The author denied the original scanlating group to scanlate and host the webtoon on other sites; the current group actually uses a plug-in which requires readers to visit the original site where the raw is found and read the translation that is superimposed on the raw image. This is different to conventional scanlating, and the author actually gets more readership that way, which affects her webtoon's popularity directly (by attracting additional viewers). So what's there to be disappointed about? Odd Squad's method is is ingenious.

At first I wasn't sure where this manga (technically Korean webtoon) was going, because it is not written like your average manga at all. The setting was a normal college, but the atmosphere was strangely tense.

Jung was a baffling character, he seems to fit the "perfect handsome rich" trope that you see a lot in shoujo mangas, but something about him seems off. It turns out, he is a trope subverter. I don't want to spoil too much,
He's one of the most realistic yet uncommon male love interests I've seen in a while. He gives me mixed feelings, as in I'm not sure I wholly support him, or trust him with Sul. And yet I cannot hate him.

Sul is a GREAT heroine. She's a bit insecure, rather discreet, but smart and will stand up for herself when pushed too far. I relate to her a lot, because I've always been very sensitive to other people's actions and notice "hidden faces", which a lot of this story revolves around. The author is probably like this too, because she writes it extremely well.

The execution is amazing. The author takes common settings and character types and turns it into something I've never seen done before.
The way she adds subtleties to a character's actions.
The realism of how she portrays human nature.
People aren't purely good, or someone isn't purely the one to blame.
She'll make realistic side characters that you swore you've met before in your own life.

Basically this is a very well written portrayal of a lot of social dynamics and facades that everyday people put up. Also the struggle of a slightly awkward college student in poor financial standing. Read this if you like that sort of stuff. This manga is definitely worth a try.

... Last updated on May 24th, 2015, 2:24am

So y'know how there are all these school life manga, but they're all set in high school? Well, Cheese in the Trap is set in college, and it's miraculously not boring at all. Sul is a hard-working girl with a normal social life and good grades. She is terrified of the nice, popular upperclassman, Jung, after her disconcerting experiences around him a year ago. Now, however, he is inexplicably nice to Sul, and she has no idea how to take it.

Plot: 4/5. Soon Ki's characters are pleasantly and intriguingly realistic. Sul has good intuition and common sense, navigating social situations and avoiding the cliches and traps that usual clumsy and naive protagonists often run straight into. The diverse cast of characters prove that avoiding conflict entirely is impossible, and Sul's character develops as she gains experience both from friends and from enemies. Jung is a constant enigma throughout the series. He is well-known and well-liked by the students in his major, considered perpetually kind and mature; at many points, the readers and even Sul herself question whether her suspicions are well-placed or simply paranoia. The plot follows Sul as she navigates through her college life; struggling with scholarships, group projects, upset friends, family finances, self-absorbed classmates, and, of course, staying as far away from Jung as possible.

Storytelling: 5/5. Cheese in the Trap is largely morally ambiguous, focusing more on characters individuality than on right and wrong. Both the positive and negative effects of all actions are shown, allowing for more natural character interactions and development. Sul, for example, lives a upright life of working hard and being nice to others, but ends up miserable many times because of it. After sharp downfalls and brusque advice, her character takes a slightly more ruthless turn, and she begins standing up for herself regardless of the consequences. The characters give an impression of being more like "people" than like "actors", and control the plot much more so than the plot controls them. The mystery in Cheese in the Trap is also well-written, allowing for a very interactive reading experience. Clues are dropped at a steady pace, and those with keen eyes are able to gain early insights into the developing plot.

Art: 4/5. Soon Ki makes good use of various designs to benefit her storytelling; bright colors against a white background let the readers know that the story is taking place in present time, while desaturated colors or grayscale against a black background indicate a flashback. The expressions are also an excellent part of Cheese in the Trap. Rather than reuse the same expressions over and over, Soon Ki gives her characters unique reactions to unique situations. Since the main focus of Cheese in the Trap is the characters, such fluid expressions helps to bring out their full potential.

Soon Ki's storytelling is what brings life to what would normally be, on the surface, just another slice of life story. The characters turn into people you know, both good and bad. Due to its realism, it even acts partly as a how-to for keeping good friends, getting rid of idiots and enemies, and living an honest yet assertive life. The mystery aspect is engaging as well, providing good mental exercise and leaving you eager to learn more about the characters and what happened in their pasts. This is far from a boring story, and curiosity will make you turn to the next chapter over and over. It really is just too good to pass up.

