Ok this is superrr long but: I like that you are writing him as a tiny bit self aware (even if his self awareness is massively compromised) like he doesn’t want to think of himself as a psychopath or insane and he knows on some level that his actions are abnormal. He’s even ashamed briefly!
He reminds me of Joe Goldberg from You in that way, but he’s also more openly dark if that makes sense? Unlike Joe, he doesn’t necessarily portray himself as misunderstood or a “normal guy” who would be the perfect boyfriend if things didn’t keep getting in the way.
I feel like his internal struggle isn’t the classic “I’m not a bad guy I’m just in love” conflict and rather that he’s in denial about being less calculated and more emotion-driven than he thinks. He knows that he’s objectively manipulative and self-serving and doesn’t have a problem with that, but he doesn’t want to admit that he’s emotionally invested and irrational. He’s more like Dexter Morgan in that way imo!
- Did he get a cat and give her a quirky name just to make FMC feel like he’s more trustworthy? For sure, right?
- Did he lie about Harrington being a groomer but accidentally ends up being right anyway? If that’s what you’re implying I think it’s super interesting: you’d assume that because Yoongi is a manipulator it automatically means he’s slandering a normal, supportive professor who only takes academic interest in his students. But, something something the enemy of my enemy isn’t always my friend. Like the dynamic between Humbert Humbert and Clare Quilty from Lolita.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling!!!
I love love love this!!!!
It's so funny to me that everyone compares 617 Yoongi to Joe from YOU, because I actually only found out about the show and started watching it when I was writing chapter 3 (?).
Yoongi is definitely in denial about being far more emotionally driven than he likes to believe. He wants to see himself as this composed, intelligent man who's above everyone else and doesn't really need anybody. That illusion worked right up until Y/N crashed into his life. Yoongi has some narcissistic tendencies, but I think he'd kind of hate labeling himself a narcissist because that would also mean admitting he's insecure, craves validation, and is affected by other people more than he'd like to be. He keeps telling himself that his actions aren't really harmful—that Y/N just became his special interest and he's approaching her the same way he'd approach any other hobby or fixation. But he also knows Y/N would be horrified if she found out what he's doing, and that she'd cut him off immediately. So there is some self-awareness there, even if he spends most of his time trying to ignore it.
It was definitely one of the factors. Yoongi knows Y/N is very empathetic, and that often goes hand in hand with loving animals. But I think he would've taken Rat in regardless. In his mind, having a cat makes him seem gentler, more approachable, and more trustworthy to Y/N, but he also just has a soft spot for this kitty. About the name, he's just a dork and genuinely couldn't come up with anything better. But he also knew a quirky name would spark more interest than some regular name.
Damnnn, I don't want to spoil too much, but yes 😭. I tried to hint at it through Harrington's interest in Y/N, because that's not how a professor should behave. The whole point of him giving students difficult assignments is to encourage them to see him one-on-one. So, Harrington is absolutely a groomer. What Yoongi told Y/N isn't the complete truth—he adjusted a few details—but the overall message is correct. Y/N doesn't necessarily believe him, but she does keep it in the back of her mind whenever she interacts with Harrington. As Harrington continues to exploit his position, she's going to become increasingly confused about what's happening, and she'll start discussing it with her friends, who will have different opinions than Yoongi.
It makes me so happy that you're this invested in the story <3 Please don't ever stop rambling!!!
