MANHWA | A Friendship So Impure (M/NSFW) — Want a Smut Series With a Tender Romance and Green Flag Male Lead? I Gotchuuu~

Hihi BAYOG Fam~ It’s Minty~ Y’all know I’m all about romance series. Y’all know I love fluffy and sweet series. But sometimes, we just want a romance that’s a bit mature. Well, I gotchu!~ It’s a smut series too. But what I like most about it is that the romance and emotions portrayed are pretty tender. Most of all, the male lead is really sweet, loyal, and a green flag! A nonproblematic green flag male lead can be hard to find in a smut series. So YAY!! Anyway, if y’all loved my wholesome smut recommendations like [this] or [this], you’ll probably like this one too~ It’s called A Friendship So Impure and it’s officially in English on Tappytoon. I know, the title makes you go, “Hmm…I don’t know…” But trust me, when I say not to base it on the title~

Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual assault and toxic behavior (It’s just to mention why I tend to not like smut series)

Before I get into it, I do kind of have to go into a bit of a rant on my opinions and ideas about smut series again. Cuz I think it’ll better explain why I like this series and why it made an impression on me. But if y’all don’t wanna read all the details… TDLR; Alot of smut display and romanticize disgusting toxic traits and relationships. More “wholesome” smut series are hard to find. However, this is a series that features a green-flag male lead. It also doesn’t follow the typical story of questionable actions, nor does it romanticize and normalize red-flag behavior and toxic traits and actions. Now you can skip the rest of this section and go to the rest of the post [HERE] if you want.

So I absolutely love fluffy stuff, but sometimes I do want a romance series that’s a bit more mature and at a times a bit more realistic in relationship development and portrayal. Especially because I am older now since I’m in my early 30s… So sometimes I don’t want the overly saccharine and cringey kind of romance series we often see in shoujo romance series. Most of the time though, mature romance series are smut series. Y’all know I’m not usually a particularly huge fan of smut series. I’ll still read it though cuz I can read just about anything and will read things anyway to kill time. I’m also one of those people who just don’t particularly care or have an interest in sex at all. However, sex itself isn’t really the issue for me. Especially because it is a natural development and indicator of the growth and relationship status between characters. Oftentimes, I find that a lot of smut series seem to romanticize or normalize behavior and things, aka toxic and red flag shit. I’m uncomfortable with things like rape, sexual assault, dubious consent, coercion, etc. Like those appear a lot. My biggest issue and why I’m so uncomfortable with it is that these things often are normalized and/or romanticized. I also just feel like the sex portrayed is more one-sided gratification for the “male lead”, and I don’t really feel the love or romance behind it. There are many times when the supposed “male lead(s)” will gaslight, be hypocritical, controlling, and a bunch of other problematic things. Often times there’s no realization of such issues or even any attempts at character development in those regards. Honestly, I don’t like the glorification of such male leads. It’s incredibly toxic and cuz in real life, y’all would not want anyone to be with someone like that. Like I get that people say smut logic and all. That it’s fiction and we don’t have to think too much about it. But, why does smut have to have those things and be like that? Why can’t we have a smut series with “normal” logic and kind of people? Why can’t we have smut series that exemplifies and normalizes healthy types of romance and relationships? Why can’t we have a smut series with a male lead who is sweet, nonproblematic, and does everything a person should do for their romantic partner to show that they do actually care? Also, I want a female lead who isn’t just a weak pushover. So many female leads in smut romance series seem to be portrayed as kind of airheaded, don’t really fight against anything types. There is also almost always a stupid conflict from stupid misunderstanding and lack of communication. I want a female lead who actually thinks for and about herself. Also, give me a female lead who isn’t okay with trash men. Another thing, I don’t want a smut series where it’s just random fucking for the sake of fucking. I’ve said it before, but I feel like it’s more powerful to show tenderness and the emotional yearning, bonding, and growth of the characters. Like I prefer that kind of smut series over the ones where it feels only like physical gratification and severely lacks emotional depth. I’m just saying, you can have a mature series that’s actually romantic, sexy/steamy, and doesn’t include, glorify, or write off assault and toxic behaviors. Anyway, as that ends that rant, you can obviously tell that A Friendship So Impure is one of the smut series that fit my criteria.

