I’ve been caught in Weak Hero’s grip for almost a year now, still unable to escape the lingering emotions of Class 1. Not that I dislike Class 2โI love its atmosphere. You know, those healthy boys bouncing basketballs on the court, laughing and sweating and just being kids their ageโthat glimpse of youth we barely saw in Season 1.
My subscribers have confessed they’ve been hostages for three years straight, and honestly, there’s no parole in sight.
Without the Eunjang crew, Si-eun would’ve been institutionalisedโa thought that came up in conversations with Asuka about our fiction, along with the idea that he would’ve ended up as animation club president alongside Jun-tae ๐
These discussions remind me 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 on my YouTube channelโrecently Nurzada left detailed thoughts and questions about Season 2 characters, so I’ve compiled conversations I’ve had with subscribers about them.
On Baek-jin’s Obsession
๐. So did Baek-jin want to personally beat up his next “love rival”?
That crazed, hostile expression toward Si-eun in their final fightโwas he thinking “you stole him from me”?
Okay, the way I see it, Baek-jin’s feelings explicitly crossed beyond bromance into BL territory. What’s more, even actor Bae Na-ra, who played Baek-jin, 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 systemโdismissing 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 seemed to be 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 theorising about his jealousy of Si-eun makes senseโhe might’ve seen Si-eun as a second Gotak situation.
Nurzada also requested a detailed explanation about variables and constants, but unfortunately, math isn’t my area, so it was hard to give a good answer, haha.
Still, the way 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 tendenciesโmore calculated and deliberately darker than even Beomseok.
Webtoon vs Drama
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, but his emotional relevance isn’t as important.
The backstory between Baku and him doesn’t exist in the source material. They aren’t childhood friends, so he wants to possess Eunjang for power rather than to possess Baku.
The drama created the Baku&Baek-jin storyline to drive the plot forward, but personally, I thought it felt a bit forced. Would it have been better if Baek-jin had plotted to use Eunjang as a cash cow to expand his power, like in the webtoon?
Subscribers agreed it felt forced because 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.
Protecting What Matters
One subscriber expressed sympathy for both Baek-jin and Baku, noting that Baek-jin couldn’t communicate properly with Baku about CEO Choiโlikely because he didn’t want Humin to become a target.
They hoped for Class 3 with Baek-jin’s redemption arc and desperately hope for Class 3 with either Baek-jin having faked his death or childhood flashbacks.
I think that could totally happen. There’s no way gangsters wouldn’t notice a kid with that kind of physical power, making Baku a potential target.
Well, the way I see it, for Season 3, the director might take a long time to write the script. Because they’d have to create a story that doesn’t exist in the webtoon. But I agree there’s definitely more story left between Baek-jin and Baku.
Cultural Differences in Physical Affection
Let me tell you something funny.
There was a comment wondering how boys’ friendships in Korea seem more open to physical touch. I was completely shocked when I worked overseas, too! ๐ 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 “ARE THEY DATING OR NAH???”
While Koreans are just like, “This is Tuesday.”
Like that scene where Go-tak recognises Baku’s underwear. My Western friend was totally confused by this scene, asking, “Why do they know each other’s underwear???” hahaha
Baku’s tiger boxer briefs
Nothing really prepared me for the moment when international subscribers started asking about Go-tak recognising Baku’s tiger boxer briefs. Multiple fans wanted to know if there was a “deeper meaning” behind this scene, wondering about the nature of their relationship.
I was genuinely puzzled.
“Why would anyone find it unusual that childhood friends would recognise each other’s underwear? ๐”
Wouldn’t you faint if you knew that there is a saying in Korea called ‘testicle friend’? ๐
“In my own school days, I had plenty of experiences going to public bathhouses with friends, sleeping over at friends’ places, wearing just pyjamas.”
“Friends hanging out in just boxer briefs before falling asleep at someone’s house seemed like pretty normal stuff that happened among boys.”
Jennie
They’ve been friends since childhood, and 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. Well, I would say, Boys sleeping over at each other’s places in just boxer briefs and hanging out before falling asleep wouldn’t be particularly unusual in Korea.
Want to explore this further? โ Click here for deeper analysis
Jun-tae and Go-tak: The Heart of Season 2
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 a comfort zone or comfort food, I deliberately watch Season 2 while eating. I love the emotional comfort that Go-tak and Jun-tae provide! Whenever Jun-tae and Go-tak 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.
