Chapter 8: ok so i avoided reading this for the longest time bc I wanted to wait for it to finish first but ive been thinking about cutlass these days so i thought, screw it ill read it even though its not done 🥲 and i havent read cutlass in a while so ive forgotten the details of the events of his past that might have been mentioned, so its like reading a whole new different story which im really liking the feeling of bc its all this new information that i didnt know before but in a familiar au with familiar characters and its just fun!
i cant stress how much i enjoy your writing and especially in the Cutlass universe, its just so nice and pulls me right in. Like im inside the characters mind but also outside watching them? i love it and i love how excellent the world building is in the whole series bc having read the other stories before this one makes me so much more able to imagine the world that young baek is living through and makes me appreciate his character development all the more later on.
its so good how you map out the conflicting feelings hes having and the thoughts he has about everything. I like how the little details of his personality are still present even when hes older like his good memory and how he remembers the routes that he walks around in so that he can know which way to take back :’) im looking forward to where the split will come when he ends up leaving and just generally how he becomes who he is later on and how his perception of his life changes. and im wanting to know more about miran and her history and why shes so close to his father, and why shes fond of him!? and why was dowoon suspiciously calmer after his trip… im just so 👀 about everyone bc it feels like everyone is baeks enemy at this point and that he might be being watched omg.
i cant wait for him to see the ocean up close, and i love how he feels like its home for him bc of his power.
the world needs you emily 🥲 pls return and restore peace

Chapter 8: Yesss, Heejin is very unique and I love Breadboy's internal monologues about her, hehe. x] They're incredibly profound yet so simple at the same time in the best way possible and I feel like I learn so much about Heejin during these moments. ^^ And I'm ded at how easy it is to get Breadboy to do something once he's riled up, HAHA. XD No matter what, he's still filled with pride, even if it's masked by his anxiety at times, and I love how it's even easier to goad him when Heejin is involved, LOOOOOOL. :P And ooh, I've also never really thought about how his powers actually work either. :O Or elemental powers in general, hehe. I know I never really thought deeply about it when I watched Avatar, so it was really interesting to see how Baekhyun articulated his powers. x]

BUT WAIT, BREADBOY HAS NEVER SEEN THE OCEAN BEFORE?????? OMG, MY CHILD, I'M SHOOK. HOW AND WHY DID HIS FAMILY KEEP HIM AWAY?!?!?!? But oh my gosh, when he got to see the ocean for the very first time, that was such a beautiful moment. ㅠㅠ And I think it'll be even more wondrous once he properly sees the ocean in the daytime and see the waves rolling up to the beach, the tide going in and out, the foam curling up with the sunlight glinting off the water. :') It also reminds me of a similar scene in Attack on Titan (i won't specify too much in case it's spoilers, but yeah) and seeing how the characters reacted after a lifetime of only hearing about the ocean, not knowing if it was actually real or just a made-up place. And now that I think about it, it's no wonder he ended up sailing across the ocean later on. After being apart from the sea for most of his life, he must've wanted to always be surrounded by water to make up for all of the lost time. :') And ahhhhh, I also wonder when he'll reveal his real name to Heejin. >o< I hope she won't feel betrayed or blindsided, but I guess it'll depend on the circumstances under which he reveals his real name to her, since I think that'll definitely affect how she takes it. >___< But awwww, that's so sweet of her to offer to take him to the sea. T^T I love their growing friendship so much and I'm crying inside at Baekhyun slowly falling for her. (mostly bc i know it's not meant to be RIP :') LOOOOL)

But omg, when Dowon popped back in, I was just as surprised ats Breadboy because I totally forgot his absence was only temporary too, HAHA. ^^; But ahhh, there's still so much mystery surrounding Miran. >___< I feel like there're even more questions about her than there were before and I'm SO curious to find out what these answers are, since I feel like they'll play an important part later on. At the very least, the beef between Dowon and Miran definitely came in clutch for Breadboy, because that would've been BIG OOFS for him if Dowon didn't have someone else to redirect his frustrations to, LOOOOL. :') And again, the fighting scenes are SO GOOD and I love soaking in every detail so I can imagine every movement properly in my head, hehe. ^^ But oh my gosh, when Baekhyun let himself get distracted by the dilemma of actually slitting someone's throat, I felt my heart drop, especially when he ended up getting injured right after. Q___Q I feel like the consequences for getting distracted will get progressively worse in the future, since he managed to go unscathed the first time and now this is a relatively minor injury. But hopefully he doesn't actually suffer any big injuries in the future, because my heart is going to BREAK for poor Breadboy because his family and his mentors are most likely going to blame him for being incompetent WHEN HE'S NOT. T^T

