Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here is the link of the table of contents about Jinx. Here is the link where you can find the table of contents of analyzed manhwas Here are the link, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex, and other manhwas: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/ Here is the link to the second analysis of Jinx. The text was written before the release of new chapters: https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2022/11/29/jinx-precious-punk-%f0%9f%98%89-and-wimp-%f0%9f%98%8d/
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
You might be surprised that I selected this story for an analysis, because so far, Lezhin only released one chapter. Furthermore, the company has not even published a small synopsis or tagged Mingwa’s new story yet. Hence with only one episode, it looks like there is not much to say. The story appears as a mystery. People on Twitter wondered, if the author had planned a love triangle or not for example. However, the author gave us a huge clue about the future relationship between the two main leads. You might ask where. My answer is simple. It is contained in the title. JINX!
1. Jinxed or bewitched?
But what does this idiom mean? The definition is the following:
bad luck, or a person or thing that is believed to bring bad luck. Quoted from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/jinx
To sum up, everything will evolve around superstition, luck and bad omen. Striking is that “jinx” has the following synonyms among others:
bedevil, bewitch, charm, damn, enchant and hex Quoted from https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/jinx
The irony is that nowadays bewitched, charmed or enchanted has a positive connotation. When the first chapter from Jinx was released, many manhwaphiles were bewitched 😉 by the new character created by Mingwa, Joo Jaekyung. Even the author Black Apricot from Legs That Won’t Walk couldn’t help herself to praise the main lead for his handsomeness on Twitter. Striking is that this picture represents the perspective from Kim Dan, the other protagonist. In other words, not only the readers were enchanted, but also Kim Dan. He couldn’t restrain himself from voicing his fascination by whispering “WOW”. The gentle and pure man was voicing what the readers felt. While massaging him, he kept starring at him, complimenting for his skin, his muscles and even his visage. He had the impression that he was really lucky, for he never had such a client before.
2. Joo Jaekyung, a lucky man
Joo Jaekyung is a famous boxer who seems to have luck on his side. Not only he possesses a beautiful and strong body, but also he has never lost a fight so far. In other words, he is very very lucky. He has everything to be happy: fame, wealth and even health which contrasts so much to Kim Dan’s situation. The latter has a sick grandmother who is getting treated at the hospital. The bottom is persecuted by loan sharks due to debts, only his job as physical therapist helped him not to drown, to survive. So it looks like Kim Dan was very UNLUCKY in his life. Since he has to pay the bills for his grandmother, the manhwalovers can deduce that he has already lost his parents. His sick grandmother is the only remaining relative. This must have forced him to mature quickly. He doesn’t have any friend either, because once he saw the loan sharks in front of his home, he expressed his despair:
“There’s nowhere left in this world where I can feel safe.”
This exposes his isolation. He has no one to rely on: no colleague, no friend and no family, as his grandmother is now depending on him. That’s why he must have felt very lucky, when he was proposed the job to treat the famous boxer Joo Jaekyung, especially if you take into consideration that he viewed his job as a source of “luck”: “No be positive. I’m lucky just to be working” . However, when he met the fighter for the first time, he discovered the other side from Joo Jaekyung. He was really brutal and hot-tempered. He couldn’t control his strength, thus the opponent got beaten so badly. And this scene leads me to the following observation. Joo Jaekyung might appear lucky, but in reality he is also jinxed! How so? We could detect this because the way Kim Dan was hired! No one wanted to do the job!!
Even the mentor refused to do it. It is because among the physical therapists, it had become famous that the protagonist had a terrible habit. Secondly, the manhwa should question this. Why did Joo Jaekyung refuse to let any stranger enter the training room? It is because he has a secret. Nothing should be leaked to the outside world. Besides, if you think from the kid’s perspective who just wished to spar with the famous Joo Jyaekyung, he must have felt very unlucky. How could he get hurt so much? To conclude, Joo Jaekyung seems to be a bird of misfortune. He is the jinx to others, thus his manager wished good luck to Kim Dan. And this perception gets reinforced, when you consider what happened to Kim Dan afterwards. Shortly after, he was sexually harassed by the director, and both got caught by a nurse!! He was totally running on bad luck! So when he receives a phone call from Joo Jaekyung, he must have felt very lucky again. Imagine that the famous fighter offered him 5.000 dollars for a single service!! With such a sum of money, he could get rid of the loan sharks who had probably heard that he had lost his job. Furthermore, he would be able to pay for the future expenses at the hospital. Once again, Kim Dan could get the impression that luck was on his side for the first time.
