The MC has some sort of obsessive compulsion to make sure the ML is safe after having the time loop restart with every death of the ML (11 times), but that doesn't mean his romantic feelings suddenly blossomed from his anxiety. (Before the school trip, the MC wasn't the type of person to think about romance, and I like how their feelings started with like to love, which is a breath of fresh air in BL Kr novels for me.) Instead, he takes his time to think about his feelings and reflect on his thoughts once their already safe from their disaster of a school trip, which is pretty reasonable

regarding the character growth, the MC and ML act as each other's pillar, encouraging each other, supporting, and helping each other grow for the better. ML has huge self esteem issues and rarely shares his true feelings so MC teaches him to be more greedy, more proactive, and to not put others before himself

This is a regression story where MC and ML are high school classmates and go on a school trip where a cult has kidnapped them to force them to have a secondary power awakening. MC has vision powers (and perhaps more?). ML has the power of obedience, aka forcing others to do as he says. ML is the most powerful student in school and so ends up dying while protecting others. On the 11th regression, MC refuses to let the ML die again.

MC is cold, clever, and obsessive over ML's safety after repeatedly watching him die. ML is a golden boy but has his issues going on.

this will probably be lengthy so if you just want a long story short: It's amazing. Not perfect but it's amazing. Read it.

I feel like the plot was done well, these students with weak superpowers (emphasis on weak) are essentially trapped in a training facility after a school trip gone wrong. The mastermind behind this being a cult, that soon launches monsters on them.

Something to keep in mind is the fact that the student's powers are really weak. Which adds way more suspense to scenes where they encounter monsters and obstacles and such, cause they can't brute their way through it, not with their mediocre power set, they're basically being hunted. Even with the ML being supposedly really strong, he has his limits, so you never really know what might happen next. However the MC's previous knowledge plus his smarts make for good and interesting 'fight' scenes that actually make sense. And also the students actually getting to use their powers in useful ways despite them being really weak.

Also the way it handles its themes are great, I can't say much since saying it outright is a bit of a spoiler, but I found that the themes were actually a bit.. Deep? I wouldn't say it has you like thinking for minutes straight but it definitely has you nodding your head in interest lol

Though the climax near the end felt just slightly rushed? I don't even know if that's the right word for it, but I guess I wish there was just more to the climax. It didn't ruin the ending at all I just felt like there could've been more, or at least better arranged maybe? Cause for something that the entire story was leading up to, I would've expected more resistance and conflict. The events leading up to it were amazing though, it really had my brain thinking (though maybe 70% of that thinking was me trying to decipher the MTL LOL) and once you connect the dots it feels satisfying. Though I do have to say some parts are predictable, but there were other parts that weren't and the way it was written make it enjoyable, like for example, even if we could predict the answer to a specific question, we don't know WHY the answer is like that, like why the character did such a thing. There were plot twists that were foreseeable and plot twists that were shocking but still made sense.

The ending was alright. It was satisfying. Things got wrapped up nicely and it's a happy ending. Though some parts of the 'happy' part of the ending did feel cliche to me.

but I'm really glad to see my fave characters happy <3

The side characters are also really good, they don't feel flat, and they actually serve a purpose within the story, they even have their own character arcs. Though I wouldn't say they're perfect, I wish they were more fleshed out, there were things that I felt like could've been addressed more about their characters. They definitely had more potential but I think the author did well with what they have done.

The villains too were well done, they're your usual fanatics but the way that they're portrayed and written is just so damn interesting, you can legit see their madness. They aren't one-dimensional at all, they're complex.

The ML, he isn't flat either, It doesn't feel like he COMPLETELY revolves around the MC. However I do wish he had more interactions with other characters, its understandable on why he doesn't really have more considering the fact that they're afraid of him but, still. I love how the story shows his kindness and purity, and how it doesn't make him weak, just self-sacrificial. But his self-sacrificing tendencies aren't annoying at all, in fact he's pretty likeable. He has a pretty screwed up background too. His warmth and strong mentality are definitely charming, and he's sometimes even "mysterious" (esp during later arcs, but it's kinda easy to figure some of his mysteries out honestly)

The MC is what people would consider the 'opposite' of ML, He's cold and indifferent to most things. But he isn't those edgy non-feeling protagonists you'd usually see,

Its not that he doesn't care about his fellow classmates dying at all, it's more like he doesn't have the luxury to care about them, he's been made dull from all of the regressions. Also his obsession and "controlling" nature over the ML isn't annoying nor immoral. It's honestly more of anxiety than controlling (he would immediately hide ML behind him when they face an enemy, he worries over a cut on him, but he does not restrict ML when it matters most.)

As for our couple's relationship this is something to keep in mind: The MC's obsession and care for the ML at the beginning is very clearly stated as the result of trauma and madness. He simply became obsessed because the ML's death is the main trigger for all of these regressions, and not because he liked him (at least in the beginning lol) so when they have an arc of conflict between them and stuff because of their feelings, it actually feels reasonable. It was honestly less troublesome than other novels I've read because this has a good reason for it, if they had immediately gotten together without this conflict addressing the fact that his obsession began because of ML constantly dying, it definitely would've felt icky. The conflict was actually necessary for once for explanation and resolution. Though the MC's feelings didn't just like come out of nowhere towards the end, you'll see hints of him actually liking the ML throughout the story without him realizing it.

Also call me crazy but I honestly loved the main couple here much more than the couple in Traces of the Sun (the authors other work) I get the writing behind the other one but I guess its more of my bias. (And also cause of TOTS's s*x plot but that isn't our main topic here) Because in this one, the MC and ML have a very respectable relationship. It's very slow burn, as in the MC realizes his and the ML's feelings very late on in the story. But his ignorance to it during the storyline didn't feel frustrating, it was rather understandable because if they completed their romance arc during the horror and conflicts, it would've felt out of place lol, the characters needed to be hyperfocused during the horrifying school trip so the romance being stewed during it was actually nice and fitting. Their conflict era was mildly annoying but even that lasted short, and it was understandable.

Also like the other review said, (this is just really minimal spoilers btw, view if you're curious but if you wanna go in completely blind, skip this)

Also their relationship isn't fueled by lust, or being indebted to one another, or even obsession; Rather it's fueled by adoration and care for one another.

Overall, the plot is great, the way it handles its themes are fantastic, the atmosphere is addicting, the characters are enjoyable and loveable I just wish the author fleshed them out more, and the ending is alright.

If you're looking for a great thriller novel that has a captivating, unique plot with a slow burn, loving relationship that has you feeling warm (and single) by the end of it, this is for you. Its not perfect but its spectacular and very much enjoyable. I loved it a lot and you might too.

I might edit this later on, I tried to make it short yet specific with no spoilers but this is the best I can do lol. It's my first review and it's a first review well spent.

essentially chooses to ens*ave himself to the MC and rather than taking advantage of the ML’s choice (this is what the ML wants). The MC actively emphasizes the importance of the ML’s autonomy and is extremely turned off by the situation