#sunset-bridge

Zen is no stranger to fan art. He's had his fans make countless edits, drawings, collages, etc, for him. He appreciates everything that people make for him, whether or not he gets to see it in person, because, as an artist himself, he knows how much love is behind it. It doesn't matter to him how long it took someone to make it. You could've spent five days or five minutes doing it! What matters to Zen is the intention behind the art itself.

Seeing the way he looks through your eyes is a treat he never thought he would get to experience. He knows he's handsome; people haven't let him go a day without reminding him. That's all superficial, though. Hearing what someone sees when they look at him, beyond the basic stuff, is what grounds him. He's not just a pretty face. You notice what he does when he's smiling, or how he holds himself when you're alone. Those are the faces he sees when he admires your painting... Not just another actor, but a man who is loved.

Jaehee never felt like she would be the apple of someone's eye, much less their muse. She never imagined she would be a work of art. She's always looked at people who didn't hesitate to follow their dreams the first moment they had the chance to fly like that. But here she is, on a canvas that you cradled against your heart... looking like a masterpiece that someone would hang up in their gallery. Is that really her? She has to ask. Is that what you see?

In looking at your painting, she learns once again that there's more to a person than what others think. She has to stop letting that get to her... and start looking in the mirror to find the truth. The beauty she's been looking for has always been there; it just took her a while to find it. It's thanks to you that she'll always be able to see it. All she has to do is look at your painting to remind herself.

Jumin has spent enough time around Jihyun to understand the arts. It may not be his forte, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy admiring artists. Sure, he attempted a painting or two as a young man when it was assigned in class, but it never felt like something he would want to try again. He's far more fond of writing and knows that's where most of his talents lie in terms of creativity. So, when you bring him a painting of himself, he's quiet.

Quiet because you always seem to see a side of him that nobody else does. You see the person underneath the mask. You see the man who loves his family, friends, and pet. You see the person who could talk your ear off about his hobbies and then some! Someone who smiles because he's comfortable, and doesn't give anyone the time of day if they can't see him like this. Now, you must know, he's going to want a matching portrait of you... And perhaps Elizabeth... perhaps, he could try painting again.

Saeyoung has always been the kind of person who loves to use his hands. He tinkers, toys, and adapts to different environments to better understand how to fly under the radar. He's only recently started to let others see his true face, but... you've always had a knack for seeing his truest self, you know? That's how you leave him breathless when he is shown the face of someone he thought he lost years ago.

Not 707, not Seven, not Luciel, but... Saeyoung. The boy who loved with everything he had to give, and feared he would never get to live with his brother by his side. You've shown him that Saeyoung DID grow up, and that he's not only living with his brother, but he's also living a dream life he doesn't have to imagine in his dreams. This painting shows that face. So, you'd better get ready for him to show the real you to stand with him!

GE Saeran has always wanted to explore his feelings through art. His first experience with photography is one of his fondest, and despite the way his life ended up, he still wants to pick up a camera and document the world around him. That's how Saeran stumbles into different types of art, and how people convey what they see and how they feel. It's one of your favorite things, so he learns quite a bit about it at the library the moment he realizes there's a section for it.

With that in mind, Saeyoung being canonically bisexual does allow him to be more prepared to tackle his feelings for another man. He's already reflected on his feelings and the way he interacts with them. The only sort of heavy internal conflict he might have about another person has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with the fact that he works in an intelligence agency that will kill anyone precious to him at a moment's notice. It doesn't matter who he's with; he's afraid of his loved ones being killed.

I feel like Saeyoung has been covered the most in this regard, so we don't really need to tackle him.

It's the same for Saeran. He was isolated from the rest of society and was never raised around bullshit. He didn't pick up anything that said he couldn't like other men, so as far as my thoughts on him are concerned, he likes princesses, princes, and anyone willing to humor his love for fairytales. He would treat a man the same way he would treat a woman in Mint Eye. He wants to protect you, he wants to save you, and any gender roles that might've influenced that dream aren't anywhere close to him.

So long as he's allowed to be the prince who saves you, it doesn't matter who you are. The only thing that really changes with a man is the design of the princess suite. It would still be a fantastical room, but he might opt to add a few elements that allude to your status as his prince. Princes don't have to ride horses or slay dragons, but depending on the daydreams Ray had about you, that will influence the room decor.

Suit Saeran would definitely give a man a run for his money about failing to protect his prince. I could see him treating you like a failed knight more than anything. Given that his job is to protect Ray from danger, he would be upset that another man failed his Ray. Especially one that promised to be his prince. But yeah, you're not gonna run into any nonsense with the Choi twins.

