There is something really wonderful in seeing a man simp as hard as Luan does for Yul.
This became one of my comfort stories very quickly. Not because it’s a particularly original plot, or the artwork was incredible. But it was one of the first that I read, in which the seme was a green flag from the jump.
The smut is also good, with just the right mix of jaded perspective and innocence meeting in the middle. I’ve read some people’s comments about being turned off by the uke’s childlike size, but it didn’t bother me in the context of the story.
Also, considering the range of body types explored in BL, it’s a form of body shaming to hate on a character merely because of their size. But I am personally one of The Littles, so I may be entirely biased.
The story is well told and doesn’t cause me to drift… sufficiently that I stayed with it even through the family drama twists and turns, and there are a few!
Yul is a bird in a gilded cage, imprisoned in a penthouse by his ‘hyung’. He knows little about his origins, or why his world is the way it is. He is a musical prodigy, but beyond his music, he doesn’t have ambitions of his own. The only thing Yul knows is that his hyung is dangerous and violent, and that he is utterly dependent on him. He doesn’t know others. His Hyung dominates and poaches his entire life, and has done so since his early childhood.
It is a song and a cat that begins to teach Yul how to want, things, Luan and more… he learned how to be greedy, and it’s the kind of greed you can cheer for.
He steps out onto the balcony of his cage for some fresh air, not expecting anything. He sings one song and then looks up. And there is a freshly returned to wherever they are: Luan. He’s standing on the balcony above, and it is the beginning of change for Yul.
The absolute care and tenderness with which Luan treats and handles Yul, the respect, the way in which he empowers his lover in the story and suffers no angst or second thoughts about his feelings… it’s a wonderful balm to some of the angst found elsewhere.
Luan is a strong and decisive character with zero qualms about wading into the water and pulling Yul out of the maelstrom he’s cluelessly at the center of. His character develops a little ambiguously at first, but it is pretty clear early on that he treasures Yul.
It really does make Yul strong inside and outside. Watching him blossom all made for a really wonderful read beginning to end.
Yul starts out not expecting anything, unaware, oblivious about the ways of the world, his own feelings, his basic human rights… all of it it. Luan swoops in and alters Yul’s life, just by wanting more for him, and gently pulls him out of the mire he is caught in. It creates a solid road for Yul to walk on.
Ugggh. All the feels. All! Fly your green flag Luan. Fly it high!
Leave a Recommendation
You must be logged in to post a recommendation.