Title: Steel Under Silk

Author/Artist: snob

Rating: Adult (and later chapters are uncensored)

Genre: Historical, Drama, Erotica, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Revenge, Dark

Hosted On: Lezhin

Official Link(s): English

Official Summary:

Yeonjo used to have it all: a highly respected family, a kind brother, and a comfortable life. Now, with his father executed for high treason, his last kin dead, and damned to a lifetime of slavery, Yeonjo has nothing to lose. All that is left is vengeance, and his chance comes when the new governor assigned to the region is none other than Kwon Hee-ryang, the man who destroyed everything Yeonjo loved. Now, Yeonjo will do everything to get his revenge…even if it means getting in bed with his greatest enemy. Hiding a blade behind his beautiful smile, like silk hiding steel, Yeonjo waits for his moment to strike. But things are not going to be so easy…

My Thoughts:

Even at this point in the series’ first season, Steel Under Silk has the potential to be one of the most devastating BL webtoons currently out – and yes, I’m saying that while actively running away from whatever is currently happening within the pages of Painter of the Night. Like that series and several of Lezhin’s other hot hits like Toys of the Trade and Taming the Tiger, Steel Under Silk is another Joseon-era erotic historical romance that hits you with twists, turns, and frankly scorching R18 scenes.

The reason that I think it’s going to be devastating, is because of the opening. From the very first page, you’re witness to the tragedy and trauma of Yeonjo’s life when his father is killed for a crime he likely did not commit, his remaining family members are sold into slavery or enslaved, and he is sentenced to a lifetime of humiliation as a slave. The man behind these commonplace atrocities? The scarred and strange Hee-ryang who seems like a right beast as he cuts his way through soldiers and ultimately kills the person that Yeonjo loves the most.

And if that start is rough, well… things only get worse from there. Five years later, Yeonjo’s last living relative dies of illness and with that, he loses his last bit of hope and happiness in enslavement. After he overhears the name of the new governor assigned to the province where he’s enslaved and realizes that it’s the same man that ruined his life, Yeonjo resolves to do whatever he can to take his revenge.

Steel Under Silk is a solid enemies to lover romance in progress. You understand, immediately, why Yeonjo would want Hee-ryang dead – and there are times while you’re reading that you, dear reader, will want to smack him – but you’ll also come to feel a sense of excitement over the developing relationship. Watching Yeonjo go to war with himself… is just delicious. He loathes Hee-ryang with every single fiber of his being. It makes him sick to see desire in the other man’s gaze because while he’s used to trading his affections for privileges, that’s nothing compared to sleeping with the man at least partially responsible for his family’s destruction. It is so hard to watch Yeonjo struggle with what he knows and what Hee-ryang urges him to feel. Especially once Yeonjo decides to reframe things and come to Hee-ryang with his agenda hidden under the guise of surrender. He still plans to kill Hee-ryang, but he’s playing the long game despite the toll it’s taking on him to be that close to someone who is so attractive and so awful.

Genuinely, Yeonjo is one of the best characters ever because of that conflict and the emotional pain he endures towards attaining his goals. Across Steel Under Silk, Yeonjo is actively trading the one thing he has to offer – his beauty – in order to gain access. First, it’s to get medical supplies for his brother before he passes. Then, he manipulates the administrator he’s already sleeping with to get sent to Hee-ryang’s domain. And finally, he’s using his beauty to slowly wear down the high walls of Hee-ryang’s guard so that he can take a final revenge on the man who destroyed his life and family. It’s that last one that clearly gives Yeonjo trouble.

If you’d read any of those Joseon-era “mad noble” stories – and they are plentiful – one recurring note is that most of the nobles are… like your average privileged asshole. Hee-ryang doesn’t have boundaries or common sense before he sees Yeonjo and gets whalloped by his beauty. He’s very genre-standard in that way but also… historically accurate?

I know last week I was on the “let me murder your husband” train with the duke in Betrayal of Dignity, but like… that dude is mean for no discernable reason. On the other hand, I kinda get why Hee-ryang is so callous even before we get to the backstory they’ve lowkey been hinting at every once in a while.

But that doesn’t make his hand in Yeonjo’s ongoing suffering easy to handle? Steel Under Silk is what I’d categorize as a very rough read because it confronts you with the complexities of the human condition and keeps you from looking away as Yeonjo deals with trying to survive in a metaphorical pit of vipers.