About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the novel or novel series Look at Me.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to depression, sextortion/blackmail, and dubious consent due to alcohol, as it appears in the novel or novel series.
Synopsis:
Heerak is a well-known alpha. He's a successful restauranteur and social media influencer, which leaves him spoiled for choice when it comes to partners. However, one evening, he wakes from a drunken stupor to find himself in the throes of passion with a cute omega. Well, cute from what parts of him he can see. Before he can identify the anonymous bed-partner, he blacks out again. The following day, the omega of his dreams is nowhere to be found.
This sends Heerak on a search, which results in finding the omega, except he wasn't an omega at all. It turns out the person in question was Dooseon, a beta and one of Heerak's employees at his company. Wanting to avoid a scandal, Heerak goes into protection mode, offering to pay any price for Dooseon to keep quiet. However, to his surprise, Dooseon doesn't want anything. If anything, he got what he wanted out of the deal: a night with Heerak, for whom he always had some level of attraction.
Stunned by this revelation and by Dooseon's refusal of compensation, Heerak finds himself drawn to the beta. It is no longer a game of protecting his image or burying a scandal; instead, it's all about getting Dooseon to fall for Heerak. As Heerak does his best to shower Dooseon with time and affection, Dooseon struggles with this new suitor. Why does Heerak spend so much time on him? What could a dominant alpha get from a beta like him?
Review:
This series has some of the most romantic depictions of sex I've ever read. I was honestly jealous while reading them because my god. I don't know that I've ever experienced anything as gentle, kind, or erotic as what is written in this. Unfortunately, this does suffer from similar problems most translated novels have. There are some clunky translations and grammatical errors, but I didn't find this all that offensive in that respect; I have read some doozies, so I could be biased on this point.
Now, as much as I loved the sex scenes, Dooseon is a bit cringy. He and Heerak have a reasonably long situationship where they spend almost every day together to some extent, with Heerak showering him with love and affection. Yet, at some point, Dooseon asks to talk to Heerak, wanting to end their situationship because he doesn't see it going anywhere. It's not that he wants to end things with Heerak. On the contrary, he doesn't want to hold him back. However, Heerak assumes this is Dooseon preparing to confess his feelings and wanting to start an actual relationship. This misunderstanding culminates in a painful and cringeworthy moment where Dooseon asks Heerak to pay him off.
When I tell you my heart fell into my butt, I mean it. I was absolutely cringing and so upset, especially since even after Heerak reacted super poorly to this, Dooseon still doesn't understand why Heerak cares so much. Almost all of the tension relies on Dooseon's social ineptitude, so if that sort of thing bothers you, run. However, I found it endearing and charming for most of the series. That one scene, though, just rocked me so hard that I had to bring it up. That is undoubtedly the worst part of the cringe. If that sounds feasible, you'll probably like the rest of this.
This series is overall very wholesome and very erotic at the same time. It's a perfect balance between the two. There is actually very little in the way of tension in this. It is mostly just Heerak and Dooseon feeling out each other and trying to come to terms with their relationship. It's rather refreshing and a really fluffy read amid all the fun, sexy time they get up to. If you are looking for something with intense drama or some tension-filled plot, you will not be satisfied with this. However, if you want a heartwarming stroll through a couple's blossoming relationship, you can't go wrong here.
Results:
Overall, this is a feel-good read. It sorta gives me Salad Days vibes, but with more sexy time and in the omegaverse, of course. So, if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, I'd give this one a go. It might be worth noting for those who are a fan of the omegaverse that there are no pregnancies or anything like that since the rules in this particular version say beta men can't get pregnant. It was a bit of a downer for me since some of my favorite aspects of omegaverse are how they handle pregnancy, but it was fun regardless. I definitely recommend it.
Have you read Look at Me? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!