#mm analysis

DISCLAIMER: I can't speak Korean but I can read and understand the basics thanks to the kdramas and Korean variety shows I've watched for more than a decade. I've also backed this observation with research, but please correct me if I got it wrong!

I want to highlight Jumin's speech style in Korean that might get lost in translation. He has a very respectful and poetic manner of speaking and it shows in his preferred terms of endearment for you. Jumin often calls you 나의 그대 (naeui geudae) which means my dear or my love. In Korean, geudae is typically spoken in 2 settings. One, you can use it to refer to someone you deeply respect. Two, it's a poetic way to address your lover in songs, literature or historical era, so you don't hear this word being used in everyday speech.

Compared to 자기야 (jagiya) which means honey and is also what Zen likes to say casually and lovingly to you, geudae is more elegant and romantic.

On the 11th day phone call, Jumin even starts his love declaration with 사랑하는 그대 (saranghaneun geudae) and it translates to something like dear you, my beloved, which actually has more depth than naeui geudae. I guess it would sound unnatural if Cheritz put the literal translation here, so they simplified it instead.

I think this little semantic detail adds nuance to Jumin's character, so it's a shame it can't be captured through English alone.

Hey, nonnie! It’s been a while, I hope you had a good year start as well, I’m happy to see you around. 

I haven’t played the new route yet and I don’t really plan to for a while, since I got a bit of a bad aftertaste after reading some reviews… I wonder if it’s for the same reasons you found the ending slightly troubling? If you want you can send me a message and tell me your opinions with more detail, I’m very interested! 

That said, I did read the Special Believer’s package and both diaries (Saeran’s and Rika’s) thanks to a friend’s generosity, and the content has both new and contradictory information, I’ll ramble a bit here if you don’t mind!

The following contains SPOILERS FOR THE SPECIAL BELIEVER’S PACKAGE. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. 

Excuse me while I cry trying to explain this with my limited Korean vocabulary. Google translate did NOT help. Apparently it doesn't understand aegyo.

Remember this honey bunny tidbit from Jumin's day 11 chatroom? I've always found it odd due to how random it is, so I went to see what goes on in the Korean chat and turns out Jumin and you are having a full-blown baby-talk session!

I'm obsessed with finding proofs that Jumin is empathetic and considerate, not the cold jerk that haters like to label him as.

Jumin has:

Given Yoosung job security by telling him he's welcome to work at C&R any time

Encouraged Yoosung to widen his horizon by gaining new experiences to find something that he truly likes

Been understanding with Yoosung's struggle to find an interest and suggested him to find an external motivation, which in this case, is MC

Further empathised by explaining that he understands the anxiety of being alone, thereby making Yoosung feels less alone

Idk man I think it's sweet of Jumin to be the one suggesting this idea to Saeyoung, a step that will be pivotal in his route.

Consider, maybe Saeyoung doesn't actually have ADHD at all (This possibility is referenced multiple times). Of course I'm not really saying he doesn't, but a lot, if not all, of his symptoms do share traits of (c)ptsd. It's actually said that (c)ptsd has been often misdiagnosed as adhd. There is always a chance that he has (c)ptsd co-morbid with adhd, too. There have been studies that suggest that perhaps (c)ptsd can develop adhd and even vice versa.

