Jinx: My hero 🤠 (only 10 pictures) -second version

Please support the authors by reading the manhwas on the official websites. This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/jinx_en  But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. Here are the links, if you are interested in the first work from Mingwa, BJ Alex https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/21/who-are-you-the-significance-of-masks-in-manhwas/ 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 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/

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After reading this title, anyone will think that my essay will focus essentially on Kim Dan.

1. Kim Dan a hero?

In my previous analysis „Precious punk and wimp“, I had explained that the physical therapist was far from being a wimp, for he would be able to take Joo Jaekyung‘s anaconda. 😉And this perception was confirmed, when the manhwalovers were able to see the boxer‘s phallus in his aroused state. (chapter 3) It was really huge to the point that Kim Dan got scared and was on the verge to break the deal. (chapter 3) However, real heroism occurs, when someone is risking his life for the sake of another person. I am now quoting the criteria for being considered as a true hero:

Heroism is characterized by:

Acting voluntarily for the service of others who are in need, whether it is for an individual, a group, or a community

Performing actions without any expectation of reward or external gain

Recognition and acceptance of the potential risk or sacrifice made by taking heroic actions  https://www.verywellmind.com/characteristics-of-heroism-2795943

So this was not entirely the case, when he accepted the first offer. Back then, it was more about his debts and his fear of the loan sharks. Yet, it is a different story, when he proposes the deal to Joo Jaekyung later: 14.000 dollars a month in exchange for his services. (chapter 6) Here, he does it to save his halmoni (grand-mother) (chapter 6), as her illness is requiring an expensive treatment. In order to assist her, he is willing to do something he loathes, for he had perceived his first sex session with the fighter as hell. (Chapter 5) It took him a whole week to recover from this encounter. (Chapter 5) He was physically and mentally wounded. His behavior fits all the criteria in chapter 6. He is totally selfless and is risking his life emotionally, physically and mentally. He definitely sees the champion as a „criminal“, since he keeps comparing him to the director from the hospital. (chapter 6) He has indeed become a true hero, hence he received the admiration and love from all the readers.

2. Joo Jaekyung’s “heroism”

On the other hand, by listing the characteristics of a true hero, people get aware that Joo Jaekyung is a fake hero, though he is celebrated as one in the story! (Chapter 5) At no moment, in the ring, he risked his life, for this fight is controlled by a ref and both boxers are required to follow certain rules. But the seme has not realized this yet. Like I had pointed out before, he takes everything too seriously. He views his games as a matter of life or death. One might think that he has never had a strong opponent so far, but we have two indications that his career wasn’t always smooth. . (chapter 1) The legend is implying that this was not like that in the past (“the streak continues”). Secondly, he has cauliflower ears (chapter 1), a typical consequence for fighting. [Here I would like to thank @delune_art for her observation]

Couture has cauliflower ear, a relatively common affliction among fighters, wrestlers and other contact-sport athletes. Years of being pulled, punched and torn can create blood clots in the ear and damage the tissue. Over time, blood and pus become trapped in the gnarled cartilage of a damaged ear, often causing the lobes to morph into hardened balloons. Like pimples that have crusted into permanent scars, Couture’s ears are blue-and-red deformities that hover on the sides of his head — creviced, bulging and so noticeable that they’ve helped inspire a movement. Whether they wanted to or not, Couture and other elite fighters have turned cauliflower ear into a coveted badge of honor in wrestling, boxing and MMA. What was once an unsightly injury has now become a living trophy that commands respect. Quoted from https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/9630617/ufc-fighter-randy-couture-famous-cauliflower-ears-espn-magazine

This means that he must have also received punches or other injuries on the ears in the past. As you can see, though the readers never saw any defeat so far, the reality is that he had to work hard for his success. This explicates why he is taking things very seriously. On the other hand, the presence of his cauliflowers could indicate as well that the sportsman is proud of his job and success, as they are not removed. That’s how I realized why the champion became superstitious. He explained his “defeats” from the past with jinx. As you can see, I am already sensing that something must have happened to him in the past which pushed him to have sex before a match. What caught my attention is that he underlined that it didn’t matter who his partner was: “No matter what happens, I need to have sex the night before a match, it doesn’t matter who my partner is…” (chapter 2) Therefore I come to the conclusion that it is definitely related to a betrayal from a loved one, someone close to him. The other evidence for this theory is that all the bottoms he selected resemble each other, though he claims the opposite: (chapter 5) The lover and Kim Dan have the same hair dress and the same height, they are both muscular, yet slender. (chapter 2) In other words, Joo Jaekyung favors a certain type, but he is not aware of it. Hence he claims that all his sex partners were different. And now, you have the explanation why he views people he has sex with as tools and even whores. He used money as a protection, a wall to keep his distance from people. This is not surprising why he was happy, when Kim Dan asked for financial support. That way, there was no string attached.: “So it was just the money, after all”. (chapter 6) But naturally, he is deluding himself, because observe that he is now changing his sexual habits! (chapter 6) It is no longer linked to his jinx, because he is asking Kim Dan to have sex no matter the time or place. This little detail makes a huge difference, the start of his new obsession.