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A FRIENDSHIP SO IMPURE
우정, 그 불순한

[Tappytoon]

Siyeong and Jihoo are “just friends.” At least, that’s what Siyeong tells herself before they share a steamy night that redefines their relationship forever. How was she supposed to know that the guy who invited her to work at his company, hasn’t dated anyone in almost a decade, and has been pining for her since college might want more? Still, being upset with her lying boyfriend was no excuse for the drunken night she had with her pseudo-friendzoned boss. Now Siyeong is torn between the man she’s loved for the past nine years and the one who was by her side through everything. Can she find the will to forgive the very person who sent her running into the arms of another man, or will she fall head over heels for her longtime friend and risk losing him forever?

A Friendship So Impure | Synopsis: [Tappytoon]

Hmm… I’m not too big of a fan of this synopsis as I find it kinda misleading. But I included it anyway because is the official synopsis for the series. Let me just tell you, it’s really not as bad as the title or official synopsis may imply.

During university, Siyeong’s boyfriend introduced her to his friend Jihoo. It’s been nearly a decade, and Siyeong and Jihoo have become close friends. He’s become her boss as he invited her to join his start-up and she’s helped him grow the company ever since. However, Siyeong soon finds out that maybe she was the only one who thought they were “just friends”. While traveling for a business trip, they see Siyeong’s boyfriend with another woman. She’s in shock and distraught after witnessing such a sight and not getting any responses from him. Realizing that her first and only boyfriend of nearly a decade had cheated on her, she ends her relationship. A tearful and heartbroken Siyeong is comforted by Jihoo. She then learns the truth that he never considered her as “just a friend”, and he hasn’t dated anyone for nearly a decade because he’s been in love with her. After a drunken night of passion, Siyeong must now decide what to do as their relationship may change or she may end up losing her precious friend.

Lame, but more accurate synopsis by me

By the way, it is available to read on Tappytoon, but only on the web version of their platform. You won’t find it on the app because it is a mature series. Again, if you didn’t know, there are rules and regulations from the app stores that don’t allow these kinds of mature content to be available on the app. Also, this is a series that is apparently based a novel. Just getting that out there. Before I get into the series, let’s first talk about the art! I find the art to be so gorgeous. I think the thing I also love about the art is how it’s not overly extravagant like a lot of Korean manhwa series we’re used to. It’s kinda more simply done, but the art itself isn’t simple. Although, there are some panels that do look more like simple colored line and outline sketches. Also, objectively, I can that the smut parts are drawn pretty hot…lol They steamy, as are the expressions too lol But I also like how the emotions and tenderness are depicted in the art too. I also like how the coloring is done too. It’s kinda got this soft vibe to it. I will point out thought that some people might find the proportions weird. I just think of it as a stylistic thing, so I’m not bothered. Overall though, I love the minimalistic styling. I also just love that while it is minimalistic, it’s so incredibly expressive.

So yeah, we got a modern office romance type of series here. I know, it still seems somewhat questionable and you may be like, “But I thought you said ‘nonproblematic’?” But I promise it’s not so problematic at all, and it’s actually pretty sweet (bittersweet for Jihoo). So, let me just explain. Siyeong got into her first relationship back in college. Her boyfriend then introduced her to his friend Jihoo because of his project. Jihoo was working on a project that required someone knowledgeable in different languages, and Siyeong fit the bill. The guy was also super handsome, but not very social. Still, despite the awkwardness, Siyeong started to understand him and they got along pretty well. It was to the point that he invited her to join him with his start-up. Also, Woojin (Siyeon’s boyfriend, now fiancee) never once mentioned to Jihoo that Siyeong was his girlfriend. Rather, he told Jihoo that Siyeon was his “acquaintance”. Jihoo actually found out on his own later, after he caught feels for her. Over the past decade, it’s obvious that they work very well together. Again, her boyfriend was her first and only partner and relationship. She was head over heels. So all she saw was her boyfriend. And the thing is, despite having feelings for Siyeong, Jihoo never acted out on his feelings. Because the man wanted to prioritize her happiness. He saw she was happy, and that was enough for him. It was enough for him to just see her and be near her. Like, the heart wants what the heart wants. But I appreciate that he truly prioritized what she wanted and her happiness. Again, we also often see smut series where they know their love interest has a partner and force their feelings on them. Jihoo never did that though.

