On Baek-jin, Baku, Go-tak and Jun-tae

Okay, let's talk about that crazed, hostile expression toward Si-eun in their final fight. Was he thinking "you stole him from me"?

Here's the thing.

Okay, the way I see it, Baek-jin's feelings explicitly crossed beyond bromance into BL territory—even actor Bae Na-ra said in commentary that "Baek-jin wanted to possess Baku."

But honestly? I'm not fond of his character.

Why?

He clumsily mimics the corrupt adult system—dismissing the weak with "what can YOU even do?" just like the abusers in Director Han's work. He has sociopathic tendencies where the ends justify the means, though he pours affection into a small circle of "his people."

His obsession with Baku felt more BL-coded than even Beomseok's feelings for Suho. But Baku's feelings back? A mix of pity, sympathy, and contempt.

I probably won't make an analysis video since Baek-jin's feelings are so explicit and obvious—though fans theorizing about his jealousy of Si-eun makes total sense. He might've seen Si-eun as a second Gotak situation.

One webtoon reader mentioned that Baek-jin hits harder as the ultimate villain in the webtoon—stronger and smarter than anyone, with worse illegal activities.

The drama created the Baku & Baek-jin storyline to drive the plot forward, but personally? It felt a bit forced.

Subscribers agreed—they tried to cover too many stories at the same time without enough depth in each one. The idea wasn't bad, but the execution wasn't good enough.

Still, one subscriber expressed hope for Class 3 with Baek-jin's redemption arc—or maybe childhood flashbacks if he faked his death. And honestly? I think that could totally happen. There's definitely more story left between Baek-jin and Baku.

Nurzada requested a detailed explanation about variables and constants, but unfortunately, math isn't my area! 😂

Still, here's how I see it:

For Baek-jin, people like Gotak or Si-eun who "hover around" Baku were just obstacles to be eliminated. Baek-jin saw variables as targets to remove, while Si-eun saw them as problems to be solved.

The fact that Baek-jin would shatter Gotak's knee shows real sociopathic tendencies—more calculated and deliberately darker than even Beomseok.

The biggest difference? Deep down, Si-eun has a warm heart. That's what saves him from becoming Baek-jin.

Baek-jin solves problems by elimination—remove the variables, destroy the obstacles. Si-eun solves problems by understanding them, by seeing the humanity even in his enemies.

That's why Si-eun was the only one who looked back at Baek-jin after the Union fight.

Let me tell you something funny 😆

There was a comment wondering how boys' friendships in Korea seem more open to physical touch.

When I worked overseas, my Western colleagues thought my school photos of girls linking arms meant we were COUPLES! I was utterly bewildered! 😂

So I can totally picture international viewers watching Korean guys put arms around shoulders, give headlocks, and smack butts, thinking:

While Koreans are just like, "This is Tuesday."

Baku's Tiger Boxer Briefs

Nothing really prepared me for the moment when international subscribers started asking about Go-tak recognizing Baku's tiger boxer briefs.

Multiple fans wanted to know if there was a "deeper meaning" behind this scene. 🤔

I was genuinely puzzled.

Wouldn't you faint if you knew there's a saying in Korea called "testicle friend"? 😂

In my own school days, I had plenty of experiences going to public bathhouses with friends, sleeping over at friends' places, wearing just pajamas. Boys hanging out in just boxer briefs before falling asleep at someone's house seemed like pretty normal stuff.

They've been friends since childhood! Whenever Baku's dad got drunk and caused trouble, Baku would stay over at Go-tak's place. They probably slept side by side in just their boxer briefs.

🎧 Want to explore this cultural difference further?

Someone noted that Jun-tae and Hyun-tak's dynamic in the show was SO GOOD that you forget in the manhwa, they never even speak to each other despite being in the friend group!

That's exactly why, when I need comfort food, I deliberately watch Season 2 while eating. I love the emotional comfort that Go-tak and Jun-tae provide!

Whenever they showed up, I was literally grinning like a proud mom watching her kids! 🥹

Jun-tae's basically got Go-tak on an invisible leash since Go-tak's whole vibe is "attack or bite first, think later." Jun-tae's always the soft cushion preventing Go-tak from going full feral mode.

I bet the writers knew fans would absolutely melt over their dynamic.

Someone brought up the often-forgotten stairs scene with Hyo-man, where Jun-tae was sexually harassed.

Simply disgusting, but we let it pass because Hyo-man is a "funny, stress relief-ish character."

Yeah, I definitely saw it as sexual harassment.

While I never witnessed this level of school violence personally in Korea, I did see smaller kids like Jun-tae becoming targets of sexual harassment among boys quite often.

If baby bear Si-eun hadn't shown up with those "I'm gonna tear you apart" eyes, I think Hyo-man would've touched Jun-tae's private parts on those stairs.