On the other hand, we shouldn‘t overlook that his source of strength is founded on his belief that no sex before a match means no victory. (Chapter 2) What if he can’t have sex like he wished? What if his sex partner is not satisfying him enough? What if Kim Dan no longer needs his money, as the expensive treatment for his grandma is no longer necessary? These questions outline the precarity of his “faith”, everything is a matter of luck. And with the new condition, Joo Jaekyung is becoming even more dependent on the physical therapist. So imagine that he cuts ties with the fighter, for he no longer needs to play the hero for his halmoni. The fighter’s world would break down. The way the sportsman thinks represents a huge weakness, which the “lover” could already perceive with the “jinx”. His superstition actually exposes his own insecurities. He has not recognized yet that this bad luck is undermining his confidence in the long run. Hence I come to the conclusion that he is still driven by his past struggling and anxieties.

On the other hand, this scene exposes that Joo Jaekyung is definitely strong and shouldn‘t be underestimated, like the lover did: (chapter 2) The latter imagined that due to their past relationship, he was protected. Thus he thought, he could mock the main lead. What caught my attention is that he even imagined that he knew Joo Jaekyung very well. Hence he voiced his discontent first, then tried to woo him with his sex appeal: “You know I’ve got the technique, baby. I’ll suck you off so good, you won’t know what hit you… So just don’t say it’s over, hmm? Pretty please, sugar?”(Chapter 2) But the truth is quite the opposite, for he never anticipated that he would become the target of the man‘s violence. In my eyes, since he knew about the boxer‘s superstition, he came to perceive the fighter as weak. He even came to believe that he had the upper hand in the relationship. But he was totally wrong, for the boxer was not satisfied with him, but he had never let it transpire. We shouldn’t overlook the fact that the champion had sex with the former physical therapist before (chapter 1) and this quite recently. Yet, the athlete had maintained his relationship with the uke for quite some time (chapter 2) The lover’s words in this panel expose his arrogance and error of judgement. To conclude, he overestimated his position in their relationship due to Joo Jaekyung‘s „jinx“. As you can imagine, Joo Jaekyung is not a real hero, yet he is more than just a violent and selfish boxer either. He also had to struggle to achieve his “dream”. Naturally, Kim Dan can not see it from this perspective, which is comprehensible, for he is the one suffering the most from it right now.

Nevertheless, the reason why I entitled this analysis “my hero” is that there exists another “hero” in this story which I think many readers are neglecting.

3. Hyung

Striking is that the athlete called his manager “hyung” (chapter 5) [which means like older brother in Korean]. This name is revealing that the boxer is respecting the manager a lot. We could say that he considers him as a part of his family. At no moment, the champion uses his force against him. Compare his attitude towards the physical therapist (chapter 1) before and after the arrival of the manager. The tone changed immediately. (chapter 1) He simply listened to his huyng. This means that they have a long history together, Joo Jaekyung trusts him. We could say that the athlete views him as his “hero”, hence he is so courteous and calm in front of him. The latter also admires his athlete so much that he joined him on the ring to celebrate his victory (chapter 5) I doubt that his joy and smile were fake. Imagine that right after the victory, the hyung watched the match again. He was so impressed that he wondered how Joo Jaekyung could improve so much. (chapter 5) And this image exposes that the sportsman has kept something important from his hyung, his so-called “jinx”. The manager is left in the dark!! This indicates that his sex sessions were always done behind his back. The other evidence for this interpretation is the man’s request to his manager: “That new physical therapist I wanna hire him as my private physio” (chapter 5) He is not honest here. Hence I am now wondering if the pressure to remain victorious all this time is not linked to the manager. The champion doesn’t want to disappoint him. Furthermore, I am wondering if the start of the athlete’s “jinx” was not caused by words from the caring and honest manager. Remember what he said to the protagonist: “Good luck” (chapter 1) His expression exposes that the hyung believes in jinx and luck. And now, you comprehend why the main lead would act behind his “hyung’s back”. Thus I am imagining that the main lead’s mind, could have thought that the hyung would reject him, if he were to discover the existence of his “jinx”. Another possibility is that he fears the manager’s rejection because of his sexual orientation. Being a homosexual in such a world would cause a huge scandal. Nonetheless, I believe that the hyung is not the only cause for the high expectations Joo Jaekyung has for himself. Like in real life, many factors and people contributed for his overactive superego.

