By Courtney
Roses and Champagne by ZIG and Ttung Gae is the BL manhwa people often bring up when they talk about forgetting to read trigger warnings. On the other hand, I have been warned many times by the sweet fujoshis on the internet who are still recovering. I had a good reason to choose this story, though, and I’m glad I did.
I picked this for Book Club because the fandom is extremely alive, and there is so much content, merch, and fan art of the characters that I knew I was missing out on a whole corner of the community. There are so many inside jokes, spoilers, and references to this manhwa that I both had GOMO and knew if I didn’t get around to reading it soon, I wouldn’t have any surprises left when I did.
This story is iconic. It is set in Russia, and the male lead/love interest, Caesar, is a mafia leader. I loved imagining his Russian accent when I read the dialogue and ate up every detail of the blonde-haired, Slavic mobster. There was a great contrast between him and the male lead, Lee-won, who is beautiful but has a more standard character design than most other manhwa characters who look—and are—Korean. The two vastly different designs have to be one main reason these characters stick out among all the other stories.
I could go on and on about the plot of this story, but I just released an hour-long podcast on the subject! Instead, I would like to focus today’s blog on the fandom and fujoshi culture. One thing that stood out while posting content is the regularly appearing sentiment that I was late to the game when it came to reading this and missed the hype because I didn’t read the updates as they came out weekly. This is a common discussion in the BL spaces, as weekly readers tend to dominate the online spaces due to capitalizing on trending topics. Those who love to binge-read can often feel invalidated when coming to a story “late.”
I, for one, loved being able to binge this story. I don’t think my anxiety could’ve handled waiting weekly for an update. This story was so intense that I needed every dramatic moment quickly resolved for my sanity. While it is fun to read weekly as a story is released, it can also lend itself to confusion and desaturation as you forget the details of the last episode, or the excitement gets mixed in—or lost—among other stories you read that week.
Of course, there is merit to both options: reading weekly and binging. Surely, one downfall is that your content after a series ends is less topical and trending. I need to remind myself that I’m reading for enjoyment and not as a means to go viral with a manhwa meme. The fans who love the story will be keyed into the content no matter what—and luckily, I have Book Club as an outlet to keep the conversation going.
Let this blog be a reminder that there is never an expiration date on a story. There doesn’t need to be FOMO surrounding reading. If you can’t afford a story right now, aren’t in the headspace for what everyone else is reading, or want to let the plot marinate before you jump in—that is just as valid as current/weekly reading. The fans and community will be waiting for you when you’re ready.
That said, I am glad the time finally came to stop procrastinating reading Roses and Champagne. I haven’t been on a thrilling rollercoaster ride like that in a long time. If you want to hear my full plot breakdown and review, listen to the most recently released podcast episode! Follow us on socials to witness my reactions as we read through the Book Club calendar and please let me know your thoughts on each story over on the discussion board!
Until next time, remember: sometimes the delusion is the solution.
Yours in Deep Delusion,
Courtney