#i cannot wait for ep 152 tonight hhhhhhh

[nepenthean-sleep]

On Nol's Plea: Prison & Psychology (I Love Yoo Analysis)

(major spoilers up to episode 151)

Like many of you, I was shocked to get to the end of episode 148 and see that Nol pleaded guilty. However, upon closer analysis of his character and situation, his plea begins to make a lot more sense.

The trial in episode 149 is Nol’s chance to escape the Hiraharas and the stress the family puts on him. He has tried to fit in with them multiple times and failed. He is constantly reminded of emotional traumas while around them. He has triggers intentionally activated by Kousuke and Yui. Nol is being verbally and emotionally abused by all three members of the family, and he wants, desperately, to get out.

To Nol, being in jail would be better than being around the Hiraharas, even if it means giving up his friends and civil freedoms.

So, in that case, why wouldn’t Nol plead guilty? To him, jail represents freedom. In prison, he will finally be free from the Hirahara’s control over both his activities and his emotions. Nol being in prison will allow him to be, ironically, more independent. He will be able to make connections outside of the Hirahara family and their corrupt locus of affluence (e.g.: the Chos, the Kims, etc) and finally make choices while completely removed from their influence. In addition to the court-ordered therapy, I think this will lead to a tremendous amount of growth in Nol’s character.

There is also, however, a very real psychological obstacle for Nol to overcome before he can achieve that growth. It’s very obvious from the beginning of the comic that Nol has an inferiority complex. By pleading guilty and going to prison, he’s self-fulfilling a prophecy of the wayward, bastard son, and reinforcing his own beliefs about himself publicly and externally. He believes he is someone deserving of titles with negative connotations, such as criminal or convict, and that he should be punished accordingly, even though he was charged with crimes he did not commit. His inferiority complex becomes painfully clear in episode 151, where he boldly rejects Shin-ae’s support and friendship, as well as communication from Dieter.

Both his inferiority complex and his desire to escape his abusers are responsible for his decision to plead guilty. I’m looking forward to seeing how his imprisonment affects his character arc moving forward. Excellent work, Quimchee.