#mod kait

You can skip ahead to the first image if you don't want to hear me get heated over alcohol.

I just want to say right off the bat, I HATE whenever they depict either one of the twins near alcohol. They do not consume alcohol; they want nothing to do with it. The only time in-game that wine was consumed by one of the twins was in V Route. Saeyoung had a single glass, and I think that has to do with the fact that he hit rock bottom. V let him go on for two years thinking his brother DIED.

Holding the party again was bound to bring up horrible memories for him two and a half years later. He picked up a glass, asked himself why his wicked mother bothered drinking to forget and drown her miserable sorrow, and then spat it out after it tasted like regret. Never again, that is what he tells himself... His curiosity and pain got the better of him in that situation. Saeyoung likely only did that under duress.

Saeran isn't going to pick up a bottle of alcohol like that. The elixir was bad enough; he's not going to drink fermented sour grapes. This isn't a dig at people who love wine, beer, or what have you. Enjoy your grape juice if you like it, people! But it gets really exhausting to see characters who have affirmed their discomfort and disdain for alcohol be depicted around it as if it wouldn't make them uncomfortable.

I wouldn't be as pressed if it were in front of Jumin, mind you. The boys wouldn't ask their friend not to drink. Just... to not try and make them drink it or push a glass near them.

I don't drink myself, for example, so I take this really personally. We live in a world where people try to minimize others' discomfort around this stuff. I'm pushing thirty over here, and I've never had a glass of alcohol in my life, and I don't intend to ever try for personal reasons similar to the twins. I can't tell you how many times I've had people say, "Oh, just a little sip, it won't kill you." It won't kill me; they're right, but no means no.

Saeyoung has affirmed that his only vice is Dr. Pepper more times than I can count... And I don't think I have to explain why Saeran wouldn't be comfortable around a mind-altering drink for more reasons than what he went through as a child at his mother's hands, do I?

My friends and I came up with a few reasonable solutions. It's possible the wine was for Jihyun since he's standing behind them. He's not as much of a heavy drinker as Jumin can be, but it has been noted in the canon that he enjoys a few more glasses when he's with Jumin because he's a social drinker.

It could also be for MC to enjoy! That's reasonable, too. It does seem like it's on the other side of the table! Even so, I don't like it being that close to Saeran or Saeyoung. That's just a me thing! That's a squick for me! It's a comfort for me to have a favorite character who doesn't drink.

I hear you, I hear you, "Hey, Kait, it's not a big deal! You don't have to make a stink." Sigh. It just made my excitement fall flat the moment I saw it is all. The fact that they depicted Zen with beer rather than wine goes to show that there's SOME communication happening between the company (or maybe the artist just noticed he seems like a beer guy) and the artist who did a wonderful job, mind you. This is not me digging at the artist, either.

It's on Cheritz for not pointing out important character traits. We had the same problem last year. Elizabeth was NOWHERE to be seen in the anniversary photo.

Hell, they commissioned Rika artwork for her birthday a few years ago that depicted her with wine, too. She isn't a drinker, either. I don't know if I'd say she's as straight-laced as Saeyoung and Saeran, but I'd put her closer to that than Jumin's wine with dinner every night attitude. I'd say she's a "I had champagne with Jaehee at a girls' night once" type of gal. Blue moon situations.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's talk about everything else!

That has to be one of the largest mounds of omurice I've ever seen. Yoosung made one to share with everyone. I appreciate that he's had time to grow his skills, though. It's not easy to make those things! He has the ketchup swirl down pact compared to his last attempt... that we're aware of, anyway. There is charm to his fails, though. I love the droopy face.

Jaehee and Zen get to enjoy their beverage of choice, too. Jaehee has more than earned her coffee break. I love the off-the-shoulder dress on her, too. We don't usually see her in outfits like that, but this is definitely her confidence shining through the roof. I hope she wears tops like that more often! Not so I can oogle her collarbones or anything, but it's cute on her! It's really flattering!

