BL Library - Psychological

Manhwa Review | No Reason by Salty

Title: No Reason

Author(s): Salty

Artist(s): Salty

Jung-hoon is the right-hand man to the boss of the notorious Sung Jin gang. He's beloved by his underlings, whom he often spends time with and jokes with, though not without strict expectations for them. Though Jung-hoon's primary focus is always the gang and his men, he does enjoy spending his free time bedding beautiful men, and he's particularly weak to a pretty face. Things get a bit more complicated when one of the newest recruits happens to be stunning. Unable to control himself, Jung-hoon talks the young man, Hyunjae, into going back to his place with him, where he begins to try to top him. However, when Hyunjae accepts Jung-hoon's advances, he turns the tables on him and tops Jung-hoon instead.

Though Jung-hoon prefers to top, after doing it with Hyunjae, he is more than willing to bottom, and so begins a casual situationship between the two. After a year of working together, it's clear to everyone under Jung-hoon that he has a soft spot for Hyunjae, but even without the preferential treatment, everyone generally despises Hyunjae, maybe none more than Jung-hoon's right-hand man. It's still unclear where Hyunjae came from and how he became so proficient at killing at such a young age. Jung-hoon's judgment is clouded by the affection he feels for the young man, and he assumes he was made for the business, so he ignores his men's warnings.

Unfortunately for Jung-hoon, by the time he realizes he has put his trust in the wrong place, the entire gang is wiped out, leaving him as the sole survivor. For what reason, he doesn't know until Hyunjae confines him and throws him to his underlings. It's clear Hyunjae wants nothing more than to ruin Jung-hoon, but why? What does he have to gain from it? Jung-hoon can't ponder over it for long as he spirals into neverending darkness.

Title: Your Eyes, My Words

Author(s): Morphish

Artist(s): Morphish

Hwane has lived his whole life quietly, following what was expected of him. In high school, he was exceedingly studious and a thorough monitor for rule breakers. He never spoke out or shared much about himself, even to those he considered his closest friends. That is until he met Jinha. Jinha, a troublemaker and Hwane's underclassman did everything he could to evade Hwane, but Hwane, the ever-diligent monitor, did everything he could to catch him. One of Jinha's best methods was suddenly kissing Hwane, leaving him stunned just long enough for Jinha to get away.

This game of cat and mouse goes on for days. Hwane catches up to Jinha, only for Jinha to kiss him. Then, the day comes when Hwane corners Jinha in the stairwell. Jinha goes in to kiss him, and Hwane closes his eyes, only for the kiss to never come. When Hwane opens his eyes, he finds Jinha staring at him. It's then they both realize that they enjoy the kissing more than the chase, and so begins a ritual of meeting before class, kissing, and then going their separate ways. This went on and on all the way until Jinha found a girlfriend, and Hwane graduated.

It was a time of fleeting moments, but Hwane never forgot Jinha. No matter how many partners he had after, none of them could compare to his first tenuous romance. All of these memories and feelings come rushing back up to the surface as, while getting fitted for a custom suit, he runs into Jinha once again. They're both adults. They never really had a relationship. Yet, the moment they meet again, they are drawn to one another, both seeking to relive that youthful attraction from their pasts.

Title: Bye Bye

Author(s): SORIM, Wildcat

Artist(s): Kang Pu Con / Kangpucon

Seoyu is standing on the edge of a bridge. This bridge was where his happy life ended years before, when he survived a plunge in the river below, while his parents and brother did not. Ever since, he's lived with survivor's guilt, doing the bare minimum to get through day after day. Now that he's the same age his brother was when he died, Seoyu sees no point in continuing on in life. Just as he's about to climb over the guardrail, a car comes flying up, crashing into it.

Seoyu rushes over to help the driver, only to find a perfectly fine young man. As it turns out, he wasn't supposed to drive the car yet. Fearing his brother's reaction, he begs Seoyu to help him lie and get out of any trouble in exchange for a nice chunk of change. Though only a few moments before, Seoyu was ready to move on from life. But his determination has waned, and he's agreed to meet the young man's brother. Seoyu doesn't expect to meet a very dominant alpha, and a hot one at that.

There's no way this guy would ever be attracted to a recessive omega like him, but that doesn't stop Seoyu from imagining it. How surprising it is when those dreams come true, and he is actively pursued by the hot alpha Sunghoon Choi. But is he deserving of such love from someone like Sunghoon?

