BL Library - Psychological

Manhwa Review | Stage of the Dark Souls by Guacamole

Title: Stage of the Dark Souls

Author(s): Guacamole

Artist(s): Guacamole

Mihael is a devil that lives among humans. Though he shouldn't, he ends up falling in love with a particular human, a man named Adonel Schravant. He is particularly in love with his stunning soul, which Mihael desperately wants for himself. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tries, Adonel is always being swept away by other humans. Unwilling to share Adonel anymore, Mihael goes to the clergy and tells them that Adonel's family is practicing pagan worship, which leads to their execution. Alone and desperate, Adonel is ripe for the picking, so Mihael makes him an offer he knows Adonel can't refuse: Mihael will tie himself to the Schravant line, granting them all of his powers. In exchange, once the Schravant has fallen in love with Mihael and willingly given his soul, Mihael will take it, and they will be bound for eternity.

So Mihael lives in Adonel's shadow, helping rebuild the fallen Schravant name. All the while, Adonel has a child, despite Mihael's hate over it, and grows to a ripe old age. Finally, at the end of Adonel's life, Mihael broaches the subject of Adonel handing over his soul. Only then does Adonel reveal that he never loved Mihael and would not give up his soul, meaning Mihael would remain tied to the Schravant bloodline until he can convince another descendent to fall in love with him and willingly give their soul to him. Mihael is devastated but far from willing to give up.

Three hundred years later, after the death of the head of the Schravant conglomerate, Mihael finds his two sons: the firstborn, Evan, and the second, Victor. Mihael has been watching over the family all this time, biding his time and waiting for the ideal soul. Finally, after all this time, Mihael has found it. Two of them, in fact, and he isn't willing to give either of them up. One way or another, he will make them fall for him and then take their souls, but not until he destroys them from the inside out.

Title: Placebo - Short Story Edition

Author(s): Cuke Soap

Artist(s): Cuke Soap

Woo-yeon and Woo-jin are step-brothers and have been since they were young. For the same length of time, they have also had a vitriolic relationship, with Woo-yeon vehemently bullying and mocking Woo-jin any chance he gets. This never dissuaded Woo-jin, who stayed right by Woo-yeon's side, no matter how cruel he might be. Woo-yeon revels in Woo-jin's loyalty, taking every opportunity to pick on Woo-jin.

Woo-yeon doesn't realize that Woo-jin has developed the power of hypnosis and has been using his power to control and dominate Woo-yeon. When Woo-jin finally holds the reins, Woo-yeon will receive every ounce of punishment he has earned over the years. But it isn't in private. It will be in front of the two people he would never want to be seen by: their parents.

Title: Gold Gray

Author(s): Lee Green

Artist(s): Lee Green

Lee Rain has dreams of becoming an actor. He can sing, dance, and act, but having grown up poor and under mysterious circumstances, he's had to claw his way up to achieve the bare minimum, much less his dreams of stardom. Along with the daily struggle of surviving, Rain has an odd ability to smell what he calls “perverts.” They smell so good; unfortunately, they are drawn to Rain like flies. Frustrated, Rain has finally saved up enough for a hail Mary. He plans to drop everything and travel to the United States, hoping to make it onto Broadway or die trying.

On the other side, there is Won Lukas. He's a perfect alpha, bred and raised from the finest stock to take over Roenjoy industries one day. Unfortunately, following his father's death, Lukas learns of a disgusting stipulation left in his father's will for the company. The next president will be the child that can produce an alpha heir. The only way to create a perfect alpha is by an alpha having a baby with an omega, but due to a pandemic that swept through the world, omegas went extinct.

But Roenjoy has a seedy underbelly. Hidden from the public eye, they have managed to create artificial omegas, which they raise from fetuses to adulthood, and upon giving birth, they die within a week to prevent the secret from getting out. Lukas is prepared to artificially inseminate an omega to take his role as company president. Unfortunately, the building where all of the omega research took place is destroyed by none other than Joshua, a subpar alpha and Lukas' half-brother. With his brother vying for his position, Lukas is desperate to find an omega and make an alpha heir, but with all of the known omegas gone, there is little to no hope until Lukas meets Rain.

