@Tamagowaiiyo I love you view on this too for me Ian's love for tj got mixed with so many things that the least I would call it love personally. Ian's emotions straying at chsp 24 might be bcuz if the lingering love for tj. ian actually doesn't mind what tj did to him and indeed stayed in the gang for tj, he put up with it but it destroyed his dream and left him as a monster only if he left when he had the moment he wouldn't murdered someone but he stayed cuz he did love tj.i think after the murder he felt his emotions ain't normal and 2 years prison gave the time to think about this 3-4years distance to make tj stable without him while ian find a way to cut ties with gang while still be there for tj. I think ian didn't mind what tj did was connected to tj's scar like he uttered the same thing as tj did when he got scar " I didn't want to anyway " that's also the guilt ian tied with tj that makes this 3-4 years plan hard to work but seeing this ian is love with the past tj who didn't change which isnt the case now like u said tj hurting jo might be the last straw to break the illusion of the how tj used to be, who ian had in mind and can't abandon.(remember when ian used his hands to hide tj scar)
im sorry i kinda confused on the first sentence( eng is not my first language) "that the least I would call it love personally." is it at least i would call it love even tho it mixed with other thing right? 😂sorry for studying english right now😂 i agree on the guilt as well but forgot to mention it earlier. Like i said i dont think it just pure love in their relationship, guilty codependency jealousy is definitely mixed in it what i tried to say and people got mad at me is that ian still love Tj because i think he still do but not because Ian love who he TJ now but more like because Ian still love Tj in the past and since at the end Tj in the past and TJ is the same person. It will be hard for Ian to stop loving him. I mean if they really reading the story they would know and i just state the obvious fact, tbh what im writhing right now, is not my thought alone(that would be impossible)
i have to say that after reading your comment i immediately know that u really read it and put logic than emotion in your comment!