Naomi :
This is going to be in 2 comments: but this story is genuinely so well-written. The more you think about it, the more you realize just how psychologically devastating this situation is, especially for Incheol. I can't imagine how much his conscience must be eating away at him, knowing that Pyeonghwa's mother literally died in his arms. And the heartbreaking part is that, at the time, he had no idea about the child she had left behind, a child who had already been abandoned by an adult who was supposed to protect and care for him, only to end up being physically and psychologically damaged by that very same person. But it also makes you wonder: what if Incheol had never accepted that task? What if Pyeonghwa's mother hadn't died that day? Would any of their lives have turned out differently? It's interesting to think about how one decision, sometimes made without understanding the consequences, can completely alter the course of someone else's life. And I think there's something particularly tragic about Incheol's motivations. He didn't take that task simply because he wanted to hurt someone. He was tired of feeling insignificant, tired of being nothing more than the guy who followed his boss around, lighting cigarettes and doing whatever he was told. He wanted to feel powerful. He wanted to prove that he was somebody, that he was strong, that he wasn't just some obedient dog waiting for someone else's approval.
But look at where he ended up. In trying so desperately to escape being powerless, he became trapped in an entirely different kind of powerlessness. He's practically a puppet, being pulled around by people who know exactly how to use him. And the most unsettling part is that he doesn't even seem to fully recognize how manipulated he has been. There's almost an irony to it: he wanted to become someone who had control over his own life, someone who could finally make others recognize his worth, but instead, he became another person being controlled by someone else's hands. He was so desperate to prove that he was more than a pawn that he never realized he was still being played.
2026-11-01 18:10:26