Tied to You

by WHAT, Chelliace

Genres: Fantasy, Manga, Romance
Pages: 320
Series: Tied to You #4
Rating:

Synopsis:

Wooseo's heart has been swayed, and Jigeon is determined to win it over completely, once and for all. But a meeting between Wooseo, Jiseok, and the Connector may throw a wrench in his plans when Jiseok reveals his brother has been deceiving Wooseo. The lies, the manipulations, the mind games--when all is laid bare to Wooseo, will he choose to stay tied to Jigeon?

Volume four of WHAT/Chelliace’s Tied to You brings everything to a head: Jigeon lays all his cards on the table, Jiseok does too, and Wooseo has to choose what he wants and decide whether he wants the Connector to change anything, or whether he loves his fated partner after all.

There could be some really fascinating stories in this world with non-fated partners, even without the existence of the Connector — Jigeon clearly doesn’t trust to fate, after all, so perhaps there are other pairs out there who make do with ring connections that don’t reflect their feelings. But in this one I don’t think there’s much doubt about what Wooseo will choose in the end…

Even though Jigeon confesses to manipulating the situation, it doesn’t suddenly become a healthy romance — even if Wooseo now chooses it open-eyed. Jigeon’s nature isn’t trusting, not even of fate; I think he’d treat Wooseo well, and carefully avoid any chance of things cooling by manipulating the situation, no matter what. It’s not a relationship I’d choose for myself, for darn sure!

But… maybe it’s good for them. Certainly it was satisfying to see the decision made, and for Wooseo to realise that he has feelings for Jigeon in his own right, not as a stand-in for Jiseok. Still, once more, a warning that this isn’t a fluffy romance (and isn’t intended to be).

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tied to You

by WHAT, Chelliace

Genres: Fantasy, Manga, Romance
Pages: 320
Series: Tied to You #2
Rating:

Synopsis:

All’s Fair in Love and War

His heart torn from the bittersweet pain of unrequited love, Wooseo turns to Jigeon for solace…and the two of them kiss?! What starts as a natural physical affinity between Ring Partners quickly becomes a comfortable routine of intimacy, and Wooseo soon realizes he might be seeing Jigeon less and less as a “stand-in” for his best friend. But all is not well in paradise…Jiseok has caught on to his brother’s suspicious string pulling, dredging up complicated feelings and possessiveness. And he’s not the only one seeing green— a scorned lover from Jigeon’s past has resurfaced, and he’s dead set on severing his ex’s new Ring connection!

Partway through volume two of WHAT/Chelliace’s Tied to You, I decided that Jigeon’s behaviour is meant to be creepy and pushing out beyond the pale, which helped me decide how this was landing with me. It’s easier to be all-in on it when you’re sure it’s meant to be messy and not just romantic (though I think there is an amount of romanticisation of Jigeon’s behaviour).

The whole situation gets more complicated, with Jiseok seeming to be jealous of Jigeon and Wooseo’s growing closeness, and a friend of Jigeon’s joining in to help him pull strings. Wooseo’s unrequited love and his confusion are really well portrayed here — you can feel his pain, and the strength of the bond between him and Jiseok.

It’s an interesting exploration of obsession, of someone who wants someone else so badly they’ll manipulate them this way and that, even with the reassurance of a fated bond.

And of course there’s some drama with Jigeon’s ex, and the tantalising possibility that the rings can be removed…

I’ve already read volumes three and four as I write this, I got really into the series from this point. And the art remains really consistently beautiful.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)