Title: Until I Meet My Husband

Author(s): Ryousuke Nanasaki

This is the story of Ryousuke Nanasaki. From the time he was small, he always knew he was different. Whether it was the way he spoke, the way he walked, or the things he enjoyed, he never could mesh with what the world expected him to be as a little boy. This only became all the more apparent when he began going to school and was incessantly bullied for being a “girly-boy.” Whether it was by adults or his peers, he was always treated as an “other” until he met Tsukasa. Of course, Tsukasa was Ryousuke's best friend, but more than that, he was his unrequited first love.

This starts a journey of self-acceptance, self-love, and the journey for true love for Ryousuke Nanasaki. Ryousuke has never been what the world perceived as normal, but that would never stop him. He wants true happiness with the one he loves and wants that for everyone, no matter who you choose to love.

Title: Addiction

Author(s): JIRAC

Artist(s): Taesung

Kim Ho is on the prowl. He may look like a human, but he is far from it. He is actually part of a species of foxes that once owned large swaths of territory that humans have since taken over. To survive, the foxes have integrated into human society in the areas they once ruled and go on the hunt for mates in clubs. Ho is doing his duty for his species by mating with someone in the club bathroom, but a wolf breaks down the stall door just before he can complete his mission.

As it turns out, wolves also used to own territory in this area and had to fight for the same territory as the foxes. The alpha wolf Han Sirang happens to be the one to come upon Ho in the throes of passion. As soon as he figures out what Ho is doing, Sirang, to gain the upper hand, takes a photo of Ho mid-coitus and threatens him with the image. Unable to do anything else, Ho goes along with Sirang's demands, primarily sexual in nature, all the while trying to figure out how to get rid of the image so he can be free of Sirang's influence.

But what started as a game for Sirang appears to be becoming something more.

Title: Escape into Oblivion

Author(s): Gawee

Artist(s): Gawee

Woojin is willing to do anything to escape. Escape from what? His family, school, his lovers, and life in general. He'll do whatever it takes to escape, whether through sex, alcohol, moving away, hiding from school, or anything else. It's almost like a game to Woojin, and it's one that he wins often. That is until he meets Hwon.

Hwon does anything Woojin asks, even when Woojin does everything he can to either run from Hwon or hurt him. This intensity of love is new to Woojin, and it scares him. What scares him even more, though, is who Hwon might be. Part of why Woojin feels the need to escape is that when he was a child, his friend was beaten by a homeless boy they would occasionally pick on and whom Woojin would confide in. Rather than save his friend, Woojin ran away, never to see the friend again.

Could Hwon be that friend seeking revenge? Or could he be the homeless boy, finally back to take what belongs to him, Woojin? Woojin's not sure which he would prefer, but he knows one thing for sure. No matter who Hwon ends up being, Woojin has fallen hopelessly in love with him, which is something he can't escape.

Title: May Belongs to Me

Author(s): eol (formerly cereal)

Artist(s): Gaesalgu

May has terrible taste in men. His latest boyfriend tended to hit him whenever he was upset, then blamed May for “liking it.” May is pretty quick to leave when things go sour, but due to his homeless status, he's quick to get with the next man for a place to stay. He's already got Youngjin, a kind bar owner, in his sights when his abusive boyfriend comes back one evening since he's also an employee at the bar. The ex-boyfriend attacks May, choking him, but just before May passes out, a mysterious man appears and takes care of the ex before stealing away May in the middle of the night.