Title: Perfectly Broken Love

Author(s): SUMA

Artist(s): SUMA

Ma Dongjae loves BL. He reads everything he can get his hands on and swoons over the romantic storylines, hoping to have his own happily ever after someday. Unfortunately, he seems to only be attracted to straight men. Even worse, most of the time, these men turn out to be bigots, so when he confesses, they respond in the worst ways possible. Thankfully, Dongjae isn't one to take any insults sitting down. He has no problem putting assholes in their place, but the latest instance ends up happening in a very public place, drawing the attention of someone nearby. While Dongjae is mourning another horrible rejection in private, the “someone” who happened to see it all go down follows Dongjae.

There, the stranger wastes no time coming on to Dongjae, letting Dongjae know that he's gay and is more than willing to be with Dongjae. Dongjae is beyond turned off by this man's persistence. Thankfully, Dongjae gets away from the pervert without much trouble. Unfortunately, attending his new class, it turns out the stranger is in the same class. Dongjae is trying to come up with some way of dropping out of the class when one of their classmates brings up the recent public rejection Dongjae just experienced. Dongjae is uncomfortable, ready to get into another fight if need be, when Tae-jun, the stranger, jumps in, telling the classmate off for bringing up something like that in class.

Tae-jun seems like a completely different person, and Dongjae finds himself attracted to this new version. But when Dongjae tries to get close, Tae-jun appears to want nothing to do with him, completely counter to what Dongjae experienced only a short time prior. After spending time with each different variation of “Tae-jun,” Dongjae learns that Tae-jun has DID, and while Tae-oh, the personality that initially hit on Dongjae, is gay, Tae-jun, the personality Dongjae actually likes, is not. Brokenhearted, Dongjae is preparing to move on when Tae-oh makes him an offer: I'll help you with Tae-jun if you let me touch you. It's an uncomfortable offer, but one that Dongjae is tempted to accept, imagining all of those BL happily ever afters.

Title: Aporia

Author(s): Seontae

Artist(s): Seontae

Goo Ja-wook is hopelessly in love with the infamous Yoon Gyum. Their relationship began by pure chance. Ja-wook just happened to be scoping out the exclusive club for BDSM enthusiasts, not because he was interested in BDSM, but because his company was being hired to design the space for an upcoming renovation and subsequent event. Ja-wook innocently took a seat at the bar to take down notes and sketch up plans when he was approached by none other than Gyum. Gyum was immediately smitten with Ja-wook, assuming he was a club patron as well, and intent on finding out how compatible they are in the bedroom, invited Ja-wook up to his room. Far too enraptured by Gyum to realize what he's walking into, Ja-wook happily agrees.

After a steamy night, Ja-wook wants nothing more than to be with Gyum, but rather than be asked out officially, Gyum has a different arrangement in mind. Gyum intends to form a dom-sub relationship with Ja-wook. The main stipulation? They never pry into the other's personal lives. What Gyum doesn't realize is that Ja-wook has no interest in being a sub, much less a masochist, but he does have a vested interest in Gyum. Ja-wook agrees for no other reason than that he wants to be with Gyum in any way he can, even if at the risk of his pride and health.

So begins Ja-wook's nosedive into the world of BDSM.

Title: Killing Stalking

Author(s): Koogi

Artist(s): Koogi

Yoon Bum is a loner, but he doesn't want to be. Bum longs for companionship, but not just with anyone. He longs for no one other than Oh Sangwoo. Bum has been quietly stalking Sangwoo since meeting him during conscription after Sangwoo rescued him from an assault by his platoon leader. After figuring out where he lives, Bum discovers the numbers of Sangwoo's door lock and lists out every possible combination, which he decides to try so he can gain access to Sangwoo's house. Unfortunately, at the end of the list, a cop car pulls up and begins questioning why he is there. Bum is in a panic but is able to say he's Sangwoo's cousin before getting the code right and slipping inside.

While Bum sees this as a victory, he doesn't realize that the cops he spoke to know Sangwoo, and they end up telling him about the run-in with his “cousin,” prompting him to return home while Bum is lurking about. But having a stranger in his home isn't the main reason Sangwoo is in a rush to get back. While Bum is snooping about, he discovers a basement door in the floor with a lock on it. Once he opens it and heads down, Bum discovers a woman, bound and beaten. Bum tries to help her, but before he can get her free, Sangwoo finds him, knocking Bum out with a baseball bat.

Bum is now Sangwoo's newest victim. Can Bum survive this encounter? But more importantly, can he make Sangwoo love him as much as he loves him?

