About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series My Way with You.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to suicidal ideation, suicide, family death, blood, implied overdose, and devastating car accident as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Giran doesn't care about most things anymore. Since his father's suicide as a child, Giran has been raised by his grandmother, who devoted her entire being to raising him all on her own. As a result, Giran feels wholly indebted to her and spends his whole life working hard so he can one day pay her back for everything he has received from her. Unfortunately, though, Giran's grandmother passes away at home alone during his work. Wracked with guilt for leaving her to pass away alone and being unable to fulfill the many promises he made to her, Giran's life and goals fall by the wayside. He spends his days simply going through the motions, unable to move on with his life.
That is, until one day, he is at a club and catches the eye of a beautiful man named Seon-gyeong. The two have this immediate connection and magnetism that Giran can't seem to shake. Somehow, they are constantly and inexplicably drawn to each other until they finally spend day after day together. Without any official declaration from either of them, they end up living together and spending more time together than they do doing anything else. But, as time goes on and their flame and passion fail to wane, it is clear something darker is pulling them together. Where did Seon-gyeong come from, and why is Giran so drawn to him?
Review:
First off, this will look short based on the episode count on Lezhin, but it is not as short as it seems. It's only four episodes (1 prologue episode, 2 main story episodes, and 1 epilogue episode). Still, each episode is probably three times the length of a regular manhwa episode in other series because multiple episodes have been combined into single episodes. Now, that still makes this a shorter series, but it is much longer than it may seem based on its organization on Lezhin. I feel some people might be dissuaded from reading this due to the length and the cost of each episode, but I promise you it is worth it. This is now in my top five, and it might even be my absolute favorite because it is equally beautiful in both story and artwork.
If you are a fan of A Thousand Cranes and Rain Again, then I imagine you will love this, too. However, My Way with You has much better artwork and is not as censored, so if you really wished those elements had been present in A Thousand Cranes and Rain Again, then look no further. This is absolutely gorgeous. Both of our male leads are handsome and sensual in their own ways, though much like Giran, I am a sucker for a pretty face, and Seon-gyeong is as pretty as they come. Plus, the fact that the prettiest of the two, Seon-gyeong, is the top is just everything. I love it when the pretty one is the top, and since they are both so attractive, every scene of sexy time is some of the sexiest there is.
I could go on and on about how beautiful this series is, but where it really shines is how the story is organized. Giran and Seon-gyeong get together almost immediately, and from there, we are blessed with fluffy and sexy moments as their relationship flourishes. However, amid all the flowers and steamy times, there is an undercurrent of something darker that we are given in chunks as their relationship progresses. It's so satisfying seeing their coupling be so successful, only to find that it is based on hate from Seon-gyeong, which is where the tag for enemies to lovers comes from. This is not your standard enemies-to-lovers story, as you don't even realize they start as enemies until the story's big twist: Seon-gyeong met Giran long ago in the hospital. Giran helped rescue Seon-gyeong from a suicide attempt.
This story is short, but it is so well-crafted and beautifully told that if it had been even a single episode longer, I don't know that it would have been nearly as impactful or successful. The way we are piecemealed their backgrounds until the end, where it is revealed that Seon-gyeong's love originated from hate and vengeance, is so satisfying and really sets up the foundation for how intertwined and fated their lives are together. If Giran hadn't been there, Seon-gyeong would have died. Then, if Seon-gyeong hadn't hunted down Giran, Giran might have never moved on with his life. They saved each other. I love this so, so much, and I am beyond jealous that I didn't come up with this story first because it is just so beautifully told. If you don't read anything else, read this manhwa. It is so, so good.
Results:
This is fluffy, sexy, and sad all at once. It is really a story of two broken people who save each other when they need each other the most, and it is so satisfying that I can't recommend it enough. I know it is much more expensive per episode than most other series on Lezhin, but I promise it is worth every penny. It's gorgeous, and that is worth the money to me, but for it to have such a strong story, too? It's so worth everything I spent on it and then some. Plus, their sex scenes are perfect. You don't want to miss out on those, either.
Have you read My Way with You? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!