And tsundere Breadboy returns!! x] Not gonna lie, I wish I also had some magic salve, LOOOOOL. :') And AHHH, THEY'RE GOING TO SEE THE OCEAN SO SOON!! HOW EXCITING!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR BREADBOY!! AND I'M SQUEALING AND DYING AT HIM FALLING FOR HEEJIN MORE AND MORE. Just gonna cherish these sweet moments while they last and continue deluding myself into pretending that everything will be okay when I know it won't, LOOOOOL. :')

Chapter 7: Ever since Heejin pointed out how formally Breadboy speaks, I'm so much more aware of it and it's lowkey HILARIOUS to see how stiff he is here compared to how carefree he is in other installments, HAHA. :') And it's also SO funny to kinda see the dynamic flipped on him with Heejin being the jokester and Breadboy being the strait-laced one, since he's usually the jester (AMOGUS) out of the duo when it's him and Cinnaroll Hei, LOOOOL. XD Oh, how the tables have turned. :') Also, I am DYING every time even the slightest bit of his budding attraction towards Heejin jumps out, because he's such an awkward lil bread slice and I love him for it, HAHAHA.

AND OH MY GOD, I'M DED AT HEEJIN JUST IMMEDIATELY BEING LIKE, BRUH WHY ARE YOU STRIPPING EXCUSE ME?!?!?!??!?
i too would say the same if i were her
bc this man is a LIAR and i will never get over his monster strip solo
even tho it's been YEARS and this is prequel!breadboy so obvs not the same person
but i will never let go of this since i'm v cringe LOLOLOLOL :')

ANYWAY, I digress. But OOH, a trap door!! How mysteriously exciting!! Definitely very curious to see where the passages lead, how extensive the network is, and what Heejin is involved in, hehe. And even if Baekhyun thinks she's foolish for doing so, I really love this theme of trust and faith that Heejin has in Baekhyun, even though she's only known him for a few days. It reminds me of how trust was such a huge part of the movie, Raya and the Last Dragon, which I watched recently with my sister during our Disney film binge-watch, hehe. ^^ And ahhhh, the way Baekhyun fixated on "next time" was so sweet yet so sad at the same time, with the connotation of how his evaluation went literally hours before. Q___Q But his tsundere moments literally make me laugh SO much and I love this lil Breadboy with my entire soul, HAHAHA.

But gah, Miran is SUCH a mystery and I have no idea whether or not to trust her. OTL She's been so nice to Breadboy, especially as of late, but I definitely wasn't expecting her to give him a gift, much less a bag of cookies and multiple times at that. :O Since she's involved with Moldy Bread, I don't wanna let down my guard in case she's secretly trying to manipulate Breadboy and eventually betray him for the "greater good of the family" or something like that. It would be similar to how "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" if she's intentionally buttering him up. >___< But if she ends up being a good person, then I'll feel sooo bad that I questioned her so much. The complete opposite of placing trust in someone, especially when you're vulnerable, which was prevalent in the prior scene. OTL

But awww, poor Breadboy spiraling into overthinking is very reminiscent of the many nights my friends and I have stayed up doing the same. OTL And he truly is a tsundere here, in every sense of the word, LOOOOL. :') But oof, Heejin's injury sounds even worse now. x___x It's not going to heal anytime soon if she keeps using it like she is, so hopefully the slow recovery doesn't affect her later on, especially if she needs a quick getaway. >___> But AHHHH, I knew the moment he brought the cookies with him that he'd give them to Heejin, BUT IT STILL MADE ME SQUEAL WHEN HE DID IT, HEHEHE. x]

also, now i wanna eat a cookie :')
can't remember when the last time i ate a cookie was LOOOL ^^;

But oof, yeah, even if Baekhyun's life seems lavish from the outside, he definitely doesn't get to enjoy it the way everyone probably assumes these poor kids do. :'( The trade-off here definitely isn't worth it. Working yourself to death isn't the answer (says me trying to juggle 4-5 part-time jobs OTL) and considering Baekhyun is just a kid right now, it's even worse that he's going through such severe and unnecessary hardships. All to please a slice of stinky, moldy bread. x___x And even if he doesn't consciously realize it yet, deep down, Baekhyun knows that this shouldn't be his end goal. That pleasing his father won't bring him the happiness that he seeks. BUT AHHHHHH, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE FINALLY GOING TO SEE THE PASSAGES!!!!! HOW EXCITING!!!!!!!

