under-my-pillow

[under-my-pillow]

“The one who wishes to live, and the one who pleads to die” , so beautiful yet so tragic at the same time. I’ve noticed this anti parallel between Soowon and Zeno a long time ago and I’m happy that the author brought it up.

Even though something huge and painful is definitely around the corner, coming in the nearest chapters, I still refuse to give up on hoping for the best. If the story ends tragically, the whole plot journey and Yona’s character will lose their point. From how I see it, the one way to finish this story, is to end the unending circle of suffering: curses, illnesses and deaths, also the gods living among people. This is why the Red Dragon aka Yona was reborn and that is why she receives precautionary visions. Yona herself pondered over the reason Hiryuu was reborn. To change the course of events. To change fate itself.

As much as it hurts, Yona will most likely end up killing Zeno. Be it of her free will or by means of defending Hak. It is so saddening that he never got and probably never will get a chance to live a normal life, but after 2000 years of suffering I doubt he would be able to sincerely enjoy life again. I hope he can at least die in peace.

It could be, that the ending of the eternal life of the Yellow Dragon will also eliminate the dragon powers from earth, which may lift the crimson illness from Hiryuu’s decedents.

At this point I just can’t believe that Soowon will die. As a person he changed and developed SUCH a great deal that killing him off after all that would be an unnecessary dramatic move (inhuman even). Loosing both of his parents, having to suffer a moral dilemma, removing the only two closest people he had left to save the country and avenge his father, suffering the consequences all alone, while knowing that he is bound to die a long, painful death because of the gods he hates and thus being unable to get married and have children. Then after 200 chapters he realized that despite everything he is still a simple human being with personal feelings and desires, that he loves Hak and Yona (which was obvious) and that he wants to live….and then in the end he dies? I can’t take it.

In the time skip in chapter 1 Yona was still referred to as “princess Yona”, so she didn’t become queen like Soowon wanted in the recent chapters, so maybe he really doesn’t die? (hope dies last).

In the worst scenario that can also mean someone usurped the throne (Soowon can still be alive at this point). If it happens, I would bet on Chagol. His death went suspiciously smooth. There is also the symbol of the Fenix that hints he can return from the “dead” (the Fenix Castle and the tattoo on Chagol’s bald head).

Something will definitely happen to Hak, but I don’t believe he will die either. If he dies, I expect him to return from the dead too, since we still know nothing of his origins (maybe he is also a godly creature of some kind)😅.

If our main trio stays alive, together they could gather strength and by working together, fight back and return the castle.

These are just my superficial thoughts, as I said previously things are so complex now that we can’t be sure about anything, we can only guess.

I believe in the author and wish her all the best❤️

[under-my-pillow]

Their views are similar, they hold differences, but it is also in a way that would help each other grow if they were together...

I really want to see Lili learning more about Soo-won, showing more interest in him and vice versa.

I feel like it would make it right to see someone in the story decoding such a complex character even Yona and Hak couldn't.

I don't care who says what but Lili x Soo-won hooks me more to the story than Hak x Yona.

Soo won is so pretty...

This aside, I genuinely hope for a good ending for him... I don't want him to just die... it's just too tragic considering everything he had (and still has) to go through. And it wouldn't feel like a proper conclusion to his story in my point of view...

#an lili #soo-won #lilixSoo won #yona of the dawn #best couple #top couple

[under-my-pillow]

how do you feel with all the people calling soo won aromantic because of his scene with lily when he said he doesnt really understand romance or love but he likes people?

Hello, @spriderlili,

It is a very interesting question. Thank you for asking, but keep in mind my response might be biased as I am personally not a fan of labels, and the fandom gives him plenty of silly ones, so most of the time I am - Even if he is dying, you don't have to be in a hurry to pick out a label for his gravestone quite yet, thank you. - kind of mood.

But I'll elaborate on this particular one.

The word 'aromantic' has a very vague meaning - little or no romantic attraction to others

Does it mean unable to have/devoid of romantic feelings? Or is it referring to people who have never had romantic feelings in their entire lifetime?

For the former, no, he is not devoid of/unable to have emotions - a sociopath or psychopath (I know they call him that, but he is neither) He feels, pain, anger, sympathy, joy, longing, etc., etc., as we have seen in multiple instances, so it doesn't make sense to just be unable/devoid of only romantic feelings.

If it is the latter, we are a little too early to say anything, because despite being "king" and wise beyond his years we often forget that Soo-won is only eighteen years old. Even if we go with the average lifetime of a person being 60 years old, he hasn't even completed half.

Now, is it referring to how he was unaware of Yona's feelings or how he doesn't understand the emotions of love or romance? Or how he seems to not really have attachments to people?

I do not believe the answer to these is - 'aromantic'

To make it a little clear, let's take Yona.

Why was she able to understand romantic love and why is Soo-won unable to?

Why was she able to love and adamantly insist on marrying Soo-won without considering anything else?

