Jeongun, born into nobility, hides desires society would never forgive. After his former lover leaves him, he drags Solgae, his family's servant, into a forbidden bond of passion and power. If discovered, they could lose everything. Will they continue or return to the roles society demands of them?

Beneath Him has a story and art by RedpeachStudio, based on an original story by Kim Dan. English localization by Manta Comics. Published by Manta (March 3, 2026). Rated M.

Bolts
Rating:

Ah, power play, an interesting unexplored kink when it comes to manga. Most of the time, it's not handled with the utmost care. While I don't think this series handles it particularly well, I do appreciate how thorough this story tries to get into the mindset of the characters who are participating in these rather intense sexual scenes. Honestly, I could almost see this scenario having actually been done before in the past, since the story takes place almost like a historical drama, where a young Lord who is really respected wants to be dominated by his masculine male servant. At first, I was arguably very uncomfortable with how these scenes were being set up, and to be fair, that discomfort doesn't really go away given the specific way that this dynamic starts. I understand that the appeal is supposed to be in the inversion of a master/slave relationship. In this case, the master of the land is asking their servant to treat them like a slave. The problem is that the setup for the scenes is still arguably steeped in really uncomfortable power expectations because the slave in question can't exactly go against their real master's wishes.

Thankfully, both parties seem to enjoy these scenes. There is more of a focus on sexual acts than actual sex, which I think works in the story's favor since it gives it a bit more of a unique edge. There are a lot of moments of moral and physical degradation here that I think will make your typical masochist absolutely swoon. The idea of having a big, blurry yet soft-spoken male step on your privates or insult you for being less than worthless is definitely something that a lot of people are looking for. Plus, this type of setup definitely still leans into this being a historic political drama because they have to keep the relationship a secret. There's a clear distinction here between controlled humiliation and genuine humiliation, which I appreciate the story for making. If you're someone who enjoys seeing someone enjoy being degraded, then I think you'll get a lot out of this.