Inferior Being

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Seobin had lived his entire life as the son of a wealthy family. One day, in the midst of his diligent college life, his family suddenly went bankrupt. His father subsequently died from acute alcohol poisoning, and his mother fell into a coma.

As Seobin stood dazed at the funeral, a large shadow fell over him. He looked up to see a familiar face.

Gil Jaegyu. He was the son of a housekeeper who had once worked for Seobin’s family.

Jaegyu looked at Seobin with a strange expression and handed him a business card along with a thick wad of condolence money. The card read .

“Call me if you need money.”

Was that a curse? Or a prophecy?

Seobin soon found himself in dire need of money. But securing funds proved difficult, and he eventually contacted Jaegyu.

“How much do you need?”

Unlike the stringent banks, Jaegyu readily presented him with a loan agreement. Hesitantly, Seobin filled in the amount he needed. At first, it was 3 million won, then 30 million won, and later, 300 million won. The debt piled up, eventually reaching 800 million won.

On the first month of repayment, Seobin, still a college student, appeared with a sum far less than the required payment.

“I’m sorry.”

Seobin braced himself for a scolding, shrinking back.

Suddenly, Jaegyu grinned, his lips curving upwards.

“Want to sell your body to me?”

Associated Names
One entry per line
열등 존재
Related Series
N/A
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My Bloody Valentine (1)
Recommendation Lists
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  5. BL [kr, jpn, cn] #6

Latest Release

Date Group Release
01/27/26 Cherry Mist c39
01/20/26 Cherry Mist c38
01/13/26 Cherry Mist c37
01/06/26 Cherry Mist c36
12/23/25 Cherry Mist c34
12/16/25 Cherry Mist c33
12/09/25 Cherry Mist c32
12/02/25 Cherry Mist c31
11/25/25 Cherry Mist c30
11/18/25 Cherry Mist c29
11/11/25 Cherry Mist c28
11/04/25 Cherry Mist c27
10/28/25 Cherry Mist c26
10/21/25 Cherry Mist c25
10/14/25 Cherry Mist c24
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2 Reviews sorted by


Aotto
Aotto rated it
December 1, 2025
Status: c30
The MC, Seobin, is an amazing subversion of the Mary Sue/Gary Stu trope. At first glance, he might look like your typical martyr-like, naïve MC who doesn’t seem to mind when others exploit his goodness. Hell, even within the novel’s own universe, he’s seen as a flawless and selfless being by everyone—someone who is able to face any kind of hardship with a smile. But in reality, his actions are driven by a desperate craving for love. He clings to his comatose mom and indifferent brother because their mere existence... more>> is a beacon to him. As long as they’re “by his side, ” everything feels like it’ll be okay, even if they don’t cherish him.

The title is genius, too. At first glance, the “inferior being” seems to be Soobin (since he’s struggling to keep his broken family afloat), especially when compared to our ML Jaegyu, who had a rags-to-riches transformation. But we quickly realize that’s not the case. Even if Jaegyu is wealthy and has the power to get what he wants, he still feels inferior to Soobin—because Soobin is someone who, no matter how many times he’s dragged through hell and back, refuses to let go of his principles—

Do be aware that it’s a very heavy read. Seobin’s journey is filled with injustice and cruelty; I honestly had to take multiple pauses while reading because the despair kept overwhelming me🥀🥀🥀🥀

The writing is great, and once again, the descriptions are vivid enough to pull you straight into the novel—so much so that it becomes almost impossible not to feel genuine pity for the MC <<less
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Zanavveska
Zanavveska rated it
April 9, 2026
Status: c1
I read this while it was being slowly and painfully translated, and I'll admit that at some point I was only continuing out of spite, teeth clenched the entire time. My sole motivation was wanting to see Jaegyu burn after everything he did to Seobin, pushing him deeper and deeper into something suffocating, grim, and inescapable.

This is dark in a very cold way.

The tone is bleak.

... more>> Oppressive.

There's this constant sense of decay - of someone being cornered, stripped of options, forced toward desperation.

With some toxic MLs, the ab*se is mostly physical. Jaegyu's cruelty is more insidious.

He tries to push Seobin into a life of poverty so harsh and humiliating it feels like social annihilation.

It's about control through deprivation.

Through narrowing the world until there's nothing left.

And yes - Jaegyu is crude. In many ways, he's s*upid. He has street smarts, sure, but intellectually and emotionally he's underdeveloped. He truly is the "inferior being" of the title. His thought process is explored more during the so-called "redemption" arc - and I use that term loosely. I mean, yeah, it exists (this is a wife-chasing crematorium, after all), but compared to how long - how so very long - he torments Seobin, it feels brief.

I do like Seobin. There's more to him than a lot of cardboard-cutout MCs who are just plain s*upid (yes, I'm looking at you, Kim Dan). He has integrity. But he is still a weak MC. His role in resolving the conflict leans into self-destruction, into enduring, into collapsing inward rather than fighting outward. And that makes this different from crematorium novels with strong MCs who seize back power. Here, the "resolution" comes through damage.

The later half of the novel, past the so-called "redemption" arc, is of course different.
Spoiler

Jaegyu gets everything a wife-chaser does - forgiveness, devotion, the full package. Seobin, on the other hand... I do think he's happy. He is loved, he is cared for, and he's learned to accept - even appreciate - the obsessive, all-consuming love Jaegyu offers, because for his particular psyche, it feels reassuring. But there's also a sense that his life could have gone differently. It just... didn't.

[collapse]

I can't give this a low rating, though. One thing I always appreciate is when an author can evoke strong emotions — and this novel absolutely does. It will make you angry. Depressed. Frustrated. Maybe even hollow. But you will feel it intensely.

I'd recommend it if you want a crematorium that leaves you sitting in a dark, suffocating haze of resentment - the kind where you hate the ML with your whole heart and read on purely to see whether the abyss ever stares back at him. <<less
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