolerate her existence in the story but that's about it. Like, if she gets hit by Truck-kun I wouldn't blink.

I'm not trying to convince you of anything. People have their own opinions and I respect that. Like I told Es0teric I was merely wondering if I read the story wrong seeing as a majority of current replies (I say current because I don't have time to read 400+ pages of the forum) have stated their dislike for Sumin because of things she did to Seju.

The cheating/parents death are addressed but there seemed to be a failure to point out/recognize Sumin's first attempt at moving on had been rewarded with a reason for her to get that tattoo.

Her subsequent attempt at saving Seju after Seju confessed to ruining her relationship with Sumin is also easily glossed over.

If I came off combative or anything of the sort that was never my intention. I was presenting my interpretations based off of content present in the story in hopes of discovering where Team Gaji went wrong with their depictions of the characters and their relationships because character intentions/motivations read pretty clear. They were all relatable and it was easy to sympathize with all the mains plus Sunhwa.

last edited at Apr 10, 2019 3:47PM

Wasn't trying to infer that you were a Sumin supporter, if i came across that way then i'm sorry. Was more trying to explain why people miss on certain details.

No I understood that you didn't infer in anyway that I'm a Sumin supporter. I merely put that out there for other people who might read this conversation.

And yes, people certainly have blinders on when reading stories.

Don't worry, you don't come across that was to me. I think people have their favourites and it generally subconsciously changes how they read into the story. Happens on both sides of the fence really.

I try to be logical and analyze all the information that's given. I like to think I'm impartial. I know it seems like I'm a Sumin supporter but that's not the case. I can just see myself in everyone's shoes and understand why they do the things they do.

Nothing i disagree with really. I was mainly looking forward to reading your counterpoints as you articulate them very well and don't get too emotive while getting accross similar points to what i generally have in my mind.

Thank you. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade or sh+t on anyone's ships. I'm just baffled by the way important details are overlooked/forgotten/ignored and I want to know whether or not I read the manga wrong or something.

I agree with all your bunch of points above, very convincing (being non-ironic btw). I still do think she was too much on the mistreating/passive-aggressive side though, in the sense that she wasn't kind to Seju, obviously not during the 10 years and also not after she realized she still has feelings. I don't know, maybe I'm too sensitive about this but I can't talk to girls like that. There would be ways of being more direct and kind about the whole thing.

But she did bestow kindness to Seju though. She agreed to sleep with Seju one more time, to let Seju do what she wanted with her once more. She agreed to cheat, something I don’t think she ever did with any of her exes, yet she allowed herself to be equal to Seju by cheating on her beloved Sungji.

She also let Seju stay with her even though she knew Seju deliberately planned their tryst so they would get caught. She knew that would cause trouble with Sungji but she put Seju’s safety before her relationship.

And I know it was a matter of life and death but Sumin could have told Seju and Seju’s brother to go to hell.

Are you saying you think it was murder? Lol not impossible tbh

I don’t think it was murder. If anyone was going to get murdered, it would have been Sumin because it’s clear that Seju’s siblings hate her so much that they’d probably try to take Sumin’s life just to make sure their illegitimate sister would be in a perpetual state of unhappiness. I think maybe the Chairman had arranged a month long all expense paid trip for Sumin’s parents.

That would have been pretty awesome. I genuinely liked Sungji's childhood friend also. Pair the spares xD

I feel like Sungji’s character would have gone well with either Sumin or Seju. The fact that she was such a pure soul was something a damaged person would need to heal.

Also, imagine if it were Seju that Sungji’s sister in law and brother caught in bed with Sungji. That breakfast scene would have been more amusing because I don't picture Seju holding back like Sumin did.

Besides, I feel for Sunhwa’s character. It would have been nice if she ended up with her first love.

last edited at Apr 10, 2019 4:41AM

Looking forward to anim8tur's counterpoints. Just read the side story finally as i have been putting it off till it was finished. Was a bit underwhelming and the translation i read was kinda bad.

Feel free to read them and let me know what you think.

Right, so I agree with you that she was very serious about the relationship for a normal person. The issue though, is that she was making such promises to Seju, for whom such promises became a reason for living. I am not sure Sumin ever realized the real impact of these promises on Seju's life. I mean if she did, then her actions later in the series are even more terrible.

She was prepared to follow through. Do we forget that Seju had pissed her off but she still went the next day with flowers, ready to reconcile? She was still willing to go through her promise of forever, especially since she realized Seju really was all she had, but then Seju was with someone else.