Since the manager is always smiling, gentle and shows a certain understanding, I am assuming that he will play a huge role in the couple’s relationship. In the beginning of the story, he acted as a mediator between the two protagonists. (chapter 1) Then when his athlete wondered why he had not heard from Kim Dan, the manager not only took Kim Dan’s side, but also criticized his athlete. First, when he said that the main lead had asked him like a million times, (chapter 5), he was implying that he had bothered him a lot. Then (chapter 5) the idiom “something” is a reference to the sportsman’s behavior. He reproached him in a calm manner that he would nag constantly. Yet, at no moment, the boxer felt insulted. That’s why I couldn’t help myself judging him as a “hero”. He could tame his sportsman and turn him into an obedient “puppy”. The latter is always well-mannered in front of him and never showing his frustration.

This scene made me particularly laugh. (Chapter 5) He got caught by surprise by this point. He never imagined that Kim Dan would reject or even block him, as he is considered as a “champion”, a hero!! But the moment he turned his back from the manager, he couldn’t control his frustration and anger. Thus he smashed the punching bag with such a force. (chapter 5) On the other hand, he couldn’t control his gaze, when he heard that he could get blocked. (chapter 5) This whole scene displayed the respect Joo Jaekyung had for the manager and his friend. At the door, he never exploded. But why is it so? Like mentioned above, he views the man as his family. And we have another proof for this: “block us” was turned into “block me”. As you can see, the personal pronoun “us” indicates that Joo Jaekyung considers the man with the red shirt as an unit, a home.

This explicates why Joo Jaekyung is relying a lot on his “hyung”. Therefore it is not surprising that when he saw that Kim Dan was not reacting to his calls, he went straight to the man in the red shirt. (chapter 5) Hence I judge the main character’s deceptions to the hyung as “white lies”. There is another proof that Joo Jaekyung is trying not to deceive his “brother” with bad intentions. He told him about the incident with the previous physical therapist. (chapter 1), yet he used an ambiguous expression. For the manager, it sounded like the champion had beaten him, while the sexual insinuation was present. His choice of expressions indicates that he desired to stay as close as possible to the truth. This shows that the main lead has no real intention to manipulate his “hyung”. He is not doing it out of malevolence, rather out of fear in my eyes. This is also perceptible in this scene. (chapter 5) Joo Jaekyung was frank enough to voice his dissatisfaction about the physical therapists. For me, this image exposes that the boxer is not just a violent and selfish man, he is still capable to have a normal relationship. He respects his peer and never vents his rage towards him. Under this new approach, you can grasp why I selected “my hero” as a title. I wished to outline the good influence the manager has on Joo Jaehyunk. The former will definitely take the physical therapist’s side, like we could sense in chapter 1 and 5!! I am looking forward for the interaction between Kim Dan and the manager, because it will definitely affect the relationship between the hyung and the champion!

In the beginning of this paragraph, I had outlined that the hyung could be considered as Joo Jaekyung’s hero. But I had not discovered the reason for his blinded trust in his coach and manager. But today, I had a huge revelation, Look at the hyung’s ears: (chapter 1) He also has cauliflower ears! Hence I can deduce that he was himself an athlete and probably a champion too. That’s how he got the protagonist’s admiration. Under this new light, I can grasp why the manager’s name was not introduced yet. It indicates that his fame vanished and he is no longer recognized as a hero! This indicates that glory is quite temporary.

4. The halmoni the neglected heroine 😍

While many manhwaphiles were focusing on Joo Jaekyung and Kim Dan’s interactions, I couldn’t help myself feeling so much admiration for the strong woman. She raised her grandson on her own which must have been difficult, for she came from a low social class. (chapter 5) This is perceptible due to her clothes and her basket. She was more or less a “peasant”, living in the countryside. And the young child could sense her struggle. She dedicated her life to raise Kim Dan properly so that he could get an education. She was so selfless and caring that she protected her grandchild from the loan sharks’ brutality. (chapter 5) With this scene, the manhwalovers could discover that Kim Dan’s debts existed, even before he became an adult. This means that this was the heritage from his parents. Hence I am suspecting that one of a parent deserted the family in order to escape from the loan sharks and left the debts to the halmoni and Kim Dan. And if you recall the criteria for heroism, you will recognize the halmoni is a true heroine. Hence you comprehend why the young protagonist is willing to do anything for his grandma. He is trying to repay his “debts”, since she had to suffer so much in the past. There is no ambiguity that the young man feels responsible for her. And if you observe the chapters I quoted the most so far, this was episode 5 where the manager and the halmoni were introduced properly for the first time!!

To conclude, the manager and the halmoni have become my “little heroes”. 🤠 Thus I desired to dedicate this essay to them!

If you want to read another essay about Jinx, then you need to leave a comment. If not, I will write about another manhwa next time.

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