Bottom is Sandwiched Between Dom and Sub
About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Salty & Sweet.
Content Warning: There may be references to breakups, manipulation, violence, BDSM, age gap, mentions of homomisia, strained familial relationship, kink-shaming, social gap, power imbalance, sex work (person has sex in exchange for a place to stay), blood, bullying, mentions of cheating, mentions of divorce, child neglect, gossiping, blackmail, self-deprecation, mentions of incest, mentions of suicide, gossiping, co-dependence, disownment, and overwork, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Please note that this is not a dom/sub-universe or biokink title, but it does have BDSM elements.
Nanho is rich and has a very pretty boyfriend. Looks are really the only requirement Nanho has for a partner, and he’s got it with his hot live-in boyfriend, Myungjoo. Everything should be smooth sailing. But Nanho’s perfect relationship isn’t as perfect as it seems when Myungjoo tells him that he thinks they should break up. Nanho can’t fathom why. He’s rich, pays for everything, and Nanho even goes out of his way to act differently just to keep Myungjoo happy. So, why?
Well, unfortunately, Myungjoo is displeased with their sex life. Horrified and pissed, Nanho is ready to move on, but in a fit of rage, he puts down and humiliates Myungjoo. As soon as he’s done, Myungjoo decides they should stay together because nothing has turned him on more than Nanho demeaning him. Nanho, disgusted, wants nothing to do with this situation, but as a sucker for a pretty face, he can’t bring himself to kick out Myungjoo. So they begin a weird situationship.
Later on, while out and about, Nanho thinks he sees Myungjoo out on the street. When he approaches the person, it turns out it isn’t Myungjoo but his handsome older brother Su-an. Su-an happens to have a similar type as Myungjoo and actively starts pursuing Nanho. Nanho is pretty sure this is his chance to kick Myungjoo to the curb and get with this new guy. But this man has his own unique sexual preference: he likes dominating his partners. Now, Nanho is stuck between a sub and a dom, and he finds himself enjoying both more and more.
Review:
The art in this is pretty. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly unique and can be inconsistent at times, but it’s generally very pretty. With it being black and white, it feels much more like a manga than a manhwa, and even the style feels more manga-esque to me, but that’s not a detractor, in my opinion. One major issue I do have is the designs of Myungjoo and Su-an. They’re supposed to be brothers, but they look nothing alike. That isn’t the problem, though. The problem is that Su-an and Nanho meet because he mistakes Su-an for Myungjoo. Nanho is a knucklehead, for sure, but I can’t imagine in what world Su-an would ever be mistaken for Myungjoo. It’s a small thing, but it’s a significant event in the series, and I feel it’s worth mentioning.
Now, on to the story. As much as I love poly scenarios, especially in this case since it is essentially a switch bottom between a dom top and a sub top, Myungjoo is pretty lame. As the established couple, I would’ve expected much more chemistry between Nanho and Myungjoo. Of course, Myungjoo initiates a break up which pisses off Nanho, and he has to work his way back into his good graces, but it never seems like he ever reaches the level of being a partner to Nanho again. Sure, Nanho is dominant in their relationship, but the humiliation and domination don’t feel like they ever become something Nanho likes to do. Even when Myungjoo says he wants to watch Su-an and Nanho have sex as some cuckoldry kink, it never feels like that’s what he actually wants, either.
Admittedly, it probably doesn’t help that I am so freaking attracted to Su-an. The chemistry between him and Su-an is palpable. Plus, unlike the lackluster kink enjoyment between Myungjoo and Nanho, Nanho seems to really like Su-an’s domination. Unfortunately, this has the side effect of Myungjoo being more of an annoying fly than a real partner. I was honestly looking forward to Nanho choosing Su-an and moving on just so more time wasn’t spent on Myungjoo’s lackluster side of things. But the love triangle resolves with them all living together, having sex together, and Nanho living his best life. Love that for him, but I would’ve liked a better sub top in this scenario.
Really, all of the smut and relationship drama is pretty fun. It’s silly and petty, and with Nanho being the spoiled, airheaded bottom flitting between the two, it can be as annoying as it is fun, but if you want a reasonable and in-depth story to go along with the silly relationship drama, you might be disappointed. Lots of intense topics are brought up, such as abandonment issues with Nanho and his family and homomisia with Myungjoo’s family, but they’re hardly explored beyond explanations as to why these two do some of the things they do. I would’ve loved some time spent exploring their backgrounds and especially seeing Nanho grow from his issues with abandonment. Just like how the relationship with Myungjoo feels half-hearted, so do these issues.
Results:
I am desperate for more poly scenarios. I also would love some good switch bottoms and especially some good sub tops, and I was so excited to see this one. Unfortunately, the sub top and dom bottom side of this poly scenario is half-hearted at best. Plus, the key character backgrounds are mentioned but hardly explored. I want so much more from this, but it ends before we can really dig in and get some good stuff out of it. If you want silly relationship drama with threesomes and BDSM smut, this is a winner, but if you’re looking for a good story to go along with it, this isn’t for you.
Have you read Salty & Sweet? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!