BL Library - Eve’s Faves

Manhwa Review | Angel Buddy by MasterGin

Title: Angel Buddy

Author(s): MasterGin

Artist(s): Chungnyun

Sooho can see ghosts. Unfortunately, he's one of the few who can, and as a result, all manner of creatures that go bump in the night show up to bug him. Since he is the only one who can see them, he is a social pariah among his classmates. However, it becomes even harder to look normal when an angel named Taker appears before him. Angels can see souls, and Sooho happens to have an extremely powerful soul. Naturally, Taker would love to harvest Sooho's soul, but Taker's days of soul-harvesting are over, and now he wants nothing more than to sate his curiosities and live among humans.

Unwilling to let anyone have Sooho's soul, Taker makes him an offer: let me be your bodyguard. Taker will help keep the ghosts at bay, and in exchange, Taker gets to hang around Sooho. While this is all fine and dandy at first, Sooho's soul begins to attract more than just ghosts. Angels and demigods alike are drawn to Sooho, so it's more important than ever for Taker to stick around. Over time, though, Taker's curiosity grows into something much stronger, and even Sooho finds himself drawn to Taker. What could grow between an angel and a human?

Title: Sweat and Soap

Author(s): Kintetsu Yamada

Artist(s): Kintetsu Yamada

Asako works at a toiletry manufacturing company in the finance department, which is convenient since she struggles with something that makes life pretty tricky: sweat. Asako sweats much more than average, so she has to be extra hygienic to avoid smelling out in public. Even with her above-average hygiene habits, though, Asako still finds herself stressing over her smell. As a child, she was relentlessly bullied for sweating, and that trauma has carried over into her adulthood. So, her days are spent in constant anxiety and fear over getting too close to those around her and becoming the laughingstock of her peers due to her hygiene.

Her fears come to a head when the lead product developer Kotaro Natori at work approaches her in the lobby because of her smell. He has an unnaturally strong sense of smell because he develops the soaps their company produces, and Asako's scent is particularly strong to him. However, he doesn't dislike her smell at all. Instead, he is inspired by it, and he desperately needs Asako's odor to inspire him for the upcoming Winter line of soaps he is preparing to present. Though Asako wants to do anything but let Kotaro smell her all day, for the company's sake, she agrees to let Kotaro smell her at the office daily. It's not long, though, before Kotaro is drawn to Asako for more than just her smell, and even Asako is beginning to enjoy these sniff sessions a bit more than she expected.

Title: You Jin

Author(s): Fujoking

Artist(s): Fujoking

You Jin isn't the brightest bulb in the box, but even he finds it a bit weird when his female childhood friend Lee Sejin turns up on his doorstep, claiming to have contracted a potentially fatal disease with the convenient side effect of switching his gender. Sejin has been living his life as a man since the change but has run into some trouble with his gaggle of girlfriends. So he begs Jin to take him in until he can figure out what to do with his life moving forward. Of course, Jin is suspicious but lets Sejin stay with him all the same.

Once Sejin establishes himself in Jin's life, he asks him for one more favor: help him grant his last wish. Naturally, Jin isn't unwilling to help until Sejin tries to kiss him. As it turns out, Sejin's last wish is a bit more than Jin realized. How far is Jin willing to go to help a childhood friend, if that even is who this person actually is?

Title: Pink Heart Jam

Author(s): Shikke

Artist(s): Shikke

Haiga is experiencing many firsts. It is his first time in college, it is his first time living in the city away from his rural home, and it is his first time faced with his sexuality. While touring his campus for the first time, Haiga sees Kanae, a beautiful man and Haiga's upperclassman. Haiga is immediately attracted to him, but he isn't sure if he simply admires Kanae or if he really is attracted to him as a man. Without any real reason to find out, Haiga is left on his own to wonder.

That is until his peers give him money to visit a box spa after a night of drinking. However, this particular box spa is located in the gay district, which Haiga uses to his advantage to help answer the question: does he like men or not? Of course, Haiga doesn't expect that the person servicing him is none other than Kanae. So, this is a chance for Haiga to discover his sexuality and determine if his feelings for Kanae are more than simple admiration for his upperclassman. While he is figuring that out, another question lingers in the back of Haiga's mind: how does Kanae feel about him?