In the end, a large part of what decides any work's value is the audience response; this work has, obviously, accrued acclaim from hundreds (maybe even thousands) of readers. So according to my standards, it can't get a flatout zero or even a one.

That said, I find what passes as romance in this story to be downright repulsive.

I'm tired of saying the same things over and over again to other readers who either couldn't care less, have strong opposing opinions, and/or can't wrap their heads around what I'm saying, so I'll keep this brief. For my sanity and well-being, mainly tbh.

Series like this not only encourage misogynistic gender roles, but they also support harmful romanticizations of abusive dynamics.

I was intrigued by the nuanced socioeconomic dynamics (I could compare and contrast with my own experiences as a Korean American), and the well-planned characters. They came off rather realistic and multidimensional, though flawed enough to be entertaining in a story.



What ultimately had me feeling irritated and even affronted was the "romance" and the depressing reader comments egging the "love line" onward. Despite the destructive and unhealthy nature of the main character's history with the male lead.

To further aggravation, there was a subtle but insidious view espoused by the author and the readers that the male lead's damaging actions were okay. Because he likes her now, you see? I mean, he hasn't apologized or recognized the error of his ways or stopped manipulating her, but he's doing everything out of love now! And his possessiveness is also a sign of love, and a sign of progress. She's healing him! He doesn't need therapy, he's got the Power of Love.

Also, he's rich, and beautiful, and can be so kind when he doesn't see you as a threat to his status!! When he sees you as a potential significant other, all of that mental instability is for your sake. Can't you see his restrictive, disrespectful, calculating behavior is for her safety now? What a catch! She should be grateful! She needs to stay with him, even at the cost of her well-being/growth/happiness/autonomy.

I won't even get started on the main character's less-than-stellar, but understandable, reaction to the male lead's animosity.

This just...should not be a romance. In any way.



All the fish in the sea are rotten, so might as well choose the rich and pretty one.

This would have been an incredibly, top-notch story without the distasteful relationships. It's a crying shame.

I've typed more than I meant to already, so I'll cut myself off here, with a quick and succinct: no thanks; please stop with these unhealthy "romances."

Because our main character is a very attentive and sensitive girl, she is vulnerable to misunderstandings, snide comments, and daily social interactions. I'm kind of like that. I get easily put down some times because of little things, and it's refreshing for me to see a girl like me in a manga deal with these matters realistically.

Other shoujo characters always have some guy or plot device to help them, and they usually have unrealistic reactions...but not here. The characters in this story are all like real PEOPLE... I have been through the SAME situations, and my reactions are so eerily similar to theirs that part of me wants to believe that the author wrote this for people like me.

All in all, there is a genius behind this series. Kudos to the author.

... Last updated on November 18th, 2014, 5:30pm

I started reading this webtoon in 2013, it's been a long ride. I reread it a few times throughout my twenties, each time I read it I was a different person, but one thing stayed the same. I never stopped loving it. I just binged it hard the past few days, so it will be a long and haphazard ramble. It will also contain spoilers that I will not mask!

I don't remember how I heard about this webtoon, I knew that I was not really into webtoons at the time, but I think the art drew me in. Drama, mystery, serious issues, it was not the usual set of tags I have chosen when I was searching for a good read. As a side note I should add if there was ever a webtoon that would have pushed me to learn korean, this would be the one. I wanted to know every nuance, every double meaning, every flavor of every word. In 2013 the story was barely unfolding and I did not have access to the translation, sometimes the only thing that was available was a good soul making summaries on a forum. I appreciated those times a lot, exactly because of over analyzing of every word, gesture and look.