1. Because she had the freedom to be a child.

2. She had the freedom to be immature.

3. She had emotional freedom and creative freedom which were not restricted by adult burdens.

4. She was taken care of by a loving parent and allowed healthy emotional development.

For Soo-won, it is the opposite.

The privilege to be a child, the privilege to be immature, the privilege to rely on others, love immaturely, quit immaturely - he lost all that to the dream of making Kouka strong and secure.

Sure, that was his choice, but it was not his choice to lose a major source of parental affection & guidance while the remaining semblance of one was just a wreck.

Children are naturally emotionally reliant on their parents/guardian. So, what happens when a reliable source of emotional stability is just knocked out from right beneath their feet? Where do they put their feet?

For Soo-won, I believe it was in the memories of his father. This is sometimes seen in the way we see him clinging to the memories of his father for guidance.

So,

1. Heavy responsibilities, even the adults did not bother to do.

2. A limited social circle, predominantly made up of adults.

3. A fudging time limit.

It's like asking an athlete with a hundred miles left to the finish line and a 20 minute time limit if he could solve your algebra homework on the way.

I am not saying Soo-won is emotionally underdeveloped either. He is very excellent at controlling his emotions as we have seen. I'd say he is emotionally exhausted.

Romance is not in his priorities.

Romantic attraction is something generally experienced in leisure, when there is freedom to express the heart, when there is that subconscious freedom to trust your heart with another person.

Soo-won is not like Yona. She constantly has Hak or the four dragons whom she can be vulnerable with.

Who do we see Soo-won constantly be vulnerable with?

He has not had emotional freedom.

In the age to run, play, make mistakes, he had already become sensible, self- reliant, set in his beliefs — he's already run half the course before he even turned eighteen while the greatest worry for girls around his age was probably Geun-Tae getting married.

That's a major bandwidth problem.

I think we can all agree that based on what we have seen so far, Soo-won is not a love at first sight person. If he is going to fall in love with someone it is going to be a gradual process.

So, the person at least needs to be someone who can understand his views and talk to him on equal ground. Someone whom he can be emotionally free with. Someone whom he can eventually be vulnerable with.

Lili is a great example (Yes, I won't miss an opportunity to ship my top couple, but also seriously...)

Prior to the story's start Lili was probably just a love sick teen pining after Geun-Tae, but by the time Soo-won's coronation is over she is aware of the water tribe's major issues.

She wants to help, tries, fails miserably, tries again, gets help, slowly matures enough to be able to command the respect of the tribe in her own name.

Among all of Soo-won's female acquaintances introduced in the story so far which you can count on one hand she is the closest to have come to understanding the reality underlying Soo-won's decisions.

So, my point is, maturity wise, girls around his age circle are just catching up.

When there is someone (preferably Lili) whom he is comfortable with expressing his thoughts and emotions to, someone who actually understands him (Not like Hak), he'll eventually come to understand what it means to hold romantic affection for another person.

He just needs time and the right person.

#akatsuki no yona #soo-won #yona of the dawn #soo won #su won #su-won #lili x soo won

[under-my-pillow]

Suwon needs a friend that knows when he is faking a smile

[under-my-pillow]

😘😘😘

Not Lily acting like a responsible QUEEN looking after the castle when her KING is away🤭

#akatsuki no yona #soo-won #yona of the dawn #su-won #su won #soo won #an lili #lili x soo won

[under-my-pillow]

The “I’m ready to punch you into space” smile. 

The “I am so ready to crack your skull” smile.

The “ha ha, General Judo said ‘woman’” laugh.

A genuine “I’m content and looking forward to it” smile.

The ‘ha ha, General Judo is now talking like a woman” laugh. 

The “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” smile.

[under-my-pillow]

Happy Birthday Soo won!!!

#akatsuki no yona #soo-won #yona of the dawn #soo won #su-won #su won #best character ever #happy birthday su won #lili x soo won #you deserve better

[under-my-pillow]

"this is my comfort character"

and this is a character who never knew happiness, suffered all his life and then died

[under-my-pillow]

Exactly, no one has concerned themselves with the kingdom as much as he has. Absolutely no one! Not even Yona. For most of them the kingdom of Kouka has always been a secondary thought. Even for those so called generals and elders like Mun-deok, Kyo-ga and Hak. Only one person from the time he was a child has gone all in, body and soul to make that rotting country better and stronger.

They first treat him like a radical idiot who only wants bloodshed, then like a tissue who is going to be disposed of soon, then like a fool who is too sick to think rationally, and now he is a selfish bastard - and what is this selfish bastard getting in return for all his trouble?

Oh, he is dying.

The fact that a dying person had to take the initiative to make the country stronger, and better says a lot about the kind of people other characters are or were.

None of them including Yona deserves to say anything about him. She can be dissatisfied about how Soo-won killed her father but in that case she has to also be more dissatisfied with all the other idiots including herself who were letting this country of hers rot from inside out. All of them were far more selfish than he ever was.

He´s really a selfish person, isn´t he?

A person that had hardly any childhood due to Yona´s own father, and that tried to fix this country, Kouka, by choosing and strenghtening people that either already were pillars of that country or became ones by his actions, is supposed to be selfish?