I think saying she was resentful might be too strong a word but I got the impression she wasn't fully happy. When someone tells themselves stuff like "I can handle that much", etc as she did this is a sign of lack of satisfaction. So yeah she was totally in love with Seju, but the point is that she wasn't 100% happy with the relationship itself. Which ties to my next point...

I took the “I can handle that much” as meaning that “It’s not a big deal.” since Sumin declares all she needs is Seju.

If she were totally unhappy then she would have no problem expressing it. That’s essentially her character. When she’s pushed she does snap. She did it when her parents died and she did it with Sunhwa.

It would have been better if she did snap. Seju needed boundaries, and to learn her gf won't abandon her just because she went out with friends. That means telling her no sometimes right? Sumin is yet to evolve, in my opinion, from being essentially a passive-aggressive doormat.

She doesn’t snap at Seju because she’s happy with the way things are. She likes being Seju’s only person and that’s why she also makes Seju her only person as well.

She doesn’t crave space from Seju. Sumin cuts herself off from the world rather easily. She distances herself from her high school friends and barely talks to anyone in college. She even jokes about her parents staying in America longer because Sumin likes the bubble that they’re in.

I keep saying that both her and Seju don’t grow out of that beginning phase in a relationship where you shut yourself out from the rest of the world.

She was pursued by Seju, she was pursued by Sungji, and then she could never decide anything. Seju made the decision to leave out of her own accord after an avalanche of passive-aggressive remarks from Sumin mixed in with jealousy attacks and "I still love you". I mean, WUT. Maybe it's just me but I feel like Sumin's character arc is not yet complete (or might just be poor writing). She "healed" in the sense that she can feel love again sure, but I don't think she became a better person so to speak. In contrast, Seju's decision to leave, preferring to spare her love from pain even if she has to be alone, was a major evolution to her character.

But Sumin made the decision to leave Seju first. Sungji didn’t make her and God knows Seju would never have made her do it.

Sumin quit, gave back the car, tried to buy the apartment off of Seju. She was the one who tried to break the cycle. Sumin was the one who initiated a legitimate conversation with Seju (a coversation that if they had before Sungji came into the picture would have probably helped repair their relationship) because she was prepared to leave. Seju wouldn’t let her go at the time.

Also, Sumin bought her and Sungji rings. She decided that they were serious enough for matching jewelry.

And she rebuffed all Seju’s advances towards her, even when she let Seju live at the apartment, meaning she had ultimately made a choice and it was Sungji.

The definite sign that Sumin had grown up though was that she didn’t get angry at Seju even though Seju confessed that she called Sungji up to her office for them to get caught. Sumin doesn’t place even more blame on Seju because she knows it won’t do good anyway.

I think Sumin's dad was working for Seju's dad. He was a director at the company. My impression is that the parents all knew they were in a relationship by the time of the trip to America and it wasn't a big deal.

I know that but a month off for a director of a company seems excessive. Especially a month long trip to America. So it makes me think strings were pulled.

Well, no. Very similar to what she did to Seju actually, she knew she had to draw a "line" but failed to do so, instead held the girl's hands, behaved date-like and etc until the girl was literally running after her like a nutcase. Then she decided to tell her to piss off lol That's not mercy to me...

There was a chapter where Seju asks to holds Sumin’s hand because she herself claims that it’s not a big deal because she sees other girls are doing it in Sumin’s school.

Girls platonically hold hands all the time. It’s clear that Sumin and Sunhwa have been friends for a while so they might have engaged in innocent hand holding before.

Sunhwa was not feeling well. She only wanted to celebrate her birthday at the Amusement park because she knew Sumin would enjoy it. Sumin saw that she was kind of dizzy from the ride and tried to hold her steady but Sunhwa brushed her aside. Sumin assumes Sunhwa’s still mad so she offers her hand as a gesture of friendship.

Sumin probably doesn’t think it’s a bad idea to hold her friends hand and Seju’s jealousy hadn’t made itself known here yet so she didn’t see what’s wrong with what she was doing.

Especially since I don’t think Sumin realized how much Sunhwa liked her until the Ferris wheel ride when Sunhwa kept comparing her relationship with Sumin to that of Sumin and Seju’s especially after Sunhwa had led with asking if Seju and Sumin were dating.

Yeah Sumin said she liked her but Sunhwa ran away before Sumin could properly explain herself because Sumin realized how it sounded.

And Sumin stated that they could be friends again after Sunhwa stopped liking her. In Sumin’s mind she’s doing a good thing for her friend because like Sunhwa says, Sumin does care about her. She could see that seeing her and Seju was hurting Sunhwa so she wanted her friend to move on.