First off, he only ended up confessing his feelings when he found out she broke up with her boyfriend. I’d say this part is the only morally questionable thing in the series. It’s the fact that he told her his feelings and slept with her just a mere couple of hours after she broke up with her boyfriend. So one could argue that he was taking advantage of her while her mind and emotions were in a vulnerable state. However, I do want to point out that the man made sure to only do it if she consented. Of course, homegirl was emotionally vulnerable still and possibly swayed by the alcohol and mood. But she was in fact still very conscious and aware of everything, and she did actually consent. Again, I do think consent is very important, and definitely a requirement. PERIOD. Ultimately, it was actually a decision between two consenting adults. And honestly, I much prefer this to other series where consent is disregarded or only considered after it’s like, “Bruh, you’re already in there…and the consent feels forced or like an afterthought…” Also, gotta mention that Jihoo told her to use him to forget the pain and her boyfriend. So you can also make an argument of if she also took advantage of his feelings. However, he did give his consent to have her use him if she wished. And while he did confess and sleep with her, he still never forced his feelings on her. In the morning, he assured her not to worry and he wasn’t forcing her to do anything. I appreciate that. Cuz again, we got a lot of smut series where there’s a lot of pressure and kind of emotional blackmail. It’s like a sense of entitlement. But Jihoo wasn’t like that at all. So I appreciate that, true to his word, Jihoon never forced his feelings on her. Of course, dude also said he would no longer be hiding his feelings now. But he also clearly stated that he’d respect her and not expect anything or pressure her.

Dude is honestly just happy if she’s happy. Like dude was just as angry at Woojin because he didn’t know or expect that either. He thought she looked happy with Woojin, that he seemed good for her. So he didn’t want to “ruin it” for her and decided “not to be greedy”. Cuz he just wanted her to always smile. UGH. I cry.

UGH. My heartttt~ Respect is a green flag (and should also be a requirement). See? That to me, feels like a genuine display of love for someone. By that, I mean respect of her boundaries and opinions. I think love means respect and placing importance on what the other person wants and what truly makes them happy. Also, respect and consent is sexy. Coercion and assault is not. Just sayin’. But also, dude is actually like sexy, but also sweet and tender in those smut scenes. The tenderness really portrayed the emotions, and I thought that was beautiful. And again, that’s coming from someone who doesn’t even really got an interest in things like that.

I also want to bring up another thing. A male lead claiming to have only been in love with the female lead is nothing new. However, it does often seem insincere cuz such characters are often playboys who date and sleep around to “forget the girl they actually love”. Like, yeah, you can date other people. But that’s kinda scummy…especially if you’re not upfront about it. Like that doesn’t seem sincere to the people you are in a relationship with. It also makes that “I’ve only ever loved you for all these years” seem kinda moot. They also usually the ones that sleep and date around, but get mad if the female lead is just conversing with the opposite sex… Like WTF, bruh. Jihoo though? Nope. Dude was serious about having only loved Siyeong. Dude never had much of an interest in the opposite sex until he met Siyeong. Yes, it’s kinda cliche, but anyway… He really didn’t see any other women during that time. Because he knew he had feelings for her. He knew it wasn’t right to date or sleep with someone when he had feelings for someone else. I totally agree with this, and because he strongly believes in it, it makes him seem so much more sincere. And the man was serious, cuz again, he never saw any other women. He also never slept with anyone. His night with Siyeong was his first. Because he didn’t want to be intimate with someone he had no feelings for, and so he never did. Again, his actions matched his thoughts and words, and showed his sincerity, thus very appealing to me. Like it just proved that this man spent his entire twenties truly only loving this one woman. Again, nothing wrong with having feelings, as long as you don’t force them on people and make them uncomfortable. And he never did that. That man was going to love her his whole life and never tell her until the day he dies. Like he’s handsome, rich, has his own company, and attracts a ton of women. But he’s always been sincere and true to his own feelings. Mad respect, man.

Honestly, I think he’s such an ideal male lead. Like a perfect male lead doesn’t have to have this long unrequited love. But what makes him perfect is his sincerity and how genuine his feelings are. The man is also just incredibly sweet to her, and you can see that he truly cares for her. I love dudes that notice little things. There’s one scene where she is having an awful day and is suffering through period cramps. She didn’t tell him, but he keenly picked up on the fact that she wasn’t feeling well. So he told her to take the afternoon off and secretly left her a hot beverage on her desk. I’m a sucker for subtle and thoughtful acts of affection like that. I also just love how you can see the tenderness and love in his expressions when he looks at Siyeong. Also, he’s not one of those crazy possessive male leads that get jealous and unnecessarily blame and gaslight the female lead. Especially in those situations where a crazy ex shows up. Rather, the Jihooactually trusts Siyeong, comforts her, and gives her reassurance. That’s the only right answer.

