A/n - spoilers for Viral Hit chapter 75 onwards
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I so desperately want to write this man as being soft and loving but I really can't.
He's probably the worst person to ever have taken any interest in you, and any relationship that the two of you may have will be incredibly toxic and unhealthy.
There are likely only two types of people he would have any sort of attraction towards:
Someone weak, financially, mentally, physically, emotionally, it doesn't matter. He wants someone he can easily manipulate, someone who would follow his every word without question or debate.
Or, the extreme opposite, someone as powerful as him - someone intelligent, wealthy, physically and mentally strong, both capable and willing to challenge him.
I'll split this into these two routes.
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If you were weaker than him, weak in any sense of the word, he'd snatch you up quickly and quietly, and no amount of struggling from you would do anything to hinder him.
Honestly, you may not even be that weak, but because you're not at his level of strength, he views you as weak.
You could be someone on the run, an illegal immigrant, someone trying to flee to Korea on his boat.
He took an interest in you almost immediately, observing with keen eyes how you steered clear of all the other stowaways and crew members - keeping everything about yourself vague and nonsensical. He saw the weary gleam in your eyes, and ultimately decided that you were worth keeping around when he saw how you acted when it came time to enter Korean waters.
Most people eagerly ran to the main deck, wanting to be the first off of the boat. But you lingered below deck for as long as you could, keeping your back to the wall as you rose above deck.
That was what had saved you - your common sense and distrust of those around you.
Well, that, an how you snooped around on the boat when you thought no one was looking. You had actually stumbled into the drug lab less than two weeks into the voyage, breaking the record for stupid mistakes made by runaways on his boat.
He had decided shortly thereafter that you wouldn't be a mere drug mule - no, you'd be something far more valuable to him.
It's not as if anyone would notice that you were missing - you didn't have anyone waiting for you.
Or maybe you were some random fangirl of his NewTube channel, someone with a love for animals, eager to meet who you believed to be a wonderful NewTuber who cared about animals as dearly as you did. Someone overflowing with facts and random tidbits of information.
Or perhaps you were a struggling student, someone who had multiple jobs, forever running on empty because you never had anytime for a break.
You had miraculously found another side job offering a generous salary in exchange for completing a few menial tasks. Never one to turn down quick money, you accepted it and got to work.
By all means, you should never have crossed paths with Jinho in the first place, but him running late and your single minded focus led to a somewhat messy first encounter, muddy water and cleaning supplies flooding the corridor as the two of you collided.
He had been in a good mood that day, and had forgiven you quite easily. In exchange, he'd asked for a date - and you, not knowing who he was, had said yes.
Needless to say, that had been a crucial mistake, one that had snowballed into something far darker than you had thought possible.
In any one of these cases, you clearly wouldn't be in any position to fight back against him - not when he held all the power in the situation.
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If you were on his level, your relationship would be far more playful, teasing even.
You might have been a fellow NewTuber, someone with a channel for vlogs, or reviews of products and movies and books, or maybe even a channel to help people with things like diy projects, homework, or exercise. Whatever it may be, you're of a similar social standing, having a decent amount of money and credibility to your name.
The two of you most likely meet at a convention, or maybe Jinho was bold enough to invite you to join his company - which I doubt, he likely doesn't see many ways to get you to join him seeing as you keep much of your personal information private, making it difficult for him to find something that might interest you.
Or perhaps you're affiliated with Taesun Ju somehow - his secretary, his daughter, niece, whatever you are to him, Jinho can't resist the temptation, easily slipping into your life and gaining your affection.
Maybe you're someone exactly like him - someone hungry for power, willing to whatever it takes to get to the top. He's drawn to your cutthroat methods, your ambition and cynical thoughts.
If you're somewhat similar to him, he'd take a gentler approach in how he catches your attention. After all, there's a lot more at stake when he's dealing with someone with as much power or social standing as he has.
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Unfortunately for you, no matter how rich or poor, intelligent or dull, strong or weak you are, there would be no escaping Jinho once he decided that he wanted you.
He would try to win you over gently at first, but if that doesn't work, he has no qualms against going to extreme lengths.
Manipulation, blackmail, gaslighting, physically restraining you, even breaking a few bones - he's willing to do anything to keep you with him once he has you within reach.
And there is nowhere you can run, no one you can ask for help - no one is stupid enough to try and help you.
Truly, the way he treats you is completely dependent on you. He's willing to treat you like royalty if you do what he says, if you act genuinely happy to be with him. Likewise, he'll become a living nightmare if you decide to try and fight against him in any way. He would most likely make your life a living hell.
Even if he doesn't physically keep you with him, he has connections with enough people that he can ensure that your life would be as difficult as possible - he would make you crawl back to him and beg him for forgiveness on your knees if he had to.
Overall, he's not great. He's very critical of everything you do, and he delights in your misery. But he's not completely cruel, and he's willing to treat you well on occasion, especially if you act as he wants you to.
As I said before, I'd love to write him as romantic and loving, but I just can't - he's manipulative and cold, never letting you rest, constantly keeping you on your toes. You would likely remain mentally fragile and on the verge of a breakdown constantly.
Make no mistake though - he does love you, truly. At least, as much as someone like him is capable of loving another person.