These girls were teenagers dealing with love issues for the first time. They’re all acting on instinct and high on their emotions. They all have trouble expressing theirselves through words.

I think Paradise is also about how their love runs deep, and the breakup and toxic aftermath was circumstantial rather than caused by, say, Seju being a kind of abuser which is what I legit thought when I started reading the story. I wonder where Team GJ plans to take this. I confess I started reading this thing thinking Sungji was the main character and it was going to be "blondie meets older office lady who happens to have an evil ex gf", then was completely taken aback by how the story evolved.

As a last point, I can't help but feel SungjixSumin can't realistically last unless Sumin never "wakes up" to what happened and has a moment of serious self-reflection. I suppose it depends on whether the story is about "Sumin and Seju have toxic relationship and heal separately" or "Sumin and Seju have crazy love story full of twists and turns". But whatever it is about, it's not about Sungji that's for sure :P So it was bait and switch.

Honestly, after meeting Sunhwa, I kind of want her and Sumin to end up together.

Like imagine if Sungji never came to work for the company so Sumin and Sungji never meet. Sumin and Sunhwa see each other again and Sunhwa pursues Sumin.

And then Seju meets Sungji at the company she just purchased after she let Sumin go....

last edited at Apr 9, 2019 11:28PM

Dang. Forgot this was written by the same person who writes Futaribeya.

The art is so cute. The story is so dark. Yet it works so perfectly together.

Sumin was together with Seju for what, 7 years? People in high school lasting with someone for that long of a time is essentially a miracle. She was prepared to give Seju forever and she probably would have if tragedies didn’t occur.

I don’t know where the inference that Sumin is resentful/unhappy during this stage of their relationship is coming from. She starts to put up a wall against others entirely for Seju’s sake because Seju got hurt and jealous over the fact she shared a celebratory hug with someone else. She even jokes with Seju that she wishes her parents would stay in America for longer, meaning she wants to be alone with Seju for longer.

Sumin also doesn’t stop envisioning her future with Seju.

True she might not understand Seju but her coming home when Seju asks and her limiting her interactions with others is Sumin’s way of making Seju happy. She doesn’t doesn’t snap at Seju or anything of the sort, instead giving into Seju’s wishes.

What does make me wonder is why Seju aks if Sumin wants her to ask her father about her parents trip. Does that mean Seju’s father has something to do with the one month trip to America? I mean... I know I said Sumin’s dad was supportive about their friendship but I remember Sumin’s mom being suspicious when he says they’re having dinner out the night Seju was coming over. Maybe Seju’s father had talked to him.

Sumin rejecting her friend was a mercy. It’s so hard to get over someone if they’re a constant in your life. She basically says that they can be friends again when Sunhwa gets over her. Plus, she had chosen Seju because Seju had chosen to stay for her.

And for all the talk of Sumin being indecisive, she was clearly determined to let her friend go and find happiness.

Sumin and Seju were both so young when they got together, both entirely too immature to handle each other’s insecurities, and that’s essentially what Paradise is about.

I know people tend to assign a variety of romantic symbolisms to the different parts of the body on which you can wear jewelry. I wonder if there's a special meaning for the pinky finger of the right hand.

Pinky Rings

In short, we’re being trolled by the vagueness yet again or it’s merely a coincidence.

I figure Sakurako would be fine doing all the work involved, as it were...

Kasumi = Pillow Princess but I’m pretty sure she’ll be willing to put in a little effort from time to time. The room just has to be cold.

last edited at Apr 8, 2019 11:26PM

Actually, thinking about it, it's kind of surprising that Saku hasn't suggested matching rings before.

Well, like Sakurako said, she wants to save up for their future. So maybe she doesn’t want promise rings. The day they put on matching rings will be the day they get married.

Funny you would mention that. They kinda did do that last chapter. Not in-depth or anything, but the result only lead to more confusion for some.

The conversation between them wasn’t typical.

It’s so them because it’s vague. They don’t say explicitly what they are to each other head on because that’s not in their nature.

They will never have that sit down “Am I your girlfriend or are we just roommates?/Are we dating?” convo. They won’t have a talk like Moka and Koruri had where they clearly define their relationship even though this is what usually happens in a relationship.

Kasumi and Sakurako’s relationship relies on subtlety and inference.

last edited at Apr 8, 2019 7:12PM

Although I'd like it if they just tried to figure out what her deal is and work it out with her. Revenge is such a petty thing, and it would be better if they just talked it out.