The other part I love about this series is Siyeong herself. It’s not that she’s OP or anything, but I love that she’s a smart (although, somewhat careless at times) and caring woman. The thing I love most about her is that she knows her worth. I love that she values herself. So, as I said before, I find Tappytoon’s synopsis a bit misleading. The thing is, Siyeong immediately dumped the guy once she found out and confirmed he was cheating. Like don’t get it wrong, she was incredibly hurt. It was a betrayal of a relationship she had love and faith in for a decade. It was her first and only relationship. Admittedly though, she herself says the relationship was “more of a fascinating experience than a romantic one.” Still, that’s a decade of memories, emotions, and trust. However, I love that she didn’t hesitate to get rid of the trash. I also love that she doesn’t waver. Like that was my issue with Tappytoon’s synopsis. Cuz she didn’t even consider forgiving him or taking him back. Homegirl wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

Dude tries to get her to take him back. He tries to downplay his cheating and gaslight. It’s one of the bullshit, “I was just having a bit of fun before settling down. But you’re the one that I want to marry!” He literally told her, “We’ve been dating for nine years,… I mean, don’t you think we might be missing out if we just get married like this?” Honestly, disgusting trash. Like I get really annoyed of female leads wavering and even contemplating giving their cheating exes a chance. I get it can be emotional manipulation, but…y’all…you don’t need to give consideration to any trash that has no hesitation in betraying and hurting you like that. I like that Siyeong sees that trust and faith is broken, he’s not the man she thought he was, and she sees the bullshit and audacity behind his excuses and promises now. Again, I love that she places herself first, and values herself more. She recognizes being with her ex would be a toxic relationship. It’s difficult, but I love that she can recognize this, and is truly growing. I have to also mention that this betrayal was also especially deep for Siyeong because her father had also cheated on her mother, more than once, and continued to do so even after his promises and lies. It’s also probably why she refused to take his bullshit.

And this is before she had a talk with her bestie and realized there had been so many red flags about the dude. Like she told her bestie that she broke up with him. Her bestie immediately guessed he must’ve cheated on her. Cuz his excuses were always so lame and sus. Like always visiting his mom on the weekends. She pointed it out and Siyeong finally realized it, and realized how this whole time she never suspected a thing because she thought it was normal. I will also say that I love the best friend. She gave us realistic advice. Also, she points out a very important fact: the one cheated on was the victim, and shouldn’t be blaming themselves. Also, I love that she straight up calls Woojin shameless when she hears his excuse of wanting to be with other women before getting married. And I love how she immediately said to dump his ass. Because there are a lot of smut series where they downplay it, make it not a big deal, and say shit like “that’s normal”. Bitch, the fuck not. Like some friends in these mature smut series do not sound or feel like legitimate friends. But, this girl is for sure a real one. Cuz real friends actually care about you, and don’t want you stuck with trash. Again, I love the realism and logical sense in this series. Like, no frustrating bullshit in that aspect. But yeah, even when Woojin tries to confront her at her workplace, she still gives him a hard rejection and wants nothing to do with him. I absolutely love that. Like, again, I love that she’s putting herself first and she knows her worth.

Like I love that this series is actually pretty straightforward and doesn’t have that frustrating bullshit. Like, we don’t have a female lead wavering between the male lead and her piece-of-shit trash ex. We don’t have a female lead who takes like 15-20 chapters to realize, accept, and be honest about her feelings. Like I get the struggle and conflict of the idea of going from friends to lovers. But I hate when there’s no clarification for sooooo many chapters. And I hate when characters refuse to be honest with their feelings for nearly 20 chapters. Not Siyeong though. I like that yes, she thought about it. However, she also quickly decides to be honest and resolute with those feelings. I like the natural and realistic development. The other thing I love about this series is that it doesn’t constantly and unnecessarily shove sex in our faces. Like so many smut series be like, unnecessary sex in every chapter, or every other chapter. Like it’ll also ignore pretty key things. I like that there’s communication first. I like that it’s not sex just for the sake of showing sex. When there is sex, it’s a form of communication (after their verbal communication ofc) and truly shows the tenderness and growth of their feelings and relationship. Also, I love that all the sex scenes are CONSENSUAL! Again, consent is sexy y’all. But also, I love that this series isn’t always sex. You got plenty of parts where it’s just them enjoying and appreciating each other’s company. And I love that. Cuz it just shows that the relationship isn’t a purely sexual one. Another thing I love about this series is that we get a lot of Jihoo’s POV. [Chapter 29] got my heart fluttering, but also sad for him.