Zen is wearing a corset as far as I'm concerned. Let's think about that and take a long sip of water.

Jumin looks smug for some reason. Is anyone else reading that from his facial expression? I mean, he should be; he's a handsome man, but that's the first time I've seen him make a face like that. Jihyun, too. But I'm staring at him because that huge camera lens probably costs more money than I've seen in months. I do love the fondness on his face here; he's clearly admiring his found family.

I LOVE THAT HE'S PRESENT. Part of his problem is hiding behind the viewfinder instead of being a part of the scene. He deserves to be there with everyone. Jumin thinks so, too. Perhaps that's why he's pleased. It means his friend is doing better emotionally.

Saeyoung, didn't we just talk to your doctor about your habits? Is it silly if I say I love how they rendered the Dr. Pepper can? The lighting on the Honey Butter Chips is great, too. Not too bright, but not too flat, either. The light hits it just right, which isn't an easy thing to do when you want to play with shading and highlights. I can only imagine how many layers they did on those two items alone.

That's a nice apple pie, too! It looks like an apple, anyway. They might elaborate on it tomorrow when they release the new image! I think we might get another anniversary chat or two; I can't say for certain. I am avoiding spoilers like the plague at the moment.

Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate... the perfect combination. Saeran doesn't have to choose just ONE flavor of ice cream. He can have all of them! It's a nice homage for me, too. I think Ray likes strawberry, Suit Saeran likes chocolate, and GE Saeran likes vanilla bean.

Hey, if nobody else is calling dibs, I want one of the rosettes. They're my favorite part of cakes like this! The texture is so good. Speaking of cute flowers, it's time for me to infodump to all of you about flowers and the importance of floriography. I'm going by image order.

Red Rose: Passionate romance, the symbol of love that is universally shared across borders and seas. Cherry Blossom: The transience of life, the fleeting moment of beauty that impacts your life forever. Camellia: A deep longing for another person, whether it be romantic or otherwise. Begonia: A gentle warning, but more than just that, they are gratitude to move forward knowing you've prepared for storms by embracing your heart. Orange Rose: Enthusiastic passion, oftentimes seen as the bridge between romantic red and platonic yellow. Yellow Rose: Friendship, warmth, and joy. The ultimate token to use when you want to say, "I like you, I appreciate you, and being with you makes me happy like the sun."

Now, I had to rack my brain a little for the flowers with MC, but I want to throw my hat in the ring and suggest amaryllis. To sparkle, to shine, and to know your worth. It is a flower of real pride, and its resilience is worth noting because flowers like these bloom and fight hard to stay alive in the winter.

It's also a good pick if they're trying to convey how our selfless love for the RFA saved them as much as it saved us. Amaryllis bloomed after a young shepherdess fed the earth droplets of her blood for a month to win the heart of the shepherd who wanted nothing more than to find the most beautiful flower.

Let's look at them.

Have you seen them?

Now you have!

My only real note is that the artist forgot to add the ring to Saeran's eyes. Saeyoung has them, so I'm not sure where that got lost in the communication process. Other than that, there are no notes. That's Saeran Choi! That's my honey bunny! I do appreciate that his hair is saturated. Some artwork depicts his hair as washed out, while others have this pink sheen to them that makes it glaringly obvious he did a bad bleach job on his own and couldn't get the red out.

If you ask me now that we've had all the anniversary chats, [which you can check them out here as someone's been logging them faster than me], I can tell you that I undoubtedly feel like this is SE Saeran. This is too dry to be GE Saeran. He's sweet, no doubt, but only with us. Most of his replies are short, blunt, and to the point. GE Saeran doesn't talk like that, either. He talks... a lot. He doesn't hold back because he's had a chance to be validated much sooner than Unknown.