3. Joo Jaekyung’s secrets
But we have to question ourselves this. Why would the strongest man in the world call him so late? What was the urgency? During that phone call, he was even having sex with a man. What caught my attention are the manager’s words. Actually his statement is quite ambiguous. Since Kim Dan and the manhwalovers had witnessed the violent punches from the main lead, they assumed exactly like the bottom that the man was referring to his ruthless disposition. He would hurt the physical therapists, if they had provoked him. However, “knock the guy flat on his ass” could be a reference to his sexual habits. He would sleep with all his doctors, hence they would all quit. The boxer would have a sex marathon (knock the guy flat on his ass) which would push people to leave him. I am wondering if this behavior is not linked to superstition. What if the boxer feels the need to have a sex marathon just before a match believing that this would bring him victory? As you can see, I have the feeling that the fighter believes in jinx and good luck. But if this theory is correct, it would actually demonstrate his insecurities. He feels the need to have sex in order to demonstrate his strength and power. Furthermore, I also noticed that Joo Jaekyung is bloodthirsty. Note that he couldn’t stop himself from hurting the other fighters, until blood flows. And this was already perceptible during the last fight transmitted. The ref couldn’t even stop him from punching the opponent. In other words, he can not control his fire (his blood for thirst and his libido!), and this until he encountered Kim Dan!! The latter was able to calm the man. And this is related to his massage. Though the young man had made a mistake, the boxer didn’t get upset, in fact he complimented the doctor. He definitely felt better afterwards. I believe that when Kim Dan touched his phallus, which he viewed as a very unlucky incident, the other felt the opposite afterwards. Hence I have the impression that while the physical therapist was running on bad luck during the week after treating the boxer, it was the opposite for Joo Jaekyung. He felt better, but now it looks like “his bloodthirst” or “strong libido” is coming back. Hence he had to call for Kim Dan. But there exists another reason for my interpretation, the uke’s name! Dan has two significations in Korean: red and sweet! This is no coincidence. “Eating 엿 (yeot) Brings Good Luck” This is a white sweet. From my point of view, Joo Jaekyung will consider Kim Dan as his “sweet”, “his yeot” putting an end to his bloodthirst. Therefore the author drew this image where the beholder had the impression that the fighter was holding Kim Dan in his arm.
It was, as if he was claiming the main lead. He was his reward and trophy. And now, pay attention to the clothes the bottom was wearing, when he met his client.
While Joo Jaekyung was wearing black, the other had blue clothes. Since Korean culture is influenced by Taoism (yin and yang), I think that the author had another reason for selecting “Dan”.
“In addition to these colors, certain color combinations were very important to have at weddings because they helped balance Yin and Yang elements. That is why red and blue (which are also seen in the Korean flag) were considered an important pairing with red representing the male or Yang and blue symbolizing Yin or the female.” Quoted from https://www.color-meanings.com/korean-color-symbolism/
That way, he is connected to the two fundamental colors: blue and red, which is an indication about his role in the boxer’s life. He will bring harmony in his life. He might have been successful so far, but he was full of rage. Hence I am suspecting that he only has one person by his side: the manager whom he definitely trusts. Striking is that he had saved the number from Kim Dan, a sign that he must have recognized his value very quickly. From my point of view, Joo Jaekyung insults the others (wimp, brat) to mask his own flaws. This is not just a sign of arrogance. Naturally, if the physical therapist has a calming effect on the fighter, it is possible that Joo Jaekyung’s lucky streak could end. But here is the question. What is important for the protagonist? Fame or peace of the mind and heart? Despite his victories, he had issues with his temper and rage. Hence despite his popularity, he was also isolated. Moreover, due to this image where Joo Jaekyung is trapping Kim Dan, I am inclined to think that the boxer won’t view the physical therapist as a jinx. For him, he will be his lucky charm. And this is already detectable in chapter 1.
His sex partner has the same hair dress and color than the main lead’s. However, for Kim Dan, his encounter with the star can’t be perceived as luck in the beginning, rather the opposite. First, he has already viewed the man’s violence, and he believes that the man beat all the previous physical therapists. He accepted the second offer, for he had been cornered. Yet, he was already skeptical. So imagine his reaction, when he sees the fighter knocking the man flat on his ass.😂 He will come to think that the man would do the same to him. Moreover, don’t forget that after his first treatment with Joo Jaekyung, he got harassed by the director and lost his job. Kim Dan can only judge the athlete in a negative light. Nevertheless, the latter also represents his future source of happiness. If he had a strong and rich man by his side, he could get rid of the loan sharks
and he would have someone who takes his side. He would be finally protected and have someone who he can depend on.
4. Conclusion: Between jinx and luck
As a conclusion, I believe that Joo Jaekyung has already been bewitched by Kim Dan, just like the readers. Nevertheless, he won’t admit it right away, for he has always hidden his weaknesses. Therefore the description of Kim Dan about the boxer is not entirely correct: he is not the strongest man in the world. His language is masking his vulnerabilities. He is connected to jinx and superstition, while the other protagonist has not lost hope despite his loneliness and struggles. He is still fighting to survive, though he is constantly running out of luck. In my eyes, the gentle and sweet physical therapist has already defeated the beast Joo Jaekyung, for he is able to control his temper. So was it luck, when the client took off his shirt? Yes… because Kim Dan needed to be charmed by his “body”. Furthermore, the boxer removed the tee-shirt, for he had sweated before. He had already vent his anger onto the poor boxer during the sparring, hence I deduce that Kim Dan was indeed lucky during that day. Consequently, I come to the conclusion that the relationship between the two main leads will be a fight between jinx and luck… until both find the right balance. This signifies that Joo Jaekyung will develop a certain obsession and possessiveness towards the sweet Dan!
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My Reddit-Instagram-Tumblr-Twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.