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We Should Hold Hands 2.0 - posted by guest on 14th August 2020 04:27:08 AM
This is one of the most genuine moments, and one of the few that we get to see how Sangyeon really feels. He's still so bitter, so angry that he really is the less successful version of Jaehyun, but I think he lets the façade slip and allows himself to be happy for Jaehyun's success. I'd say it's almost routine for him, in a way. Swallowing his pride, ignoring how angry he is (and probably how angry he is allowing himself to grow), and not wanting to fight with Jaehyun more than he already does. Jaehyun isn't used to Sangyeon being sweet, knowing he basically places 90% of the blame for their fate on Jaehyun, and it feels almost unnatural, knowing that their relationship now consists of a never ending cycle of fighting and making up. They both know they aren't sweet or nice to each other in any way. I like to think Sangyeon was just too tired to fight and too tired be angry and pretend he hates Jaehyun's guts. And Jaehyun senses something is off right off the bat, but still welcomes it. They can be sweet if they want to, it's just that most times they don't want to.
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I think a huge part of Sangyeon's motivation comes from wanting to prove to himself that he's better than Jaehyun. Even knowing that Jaehyun wouldn't do the same for him, he still goes out of his way to fly to France and go pick him up at the hospital, even when that means he'll miss out on one of the biggest holidays back home and a chance to spend time with his family. I personally feel like this is something I could've explored more; this is one of the many moments that should make the reader realize how unreliable of a narrator Sangyeon is, but I feel like it's lacking in that aspect. I think I failed in delivering that message haha But what I think it's clear is - Sangyeon feels superior, better than Jaehyun for doing something that he assumes Jaehyun wouldn't do, when in reality... He wouldn't know. Jaehyun called for him specifically because he keeps track on Sangyeon's whereabouts, even if silentely, and he knew Sangyeon would come. I do think Jaehyun would do the same for him, if Sangyeon ever asked him to drop everything and fly out to some small town in France to pick him up from the hospital after a shoot goes wrong. But Sangyeon wouldn't ask, so I don't think he'd ever have the chance to find out. I think the biggest take from this excerpt is that we shouldn't trust Sangyeon. Ever.
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Hmmm, this last one is... Hard! I don't think this scene is as "tainted" by Sangyeon's narration, though it's certainly still hued. Sangyeon doesn't want the burden of emotional responsibility; he doesn't want to be the reason Jaehyun feels so betrayed, and doesn't want to hold himself accountable for being the reason Jaehyun is very clearly hurting. Even if communicating isn't their strongest feature, Jaehyun told him about an upcoming life changing event that would definitely affect Sangyeon (going to France for a year and a half), because he wants Sangyeon to know he will be gone (and wants Sangyeon to miss him, and wants to know if he will be missed). Sangyeon is so defensive, using Jaehyun's behavior and their fights and his own personal misery against the fact he couldn't reciprocrate the honesty, and he wants us to feel so, so bad for him it almost works. Because Sangyeon is this poor little 27 year old MAN who couldn't try to end his contract earlier if he truly was that miserable... Sangyeon likes creating so much space and distinction between them it's supposed to feel like they're so different and so far apart when they're standing feet away from each other. At the end of the day, I don't think they're all that different. They're both equally flawed, and are both to blame for the drastic shift in their careers (if you could call it that). Neither of them are innocent. But since we only know of Sangyeon's point of view, we're more inclined to believe him, though I don't think we should. Jaehyun can't defend himself when Sangyeon is narrating and painting him as the devil in disguise.
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