Dandelion: Wishes Brought to You: Jieun
Feb. 20th, 2019 12:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrMasterlist of Dandelion posts
And now for cute little baby rabbit Jieun and his MOE TRAUMA.
I really liked it! He turned out to be VERY young, afaict he's around 16 to her 21, and it leaned into his child-like qualities a little much for my tastes. But it was still overall really sweet, the two of them helped each other grow as people, work through their trauma, and be happy.
Content notes: toxic upbringings, trauma, suicide, substance addiction (...sort of)
Also I talk about the Nameless endings right at the end of this post, but warn for spoilers first.
Ok, so, here we go!
Art club friend Heejae offers the protagonist Heejung some "extra apples" and I wonder if they're poisoned and will hurt Jieun, who is super into apples. Heejae wouldn't want to hurt Heejung, though, so idk.
Jieun (STILL NOT HUMAN) pointedly bugs Heejung to cut an apple up for him. She turns to wash her hands and then...
me: is he sick?
...there's a cute aristocratic looking boy with rabbit ears sitting on her table!!
Huh, he explicitly doesn't look Korean! She's as surprised at his fluent Korean as the fact he's apparently the human form of Jieun lol.
In a calm, quiet voice he says she and the other five are part of a game and that she has evidently made a decision. She is the heroine, and it's his role to make her happy. But telling her more would be against the rules.
Jieun's voice is very soft and cool for like 99% of his dialogue, like it takes all of his emotional energy to even get the words out and he doesn't have any left for volume or emotion.
And then Heejung notices the others...
Until this moment I had somehow thought the animals ears in all the art were symbolic.
The word "doll-like" comes up a few times describing these dudes. In their next game Cheritz just used actual dolls haha.
Jieun immediately gets a hug from Jihae and pouts about Jisoo swearing. Jiyeon is described as looking like an 18 year old juvenile delinquent. Jiwoo is all "I'm different from other rabbits" because of his brown spots.
They all bicker and Heejung realises they weren't friends the way she thought. She's also not sure how she feels about Jisoo referring to her as "Foodgiver" haha.
Heejung: I can't live with five men...
Jiyeon: Why not ;_;
Jiwoo: Dumbass, she thinks (beep) and (beep) might happen.
Jieun: Eddie, what's (beep) and (beep)?
Jihae: Well, you see-
Heejung: WAIT
Jisoo: Don't worry, you're not my type ;)
Heejung: NOT THE POINT
Jiyeon: It's not that you're plain, it's just...trust us!
Jihae: My lady, we will do our best not to inconvenience you. We'll stay in animal form most of the time.
Heejung: Wait, are you animals or men?
Jiyeon: Umm...have you heard of this thing called a catboy...
Jisoo: We can turn ourselves into either.
Heejung: ARE YOU ALIENS???
So they're from "far away"?? But explaining further would be "against the rules". Heejung is understandably frustrated, and is all set to kick them out so she can "go back to the normal life she had before". But then she thinks about how she's actually been happy for the last three months, and these guys were the ones who made that happen.
Heejung: ...you all need to wear hats when you leave the house, and stay as animals by default so the neighbours don't suspect anything. And no coming into my bedroom at night!
All: OK :D
And then I'm back to the same old stats raising!
...except the only one around is Jisoo? His face on the minimap is human now but the points bar still has the animal faces.
Ok I just hit my first actual interaction, with Jihae (I was AIMING for Jieun...), and it's with him as a human. OK, GOOD, I WAS WONDERING. These parts aren't voiced.
(They never show up on screen as animals again, but are implied to sleep in animal form, which does make practical sense)
...except right now I would like to take a bath for stats reasons, and Jiyeon is in the bathroom o.O MAYBE I'LL DRAW A PICTURE INSTEAD.
Jieun has a tendency to stare at things quietly and say stuff like "I can feel the plant's emotions" in a blank voice.
Heejae invites Heejung out for drinks "with the club" but then says everyone else already left (HMM) They both ending up getting drunk and Heejae tipsily rambles about how Heejung is pretty and looks like his first love. Part of me's wondering if he's the wizard, somehow, even though they sound totally different (Heejae has a high nerdy voice, the wizard's voice is deep and smug). He asks her to be his drinking buddy and takes her home and doesn't quite get up the courage to ask to come inside.
When she gets home, Jieun is waiting, but he doesn't say anything.
JIYEON GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM I WANT TO TAKE A BATH DAMMIT THIS IS GETTING WEIRD
...ok I went anyway and he was all "Let's bathe together, you smell like oranges ^_^" and it's not clear if she said no???
Oooh more date locations have become available! GAME. DID YOU DECREASE HER BEAUTY FOR HAVING A DESSERT >:(
Had my first inadvertent scene with human!Jisoo and he told Heejung she looked cute when she's drawing, the first time any of them have flirted with her. WHAT HAPPENED TO HER NOT BEING YOUR TYPE, JISOO. THIS ISN'T EVEN YOUR ROUTE.
Heejung is a little disconcerted by how close Jieun and Jihae are, and asks if they're related or...
Jieun: Eddie and I are friends.
Jihae reacts with so much surprise that Heejung decides that isn't actually true. She asks Jihae if he'd rather be called Eddie and he says he'd prefer Jihae, but she doesn't think to ask anyone else if they have names that they'd prefer.
Jiwoo: Hey, stupid owner, don't you think those two are abnormal?
Heejung: I think you're all abnormal except me :P
Jiwoo: Gasp! Do you not know how rational and intelligent I am?!
Jieun's white fur implies he's a royal, while Jihae's colour implies he's the child of a commoner and noble. Jiwoo says it's not breaking the rules to tell her this stuff since her society has similar hierarchical ideas. She's all HDU KOREA IS A DEMOCRACY lol.
Jiwoo: It bothers me that a royal ended up in this world. I'd stay away from him. NOT THAT I CARE ABOUT YOUR WELFARE OR ANYTHING.
Her thoughts on everyone as the first month comes to a close (with me not having maxed out Jieun /o\)
Jisoo: loves food and going out, she's seen him napping in the sunshine in the park.
Jihae: Distractingly hot and prince-like.
Jiwoo: Rude, but does cute things like read romance novels then declare them fine literature she wouldn't understand. Looks the same age as Jiyeon? Are there THREE younger guys in this game?? OK THEN ^_^
Jiyeon: Cute, childlike, fights with Jiwoo. Gets words mixed up.
Jieun: A mysterious boy who talks with his eyes.
Jiyeon just said "I'm off to see pretty ladies. Don't worry, I'm a good boy ^_^"
Uh. *remembers how Red, the equivalent Nameless character, turned out to be super into porn*
While doing all the cooking and cleaning is tiring (COME ON GUYS) she likes how the guys accept her for who she is, and finds herself laughing and enjoying herself more.
HA SO. I got a bit annoyed at having no idea what I was doing and looked up a walkthrough and THERE'S A STATUS SCREEN I NEVER NOTICED BEFORE WHERE I CAN USE USEFUL ITEMS. AND I CAN SPEND MY HEART GAUGE. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING THIS ALL WRONG.
I'm at 36/50 points on the 29th of September so am expecting a bad end come October. OH WELL.
...nothing happened. Apparently Jieun doesn't have any bad ends? EHHH STARTING AGAIN ANYWAY. The stats raising is tedious enough that if I'm going to have to redo it I'd rather start now, and I get the feeling it's possible to fail his route or why even have all these stats. Also I may have been missing key scenes by failing invisible stats checks.
SO. STARTING AGAIN.
The things I am going to do this time:
*replays and does all those things*
GIFTS. STAT RAISING. THE HEART METER. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.
So, roughly:
A lot of this stuff is randomised with an unavoidable chance of failure. To increase the odds of success, you can save before anything chancy, and if it fails, reload the save and try again. Also, if you try to do something super affectionate to a LI whose points are relatively low, it has increased odds of failure. Gifts are a safer way to raise points but get less cute dialogue.
The heart meter fills up when Heejung does something that makes her happy. When it's 100% full, you can click the glowing heart to spend it. You choose between an upgrade to Heejung's resilience to pressure/stress, or unlocking a new activity in one of the rooms eg "talk to plants"/"apply makeup" etc. The advantage of new activities is new dialogue, and more ways to min-max stats while seeking out your bae.
Items are picked up randomly at work, bought from shops, and found during the "Look around" minigame on dates. Items can raise stats, be used as gifts, or sold. Improving Heejung's eyesight increases the odds of good items showing up during the minigame. A special item that only shows up in the minigame is "stamps", chibi images of the love interest. You spend stamps after the route is finished to unlock extras or something.
There is a "status" option RIGHT THERE IN THE MAIN MENU. Oops. One thing this lets you see is whether you're meeting your love interest's standards for Beauty, Femininity, and Art. Passing invisible stats tests is why you need to keep raising these stats, and if you ever fail one of these tests you get a bad end. I can't find any guides to EXACTLY how high they need to be so am just doing my best and trying to stay optimistic /o\
My basic strategy:
On Saturday, go on a date if possible, varying the locations for variety since it doesn't see to matter. Hope for stamps and good items!
Spend any useful stats boosting items, throw out any junk.
On Sunday, work, unless I couldn't date on Saturday.
On weekdays, try to keep pressure and stress relatively low and boost the other stats, while also hanging out as much as possible in the same room as Jieun so I get scenes with him that raise points and the heart meter.
Every time I have $200 (including items I can sell), go to the shops and buy some vision improver.
Spend the heart meter when it fills up, first on resilience and then on activities the walkthrough said Jieun shows up for. (Also stuff that boosts beauty since that has ended up being low because of how the Jieun activities play out)
And it seems to be working out! It's October 1st again and this time Jieun is at 50 points!
Ahaha so I took Jieun to the bookstore and he apparently made a beeline for something romantic/sexy. When Heejung says he's too young he smiles slightly and says he's not that young.
Jiyeon introduces Jisoo and Heejung to Blackjack and beats the pants off them lol. Heejung tells Jieun that he's too young (Jiyeon is around 18, so is Jieun under 17??) He sits next to her with a seemingly blank expression, but then starts telling her when to hit or stand and she wins every game.
Heejung: Jieun, do you even know the rules? How did you know what cards to pick?
Jieun, very softly: My feelings.
Heejung: Wait what?
Jieun: I want apples.
At the end of a date he says "I'm sleepy. It was a bit fun. Please open the door for me."