She’s a bully who’s picking on Tadokoro to feel better about herself. Then she got all jealous because Tadokoro’s close to the hottest girl at school and she doesn’t think a gloomy person like ‘Inki-chan’ deserves to be in Nikaidou’s presence.

If anything, Tadokoro’s not going to let her get beat up by Nikaidou though and this will make Nikaidou fall for her even more.

last edited at Apr 8, 2019 7:13PM

The art of subtlety is lost on some people.

There are those who will never be satisfied unless Sakurako and Kasumi sit down and talk about the nature of their relationship, which is something these two will never do because that messes with their characters and the over all flow of the story.

Also Sakurako and Kasumi’s relationship keeps being judged according to accepted social norms when it’s clear these two are anything but typical.

last edited at Apr 8, 2019 6:57PM

Dude... someone’s going to get a beat down! Does this mean everyone at school will find out they’re dating soon?

I love the little details we are shown in the flashback. It just further proves how they complete each other.

No ones forcing their self to change nor does one need to ask anything from the other. They unknowingly provide each other what they need and want. It’s so freaking precious.

last edited at Apr 8, 2019 6:35PM

In other words, this is a healing drama where people learn to forgive and forget or whatever.

Finally, someone who gets it. I agree with everything you said.

But people interpret things differently and I get why they sympathized with Seju so much.

Seju is heavily emphasized as a tragic figure. But after seeing a glimpse of Sumin’s parents and her relationship with them, with how caring Sumin’s mother is with her and supportive her father is in regards to her ‘friendship’ with Seju it’s easy to understand why Sumin loved them so much and it makes her loss much more profound.

Maybe TG’s paying attention to the comments and that’s why the backstories include even more insight to the characters and their relationships.

Paradise is short and precise. It sums up Sumin and Seju’s relationship prior to the drama in a way that highlights their flaws while depicting what they were willing to endure for each other.

Just finished reading Paradise. Don’t have the chance to re-read the entire manga but another thing that’s being overlooked is Seju’s possessiveness and jealousy.

I get that in high school Sumin and Seju were just beginning and inexperienced. Seju’s showering Sumin with material things and Sumin’s accepting them at the start until Sunhwa opens Sumin’s eyes to how wrong it is. I also get that Sumin and Seju were in that phase where they want alone time. But the thing is, Seju doesn’t grow out of it.

Every time Sumin is out doing something without Seju that’s not academically related Seju asks Sumin to come with her. Seju limits Sumin’s interactions with classmates because she’s possessive and easily gets jealous. At one point she even drags Sumin out of an event. Yes, Sumin wasn’t even really supposed to be there in the first place but the reason she drags Sumin out is out of pure jealousy. (And perhaps she was also turned on by the bunny costume.)

And I get that she’s scared that her time with Sumin can be cut short but this behavior conditions Sumin to be reliant on her company.

In Paradise, outside of Seju, Sumin only really has her parents.

Yes she asked Seju to stay with her because she wants to continue being with her. But it’s not like she turns away from the responsibilities that this would entail. Seju stays for her and in turn, Sumin stays with Seju. Sumin never asks Seju to do anything untoward. They talk about their future, share their dreams, and she doesn’t demand anything of Seju. Sumin doesn’t say what steps Seju should take to be successful, only telling her that they’ll be together forever.

She asks Seju to wait until she’s ready to have sex. It’s her first time so that’s normal. Seju was talking to her about sex stuff in a public setting so it’s normal that Sumin would want to hold off. And after Seju dragged Sumin out of that event, she ties Sumin up and has sex with her, despite Sumin’s embarrassment because of her costume.

Sumin even misses class because Seju wants to stay in bed and cuddle so it’s clear that there’s give and take in their relationship.

Also, when Seju’s sister slaps her, Sumin comes to her rescue.

Sumin clearly spent the first seven years with Seju in an already unhealthy relationship because Seju made her entire world revolve around Sumin, understandably so since Sumin was the one good thing in her horrible abuse filled life, and Sumin went along with it because she was so deeply in love and maybe she’s even affected with how Seju’s family treats Seju and the fact that Seju’s sheltered and doesn’t have other friends.

That said if things never unfolded the way they did, (family death, cheating, mutilation) things would have still worked out for Seju and Sumin, despite Seju’s clinginess, because Sumin was just happy to be with Seju.

last edited at Apr 8, 2019 12:59PM

Forgive the essay. I know I’m repeating points already made but it’s to complete the character studies.