There's a reason why SE Saeran is apathetic, after all. Being with him isn't like being with GE Saeran. Two extra years of torment absolutely make a difference to his psyche. Yet, I can't say this is meant to be SE Saeran entirely because they've sprinkled in elements in there as cute easter eggs to tie back to Another Story. At the end of the day, this is an event that asks you to celebrate without overcomplicating things.

That's so hard for someone like me who loves to take it seriously and point out what I see and how it makes sense in the universe. I want it to make sense, Cheritz. I like it when people go the extra mile to make sure it's a wonderful event, even if it's as simple as remembering all of their typing quirks. Those embellishments are what make people very happy with the final product.

The English translation has had a lot of "haha" and "hehe" sprinkled into every character's dialogue, and it's a little off-putting. I haven't checked the Korean version, but I wonder how the original text aligns with what we've been shown. Since they coded the event wrong, I can't go back to check at the moment, but I believe it'll be added to the seasonal gallery and event soon. More or less, the RFA has been in character, but I have noticed it's a little rusty around the edges.

They've lost most of the original writing teams, though. That makes sense. Jumin and Jihyun felt the strongest to me. I figure since they used Jumin in the SSUM, the team at the least has the run-down on him. V, by extension, of course, because he and Rika were thrown into the mix, too. Though don't get me started on that. There's a part of me that wants to rewrite June's story to make it make sense. All you had to do was reveal that his witch of a mother hid his younger half-brother from him; it's not that complicated.

I digress, y'all are here for Saeran.

Take it with a grain of salt, but in terms of characterization, this is far closer to how I write SE Saeran than it is to how I write GE Saeran. It's short, sweet, and to the point. The only chatroom that felt close to GE Saeran was the final chatroom, but even then, the simplicity in his reply just screamed SE Saeran. A Saeran who has recovered from what Mint Eye did to him, but still keeps what he shares with others at arm's length.

He's flustered, but not shy. There's a moment in these chats where you can tell him to put on a sweater, and while he grumbles, it's sweet. You can tell he's putting on his jacket, but he's going to make sure you know that he bristled. You can get him tongue-tied without too much trouble. That's what's sweet about him. You wouldn't know he was responding to your concern or compliments over text unless you have learned how to read him visually. If Saeran opens the door, you'll know his heart.

If he doesn't, good luck guessing.

Did you know that this was a deep cut? Saeran mentioned wanting to do an escape room before. It was in a profile text, which most of those usually get glossed over when it comes to people posting them online. Except for the silliest ones. I see the Jaehee lifting up furniture to beat someone up one all the time. But I LOVED seeing that. I loved seeing a call-back to something that Saeran mentioned.

It's not Ray's picnic, but it's distinctly something that matters to him. An adventure for someone who wants to play a puzzle. It's kind of nice to think about it. He no longer fears being trapped in rooms. He wants to solve every locked door so that others can escape, too. He even goes on to play this game with Saeyoung!

See, this is the kind of dynamic you expect in the Secret Ending. Saeran is keeping Saeyoung at arm's length, but not pushing him away. He doesn't mind being around his brother, but he isn't about to praise him the way he did when they were children. He'll still throw him a bone now and again because he understands that Saeyoung likes to feel like he's important.

He likes knowing that he's important to Saeran, even if it's not the same as before. I love Zen teasing him, too. I wish we had more moments that explored how Saeran's relationship is with the rest of the RFA. His bond with the others matters to me, even if it's limited contact!

(SE Saeran, in my mind, has little to nothing to do with the RFA. GE Saeran, however, is up to date with everyone, even if he's a bit awkward around them. You won't see SE Saeran play buddy-buddy unless you're playing Saeyoung's dream sequence in his after ending.)

The chatroom below is a reference to the anniversary image from last year. I also love that it's an homage to the Unknown title screen from, I wanna say, 2019. The split screen where he and Saeyoung are both on different sides of the city watching the stars at the same time. This is the chatroom where you can prod him about wearing his jacket, but I clicked this option first just to see how he would react, and yeah, that's SE Saeran for you!

"Me? Soft? Pfft. Hardly."

