Episode Recap
Sung Ho is caught completely off guard by the boy’s question. He tells the young boy that he must be mistaken. Before he can continue the conversation further, Haebom appears, grabbing the boy by the back of his collar. He scolds Yeonju for being away from school and reminds him that half of all Koreans go to the military. Since so many go to the military, should he really be asking everyone if their his father? Sung Ho further clarifies that he was in the military until he moved to the village, so he’s not whom Yeonju is looking for. Yeonju apologizes for his mistake and trudges away, disappointed.
After the little boy leaves, Sung Ho asks Haebom if he knows more about the boy. Haebom briefly explains how Yeonju’s father had run off, leaving him and his mother alone. Prior to his mother’s death, Yeonju’s father wasn’t a very good guy towards them anyway. His grandmother is afraid to tell him the truth, so for Yeonju, any new young man to the village is potentially his father.
When the baby starts crying, the two men decide it’s time to pack it up. Their conversation turns to their age and Sung Ho admits that he’s 28. The 36-year-old Haebom is shocked. Sung Ho is practically a baby raising another baby!
Sung Ho interrupts Haebom’s age calculation and asks the head of the village to help him put the baby carrier. He explains that he could do it himself, but he thought he’d ask for help this time because he knew Haebom would say yes. Sung Ho explains that as an orphan, he never once though to ask who his parents were or where they went because he didn’t want to be a bother.
He then infers that Yeonju must have grown up around good adults for him to be that brave in asking about his father or nagging him to go to school. Blushing, Haebom tries to brush off the compliment saying that flattery will get Sung Ho nowhere. He suggests that Sung Ho go home but before he leaves, he pats Sung Ho on the head and tells him that he grew up just as well.
My Takeaways
One of the reasons why I enjoy reading webtoons, or manhwa specifically, is because of the characters’ ages. Most, if not all, of the manga or anime I read/watch involve characters in their teens, usually kids of high school age. That isn’t surprising when you think about the intended audience of most popular manga and anime. Reading or watching characters who are much younger than I am takes me out of the story that it’s no longer relatable. I think the only exception I can think of is Wotakoi: Love is Hard for an Otaku. (Such a good series, by the way. You should read it if you haven’t already.) The main cast are young adults of working age. All four main characters are office workers in their 20s. Such a refreshing change from most other anime.
With manhwa, it’s different. In a lot of the stories I read, the main characters are usually in their 20s or 30s. I think the youngest characters I’ve encountered, not counting the childcare manwha of course, are usually in the beginning of their university days. The youngest character I’ve read recently might be Seungwon from Onward, and he’s a high school senior. Plus, he’s pretty mature for his age. Or maybe it just seems that way since he’s with Sion all the time.
Why does age matter so much to me? Well, because it makes the situations the characters find themselves in a bit more relatable. Stories set in high school, particularly romances, are usually centered around first love tropes and all the issues that come with that. When the characters are older, the relationships are different. They’re more complicated because the people are more mature, not necessarily mature personality-wise but matured with life experience. I think that makes a huge difference.
I still, of course, enjoy my fair share of stories set in high school, but they’re a minority for me. I recently started reading a webtoon called He Can’t Be This Stupid, and that’s set in high school. It’s…. interesting, but since I haven’t covered it on the blog, I’m clearly not that invested in it, and I can guarantee you one of the reasons why is it’s because they’re still students. (Well, the other reason is there’s an unexpected fantasy element to the series, and it’s just so random in my opinion that it’s preventing me from being fully engrossed in the story.)
ANYWAY, that was a really long way of telling you I enjoy stories that have a cast of full grown adults. Look at that. It took me one sentence to sum up four paragraphs worth of my rambling lol. Let’s get back to talking about Our Sunny Days.
It’s really sweet how observant and sensitive Sung Ho is. Being able to make the connection that Yeonju must be surrounded by good adults if he’s so comfortable being so inquisitive isn’t something I think most people would be able to do. I’m sure that has a lot to do with how Sung Ho grew up. Growing up alone, you’re more likely to notice things that others may not because you come from a place of want, so when people have “more” than you, you are very aware of it.
Sung Ho also refreshingly communicates well. I enjoy the fact that he’s not afraid to tell Haebom how he’s feeling or what his reasoning for his thoughts and actions are. It’s what someone like Haebom needs, since he’s not necessarily the opposite, but he definitely different in the way he thinks and communicates. Haebom is honest, but a different kind of honest. Seeing their relationship develop is going to be quite interesting.
SERIES DETAILS
Original Title: 해 뜨는 집
Author/Artist: Jeong Seok-Chan
English Publisher: Lezhin US
Audience: NSFW
