But the charm faded when she kept acting like that during her graduation.

I felt so bad for Jung-gyeom.

And then she feels envious of Solace, who appears to save the situation.

In one of the most disgusting and forced series of events I've seen, after being told that Jung-Gyeom was about to sacrifice himself to the Hero's association for Soo-Yeon, she helplessly awaits any news on him, being the last thing she could do after all her efforts. And she's hit with the news of his death.

However, this was not true, as that same man as already getting busy with Solace on her place, without, once again, bothering to explain anything to Soo-Yeon.

So she, finally falling into despair for one last time. Decides to attempt on her own life, and I think for the first time, I'd hoped she'd succeed. That her life would end there and that that man would not dare entangle himself with her again, that felt like the best ending for her after all this suffering, I felt like at least that much kindness from the world would be allowed. I seriously wished he'd not go and stop her. But he did.

And that resulted in one of the most awkward endings ever, it was supposed to be some feel good "Oh they're all together now and everyone's happy" thing, I suppose. But knowing Soo-Yeon's circumstances and personality, she just feels like a victim. It just feels like she accepted the situation because she had no other choice, because she did not know anyone else besides Jung Gyeom in her life, because she could not ask for more. The unreasonably malicious world she lived restricted her world to only that man, she had nothing beyond him and was never given the chance for more either.

It just feels contradictory, the entire second half of the story feels contradictory to what it sowed on the first half.

The proud woman that prioritized her pride at the start of the story, the one who was disgusted by the way men treated her like a trophy and not a person. The woman Gyeom himself told that the world was broader than she imagined to, and that if she did not give up and did not push people away she would find more kind people to be by her side.

Even after she tried, even after she endured. Even after she worked, did charity, spread kindness herself and tried different things on her own. Nothing came back to her.

And after she fought for what she wanted and made mistakes she regretted, has been guilt tripped into being scared of wanting more, because even though she sought, she didn't find anything but Gyeom in her world, and she did not want even that to fade. So she silently accepted being just one of Gyeom's affection recipients, she settled for it. And I think that is sad.

Somewhat likewise, Stella was in a similar position, while the world was not actively hostile towards her, and it was herself that constricted her world to Jung Gyeom, I can't help but feel she too, deserved better than being blindly committed to him. Although for her I doubt she was unhappy with the arrangement since she did willingly walk that path.

And as for Gyeom, his persponality was the contradiction. He wanted to help people, to bring smiles and warmth to them, he insisted that the kind of good deeds he wanted to make were ones that helped the people involved instead of being self satisfactory. And yet, he did not care his hero would beat up civilians, he did not care she would ignore her duties for personal interest nor that she would hide a criminal for the same reason. Nor did he really care about Soo-Yeon, whose feelings he readily ignored even after hearing of them over and over again, deciding for her and choosing what's most convenient for him, not once after the halfway point did he take how she felt after the halfway point. But somehow, I don't think this attitude is ill-fitting for him, it might just be my disgust towards the Gyeom of the latter half talking, but as he himself said "Even if it's an act, this worlds needs heroes like Solace to bring smiles", maybe and just maybe, being a self-serving hypocrite fits him, and makes him well suited for his hero, Solace, who he accepted even after she revealed being everything but what she showed outwardly.

About Solace, I don't think I have much to say, she got the longer end of the stick. Just as Soo-Yeon seemed cursed by the world, she seemed blessed by it. Even without explicit confirmation. I felt no sympathy for her, and I don't think I was supposed to.