Title: Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart

Author(s): Syundei

Artist(s): Syundei

Terumichi is in love with his mysterious classmate Yamada, who just appeared in his life one day. Yamada is strange and imposing but dangerously beautiful and one of the few people who have been kind to Terumichi. His unique disposition makes him all the more alluring to Terumichi, and in the end, he can't help being drawn to Yamada. After an abrupt confession, Yamada and Terumichi seem on the cusp of romance when a stranger with a knife appears.

Terumichi does everything he can to protect Yamada, but in the end, Yamada is stabbed to death. Terumichi is in a panic, calling an ambulance, even though it's clear by the amount of blood that Yamada isn't going to survive. Yet, somehow, Yamada gets right up and walks away as if nothing ever happened, whispering a cryptic sentence:

“Only two left.”

Terumichi would be better off cutting his losses and moving on, but he just can't forget Yamada.

Title: The Warehouse

Author(s): Killa+Whale

Artist(s): Killa+Whale

Dohyun Kim is just barely hanging onto life. Since graduating high school, Dohyun has been hopping from job to job, scraping by, with little regard for other people and personal relationships. He longs for the simpler days when he could partake in the fun and pleasures of high school without the pressures of the real world and with the forced relationships of classmates. Without that forced proximity to people, Dohyun lives a pretty lonely life, but he would prefer that to the vulnerability intimate relationships require.

While working in a scammy cell phone shop, Dohyun is again bemoaning his existence. He leaves his post to smoke in the alley nearby, but before returning, he is assaulted, knocked out, and taken away. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a strange, almost empty room. As if that wasn't odd enough, he also has a chain around his ankle, limiting how far he can move around the strange room. Why would someone take him? He has no enemies, no loans, and is just generally uninteresting.

When the kidnapper shows himself, the reason behind Dohyun's kidnapping doesn't become any clearer, but for whatever reason, this man seems to want to punish Dohyun.

Title: Interview with a Murderer

Author(s): KJK

Artist(s): KJK

Clark is a reporter. He doesn't like working all that much, but he does enjoy one aspect of his job when he can partake in it off the clock: gathering macabre and interesting stories about criminals that intrigue him. He has an extensive collection of stories stored away for his eyes only. There's a new story on the horizon that Clark is determined to get his hands on. There's a serial killer on the loose, known as the Triage Killer, who has killed three people thus far. There's no evidence of his identity, so the odds of Clark encountering him are slim to none.

That is until his friend and ex, Oliver, reaches out. Oliver is a psychiatrist, and as it turns out, his patient, Alex, is none other than the Triage Killer. Oliver wants Alex to form meaningful relationships, and he feels that being interviewed by Clark will start that process. While Clark doesn't believe his presence will help Alex, Clark is all too happy to jump at the chance to meet the one and only Triage Killer. When they do meet, the killer is much more normal than Clark would assume, and his only explanation for why he kills is a simple one: love.

In order to get more information out of Alex, Clark must give himself over to the killer. A small price to pay for what Clark craves: interesting stories. But when Alex becomes enamored by Clark, will Clark come out of it alive? Or will he become the Triage Killer's next victim?

Title: Double Marks

Author(s): MIRO

Artist(s): MIRO

Ash is one of the few unbonded omegas at the aristocratic school of Seytan Academy. As an omega, there is immense pressure on him from his father, who demands the best and nothing less, or he will marry off his son to the highest bidder. The pressure is immense, but Ash has a secret weapon: his childhood friend and classmate Judah. Judah shows his answer sheets to Ash during every exam, even at the risk of failing himself. Why? Judah is an alpha, and he is hopelessly obsessed with Ash. In exchange for helping Ash cheat, Judah asks for sexual favors for his reward, which Ash reluctantly gives.

While this works for a while, the appearance of Isaac exposes their secret arrangement. Isaac is an alpha, and he has his eyes set on Ash. His attention on Ash leads him to catch Judah sharing his answers with Ash during an exam. He takes a picture, which he uses to blackmail Ash into having sex with him, too. Stuck between two alphas, one of which wants him all for himself, all Ash wants is freedom. But can an omega ever truly be free?

Psychological

Manhwa Review | No Reason by Salty

Manhwa Review | Your Eyes, My Words by Morphish

Manhwa Review | Bye Bye by SORIM

Manhwa Review | Perfectly Broken Love by SUMA

Manga Review | Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart by Syundei

Manhwa Review | The Warehouse by Killa+Whale

Manhwa Review | Interview with a Murderer by KJK

Manhwa Review | Double Marks by MIRO

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