When May wakes, he finds him naked, in bed, in an unfamiliar, stark white bedroom. While that is strange enough on its own, he also finds a collar locked around his neck, connected to a chain. May has been in some shitty situations before, but this takes the cake. While trying to determine if this is an ex or just a psychopath, May meets his captor: Jooin. While Jooin doesn't seem like some fanatical psychopath, he also doesn't seem like one of May's exes, but Jooin acts like they know each other.

Jooin is kind and sweet (besides being a kidnapper, of course), but he has the odd inclination to treat May as if he were a cat. He feeds him cat treats, buys him cat toys… and he wants to neuter May? What is going on? Who is this guy?

Title: Until I Meet My Husband

Author(s): Ryousuke Nanasaki

Artist(s): Yoshi Tsukizuki

Based on a novel of the same name by Ryousuke Nanasaki.

Title: The Black Mirror

Author(s): Muhwa

Artist(s): Sugeun

Tae-jun spends every day trying his best not to rock the boat. He does his best to make everyone like him, to make the best grades possible, and to make his caregiver proud, all at the expense of any of his wants or needs. Tae-jun is whoever he needs to be to survive; that is all he can hope for. This all started because Tae-jun lost all of his memories after a traumatic accident during his childhood. The accident also had a lasting effect of strange hallucinations, which, as a child, made it hard for Tae-jun to fit in. So, to protect himself and fit in with a world that couldn't understand him, Tae-jun changed himself to fit in.

All of his careful crafting of this perfect personality begins to crack when he encounters Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo recognizes Tae-jun immediately, but Tae-jun doesn't remember Yeon-woo, much to Tae-jun's despair. Nevertheless, Tae-jun is drawn to Yeon-woo, desperate to understand their history and see if Yeon-woo knows anything about the accident that caused him to forget his childhood memories. Yeon-woo is more than eager to let Tae-jun into his life and to help explore their past, but as they get deeper and deeper into their shared history, the hallucinations that have haunted the edges of Tae-jun's life grow ever closer. The safe life Tae-jun has built for himself is about to fall apart, but he can't seem to shake himself away from the cause: Yeon-woo.

Title: Ten Count

Author(s): Rihito Takarai

Artist(s): Rihito Takarai

Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. He spends every day in fear of being contaminated. The only way he can make it through his day-to-day life is by covering himself completely and avoiding as much human contact as possible. As a result, Shirotani is always in long sleeves and long pants along with a set of gloves to protect his hands. Even with all of the protection, though, the moment he enters his home, he must strip completely and put the contaminated clothes away, then he has to wash his hands as many times as possible until they are chapped and bleeding. This is Shirotani's routine.

At least it was, until the day his boss narrowly avoided being hit by a car. While parked on the side of the road, the company president received a phone call, which he took just outside the car. While on the phone, he failed to notice a car heading his way. Shirotani, seeing the oncoming vehicle, calls out to the president and reaches out to him, but at the very last second, his aversion to human touch stops him. Thankfully, though, a passerby on a bicycle saves the president. As it turns out, this savior is Kurose, a counselor at a psychiatric clinic, and the moment he sees Shirotani's gloves, he identifies that Shirotani has germophobia.

Ashamed by his inability to save the president and from Kurose's urging, Shirotani begins seeking help from Kurose. First, Kurose has Shirotani write down ten things he can't do due to his obsessive-compulsive disorder – 1 being the easiest to achieve, 10 being near impossible. Then, together, Kurose and Shirotani go through each one and try to overcome them with exposure therapy. However, the line between counselor and patient begins to blur, and soon Shirotani is doing things with Kurose that disgust him, yet he craves it. Does Kurose truly see Shirotani as a patient needing treatment, or is there something more? And if there is more, can Shirotani overcome enough of his aversions to let Kurose in?

Psychological

Manhwa Review | Placebo – Short Story Edition by Cuke Soap

Novel Review | Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki

Manhwa Review | May Belongs to Me by eol

Manga Review | Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki

Manhwa Review | The Black Mirror by Muhwa

Manga Review | Ten Count by Rihito Takarai

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