Heejung is woken in the middle of the night by the sound of Jieun eating apples. He says he didn't ask Jihae because he's been busy with his new (human) modelling job and needs rest. Heejung thinks about her responsibility to Jieun as his owner and tells him to ask her if he's ever hungry. I am amused that she still thinks of herself as their owner, but everyone seems fine with the arrangement and who am I to complain.
Ahaha wait, no, he's surprised when she refers to herself as his owner out loud. It occurs to Heejung that calling herself the owner of humans is a little weird but she still wants to, bless.
Awww but then she thinks sadly that the one who really takes care of Jieun is Jihae. This is so delightfully weird.
Heejung: You feel more comfortable with Jihae than me
Jieun, with a melancholy expression: Eddie is...comfortable and uncomfortable.
Heejung: Hmm?
Jieun: Eddie is...too nice.
Heejung thinks about how Jihae isn't nice to her, just polite.
Heejung: I think he's only nice to you.
Jieun: *nods* But...I don't like it. Eddie should be nice to others too. Otherwise...Eddie will continue to be lonely. ...I have to let him go. But will I be able to?
HIS SAD LITTLE BUNNY EARS ;_;
Heejung: How long have you been with him?
Jieun: ...since I was born.
How old is Jihae??
Heejung almost but not quite connects the dots to Jihae being a servant. She jokes about calling him "Eddie" and Jieun sharply tells her only he can do that.
Jihae: But if I am to let Eddie go...I can't call him Eddie.
Relationship milestone! Jieun gives Heejung some half eaten broccoli. THANKS JIEUN.
(You get a gift every time you go up an affection level. There are 5 levels total, and each time you go up a level the points maximum increases and the dialogue/options for activities etc change)
As the affection level rises the notes on the minimap have gone from "Heejung wonders why Jieun stares so blankly" to "Heejung wants to protect Jieun" etc.
Right now the top interaction choice is "What are you thinking?" and at first he just said "Eddie..." but now he's telling Heejung he senses uneasiness in her art.
Jihae: Don't feed Jieun too many apples. If he eats too much sugar he could become... aggressive.
is he a gremlin
Heejung quietly thinks that Jieun could stand to be more aggressive. Jihae says he's been increasing his work hours "because we can't keep being a burden to you forever", and Heejung is sad to think of them all leaving one day. Jihae makes some comment about modelling not being "for the likes of him" back in their own world, then asks her to take care of "Young Master".
Heejung: I'll never be as good as you, though!
Jihae: Do you...really think I always have to be with Young Master? Is he alright when I'm not there...and only with you? These days he often speaks of you...
I feel like Jihae does actually want to leave Jieun, even if he hasn't admitted it to himself.
Heejung is touched by Jihae's concern and happy "for some reason" to know that Jieun talks about her. She thinks about how emotionless Jieun always seems and asks if he was always so quiet.
Jihae: He...changed as he grew up. He experienced things no normal child would experience. He began to talk less...
Heejung can be very condescending and maternal to Jieun which I feel a bit weird about. One downside of a voiced character is I can't imagine whatever tone I like. Not that I actually have any dialogue choices asides from unvoiced little ones on dates that don't seem to affect anything.
Heejung think about the way Jieun relates anything he likes back to Jihae, and asks him what he meant by needing to let Jihae go.
Jieun: Eddie cannot be happy next to me. I already ruined his happiness once...
Jieun picks a dandelion and stares at it. "What do you call this? It's soft...it reminds me of Eddie." He looks so sad she doesn't ask any more questions.
She wonders what the world looks like through Jieun's eyes. He so beautiful, but why won't he smile?
Then he talks about not liking cats because they're noisy and make trouble. WAY TO BE FURRY-RACIST, JIEUN.
Jieun: ...and I hate rabbits. They're calculating and think too much. I want to be an animal without thoughts. Without feelings.
Heejung: But then you won't know what's fun or delicious.
Jieun: Yes but you can escape from your suffering. From hate, sorrow, responsibility and guilt.
Heejung: ...yes, I've had those thoughts.
He stares at her in surprise.
Heejung: I once wished I was deaf. The things people said confused me, and I didn't know if they really helped.
She talks about feeling like a puppet controlled by others in highschool, then apologises for telling such a heavy story.
Jieun: You're amazing. You can still smile, despite your painful past. You should be praised.
Heejung, who has basically never been praised for anything ever, feels her face go warm.
AWW.
Jisoo goes out to get "free food with some girl Jyeon knows" and is a little defensive at the idea of having ulterior motives. Cats need protein! It belatedly occurs to Heejung that she hasn't been cooking anything with meat because Jieun likes apples and veggies?? OBLIGATE. CARNIVORES.
Jieun clearly wants to eat more apples than Jihae would like, and at first Heejung keeps to her promise to limit him to two but he looks at her with big sad eyes and she's curious to see him "aggressive".
Before she knows it he's eaten seven and his face is all flushed, and then he...slams his head into the table??
Jieun: Give me more apples.
Heejung: ...I will after you go to bed.
She realises he's acting drunk, and says "What would Eddie say?"
Jieun: Eddie... :( I never knew Eddie could fall apart. I saw it, but because of my selfishness, I didn't tell him...he needs to meet a good person.
Heejung: What did you see?
Jieun: I can't see your future. I feel something cold from you, a deep sorrow. Yet you can smile. It amazes me.
Heejung think about how anxious she is under her smile, afraid of loneliness and what her hazy future might bring. She tries to explain that she's not strong, just afraid to show her true self, but then...Jihae comes back.
He's quietly pissed at Heejung for letting Jieun get apple-drunk, but then Jieun asks for a hug. Jihae picks him up and Jieun plays with Jihae's hair, murmuring "I'm sorry I'm sorry".
So did Jieun see a happy future for Jihae without him and sabotage it to keep Jihae by his side?
I took Jieun to a romance movie and he said "Humans here love in an interesting way".
It's late December and I seem to be doing ok!
Such parochialism pisses me off in US media but I just find this amusing. YES. LITERALLY EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD THINKS CHRISTMAS IS FOR LOVERS.
Jieun: Then are you and I lovers?
Heejung: UH. YOU CAN ALSO SPEND IT WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY.
Jieun: Then are we friends? Family? Why did you want to spend Christmas with me?
Heejung: ...you're the person closest to me. You're special to me.
Jieun *staring at her*: I see.
Heejung: ...does that make you uncomfortable?
Jieun: It makes me happy. It means I'm chosen by you.
Aw and then he gives her a christmas card, smiling shyly and saying the others told him you're supposed to write a card for a special person. She's going to treasure it forever.
Jieun gets into the apples Heejung hid. She tells him off a little condescendingly and he says "Don't give me orders!" then curls into a ball and starts crying, telling her to go away, that he feels like he's suffocating. Heejung suddenly remembers feeling that way in the past. She strokes his back and tells him he'll be ok. Jieun hugs her and says "Eddie? Eddie...people were mean to me again." She realises Jieun is having flashbacks to some past trauma.
Heejung keeps consoling him, thinking that even if she's not his "Eddie", if she can cheer him up even a little bit then it's ok. He whispers "Eddie...don't go..." and she pats his head until he falls asleep.
This is pretty unambiguously a love triangle, for various kinds of love. Jihae acts like Jieun's dad but Heejung acts like his mum, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
HA AND THE NEXT UNLOCKED INTERACTION IS "GIVE AN APPLE"
Game, that is called enabling. So I pick "What are you thinking" instead and he says "I was thinking about why I can't eat many apples". SEE??
These days Jihae's busy working and Jieun follows Heejung around instead. She thinks "So cute! He acts so childlike I forget he's taller than me."
I'm, uh, hoping this dynamic gets a LITTLE less shota-y by the time they get together romantically. I'm enjoying it right now in this intense, quasi-romantic state, but yeah.
Heejung is trying to encourage him to be more independent like...learning to tie his own ribbon, lol. "I feel like I have a younger brother. A beautiful younger brother who looks like a porcelain doll..."
Jieun: You're strange. You keep ordering me around.
Heejung: It's not ordering, it's teaching... do you not like it?
Jieun: I don't hate you ordering me. I'm just not used to it.
And then he reveals that he's the son of the King of Grass Kingdom, and that Eddie is his Knight. Heejung finally realises their relationship is one of servant and lord.
Heejung: I feel humble with a prince in front of me. I can't nag you now!
Jieun: ...why are you trying to change? It's not important who I am. I left the kingdom, so I'm not a prince any more. I'm only...chosen by you.
He steps closer and says "It's my duty to make you happy. Are you satisfied with your choice?"
Heejung: I don't know what you mean. But if I did choose you...I think it's a good choice.
He says he's glad and "I like us as equals, not like Eddie."
Jiwoo: Ugh now the precious rabbit has TWO servants.
Jiyeon: Be kind to poor Jiwoo, he's jealous ;)
Jiwoo: NO I'M NOT
Heejung: Don't worry Jiwoo, I'll give you my love too...
Jiwoo: YOU'RE ALL STUPID
Jisoo: It's better that rabbit follow you around than having two male rabbits so close. It's gross.
WOW SCREW YOU JISOO
Jiyeon: You don't like guys?
Jisoo: Of course not. Girls are soft and pretty.
Jiyeon: Then why did you do that to me when you were drunk...
Jisoo: I TOLD YOU NOT TO TALK ABOUT THAT
o.O
WAS NOT EXPECTING IMPLIED CANON M/M BUT SURE
Heejung: Jiyeon! You engaged in...UNDERAGE DRINKING?? How old are you??
Jiyeon: Well actually...*has mouth covered by Jisoo*
Jiyeon: One more word and I'll tell your "women" who you really are!
What is up with these guys??
(The Korean drinking age is 19)
And then Jieun silently stands up, walks to Heejung's room, and closes the door.
She finds him sitting on the floor, staring silently at the sun through the window. At last he says "I can see...your future."
He stands up and extends his arm, and the window opens by itself. A wind whirls around him, then he says "It's enough, thank you" and the wind dies down.
????
She freaks out and he holds her hand and tells her she's safe.
Jieun: The power of precognition was given to me by God. It won't hurt you.
Heejung: What sort of future did you see?
Jieun: If I tell you you'll get embarrassed.
Me: *waggles eyebrows*
Heejung: Can you give me a hint?
Jieun: You were on an adventure by yourself. And I...telling you more is against the rules.
So she asks about his power. A divine child is born once every three generations. A prince with the power has a high chance of being crowned king.
Heejung: Won't you being here cause problems then?!
Jieun: I will soon return.
