#manli

Now, the first thing I want to start off with is that curious cat answers can be interesting, because I believe Quimchee answers them honestly, but I also believe she would often answer them as the mindset of the characters, as how they presented, and how they would answer and want to be seen. This one is debatable, because I feel like it goes both ways. I could see Kousuke feeling like he has to go all out on an engagement wing and wedding because that's what's expected of him, the Hirahara heir, affluent Kousuke who is viewed by all for his status and money and therefore must prove himself with acts befitting of such status. Not as much that he'd think a 50k engagement ring was so beautiful that he wanted his partner to have it, but that he wouldn't look at anything less than a 50k engagement ring because that's beneath them and he'd never dare sully his partner with something so base lol. He has an image to maintain, lest others view him as cheap or rude; he must appear a perfect gentlemen. That said, Kousuke has grown up in affluence and it's what he knows. Quality IS important to him. His affection for his Burburry coats doesn't seem to be entirely status and image as much as a quality he's become accustomed to, a craft he's willing to pay for. So yes, it could simply be that of course he'd pay 50k for an engagement ring, that's just the nature of the person he is, how he was raised, and it's what is normal to him. He views money differently than us. Would it be the same of him going all out with an engagement and wedding? Status vs this is just what's natural to him?

But at the same time.... I think Kousuke is so desperate for love and approval, that if he found someone who made him feel truly loved and seen in a way that no one else has, someone who loved him for him - the way Nol once did - who doesn't want him for his status or money or influence or family but simply because they enjoyed him - maybe he WOULD be inclined to spoil this partner. Kousuke doesn't (yet) really know how to be in a relationship, and I don't mean this in a romantic sense but just. A relationship between two people. All of his relationships are either obligate (family, Jayce in his mind) or one sided (those who use him for their ulterior motives). There's no relationships where he gives and takes, where he inspires and is inspired. Hansuke does his best to love and support Kousuke unconditionally, but Kousuke believes that this is the obligate love of family, and can't right now see that this is love for the sake of love, someone who sees and gives because they want to, not because they desire something in return, or because they are required to do so.

Shinae is the closest thing he has to this right now, and even this isn't that kind of relationship. But we can see he's making the effort, and I think in time he can learn. And I think in time we could see Kousuke with a partner where he spoils them for loving him in a way he's yearned for, because expressing his feelings is so difficult, because vulnerability is so difficult to him, because he's so afraid to open up.

This is where the reconnection with his old college friends comes in.

I actually talked a LOT with @popomegranate because she is my resident Kousuke fan expert lol and we had a LOT of fun talking about this and (tbh not not unsurprisingly) we were on the same page with a lot of our thoughts, which makes me feel good about the answer I'm giving you hahaha. This is, of course, largely my opinion based on what we've been given in story so far; Quimchee can always throw something at us that will blow up this entire thought process, as she often does lmaoooo but currently based on what we currently know, here's what I (and Kiko) think!

We know there will be new characters in the future, but I don't think we've getting a lot of brand new, out of the blue characters. I think there might be some but I think our new characters will probably be characters already mentioned in the story who will come to have bigger roles that they didn't have before.

In episode 241, we find Yujing and Kousuke out together with at least two people, talking about Kousuke. Based on the conversation and the familiarity of the conversation ("What's going on with Kousuke?" "Is it just another one of his tantrums?" "How's the guy doing these days?") it is safe to assume these must be friends from their friend group back in college. Introducing them now, with their faces barely seen or cut out really gives an indication that I think they will be playing roles in the future. Why else bring them into the fray?

This is important to me because we know their friend group had at least 6 people in it, not counting Kousuke (shown in ep 143) and amongst the shadowy figures shown, at least 2, maybe 3 of the figures look to have feminine builds, and one is clearly Yujing, so there are other women in the group. We've been told before that Kousuke does have dating history and there's a question about Yui's concern about Kousuke's lack of commitment that implies Kousuke does have some kind of secret from her - that maybe, perhaps, he did indeed have a girlfriend in college? Look I can't remember how much of this is well known/actually established but the general deal is: fandom generally believes Kousuke had a girlfriend - or was at least seeing someone - in college who was probably part of, or connected to, to their friend group (because let's be real, the age range is kind of a Thing lmao). Perhaps a sibling of one of the friends?

What Kiko and I - and I'm sure many others! - believe is that Kousuke dated Manli, the friend of Yujing's we've seen her talking and we've seen show up in the formal. And in fact, there's just a couple interesting small things in the formal that we can read too much into, if we are so inclined - and I am inclined!

Here's our pretty girl Manli, with the green eyes and straight brows. Manli is absolutely a character I expect to play a much bigger role in the webtoon. A popular theory is that she is connected to the girl who took her life (flashback viewed in 239) - perhaps that was her sister or someone close to her? And that Yujing sent this girl to Kousuke to help back her up, but Kousuke made the choice instead to protect his family. (Was she assaulted by the Kims? Was she in a scenario much like Shinae where she was drugged and left a victim of the lascivious men who prey upon young girls?) Shinae asks, during her "interview" with Yujing "Has this ever happened to you?" and Yujing tells her no but she knows someone who has had a similar experience. (And there's already a theory that the Kim formal was essentially a recreation of something from the past, which, again, feels very connected to this girl who took her life).