While it’s true that parents usually die before their children, what we expect is that they die of old age or sickness. Both instances give us time to prepare because we see them deteriorate and even then sometimes it’s not enough for some people.

Sumin’s parents died suddenly but I suppose Sumin should have moved on after a month because a parents death should be expected. And I guess people can think someone who still mourns a tremendous loss after 10 years is absolutely insane and should not still be carrying any pain.

Sumin’s pain is constantly downplayed.

The fact that Sumin was tortured by Seju’s brother doesn’t mean squat. People are so quick to offer Seju the benefit of the doubt because the cheating sex scene wasn’t shown but seeing Sumin with her shirt off at an abandoned warehouse, bra strap obviously slashed, as she lay on the floor in pain covered in blood emits no sympathy.

As I said, if this never happened then Seju and Sumin would have probably been able to reconcile but Sumin became even more damaged because of the torture.

Sumin was trying to start anew, to start her life right after Seju, and how was she rewarded? She’s given a reminder that she will never be rid of. Sure she put a pretty tat over it but she knows what’s under there. Of course she’s filled with rage because she’s tortured for trying to do the right thing. Her rage is misplaced and that’s why I don’t blame people who condemn her for her actions. But I also understand why she’s lashing out.

She transferred her pain and anger toward Seju because she knows she didn’t deserve what happened to her but once she realizes that she’s inflicted enough hurt toward her emotional punching bag, she tries to comfort Seju with sex. Yes it’s unhealthy and it’s a way to assuage her guilt, but the fact that she possesses guilt to begin with means she’s not a horrible sociopath.

Nami isn’t a great friend because she essentially does the same thing Seju does. She’s tired of the games Seju and Sumin are playing with another/wants Seju to move on too so she offers to sleep with Seju. (I think she’s actually been trying to bed Seju for a while though.) Nami has just been talking about Seju taking the most destructive way to reveal the fiancé secret yet here she was wanting to sleep with her friends first love. In order to what? Incite Sumin’s rage and get Sumin to figure out that she still loves Seju? She knows if she succeeds, it’ll hurt Sumin yet she’s still willing to go through with it.

All these people are pushing Sumin for things she’s not ready for and the more they push, the more Sumin regresses. Again, it’s not an excuse for her behavior but an explanation of character motive.

She feels no one understands her so she shuts people out. It’s juvenile and she hurts Seju but it’s not like her actions bring her joy.

And from what I remember of Sumin’s ex’s, they weren’t exactly saints. One girl wanted her to take off her tattoo because she was scared of it, one was like having sex with her and asking her to “do better” which means she’s using sex a tool for manipulation, and of course there was the fiancé one who expected her to remain as her mistress.

And yeah, she showed them her worst qualities but she gave Seju the best years of her life and when she couldn’t be what Seju wanted, Seju betrayed her.

She developed this defense mechanism. She doesn’t purposely try to hurt these girls like she does with Seju. She just can’t give them what they want, when they want it, and the relationships sour because of this.

Also, I feel like she’s unknowingly testing them. She’s treating them like she treated Seju during the time she was grieving (apart from the blame placement). It’s almost like she’s giving them her worst to see if they can succeed where Seju failed and withstand her crappy attitude.

Sungji was the first person to not expect anything from Sumin. She didn’t make demands or offer ultimatums. After they cut their getaway short, Sungji doesn’t demand an explanation. All she asked was that Sumin respond to her messages so she knows Sumin is okay.

Sungji was the only person who gave Sumin what she needed, understanding and time, while everyone else around Sumin was busy insisting on what they wanted.

Seju may have been a victim in the beginning but as Nami herself stated, Seju hurt Sumin during those 10 years as well.

Also why does Seju allow herself to be trapped in this pain cycle with Sumin? Because she believes it’s the only way they can be together. So in the end she endures the pain because she wants to be with Sumin.

I can picture myself as the manipulative and selfish Seju who suffered from so much emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, rejection that she tries so hard to hold onto the slightest sliver of love that she can get her hands on.

But I can also picture myself as Seju, hateful and vengeful bitch who became that way because she had to adjust her life after she continuously suffered through pain.

In less than one year? (More or less I can’t remember) Her parents die, her girlfriend betrays her, and she gets mutilated.

Spiraling down in a rage infested haze, wanting to hurt the person who hurt you most, and putting up a wall for nine years after all those things happen is utterly believable for me but I’m a minority in the fandom.

last edited at Apr 8, 2019 1:30AM