Chapter 6: again im the worst
over 2 yrs since my last comment i hate myself
BUT WE BACK AND I WILL CATCH UP ON EVERYTHING

But omg, literally, the beginning of this chapter is hitting HARD with the angst and I just wanna give Breadboy the biggest hug, because this poor kid needs it and my heart hurts every time he falls into a hole of despair. ㅠㅠ At the very least, I'm glad that Miran is being so chill about him accidentally sleeping in, because waking up early is overrated and Breadboy deserves the rest, hehe. :') But OOF, I totally relate to Baekhyun feeling a massive wave of anxiety just before an evaluation. OTL And the constant repetition of "I won't fall" as a coping mechanism absolutely broke my heart. You can absolutely hear the desperation in his internal monologue and it's actually hurting me so much to see him in such a state. ;~; Especially since I can see myself in him and I know just how much he's suffering right now. :'(

And it's terrifying to know that Baekhyun would've looked down on that poor girl in the past, because of how the family members are brought up. How they're taught that emotion and empathy are weaknesses, and how they're made to shame others and shame themselves for not reaching stupidly astronomical standards. "Not good enough" is such a terrifying thought and again, my heart hurts SO much for Baekhyun, knowing that he's unnecessarily beating himself up because of the incredibly toxic environment he's grown up in. :'( At the very least, I do take a bit of solace knowing that he's slowing but surely growing out of the arrogant mentality that his upbringing forced upon him. >___< But I'm just as nervous as he is about the evaluation and I hope he manages to get through it without too much trouble. ;~;

I LOVE how vivid and descriptive the fight scene is, and it was so much fun imaging the choreography in my head, even though I was also gripping the edge of my table since I was so worried about Breadboy. :') But GAH, when Sanghoon whipped out the blades, my anxiety SPIKED like crazy alongside Breadboy and I was SCREAMING inside when the shield broke. Q____Q Not only because THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL, but just feeling all of Baekhyun's panic bubble up with each movement made everything so much more intense and I need this poor kid to ESCAPE THIS PLACE NOW. OTL Thank the wheat gods that his excuse managed to work, because I don't wanna imagine what would've happened if the evaluators had managed to figure out what's actually been going on. >___< Baekhyun's mental state is so fragile right now; it feels like he might break at any moment. ;~;

Being outside really is so much better for him. You can see just how much his spirits are lifted, how his shoulders immediately feel lighter, and how much freer he feels, even if he doesn't quite realize the extent himself. >___< And I'm just very proud of Baekhyun for following his instincts, because they won't lead him astray. He knows what's best for him, even if he doesn't realize it. :') BUT AHHH, HE BUMPED INTO HEEJIN AGAIN!! But OOF, getting her leg trapped under a heavy crate sounds SO painful. x___x Also, I'm dying at Breadboy being fixated on how much Heejin cusses, since he's just such an awkward lil grain and clearly completely out of his element right now, HAHA. :') But ooh, a network of secret tunnels?? I'm SO intrigued by Heejin's plans and if she's part of a secret group?? (my brain is mush so apologies if i forgot details that've already been explained OTL) But YESSSS, CALL HIM OUT, HEEJIN. BREADBOY REALLY DOES HAVE AN OLD MAN'S SOUL IN A YOUNG KID'S BODY, HAHAHAHAHA.

AND YEEESSSSSS, GO WITH HER, BREADBOY!!!!!! GO WITH YOUR INSTINCTS. LET YOURSELF BE FREE. I'M SO PROUD OF HIM RIGHT NOW FOR LETTING GO AND NOT LETTING HIS FAMILY CONTINUE TO SHACKLE HIM DOWN. *o*

Chapter 8: I really like Baekhyun and Heejin's friendship.
It is cute that Baekhyun gave Heejin the tiny jar.

Take care!

Chapter 8: Been waiting for your update. Thank you!! ;)

Chapter 8: I love that prequel story to cutlass so much omg thanks for update!! the story has this unique stressful but relaxed / inner city/ outer city duality feeling...very intriguing!

Chapter 8: Baekhyun is such a teenage boy around heejin, it's great! This feels very much like those dystopian novels that we had to read in school with a deep meaning. Except I'm enjoying this. Why couldn't we read this in school?!

Chapter 8: Baekhyun and Heejin were warming up to each other. More from Baekhyun’s side I think. Hehehe. They were so cute. I guess this was the start of Baekhyun’s likeness towards the sea? Well, water is his main power but he had never encounter sea before, so he must be thrilled with the idea of going near it. And with Heejin too. Dowon was being surprisingly kinder? to Baekhyun. He must’ve some kind of history with Miran before.
Thank you for this update..!

Chapter 6: So good! Thank you for updating! These two so adorable.