Heejung: Oh :(
Jieun: Are you sad?
Heejung: *nods*
Jieun: Then I'm happy. I...actually like you.
Heejung suddenly feels shy, and full of confusing, not-very-big-sisterly feelings.
Aww I'm glad I spent the heart gauge on unlocking the "talk to plants" action, Jihae is very pleased to see Heejung doing it :) Though I think my favourite is when I pick "sketch" and he talks supportively about her art.
Heejung is quietly pleased to see how much Jieun is opening up to her. She asks him if being expected to be king is a lot of pressure, and when he goes silent asks if he doesn't want to be king, and if not why.
Jieun: I will continuously have to be nagged. The rabbits around me...they're all noisy.
I like how Jieun's dislike of "noise" initially came across as childish whininess but at this point is clearly trauma/neuro-atypicality. She sympathises, thinking how much worse the pressure he experiences must be than what she experiences herself.
Jieun: I feel strange when I'm with you. It's...warm...and comfortable.
Me: Aww...*waits for Heejung to have shippy feels*
Heejung: So are you saying I'm like your mom?
HEEJUNG
HEEJUNG NO
Jieun: ...Mom? o.O
Heejung: Or Eddie.
Jieun: No. My mother and you are different. And Eddie...is similar to noone. You're not like anyone else.
Ok now her heart flutters, knowing she's not a replacement for anyone else, and that he sees her as an equal. To hide her swooning, she asks about his mother: was she strict?
Jieun: She couldn't be. She...was a maid working in the royal palace. After giving birth to me, she was forced to live in another palace. She could only watch me from far away...through Eddie.
??? Half-brother? Cousin??
Jihae was also born between an aristocrat and a commoner, but wasn't raised as a noble. But he was beautiful...
Flashback, against a white background.
Jihae: You shouldn't have any interest in me. If you touch me, your hand will become filthy.
child!Jieun: No, you're special. You're beautiful.
adult!Jieun: He was so hurt, he was feeling nothing. He didn't even realise how hurt he was. They said his hair was a bad omen.
Heejung: Your world is like mine. People are afraid to be different.
Jieun: What are you afraid of?
Heejung: I'm afraid that if I change...people I care about will leave me.
She's never told this to anyone before. Jieun reaches up to touch her face and she thinks he looks very mature...
Jieun: You're afraid to be alone. Don't be. You will be alright.
Heejung: How can you know? And what do I do now?
But she left her mother for a reason. She's always known that she could survive being alone.
Jieun: You've always known the answer. Eddie knows it too. It just takes him time to recognise it *whisper* ...me as well.
He smiles. "I will support you, no matter what you choose to do."
Snow begins to fall and Heejung gives the sort of happy gasp you can only get with a voiced protagonist. Just as she's thinking "they're as pretty and pure as Jieun" he says "You are beautiful" and then pulls her into a hug. She feels her face heat up and her heart beat wildly and tries to figure out what she's feeling.
Jieun, softly: It will be alright. You will soon have a wish. You will find what you want to do. You can do it.
oh no. I have a bad feeling about where this is going. But also I ship it.
Now when they go on dates Jieun pays more attention to Heejung's well-being than his own. Also at the bookstore he makes sly remarks about how this book has kissing but he doesn't think reading about it is the way to improve. I got a random "adult magazine" gift which I'm guessing is for Jiyeon lol.
THIRTY TWO STAMPS AW YISS
The walkthrough said that by the 15th of February I should have 30 stamps, eyesight of 0.5, and at least one heart/affection level. It's the 11th of February and I have 32 stamps, eyesight of 1.0, and 3 hearts :D
Also: my Femininity, Beauty and Art are all at level 12, and my Stress and Pressure go up so slowly I basically never have to go to any special effort to bring them down. I have $320 and nothing much to spend it on asides from stats raising items I don't seem to need.
Jieun's at 100/100 points, I know the final limit is 150 so I'm wondering if that goes up on the 15th.
Tried and failed to hang out with Jieun for Valentines lol.
The 15th! Jieun has been helping Heejung cook. He's very bad at it, but looks cute in an apron. And EVEN HE thinks she's driving the cats away by only cooking meat. COME ON HEEJUNG.
Heejung, internally: I'm not making vegetarian food because I favour Jieun! Never!
Jihae arrives home from work. How does he work as a model if he always has to keep on his hat to hide his massive bunny ears??
AND THEN JIEUN CALLS HIM JIHAE
Jihae rolls with that but is disconcerted to know that Jieun has been cooking.
Jieun: Jihae, eat with us.
Jihae is very quiet, and Heejung notices that his hands are shaking. Heejung isn't sure if he's proud or lonely.
Jihae: This is very good...I was surprised. I see that you have taken good care of Young Master, My Lady. I was feeling guilty for not spending much time-
Jieun: You shouldn't feel guilty. This is how it should be. I'm going to set you free...Eddie. I'm always grateful for what you do. But it's not good for either of us. Even if we go back to Grass...
Jihae: I cannot accept that! Are you...abandoning me? Did I do something wrong?
Jieun: Eddie did nothing wrong! I was playing the baby- depending on your for everything! Eddie, I took away your happiness.
Jihae: How many times do I have to tell you it was entirely my fault?! I am meant to be used for you!
Jieun: You met her because of me! You could have been happy, but I...how can I escape this guilt?!
Jihae gentle embraces the shaking Jieun. "You did nothing wrong, my Prince."
Jieun: You're too nice to even hate me...I'm going to let you go, so you can stop making sacrifices for me.
Jihae: Sacrificing for you is my reason to live. Do you expect me to give that up?
Jihae: If that is your will. You...will be a kind king. You have no idea what your kindness to me has meant. I will trust you, even if I am no longer allowed by your side.
Jieun: I will be a good king because you taught me what kindness is.
Jihae: I will see you at Grass when the Game is over.
Jihae tells Heejung he will stay with his agency, and thanks her for her hospitality. And then he leaves, never to be seen again. Jieun tries his best to seem indifferent.
Poor sad rabbits :(
I feel like it makes the most emotional sense if Jieun had a guilty, unrequited crush on Jihae, and suspect that's an intended possible reading. I mean you could also read him as a big brother or dad! And maybe even Jieun isn't sure what sort of love it is.
haa. Before when I took Jieun to a cafe he just said there was a lot of people, now he adds "So we should hold hands".
I tried giving him a moderately expensive gift (tarot cards for $80) but got the same generic gift text as always. But the "watch a documentary" text had him rest his head on her shoulder, aww.
I gave him an apple and he said "Apples remind me of Eddie. I guess I'm still selfish" ;_;
Aww! He gave her an apple and said he wanted her to eat it. THAT'S LOVE.
The notices I just saw: "Heejung hopes Jieun and Jihae can meet again" and "Heejung wants to give Jieun a hug". The slowly changing flavour-text as the affection level rises is really well done, they must have written SO MANY variants.
...I just went to the balcony intending on picking "water the plants" in the hopes Jieun would show up, but he was already there and said he wanted to water the plants with Heejung because he likes being around her.
*blinks* I just got the option to pick "Jieun, shall we..." at the art room and he replied "Ah, but I'm too young". What??
Ahaha drinking a cocktail lowers her art ability, the only thing I've seen do that all game.
Jiwoo: I've read a study saying cats only eat vegetables when depressed...
Jiyeon: You read a study on cats? So you like cats? ;)
Jiwoo: I JUST HAPPENED TO STUMBLE ACROSS IT
Jisoo thinks Heejung "drove away that showy rabbit" and took his place. Heejung, who is peeling apples for Jieun (Apples PLURAL??) feels bad that she can't explain, and Jieun says nothing. The two of them haven't talked about Jihae since he left, but Jieun has been doing more things by himself.
Jiyeon: Maybe Heejung likes Jieun.
Heejung cuts herself. She thinks "It's not as if I don't like him..."
Jisoo sees that she's bleeding and rushes off to get the first aid kit. Jieun just stares at the blood and then puts her finger in his mouth. Heejung makes a difficult to describe noise but I think she's confusedly into it.
Jiyeon: Little rabbit, I guess you are a man after all.
Jisoo: Wait, what? WAIT. WHAT?! THE FOODGIVER AND THAT MUNCHKIN RABBIT ARE...
Jiwoo: It sure took you a long time for you to figure that out.
Jiyeon: Yes, we all lost to that little rabbit.
Jisoo: I thought he was the easiest one to defeat!
If it turns out they all were playing a game where the aim is to win Heejung's heart, they really weren't trying very hard.
Jieun asks if she's ok then says he will cut his own apples from now on. They get into a back-and-forth of "No you'll get hurt" and everyone else makes disgusted faces.
Heejung remembers what Jieun told her: that the answer of what to do has been within her all along. She doesn't know how her mother will react, but...Heejung is no longer a child. She rings up her mother and says she's going to go to art school. YAY!
Her mother is NOT GREAT about it, and starts to blame her dad.
Heejung: I'm the one who decides my life now. Even if it's the wrong choice, it's mine, not dad's.
Heejung thinks of the unconditional support Jieun offers her, and doesn't expect that from her mother. But can't her mum just watch without turning her back, and let Heejung make her own mistakes?
Mother: I don't need to hear any more. In fact, I'm relieved! Don't ever call me again!
:(
Heejung knew deep down that this would happen. And she always thought that when her mother left her, the world would fall apart. But she's fine. Jieun was right.
I really like this! Too much media pushes a "just be honest with your parents and everything will be fine" narrative. Sometimes it's not! Sometimes the relationship can't be fixed and the child has to walk away.
I wonder how the mother-and-art arc will play out in other paths. It was set up a lot in the common route so this feels like the only logical outcome but we'll see.
haha I accidentally got a scene with Jiyeon and so gave him some expired popcorn I'd forgotten to throw out and he was not happy.
Heejung muses on being an independent adult for the first time in her life. It feels a little lonely.
Jieun: I envy you. There's a decision I've been putting off as well.
She asks him to explain what happened between him and Jihae, and at last he feels able to tell her.
Since Jieun has the white hair and red eyes of a psychic, he was surrounded by ambitious, insincere sycophants from a young age, waiting for him to become king. Only his mother saw him as himself, and she sent "Eddie" to watch over Jieun. But everyone hated Jihae because of his hair. So at ten, Jieun made Jihae a knight, and used him as a shield, sending him to events in his stead.
child!Jieun: If some other prince turns out to be the psychic one, they'll all leave me. But you'll always stay with me, right?
Jihae: As long as you don't abandon me, I will forever be your knight.
