While Tied to You 1 has cute moments with genuine emotional upheavals, one character’s history raises questions about who this story is for.
Tied to You 1 builds up a unique world with an unpredictable BL love triangle. The story’s focus is Wooseo Shin in a one-sided crush with his best friend, Jiseok Kang. While he struggles to reconcile the impossibility of his feelings and remain Jiseok’s friend, an odd situation arises that puts Wooseo in close proximity to Jiseok’s brother, Jigeon. While Tied to You 1 has cute moments with genuine emotional upheavals, one character’s history raises questions about who this story is for.
Penned by Chelliace with art by What, translated by Micah Kim, and lettered by Chi Bui, it opens with Wooseo dozing off in his college class when his best friend, the animated Jiseok, wakes him up. It’s not mere insomnia keeping Wooseo awake, but a literal ring of fate that many believe is a mere urban legend. Unfortunately, not only is it real, but it’s also about upending Wooseo’s life in the Yen Press comic. A few days prior, Wooseo came to Jiseok’s apartment, which he shares with his older brother and sister. You can sing song the “One touch was all it takes,” when Wooseo makes physical contact with Jigeon, which begins the drama.
Tied to You 1 Builds a Ring World
Breaking it down, once a person reaches twenty years old, they run the risk of getting the ring. It’s a red string tied to their finger that only they and their fated partner can see. If some claim love is a sickness, this makes the concept literal. Once there is physical contact with the partner, a fever sets in for the next twenty-four hours. After that, both people experience fitful sleep, which makes it difficult to get a good night’s rest. The only way to get sleep is to sleep with the destined partner. So now, Wooseo, who’s in love with his best friend Jiseok, is fated to Jigeon. Talk about a wacky triangle.
Cute Pairing But Some Problems in Their Past
While the ring requires touching your partner once you are twenty to set off, Tied to You 1 includes some questionable, disturbing aspects of the Wooseo and Jigeon. First, Jigeon began liking Wooseo while Wooseo was still in high school. He tutored Wooseo for taking college exams. That’s a giant red flag. Sure, he did the right thing and stayed away, and Wooseo is an adult now, but still. As for Wooseo, he kissed his best friend Jiseok while Jiseok was sick and asleep. The issue is not the actions but how the series does not call it out, thereby normalizing it as something natural. Although the tale paints Wooseo as kind and gentle, this action contradicts that perspective.
Despite those parts, Tied to You 1 is sweetly tame as everyone tries to figure out how they feel about each other. The only one who’s confident in their affection is Jigeon. Given Wooseo and Jiseok’s proximity and the territorial aura emanating from Jiseok, the drama is far from over. Not to mention, they are now trying to keep secrets while living together. Plus, the ring is serious business because folks have died when they stay away from their destined partner too long. Tied to You 1 resembles a soap at its most dramatic, but that’s part of what makes it entertaining. Still, I hope the series resists normalizing any more abusive, creepy behavior.