But despite going through that, Jun-tae controlling his emotions during the Union fight was so a "weak hero" of him.

Unlike Beom-seok, he communicates, which makes him subscribers' favorite character this season. Jun-tae was mature, courageous, and emotionally intelligent.

Watching Jun-tae and Go-tak, I thought: without Jun-tae, Go-tak probably would've already been dragged off to juvenile detention.

🔗 Want to explore their dynamic further?

Oh, and speaking of Hyo-man—you remember Si-eun's Eunjang entrance scene, right?

I noted that Si-eun's name, which is so close to a girl's name in Korean, probably made him an even bigger target.

Hyo-man immediately picks on him, asking if it's a girl's name when he transfers in.

But Si-eun immediately overpowers him with that look like he's about to demolish him—such satisfying viewing. His true Eunjang High debut! 💪

Part 1: Jun-tae and Si-eun's Quiet Friendship

You're absolutely right about Jun-tae being Si-eun's first friend at Eunjang.

And honestly? I suspect he might be Si-eun's closest friend there.

What makes their friendship work so beautifully is that they're on the same wavelength—both nerds in a school full of fighters. But more importantly, Jun-tae has zero insecurity about Si-eun being smarter.

That's rare and precious.

Most people would feel threatened, but Jun-tae? He's secure enough to admire Si-eun's intelligence without feeling diminished by it.

That hair-fixing scene? Pure physical care—the kind of casual intimacy that says, "I see you, I care about you."

And when Jun-tae told Si-eun that Suho's situation wasn't his fault? That was emotional intelligence at its finest—absolving guilt that Si-eun was drowning in.

🔗 We've talked about this in our fiction discussions with Asuka.

But with Jun-tae? I can totally picture Si-eun joining the anime club, becoming some legendary figure 😂 The grand guildmaster of the Eunjang Anime Club, famous throughout Seoul's nerd underground for knowing the complete plotlines of 100 series!

Jun-tae would be right there beside him, probably as vice president—the strategist who keeps everything running smoothly while Si-eun intimidates everyone with those "I've seen some shit" eyes.

Part 2: Baku and Si-eun's Parallel Wounds

Actor Park Ji-hoon said Baku reminded Si-eun of Suho from their first meeting—those surprised, open-mouthed expressions immediately.

But here's what makes Season 2 so devastating.

They created incredibly convincing videos showing how Si-eun searches for traces of Suho in Baku, Go-tak, and Jun-tae throughout Season 2.

That shot of Baku looking down at Si-eun sitting on the ground after dunking a basketball on Hyo-man's head? It's almost an homage to Suho picking up Si-eun's dropped pencil case and making that dinosaur finger gesture while apologizing.

Come to think of it, Season 2 feels way more BL-coded than Season 1.

And maybe that's because Season 2 is essentially Si-eun's love letter to Suho, sent to sleeping beauty while he lies in that coma.

Those text messages Si-eun sends? They read almost like he's pouting, but with perfect spelling. Rationally accepting that Suho can't wake up while his heart of hearts is still busy calculating even the slightest possibility with that genius brain.

If there had been no divine intervention and Suho had actually died, or if the oxygen tube had been cut because he became "unnecessary" due to adult calculations...

I think high schooler Si-eun would have been institutionalized.

That's why finding Suho's echoes in his new friends isn't just about survivor's guilt—at least not to me.

Si-eun is desperately trying to keep Suho alive in his world by finding pieces of him everywhere—in Baku's protectiveness, Go-tak's loyalty, Jun-tae's gentleness.

Season 2 feels like Si-eun learning to breathe again while waiting for Suho to wake up.

And every friendship he builds? That's another breath, another reason to stay in this world.

Of course, I read ALL of this! 💗

These kinds of deep dives into character relationships are exactly why I do this work. Your observations tie together so many threads—friendship as salvation, guilt as burden, and the different ways people try to solve the "variables" in their lives.

Comments like yours make this whole project worth it.

This is why I started this channel: to dig deeper than subtitles, to preserve these meaningful exchanges before they evaporate like steam.

Even now, when Season 2's buzz has quieted down, comments still appear. And I'm here for every single one of them.

Because without you? This would just be me screaming into the void about Korean drama details. 😂

But with you? We're building something beautiful—a corner archive for Korean works we don't want forgotten by time, while simultaneously building international understanding of Korean cultural context.

So keep the comments coming. Keep the questions coming.

I'll keep digging, keep translating, keep preserving these conversations.

Because we're all stuck in this Weak Hero ward together—and honestly?

There's no place I'd rather be. 🏥💜

🎧 Want to hear more about Season 2's hidden layers?

🔗 Read the original Korean essay here

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