opinion on bums old hs crush? i quite like her and felt bad about the circumstances surrounding what happened between them. i always felt like in a different universe the two of them would have ended up together.

koulej:

Mh, something about her rubs me the wrong way.
Not as a HS girl, that part was cute and sad and I understand why she started treating Bum in a bad way, she was also a victim of abuse and it’s just a joke to expect teens to behave in a mature way in general, let alone as a reaction to such serious issues.

But when it comes to her current self … Is it weird if I say that she reminded me a little bit of Sangwoo in her ways? 
She looks at Bum dead in the eye as she explains why she acted in a bad way at high school, and goes on saying that she would always think of Bum when she had a rough time and to tell her if he’s making him uncomfortable … As soon as Bum says it’s alright (which is what she wanted him to say) her expression suddenly changes into a smile that honestly reminds me of Sangwoo’s fake one.

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Moreover, as soon as she reached this goal (check if she had any chance to rebuild a relationship with him) she basically grows tired of the conversation and asks if she can go for a smoke and leave him alone. I find this kind of weird, it’s as if she’s testing her freedom.

Bum’s reaction, refusing and saying he has to go, seems to catch her off guard as she stutters

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She then changes her plan and insists to take him home even if he refuses her help the first time. 
Her reaction when Bum sees the photo in her car is pretty powerful.
She crushes it and throws it out of the window. The way Koogi drew that panel, you can see the anger she puts in this act even though she shrugs it off a bit when Bum questions her about it

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I understand that her anger probably comes from the fact that her ex boyfriend was abusive (as hinted shortly after) but it still looks to me like an overraction, especially when done in front of a person you’re seeing for the first time after many years. I understand that they were close in High School, but still it made me go a bit ‘???’.

There’s also a clear parallel between her and Sangwoo when she insists that Bum should wear his seat belt and does it for him. This is something Sangwoo has done twice. She also remarks how dangerous it is to not wear one, and sounds weirdly overprotective when she says “After all these years, you still have a way of making me worry”.

We don’t know if it’s just a random ring, but she appears to have broken up with her abusive boyfriend so the ring she’s wearing might be the one Bum had bought him back during High School. This, added to how she says she kept thinking about him in rough time, miiiight imply that she has a bit of an obsession for Bum much like Bum had for her and later for Sangwoo.

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Victims of abuse tend to fall in abusive relationships again (like Bum), or they might even have a tendency to turn abusive themselves (like Sangwoo).
Her behavior in this chapter makes me wonder if she’s not a middle case between Bum’s and Sangwoo’s, meaning she could develop an abusive personality if given the ‘right’ opportunity.

She seems to be testing waters a lot in this chapter, how far she can go with Bum. I’m not saying she’s doing it on purpose, obviously, much like anyone else in this comic she seems to be damaged. 

Last, the fruit that falls from Bum’s shopping bag. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be an apple or a peach, but it still reminds me a lot of those apple bags. Bum even turns and notices this. I think the fact that Koogi put a focus on this detail might mean something.

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Given that it might still be an apple, the peach fruit in Chinese culture is associated with immortality and a long life. I know this is probably a stretch, but it might actually imply an endless cycle of painful life and abuse rather than a positive thing, in this case. Hinting that this girl will make things worse for everyone rather than better.