When Jieun's psychic powers finally manifested, he hid them, and became obsessed with relying on Jihae. "I didn't think about how Eddie must feel, dancing with other women instead of me".
And then Jihae fell in love. "She was the first person to see him for who he was, it's no wonder he was attracted to her. She was more kind than my selfish self. But I became anxious, because I felt that Eddie was no longer mine."
So he looked up her future...and saw her kill herself, because her family wouldn't accept Jihae. Jieun said nothing, and she died.
...wow, that really is a shitty thing to do. But how old was Jieun?
To Jieun's horror, Jihae fell apart, blaming himself for the woman's death. He only kept himself alive to keep looking after Jieun.
Heejung feels for both of them, so consumed with guilt and misery. She pulls Jieun into a hug and he cries against her shoulder, saying that he's realised he can never make Jihae happy, because Jihae's too nice to ever blame Jieun for what happened.
Jieun: But I'm so selfish, I still miss him...
Heejung: I'm not Jihae but I'll stay by your side.
Jieun: ..ok. Please stay by my side.
It's now the 8th of April and Jieun is at 150 max points. The final action unlocked and it's SHOW LOVE. But if I do it this early he'll probably reject it. I tried anyway and he said "Don't look at me like that" ;_;
"I saw the Kanos rabbit as a girl once and never got it out of my mind. I want to dress as a girl before I get older."
I googled "Kanos rabbit" and I think it's Jiwoo?? OK THEN.
Every time Heejung interacts with Jieun now he says melancholy stuff like "I'm going to miss the sound of your pencil against the canvas. I'm going to treasure every minute spent with you.". And then on a date he says he hopes Summer never comes, at least not for a while. So I guess that's the end point.
Every now and then there's references to him "growing up" that I find a bit uncomfortable. I didn't mind so much with Yeonho from Nameless, where the protagonist was a similarly aged teen also going through puberty, but with a 16ish year old and a 21 year old... I mean it's no creepier than the much more common "dude tells younger girl she is growing up" dynamic, and I'm sure it's great for people into that sort of thing but...I JUST WANT GUYS WHO ARE SLIGHTLY YOUNGER WITHOUT FEELING LIKE LITERAL CHILDREN. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK, HET ROMANCE WRITERS??
MAXIMUM AFFECTION LEVEL FIVE HEARTS AW YEAH
The final gift: an apple shaped brooch from home...that Jieun originally bought for Eddie.
So I was deciding if I wanted to sell the brooch, worth $120, but then noticed that the rabbit doll he gave at 4 hearts is worth THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS???? I don't actually have anything to spend the money on, though, so I'll keep both.
Jieun's increasingly self conscious about being so much younger: wishing he was taller or could drink with her, implying he'd like to kiss, etc
WELL.
On the 1st of May, Jieun finds himself talking to the Wizard, who tells Jieun he's won the game, much to the Wizard's surprise. Unlike everyone else, Jieun entered on behalf of someone else: Jihae. Jieun's wish is to grant Jihae's wish: to bring the woman Jihae loved back to life.
Wizard: So the Knight will be happy with the one he loves.
Jieun: No. He will be too consumed with guilt to approach her. But this will ease his guilt.
So afaict (from here and Nameless) the Wizard appears to anyone desperate enough to trade for a wish. In Nameless the price was QUITE HIGH, but I don't know what it is here.
The wizard gloats that Jieun only has a month left with "the heroine" before he must return to "the Green Continent". But Jieun says that no matter how sad Heejung gets, she will never call on the Wizard. Jieun plans to become king, and gather as many magicians as it takes to be able to bring her to him (are you...going to ask her first?)
This infuriates the Wizard. It seems like he set the whole game up to drive Heejung to the point of wanting to strike a deal, because Heejung is important to him in some way.
So the walkthrough said that unlike everyone else, who loves when Heejung buys and wears a bikini, Jieun has an amusing but unimpressed reaction. Since I have extra money and am at max points I did it, and he said "I understand you're trying to cheer me up. But please put on some clothes" ahahaha.
He's generally written as not thinking about sex yet, which makes sense, especially since the Korean age of consent is 18. But it's a little surreal since he's about the same age as the protagonist of Nameless, who actually has sex.
On the 17th, Heejung finds Jiyeon and Jisoo packing to move in with a "friend of a friend of a girl Jiyeon knows" who Jiyeon seems to be about to describe as having a thing for Jisoo before Jisoo hits him.
Jiwoo is apparently moving to a buddhist temple to become a (romance?) writer??
(Of course maybe they're all actually going back home and can't tell her)
Heejung feels like a hole has been punched in her heart, but she knows they have to live their own independent lives.
Jiyeon: Anyway, you're busy flirting with that rabbit.
Jiwoo: Yeah. We lost.
Jisoo: But we'll totally call you!
She wishes them well, then sits sadly watching their favourite tv shows alone while she waits for Jieun to wake up.
He dozily sits next to her on the couch and she starts explaining, increasingly losing her composure as she talks about everyone leaving with no warning. She asks if he'll leave too, and when he says yes she leans against his shoulder and cries, saying she doesn't want him to go. He says he will try his best to see her again, and she wonders how, and whether he has any chance of succeeding.
He tells her that she will be ok, and so will he.
Bluh stats raising feels very pointless now. On the one hand I'm counting down the days, on the other it feels sad knowing this is all the time they have together, assuming it does end that way. There's one or two tiny extra scenes.
Spring come to an end. Just as Heejung's about to go to bed, Jieun asks her to come stand on the balcony with him and watch the stars. She talks about how cute he is, and how he'll grow into a fine man, and king. He tells her that in the morning, she'll have a choice, but he's confident she'll make the right decision, even without him there with her. She becomes very sad at the thought that he's about to leave, but he kisses her on the forehead and tells her she'll be alright.
Closing credits, a sad song about missing the one you love.
The wizard mutters that it's been three years and Heejung never called for him. He's watched her follow her dream and find a true happy ending. "I suppose I'm the real loser of the game. But I still want you so much. So what do I do now?"
It's Heejung's first solo exhibition. As Heejae says how great it is, she quietly wishes Jieun were here, and wonders what he's doing.
And then she hears his voice. She runs off, following it, and when the voice stops she cries out his name. Then she hear him again, saying "I've come to invite you back to my kindgom. Close your eyes and trust me."
And then he's there, holding out his hands, inviting her into his world.
THE END
My heart ;_;
That was lovely. The emphasis on the age gap makes more sense with the time skip and him needing to grow up into a king. It wasn't so much a romance as a very romantic friendship that will become a romance now they're both adults. And...idk! FEELINGS. SAD PEOPLE GIVING EACH OTHER SUPPORT AND HUGS.
I'd be more annoyed about her giving up her career but she can totally still be an artist as Queen, Jieun was always super supportive of her art and now she can just paint whatever she wants without worrying about income. She didn't seem very attached to anyone or anything in this world except the other guys, and they may well be in furryland too.
I wonder if she always ends up in their lands, or if this is just because of Jieun's specific backstory.
Time to see what I've unlocked in the main menu!
I can see all the CGs and replay seen scenes. There's the cute message Jieun wrote in the Christmas card and an an interview with the voice actor Kyungtae Lee with an ENGLISH TRANSLATION. He has a high voice, a little soft but more cheerful and expressive than Jieun. I'm pretty sure he's saying he thinks Jieun is a gay leaning bisexual?? Other than that it's all fairly standard voice actor interview stuff.
With my stamps I unlock pencil sketches of Jieun (concept art?) and a fairly bland CG of him looking at the viewer.
There's also some blatant "secret ending goes here" gaps. HMM! Is the Wizard the secret LI? o.O
Not sure who to do next. I got squicked enough by the age gap stuff to not want to date the also boyish Jiyeon right away. I'm curious to play Jihae and see his past from the other direction (I still don't know why he's called Eddie, or what his relationship to Jieun's mother is) but it might feel too weird having Jieun be so central yet not the LI. Jisoo isn't really my type, so I guess I'm going for the tsundere rabbit Jiwoo!
Looking back, I was so convinced Heejae would be a villain...but there's still time!
I feel bad at how wordy this got. I spent so much time stats raising that any time I got ACTUAL CONTENT I got excited and wanted to write it down. IT WAS A YEAR OF DAILY STATS RISING. A YEAR. And now I have four more years head of me. More if I do the bad ends /o\
*thinks back over the game as I prepare to edit and post*
WAIT A SECOND.
**Implied Nameless spoilers**
I WAS THINKING THIS TYPE OF ENDING IS A CHERITZ THING. BUT THEN I REMEMBERED EVERY ROMANTIC KDRAMA I HAVE EVER WATCHED.
WHAT DO KOREANS HAVE AGAINST STRAIGHT FORWARD HAPPY ENDINGS? WHY ALL THE LAST MINUTE SEPARATIONS, FOLLOWED BY UNSATISFYING HALF ASSED REUNIONS, KOREA?? (Yes I am aware that some Korean romances just have last minute separations and then end with no reunion at all, but that's not an improvement from my point of view)
I mean Cheritz's at least feel like the plot was leading there, which is a step up from the more jarring kdramas. And I don't mean to be culturally intolerant, as long as Korean audiences like this kind of romance then it's not objectively bad. But it's still annoying for me personally, and it's a strange cultural quirk, considering I haven't noticed anywhere near as many plots of this type in the Japanese and Chinese romances I've encountered.
On the upside, I was all prepared for this to be like the Nameless endings, but by comparison it was straight-forwardly happy!
And now for cute little baby rabbit Jieun and his MOE TRAUMA.
I really liked it! He turned out to be VERY young, afaict he's around 16 to her 21, and it leaned into his child-like qualities a little much for my tastes. But it was still overall really sweet, the two of them helped each other grow as people, work through their trauma, and be happy.
Content notes: toxic upbringings, trauma, suicide, substance addiction (...sort of)
Also I talk about the Nameless endings right at the end of this post, but warn for spoilers first.
Ok, so, here we go!
Art club friend Heejae offers the protagonist Heejung some "extra apples" and I wonder if they're poisoned and will hurt Jieun, who is super into apples. Heejae wouldn't want to hurt Heejung, though, so idk.
Jieun (STILL NOT HUMAN) pointedly bugs Heejung to cut an apple up for him. She turns to wash her hands and then...
me: is he sick?
...there's a cute aristocratic looking boy with rabbit ears sitting on her table!!