/ᵎ\ ᴬˡˢᵒ, ᴵ'ᵐ ᵍᵒᶦⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ ᵉᵃʳˡʸ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᴵ ᵃᵐ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵃ ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵈ ᵖʳᵒᶠᵉˢˢᶦᵒⁿᵃˡ ᵇʸ ᵃⁿʸ ᵐᵉᵃⁿˢ, ᴵ ᵃᵐ ⁿᵒᵗ ˡᵉᵍᵃˡˡʸ ᵠᵘᵃˡᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ "ᵈᶦᵃᵍⁿᵒˢᵉ" ᵃⁿʸ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿ ᵒʳ ᶜʰᵃʳᵃᶜᵗᵉʳˢ. ᴱᵛᵉⁿ ᶦᶠ ᴵ ʷᵃˢ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ˢᵗᶦˡˡ ᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵃˢᵉ, ᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʳᵒᶜᵉˢˢ ᵒᶠ ᵈᶦᵃᵍⁿᵒˢᵉˢ ᶦˢ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᶦᶜᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵖʳᵒᶜᵉᵉᵈᵘʳᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʳᵉᵠᵘᶦʳᵉˢ ᵈᵉᵈᶦᶜᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵗᶦᵐᵉ ʷᶦᵗʰ ᵃ ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉᵈ ᵖʳᵒᶠᵉˢˢᶦᵒⁿᵃˡ ᵗᵒ ᵖʳᵒᵖᵉʳˡʸ ᵈᶦᵃᵍⁿᵒˢᵉ ᵃⁿʸ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿ. ᵀʰᶦˢ ᶦˢ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵃ ᶠᵒʳ ᶠᵘⁿ ᶜʰᵃʳᵃᶜᵗᵉʳ ᵃⁿᵃˡʸˢᶦˢ ᵖᵒˢᵗ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ ᵒⁿ ᵐʸ ᵉⁿᵗʰᵘˢᶦᵃˢᵐ ᶠᵒʳ ᵐᵉⁿᵗᵃˡ ʰᵉᵃˡᵗʰ ˢᵘᵇʲᵉᶜᵗˢ :⁾ ᶠᵉᵉˡ ᶠʳᵉᵉ ᵗᵒ ᶜᵒⁿᵈᵘᶜᵗ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵒʷⁿ ʳᵉˢᵉᵃʳᶜʰ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ˢᵘᵇʲᵉᶜᵗˢ ᶦᶠ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᶦⁿᵗᵉʳᵉˢᵗ ʸᵒᵘᵎ /ᵎ\

☆ Yoosung's Hidden ADHD?? ☆

Now, Yoosung on the other hand... There are many signs he might have adhd too, to be honest. Many things are pretty subtly hinted throughout the routes, but one of the biggest pieces of evidence I've seen more blatant is that spaceship thought Jumin has about "Mr. Choi needing Mr. Kim's fidget cube". Now there is no proof that Mr. Choi is Saeyoung, or that Mr. Kim is Yoosung, in fact, I initially thought it could be his driver, but I honestly can imagine Jumin always preferring to call them more professionally by their surnames.

Yoosung is actually super bright, he's really very intelligent, but he always sees himself as stupid because he can't seem to catch up with everyone else in the organization. Almost like the God forbidden "you have so much potential, if only you could just do better". It's pretty clear that he excells in his interests and things that challenge his mind. Even the game suggests lolol is a strategy game that even Mensa certified Jumin could get into. By the end of his route, his passion to become reliable for his love pushes him to excell in his Veterenary studies.

At first sniff, Yoosung's room appears pretty clean and tidy, but there have been moments where his room is actually cluttered in his plentiful plush animals. lol Not to mention there is a whole story line where when his mom comes to visit, she makes him clean up his house.

He's pretty easily distracted too, when he intended to go to class, he convinces himself to stay home and play lolol. He is always tempted to chat up you or a friend when he's in class or supposed to be in class, or studying. Depression and anxiety can also exacerbate symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders like adhd.

Distractibility in adhd isn't always bad thing, however. Some theorize that individuals with adhd were always inevitable, as their "distractibility" can also make them very keen observers, often with a great eye for detail, but may miss the big picture. As I've stated in a previous post, Yoosung is actually pretty perceptive and intuitive. He is quick to pick up on small details others might miss. In history people who might have had adhd-like qualities would have been beneficial with hunter and gatherers.

Before Rika's influence on him, he was rather lethargic about charity work and would always insist on deferring doing anything related when he could, almost as if a ball and chain were preventing him from doing it. It wasn't until after Rika showed him the benefits to himself, that he began to be passionate about it like Rika was/is. This isn't because Yoosung was a bad person or anything like that, but because a lack of interest in something can quite literally disable the adhd person from willing themselves to do the task until it triggers their urgency, to which in some cases the person with adhd can perform miracles, but in most cases cannot. Yoosung has also had many different interests in his past as he has stated and what you can witness within the game. Those with which he has subsequently abandoned once he decides he wants to do something else.

