Romance
A type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people.
Manga Review | Aggressive Sex with an Angelic Smile by Io Kaziwara
Manhwa Review | My X Report by Golden Egg
Title: My X Report
Seon Seorim got a job working under the prolific Professor Jin. Unfortunately, while on the job, Seorim pressed a button that caused an expensive piece of equipment to explode, leaving nothing of it behind. Seorim thinks the worst thing to happen to him will be getting fired, but then Professor Jin drops a bomb on him: he has to pay Professor Jin back for the damages. The piece of equipment that was destroyed is almost priceless and will undoubtedly bankrupt Seorim. However, Professor Jin has an alternative solution: get hired by Professor Jin’s rival, Gong Woon, and steal and sabotage as Professor Jin commands.
With no other choice, Seorim does as he’s told and is hired on as an assistant to Professor Gong. While Seorim feels guilty and nervous, he’s ecstatic about this opportunity as Professor Gong is touted as a genius and one of the greatest innovators of the time. Seorim is looking forward to seeing what Professor Gong is working on until he sees the storage room packed full of unique sex toys. Surely this is a mistake, right?
Not at all. As it turns out, there is a lucrative market for sex toys, and Professor Gong is all too happy to capitalize on it. The only problem is he needs someone to test them, and who is better than his new assistant? Maybe this plan of espionage is a bit more than Seorim anticipated.
Novel Review | Limerence by Jiang Zi Bei
Title: Limerence
Pei Ran and Luo Qingshan have been together since high school, three years and counting. Luo Qingshan is extroverted and overly affectionate, while Pei Ran is the opposite, more shy and reserved, and has mysophobia, making him averse to most of Luo Qingshan’s affections. This often leads to them disagreeing or Luo Qingshan pleading and begging Pei Ran to relent, but they are otherwise comfortable. However, Pei Ran will give in as much as possible when Luo Qingshan’s birthday comes around.
As much as he hates it, he goes out to a karaoke place with Luo Qingshan, along with a group of his friends. Everyone is drinking and smoking, two things Pei Ran has trouble being around. Another person who happens to be there is Su Nian, Luo Qingshan’s close friend, who is more forward and affectionate with Luo Qingshan than Pei Ran would like. After a lot of drinking, Luo Qingshan heads to the bathroom. After a while, Pei Ran checks on him, only to find him and Su Nian kissing outside the bathroom.
Stunned, Pei Ran isn’t sure what to do until Luo Qingshan’s roommate Yan Zhun comes by and gets Pei Ran out of there. Comforted by Yan Zhun, Pei Ran spares no time to gather all of Luo Qingshan’s things and break up with him the next time they meet. Luo Qingshan isn’t ready to give up just yet, going out of his way to get close to Pei Ran and beg for his forgiveness. Pei Ran holds firm, thanks in part to the friendship he’s found in Yan Zhun, but it isn’t long before Yan Zhun makes it clear: he likes Pei Ran more than a friend.
Fresh out of a painful breakup, with an ex still hot on his heels and a love rival in Su Nian who bad-mouthes him any chance he gets, can Pei Ran find it in himself to fall for someone else? Or has the well of love been poisoned for good?
Manga Review | Discover My Secret by Gesshi Natsumura
Title: Discover My Secret
Takumi and Akihiro (Aki, for short) have been good friends for a long time. When they found out they would go to the same college following high school, it was an easy decision for them to move in together. As they expected, their lives as roommates go super smoothly. They share responsibilities, take turns fixing dinner for each other, and are just overall glad to spend time together. Aki loves this setup, though it is a bit painful, as it’s a stark reminder that this is as far as their relationship can go. Aki has been secretly harboring an unrequited love for Takumi for as long as he can remember. Aki is supposedly fine with their friendship, happy to just be close to Takumi and live this platonic domestic lifestyle with his best friend.
