And Melody needs someone to tell her bluntly to stop basing her self esteem, sense of worth and validation on being with/around/useful as a sentient security blanket to Loretta.
It does NOT help that her
adopted family and parent's, the Higgins, motto is to idolize the Baldwins to the point of literally giving up their lives.
The Higgins are quite the prestigious family themselves but willfully remained subservient to the Baldwins in a show of undying, generational loyalty.
Loretta, the way she's written, has nothing going for her except being cute. That's it. She's got a 6th sense when it comes to Melody and is doing her best (I guess?) but 1.) She's a child, 2.) She's the youngest, and 3.) She's a girl.
All things that does not give her any real power in the society and culture she lives in. She's only protected not because of her name but because of how powerful the men are in her life. She's too young to understand this and, according to manhwa logic, she will never question it or even become aware enough of her situation to question it.
This means that Melody's situation, before (and even after) being adopted, was basically like quicksand. It's really uncomfortable to read knowing this, and knowing Melody will not think about herself as a separate entity from Loretta...for the longest time.
Thankfully Loretta is a sweet child. If I was in her shoes I'd feel suffocated with how clingy Melody is but all Loretta wants is to stay close to Melody.
The story, to the author's credit, DOES try to address this borderline toxic codependency and tries to get Melody to grow as her own person...just as Loretta is doing simply by being back with her own family. Except Melody's growth is still very much revolving around Loretta the child she's cared for for so long, the Baldwins the family that took her in, and Loretta Baldwin the character in her memory of "prophecies".
Melody simply isn't her own character. It's frustrating that she's stagnating in this way.
It seems like the vast majority of readers are following this only for Loretta but I'm not one of them. There's a lot of complaints on various sites about how Loretta is missing in a lot of chapters and the readers want her back.
Why, though?
Even if Loretta isn't physically around the story, and Melody's thoughts, plans and entire personality, are ALWAYS about her anyway. Loretta's existence is overwhelmingly felt in damn near every panel. Everything Melody does is to benefit either Loretta or the Baldwins. Full stop. End of story. Period.
-_-
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