I'm going to bite him.

Any time the twins get to talk about the stars, it makes me happy. This may be short, simple, and to the point, but seeing V support the two of them always makes me smile. He's my third favorite character, believe it or not, and even with all his faults, I want better for him. I want him to be able to be there for the twins and to work on himself so he doesn't hate the person he sees in the mirror.

I suspend my disbelief briefly for a world where V gets to be there for Saeran and Saeyoung in a positive light. That doesn't even exist in the VAE, mind you. There's a big arm's length happening there even if you can't see it.

I wish I could've watched the stars with Saeran, too. Saeyoung, you're teasing me from the other side of the universe!

I LOST MY MARBLES IN THE LAST CHAT BECAUSE YOU GET TO SEND HIM A HEART OF YOUR OWN. Why wouldn't I enjoy that? It's why so many people have designed their own custom hearts to use! Fun fact: the heart color I use for Unknown and SE Saeran is based on the old marketing colors they used for Unknown. It's a very soft, muted purple. My personal heart is lilac, and it's only a few shades lighter than his. (I'll gladly share those if you guys want to see them; I just hit the image limit in this post.)

I imagined spamming him with my heart in a world where he's the one trying to romance me in an Otome game, and him smiling because my favorite color is so close to his.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm grateful to have known Saeran Choi. I've written countless essays over the years about him, and I'm in no way ready to stop doing that. I am grateful for our ten years, and I'm grateful to know there are more years to come.

Unknown is an unreliable narrator. His memory is fried, and even when he believes he's reclaimed something from his past, he can never know for sure if he's right or wrong. What they did to him when he was taken away from the cathedral cannot be understated. He was systematically beaten down (physically and emotionally) until his reality became the one they wanted him to believe.

I connect Another Story, Casual Story, and Deep Story, mind you. I put the universes together to build the lore when I'm working with anyone. If you do that, you're able to piece together Rika's methodology and the point where she loses herself to apathy. She never planned on being a mother to anyone. Yet she found herself "forced" into that role because she felt obligated to do so. She killed Mother Choi in self-defense, mind you, but it was still the act of taking another person's life.

That was Rika's breaking point.

That was her moment of no return.

That was what cemented her identity as Rika the devil. She saw no way out after that. She couldn't mask her fears by forcing herself to be this angel of goodness all the time to ensure nobody would abandon her the minute they discovered what she went through and the marks it left on her soul. Rika's fears are rooted in abandonment. She is afraid to be left alone.

She lost her parents before she knew them, and as far as she knows, they never wanted her in the first place. She lost Mika, whom she had thought had her best interests at heart, but it became clear that she did not. She lost the security of a warm place to sleep at night when she realized she could no longer weaponize the devil to scare the groomer pastor and her abusive parents away. She lost Sally because she was too afraid (and selfish) to acknowledge the reality of life and death to get her dog the help she needed.

Hers is a life of perpetual denial. She runs away from the truth and does her best to warp things so that things stay the way she wants them. At the cost of the people around her, she would rather choose to play God to ensure nobody abandons her once they learn that she's not the mask she tried to present herself as. The sad thing is that if she were honest with her friends from the start, they would've been there for her.

She couldn't be the good person she thought she needed to be, she couldn't be an angel who would never be abandoned, and she couldn't be the devotee at V's altar because he "failed" her.

V made a promise to Rika to be her God. He promised to protect her from the devil, and to ensure that she never did anything unspeakable to anyone... but him, that is. She saw him as a beacon of hope! All she wanted to do was become him to escape herself. If she could've been him, she wouldn't have had to have been Rika. She could've been V, the shining sun who seemingly has no faults. Her diary in the Mint Eye box has her tracking down information about him non-stop.

She has interviews from classmates, teachers, newspaper clippings, and worse, she's got one of his mother's notes to him! Her admiration of him didn't start out that way, but it increasingly became something like that. It's better to be anyone BUT Rika. V could do no wrong in her eyes; he was everything she wanted.