When Yujing and Manli spot the Kousuke dancing with Shinae scene, they both wear really different expressions. Manli's is harder to decipher than Yujing's; could she be worried, knowing what happens when young girls become entangled with Kousuke and the Hirahara family? Could she feel a pang of the past? At first, she appears almost sad. But in the other image, her brows look concerned but it's an expression that could carry some kind of pain. They don't stay and watch long.

But interestingly, when they run into Kousuke in "disguise" when he's later searching for Shinae, Manli has an interesting reaction to him. She can't see his face, but something about him strikes familiar.

All of this excessive exposition is just because I think if Kousuke is going to date anyone (as in, if we're going to SEE him strike up a relationship with anyone), I think it would be someone he already knows and has had experience with, because quite frankly, I think Kousuke getting to know new people and to the point of comfort that he can develop feelings....... there's not enough time left in the webtoon LMAO. Should that be the option for his route, it's the kind of thing that would happen off page, and of course it stands to be a good opportunity because frankly, wouldn't it be good for Kousuke to move outside of this world and to something behind this Hirahara life he's been locked in?

But at the same time, with Hansuke talking so much about missing their old group hanging out together, reminiscing about how they used to have so much fun, and a central theme of that being that Kousuke left because he was threatened by Nol's release from the facility, that the threat returned and he could no longer allow himself to "have fun" and needed to "redirect his focus" to "the things that mattered" - all being the things that he was manipulated into doing, the rigid patterns of a manipulated, gaslighted, paranoid kid who had been programmed to view a threat that never existed..... part of me gets hopeful that it means maybe we'll see that bridge repaired. I don't think it means we'll ever see Kousuke completely loosen up, but I think there's a chance for him to try to make amends for the past.

Kousuke's newfound distrust of his mom, his slow-coming realization of the ways he's been manipulated and lead down a dark path, his acknowledgment that it's true he's never done anything for himself but out of fear of losing Rand's approval and trying to maintain the approval of his family and people he can now see never actually cared (Yui), makes me feel like Kousuke WILL try to help Nol, should Nol ever allow him. (There's even that conversation in 239 where Yujing tells Nol that should he feel ready to tell her what he really thinks happened that night, with what she knows, she's ready to believe him - and that Kousuke likely would be, too. Yujing knows that the fissure crack in Kousuke's world is enough to make him question everything, especially where it pertains to his beliefs about Nol, the things Yui has said and implied, and the things he knows/believes that dot line up with reality as it stands.)

And what I'm getting at with this is that I think this could lead to Kousuke making more effort, if people are willing to have it. He abandoned his friends, implied that they were beneath him and he was destined for something far more important, but he knows now that wasn't the truth. And if he expresses that, could there be a potential for them to give him another chance?

And that's where Manli comes in. Do you think someone who once cared about him, who had that kind of expression on her face, might be willing to hear him out, especially if it comes with a sincere apology? We know that Yujing is harsh on Kousuke because once upon a time she cared and, much like Nol, she wants him to defy the things that hold him back, to rise above everyone who controls him, to cast off his image and just live for himself. She fights him because he puts the people who control him above those who cared about him, because he wears that superiority like a shield instead of taking any action. But that's Yujing. We don't actually know a lot about Manli, but could she be someone willing to hear him out? To empathize with the story of his manipulation and drugging and to come to understand why it was so difficult for him to see the truth? Again, just to be clear, I don't think this would justify his inaction and I think it would be valid for anyone (especially likely Yujing) to hold that against him. But I think, too, acknowledging that you failed them, that you failed her, that you were so wrapped up in your own life that you didn't see the truth, but now you do and now you're willing to do better could be convincing to some people.

The thing about mistakes and accidents isn't that "someone fucked up so they're forever canceled'. It's "someone fucked up but are they making the effort to be a better person than that? to never make that same mistake again?" Fandom (and I mean fandom in general, not ILY) often wants things to be black and white. So-and-so is a bad/toxic character because of these things they've done and then ignore whether or not that character a. has circumstances that pushed the character to take those choices and b. whether or not the character has regrets and wants to be better/do better.

People, of course, are free to not forgive someone even if they do make effort to be better. Yujing could forever be resentful towards Kousuke. But I think Yujing wants to see Kousuke rise above the control, to defy the people who have molded him and rigidly maintained his identity and behavior, and to just be him. And I think that means there's room for Manli, too.

If Manli is able to hear him out, to empathize with him, to be a listener, to be someone who sees him and doesn't have ulterior motives towards him, a true friend, one who he maybe had some kind of a past with, could she, perhaps, be the person we could see a spark with Kousuke? I think if there's any potential love interest, it's her. Like I said, if we go the route of Kousuke meeting someone new elsewhere, it's going to happen off page. But Kousuke and his insular world turning to the group who, once upon a time, helped him break out of his shell a little bit, feels like an interesting full circle act that is possible. Where else would he go, tbh? Who else does he have, besides Shinae and Jayce? (And let's be frank, I'm worried about Jayce's survival right now.)

And there's something about the idea of Kousuke and Manli rekindling their past, little feelings they had when they were so young, now as mature, trauma-laden adults navigating life (with difficulty), esp with the idea of it being born of empathy and a willingness to hear him out and give him another chance. Something about that is so tender and romantic to me. I'm a sucker for second-chance romances but esp in a situation like this? Where it would be a second-chance wherein Kousuke is/has atoned, is making that effort to find himself, and could find it in his past. ;AAAA;