Huh, he explicitly doesn't look Korean! She's as surprised at his fluent Korean as the fact he's apparently the human form of Jieun lol.
In a calm, quiet voice he says she and the other five are part of a game and that she has evidently made a decision. She is the heroine, and it's his role to make her happy. But telling her more would be against the rules.
Jieun's voice is very soft and cool for like 99% of his dialogue, like it takes all of his emotional energy to even get the words out and he doesn't have any left for volume or emotion.
And then Heejung notices the others...
Until this moment I had somehow thought the animals ears in all the art were symbolic.
The word "doll-like" comes up a few times describing these dudes. In their next game Cheritz just used actual dolls haha.
Jieun immediately gets a hug from Jihae and pouts about Jisoo swearing. Jiyeon is described as looking like an 18 year old juvenile delinquent. Jiwoo is all "I'm different from other rabbits" because of his brown spots.
They all bicker and Heejung realises they weren't friends the way she thought. She's also not sure how she feels about Jisoo referring to her as "Foodgiver" haha.
Heejung: I can't live with five men...
Jiyeon: Why not ;_;
Jiwoo: Dumbass, she thinks (beep) and (beep) might happen.
Jieun: Eddie, what's (beep) and (beep)?
Jihae: Well, you see-
Heejung: WAIT
Jisoo: Don't worry, you're not my type ;)
Heejung: NOT THE POINT
Jiyeon: It's not that you're plain, it's just...trust us!
Jihae: My lady, we will do our best not to inconvenience you. We'll stay in animal form most of the time.
Heejung: Wait, are you animals or men?
Jiyeon: Umm...
Jisoo: We can turn ourselves into either.
Heejung: ARE YOU ALIENS???
So they're from "far away"?? But explaining further would be "against the rules". Heejung is understandably frustrated, and is all set to kick them out so she can "go back to the normal life she had before". But then she thinks about how she's actually been happy for the last three months, and these guys were the ones who made that happen.
Heejung: ...you all need to wear hats when you leave the house, and stay as animals by default so the neighbours don't suspect anything. And no coming into my bedroom at night!
All: OK :D
And then I'm back to the same old stats raising!
...except the only one around is Jisoo? His face on the minimap is human now but the points bar still has the animal faces.
Ok I just hit my first actual interaction, with Jihae (I was AIMING for Jieun...), and it's with him as a human. OK, GOOD, I WAS WONDERING. These parts aren't voiced.
(They never show up on screen as animals again, but are implied to sleep in animal form, which does make practical sense)
...except right now I would like to take a bath for stats reasons, and Jiyeon is in the bathroom o.O MAYBE I'LL DRAW A PICTURE INSTEAD.
Jieun has a tendency to stare at things quietly and say stuff like "I can feel the plant's emotions" in a blank voice.
Heejae invites Heejung out for drinks "with the club" but then says everyone else already left (HMM) They both ending up getting drunk and Heejae tipsily rambles about how Heejung is pretty and looks like his first love. Part of me's wondering if he's the wizard, somehow, even though they sound totally different (Heejae has a high nerdy voice, the wizard's voice is deep and smug). He asks her to be his drinking buddy and takes her home and doesn't quite get up the courage to ask to come inside.
When she gets home, Jieun is waiting, but he doesn't say anything.
JIYEON GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM I WANT TO TAKE A BATH DAMMIT THIS IS GETTING WEIRD
...ok I went anyway and he was all "Let's bathe together, you smell like oranges ^_^" and it's not clear if she said no???
Oooh more date locations have become available! GAME. DID YOU DECREASE HER BEAUTY FOR HAVING A DESSERT >:(
Had my first inadvertent scene with human!Jisoo and he told Heejung she looked cute when she's drawing, the first time any of them have flirted with her. WHAT HAPPENED TO HER NOT BEING YOUR TYPE, JISOO. THIS ISN'T EVEN YOUR ROUTE.
Heejung is a little disconcerted by how close Jieun and Jihae are, and asks if they're related or...
Jieun: Eddie and I are friends.
Jihae reacts with so much surprise that Heejung decides that isn't actually true. She asks Jihae if he'd rather be called Eddie and he says he'd prefer Jihae, but she doesn't think to ask anyone else if they have names that they'd prefer.
Jiwoo: Hey, stupid owner, don't you think those two are abnormal?
Heejung: I think you're all abnormal except me :P
Jiwoo: Gasp! Do you not know how rational and intelligent I am?!
Jieun's white fur implies he's a royal, while Jihae's colour implies he's the child of a commoner and noble. Jiwoo says it's not breaking the rules to tell her this stuff since her society has similar hierarchical ideas. She's all HDU KOREA IS A DEMOCRACY lol.
Jiwoo: It bothers me that a royal ended up in this world. I'd stay away from him. NOT THAT I CARE ABOUT YOUR WELFARE OR ANYTHING.
Her thoughts on everyone as the first month comes to a close (with me not having maxed out Jieun /o\)
Jisoo: loves food and going out, she's seen him napping in the sunshine in the park.
Jihae: Distractingly hot and prince-like.
Jiwoo: Rude, but does cute things like read romance novels then declare them fine literature she wouldn't understand. Looks the same age as Jiyeon? Are there THREE younger guys in this game?? OK THEN ^_^
Jiyeon: Cute, childlike, fights with Jiwoo. Gets words mixed up.
Jieun: A mysterious boy who talks with his eyes.
Jiyeon just said "I'm off to see pretty ladies. Don't worry, I'm a good boy ^_^"
Uh. *remembers how Red, the equivalent Nameless character, turned out to be super into porn*
While doing all the cooking and cleaning is tiring (COME ON GUYS) she likes how the guys accept her for who she is, and finds herself laughing and enjoying herself more.
HA SO. I got a bit annoyed at having no idea what I was doing and looked up a walkthrough and THERE'S A STATUS SCREEN I NEVER NOTICED BEFORE WHERE I CAN USE USEFUL ITEMS. AND I CAN SPEND MY HEART GAUGE. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING THIS ALL WRONG.
I'm at 36/50 points on the 29th of September so am expecting a bad end come October. OH WELL.
...nothing happened. Apparently Jieun doesn't have any bad ends? EHHH STARTING AGAIN ANYWAY. The stats raising is tedious enough that if I'm going to have to redo it I'd rather start now, and I get the feeling it's possible to fail his route or why even have all these stats. Also I may have been missing key scenes by failing invisible stats checks.
SO. STARTING AGAIN.
The things I am going to do this time:
- use quick-save/quick-load to save-scum my way to more consistent points gains.
- Actually use items now I know how (HELLO STATUS MENU)
- Spend the heart gauge to level up my resilience to stress/pressure.
- Improve Heejung's eyesight so she can gather stamps on dates? Which is apparently a thing??
*replays and does all those things*
GIFTS. STAT RAISING. THE HEART METER. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.
So, roughly:
A lot of this stuff is randomised with an unavoidable chance of failure. To increase the odds of success, you can save before anything chancy, and if it fails, reload the save and try again. Also, if you try to do something super affectionate to a LI whose points are relatively low, it has increased odds of failure. Gifts are a safer way to raise points but get less cute dialogue.
The heart meter fills up when Heejung does something that makes her happy. When it's 100% full, you can click the glowing heart to spend it. You choose between an upgrade to Heejung's resilience to pressure/stress, or unlocking a new activity in one of the rooms eg "talk to plants"/"apply makeup" etc. The advantage of new activities is new dialogue, and more ways to min-max stats while seeking out your bae.
Items are picked up randomly at work, bought from shops, and found during the "Look around" minigame on dates. Items can raise stats, be used as gifts, or sold. Improving Heejung's eyesight increases the odds of good items showing up during the minigame. A special item that only shows up in the minigame is "stamps", chibi images of the love interest. You spend stamps after the route is finished to unlock extras or something.
There is a "status" option RIGHT THERE IN THE MAIN MENU. Oops. One thing this lets you see is whether you're meeting your love interest's standards for Beauty, Femininity, and Art. Passing invisible stats tests is why you need to keep raising these stats, and if you ever fail one of these tests you get a bad end. I can't find any guides to EXACTLY how high they need to be so am just doing my best and trying to stay optimistic /o\
My basic strategy:
On Saturday, go on a date if possible, varying the locations for variety since it doesn't see to matter. Hope for stamps and good items!
Spend any useful stats boosting items, throw out any junk.
On Sunday, work, unless I couldn't date on Saturday.
On weekdays, try to keep pressure and stress relatively low and boost the other stats, while also hanging out as much as possible in the same room as Jieun so I get scenes with him that raise points and the heart meter.
Every time I have $200 (including items I can sell), go to the shops and buy some vision improver.
Spend the heart meter when it fills up, first on resilience and then on activities the walkthrough said Jieun shows up for. (Also stuff that boosts beauty since that has ended up being low because of how the Jieun activities play out)
And it seems to be working out! It's October 1st again and this time Jieun is at 50 points!
Ahaha so I took Jieun to the bookstore and he apparently made a beeline for something romantic/sexy. When Heejung says he's too young he smiles slightly and says he's not that young.
Jiyeon introduces Jisoo and Heejung to Blackjack and beats the pants off them lol. Heejung tells Jieun that he's too young (Jiyeon is around 18, so is Jieun under 17??) He sits next to her with a seemingly blank expression, but then starts telling her when to hit or stand and she wins every game.
Heejung: Jieun, do you even know the rules? How did you know what cards to pick?
Jieun, very softly: My feelings.
Heejung: Wait what?
Jieun: I want apples.
At the end of a date he says "I'm sleepy. It was a bit fun. Please open the door for me."
Heejung is woken in the middle of the night by the sound of Jieun eating apples. He says he didn't ask Jihae because he's been busy with his new (human) modelling job and needs rest. Heejung thinks about her responsibility to Jieun as his owner and tells him to ask her if he's ever hungry. I am amused that she still thinks of herself as their owner, but everyone seems fine with the arrangement and who am I to complain.
Ahaha wait, no, he's surprised when she refers to herself as his owner out loud. It occurs to Heejung that calling herself the owner of humans is a little weird but she still wants to, bless.
Awww but then she thinks sadly that the one who really takes care of Jieun is Jihae. This is so delightfully weird.
Heejung: You feel more comfortable with Jihae than me
Jieun, with a melancholy expression: Eddie is...comfortable and uncomfortable.
Heejung: Hmm?
Jieun: Eddie is...too nice.
Heejung thinks about how Jihae isn't nice to her, just polite.
Heejung: I think he's only nice to you.