Until Mother Choi charged at her. Until Jihyun stood behind her and did nothing to stop what happened next. Until she blacked out from fear and woke up with her hands covered in blood that was not her own.

Her God watched her commit the first sin and did nothing. In Rika's eyes, she was not only failed by the Christian God, but by her chosen God, too. She felt guilt as she washed away the blood from her hands. She decided she would HAVE to raise Saeran.

That's the price of killing his mother.

She is filled with contempt over that, too. She blames him, she hates him, and yet, there's a part of Rika that really did care about him. Not as much as she cared about Saeyoung (she built a bond with him that was years in the making before she EVER met Saeran), but... I can't say she hated him from the start. Rika didn't start out hating people. Their bond was doomed, however, simply because of what happened on that night.

The weight of the murder was Rika's point of no return. It was the nail in the coffin. She is the devil they said she was.

Why else would she and Jihyun burn the house down? She doesn't want proof of her actions to exist. She wants to run away from what she's done and live in hiding from accountability. This is why the RAE has her try to pretend things are fine when they're not. She is living in denial because if she were to acknowledge the truth, it would break her into pieces.

That's why she had her meltdown on Day 10. You remember the one where she sobbed on her knees because Saeran told her that she was wrong about the world? When he told her that the only person who had rejected the world was her? When he said that she was only doing all of this because she was too afraid to tell others how she felt? The Visual Novel mode that ended with Rika staring into the void because if he left her, she would never be accepted again?

Ah, yes, that is quite literally a moment of clarity for Rika. She knows what she's done is wrong, and the moment the truth comes to light, she'll never be able to control others the way she wants. She'll never make sure people can't abandon her because they'll have all the facts they need to say, "I want nothing to do with you."

She became a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is why Saeran achieves true peace, and she doesn't. He acknowledged his mistakes and owned up to them. He is willing to face the consequences. It's not until you play the Normal Ending of the RAE that you see Rika own her consequences in full. Had she been HONEST despite her fear, it never would've ended up like this.

Had she and Jihyun asked for help rather than trying to take it on their own, who's to say what might've happened? But that's not the story we get. We see her and Jihyun destroying themselves and the people around them, both intentionally and unintentionally.

This is why Rika treats Ray, Suit Saeran, and Unknown the way she does. Gone is any illusion she tries to sell herself, and instead, we get cruelty in its place. Ray gets the treatment she feels guilted into. She treats him the way Mika talked about treating children, too. She tries to convince herself she's being a good mother to him, but she can't be a good mother while she's ALSO trying to turn him into a weapon.

That's why Ray wasn't meant to last long. I recognize that most people don't have the time or desire to play Rika's Behind Story, but it's one of those things you need to play to understand why she acts and reacts to conflict the way she does.

It's sad that the takeaway most people have from the DLC is "Wow, they make a scapegoat for Rika."

Guys, just because Rika wasn't alone in her actions doesn't mean that she isn't at fault as well. Mika is another aspect of Rika's life. The one that seemingly set things in motion. Rika was ultimately adopted by Yoosung's aunt and uncle because the groomer preacher specifically picked her out of the crowd. Mika didn't want Mina to be adopted by bad parents. She wanted them to be adopted together.

Mika was adopted out once before and returned to the nursery. This rejection became the basis that shaped her life. She saw just how cruel adults could be... promising love and then selfishly taking it away in the next breath. She clung to Mina because Mina was the child who clung to her the tightest.

The only one who didn't abandon her. That's why she fought so hard to stay in the nursery. She wanted them to be together; that way, even if the grown-ups abandoned her, she would still have Mina.

Mika's ideology about how to take care of a child cements how far Rika goes once her friend is dead... She was right, Rika says, because there was no hope for her to find joy. She has to take care of the children the way Mika said. Even if Mika didn't want her to get hurt by those terrible people, she was still hurt in the end.