I also want to again, reiterate how we don’t have frustrating bullshit logic in this series. Again, a lot of smut series have some frustrating, weird ass logic about cheating. Like aside from Siyeong’s bestie’s comments, we also have some things said by Jihoo himself. Jihoo calls Woojin out. Woojin has the audacity to be like, “How could you go for my girlfriend?” Jihoo clearly points out that Woojin has no right to say that considering how he cheated on Siyeong. Woojin, like most cheaters, tries to deflect and gaslight, calling it a “mistake” and saying things like, “Haven’t you ever made a mistake?” Jihoo be like, “Mistakes are mistakes, but you should’ve never done that to her.” He also clearly calls him out on how he could call cheating a “mistake”. I love this because I love how we’re not getting a male lead who just goes along with that “locker talk” bullshit mentality. Like I love the sensibility and realistic logic and view of cheating in this series, and how they refuse to excuse that bullshit.

Anyway, that’s all I’m going to end up saying cuz I don’t want to spoil much more of the series. All I’ll say is that it’s a great mature romance series that is steamy, but also so incredibly sweet and tender. I love that it feels more natural and realistic than most smut series. I also love that we have a male lead who is a total green flag, and we have a smart female lead who takes no bullshit and knows her worth. The art is also really beautiful too. It’s minimalistic, yet very expressive. Like don’t trust Tappy’s synopsis. Don’t judge on the title either. I’d say this is such a wholesomely sweet relationship and pure love. I love that we’re getting a portrayal of a wholesome and healthy relationship in a mature smut series. Cuz again, I want something mature, but not something toxic and questionable. For me, romance is something that’ll make me feel the flutters. And that’s exactly what I got with this series~ I also love that it’s also not just only about smut, and it’s not constant unnecessary smut. The focus is the romance and the relationship. It makes it clear that the relationship isn’t just purely based on sex. So the relationship feels so much more sincere and genuine. That, is what I feel is romance. Anyway, if y’all like romance series with some spice, and want something a bit more simple, straightforward, and less frustrating…I hope y’all get a chance to read this series.

On a total side note… y’all know I’m not really about the smut scenes. Everyone be going on about how hot smut scenes are. But I’m that person who likes to enjoy studying art when I see the smut scenes. Cuz I was once an art student, so my eyes immediately follow and study lines. But yeah, I kinda look at how they draw the lines. How accurate is the anatomy (not the genitals, but physique y’all)? Is it a realistic body type? Rolls in the waist? Indentation where hands and fingers be pressing down on different parts of the body? Is that even physically possible? Oh, and even boob physics. Boob physics are just interesting cuz sometimes they’re absolutely ridiculous in these smut series lmaoooooo But yeah, for this one, I just couldn’t stop staring at Jihoo’s ass LMAO

Anyway, that’s it for this post. I’ve had this dang post in drafts for ages. So I’m sorry it’s kinda messy. I’ve just been sporadically working on it bit by bit over the past month or so. I’m also literally just writing this along as I reread the series to refresh my memory lol But yeah, I don’t normally enjoy smut series, but I do love this one. I rarely actually enjoy a smut series and will just often read them to kill time. However, this is one that I truly like. I think it’s so incredibly sweet and wholesome~ I also think it’s such a perfect series of exemplifying that a mature series can be sexy/steamy, yet truly romantic and not problematic. I hope y’all can give it a try if that’s what you’re into. Also, for the smut lovers, yes… Jihoo has an extra large lightsaber. I know some of y’all be into that and that’s important to you… Anyway, let if know if you’ve read the series and what your thoughts are~ Also, let me know if you have any recommendations~ Thank you and have a great daaaay~

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