Want to explore this further? โ Click here for deeper analysis
The Stairs Scene: A Conversation That Matters
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.”
We could’ve seen it coming from earlier scenes where bullies were too touchy with him. Wondered how Go-tak would react, and suspect Jun-tae has never talked about it with anyone. He might not even acknowledge what actually happened that day, though he’s sure he’s not forgiving Hyo-man anytime soon (umbrella scene).
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.
Hyo-man’s gang sees Jun-tae as both useful and a target; 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 their favourite character this season. Jun-tae was mature, courageous, and emotionally intelligent.
Watching Jun-tae and Go-tak, I thought that without Jun-tae, Go-tak probably would’ve already been dragged off to juvenile detention.
Si-eun’s Eunjang entrance
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, which was such satisfying viewingโhis true Eunjang High debut.
Nurzada’s Deep Questions
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 wavelengthโboth nerds in a school full of fightersโbut 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. And as you pointed out, Jun-tae is incredibly mature in how he receives feedback.
Many subscribers called him a “strategist,” and they’re not wrong. He’s the type who can hear constructive criticism and actually use it, rather than getting defensive.
That hair-fixing scene?
I felt like pure physical careโthe 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 finestโabsolving guilt that Si-eun was drowning in.
Without the Eunjang crew, Si-eun would’ve ended up institutionalised.
We’ve talked about this in our fiction discussions with Asuka.
Want to explore this further? โ Click here for deeper analysis
But with Jun-tae? I can totally picture Si-eun joining the anime club, becoming some legendary figure ๐ 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: Baek-jin and Si-eun as Mirror Images
You’ve captured something really important here. Yes, I agree. They’re two sides of the same coin. Both are brilliant problem-solvers who see the world in patterns and variables.
Director Yoo Soo-min wasn’t exaggerating when she said that, and Bae Na-ra’s comment about Baek-jin seeing Si-eun as another “variable to remove” like Go-tak confirms that the jealousy was real.
But here’s where I agree with you completely.
The biggest difference between Baek-jin and Si-eun is that deep down, Si-eun has a warm heart. I think that’s what saves him from becoming Baek-jin.
Baek-jin solves problems by eliminationโremove the variables, destroy the obstacles. Si-eun solves problems by understanding them, by seeing the humanity even in his enemies. So I suppose that’s why Si-eun was the only one who looked back at Baek-jin after the Union fight.
Part 3: Baku and Si-eun’s Parallel Wounds
You’re absolutely right that Actor Park Ji-hoon said Baku reminded Si-eun of Suho from their first meeting, and I love that you noticed those surprised, open-mouthed expressions immediately.
Well, but here’s what makes Season 2 so devastating.
I’ve seen so many fan edits on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter made by film and video production majors. Who hunted down every single visual parallel like they were solving a mystery. 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 apologising.
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 institutionalised.
That’s why finding Suho’s echoes in his new friends isn’t just about survivor’s guilt, at least not to me. The way I see it, Si-eun is desperately trying to keep Suho alive in his world by finding pieces of him everywhereโin 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.
Part 4: The Weight of Understanding
“Phewโฆ I hope you read all of this, lmao”
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. And you’ve made me think more about Baek-jin’s character, which I want to add to.
Baek-jin embodies exactly what Director Han Jun-hee often depicts in his work. Someone who contemptuously dismisses the weak with “what can YOU even do?”
To me, he’s like a child clumsily mimicking the corrupt adults around him. Thinking that’s how power works. But here’s where Si-eun and Baek-jin fundamentally diverge. Si-eun loved Suho and wanted to make him happy.
Baek-jin loved Baku but, as actor Bae Na-ra said, wanted to possess him. And Baku’s actual happiness was never part of the equation. Remember when Baek-jin tried to recruit Baku as the Union’s “action captain”? Promising it would become a “legitimate business”? He defined Baku’s happiness on his own terms. Thinking that if Baku had money, he’d be happy. That’s not loveโthat’s projection.
Baek-jin never asked what Baku actually wanted. He decided what Baku should want and tried to force that reality into existence. He thought that was loveโcontrolling someone’s life for their “own good.”
To Nurzada
Thank you for taking the time to write all of this. Seriously, comments like yours make this whole project worth it ๐
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