BL Library - Mental Illness / Mental Health Condition

Manhwa Review | My Suha by Chahyun

Title: My Suha

Author(s): Chahyun

Artist(s): Chahyun

As his name “Suha” suggests, Lee Suha is a phenomenal secretary for the talented and dependable Director Park Jiwoon. Unfortunately, no matter how good Director Park is at his job, his role within the family that runs the company prevents him from obtaining the accolades and positions he should. Suha knows just how hard it would be for his boss to fight his way up, having been raised alongside the Director as a family friend. Though it seems impossible, Suha is happy to work alongside the Director and makes every effort he can to ensure his boss can succeed.

When Suha isn't working, though, he's on the hunt for sex partners. Due in part to a toxic sexual relationship he had when he was younger, Suha is wary about getting into anything serious. However, finding new casual partners to meet his needs becomes more challenging over time. One night, while out on the prowl in a gay bar, Suha ends up with another disappointing hookup in the men's bathroom. Ready to leave and call the night a wash, he bumps into someone he never expected: Director Park.

With their secret night lives exposed, Director Park opens up to his most trusted secretary, suggesting that they should fulfill their needs with each other. Suha has always thought Director Park was attractive, and this offer is almost too good to pass up. But Suha knows mixing business and pleasure isn't the best idea. Can Suha control his urgers? Or will lust and curiosity get the better of him? And if it does, what does that mean for his job and relationship with Director Park?

Title: Tenth Time's the Charm

Author(s): gom

Artist(s): orang

Hyunwoo is doing everything he can to get by. As a poor college student with chronic health issues, including amnesia and fainting spells, it's hard to make ends meet, much less to keep a job. Unfortunately, his situation comes to a head when he returns home to find his door locked, his stuff sitting outside, and a note from the landlord kicking him out. With nowhere else to go, Hyunwoo heads out to the street with his few belongings, trying to determine his next course of action.

While out on the street, Hyunwoo comes upon a flyer looking to hire someone with room and board provided at a garden-themed cafe named The Flower Garden of Memory. As a lover of flowers and plants and needing a home, Hyunwoo has no intention of letting the opportunity pass him by. He heads straight to the cafe, only to discover the owner is someone he already knows. The night before, while at a bar, Hyunwoo saw the owner, Hansung, kissing another man in the alleyway. They both are stunned to see each other again. As if his chances of getting the job aren't already bad enough, he passes out after smelling what Hyunwoo can only assume is Hansung.

Needless to say, when he wakes up, he's pretty sure he's lost the job. But after Hyunwoo begs, and coincidentally after he mentions his love of hydrangeas, Hansung gives him a chance. So begins Hyunwoo's new job at the cafe. But it's not all flowers and coffee; the longer he works there, the more he learns about his past and how Hansung might have been part of it. His memory seems to be intrinsically tied to this garden of memory.

Title: A Painter Behind the Curtain

Author(s): MUNAMU

Artist(s): MUNAMU

Ian is a prolific artist, but no one knows it. His artwork is sold for high prices, prized in exhibitions, and hanging on the walls of some of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom. Yet, Ian lives in squalor, starved and frail. He is a prolific artist, but he doesn't even know it. Ian has had a talent for art since childhood but was forbidden from pursuing his passion due to his family's low standing and poverty. Unfortunately, his work is noticed by a noble, the head of the Bardi family, a family of prolific artists. Bardi wants Ian and is willing to pay a premium for the child.

Unable to decline his offer, Ian's family sells him off to the Bardi family; all the while, Ian is being lured with promises of being able to paint to his heart's content. Ian sees this as a dream come true until the reality of his situation comes crashing down on top of him. Ian has been enslaved. He's kept in a closet where he is broken and beaten, trained relentlessly in the techniques of painting until he can do so without any reference. Once he's completed a painting, the second son of the Bardi family, without any talent for the arts, signs his name to the piece, passing it off as one of his own.

Ian can't even dream of anything beyond this torturous horror he's trapped in, the only comfort being that he can still paint. That is until a mysterious and eager merchant named Raymond comes by, requesting a portrait from the Bardi family. Raymond's coin is all the Bardi family cares about, but once Raymond sees Ian, Ian is all Raymond seems to care about.

Title: Vargoth's Magical Toys

Author(s): sodapie

Artist(s): sodapie

Eunwoo only has one goal: to become a viral vlogger. Unfortunately, there's not much to see or do to go viral in his small, rural town. To add insult to injury, with the appearance of portals to other worlds, numerous magic shops and magic items are making their way into Eunwoo's world. But out in the country, Eunwoo can only long for them as he watches other vloggers review them on the very platform he's trying to gain fame on. He would love nothing more than to leave his small town, but with no job and, in turn, no money, that is an impossibility. It's a painful reality that Eunwoo is currently stuck in.

