I'm hungry

I knew that this romance fantasy stuff was popular, but seeing the extent of how many webtoons of this genre is being produced and enjoyed kind of baffles me.

Obviously, romance has been a huge genre always, and a lot of shoujo manga classics are also romance/historical romance. So romance being popular is nothing new.

But I think Korean “romance fantasy” genre is different in that it’s much more “blatant” about the fantasy underlying the romance genre. It’s so “girl gets hot rich guy” without any fluff. You can argue that K-drama has the same trope, but at least in most K-dramas, the female protagonist isn’t usually harping about how she’s “trying to stay under the radar.”

That’s also what catches my eye. Usually, in romance fantasy webtoon, the female protagonist who’s a modern-girl-in-fantasy character, is supposed to be a supporting character or a villain. So she makes a huge emphasis during the initial episodes about how she just wants a peaceful life which we know is not going to happen. The whole “I’m not trying or doing anything, but (rich and handsome) guys keep getting attracted to me and giving me buncha stuff” is so blatant that sometimes it’s embarrassing. I guess this also does happen in some K-dramas but it’s more spelled out in romance fantasy webtoons.

To be fair, this is kind of an escapist genre, so I can’t be too harsh on them. Still, it sometimes creeps me out to think about how many young girls enjoy stories about modern girls dropping into a premodern fantasy world… so they can get married? Because that’s basically the only thing that happens in these stories. The female protagonist gets married to the male protagonist and has children—usually one smart girl who looks like the father and one sweet boy who looks like the mother. Usually, the story pretends that the female protagonist is more than just a wife by giving her a small business or explaining that she does the bulk of managing the land. But it’s almost always only the male protagonist who has the title and an official position. Sometimes, these webtoons almost feel like some Korean version of tradwife fantasy.

Everyone has some sort of guilty pleasures they enjoy, and I don’t want to shame anyone for whatever weird stuff they like looking at. I, for one, enjoy watching crappy horror flicks like Big Ass Spider! (2013). But to think that young girls and women enjoy stories about going to the fantasy land to get married and have kids is kind of sobering in an age where companies in Korea fire illustrators for retweeting a tweet supporting a women’s rights protest (true story lol).

By the way, I know not all romance fantasy webtoons are tradwife fantasies, but I think you’d be in denial if you say that a significant portion of them are not.

A voice lingers in the air, it steals your breath and your heart surges blood into your aching limbs.

The body of the voice comes closer, at first you believed it was another one of those eerie squid like beasts. But, after you squint you realize the figure is humanoid.

"How did you even find yourself down here? You don't even have a weapon...you must be lucky."

If your voice wasn't so weak you would've laughed.

On second look this stranger was the prettiest thing you've seen in the dungeons, a nice change of pace from the other horrors you've witnessed. Obviously they have been here for a long time, messy pale blonde hair hangs over the floor and obscures his smooth skin and sunken eyes. He wears a simple brown robe but what is so unique about it is that there is not a tear or stain on it. As if this garment was just made yesterday. You look down at your own worn down boots and blood soaked cloak and blush. In a large city this man would be quite ordinary, but here, down in what you assume is probably the fourth circle of hell disguised as a mineshaft, a well maintained man in simple clean clothes seems astonishing.

"My name is Nosramus. Would you like to follow me to my lab?"

The fleeting thought of this man strapping you to a desk and dissecting you doesn't prevent you from nodding your head. You follow him...out of desperation. Or at least that's how you justify it in your head. Desperation and nothing else.

You stumble about in the darkness again, this time following the blonde hair dragging along the floor. The both of you walk in the winding road of the dungeons for a while and stop at a heavy metal door.

You watch Nosramus pull a key from his sleeves and unlock the door. Immediately the door opens as if it were weightless. Light floods out and stings your eyes. Behind the door is a polished library of stone and other various contraptions used for science you assumed. Nothing sharp or pointy looking, that was a good sign.

"Take a seat. I can get you something to eat."

You sit on a wooden stool as he walks over to a stove. He grabs a kettle to pour himself a cup of yellowish tea.

He returns to you with a soup, it smells of pig fat and steamed vegetables. The bowl is slightly misshapen when you hold it, unable to contain your impulse you sip the broth until all that remains is the chunks of potato and carrot. Nosramus watches you with an amused smile.

"I assume you like it?" He says as you pick up the wet vegetables with your hands.

You look up at him and nod, suddenly embarrassed for eating with your hands.

"You don't seem to talk much...perhaps if you get some rest you will become more sociable?

In the lantern light of the library Nosramus emits an unnatural glow.

"It's probably rusty by now but I have a cot behind those shelves if you want to sleep there."

You reason with yourself, this man has let you into his residence, has fed you and is now asking you to nap in his room. In the absolute worst case scenario, the soup was drugged and after you pass out he will brutally murder you. You tilt your head in thought, despite how...peculiar he looks...his smile seems sincere. You've already gone this far trusting him so why stop now?

Warily you nod your head once again. His genuine smile appears once again and you feel a slight twitch in your chest and your ears turn red and warm.

He directs you to a corner where an old but clean cot lies against the wall. To your left you see a wide map of the known world carved into the wall.

"Rest well, understood? I'll be doing some reading...I hope you do not mind if you hear me reading aloud." He explains as he holds a thick book.

You sigh deeply as you relax into the cot...it creaks slightly. You face Nosramus once again before closing your eyes.

Minutes later you hear his voice again as you balance on the edge of sleep. He speaks in a language you do not know in hushed tones. You hear the sound of fluttering pages.