week 3 chapters read. i’m so glad compared to last bookclub at least there’s plot, even if it’s quite weird.
For the whole of chapter 5 while 철진 was taking 시온 to the basement i was hoping 시온 would actually like fight back or show himself to be a strong character in contrast with his looks. didn’t exactly turn out how i expected.
also the relationship between 철진 and 재민 is so weird.
this part especially was so dramatic like dudes you are in highschool chill. why are you being this intense lmao
‘너랑 나는 서로의 피를 빠는 관계야. 넌 이미 피 맛을 봤어. 집어치우라고? 웃기지 마. 네 눈빛이 분명히 흔들렸다고. 아직 포기하기는 일러.’
based on the 6th chapter that reaction is actually a bit weird. 철진 says he only got into bullying kids for money and later involved with 재민 because he had to pay back the gang. so how did the weird voyeuristic bulling thing start with 재민? and why is he so committed to the thing with 재민 now if he wants to get away from that life and be normal?
some interesting vocab from this week:
똥줄 빠지게 in a panic (ie so stressed your guts are falling out)
배신자 딱지 i know 딱지 means scab but interesting to know it has a metaphorical meaning of a label or stigma.
This week’s chapters were fairly interesting. I agree with @bizoo, this is way more engaging than the last book we read, even if I’m confused as to where the plot is going.
This week’s chapters focused a lot on 철진, who seems to spend most of his time being exploited by other people, either due to family circumstances or his own stupidity (who doesn’t read something before signing it?!)
Also, now that we’ve seen 철진 and Siwon interact, (i.e., 철진 bully Siwon…), it’ll be interesting to see how their relationship develops and whether or not it acts as a catalyst (along with bat boy) for 철진 to shape up a bit and turn his life around.
Anyway, I feel more into the book now, even if it’s overly dramatic. Teenage boys are kind of ridiculous. Also, my question about the magic - is it real or not - remains unanswered so far.
I feel that we are starting to understand the players now and why they’re doing the things they’re doing, except the magicians.
Yeah this was weird and confusing agreed. The only way I could rationalize it is that maybe he worried that 재민 is starting to lose his appetite for bullying and thus his money stream? First he’s not paying him as much money anymore, now he’s not even making him bully them… idk.
Agreed. Although we do know that 박쥐 is an actual bat, right? He flew up into the night sky at the end of a chapter… so there’s at least some magical elements going on.
its just been hinted at so far i think, but i feel like given the genre its foreshadowing
from the end of the 박쥐의 실체 ch:
그 말만 남기고 박쥐는 클럽을 향해 뛰었다. 철진이는 골목에 길게 늘어진 박쥐의 그림자를 보았다. 문득 그림자에 묻혀 있던 날개를 양쪽으로 펼치고 밤하늘을 날아다니는 박쥐의 모습이 떠올랐다. i think the image just came to 철진 it wasnt happening in front of him.
week 4 chapters were so weird. we learned why 재민 and 성주 are rivals at least. But what is 재민’s weird obsession with 시온 i feel like this isn’t going to end well.
i liked this sentence: 재민이는 밤고양이처럼 살금살금 계속 아이들을 뒤쫓았다. idk if a 밤고양이 is a thing but it was very cute imagery.
also this one had me 그런데 그 순간 재민이는 맞고 있는 철진이를 보면서 묘한 희열을 느꼈다. that 재민 needs therapy…
this week’s vocab pick is 오바이트 puke
thoughts for the plot: will we get a redemption for at least one of our awful bully characters? will 재민 and 철진 get to participate in the magic show as well? will they be Healed of their Awful Ways by the power of magic tricks?
I read 거래의 시작, so one chapter left for this week. While it’s nice to get backstory, I still don’t really get how he went from “stress relief” to “beating people up.”
I’m also not in love with the format of the story so far, since I feel like we’ve been spending more time than I’d like on flashbacks. Hopefully the next chapter will get back to the present. I still have no clue where the story is going.
Chapter 8: I guess 시은 has an eating disorder or something? Also, 재민 is so weird. The magic tricks calm him?? And 철진이 needs to get a life. There’s so much obsession in these characters’ relationships and it’s disturbing.
