It should also be mentioned that people "disappear" all the time in Japan. About 100.000 person per year are signaled as "missing". Most of them are found or come back later, but some just "evaporate".

It's called "Jouhatsu" (a term meaning "evaporation"). It can be for a lot of reasons, for family reasons, for tax reasons, for debt reasons, a woman evaporating with her child, leaving the husband for DV reason (or others), suicide, etc...

The laws about privacy are really strong in Japan, so as long as no crime has been committed, police will be extremely reluctant to investigate.

So, I think there's nothing surprising about Aya's situation regarding the authorities for a Japanese reader. She disappeared, she's back, she's 21, no crime has been reported. Everyone moves on. It's not the police's problem.

That’s certainly true in general—the classic 1967 Japanese pseudo-documentary A Man Vanishes is about that very phenomenon. But most such cases are, as you suggest, men leaving their families, whole families running away from loansharks, or other grown people escaping bad situations like oppressive jobs, etc.

But as we saw, this was a missing middle-schooler who sparked a police search, one who has now returned physically unchanged and with (essentially) amnesia. Even given the cultural concept of jouhatsu, the specific situation would seem to warrant rather more than a “Huh, that’s weird. Well, welcome back!” reaction.

I'm honestly curious if they'll even address the disappearance with any kind of specifics, or if they'll just hand wave it away. Magical Realism is a decently popular genre in Japan, and the more I read this the more I feel it sort of fits into that genre?

No one (other than Koto I guess, but even then it feels more rooted in the effect the disappearance had on her, ie. her separation anxiety.) seems to be that pressed about the 'how' of her disappearance just yet. They're all just like, "Yeah, okay."

Anyways, super excited to see how this all plays out. This definitely feels more realized (fleshed out? realistic?) than the author's previous work. And I feel like I can understand where each character seems to be coming from when they respond to things happening around them.

Interestingly, I was giving the synopsis to my partner and she thought the story almost felt like the author was/is trying to sort through an event that has happened in their life.

Yuu! Is! Finally! Honest! With! Herself!

Also these outfits are giving me life. Thank you Nakatani Nio!

dang, i caught up too. does anyone know what the update schedule is for this webtoon?

alright, this isn't really about the story, but does anyone know who drew the cover art on galette volume 2? i've been looking but can't really find out.

Too bad about Seol-a's nails, although I suppose it was necessary in the long-term. A truly idiotic "concern" for him to try to raise, though. Having had long nails myself, you get used to working with them and being careful with your hands, both to avoid breakage as well as caution toward the things you touch. It was a presumptuous and vaguely insulting suggestion that she would be so clumsy as to hurt her "best friend" while ministering to her, as well as being frankly trivial even if it did happen; Seol-a was right to ridicule the notion.

On the flip side, No-rae's hair has grown out noticeably now...I hope that is allowed to continue.

Thanks Halmoni and Thatanon.

honestly, the fact that her hair is growing out is so great. shows that time is passing and that they're not stuck in some weird vacuum. i guess that's always something that's bothered me reading manga.

though, not sure if it's just me, but did it seem slightly ominous when the panel lingered on sung-pyo after seola kicked him out?

okay, so after 50ish chapters, can we talk about how on point everyone's outfits have been?? it's honestly so beautiful. thank you, ssamba.

just started reading. is this like a bi-monthly update or weekly?

I'm just curious, but is Ssamba not posting a chapter this week?