Jieun: *nods* But...I don't like it. Eddie should be nice to others too. Otherwise...Eddie will continue to be lonely. ...I have to let him go. But will I be able to?
HIS SAD LITTLE BUNNY EARS ;_;
Heejung: How long have you been with him?
Jieun: ...since I was born.
How old is Jihae??
Heejung almost but not quite connects the dots to Jihae being a servant. She jokes about calling him "Eddie" and Jieun sharply tells her only he can do that.
Jihae: But if I am to let Eddie go...I can't call him Eddie.
Relationship milestone! Jieun gives Heejung some half eaten broccoli. THANKS JIEUN.
(You get a gift every time you go up an affection level. There are 5 levels total, and each time you go up a level the points maximum increases and the dialogue/options for activities etc change)
As the affection level rises the notes on the minimap have gone from "Heejung wonders why Jieun stares so blankly" to "Heejung wants to protect Jieun" etc.
Right now the top interaction choice is "What are you thinking?" and at first he just said "Eddie..." but now he's telling Heejung he senses uneasiness in her art.
Jihae: Don't feed Jieun too many apples. If he eats too much sugar he could become... aggressive.
is he a gremlin
Heejung quietly thinks that Jieun could stand to be more aggressive. Jihae says he's been increasing his work hours "because we can't keep being a burden to you forever", and Heejung is sad to think of them all leaving one day. Jihae makes some comment about modelling not being "for the likes of him" back in their own world, then asks her to take care of "Young Master".
Heejung: I'll never be as good as you, though!
Jihae: Do you...really think I always have to be with Young Master? Is he alright when I'm not there...and only with you? These days he often speaks of you...
I feel like Jihae does actually want to leave Jieun, even if he hasn't admitted it to himself.
Heejung is touched by Jihae's concern and happy "for some reason" to know that Jieun talks about her. She thinks about how emotionless Jieun always seems and asks if he was always so quiet.
Jihae: He...changed as he grew up. He experienced things no normal child would experience. He began to talk less...
Heejung can be very condescending and maternal to Jieun which I feel a bit weird about. One downside of a voiced character is I can't imagine whatever tone I like. Not that I actually have any dialogue choices asides from unvoiced little ones on dates that don't seem to affect anything.
Heejung think about the way Jieun relates anything he likes back to Jihae, and asks him what he meant by needing to let Jihae go.
Jieun: Eddie cannot be happy next to me. I already ruined his happiness once...
Jieun picks a dandelion and stares at it. "What do you call this? It's soft...it reminds me of Eddie." He looks so sad she doesn't ask any more questions.
She wonders what the world looks like through Jieun's eyes. He so beautiful, but why won't he smile?
Then he talks about not liking cats because they're noisy and make trouble. WAY TO BE FURRY-RACIST, JIEUN.
Jieun: ...and I hate rabbits. They're calculating and think too much. I want to be an animal without thoughts. Without feelings.
Heejung: But then you won't know what's fun or delicious.
Jieun: Yes but you can escape from your suffering. From hate, sorrow, responsibility and guilt.
Heejung: ...yes, I've had those thoughts.
He stares at her in surprise.
Heejung: I once wished I was deaf. The things people said confused me, and I didn't know if they really helped.
She talks about feeling like a puppet controlled by others in highschool, then apologises for telling such a heavy story.
Jieun: You're amazing. You can still smile, despite your painful past. You should be praised.
Heejung, who has basically never been praised for anything ever, feels her face go warm.
AWW.
Jisoo goes out to get "free food with some girl Jyeon knows" and is a little defensive at the idea of having ulterior motives. Cats need protein! It belatedly occurs to Heejung that she hasn't been cooking anything with meat because Jieun likes apples and veggies?? OBLIGATE. CARNIVORES.
Jieun clearly wants to eat more apples than Jihae would like, and at first Heejung keeps to her promise to limit him to two but he looks at her with big sad eyes and she's curious to see him "aggressive".
Before she knows it he's eaten seven and his face is all flushed, and then he...slams his head into the table??
Jieun: Give me more apples.
Heejung: ...I will after you go to bed.
She realises he's acting drunk, and says "What would Eddie say?"
Jieun: Eddie... :( I never knew Eddie could fall apart. I saw it, but because of my selfishness, I didn't tell him...he needs to meet a good person.
Heejung: What did you see?
Jieun: I can't see your future. I feel something cold from you, a deep sorrow. Yet you can smile. It amazes me.
Heejung think about how anxious she is under her smile, afraid of loneliness and what her hazy future might bring. She tries to explain that she's not strong, just afraid to show her true self, but then...Jihae comes back.
He's quietly pissed at Heejung for letting Jieun get apple-drunk, but then Jieun asks for a hug. Jihae picks him up and Jieun plays with Jihae's hair, murmuring "I'm sorry I'm sorry".
So did Jieun see a happy future for Jihae without him and sabotage it to keep Jihae by his side?
I took Jieun to a romance movie and he said "Humans here love in an interesting way".
It's late December and I seem to be doing ok!
Such parochialism pisses me off in US media but I just find this amusing. YES. LITERALLY EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD THINKS CHRISTMAS IS FOR LOVERS.
Jieun: Then are you and I lovers?
Heejung: UH. YOU CAN ALSO SPEND IT WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY.
Jieun: Then are we friends? Family? Why did you want to spend Christmas with me?
Heejung: ...you're the person closest to me. You're special to me.
Jieun *staring at her*: I see.
Heejung: ...does that make you uncomfortable?
Jieun: It makes me happy. It means I'm chosen by you.
Aw and then he gives her a christmas card, smiling shyly and saying the others told him you're supposed to write a card for a special person. She's going to treasure it forever.
Jieun gets into the apples Heejung hid. She tells him off a little condescendingly and he says "Don't give me orders!" then curls into a ball and starts crying, telling her to go away, that he feels like he's suffocating. Heejung suddenly remembers feeling that way in the past. She strokes his back and tells him he'll be ok. Jieun hugs her and says "Eddie? Eddie...people were mean to me again." She realises Jieun is having flashbacks to some past trauma.
Heejung keeps consoling him, thinking that even if she's not his "Eddie", if she can cheer him up even a little bit then it's ok. He whispers "Eddie...don't go..." and she pats his head until he falls asleep.
This is pretty unambiguously a love triangle, for various kinds of love. Jihae acts like Jieun's dad but Heejung acts like his mum, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
HA AND THE NEXT UNLOCKED INTERACTION IS "GIVE AN APPLE"
Game, that is called enabling. So I pick "What are you thinking" instead and he says "I was thinking about why I can't eat many apples". SEE??
These days Jihae's busy working and Jieun follows Heejung around instead. She thinks "So cute! He acts so childlike I forget he's taller than me."
I'm, uh, hoping this dynamic gets a LITTLE less shota-y by the time they get together romantically. I'm enjoying it right now in this intense, quasi-romantic state, but yeah.
Heejung is trying to encourage him to be more independent like...learning to tie his own ribbon, lol. "I feel like I have a younger brother. A beautiful younger brother who looks like a porcelain doll..."
Jieun: You're strange. You keep ordering me around.
Heejung: It's not ordering, it's teaching... do you not like it?
Jieun: I don't hate you ordering me. I'm just not used to it.
And then he reveals that he's the son of the King of Grass Kingdom, and that Eddie is his Knight. Heejung finally realises their relationship is one of servant and lord.
Heejung: I feel humble with a prince in front of me. I can't nag you now!
Jieun: ...why are you trying to change? It's not important who I am. I left the kingdom, so I'm not a prince any more. I'm only...chosen by you.
He steps closer and says "It's my duty to make you happy. Are you satisfied with your choice?"
Heejung: I don't know what you mean. But if I did choose you...I think it's a good choice.
He says he's glad and "I like us as equals, not like Eddie."
Jiwoo: Ugh now the precious rabbit has TWO servants.
Jiyeon: Be kind to poor Jiwoo, he's jealous ;)
Jiwoo: NO I'M NOT
Heejung: Don't worry Jiwoo, I'll give you my love too...
Jiwoo: YOU'RE ALL STUPID
Jisoo: It's better that rabbit follow you around than having two male rabbits so close. It's gross.
WOW SCREW YOU JISOO
Jiyeon: You don't like guys?
Jisoo: Of course not. Girls are soft and pretty.
Jiyeon: Then why did you do that to me when you were drunk...
Jisoo: I TOLD YOU NOT TO TALK ABOUT THAT
o.O
WAS NOT EXPECTING IMPLIED CANON M/M BUT SURE
Heejung: Jiyeon! You engaged in...UNDERAGE DRINKING?? How old are you??
Jiyeon: Well actually...*has mouth covered by Jisoo*
Jiyeon: One more word and I'll tell your "women" who you really are!
What is up with these guys??
(The Korean drinking age is 19)
And then Jieun silently stands up, walks to Heejung's room, and closes the door.
She finds him sitting on the floor, staring silently at the sun through the window. At last he says "I can see...your future."
He stands up and extends his arm, and the window opens by itself. A wind whirls around him, then he says "It's enough, thank you" and the wind dies down.
????
She freaks out and he holds her hand and tells her she's safe.
Jieun: The power of precognition was given to me by God. It won't hurt you.
Heejung: What sort of future did you see?
Jieun: If I tell you you'll get embarrassed.
Me: *waggles eyebrows*
Heejung: Can you give me a hint?
Jieun: You were on an adventure by yourself. And I...telling you more is against the rules.
So she asks about his power. A divine child is born once every three generations. A prince with the power has a high chance of being crowned king.
Heejung: Won't you being here cause problems then?!
Jieun: I will soon return.
Heejung: Oh :(
Jieun: Are you sad?
Heejung: *nods*
Jieun: Then I'm happy. I...actually like you.
Heejung suddenly feels shy, and full of confusing, not-very-big-sisterly feelings.
Aww I'm glad I spent the heart gauge on unlocking the "talk to plants" action, Jihae is very pleased to see Heejung doing it :) Though I think my favourite is when I pick "sketch" and he talks supportively about her art.
Heejung is quietly pleased to see how much Jieun is opening up to her. She asks him if being expected to be king is a lot of pressure, and when he goes silent asks if he doesn't want to be king, and if not why.
Jieun: I will continuously have to be nagged. The rabbits around me...they're all noisy.
I like how Jieun's dislike of "noise" initially came across as childish whininess but at this point is clearly trauma/neuro-atypicality. She sympathises, thinking how much worse the pressure he experiences must be than what she experiences herself.
