About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series One Night Only.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to an age gap, contractual marriage, manipulation, falsified medical records, corruption, gossip, chronic health issues, male pregnancy, ageism, classism, arranged marriage, strained parent-child relationship, death, violence, invasion of privacy, nonconsenting medical procedures, obsession, BDSM, child labor (specifically child acting), attempted abortion/forced miscarriage, blood, and stalking, as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Cha Sia is an alpha heiress. With so much prestige and power to her name comes high expectations from her mother. As the face of her company, she's expected to find and marry a highly compatible omega, bond with them, and then eventually produce heirs of her own. All of this is easier said than done, as Sia has a unique disposition. She was once engaged and bonded to an omega she was raised with since childhood. Unfortunately, they broke up, though under amicable circumstances. While that meant her childhood friend could marry the alpha of his dreams, Sia was left instead with a chronic aversion to any and all omegas.
As a result, Sia has been forced into near solitude, having to go to work hours before she has to be there, leaving hours after she should, and holing herself up at home just to avoid encountering the sickening scent of omega pheromones. This numbing but safe routine can't go on forever, especially when she is expected to attend various public events as the face of her company. At one such public event, after escaping the crowd to hide in her hotel room, someone knocks on her door. Assuming it's her personal doctor or secretary, she answers the door, only to find a young man she doesn't know.
He is Ju Heeyoun, a famous actor and an omega, but for some reason, she isn't repulsed by his pheromones. Things only get more confusing when he propositions her for one night together so he can have a child. Entranced by this odd omega, Sia has no intention of letting him go after just one night. He could just be her cure.
Review:
The art in this is wild. It's very, very inconsistent and sketchy, but some panels will stun you because they are just absolutely gorgeous. Sia, in particular, looks terrifyingly beautiful during scenes where her obsession with Heeyoun completely takes her over. On the other hand, Heeyoun has one of the ugliest ahegao faces I've ever seen. There is a really nice scene of Sia taking Heeyoun in the kitchen. She's drinking some milk while he's bent over a table. It's awesome, but as soon as she goes to pull out, he jerks upward and looks like he's possessed. I cackled. He's super cute, but those moments really pulled me out of the mood in the scene. It's funny but not ideal.
The story is a tale as old as time when it comes to omegaverse: an alpha and omega get together in a transactional relationship. Heeyoun wants a baby, and Sia just wants to bond with an omega and enjoy her life. What I absolutely adore about this series is that it is a relationship between an alpha female and an omega male. It's so rare for me to find omegaverse titles that aren't BL. Even those I have read that are heterosexual have been between an alpha male and an omega female (except for Love is an Illusion! – The Queen, which I'll be reviewing soon if I haven't already by now). Alpha females are unique in that they have a phallus in addition to what is commonly associated with female anatomy. It's a really interesting concept and one I wish we could get more of.
Unfortunately, as much as I love this setup, there isn't much substance or follow-through to really enjoy. Some moments tug on the heartstrings, like when we see the flashback of young Heeyoun claiming he will be an omega so he can be with Sia one day. Or when Sia is doting on a pregnant Heeyoun, but all of this happens at the very end of the story. Most of the backstory and emotion are dumped in at the very end. What backstory we get from the beginning and sprinkled throughout, we don't really ever get to see. It's mentioned in passing or told to us by a third party, but it all feels distant. Some burdensome moments are glanced over, sucking all of the weight out of them. This isn't even fifty episodes long, with no side stories on the horizon. Yet, it tries to shoehorn in a complex relationship with individuals who have painful backstories, along with third parties who have their own backstories and goals. Tie in a pregnancy, a birth, and a marriage, and this is far too much for the short window of time we have. By the end, it just feels hollow, and that's so unfortunate. It needed so much more time.
This isn't necessarily a complaint about the work but about how people categorize it. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this passed around as BL or referenced in conversations regarding BL recommendations, and this just isn't BL in any way. I'm disturbed by the idea that just because Sia is an alpha and, in turn, has a penis, she is considered less than a woman. I don't want to get political, but I personally believe that a person's gender is determined by their own perception of it. I would not consider this BL as it is, and I wish others wouldn't recommend it as one, but here we are. It would be the equivalent of taking something like Love is an Illusion! or Love Shuttle, both omegaverse stories where men can and do get pregnant and call it a hetero manhwa simply because there are men with wombs involved. This isn't BL because Sia identifies as a woman, and that doesn't change whether she's topping, has a penis, or otherwise.
Results:
I enjoyed this, but not because it's a BL. One of the best parts of omegaverse is how it plays with perceptions of gender. This is no exception. I love that we have a female alpha and a male omega. I love that they get pregnant and have children. But it's not perfect. The art isn't ideal; the story feels hollow and rushed, and it ends before it can find the substance to be a satisfying story. Do I think it's worth a read? Yes, but not because it's an amazing or particularly beautiful story. I want more omegaverse with all different genders and pairings. I want to see love in all its forms, and to get more, it has to make money. So, I think it's worth supporting this for more.
Have you read One Night Only? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!