It is also well documented that people with adhd have difficulty controlling their emotions and that those emotions are often way more amplified than a situation might call for. Rsd (rejection sensitive dysphoria), which is not currently diagnosable in the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), is also a common co-morbidity with adhd. RSD can cause catastrophic reactions to feelings of rejection, abandonment, or even loneliness.

I don't exactly know why I brought up RSD, but perhaps it's just to put a point on the fact that those with adhd may be impulsive and not always able to control their potentially intense emotions when they may occur. (E.g. bad endings, especially the "yandere" one.) Also, things related or inherent to RSD, may potentially create obsessiveness over things that they love and are passionate about.

Now as for the counter argument that he was very studious before he started university, sure, but for one thing, not all people with adhd perform poorly in school. There are many who still excell and do well. Not to mention, Yoosung even mentions he wasn't particularly passionate about anything while in school, he just did what he felt he needed to do, and that's better than feeling you have nothing else you want to do. One thing a person with adhd cannot stand is boredom or stagnation. The brains of people with adhd are already generally understimulated compared to the average brain, that's why they constantly feel like they need to have their mind and senses occupied with something that offers sufficient stimulation. Video games are often a popular obsession of those with adhd because many of their senses are constantly being stimulated while playing, and even better if it's something they enjoy.

Oh man, this wasn't meant to be the Yoosung might have adhd analysis post, but I went on a tangent, guess I'll keep it.

Of course, Saeyoung also has many of these symptoms, but I believe I should make the comparison (c)ptsd has with adhd a discussion for another day/post. Actually, them having so many of these things in common are probably one of the reasons why they seem to get along so well, as they would be able to understand eachother's feelings.

ᴵᶠ ᴵ ᵗʰᶦⁿᵏ ᵒᶠ ᵐᵒʳᵉ, ᴵ'ˡˡ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ˡᶦᵏᵉˡʸ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵃᵈᵈ ᵒⁿᵗᵒ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᵖᵒˢᵗ, ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵖʳᵒᵇᵃᵇˡʸ ᵃᵈᵈ ᶦᵐᵃᵍᵉˢ ᵗᵒᵒ, ᵇᵘᵗ ᴵ'ˡˡ ᵖᵒˢᵗ ᵘᵖᵈᵃᵗᵉ ⁿᵒᵗᶦᶜᵉˢ ᵒⁿ ᵐʸ ᵇˡᵒᵍ ʰᵉʳᵉ ᶦᶠ ᵃⁿʸᵒⁿᵉ ᶦˢ ᶦⁿᵗᵉʳᵉˢᵗᵉᵈ ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ. ᴼʳ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˢᵘᵇˢᶜʳᶦᵇᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᵖᵒˢᵗ, ᴵ ᵍᵘᵉˢˢ. ᴵᶠ ᵃⁿʸᵒⁿᵉ ᵉˡˢᵉ ʷᵃⁿᵗˢ ᵗᵒ ᶜᵒⁿᵗʳᶦᵇᵘᵗᵉ ᵃⁿʸ ᵉˣᵃᵐᵖˡᵉˢ ᴵ ᵐᶦᵍʰᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵐᶦˢˢᵉᵈ, ᴵ ᶜᵃⁿ ᵃᵈᵈ ᵗʰᵉᵐ ᵒⁿ ʷᶦᵗʰ ᶜʳᵉᵈᶦᵗ.

Edit log:

orz or not/// urrrkkkk I thought I did, but somehow I can't feel convinced.

I dunno who all remembers my post asking if anyone knew Yoosung's canonical height in the Valentine's after story and that I'd found a couple images circulating the internet stating that he had grown to 5'11'' or something, which I've still never seen proven.

See, I've come back to this tangent because my loser meticulous ass decided to start making a character style sheet of him for essentially no real reason only excused by "research" for my art, when I already know my mind just sometimes demands to study data points and overanalyze everything.

