I have come across a lot of negativity about the ML, but I do not find him too problematic. He saves the MC in crucial ways--financially and physically--without fanfare. The MC, in contrast, does plenty to embarrassed himself, constantly putting himself and the ML in publicly humiliating or dangerous situations where the ML then has to decide to save MC's face or safety. While the ML comes off as an asshat at times, he is clearly far from that when push comes to shove. The MC, in contrast, comes off as a really sweet guy, but he is utterly self-absorbed when push comes to shove, forcing anyone who has any decency to clean up after him, save him from his own self, etc. Meanwhile, he thinks he's a victim the whole damn time. Prime example:
"First, I [MC] should let ML know I got drunk 'cause of Taehyun." Um, while Taehyun certainly shouldn't have offered a soju bomb as just beer, the MC is the one who chose to drink. In the end, it is on him. He's just lucky that the ML proactively kept him safe from 1. alphas interested in him after he lost control over his pheromones, 2. a fall down the stairs multiple times, once even pushing the alpha who, too, could have fallen, 3. a self-imposed car accident from opening the ML's car door while in motion, and more. When his professor, out of concern, tells him to audition for an opera in which Euigeon sings a lead role, the MC misunderstands the fact that the professor was giving him an opportunity and trying to reignite the spark in him but thinks instead that the professor was just trying to fill the headcount for her own selfish reasons. When his piano accompanist has an emergency and cannot help him practice for his technical assessment, who volunteers to help? Euigeon! And all MC can do during the practice is project pettiness onto Euigeon, who's actually taking the responsibility of accompaniment far more seriously than the MC is when it's the MC's practice. OMG.
Seriously, the MC spends so much of his waking hours thinking the ML is out to get him. If I stop reading this series, it'll be because I am done tolerating the MC.
If I finish this series, it'll be because I want the ML getting some good out of this situation.
Update C.33:
I was all for the ML until C.33. Now, he's gone into the trashcan for pulling an irredeemable move.
Update S1 End:
OK, we're now moving onto them having actual human interactions. The ML still doesn't seem to realize that what he's offering the MC is what some people would constitute as MC prostituting himself or at best being a kept man. I suppose some would consider that just being in a relationship, which is how the ML seems to see it.