But, on the other hand, a character like Zen would need to do some internal work on his sexuality should he fall for another man. With his comments like "having a gaydar" and stuff like that, there's definitely a sense that he would need to work on internalized homophobia. He's in spaces with queer folk, but some of his language does reflect the fact that he's in 2016, and he's a bit socially stunted because he ran away to follow his dreams.

He means well, and he's definitely an ally! But it's the same thing with his treatment of women. While he means well, there are times when he uses sexist language or operates the way you expect him to because of the culture around him. For better or worse, even the best guy can be in a bad place because they haven't been challenged to think harder or to step outside of their bubble. I can't speak to the treatment of women in South Korea as far as their experiences go, but from the outside looking in, it's clear that there's a rampant problem with sexism.

But that has a lot to do with Zen's character. Even though we love him, he's got some flaws he needs to tackle, and the great thing is that he's open to being scolded. Well, unless Jumin is involved. But that's got a lot more to do with him projecting his brother onto him.

Zen would be overwhelmed if he found himself crushing on another man. He wouldn't externalize this, though. He would spend a lot of time kicking himself because I get the sense that he might be afraid of hurting another person. He might mistakenly conflate his feelings for a male MC with contempt or judgment. I could see things getting tangled up until you see him at his place, and then he would realize, "Oh, I get it now. I was being an idiot. I'm in love with him. Why didn't I realize it until now?"

I guess what I mean is, he's clueless, but he has a good heart. Expect him to make tasteless jokes as he tries to figure himself out. He'll get there, but his arc would definitely be the most challenging in terms of watching a man realize his perception of himself was wrong.

He's going to hit a wall when it comes to looking after you. He wants to protect you, but there's a part of him that might hesitate for a moment because he grew up around tough guys. He was in this world that said men have to take care of themselves, and it's a weakness to ask for help from others. But he's not that kind of guy. So, what does he do when another man needs his help? Does he spring into action? Does he turn a blind eye? The answer is no, but that's... a lot for him to deal with.

I could see Yoosung struggling as well. He's also clueless when it comes to romance, and since he's young, he's spent a lot of time dreaming and conflating fantasy with reality. He's waiting for this perfect moment to find him, but it's not going to happen the way he thinks it will. It's really sweet, but that's why his route feels like puppy love at first. It's clumsy... just like he is. He's learning how to walk for the first time after watching others fall into love so easily!

The one thing that I'm not sure about with Yoosung is how much internalized homophobia he might have. I don't think he's as bad off as Zen can be; he's an open-minded young man and is always tackling the world the way Rika hoped he would. I can't see him being disgusted or afraid of his newfound feelings. But I can see him being worried about what these feelings mean, and getting caught up in how much his life will change now that he's acknowledged this part of himself.

It's a big adjustment to learn something new about yourself, and in a culture that's not as accepting or welcoming to queerness, there's a lot that hits you all at once when you finally realize you don't fit society's expectations of you. Yoosung might become nervous about just how cruel others can be, and what danger that might put his partner in once they get together. He's your Superman, you know!

It would be like him to fixate on you and your safety rather than his own. And that would make sense; he would fixate on that instead of thinking about himself in the same way he tries to avoid thinking about the mess his grief has made of him.

Yoosung gets into his head about gender roles, you know. He envies Zen, Jumin, and Saeyoung. He always worries he isn't manly enough, that he isn't strong enough, and that he doesn't fit the mold of a grown man. This is really where I could see him struggling with his feelings for another man. He has to work on preconceived notions about sexuality and gender identity. He can like cute stuff and be a man. Being a man has nothing to do with your proximity to cuteness, nor are you less of a man for enjoying bunny stationary (I love his stationary that he shows off in the Special Believer package).

He and Zen have a lot of similar feelings to work out in this regard.

Jumin definitely has his work cut out for him because people assume that his disdain for women is because he's gay. When the truth is, he avoids most women because the ones in his social circle tend to come after him to use him for his money, status, or body. He's spent his entire life on the receiving end of pretty disgusting sexual harassment. It's not a surprise to hear he's wary of allowing a woman to get close to him like that. I can't imagine he's thought about his sexuality before.

His world has been shaped by his horrible father. His experiences with "romance" have been harmful.

