Melodramatic Asshole Alpha and His Omega Secretary
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Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Kiss Me, Liar.
Content Warning: There may be references to homomisia, sexual assault, power imbalance, social gap, forced bonding, violence, blood, memory loss, noncon (including attempted gang rape), toxic work environments, abusive bosses, cheating, mpreg (male pregnancy), breakups, misuse of medication, slut-shaming, sexism, PTSD, mentions of religion, mentions of beastiality, possible disordered eating, excessive drinking, human experimentation, mentions of confinement, commentary on weight, self-harm, drugging, mentions of abortion, invasion of privacy, gun violence, mentions of cults, kidnapping, suicide, overwork, transphobia, misgendering, and self-deprecation, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Yeonwoo is an omega, but he hasn’t always been. He was actually born and grew up as a beta. He probably would’ve remained that way forever if not for the fateful interaction he had back in college. While watching a polo match, Yeonwoo was able to see the extreme alpha Keith Pittman. Extreme alphas, as the top of the hierarchy, are impossible to ignore, but for Yeonwoo, there is something unique about Keith Pittman. Well, after Keith takes a fall and is carted off to the medical tent, Yeonwoo takes the chance to go see him up close.
This evolves into a near-sexual encounter, as Keith is immediately smitten with Yeonwoo’s looks and begins seducing him. However, once the pants and underwear come off, Keith realizes the beautiful person he has been kissing is actually a man, and, disgusted, ends up chasing Yeonwoo away. Yeonwoo assumes this moment was a fluke and no such thing will ever happen in his average beta life again. That is, until he awakens as an omega. Because he was showered in the pheromones of an extreme alpha, his body responded, and now, he is forever changed by none other than Keith Pittman.
Things get even more complicated when, years later, Yeonwoo ends up as Keith’s direct secretary, forcing him to deal with not only his feelings for Keith but his bodily functions as an omega, too, so he can stay by his beloved alpha’s side. Thankfully, Keith doesn’t seem to recognize Yeonwoo at all, but some part of Yeonwoo hurts all the more because of that. Can Yeonwoo handle being next to the domineering and cruel love of his life? Or will he be better off running away and dealing with the heartbreak later?
Review:
Unfortunately, the art in this is a huge disappointment. It doesn’t start off too badly. Of course, it is inconsistent, which isn’t uncommon, but there are some absolutely beautiful panels early on. However, as it progresses, it becomes more consistent in its inconsistency. It often reaches the point where I would openly call it ugly, which, for me, isn’t necessarily a high bar, but I hate to say it nonetheless. The child, especially with his giant, bulbous head, is visually unappealing to me and appears disproportionately large for his age. This is truly unfortunate to look at, as it steadily falls apart.
But the story isn’t much better. I’ve started many Zig novels, but, unfortunately, they’re all licensed by some unreliable publishers, to put it kindly, so I’ve yet to finish them and thus review them. But I’ve read enough to say with Zig, you know what you’re going to get. Their stories are the toxic playbook. They love nothing more than irredeemable and cruel tops (especially those who refuse to admit they’re anything but straight) with pitiful and hopelessly in love bottoms. If you can’t stand love interests that actively abuse and assault their partners with little to no consequence, nothing by Zig or based on a Zig title is going to be for you, and this title is no exception.
I personally don’t mind some toxicity (I mean, I’m a fan of noncon, and that is beyond toxic), but this is a level of toxicity that delves into absurdity. In Zig‘s omegaverse, there is a hierarchy within alphas and omegas called extremes (think dominants), and these individuals, particularly the alphas, are perceived as monsters. They can murder and rape openly with zero consequence because they are extreme alphas. It’s so wild and beyond my suspension of disbelief that I almost laugh while reading it. This is not a comedy, mind you, so that is certainly not a compliment. It is painfully corny at many points, and I think the best description is if Hallmark made toxic romance and action movies. This especially hurts because this has mpreg and some child-rearing later on, which I love, but within the context of this story, it isn’t enjoyable at all.
When I read the volumes of the novels that were available, I seem to remember enjoying the story much more than I did in manhwa form. I think part of that is because the pacing of the manhwa (this version) is awful. There are moments where it fades to black, and then the very next scene is somewhere else, some time else, with little context as to how or why we’re there. Sure, novels are typically longer than their visual medium adaptations, but the amount that has been cut out and how the story is then stitched back together makes the reading experience worse than what I remember experiencing in the novel. Granted, the quality of a translated novel is heavily reliant on the translator, and that does play a role in the manhwa adaptation as well, with both story editors and translators involved. However, there is only so much I can forgive, and this goes a step too far.
Results:
This goes beyond disappointment. Admittedly, I try to refrain from saying things are just awful, terrible, or on my hate list because, inevitably, as time passes, things may not be as bad as they initially seemed or were on a subsequent read or reread. However, having started the novel version and read this version approximately three times now, I am pretty confident that I will always dislike this. The story pacing is bad, it is terribly melodramatic, and the poor, inconsistent art is just the cherry on top of this shitty cake. I would not recommend this at all, unless you’re desperate for some toxic omegaverse content; however, there are much better options available. I’m just glad I never have to look at this series again (though, if the novel series ever gets fully released, you can be sure I’ll review that, too).
Have you read Kiss Me, Liar? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
