Comment by Nexuseme on Tears on a Withered Flower - Chapter 58

Comment on ChapterTears on a Withered Flower - Chapter 58
Gotta admit, I’m feeling pretty conflicted about this story. I was super into it at first, but now I’m nearly 60 episodes in and I still don’t get the ML’s motivations. And the FL’s development is seriously making me uncomfortable. Instead of growing or gaining independence, she’s just completely submitting to the ML — constantly checking for his messages, making excuses when he ignores her, quitting one of her jobs just to spend more time with him, etc.
And all of that while still doing this weird “I’m too old for you” act. Like… girl, you’re 30. Chill. If she were 55, okay, maybe, but all this drama over being barely in her thirties feels super over-the-top to me.
Funny enough, her ex is actually the most well-written character. He’s awful, but at least I get him.
And this latest episode? Honestly felt kind of pointless, which sucks ‘cause the one before it had so much potential.

6 Replies

@Nexuseme I think she's really realistic, I mean, I'm in my 30s and I think Just like her 😂
@GalaxyPilot I like that she's so realistic. She didn't give enough time between relationships, she's putting all the emotional burden of her previous relationship onto her next one. Very, very common with rebounds. Wanting to do new things and rediscover who you are is also very common after long term relationships, no matter what age.

i think you also need to take into context Korean culture and ageism with that. A woman dating a man ten years her junior immediately after divorce isn't a good look in any culture(not saying it's right, just pointing out how society judges these women), but Korean culture still carries a lot of old-world Asian stigmas about the worth of a women, marriage, children, age, etc.
@Venaldre That’s a really interesting take, and even though I try to keep it in mind, I still find it kind of regressive in the end. Acting like a woman is “old” the moment she hits 30 is just… come on, seriously?
The thing is, it’s not just about her trying new things with the ML or whatever — I actually don’t mind that part. What throws me off is everything else. Her behavior feels childish and inconsistent, and at the same time, I couldn’t even tell you what her personality is. Like, sure, she’s resilient. Cool. But that’s the kind of female character men used to write thirty years ago.
She doesn’t really have much introspection, and when she does, it’s just weird. She keeps saying the ML looks like a kid, treats him like one, even though he really doesn’t give off that vibe at all — and then she sleeps with him right after??
That being said, I totally get where you’re coming from. I guess for me, it just didn’t go deep enough to be convincing
@Nexuseme manhwas like these are hard to read if you aren't of th same mindset as the MC. It's frustrating because you're looking through a lens of an outsider and you want to shake her and tell her how frustrating she is for her character. I'm in my 30s and I'd never let a guy talk to me how she did, I can't imagine how little her self worth was to allow him to call her frumpy, unappealing, etc. she made all these excuses for his behavior because she was so blinded by routine and what she thought was love. She barely gave herself a chance to just live single for a while before clinging onto a new guy (admittedly one who kept stalking her so she probably felt flattered), all the while telling him she's too old for him and she's not interested. It's a bit odd to me as well. She treated him like a child, not a romantic interest and flipped a switch rather fast. I just also know people are complicated and don't all act and behave how I want or expect them to, and the psychological reasons behind those behaviors fascinate me.

at the end of the day a lot of it is dramatic fiction to propel the story forward, sometimes believable, sometimes not. I think ML's character isn't believable for me. His behavior makes no sense to me and his lack of motives to pursue her leave me feeling a bit bored with him. But it also keeps me interested to see what his angle is.