I feel like I could either go and write a book about this story or can just limit myself to very broad statements. It's so hard to pick where to start. Maybe let's go with what I did not like and work from there. My biggest annoyance was In Ho. When I was younger I could barely stand In Ho's pushy behaviour and Sul's complacent response to it. I found her laughs and inability to say no very annoying, probably because I knew I would do the same or way worse if I were in the same situation. I was not buying him being her friend when he was constantly leeching off of her, asking to be fed when she barely had money for herself. I grew up a bit and now I know a bit better, although this part of In Ho is still a bit icky to me when I reread the beginning of the story. I was taking his antics much better this time around, especially when In Ho wanted to push Sul away, and I knew she should not take his words to heart (and she did not). On the other hand I still do not condone that rough, aggressive, violent behaviour while at the same time being told the person has a heart of gold. Certain behaviour should not be accepted, no matter the intent. Anger issues are anger issues. That said, the thrill of In Ho beating up Stalker Boy gave me this, a bit disgusting, primal pleasure of violence committed in a "good" cause. I don't like being violent, but with all the pacifism I preach most of the time, the violence committed in a good faith gives me pleasure and cathartic feeling. I do not think of myself as a sociopath and that's part of the reason sometimes I really wish I could be one. Let's finish off with In Ho before moving on to Jung. It was so painful to see him experience so many things he should not have. Abandonment, abuse, witnessing the abuse and the learned helplessness. While also being stabbed in the back by both his caretaker and his resentful son. I think adults fucked up royally in this webtoon. Jung's father should have been under supervision and constant therapy to keep him in touch with humanity, since he was clearly a socio/psychopath himself. It always hurts my heart to read flashbacks from In Ho's perspective. He definitely did not understand what his mere presence was doing to Jung, and to be honest, he shouldn't have to, another failure of adults. I'm listening to Yiruma as I'm writing this, I think it's my personal OST for this webtoon. Let's move on to Jung. The amount of time I spent analysing and trying to get into his head and what was he thinking... As for probably every single reader, it was the most exciting part of the whole story. Trying to figure out whether Jung was a "good guy'. I was on the fence here, I almost always took his side dealing with problems. I could even understand where he was coming from with his treatment of Sul. The flashbacks made it clear what he was thinking and how he was perceiving her. I don't think I was ever truly creeped out by Jung. Admiring and in awe, yes, scared? Nope. I could not shake the feeling that I wish I could be more like Jung. I remember trying to figure out what made Jung attracted to Sul in the first place. The author made that discovery very satisfying, giving us crumbs and showing different perspectives of the same events. It could keep you glued to the screen for long hours. The mystery, the uncertainty and how it affected Sul. To be honest I always found myself quite lenient towards Jung's behaviour, sympathising with him way too much, but without the blind adoration. That human is dangerous and there is no doubt about that. I just personally would love to be dangerous in such a way, and I have no issue with him doing what he was doing. I could watch him get to people all day long. Afterall Jung rarely ever was doing the evil deed himself. He knew what made people tick and he was putting them on the crossroads, anticipating and predicting with astonishing accuracy the direcion people would go. But I do not agree with blaming him for things other people did, it was never him actually lifting the finger. I do not agree with many readers who keep labeling Jung as the worst person. No matter how riled up, other people were making conscious decisions to do underhanded things. At the end of the day, it was not him making questionable decisions (well, you could argue here, but really let's stop with blaming other people for your own actions). He was putting people in the way of temptation but if their moral compass was in the right place, he was not going to make them do anything. I also think this is exactly what annoyed and drew him to Sul. She was just not reacting the way he expected her to. Which brings us to the wonderful reversal at the end, when In Ho basically served him the same pill and that left Jung quite traumatised. Someone attacked his weak point, the need to be accepted by Sul. The way he broke down completely afterwards was shocking, I really did not anticipate this kind of personal growth. I hated In Ho pushing Jung so far, but at the same time it was perversely pleasant to see Jung react to what he has been doing to people for years. It also was the last push towards the fully developed relationship of Sul and Jung. They needed to air all the grievances. I also loved small details like the fact her own parents let him sleep in her room afterwards, how sweet was that... I think it was quite cruel to leave what happened after such a big event to Epilogue but I should not complain, I came back to this story when it's finished so no real annoyance was there.
What else did I not like? In Ha. I hated her so deeply from the very beginning, and as a soft sucker for redemption, I was eating her and Sul's relationship with a spoon. I think that one might have been a wasted opportunity. The growing friendship between those too, the fact that Sul had the upper hand for once, could stand up to In Ha and threaten that crazy whirlwind of issues. That felt really good to see. I was so proud of Sul and loved how she did it secretly, never told anyone about it. She could be the one person to bring In Ha stability and independence. I would have never thought this to be plausible at all, but I bought it instantly the moment it happened. Which brings me to the most beautiful part of this webtoon (after Jung) which was character development. Sul from the end vs Sul from the beginning are so different. It would have been enough to make the webtoon exceptional, but the author was not satisfied. Pretty much all of the characters we see, some really marginal, have their stories fleshed out. Sul's character development is magnificent. She is such a different person at the end. It was sad to see her more jaded, even if reacting better to other people giving her a hard time was probably a good trade off. I'm not a fan of "toughening up", I think not enough people are brave enough to be kind nowadays. The message that you should grow thick skin and give as good as you get is not appealing to me as a moral of the story. Sure, I adore Jung and what he was doing, but he was not a totally innocent nice kid when we met him, which makes me think what would have happened if he got proper treatment and a mentor/guide when he needed them, instead of his abusive father. Still, tougher Sul is better than the Sul we have at the start of the journey. It made me laugh when Jung was actually horrified a little, when he realised how much she started resembling him. She did not intend for some things to happen but she recognised that they felt good. It was a nice wake up call for Jung, I think. The fact that he was capable of that discovery and self reflection in the first place made me hope for good things in the future for them both. Their relationship was such a delight to observe. I was at the beginning annoyed at Sul and her lack of confidence, but the closer they got the less issues she had with closeness, boundaries and intimacy. I still did not like her getting all embarrassed most of the time, but it made sense. She was always trying to be fair and approach things that needed clearance, confronting him about everything that bothered her. Their bond was really strong even if at the beginning it was not sure they would end up together at all. At some point even I was thinking she should dump them both and lead some peaceful life with someone else. But in the end I could not resist the pull of Sul being a saviour. It's a bad trope, to save someone and root for some kind of codependency, but I think Sul was the person to bring the best out of Jung. I believe both of them had a really good influence on one another. 
I loved the story, the characters, the pace, the unchanging quality and pretty much everything about this webtoon. It's a forever 10 in my personal ranking. I know I will reread it many more times.