Desperate to make a change, Eunwoo looks for a job that won't jeopardize the time he spends on his videos but pays well enough so he can start saving for the future he longs for. To his surprise, while on the hunt, he discovers a new magic shop has opened in his small town! Seeing this as a sign and an amazing opportunity, Eunwoo jumps at the chance. But when he turns up to the shop, expecting magic and intrigue, he finds the magic… but it's in the form of sex toys. This wasn't at all what he expected.

But the pay is right; the job is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and his boss, Arte Vargoth, is a charmer in more ways than one. While it isn't what Eunwoo expected, this is the first step to his ideal future.

Title: Royal Servant

Author(s): MasterGin

Artist(s): Chungnyun

Kyon is looking for a job. One of the most lucrative positions out there is the position of a “servant,” which means working under someone with royal blood. While the royals look like regular humans, they are much more than that. Royals are almost invincible. They have superhuman strength and speed, are nearly immortal, and can even manifest supernatural powers. They are Gods among men, and with vast estates from their prestigious and long-lived lineages, they need as many servants as possible.

One such royal is Selvior Lucaon. Lucaon is looking to hire a servant, and Kyon happens to be that lucky one. Lucaon puts his mark around Kyon's neck, allowing Lucaon to control and monitor Kyon at his leisure. Lucaon is a cold and particular master, meticulous in how he expects his household to be managed, and he seems to despise the servants working for him. Despite this, Kyon is desperate to tear down the walls Lucaon has built around himself, even when it leads to punishment.

While Lucaon and Kyon struggle with their relationship as master and servant, a group of creatures known as Zeros are popping up everywhere, threatening the lives of everyone around them. As Kyon's devotion to his master grows, so too does the threat of the Zeros.

Title: Love Bite

Author(s): LAMYO

Artist(s): LAMYO

Lee Shinwoo is a kept man. His boyfriend Sebin is well-off and doting, doing everything he can to make Shinwoo happy, though it doesn't necessarily align with his preferences. Unfortunately, no matter what Sebin does, he can't satisfy Shinwoo on one particular front: sex. It's not for lack of trying. Shinwoo just has a particular kink in that he wants harsh and humiliating BDSM. But no matter how much Sebin tries, he just can't make himself cruel enough to satisfy Shinwoo. Sebin loves Shinwoo, but Shinwoo just needs more than love.

This particular kink didn't just come out of nowhere. Shinwoo developed this insatiable need for BDSM from a scarring moment in high school. Shinwoo was in love with his best friend at the time, Taesoo. He longed for Taesoo but couldn't bring himself to confess. Unable to withhold his growing lust but unwilling to wait to be with Taesoo, Shinwoo starts an illicit relationship with his art teacher. Unfortunately, while having oral sex in the classroom, Taesoo ends up walking in on them. Seeing Shinwoo in this comprising situation, Taesoo is disgusted and ends up calling Shinwoo a whore before breaking all ties with Shinwoo.

While Shinwoo was hurt and missed Taesoo, being demeaned like that by his first love awoke this need to be put down and humiliated in bed. Unfortunately, Shinwoo has yet to find a partner to sate these needs until he runs into Taesoo at a school reunion. Shinwoo already has a committed partner, but with his first love in front of him, who also seems willing to give in to Shinwoo's preferences, Shinwoo struggles to fight against temptation.

Title: Perfectly Broken Love

Author(s): SUMA

Artist(s): SUMA

Ma Dongjae loves BL. He reads everything he can get his hands on and swoons over the romantic storylines, hoping to have his own happily ever after someday. Unfortunately, he seems to only be attracted to straight men. Even worse, most of the time, these men turn out to be bigots, so when he confesses, they respond in the worst ways possible. Thankfully, Dongjae isn't one to take any insults sitting down. He has no problem putting assholes in their place, but the latest instance ends up happening in a very public place, drawing the attention of someone nearby. While Dongjae is mourning another horrible rejection in private, the “someone” who happened to see it all go down follows Dongjae.

There, the stranger wastes no time coming on to Dongjae, letting Dongjae know that he's gay and is more than willing to be with Dongjae. Dongjae is beyond turned off by this man's persistence. Thankfully, Dongjae gets away from the pervert without much trouble. Unfortunately, attending his new class, it turns out the stranger is in the same class. Dongjae is trying to come up with some way of dropping out of the class when one of their classmates brings up the recent public rejection Dongjae just experienced. Dongjae is uncomfortable, ready to get into another fight if need be, when Tae-jun, the stranger, jumps in, telling the classmate off for bringing up something like that in class.