It's not that Jumin doesn't like women; it's just that he's never been around women who treat him like a person. In fact, he's not had a chance to be around anyone, apart from Jihyun and Rika, who look at him like he's human. People look at him like he's a robot, and he hates the way they look at him. He hates it when someone decides they know him better than he knows himself. You just don't know him. You haven't even tried to get to know him.

You might think that his walls would break down a little faster around another man because the weight of his past experiences isn't there, but I don't think so. Jumin is closely guarded for a reason. He doesn't have many people in his life he trusts, and ever since he lost Jihyun to what he assumes is his best friend's grief, he's been... at a loss. You're likely to encounter the same roadblocks with him as a man.

The only difference is that there's going to be more conflict to tackle because I could see Chairman Han, alongside Glam and Sarah, using this against him. I wouldn't put it past Glam and Sarah to try to use Jumin's budding feelings for you against him, but they wouldn't win in the end. He's not afraid of what people think of him!

Sure, I suppose we could argue this might challenge the reputation of the company, but in a world where Chairman Han is a disgusting old man who often disgraces the company with his actions, Jumin Han embracing his love for another man isn't going to tank their stocks. For a conservative thinker, Jumin is actually quite progressive. Many of the choices he makes as he grows as a person benefit his workers instead of him. Leave it to Jumin to pave the way for policy changes to benefit queer workers. I can see it now.

He would definitely need to do some internal work and research, but unlike Zen and Yoosung, who tend to learn as they go, he's one to hit the books and start researching as much as he can before he begins to approach conversations with other experts in the field. I find the thought of him reading queer historical texts in the middle of his route to be a silly thought, but it goes to show how much thought he puts into what he feels.

I will say that I do worry about what suit he will have tailored for you. That blue dress he made for the female MC wasn't... It's pretty, but it didn't suit the player in my eyes. I just hope he doesn't give you a bright blue tuxedo! I don't know why, but that feels like it would be a much larger problem than anything else you encounter on the route.

Jihyun doesn't strike me as someone who has put a lot of stock into his feelings. He feels what he feels, and he's never bothered to put a label on it. He feels inherently queer, but not in the bold way that Rika does when you realize her heart is swayed by passion rather than anything else, and definitely like he thought about kissing Jumin when he was younger, but it never went anywhere because he was too afraid to ruin their friendship.

He's an artist. The circles he's in are filled to the brim with people who are unafraid to express themselves. He's got many friends from across the world, and they all help him shape his worldview. Just like Zen, he's no stranger to queerness, but it's undeniable that he's closer to a place of acceptance with his sexuality than Zen is.

It's just that, like Saeyoung, he has a lot of heavy baggage from other relationships and life circumstances that hold him back from being himself. I can't see him struggling to want to be close to another man. I see him struggling to be close to someone because he's afraid that he's going to make the same mistakes he made with Rika! He would have that fear regardless of his partner's gender.

The only character I'm not sure about is Jaehee. I don't know how she would feel about a male MC. She's just so... her story is boldly about her realization and acceptance of her sexuality and liberation from trying to put herself into tidy boxes. I can't see her with a man, but that's just me. But if there are male fans of Jaehee (I don't think that I've run into any over the years that selfship with her), there's no reason why they can't imagine themselves in a relationship with her! It's an Otome, it's made to fulfill your fantasies!

He counts the number of hairs Elizabeth loses each day, and has a set number of brushes for different occasions. Do you do the same, or are you more lax in the maintenance of your long-haired cat? It won't take long before Zen has to speed out of the chatroom because Jumin will have you pulled into a game of twenty questions. Just know, Zen has to deal with more sneezes because you'll have inspired him to change his profile picture to Elizabeth, too.

It's not bad, though. I'm sure you'll be charmed by how passionate he is about her health in the long term. Just as he'll be charmed by the sheer beauty of your cat! Perhaps, not as shiny as Elizabeth, but close!

Saeyoung wants to know everything about them. Cats have always been interesting to him because they make their own way through life and don't let any humans get close to them unless they want them to be there. It's one of his biggest dreams to be chosen by a cat! He's not had any luck with a certain feline, but that doesn't mean he'll strike out with yours! Sure, you might have to swat his hands and remind him to be patient, but he means well.

Can he meet them? Can he visit the apartment to shake paws with your cat? Do they know any cool tricks? His questions come just as fast, if not faster, than Jumin's. He just HAS to know the answers. This is the one place where he feels comfortable enough to express himself and not worry about being someone he's not. Saeyoung's mask isn't there when he thinks about being a cat's favorite person. He wants to be the person they want!