One of the rare webtoons (and mangas in general) that I would give a 10 out of 10 to!

It initially didn't engage me and I only gave it a go a few years later after having ran out of other manga to read. And oh boy, did I realise the initial mistake I had made in passing it over!

The reason why I found it so interesting was because the author had executed a few scenes in the webtoon which I thought illustrated the human condition really well. Especially the idea of manipulation to get what you want. Jung is an interesting character too - you'll see a lot of forums made online by fans questioning his way of thought (i.e., Is he a sociopath? A psychopath? What has made him become an individual with such dualism in thought and action?). Its so fun watching people trying to guess his next movement because he is such an unpredictable character. At first you think he is simply another archetype - perfect wealthy and handsome student at the centre of everyone's attention. All that is just a farce, which you discover through flashbacks from Sul (main character) and other minor characters who are exposed to his true self.

The college life setting is quite realistic too! I found the frustration the protagonist faced was the same that I felt on a few occasions so it was quite easy to actually relate to Sul. Not to mention, the way she deals with each difficult circumstance she encounters makes her an admirable character. She doesn't brush aside a situation if she feels like a person has wronged her. She speaks her mind, isn't afraid to confront and she tries to find the best solution to each problem she faces.

Anyway, I believe everyone should at least try to give it a shot (I know, the drawings are at first abit off-putting but you grow really attach to it and the author's unique style allows her to express her characters better).

I can't wait to see how the author will finish this webtoon!

Anyways, Cheese in the Trap is really one of the best josei series, actually romance series, I've read up till now. As previous reviewers have said, CITT is not a light read. It's not a melodramatic piece, but at the same time the way Soon Ki portrays her characters, you start second guessing everyone's intentions. You need to be able to read between the lines as the most important stuff isn't said, but is portrayed in the character's expressions. Most of the time I'll sit and stare at Sul's, In Ho's, or Jung's expressions for more than a couple seconds to decipher what they're thinking.

The thing I love most about CITT is Sul, the main female character. She isn't your weak, blushing, average josei/shoujo heroine who immediately falls in love with the dark, brooding male lead nor is she thick-headed. She's independent and incredibly intelligent. I love how she's always thinking and observing, rather than randomly assuming things or being completely naive about the world.

Also, each of the characters have their own role to play. Sure it takes a while for some of it to make sense to the reader since Soon Ki relies on flashbacks that aren't always told chronologically to fill in the readers on the psychological back story of everyone, but it always ties up.