Title: Sign

Author(s): Ker

Artist(s): Ker

Kang Soohwa's life isn't all that great right now. He has almost no money left in his bank account, his laptop is broken, and he doesn't have a job. So, to better his situation, he goes out on the hunt for a job, trying to find someone with free WiFi so he can apply to jobs on his phone. The moment he does find a connection, though, he is hosed down by a strange man on the balcony of a cafe. Absolutely shocked by his terrible luck, he passes out.

When he wakes up, he's in the cafe, and the strange man is looking over him with an equally odd little man beside him. It turns out they are workers at Cafe Goyo – Yohan is the owner who sprayed Soohwa down, and Gyoon is an employee helping out. As retribution for being assaulted with a water hose, Soohwa begs for a part-time job at the cafe. At first, Gyoon refuses, but after some desperate persuasion from Soohwa and some pitying tears from Yohan, Gyoon relents.

On his first day, Soohwa tries to communicate with Yohan only to discover that Yohan is deaf. However, that isn't the only thing Soohwa learns. It turns out that Soohwa is attracted to Yohan's voice, which, of course, makes working together incredibly awkward. So, to avoid more embarrassing scenarios, Soohwa makes it a point to learn sign language, but he has to learn from Yohan. So Soohwa must do his best to learn sign language from Yohan without ever hearing his voice. Easier said than done. What would Yohan think if he found out about Soohwa's weird fetish?

Title: Salad Days

Author(s): Jing Shuibian

Jiang Shen is a poor boy in a rural village. He spends his days playing with friends out in the rice paddy fields, helping his father work the fields, chasing wild chickens, and fishing. The most time he ever spends in the city is when his mother takes the vegetable harvest to sell. While his mother is busy in the city, Jiang Shen usually spends his time exploring the Children's Center, where he stumbles upon a ballet class. The teacher catches him looking and invites him in, where she discovers he may have an innate talent for ballet. It isn't long before Jiang Shen's focus goes from his idyllic village days to something much larger and grander.

On the other end of the spectrum is Bai Jinyi. He comes from a filthy rich family and wants for nothing. He spends his days training at the Children's Center in boxing, with his goal being to go international and win the gold belt. However, while attending training one day, an unusual sight catches his eye: a little boy among a gaggle of girls in a ballet class. Inexplicably, Bai Jinyi becomes drawn to this little boy, and for once in his life, Jiang Shen is the one thing he wants, even more than boxing.

They say the rich never box and the poor never dance. Yet, Jiang Shen and Bai Jinyi are set to defy those odds. As the two grow and change and their dreams grow more and more focused, the one thing that keeps them tethered together is their growing feelings for each other. So, can these happy days continue for two boys whose paths would never have crossed otherwise? And can they grasp their dreams while holding onto each other?

Title: The Devil's Temptation

Author(s): Youn

Artist(s): Youn

All Hyun of the owl tribe wants out of life is yummy food, comfy furniture, and never having to leave the house. But unfortunately, he has to work to survive. To keep up with his corporate job, he has to attend the holiday party at the end of the year. What makes it worse is his archnemesis from the snake tribe, Ivan, is there and makes it a point to tease Hyun as much as he can. To survive the night, Hyun drinks himself into a tizzy, only to embarrass himself in front of the director of the company and his crush from the snake tribe, Alek. Thankfully, Hyun doesn't have to suffer the party for too long as he passes out.

When he wakes up, not only is he in bed with Ivan, but he has a weird mark on his neck. This is an imprint specific to the snake tribe that binds the marker to the marked so that the marked craves physical intimacy with their marker. It's okay, though, because there is a cure, but it could take months to develop, and in the meantime, Hyun could experience flu-like symptoms… or possibly go blind if he doesn't get enough pheromones from Ivan. The worst part, though, is that the mark also attracts other members of the snake tribe and him to them, so he has to juggle intimacy with his enemy Ivan and try to keep from pouncing on his crush and boss Alek, too.

Can an owl like Hyun survive in the snake pit? And even if Hyun does survive, what does this new level of intimacy mean for his relationship with Ivan and Alek? Do they only like him for the mark, or is there something more?

