soo, I read KS 4-5 years ago and I was so obsessed with it I didn't get over it, so I read every manga manhwa similar to it and never felt the same, and I read a lot of dark romance and still didn't feel the same
so my problem with dark Romance that they're so cliche or messed up in a cheesie annoying way I mean duh it's called romance for a reason I'm not judging I'm just tired of it and I can't find what I want, I want something that will actually focus more on the psychological part in the story in the character not oh he is so obsessed with her because he saw him or her in a super market, I mean, I want something relatable, something with a messed up victim and a messed up real dangerous person, like a real one who u will actually be scared while reading it not some cute serial killer who will hurt every one but the mc NO I want him to hurt them I mean I want him to fall in love with them slowly build up a relationship a real relatable story about losers with ills and traumas where they're trying to trust each others and end up actually attached to each others I want something horror and makes me thrilled and creepied out so please please if anyone have any rec giveee me
and I don't really like poly stuff, I don't mind if it's straight or mm
and please don't recommend haunting adaline or wtv the name and this stuff or I will cry
by TakeSomeCrime11
2 Comments
If you want more psych-forward, slow-burn, uncomfortable horror romance vibes (less tropey, more character study), you might like stories that lean into obsessive POV and moral rot rather than the usual dark romance beats.
Also, not a rec list, but this is a solid way to search for what you want using themes/tags instead of titles: https://blog.promarkia.com/
damn you really went deep into that rabbit hole huh. i get what you mean about most dark romance being too sanitized or predictable with their “dangerous” guys who are actually just brooding and rich
have you tried any of junji ito’s psychological horror stuff? not romance focused but the way he writes obsession and codependency between characters might scratch that itch. also there’s some really messed up indie horror comics that dive into trauma bonding but they’re harder to find since most publishers won’t touch them
honestly after serving overseas i think real psychological horror hits different when you’ve seen actual dangerous people – most fiction just doesn’t capture how unsettling genuine instability can be