About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series The Unquenchable Mr. Kim.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to dubious consent (dubcon), imbalanced power dynamics, extortion, suicidal ideation, suicide, blood, obsession, cheating, murder, stalking, and violence as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Doyun is trying to stay alive and keep his job. Unfortunately, that's harder for him since he isn't your average human. Doyun is actually a half-vampire. Because of his odd disposition, Doyun cannot consume human blood. Thankfully, vampires don't have to only drink blood, but it's not any easier to get. Vampires can also subsist on essence, which they can get from humans by having sex with them.
Doyun hasn't had a partner in a while, so he's pretty worn out. Food or coffee isn't enough to keep him moving along. So, to make his life a bit easier, he's planning to find a sex friend. In his tired stupor, he intends to let his guardian know but accidentally messages his boss instead. Fully prepared to get fired, Doyun goes to see his boss and tries to explain the unfortunate mishap.
To his surprise, though, chief Gangwoo isn't mad at all. Actually, he's very interested in Doyun's hunt for a partner. So, he offers himself up to take the role. Needing to get essence and happy not to lose his job, Doyun is willing to give the chief a try. Unfortunately, things don't work out as well as Doyun hopes. As it turns out, his constitution is worsening, and essence is no longer enough. Will Doyun be able to find a new way to feed? Or is he doomed to die an agonizing death?
Review:
I actually read this back on Tapas, but by the time I got around to reviewing it, it had been removed. Thankfully, good old Lezhin has picked up this gem, and I have repurchased and re-read it there. My link will also go to Lezhin since that is where it is now located legally. I will still be tagging Tapas since that is where I found it initially, but if you haven't bought it there by now, you can't anymore. Lezhin is the place to go for now, it seems. Before we get started, this does give me The Devil's Temptation vibes, so if you are a fan of that, you may like this one. It's funny but sexier, and it has better art. Otherwise, let's get started.
Now, let's talk about the artwork. I could recognize MORAK‘s work a mile away. This style is very unique and super-expressive. The way the facial expressions change and alter throughout the story is genuinely stunning. The eyes, in particular, are gorgeous. It isn't perfect from the very beginning. Faces are a bit too wide, eyes too small and far apart with a strange tilt, but once it settles into a rhythm, every character becomes very angular and beautiful. You'll have to give it a couple of episodes, but I promise, it is so worth it. Our main character, Doyun, gets a beautiful redesign as the story goes along. The side profile still isn't my favorite, with their faces sloping so far out that they could be used to hang laundry on, but it's not bad. It really is something to behold, and I have picked up every release I've seen thus far. I don't plan to stop any time soon.
I also love how this situation begins by sending a message to the wrong person. At my day job, we use instant messaging to communicate with each other, and this hit home in a way I can't even explain. I have never done anything as bad as asking my boss to be my sex friend, but I've missent some embarrassing things to the wrong people. It's a very easy mistake to make, easy to relate to, and it leads to a very steamy relationship. The setup is entertaining but leads to inappropriate power dynamics between Doyun and the chief. Admittedly, the chief is an ass. He threatens Doyun with his job when he confesses to him to get an acceptance, he obsesses over him and essentially stalks Doyun, and he tends to force Doyun into sex. Don't get me wrong. I love Gangwoo. He's super sexy, and I love his obsessive and domineering tendencies, but I know this is not ideal for some people.
The story is pretty fun and interesting until you get to the big finale. It comes in with a boom and goes out with a fizzle, so to speak. To save Doyun, they give Nox's blood to Gangwoo, which somehow makes his blood palatable to Doyun with no indication of how or why. I was also disappointed that we didn't get to see what the role of Nox really does beyond being a nuisance. There seems to be this underlying world of vampire politics and rules that are alluded to but never really explored. I also would have liked to have seen more development and background on Jooyoung since he seems to have an extensive history with Nox and others. That's such a small issue, though, when you've got so many other positives.
Results:
This is a good old whirlwind BL classic. It's got some of the prettiest art and sexiest sex scenes in any manhwa ever. I read this over a year ago (as of writing this), and I still find myself returning to marvel at it. The narrative isn't the strongest, but the love, sex, art, and characters make up for it quite well. I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't read this one.
Have you read The Unquenchable Mr. Kim? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!