Jieun: I feel strange when I'm with you. It's...warm...and comfortable.
Me: Aww...*waits for Heejung to have shippy feels*
Heejung: So are you saying I'm like your mom?
HEEJUNG
HEEJUNG NO
Jieun: ...Mom? o.O
Heejung: Or Eddie.
Jieun: No. My mother and you are different. And Eddie...is similar to noone. You're not like anyone else.
Ok now her heart flutters, knowing she's not a replacement for anyone else, and that he sees her as an equal. To hide her swooning, she asks about his mother: was she strict?
Jieun: She couldn't be. She...was a maid working in the royal palace. After giving birth to me, she was forced to live in another palace. She could only watch me from far away...through Eddie.
??? Half-brother? Cousin??
Jihae was also born between an aristocrat and a commoner, but wasn't raised as a noble. But he was beautiful...
Flashback, against a white background.
Jihae: You shouldn't have any interest in me. If you touch me, your hand will become filthy.
child!Jieun: No, you're special. You're beautiful.
adult!Jieun: He was so hurt, he was feeling nothing. He didn't even realise how hurt he was. They said his hair was a bad omen.
Heejung: Your world is like mine. People are afraid to be different.
Jieun: What are you afraid of?
Heejung: I'm afraid that if I change...people I care about will leave me.
She's never told this to anyone before. Jieun reaches up to touch her face and she thinks he looks very mature...
Jieun: You're afraid to be alone. Don't be. You will be alright.
Heejung: How can you know? And what do I do now?
But she left her mother for a reason. She's always known that she could survive being alone.
Jieun: You've always known the answer. Eddie knows it too. It just takes him time to recognise it *whisper* ...me as well.
He smiles. "I will support you, no matter what you choose to do."
Snow begins to fall and Heejung gives the sort of happy gasp you can only get with a voiced protagonist. Just as she's thinking "they're as pretty and pure as Jieun" he says "You are beautiful" and then pulls her into a hug. She feels her face heat up and her heart beat wildly and tries to figure out what she's feeling.
Jieun, softly: It will be alright. You will soon have a wish. You will find what you want to do. You can do it.
oh no. I have a bad feeling about where this is going. But also I ship it.
Now when they go on dates Jieun pays more attention to Heejung's well-being than his own. Also at the bookstore he makes sly remarks about how this book has kissing but he doesn't think reading about it is the way to improve. I got a random "adult magazine" gift which I'm guessing is for Jiyeon lol.
THIRTY TWO STAMPS AW YISS
The walkthrough said that by the 15th of February I should have 30 stamps, eyesight of 0.5, and at least one heart/affection level. It's the 11th of February and I have 32 stamps, eyesight of 1.0, and 3 hearts :D
Also: my Femininity, Beauty and Art are all at level 12, and my Stress and Pressure go up so slowly I basically never have to go to any special effort to bring them down. I have $320 and nothing much to spend it on asides from stats raising items I don't seem to need.
Jieun's at 100/100 points, I know the final limit is 150 so I'm wondering if that goes up on the 15th.
Tried and failed to hang out with Jieun for Valentines lol.
The 15th! Jieun has been helping Heejung cook. He's very bad at it, but looks cute in an apron. And EVEN HE thinks she's driving the cats away by only cooking meat. COME ON HEEJUNG.
Heejung, internally: I'm not making vegetarian food because I favour Jieun! Never!
Jihae arrives home from work. How does he work as a model if he always has to keep on his hat to hide his massive bunny ears??
AND THEN JIEUN CALLS HIM JIHAE
Jihae rolls with that but is disconcerted to know that Jieun has been cooking.
Jieun: Jihae, eat with us.
Jihae is very quiet, and Heejung notices that his hands are shaking. Heejung isn't sure if he's proud or lonely.
Jihae: This is very good...I was surprised. I see that you have taken good care of Young Master, My Lady. I was feeling guilty for not spending much time-
Jieun: You shouldn't feel guilty. This is how it should be. I'm going to set you free...Eddie. I'm always grateful for what you do. But it's not good for either of us. Even if we go back to Grass...
Jihae: I cannot accept that! Are you...abandoning me? Did I do something wrong?
Jieun: Eddie did nothing wrong! I was playing the baby- depending on your for everything! Eddie, I took away your happiness.
Jihae: How many times do I have to tell you it was entirely my fault?! I am meant to be used for you!
Jieun: You met her because of me! You could have been happy, but I...how can I escape this guilt?!
Jihae gentle embraces the shaking Jieun. "You did nothing wrong, my Prince."
Jieun: You're too nice to even hate me...I'm going to let you go, so you can stop making sacrifices for me.
Jihae: Sacrificing for you is my reason to live. Do you expect me to give that up?
Jihae: If that is your will. You...will be a kind king. You have no idea what your kindness to me has meant. I will trust you, even if I am no longer allowed by your side.
Jieun: I will be a good king because you taught me what kindness is.
Jihae: I will see you at Grass when the Game is over.
Jihae tells Heejung he will stay with his agency, and thanks her for her hospitality. And then he leaves, never to be seen again. Jieun tries his best to seem indifferent.
Poor sad rabbits :(
I feel like it makes the most emotional sense if Jieun had a guilty, unrequited crush on Jihae, and suspect that's an intended possible reading. I mean you could also read him as a big brother or dad! And maybe even Jieun isn't sure what sort of love it is.
haa. Before when I took Jieun to a cafe he just said there was a lot of people, now he adds "So we should hold hands".
I tried giving him a moderately expensive gift (tarot cards for $80) but got the same generic gift text as always. But the "watch a documentary" text had him rest his head on her shoulder, aww.
I gave him an apple and he said "Apples remind me of Eddie. I guess I'm still selfish" ;_;
Aww! He gave her an apple and said he wanted her to eat it. THAT'S LOVE.
The notices I just saw: "Heejung hopes Jieun and Jihae can meet again" and "Heejung wants to give Jieun a hug". The slowly changing flavour-text as the affection level rises is really well done, they must have written SO MANY variants.
...I just went to the balcony intending on picking "water the plants" in the hopes Jieun would show up, but he was already there and said he wanted to water the plants with Heejung because he likes being around her.
*blinks* I just got the option to pick "Jieun, shall we..." at the art room and he replied "Ah, but I'm too young". What??
Ahaha drinking a cocktail lowers her art ability, the only thing I've seen do that all game.
Jiwoo: I've read a study saying cats only eat vegetables when depressed...
Jiyeon: You read a study on cats? So you like cats? ;)
Jiwoo: I JUST HAPPENED TO STUMBLE ACROSS IT
Jisoo thinks Heejung "drove away that showy rabbit" and took his place. Heejung, who is peeling apples for Jieun (Apples PLURAL??) feels bad that she can't explain, and Jieun says nothing. The two of them haven't talked about Jihae since he left, but Jieun has been doing more things by himself.
Jiyeon: Maybe Heejung likes Jieun.
Heejung cuts herself. She thinks "It's not as if I don't like him..."
Jisoo sees that she's bleeding and rushes off to get the first aid kit. Jieun just stares at the blood and then puts her finger in his mouth. Heejung makes a difficult to describe noise but I think she's confusedly into it.
Jiyeon: Little rabbit, I guess you are a man after all.
Jisoo: Wait, what? WAIT. WHAT?! THE FOODGIVER AND THAT MUNCHKIN RABBIT ARE...
Jiwoo: It sure took you a long time for you to figure that out.
Jiyeon: Yes, we all lost to that little rabbit.
Jisoo: I thought he was the easiest one to defeat!
If it turns out they all were playing a game where the aim is to win Heejung's heart, they really weren't trying very hard.
Jieun asks if she's ok then says he will cut his own apples from now on. They get into a back-and-forth of "No you'll get hurt" and everyone else makes disgusted faces.
Heejung remembers what Jieun told her: that the answer of what to do has been within her all along. She doesn't know how her mother will react, but...Heejung is no longer a child. She rings up her mother and says she's going to go to art school. YAY!
Her mother is NOT GREAT about it, and starts to blame her dad.
Heejung: I'm the one who decides my life now. Even if it's the wrong choice, it's mine, not dad's.
Heejung thinks of the unconditional support Jieun offers her, and doesn't expect that from her mother. But can't her mum just watch without turning her back, and let Heejung make her own mistakes?
Mother: I don't need to hear any more. In fact, I'm relieved! Don't ever call me again!
:(
Heejung knew deep down that this would happen. And she always thought that when her mother left her, the world would fall apart. But she's fine. Jieun was right.
I really like this! Too much media pushes a "just be honest with your parents and everything will be fine" narrative. Sometimes it's not! Sometimes the relationship can't be fixed and the child has to walk away.
I wonder how the mother-and-art arc will play out in other paths. It was set up a lot in the common route so this feels like the only logical outcome but we'll see.
haha I accidentally got a scene with Jiyeon and so gave him some expired popcorn I'd forgotten to throw out and he was not happy.
Heejung muses on being an independent adult for the first time in her life. It feels a little lonely.
Jieun: I envy you. There's a decision I've been putting off as well.
She asks him to explain what happened between him and Jihae, and at last he feels able to tell her.
Since Jieun has the white hair and red eyes of a psychic, he was surrounded by ambitious, insincere sycophants from a young age, waiting for him to become king. Only his mother saw him as himself, and she sent "Eddie" to watch over Jieun. But everyone hated Jihae because of his hair. So at ten, Jieun made Jihae a knight, and used him as a shield, sending him to events in his stead.
child!Jieun: If some other prince turns out to be the psychic one, they'll all leave me. But you'll always stay with me, right?
Jihae: As long as you don't abandon me, I will forever be your knight.
When Jieun's psychic powers finally manifested, he hid them, and became obsessed with relying on Jihae. "I didn't think about how Eddie must feel, dancing with other women instead of me".
And then Jihae fell in love. "She was the first person to see him for who he was, it's no wonder he was attracted to her. She was more kind than my selfish self. But I became anxious, because I felt that Eddie was no longer mine."
So he looked up her future...and saw her kill herself, because her family wouldn't accept Jihae. Jieun said nothing, and she died.
...wow, that really is a shitty thing to do. But how old was Jieun?
To Jieun's horror, Jihae fell apart, blaming himself for the woman's death. He only kept himself alive to keep looking after Jieun.
Heejung feels for both of them, so consumed with guilt and misery. She pulls Jieun into a hug and he cries against her shoulder, saying that he's realised he can never make Jihae happy, because Jihae's too nice to ever blame Jieun for what happened.
