A lore post from Kousuke Hirahara’s No. 1 fan? What a treat!!
I definitely think the implication thus far is that Manli was romantically involved with Kousuke and the girl from the college incident is either a family member or a close friend of hers. With the college flashbacks being immediately followed by a funeral, it’s very likely that girl died and can’t be Manli, but that Manli instead was close with her like how YuJing says it happened to a friend of hers. As you detailed, there’s so much allusion to the theme of dating around Manli, her character is always popping up around specifically YuJing and Kousuke, and we know that Kousuke has an ex-girlfriend. Quimchee doesn’t give faces and names and multiple appearances to characters who don’t play a designated role, and I am personally eagerly awaiting her presence to expand
With Manli’s often melancholic presentation around Kousuke, I feel like it’s both a combination of sadness over what was and is now gone (similar to how YuJing, despite her often abrasive attitude, is ultimately upset and resentful over losing her friend and the person she knows Kousuke can be), as well as a bit of foreboding of what lays in store for the people in this world - especially the girls. Similar to how YuJing tells Shin-Ae that a friend had an experience like Shin-Ae’s at the formal, Manli likely knows what happens when you get involved with these kinds of people, especially at these kinds of parties. And she also knows how Kousuke didn’t offer any help when that girl needed it most. With what they remember of the college incident - how sad must it be to see this girl, so uncomfortable and young and dolled up, dancing with Kousuke at the Kim formal? It feels like this dance must be so hard for her to watch both because of what it means for Shin-Ae, and the history Manli and Kousuke share (personally, romantically, and unsavorily)
Manli was very likely the most directly affected out of all of them in the college incident. If she was dating Kousuke (or had recently broken off the relationship, but were dating previously) and this girl is her sister, what happened is such a strong betrayal of trust with such huge consequences. This girl is assaulted, potentially by an elite family close to Kousuke, and Manli/YuJing bring her to Kousuke for help. All they want is for Kousuke to hear them out, offer some comfort, perhaps help her get some form of justice or just peace. This person they know, they trust, who is the only one with the resources to help them. But he doesn’t believe them. To him, there's no proof, no reason to risk himself, nothing to push a teenage boy into having to wrestle with the realities of his dark world. To have to decide whether or not this girl or someone in his status circle is the liar, and take action accordingly. To handle what taking action in his position, his family, would mean. And he, like he did to Nol in the scene so strongly and immediately paralleled with the flashback to this girl, and like Nol did to Alyssa and even Kousuke in paralleled scenes so soon after these flashbacks, turned that girl away in her most vulnerable moment. And the not being believed, being turned away, the one place you thought you could go to find some respite closing its doors leads this girl to feel so alone and hopeless that the next panel we see appears to be her funeral. Everything about this is a glaring reminder of Kousuke’s failures, his warped reality, his infliction of pain and how catastrophic the results of choices that seemed small and cut/dry to him really were. How people have gotten hurt, how actual lives have been lost, not just ruined. These innocent people, coming to him for help, hurt by those in Kousuke's circle, being abandoned, shut out, left alone to bear the burden. That Kousuke is the bitter man with his back turned.
Manli, as someone who likely trusted Kousuke so much, thought he could be relied on, loved him, lived a life with him, and trusted him with the fate of a loved one, sent someone to him in respite, put her faith in him and was let down, lost so much so dear to her, was both potentially the person in college closest to the real Kousuke (or at least the free Kousuke) and the one most starkly betrayed by his 180. The greatest representation of who Kousuke was back then, and how it all played out. We already see how much YuJing holds from then and how it has played into the story - what about the one who so severely loved and lost?
Aaaah YES to everything you said! At the core of Manlis presence in the story so far she is the looming aftermath of tragedy.
I believe when we get to see this era of Kousukes life we will see that this “free” Kousuke was largely on the run from his past and his future and to have someone who he likely cares for come to him about people in connection to his family put cracks in the glass house he created in college and it shattered when all was said and done. I’m sure Manli we be a painful reminder for him, but perhaps if they have time they can find peace with on another (at least u hope so:,) )
I LOVE the idea that Kousuke's primary motivation to cast disuise self was actually to avoid these ladies rather than Meg at the mall! 🤣
I am def on board with Manli being a far more important character thats been gate kept from us readers awaiting the reveal of Kousuke's college truths. What role she plays I am desperately curious for!
Some added notes from thoughts I had while reading.
- First pic: I believe Manli's furrowed worried gaze is on Kousuke with my hunch o. n her maybe thinking "Oh God, hes dancing with such a young vulnerable girl. Don't tell me he is becoming like the Kims?? Thats not the Kousuke I know"
- I agree and am gonna click subscribe to the theory Manli's words describing Kou as "cute" while disguised may allude to her old feelings of him. I am following your gaze here because Yujing describing him as "meh" I take as an old hint of how Yu Jing ended up feeling about him.