But be forewarned: the romance is slow! Also, addressing some of the other reviews, the 3rd main character (In Ho) takes a little while to appear, but in the more recent chapters he's been getting a lot of....er...page time (?) so his character has been developing well.

As a note to the above comment about the translations : I think I read that Soonki asked scanlators to stop scanlating since many of her page views were getting redirected to sites such as Mangafox and Webtoonlive, and webtoon authors get paid by page views (last time I heard this was the policy). However, the plug in thing that Oddsquad is doing now is great for people who don't understand korean AND it gets Soonki the pages views she needs. Also, for the translations that webtoonlive still does on the forums, the readers still do visit the actual comic, b/c it's not fun if you can't see the actual art. So it should be fine.

... Last updated on February 25th, 2012, 11:59pm

I try to spare my 10s, but CITT is deserving of it. Truthfully, I haven't read very many comics (manga, mawhwa, webtoons, ect.) about college students, so it was refreshing to read something away from typical high school settings or office work settings.

It is a slow burn type of read. At first, everything is confusing as there is a back and forth between the past and present, but once you get used to the formatting and begin to understand the story, then it becomes very enjoyable. The mystery and confusion are the best part, so I would try to stick to the story for a while to see if you like it.

The characters are on of the strongest parts of this webtoon. Sul is hard-working, smart, capable, independent; it's very easy to like her and relate to her. She's perceptive, and you'll be wondering whether her actions and thoughts are paranoid or justified. Jung will have you guessing at his true intentions as his charming features and personality now contradict his actions in the past against Sul. Bek In Ho appears somewhat later in the story, but he's a great addition to the cast of characters, and his banter with Sul is incredibly entertaining to read. All the characters, including other characters besides the main 3, are fleshed out and explored well. They're all interesting in their own right with their own stories to tell which is pretty amazing considering how many characters have been introduced.

Some reviewers commented on the weirdness of the art, but I always liked it. It's not overly pretty, but more practical which fits this webtoon nicely. All the characters are distinctive, and the art itself is unique.

I really enjoy this webtoon, and I hope people give it a try to see if they enjoy it. It's officially released in English online, so it's easy to find and read and it means releases are consistent which is always a nice thing to know before you start reading. +)

... Last updated on August 23rd, 2016, 10:54pm

This series in amazing, and as some people have commented, addicting. Fortunately, there are words to describe the genius of this story.
The story, for one, features a calm, perceptive, and intelligent female lead. She's got the book smarts and the street smarts, but it's not as if she goes parading it around. She's also quite funny at times. In a nutshell, she's very real in her intelligence. I loved her basically from day one (of my reading the webcomic), and unlike some readers whose opinions I read, I sided with her from page one.
The story introduces you fairly quickly to the male lead, and frankly speaking, I found him somewhat creepy…. as does the main character. His charm was completely lost on both of us. Her paranoia is entirely justified---she does have grounds for her wariness toward him. In fact, I found him so creepy that at some point, I just really did not want the two to get together. My opinion has since adjusted a little bit, but it's still on ongoing debate whether he's actually a sociopath.
The author does a great job of cultivating the unease that the main character feels, easing the tension during the fluffy, yet oh-so-rare romantic moments, but bringing it back full force as bits of the characters' pasts come to the surface.
The story constantly switches from present-day to flashbacks, though it is primarily in Hong Sul's point of view. The flashbacks explain quite well the characters' motivations and emotions, and are differentiated by a different color background (black, I believe). There's something very simple about the art that I appreciate… and everyone has "normal" looking hair. All the characters feel like normal people as opposed to stereotypes---defined on a degree depending on their role in the story.

To sum up, there's definitely a mystery element to this romance, though I would hardly say that it's part of the genre. The story is crafted in a way that really draws you in precisely because Hong Sul is so intelligent and perceptive. That is, in being of comparable intellect to the male lead, she is able to piece together things about him… and therefore does not remain as uninvolved as she may like things to be. Unlike in other shoujo mangas, there is very little that goes over this girl's head---and because the story is told primarily from her POV, the readers can identify to the very human intelligence that she brings to the table… the same intelligence that causes her so much unease throughout the plot.

... Last updated on January 14th, 2014, 3:50pm