Maybe? But he thought it through and came to the conclusion, while he tried to secure the borders of this country, that Yona might have a chance to care for the people she claimed to care so much about...

[under-my-pillow]

I really don't understand Hak anymore

Just reading this panel made me realize that Yona wasn't the only naïve person back then. Hak was pretty naïve too or should I say remained purposefully blind?

Because in the next chapter we can clearly see that Hak overheard people in the castle talking about the Fire tribe buying weapons. A person with common sense, especially a general should know how dangerous this is if even people in the castle were aware of the fire tribe's movements— and Hak in the next few panels declares himself the next general— and what after?

Ahem? Excuse me?

You are right. He was no coward, he was more of an irresponsible idiot.

Despite being a General, the Princess's exclusive bodyguard, someone whose words the King had more chances of taking seriously, he said nothing, did nothing.

So it irks me when he of all people has the nerve to say to Soo-won - You're being selfish!

Hak says he he can't think of him as a coward when King was hiding his injury? That small injury? There were people starving to death outside ridden with diseases, drug addicts, slave trading, human trafficking— the scale is just too huge to compare— what exactly did he think of when you he saw this mess and heard what the people were saying?

King Il was the most selfish person in this story. Hak, was bloody delusional - He wanted an ideal future where - Soo won became king marrying the woman Hak loved because that was the only way the woman he loved could be happy - without ever even bothering to know of whit of what was going on around him! Even when the opportunity to change things around arrived, he ignored it to go cuddle with the princess?

Who here is more selfish among the two? It's not that the Soo-won he was friends with was a lie. From the beginning Hak only chose to see the Soo-won Yona loved. It feels like he was only friends with the image of the man Yona loved.

The day he saw the real Soo-won was the day he killed Il, and after over 200 chapters he still can't come to terms with the person Soo-won is?

If he for one moment can just put Yona out and actually be the friend he was supposed to be and understand the real Soo-won for who he is, and not some mirage he deluded himself with for over 10 years I don't understand why they can no longer walk by each other's side.

While Hak loves Yona very much, he was also supposed to be Soo-won's dearest friend - he claims he has known Soo-won longer than anyone else - but really? Why is he not burning to demand more answers that are related to Soo-won? He is just going to say something lame like will forget everything now?

If this had been Ki-ja or Jae Ha, I am pretty sure he would have hunted them down to demand answers, but when it comes to Soo-won, no?

So what does so many years of the so called friendship amount to then? I have begun questioning what was Soo-won really to Hak all this time? Because we can see that despite everything, Hak still means a lot to Soo-won without Yona being a part of that equation.

But does Soo-won still mean something to Hak without Yona in the middle of it?

Really don't get it.

Seriously, Hak, what is Soo won to you?

#Soo-won #Soo won #su-won #su won #akatsuki no yona #yona of the dawn #zeno #hak #son hak #friendship #a little initiative maybe?

[under-my-pillow]

Atleast someone called Kye-sook out on his sudden change in character. I like that we finally have some people who don't swoon after Yona in five seconds. . . I do love Yona, but it is not fun when every single character likes her and treats Soo-won like a tissue that is going to be discarded. It's really nice to have someone say 'yeah, nope, not us, champ! We have only one Sun up there and that ain't changing.' But on the same note I am a little peeved by the intentions of those shadows. Umm. . . like 'our will is his majesty's will?' Excuse me... But don't you have it the wrong way around, Mister?

soowoning time

[under-my-pillow]

HE LOOKS SO PRETTY OMG LOOK

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I told you, it's poison. There are no thoughts in your head. You just think you know everything.

Who would be happy poisoned with the same thing that killed their son?!

[under-my-pillow]

I told you, it's poison. There are no thoughts in your head. You just think you know everything.

Who would be happy poisoned with the same thing that killed their son?!

[under-my-pillow]

This is beautiful.

Dawn approaches.

[under-my-pillow]

[under-my-pillow]

And Soo-won marrying Lili would be a bonus.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll just go sit in a corner and dream.

About Soowon...

Personally, I really think that he is going to die and there’s nothing to do with it. Kusanagi sensei will make his passing be very dramatic, and I’m looking forward to it. I hope he can finally speak for himself and expresses his true point of view about his feelings and how he suffered with the family dilemma. What we've seen of him so far is basically other people's visions and desires, which were implanted in him as an obligation, a revenge that I don't feel he really buys it but sells because he feels trapped and without options after everything that's happened. I really think he loves/loved Yona and Hak, but the choices were made and even though he was confused and didn't know how to react, if he didn't do what he was trained to there would be consequences. They made the boy grow up with the weight of Kouka on his shoulders, and he was forced to choose between 2 people and the whole kingdom. To server the bonds of friendship with Hak and Yona must have hurt him emotionally as well.

The old Soowon is still there suppressed by all the adulthood drama, but we haven't seen that fully vulnerable emotional side of Sowoon yet. So Kusanagi sensei, please, make my cry when the time comes!