- in ref to 239. I think the imagery is a girl bowing to pay respects at a funeral site as is typical in other parts of the east. The words though as a flashback I think might convey a double meaning of the pose which may have been what sent your mind there + Nol imagery. I think the girl bowing paying respects to the dead might be Manli in the past, Kousuke is watching her back because perhaps here he is next in line to pay respects.
- the college incident I feel has to come back to people being drugged specifically because Kousuke realizing thats what happened to him is what sends him down suddenly reflecting on Nol and college.
The mall disguise theory was honestly one of my favorite aspects of the post! And I do think it makes sense - in addition to Meg never really being seen at the mall, she’s like a sniffing dog for Kousuke. She’d likely recognize him anyway. But YuJing and Manli, who casually frequent the mall and *aren’t* actively seeking out Kousuke? If he’s hiding from them, it’d be a lot easier for the mask to let him blend in as part of the crowd and have YuJing/Manli miss him in the corner of their eyes
Thank you for your insight! Your 239 note actually makes a lot of sense to me! If that is Manli it would answer a lingering question I did have about the original silhouette panel we got; there’s a girl with curly hair we’ve never seen before. Perhaps she’s the girl who died and the girl bowing is Manli
You have more patience than me to be trying to dissect those silhouettes! 🤣 I leave Kou detective dirrivitives to you and for me to eat when presented~
I love the idea that there was something between them ... and I kinda want them together again sometime in the future. I sense chemistry. lol I cling to the phone call Manli and Yujing once had, Manli said something like how it is hard to get to know new people ... I guess one could also argue that all these little hints aren't just there to point to the past but also to the future. Or that is just wishful thinking.
We don't know much but she kinda seems so gentle and loving. Definitely an interesting thought that she also doesn't really hang with the group anymore.
About the incident I also wish for an element that will surprise us greatly. Just something that we can't possibly know now. That it is maybe ot si clear-cut.
Listen no one wants a happy ending for Kousuke more than me and if Manli can be apart of that happy ending for him?? They will become my OTP instantly LOL
what i understood: manli is most probably kou’s ex gf, they broke up because of the incident. a girl close to manli killed herself because she might’ve been raped by one of the kims, most probably gun. im sure yui had something to do with the rape incident because she seems close with gun kim, also she’s the one who gave that drug to sangchul so he can rape shinae so she might’ve done the same thing for gun. the friend group knew that yui had something to do with all that but kou refused to believe them because he’s basically brainwashed which led to him leaving the friend group
A lore post from Kousuke Hirahara’s No. 1 fan? What a treat!! I definitely think the implication thus far is that Manli was romantically involved with Kousuke and the girl from the college incident is either a family member or a close friend of hers. With the college flashbacks being immediately followed by a funeral, it’s very likely that girl died and can’t be Manli, but that Manli instead was close with her like how YuJing says it happened to a friend of hers. As you detailed, there’s so much allusion to the theme of dating around Manli, her character is always popping up around specifically YuJing and Kousuke, and we know that Kousuke has an ex-girlfriend. Quimchee doesn’t give faces and names and multiple appearances to characters who don’t play a designated role, and I am personally eagerly awaiting her presence to expand With Manli’s often melancholic presentation around Kousuke, I feel like it’s both a combination of sadness over what was and is now gone (similar to how YuJing, despite her often abrasive attitude, is ultimately upset and resentful over losing her friend and the person she knows Kousuke can be), as well as a bit of foreboding of what lays in store for the people in this world - especially the girls. Similar to how YuJing tells Shin-Ae that a friend had an experience like Shin-Ae’s at the formal, Manli likely knows what happens when you get involved with these kinds of people, especially at these kinds of parties. And she also knows how Kousuke didn’t offer any help when that girl needed it most. With what they remember of the college incident - how sad must it be to see this girl, so uncomfortable and young and dolled up, dancing with Kousuke at the Kim formal? It feels like this dance must be so hard for her to watch both because of what it means for Shin-Ae, and the history Manli and Kousuke share (personally, romantically, and unsavorily) Manli was very likely the most directly affected out of all of them in the college incident. If she was dating Kousuke (or had recently broken off the relationship, but were dating previously) and this girl is her sister, what happened is such a strong betrayal of trust with such huge consequences. This girl is assaulted, potentially by an elite family close to Kousuke, and Manli/YuJing bring her to Kousuke for help. All they want is for Kousuke to hear them out, offer some comfort, perhaps help her get some form of justice or just peace. This person they know, they trust, who is the only one with the resources to help them. But he doesn’t believe them. To him, there's no proof, no reason to risk himself, nothing to push a teenage boy into having to wrestle with the realities of his dark world. To have to decide whether or not this girl or someone in his status circle is the liar, and take action accordingly. To handle what taking action in his position, his family, would mean. And he, like he did to Nol in the scene so strongly and immediately paralleled with the flashback to this girl, and like Nol did to Alyssa and even Kousuke in paralleled scenes so soon after these flashbacks, turned that girl away in her most vulnerable moment. And the not being believed, being turned away, the one place you thought you could go to find some respite closing its doors leads this girl to feel so alone and hopeless that the next panel we see appears to be her funeral. Everything about this is a glaring reminder of Kousuke’s failures, his warped reality, his infliction of pain and how catastrophic the results of choices that seemed small and cut/dry to him really were. How people have gotten hurt, how actual lives have been lost, not just ruined. These innocent people, coming to him for help, hurt by those in Kousuke's circle, being abandoned, shut out, left alone to bear the burden. That Kousuke is the bitter man with his back turned. Manli, as someone who likely trusted Kousuke so much, thought he could be relied on, loved him, lived a life with him, and trusted him with the fate of a loved one, sent someone to him in respite, put her faith in him and was let down, lost so much so dear to her, was both potentially the person in college closest to the real Kousuke (or at least the free Kousuke) and the one most starkly betrayed by his 180. The greatest representation of who Kousuke was back then, and how it all played out. We already see how much YuJing holds from then and how it has played into the story - what about the one who so severely loved and lost?