Chapter 9: It looks like 철진이 is about to do something stupid. I guess that this will put him and 박쥐 at odds with 재민 and 시은, unless 시은 and his dad are playing some kind of long game? I’m still quite confused about the plot and the overall point (?) of the story.
New setting (school) and some new characters, which kind of gave me whiplash, but I could see how the characters are connected by the end of the section so let’s see where things go. All the chapters in this book after very different from one another and unpredictable.
The 용호파 chapter gave me some serious dejavu for some other Korean media. Is it just me or is every second or third story about someone getting bullied or paying off some ridiculous debt and being assaulted while doing it?! Why Korea! I can seriously think of multiple stories involving this trope off of the top of my head!
i had a friend visiting so just catching up on week 5 and 6 now.
these were some uh…intense chapters.
what is with the tension between these kids feels like we’re about to slip into a clockwork orange themed BL…
this part when 철진이 was coming up with the plan about 성주 made me
철진이는 성주를 바라보았다. 고양이는 주인에게 잘 보이기 위해 쥐를 잡아 선물한다. This kid needs so much therapy
The chapters for weeks 5&6 both had the same rhythm. I started off feeling bad for 철진이, but then no he has to go and make the worst decisions again. Then next ch starts out making us feel real bad for 박취 and i was like ‘oh no not again’. …little did i know .
The whole section with 박취 was lowkey traumatising i swear if these animals don’t come back to life but also I laughed at him hiding the pigeon’s body because why did he bury it in a construction site like it was a human body he was hiding
anyways we’re over half way now so I hope for the rest of the book 박취 and 철진이 get their comeuppance for the awful things they keep doing i don’t care if they are troubled there has to be some consequences.
some interesting vocab i noted:
아비 아버지
콩가루 집안 a dysfunctional family
먹튀 dine and dash
알고 보니 it turns out/transpired
Did you see that this phrase comes from English? lolol it’s from ‘over eat’. I’ve had so many kids tell they did ‘over eat’ when they mean that they were sick
//continues to skim to see if I’ll read this bookclub book lol
Catching up and I just finished chapters 7 & 8 from week 4… what is with these characters? Why are they all acting like this?! This is such a strange book so far.
Yes to all of this?? I don’t get why 시은 threw up or doesn’t each much? He said he had stomach surgery, but his entire character is so weird. I don’t get why 재민 is so obsessed with him. And 철진이 watching them…I feel like I’m reading BL or something. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on or what the point of all of this is but it’s gonna come together right?
I just got to the part in the book with this word and lol. That’s adorable and hilarious. I wouldn’t have recognized it’s from English based on the pronunciation if you hadn’t shared this.
week 7 chapters felt quite short and mostly consisted of 시온 being the manic pixie dream girl of 재민’s dreams.
spoiler filled mini liveblog of me reading that chapter and losing my mind under the cut
재민: “자신의 모든 허물을 말해도 시온이는 보듬어 줄 것 같았다.”
We’ve all experienced these men… Really think everyone else is there for their own character development.
시온: “네 아픔이 느껴져. 그동안 얼마나 힘들었을까.”
재민: “정말 그렇게 생각해?”
시온이는 고개를 끄덕였다. 재민이는 그동안 뭉쳐 있던 마음이 스르르 풀리는 것 같았다.
No! No this is not forgiveness! Learn your lesson properly 재민!
시온이 to 재민: “그동안의 일들…… 네 잘못이 아냐. 네 탓이 아니라고. 어른들 때문이지.”
시온이가 더 가까이 다가오자, 기척을 느낀 재민이는 눈을 떴다.
“너만을 위한 마술이야.”
…sorry should we leave you two alone or?
“아! 시월에 열릴 축제 때 마술 공연 같이 해 볼래?”
I forgot the homeroom teacher brought this up before and was so bemused at this sudden question
Anyways that was the chapter. I really only have myself to blame i picked this book.
infuriating characters aside, i spotted an outstanding word this week:
용수철 meaning a spring, which has the following hanja:
this sums it up so far
feels like we’re about to slip into a clockwork orange themed BL…
what is going on in this book
Really think everyone else is there for their own character development.
Tbf, the adults in this book do not seem like great role models, though.