She became the very "devil" that her adoptive parents and the groomer preacher said she was. But as long as she is the devil, they shouldn't be able to hurt her.

A devil can't be a bad thing if it keeps you safe and sound. That is how she empowered herself, after all. She stood against the congregation of their cult-like Catholic church and proclaimed herself the devil to make sure nobody would lay a disgusting hand on her while Sally defended her. But being a devil means that you're this ugly, cruel, and grotesque thing, too. She doesn't want to be that.

It may keep her safe, but that's not a happy life.

She wanted to be something shiny... an angel. A girl like her can't be an angel, though. Not after she killed someone. So, devil it is. Belief in what Mika said is the only way.

At least that way, being the larger monster means that nobody would be chewed up and spat out again. Mika can be a spark, but Rika is the wildfire who sets things ablaze. She is the one who plans the party, who manipulates wealthy donors to create Mint Eye, she is the one who sits on the throne and pulls the strings, and she is the one dubbed Savior. It does not matter that Mika helped.

She lived in the RFA apartment while Rika did all the dirty work and continued to do said dirty work. Mika definitely pressured Rika to do things, but Rika ultimately made the decision to go through with it. She is complicit in her actions. Tragic backstory or not, for the better part of the story, she is cognizant and aware of her actions, and that shows her guilt plainly.

She told Saeyoung to install that bomb in the apartment on her own. She did everything that followed.

Rika (and Mika) are also projecting her naive self (Serena (her adopted self) and Mina (her youngest self) onto Ray... this is the only thing that'll keep him safe. He can have his moment in the sun, but it'll only last as long as it "needs" to. It can only last as long as Rika can stomach it. She hates what Ray stands for because it's a representation of the angel Rika that won't survive.

The little girl who dreamed of warmth only to be slapped in the face by cruelty. That's what she's trying to reenact. There's a reason why you're meant to notice their narrative foils. V/Rika are the foils to Saeran/MC. You can see where people actively choose to get better, and where they refuse to acknowledge their mistakes. There are patterns to her story that make more sense when you see where she started and where she ended up with the twins.

Rika both wants to shelter Ray and destroy him because she would be too envious if he were beloved and she were damned. There's no way for people like them to be loved. If that were the case, why didn't she find it as a little girl? Why was what Mika said right? That must be the truth. That must be the way of the world.

You can see her resentment building up by the day, and that's why she pressures Suit Saeran to prove that what happened to her could really happen to anyone. She wants to break him the way she was. That's all there is to it. There is nothing that matters in this world but survival of the fittest... kill or be killed. That's the end scenario for people like the two of them. They were born rotten; therefore, they will have no choice but to spoil.

That's what she tried to beat into Suit Saeran until he was dry heaving in the bushes.

It's. All. Projection.

And inevitably, if there is no MC involvement with either one of them, it's no wonder that Unknown is who you end up with. She silenced Ray and Saeran until the only person left was a man who cared about one thing: Revenge. It's worth mentioning that Unknown's plan is simple... and macabre. Kill V and Saeyoung and then kill himself. If he can't get rid of V, that's fine; he'll settle for just getting rid of Saeyoung.

You can't trust anyone.

Why would Rika tell him to trust anyone when all she's ever known is betrayal of the highest nature? That's why the only one he can trust is Rika, and even then, you can tell that Unknown hardly respects what Rika sells him. That's a byproduct of her neglect. She no longer sees Unknown as human by the point we see him in Saeyoung's Route. He's nothing but a nuisance monster she created that she wants nothing to do with.

A constant reminder of her sins that should just be gone already. That is actually why Unknown isn't aware of the bomb in some routes.... and why Rika sends him to the apartment in one of Jumin's Bad Endings to press a "make Saeyoung miserable" button. Ah, yes, press this button that will get rid of him and the MC in one swing.

Make them hate V in all his glory, and then she'll swoop in and become the RFA's God.

Unlike V, she'll be a wonderful God. That's how she thinks, that's how she acts, and that's how she feels.