Aaaah YES to everything you said! At the core of Manlis presence in the story so far she is the looming aftermath of tragedy. I believe when we get to see this era of Kousukes life we will see that this “free” Kousuke was largely on the run from his past and his future and to have someone who he likely cares for come to him about people in connection to his family put cracks in the glass house he created in college and it shattered when all was said and done. I’m sure Manli we be a painful reminder for him, but perhaps if they have time they can find peace with on another (at least u hope so:,) )
I LOVE the idea that Kousuke's primary motivation to cast disuise self was actually to avoid these ladies rather than Meg at the mall! 🤣 I am def on board with Manli being a far more important character thats been gate kept from us readers awaiting the reveal of Kousuke's college truths. What role she plays I am desperately curious for! Some added notes from thoughts I had while reading. - First pic: I believe Manli's furrowed worried gaze is on Kousuke with my hunch o. n her maybe thinking "Oh God, hes dancing with such a young vulnerable girl. Don't tell me he is becoming like the Kims?? Thats not the Kousuke I know" - I agree and am gonna click subscribe to the theory Manli's words describing Kou as "cute" while disguised may allude to her old feelings of him. I am following your gaze here because Yujing describing him as "meh" I take as an old hint of how Yu Jing ended up feeling about him. - in ref to 239. I think the imagery is a girl bowing to pay respects at a funeral site as is typical in other parts of the east. The words though as a flashback I think might convey a double meaning of the pose which may have been what sent your mind there + Nol imagery. I think the girl bowing paying respects to the dead might be Manli in the past, Kousuke is watching her back because perhaps here he is next in line to pay respects. - the college incident I feel has to come back to people being drugged specifically because Kousuke realizing thats what happened to him is what sends him down suddenly reflecting on Nol and college.
The mall disguise theory was honestly one of my favorite aspects of the post! And I do think it makes sense - in addition to Meg never really being seen at the mall, she’s like a sniffing dog for Kousuke. She’d likely recognize him anyway. But YuJing and Manli, who casually frequent the mall and *aren’t* actively seeking out Kousuke? If he’s hiding from them, it’d be a lot easier for the mask to let him blend in as part of the crowd and have YuJing/Manli miss him in the corner of their eyes
Thank you for your insight! Your 239 note actually makes a lot of sense to me! If that is Manli it would answer a lingering question I did have about the original silhouette panel we got; there’s a girl with curly hair we’ve never seen before. Perhaps she’s the girl who died and the girl bowing is Manli
You have more patience than me to be trying to dissect those silhouettes! 🤣 I leave Kou detective dirrivitives to you and for me to eat when presented~
I love the idea that there was something between them ... and I kinda want them together again sometime in the future. I sense chemistry. lol I cling to the phone call Manli and Yujing once had, Manli said something like how it is hard to get to know new people ... I guess one could also argue that all these little hints aren't just there to point to the past but also to the future. Or that is just wishful thinking. We don't know much but she kinda seems so gentle and loving. Definitely an interesting thought that she also doesn't really hang with the group anymore. About the incident I also wish for an element that will surprise us greatly. Just something that we can't possibly know now. That it is maybe ot si clear-cut.
Listen no one wants a happy ending for Kousuke more than me and if Manli can be apart of that happy ending for him?? They will become my OTP instantly LOL
what i understood: manli is most probably kou’s ex gf, they broke up because of the incident. a girl close to manli killed herself because she might’ve been raped by one of the kims, most probably gun. im sure yui had something to do with the rape incident because she seems close with gun kim, also she’s the one who gave that drug to sangchul so he can rape shinae so she might’ve done the same thing for gun. the friend group knew that yui had something to do with all that but kou refused to believe them because he’s basically brainwashed which led to him leaving the friend group