Tae-jun seems like a completely different person, and Dongjae finds himself attracted to this new version. But when Dongjae tries to get close, Tae-jun appears to want nothing to do with him, completely counter to what Dongjae experienced only a short time prior. After spending time with each different variation of “Tae-jun,” Dongjae learns that Tae-jun has DID, and while Tae-oh, the personality that initially hit on Dongjae, is gay, Tae-jun, the personality Dongjae actually likes, is not. Brokenhearted, Dongjae is preparing to move on when Tae-oh makes him an offer: I'll help you with Tae-jun if you let me touch you. It's an uncomfortable offer, but one that Dongjae is tempted to accept, imagining all of those BL happily ever afters.

Title: Wails of the Bound ;β

Author(s): Keri Kusabi

Artist(s): Keri Kusabi

This is the sequel to Wails of the Bound.

No longer feeling compelled to protect his chief anymore, Miyabi, having finally met his alpha partner and being marked, Shingo Utou decides to take a promotion, putting him into the chief position of division two. Utou hopes his time of pining after and protecting omegas, who could never love him in return because he's a beta, is finally over for the foreseeable future, but then he meets the new hire: Sumito Sasabe.

Sasabe is an omega, and though he's not planning on disclosing his secondary gender at work, he has to disclose it to his bosses. Sasabe hates being an omega, as any success he has is always attributed to his ability to seduce and pleasure. But he hates betas even more as they can do nothing for him, unable to mark him and protect him from other alphas, so he'd rather hate them so he doesn't mistakenly fall in love with one.

Utou is having flashbacks of working with Miyabi, and after talking to his boss, it's clear that the intent of hiring Sasabe is to replace Miyabi and what he offered the company: his body. Utou has no intention of seeing another omega be used by clients again. But every time Utou tries to help, Sasabe sees him as just another predator trying to take advantage of him. Still, as time goes on and the two grow closer and closer, they find themselves falling for each other. But Sasabe's role in the company is already becoming that of a sex worker, and he's desperate to take that opportunity away. A beta can't mark an omega, so there is only so much Utou can do for Sasabe. Thankfully, there is an alpha from another company lingering around that Sasabe could use.

Title: In My Closet

Author(s): RISA LISA

Artist(s): RISA LISA

Sua knew he was gay from the moment he saw his first love: Jung, an idol at the same agency Sua was training in. It's enough of an intense moment that Sua nearly quits his training, afraid of what these feelings might mean for him in the future, only to be convinced to stick with it. Thankfully, he does and ends up being part of the successful idol group L. Boys. All is well in the world until the group's new manager is introduced.

As it turns out, it is Jung who had quit being an idol some time ago for unknown reasons. Suddenly, all of those quietly kept feelings come bubbling back up. Unlike in his youth, Sua is no longer terrified of these feelings. If anything, he sees this as an opportunity. It has to be fate that has brought them back together, and Sua isn't going to let the moment pass him by. Sua is determined to seduce Jung and make his first love his forever. But will Jung take the bait?

Title: Aporia

Author(s): Seontae

Artist(s): Seontae

Goo Ja-wook is hopelessly in love with the infamous Yoon Gyum. Their relationship began by pure chance. Ja-wook just happened to be scoping out the exclusive club for BDSM enthusiasts, not because he was interested in BDSM, but because his company was being hired to design the space for an upcoming renovation and subsequent event. Ja-wook innocently took a seat at the bar to take down notes and sketch up plans when he was approached by none other than Gyum. Gyum was immediately smitten with Ja-wook, assuming he was a club patron as well, and intent on finding out how compatible they are in the bedroom, invited Ja-wook up to his room. Far too enraptured by Gyum to realize what he's walking into, Ja-wook happily agrees.

After a steamy night, Ja-wook wants nothing more than to be with Gyum, but rather than be asked out officially, Gyum has a different arrangement in mind. Gyum intends to form a dom-sub relationship with Ja-wook. The main stipulation? They never pry into the other's personal lives. What Gyum doesn't realize is that Ja-wook has no interest in being a sub, much less a masochist, but he does have a vested interest in Gyum. Ja-wook agrees for no other reason than that he wants to be with Gyum in any way he can, even if at the risk of his pride and health.

So begins Ja-wook's nosedive into the world of BDSM.

Mental Illness / Mental Health Condition

Manhwa Review | Perfectly Broken Love by SUMA

Manga Review | Wails of the Bound ;β by Keri Kusabi

Manhwa Review | In My Closet by RISA LISA

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