Anyway, originally my brain clicked and I realized Yoosung's arms are present in both his sprite images. I measured his wingspan because I remembered wingspan roughly equates to the height of that same person, and the arm lengths were the same.

Of course the thought that they just.. used Yoosung's old sprite when they made his older version sprite.. Made me want to keep looking. I thought to myself, man I need to find a point of reference. Is everyone's skulls roughly the same height? No, right? The 7 1/2 to 8 heads rule... did not work for Zen's full body reference... orz He ended up being like... 9 1/2 of his own heads. Then I thought, "What age does one's skull stop growing in height size?" Google didn't have much for satisfactory answers, merely alluding to the idea that the skull stops growing to it's full size capacity at around 16-18, but will keep changing otherwise throughout life. But that 16-18 just kinda sounds like it grows in proportion to the rest of you, full body height included. Then, I thoght "Eye balls?? Don't they pretty much stay the same size all your life?" I think this would be the closest indicator if he grew, and they do match up one to one when sized up.

Somehow, still didn't feel secure in my findings. I had another click moment while google searching Mystic Messenger heights images. I remembered the visual novel mode has the heights comparable to the other characters. Then I giggled jovially as I set up the visual novel reference of Yoosung standing next to Seven, then him in the Valentine's After Story. ohohohoho I got it this time, I thought to myself.

I'd also say this is some pretty solid proof that he didn't grow any taller, but I still had to keep in mind that they very obviously used the same base. I thought about how his face seemed narrower, but then I realized they copied and flipped the side of his face that showed his ear to accommodate his hair change, though.. the neck from the other side was copied and flipped too actually...

On that thought, I became somehow curious about his dimensions again, "for research", trying to find his waist line under all the baggy clothing he tends to wear. I think back to how he said he used to be fat, and considering... For one, he weighs almost 20 lbs more than Saeran (Y 149 -> S 130) who is actually an inch taller than him (Y 5'7''-> S 5'8'', an inch shorter than his own twin.), but also Saeran is pretty frail. Saeyoung is 2 inches taller than Yoosung, but only a kg heavier, which is potentially muscle (Potentially *le shrug*). To my knowledge Yoosung doesn't do much for exercise or weight training, if not a sufficient amount at all. Of course we all carry our weight differently, so that's absolutely a thing.

If you take BMI into account, which is a bit more accurate if you don't do weight training, honestly, I'm not entirely sure where he is carrying the weight. lol

I did actually look into examples of real people with the same sizes as Yoosung, and yeah, not a single one of them was without some softness, especially around the mid section, which could explain the baggy clothes... Yoosung's calculated BMI was 23.2, which according to asian BMI charts is pretty much at the cusp of normal and overweight (It does matter, supposedly Asians carry weight differently than western ethnicities and are susceptible to weight related illness at lesser weight/ body fat indexes than western people as well. Says medicine. On average. Apparently their bone mass tends to be less dense as well.) Of course, based on this data, I'd say Yoosung is pretty safe, but of course the sedentary lifestyle and consumption of not so healthy foods could be a cause for concern. I kind of came to a soft conclusion that Yoosung did used to be in what would be considered "over weight" territory before, but considering how beauty standards can be over there, I venture to wonder if it was like... 10 to 20 lbs heavier. If I were to guess, the weight pretty evenly distributed throughout his body, probably mostly in the mid section, as it tends to more so in men, then a bit more in the thighs, and a bit more in the upper arms. Of course to the pinchable cheeks. :9 I dunno man, his full body sprite looks so skinny to me lol.

If I were to consider the waistline I originally came up with, which was mainly based on his Valentine's after story, it does seem like he potentially lost more weight since getting into a relationship. That makes sense to me, as it was insinuated that together with his partner, he became more active and most probably ate more healthy foods. (I cry, it seemed like he doesn't really play games anymore by the Valentines after ending. T__T I'll just choose to believe he'll still game from time to time if his partner is also a gamer.) Come to think of it, looking at that gif comparing his VN sprites, his face really is narrower...