Jieun: But I'm so selfish, I still miss him...
Heejung: I'm not Jihae but I'll stay by your side.
Jieun: ..ok. Please stay by my side.
It's now the 8th of April and Jieun is at 150 max points. The final action unlocked and it's SHOW LOVE. But if I do it this early he'll probably reject it. I tried anyway and he said "Don't look at me like that" ;_;
"I saw the Kanos rabbit as a girl once and never got it out of my mind. I want to dress as a girl before I get older."
I googled "Kanos rabbit" and I think it's Jiwoo?? OK THEN.
Every time Heejung interacts with Jieun now he says melancholy stuff like "I'm going to miss the sound of your pencil against the canvas. I'm going to treasure every minute spent with you.". And then on a date he says he hopes Summer never comes, at least not for a while. So I guess that's the end point.
Every now and then there's references to him "growing up" that I find a bit uncomfortable. I didn't mind so much with Yeonho from Nameless, where the protagonist was a similarly aged teen also going through puberty, but with a 16ish year old and a 21 year old... I mean it's no creepier than the much more common "dude tells younger girl she is growing up" dynamic, and I'm sure it's great for people into that sort of thing but...I JUST WANT GUYS WHO ARE SLIGHTLY YOUNGER WITHOUT FEELING LIKE LITERAL CHILDREN. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK, HET ROMANCE WRITERS??
MAXIMUM AFFECTION LEVEL FIVE HEARTS AW YEAH
The final gift: an apple shaped brooch from home...that Jieun originally bought for Eddie.
So I was deciding if I wanted to sell the brooch, worth $120, but then noticed that the rabbit doll he gave at 4 hearts is worth THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS???? I don't actually have anything to spend the money on, though, so I'll keep both.
Jieun's increasingly self conscious about being so much younger: wishing he was taller or could drink with her, implying he'd like to kiss, etc
WELL.
On the 1st of May, Jieun finds himself talking to the Wizard, who tells Jieun he's won the game, much to the Wizard's surprise. Unlike everyone else, Jieun entered on behalf of someone else: Jihae. Jieun's wish is to grant Jihae's wish: to bring the woman Jihae loved back to life.
Wizard: So the Knight will be happy with the one he loves.
Jieun: No. He will be too consumed with guilt to approach her. But this will ease his guilt.
So afaict (from here and Nameless) the Wizard appears to anyone desperate enough to trade for a wish. In Nameless the price was QUITE HIGH, but I don't know what it is here.
The wizard gloats that Jieun only has a month left with "the heroine" before he must return to "the Green Continent". But Jieun says that no matter how sad Heejung gets, she will never call on the Wizard. Jieun plans to become king, and gather as many magicians as it takes to be able to bring her to him (are you...going to ask her first?)
This infuriates the Wizard. It seems like he set the whole game up to drive Heejung to the point of wanting to strike a deal, because Heejung is important to him in some way.
So the walkthrough said that unlike everyone else, who loves when Heejung buys and wears a bikini, Jieun has an amusing but unimpressed reaction. Since I have extra money and am at max points I did it, and he said "I understand you're trying to cheer me up. But please put on some clothes" ahahaha.
He's generally written as not thinking about sex yet, which makes sense, especially since the Korean age of consent is 18. But it's a little surreal since he's about the same age as the protagonist of Nameless, who actually has sex.
On the 17th, Heejung finds Jiyeon and Jisoo packing to move in with a "friend of a friend of a girl Jiyeon knows" who Jiyeon seems to be about to describe as having a thing for Jisoo before Jisoo hits him.
Jiwoo is apparently moving to a buddhist temple to become a (romance?) writer??
(Of course maybe they're all actually going back home and can't tell her)
Heejung feels like a hole has been punched in her heart, but she knows they have to live their own independent lives.
Jiyeon: Anyway, you're busy flirting with that rabbit.
Jiwoo: Yeah. We lost.
Jisoo: But we'll totally call you!
She wishes them well, then sits sadly watching their favourite tv shows alone while she waits for Jieun to wake up.
He dozily sits next to her on the couch and she starts explaining, increasingly losing her composure as she talks about everyone leaving with no warning. She asks if he'll leave too, and when he says yes she leans against his shoulder and cries, saying she doesn't want him to go. He says he will try his best to see her again, and she wonders how, and whether he has any chance of succeeding.
He tells her that she will be ok, and so will he.
Bluh stats raising feels very pointless now. On the one hand I'm counting down the days, on the other it feels sad knowing this is all the time they have together, assuming it does end that way. There's one or two tiny extra scenes.
Spring come to an end. Just as Heejung's about to go to bed, Jieun asks her to come stand on the balcony with him and watch the stars. She talks about how cute he is, and how he'll grow into a fine man, and king. He tells her that in the morning, she'll have a choice, but he's confident she'll make the right decision, even without him there with her. She becomes very sad at the thought that he's about to leave, but he kisses her on the forehead and tells her she'll be alright.
Closing credits, a sad song about missing the one you love.
The wizard mutters that it's been three years and Heejung never called for him. He's watched her follow her dream and find a true happy ending. "I suppose I'm the real loser of the game. But I still want you so much. So what do I do now?"
It's Heejung's first solo exhibition. As Heejae says how great it is, she quietly wishes Jieun were here, and wonders what he's doing.
And then she hears his voice. She runs off, following it, and when the voice stops she cries out his name. Then she hear him again, saying "I've come to invite you back to my kindgom. Close your eyes and trust me."
And then he's there, holding out his hands, inviting her into his world.
THE END
My heart ;_;
That was lovely. The emphasis on the age gap makes more sense with the time skip and him needing to grow up into a king. It wasn't so much a romance as a very romantic friendship that will become a romance now they're both adults. And...idk! FEELINGS. SAD PEOPLE GIVING EACH OTHER SUPPORT AND HUGS.
I'd be more annoyed about her giving up her career but she can totally still be an artist as Queen, Jieun was always super supportive of her art and now she can just paint whatever she wants without worrying about income. She didn't seem very attached to anyone or anything in this world except the other guys, and they may well be in furryland too.
I wonder if she always ends up in their lands, or if this is just because of Jieun's specific backstory.
Time to see what I've unlocked in the main menu!
I can see all the CGs and replay seen scenes. There's the cute message Jieun wrote in the Christmas card and an an interview with the voice actor Kyungtae Lee with an ENGLISH TRANSLATION. He has a high voice, a little soft but more cheerful and expressive than Jieun. I'm pretty sure he's saying he thinks Jieun is a gay leaning bisexual?? Other than that it's all fairly standard voice actor interview stuff.
With my stamps I unlock pencil sketches of Jieun (concept art?) and a fairly bland CG of him looking at the viewer.
There's also some blatant "secret ending goes here" gaps. HMM! Is the Wizard the secret LI? o.O
Not sure who to do next. I got squicked enough by the age gap stuff to not want to date the also boyish Jiyeon right away. I'm curious to play Jihae and see his past from the other direction (I still don't know why he's called Eddie, or what his relationship to Jieun's mother is) but it might feel too weird having Jieun be so central yet not the LI. Jisoo isn't really my type, so I guess I'm going for the tsundere rabbit Jiwoo!
Looking back, I was so convinced Heejae would be a villain...but there's still time!
I feel bad at how wordy this got. I spent so much time stats raising that any time I got ACTUAL CONTENT I got excited and wanted to write it down. IT WAS A YEAR OF DAILY STATS RISING. A YEAR. And now I have four more years head of me. More if I do the bad ends /o\
*thinks back over the game as I prepare to edit and post*
WAIT A SECOND.
**Implied Nameless spoilers**
I WAS THINKING THIS TYPE OF ENDING IS A CHERITZ THING. BUT THEN I REMEMBERED EVERY ROMANTIC KDRAMA I HAVE EVER WATCHED.
WHAT DO KOREANS HAVE AGAINST STRAIGHT FORWARD HAPPY ENDINGS? WHY ALL THE LAST MINUTE SEPARATIONS, FOLLOWED BY UNSATISFYING HALF ASSED REUNIONS, KOREA?? (Yes I am aware that some Korean romances just have last minute separations and then end with no reunion at all, but that's not an improvement from my point of view)
I mean Cheritz's at least feel like the plot was leading there, which is a step up from the more jarring kdramas. And I don't mean to be culturally intolerant, as long as Korean audiences like this kind of romance then it's not objectively bad. But it's still annoying for me personally, and it's a strange cultural quirk, considering I haven't noticed anywhere near as many plots of this type in the Japanese and Chinese romances I've encountered.
On the upside, I was all prepared for this to be like the Nameless endings, but by comparison it was straight-forwardly happy!
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Date: 2019-02-20 02:16 am (UTC)Jieun has a tendency to stare at things quietly and say stuff like "I can feel the plant's emotions" in a blank voice.
When I first read this, it made me laugh out loud for about a minute. But I guess he means it literally! How delightful!
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Date: 2019-02-21 02:19 pm (UTC)Well, also I make a significant effort to avoid tragic endings. The problem with these last minute separation endings is that they are happy, technically...
He definitely means it literally, near the end he says the plants are grateful for her hard work watering them.
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Date: 2019-02-23 10:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-02-24 09:00 am (UTC)On the plus side, look at all these kdramas you can enjoy for their happy endings :)
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Date: 2019-02-20 05:43 am (UTC)Descendants of the Sun: has some separation near the end but comes back strong with a full reunion final episode and the A, B, and C couples all cheerfully going to celebrate the D couple's wedding in Vancouver
Healer: there's a period of time right by the end where they have to be Stealth because The Villains Are Watching, but nobody actually breaks up or goes to a different country so I'm totally counting it?
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: the last like eight episodes of this show are such nonstop workplace-inappropriate PDA that I actually wished for a tragic last minute separation
...that's it, that's the three. NOT GOOD ODDS.
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Date: 2019-02-21 02:16 pm (UTC)I KNEW IT WASN'T JUST ME. And that I'd added Healer to my to-play list for a reason :)
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Date: 2019-02-25 04:13 am (UTC)Leggy, homophobic, secretly-bi catboy intrigues me, and he gets some funny lines. I look forward to finding out more... he's probably a villain I suppose! Jiyeon also makes me laugh, and I'm definitely reminded of Red from Nameless.
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Date: 2019-02-25 04:35 am (UTC)I'm just starting Jisoo now and even after 4 other paths am not entirely sure what to expect!
And yes, the best sort of tragic.