Title: Oh! My Assistant

Author(s): MILA

Artist(s): AngryMonster

Seonho is a talented adult webtoon artist. Unfortunately, though, he cannot get it up because he spends all of his time drawing naked people. If this isn't distressing enough, he finds himself overwhelmed by all the deadlines and work associated with the life of a webtoon artist. To alleviate at least one of his problems, he hires an assistant named Muyeong. Not only is this guy astute, talented, and makes work more manageable, but he unexpectedly fixes another of Seonho's problems. Muyeong turns Seonho on!

Unfortunately, it seems Muyeong is the only thing that turns on Seonho. Still, Seonho can't approach him because Muyeong made it clear in his interview that he is not interested in forging any personal or intimate relationships at work. That boundary doesn't seem to hold up, though, when one evening, after drinking together, Muyeong and Seonho end up kissing. Naturally, Seonho counts this as a win, but it's a big surprise when Muyeong brushes it off as if nothing happened. What's worse, though, is that Muyeong already has a boyfriend! So what did their kiss mean?

Seonho wants Muyeong, but he also doesn't want to lose his amazing assistant. So, can the two find the balance and become more than just coworkers? Or will Seonho's pushing ultimately push Muyeong away as both his assistant and potential partner?

Title: Love is an Illusion!

Author(s): Fargo

Artist(s): Fargo

Hye-sung is an alpha. Er, or at least he thinks he is an alpha. However, that belief quickly goes down the drain while Hye-sung is working at a party and runs into the dominant alpha and musician, Dojin. After being exposed to Dojin's pheromones, Hye-sung goes into heat. Dojin tries to take care of Hye-sung and save him from himself as the newly awakened omega tries to throw himself on a few alphas. Dojin whisks Hye-sung away to a hotel where Hye-sung rants and raves that there is no way he could be an omega. Finally, Dojin, flustered by Hye-sung's pheromones and frustrated by Hye-sung's delusional beliefs, proves to Hye-sung that he is indeed an omega… physically.

After the dirty deed, Dojin realizes that he actually enjoyed it even though he supposedly hates omegas because of the notion that omegas and alphas have to be together. Even more distressing is that Dojin follows up their encounter by writing a song that his peers say is his best work yet. Believing it is just a coincidence, he runs into Hye-sung again, and they have another steamy encounter that not only results in another great song but something neither of them expects: a baby.

Hye-sung wants to get rid of the baby while Dojin intends to keep it, but more importantly, he now desperately wants to hang on to Hye-sung. They make a deal together where Dojin will pay Hye-sung to carry the baby to term, and Dojin will assume full parental responsibilities. Hye-sung will finally be financially comfortable, and he won't have to be a mother. Still, Dojin plans on doing anything he can to talk Hye-sung into raising their baby together. The problem is he only has the span of Hye-sung's pregnancy to do it.

Title: Yagi the Bookshop Goat

Author(s): Fumi Furukawa

Artist(s): Fumi Furukawa

In this world, herbivores and carnivores live amicably, though this is primarily because they live in separate zones – one catering to herbivores, the other to carnivores. However, even if you are an herbivore, it doesn't mean you'll be treated fairly in the section for herbivores. This is the unfortunate case for Yagi, a goat who wants nothing more than to work at a bookshop. However, like most goats, Yagi has the habit of eating paper, which doesn't work out too well for his employers.

Unable to get a job at any herbivore bookshop, Yagi goes where he shouldn't: a carnivore bookshop managed by a wolf named Ookami. Ookami gives Yagi a job, and while Yagi does eat a book on occasion, Ookami scolds him but lets him work there all the same. Yagi thinks it is simply because Ookami is kind, but there is something more behind the wolf's good deeds. Not only does he have a complicated past, but he might see Yagi as more than just an employee.

Eve’s Faves

Manhwa Review | Angel Buddy by MasterGin

Manga Review | Sweat and Soap by Kintetsu Yamada

Manhwa Review | You Jin by Fujoking

Manga Review | Pink Heart Jam by Shikke

Manhwa Review | Sign by Ker

Manhwa Review | The Devil’s Temptation by Youn

Manhwa Review | Oh! My Assistant by MILA

Manga Review | Yagi the Bookshop Goat by Fumi Furukawa

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