In your last post you tagged it with "this is why Suwon's illness is a great plot twist" (and I absolutely agree). But I really want you to expand on this! Were there hints you noticed early on in the manga, in your opinion why does it work, etc.? (sorry if you've already made a text post about this subject and I didn't notice;;;)
I believe I did make a post or talk about it, but that was back when itâs was revealed, so itâs been a bit. But to review, I think it works as a plot twist because it has been hinted at for a really long time.
1. He has been pointedly and deliberately avoided talk of marriage and having an heir, and this is something that was established pretty early in the manga. His only stated reason for this? âIt will take too long.â
2. Waaaay back as far as Awa, heâs expressed a fatalistic worldview that his reign will be cut short/his own death is incoming. âDo you want to kill me? Itâs only natural that you do. But I cannot die right now.â âIt is not my desire to sit upon the throne.â etc. A lot of the little things Suwon has said over the years indicates that he doesnât see himself living long for whatever reason.
3. The only thing we knew about Yong-hi before this arc was a) her name b) that she was ill. The weird thing about it is that this detail, up until now, served no narrative utility, as Suwonâs motherâs illness has little to no bearing on Suwonâs character. He has no arc about dealing with that grief, it doesnât seem to motivate him in any way... it was for the longest time just this highly specific unused plot point. Obviously, it had some utility that hadnât been revealed yet, because Kusa continually reminded us of this detail over the years the series has been going on.
4. That mother who we knew nothing about aside from her illness? Suwon clearly takes after her, given that he looks absolutely nothing like his father.
5. Suwon is largely unfazed by every dragonâs power... except Zenoâs, which he longingly laments that it sounds nice. None of the flashy powers interested him but immortality and invulnerability did. Gee, I wonder why?
All these details, the earliest of which was established way back in chapter 4, paint a pretty specific picture. People have been theorizing the possibility that Suwon is ill for years now for a reason, so I highly disagree with the assertion that it âcame out of nowhereâ. The hints have always been there. And hey, I get that some people love Suwon and donât want the possibility of him dying. Thatâs fine, it sucks when your favourite character gets what is practically a meta death-sentence. But itâs not a bad/sudden twist, it was built-up and hinted at for years and Iâm inclined to believe it was Kusaâs intention all along.