So, knowing all of this, how do I think Unknown will react to the truth should he ever learn it? Resigned disgust. Unlike GE Saeran, who is in a better place emotionally because he wasn't beaten into apathy for years on end, SE Saeran is made of apathy. He has no energy for anything. All he does is watch the clouds outside of Saeyoung's bunker because he's traded one cage for another, as far as we know. Saejoong is still a huge threat, after all.

He doesn't go away, so they have to continue living in hiding until that's taken care of. Either the old man dies, or something like what happens in the RAE happens to force his hand. That's a living nightmare for him. But he had no choice but to live with Saeyoung. He's trying to make the best of it, but we all know he's tired and alone.

As if he would want to be friends with the RFA. How can you become friends with the people you stalked and harassed? How could you call them your friends when they might always see you as Saeyoung's little brother who "deserves" your pity friendship? He's not going to be cruel to them. He doesn't have the energy to be cruel. But he's not going to play buddy-buddy with Saeyoung's friends.

At least, he might build a friendship with Saeyoung's partner, but that would only be because they all live together. So he would have to get to know them.

He's alive, but he doesn't know what to do with himself because there is only so much he can do with their father on the horizon. He can go to the park, he can get ice cream, and he can watch the clouds. That's a nice existence, and I'm sure he enjoys being able to do that much, but he is still haunted by what happened to him. Even getting into a good therapist and going outside won't help him find peace overnight. He's got a long way to go to feel some semblance of normalcy.

So, what happens when you throw in a wrench and tell him Rika killed his mother?

Of course, Rika killed his mother, he would think. Why not? Why not tell him that she ruined his life even more? Mother Choi was a monster, but she didn't force-feed him drugs until he couldn't breathe. Her emotional and physical neglect was terrifying, but... Rika was in another ballpark. She had doctors (she didn't make the elixir by herself), guards (we see Saeran and Ray restrained more times than I can count), and even more people we don't know about at her disposal.

Saeran was hurt by multiple people because of what Rika did. It makes sense that she could pull off something like that even if he doesn't have all of the details. How would he find out, also? If you apply canon to the situation, Rika was sent away before she could be held accountable by the authorities. She is the only one ALIVE who knows what happened to Mother Choi. Dead men tell no tales. Jihyun is dead... He's the only other person who saw what happened in its totality.

I can see this making him relapse in some ways, too. He might be able to stomach the news at first, but then it would eat away at him. I, for one, personally write SE Saeran being haunted by Jihyun's phantom in every corner when he's alone at night. He has night terrors, he scrubs his hands until they bleed, and he avoids anything that might trigger him like the plague. (I see him avoiding Jumin and Yoosung as a given. Not their fault, but they're a constant reminder of V and Rika.)

Saeran took Jihyun's life out of fear... Rika took Mother Choi's life out of fear, too. He didn't do it intentionally. He held up his weapon to protect himself, and it went off because he panicked. Rika picked up a shard of glass and didn't think about anything but protecting herself.

This isn't going to make SE Saeran sympathetic towards Rika, mind you, but it will make him wonder how she feels about it. Did she think about his Mother whenever she drugged him? Was she haunted by her actions, or did they drive her to hurt him more? Did she blame him for what happened? Did she hate him because of that? He'll never know for sure. I can't see him approaching her the way GE Saeran did, but I can see him struggling with these thoughts for quite some time.

That's the thing at the end of the day. SE Saeran has some remorse, but he'll likely conclude that Rika never had an ounce of remorse in her body.

He's not going to feel NOTHING.

He's going to feel everything, and that's... worse. It was easier when Unknown couldn't feel anything, but now SE Saeran has returned to form and can feel his pain again. I can envision nothing but agony in this regard, and definitely some conflict about what he feels about his mother. He hates Mother Choi; there's no doubt about that. He isn't going to be sympathetic in the way GE Saeran is. Good riddance, he would say.