Low Tide in Twilight

Poster for season 1

After smashing a debt collector's head open, omega Kim Euihyun flees into the twilight with his baby brother. He has no future anymore now that he has to run from both the police and the yakuza, and little Euiyoung won't be able to make it on his own. Instead of being sold as a prostitute for money he hasn't even gotten a glimpse of, slaving away without any pride nor possessions, the abyss is as good an option. But before he is able to commit murder-suicide, he is pulled away from the ocean water.

The son of the boss, Yeo Taeju, takes it upon himself to make sure Euihyun repays the debt without attempting to escape again. He sets him up with an apartment to rent, money for necessities, and a job to help him out of this mess. However, Euihyun cannot trust on Taeju's shallow sympathy, but what option does he have other than this alpha, who is clearly attracted to Euihyun's scent.

Low Tide in Twilight (물가의 밤(Mulgaui bam)), also known as Waterside Night, is a Korean webtoon written and illustrated by Euja. It was first published in 2021 on Bomtoon (Kidari Studio), and has since been translated into English and Japanese by Lezhin, French by Le Bontoon, and Thai by Boomtoon. The webtoon is still ongoing, with season 2 releasing in September 2022.

For full coverage, Create a dedicated wiki for this series, or see the dedicated Korean wiki.

Tropes

Tropes used in Low Tide in Twilight include:

• Ahegao: Downplayed with Euihyun, since he tries resisting his instincts as an omega.
• Archnemesis Dad]]: Kim Sahyeok did not provide for his sons, and even went as far as coercing Euihyun's boss to give him his son's paycheck for his own desires, when Euihyun is working to provide for himself and Euiyoung.
• Armor-Piercing Slap: Euihyun has punched and slapped Taejun for being unsolicitly perverted.
• The Beautiful Elite: Taejun and his family.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Kim Euihyun fights Yeo Taejun constantly for the whims of the latter's "shallow sympathy", but subliminally it's implied that they're both attracted to each other's scent.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: When Euihyun rejects Taejun's "shallow" sympathy as unreliable whims, Taejun brings the omega to a brothel to check if Euihyun can really stand it as the he claims.
• Big Screwed-Up Family: The Kims, before Taejun came in, making the three of them (him, Euihyun, and Euiyoung) a more tame Dysfunctional Family.
• Changed My Mind, Kid: Taejun snaps and decides to leave Euihyun at the brothel, since he keeps rejecting his kindness, only to relent when Euihyun backtracks and begs him to not leave him there.
• Despair Event Horizon: When a debt collector tries to treat him as a prostitute, and he accidentally smashes his head open. Thinking he's killed the man, he believes his life is over, since he'll have to run from both the debt collectors and the police for murder.
• I Didn't Mean to Turn You On: Taejun is really turned on by Euihyun, and keeps complimenting his scent. Even when Euihyun squirms due to discomfort on top of Taejun.
• Disappeared Dad / Missing Mom: Sahyeok abandons his sons, leaving them only with debt. Euihyun's mom left him with his father when he was young, and Euiyoung's mother left straight after giving birth.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Taejun keeps helping Euihyun get out of trouble. First by setting him up with an apartment to rent, a new job to pay off his debt, and even some money for necessities when they first moved in. Later, when Euihyun starts a fight at the restaurant where he works, Taejun steps in to beat up the unsavoury guys for groping Euihyun. And when Euihyun's resolution to never resort to prostitution finally crumbles after the apartment fire, he offers to pay him extra for being his exclusive sex partner.
  • Lampshaded: In his mind, Taejun comments how he must be a bit of a pushover when faced with Euihyun, as he quickly forgives the latter despite how angry he was by how dismissive and ungrateful Euihyun acted towards his offers to help, and especially when Euihyun claims a brothel is more trustworthy than his whims.
• Don't Split Us Up: Euihyun when the gang members separate him and Euiyoung, since Taejun claims that "the adults need to talk".
• Dude, Where's My Respect?
  • Taejun reacts when Euihyun does not even bother with polite/formal speech, despite him being superior to him due to being his debt collector. Although he brushes it off, saying they can talk friendly since they're the same age.
  • Taejun has a fit of this when Euihyun claims a brothel is more trustworthy than him.
• Driven to Suicide:
  • Justified because his life has never improved no matter how much he's worked, and his pride prevents him to resort to prostitution. When he believes he's accidentally killed the debt collector, he believes he won't be able to run away from both the police and the gang members while taking care of Euiyoung anyways.
  • Defied when Taejun pulls him out of the ocean water, and helps set him up with an apartment and a decent job, so that Euihyun is able to pay off his debt with his dignity maintained.
• Fallacy of Hard Work: All his life, Euihyun has worked hard to just survive. Despite his efforts, his life continues on a downward spiral, and he's aware of it, thus prompting his attempted murder-suicide.
• Forceful Kiss: After sharing that the debt collector woke from his coma, Taejun kisses Euihyun multiple times, despite the latter's protests, as a way to make them feel better.
• Manipulative Bastard / Hustler: Averted, though played for laughs in a lampshaded way. Taejun incredulously comments on Euihyun's terrible skills in bed, wondering if he's just hustling him by pretending to be clueless about sex to gain his sympathy.
• The Immodest Orgasm: Downplayed since Euihyun like most other ukes in boy's love. And justified since Taejun is good in bed.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: Lampshaded by Taejun, who internally says that Euihyun is the fish that he caught, and that he should have been his from the start.
• Imagine Spot: Taejun imagining what he'll ask Euihyun to do for him as a reward for helping the latter out, only for his help to be rejected soon after.
• Indentured Servitude: Although one should think it should be the Work Off the Debt trope, Euihyun's situation fits that of indentured servitude, since when he runs away the debt collectors capture him, and make him work to pay off their debt to them.
• Kiss Kiss Slap: Euihyun goes for a Groin Attack after Taejun ejaculates in his face.
• Lecherous Licking: Taejun has licked his own lips at the thought of bedding Euihyun at least twice if not more.
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places: Taejun makes Euihyun give him a blowjob in an alleyway.
• My God, What Have I Done? Although he is not sure if Euiyoung was aware of what he tried to do, Euihyun feels very guilty that Euiyoung may have to live with the memory of almost being killed by the person he trusts the most, and shares with Taejun that he hopes his younger brother will forget it ever happened.
• Opposites Attract: Taejun is very extroverted, while Euihyun is more introverted.
• Omegaverse: The story is set in a society with omegas and their heat cycles, alphas with their ruts, sexually charged pheromones, complete with "period" pills to avert their heats cycles. This social structure is inspired by wolf pack dynamics, and includes betas who are just normal humans who are incapable of Homosexual Reproduction in the same way as an omega and an alpha. Although the stories includes heats, ruts and knotting, there has not been a case of imprinting yet.
  • Taeju's parents are of the same trait (male alphas) which demonstrates that it is possible to reproduce even if the probability is low.
• Pervert Revenge Mode: Justified since Euihyun vehemently rejects being treated like a prositute or a whore. And Taejun does perverted things to Euihyun without his consent.
• Rape as Drama: Downplayed with the debt collector, since it was Attempted Rape. Then played straight with Taejun
• Scarpia Ultimatum: To get Euihyun to sleep with him, Taejun threathens that he can sell of his or his brother's organs to pay off the debt, only to later reveal that his organization doesn't do such unlawful things anymore.
• Sexual Extortion: Taejun extorts Euihyun into sleeping with him exclusively, first by offering to reduce his debt when he gets in trouble, and later when Euihyun almost ends up in the brothel.
• Shower of Angst: After having sex, Taejun informs Euihyun that their house sold for less than expected, and as such he'll have to pay off more than he originally thought, despite Taejun claiming they did not take any middleman fees. Euihyun abruptly leaves to go to the bathroom, where he tries convincing himself it'll work out.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Euihyun is logically cynical towards Taeju's help, which he judges to be shallow sympathy which can disappear on a whim, but it is implied that the more idealistic part of him, though small, trusts Taeju, though he refuses to admit it.
• "Take That!" Kiss: Lampshaded when Taejun micheviously twists Euihyun's nipple during his heat.
• Two-Faced: Lampshaded by Taejun, who says he may be two-faced, but that Euihyun is not in a position to be picky, and that he wouldn't have made it too far without his help.
• Unequal Pairing: Taejun is the son of the debt collectors' boss, Euihyun is a debtor working hard to pay of his father's debt.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Justified and downplayed since Euihyun is very clear about rejecting Taejun's sympathy due to his pride, but Taejun goes ahead and helps him out anyways.
• Will They or Won't They? Will Euihyun give in and become Taejun's exclusive plaything?
• Younger Hero vs. Older Villain: The Kim Brothers and Taejun (who's an Anti-Hero) are squaring off against Kim Sahyeok.