That is until his birthday. Aki has finally reached the age where he can drink, and his friends, Takumi included, take him to a bar where he tries as many drinks as possible. By the time the day is done and they’ve opened all the gifts, Aki is completely sloshed. Takumi takes Aki home and tries to put him to bed, but in his drunken state, Aki can’t hold back his feelings anymore. As Takumi gets close, Aki kisses Takumi, leaving him stunned. Will their relationship be able to survive this sudden revelation? Or has Aki’s drunken honesty ruined their friendship forever?
Manga Review | One-Week Family by yatsuhashi
Title: One-Week Family
Ren Fujimaru is an up-and-coming actor. He’s desperate for his next great role so he isn’t forever pigeonholed in his previous big job, but the next role works directly alongside a child actor, and Ren hates children. Ren wants to nail this job, and he’s willing to do anything to do it. His manager suggests living with the child actor and his manager for a week to grow more comfortable with each other. Ren isn’t excited about the opportunity, but again, if this is what it takes to kill the gig, he will do it.
Not long after agreeing, he is introduced to his costar, Yuu Kusaka. Yuu is the child of the current CEO, and it’s clear by his quiet and composed demeanor, which Ren would usually be thankful for, that he has been trained for this industry. But Ren is more disturbed than anything, especially as Yuu opens up and reveals how much he craves attention and interaction. While this relationship was set up for Ren’s benefit, Ren quickly changes the purpose of this setup to make Yuu’s life a bit more enjoyable overall.
All the while Ren is working with Yuu and getting to know him, he is growing closer and closer to Yuu’s manager Kei Haruo, which makes all of this effort worth it on its own. As it turns out, Kei is Ren’s whole reason and purpose for acting. When Ren was a child, he saw Kei receiving an award as a prolific child actor, and from that moment on, Ren desperately wanted to be an actor and join Kei in his success. But Kei left just as Ren was getting a foothold in the industry. Now that Ren has this opportunity, he wants to find out all he can about his acting idol Kei and tear down the wall he’s put up around himself.
Manhwa Review | Staff Only by soorak
Title: Staff Only
Hansol is a teacher and has lived his whole life under the assumption he’s a beta. That is, until he starts experiencing some concerning symptoms. He goes to the doctor, assuming he’s just got a cold, maybe the start of the flu, or he is dying when he receives an unexpected diagnosis: he’s a late bloomer omega. While he’s thankful that he isn’t dying, he’s a bit shocked that he’s an omega after reaching adulthood. Still, it’s better than the alternative. While the doctor tries to impress upon Hansol the importance of taking his suppressants, Hansol is busy thinking about dinner and any other mundane thing he has to worry over rather than the very pertinent issue of him being a newly manifested omega.
His laissez-faire attitude comes back to bite him when he forgets his suppressants. He barely makes it through class when he crumples to the ground. Thankfully, the gym teacher Chan is there to help Hansol get to the school nurse, Hansol’s friend Yesung. There, Yesung realizes Hansol has manifested as an omega, something he had no idea about until now. Uncontrolled pheromones are a rarity in modern society, with most people legally obliged to have implants to keep them in control. Still, Hansol hasn’t gotten his implant yet, so his pheromones are wild, and as it happens, Chan and Yesung are alphas. Will they be able to hold themselves back, or will Hansol’s pheromones be too much to bear?
OGL Comic Review | Star Collector by Anna Backhausen
Title: Star Collector
Fynn is far from a model student. He’d much rather spend his time smoking and lazing about than going to class, and he does so quite often. He is even less inclined to attend class when his girlfriend breaks up with him. She was very kind about it, but her reasoning has Fynn rather stumped. She implies he might be interested in other things, only being with her because it’s easier to go with the flow. He can’t imagine what other things that might be as he mourns the end of their relationship.
That is until he sees a guy with a telescope after spending a night on the nearby hillside to smoke. The young man is named Niko, a new student at his school. Fynn isn’t interested in the stars, but he is definitely into Niko. For the first time in a long time, Fynn makes a concerted effort to attend class, all because he wants to learn more about Niko. Can he draw Niko’s gaze away from the skies and onto him? More importantly, is his interest in Niko love or just curiosity?