Webtoon’s Most Underrated Manhwa is a Vampire Romance (Putting Twilight to Shame)

When it comes to modern vampire romances, it is impossible to talk about the subgenre without mentioning Stephanie Meyer’s hit franchise, The Twilight Saga. Though not a particularly defining part of vampire fiction as a whole, Twilight has become all but synonymous with contemporary vampire fiction, and for good reason. Both the novels and the movie productions were a massive hit among teens and adults alike, going on to become a key part of pop culture. Having said that, what if we told you Webtoon has a contemporary vampire romance manhwa far better than Twilight?

With 21 million views on Webtoon and nearly 430,000 subscribers, Trapped by Haemuri is an absolute gem of a manhwa with a gripping prologue, a well-written story and characters, and an enemies-to-lovers romance that is simply to die for. While vampire romances have been done to death, Trapped stands apart as a story entirely on its own. In fact, in a genre overpopulated by stories with the same generic premises that bleed into one another, Webtoon’s Trapped is a breath of fresh air that toes the line between a romance and a thriller and is simply waiting to be discovered.

What is Webtoon’s Trapped About?

Written and illustrated by Haemuri, Trapped, follows Park Chae-a, an ex-convict with a fiery temper and a foul mouth to match. After being charged with attempted murder and serving her sentence, Chae-a finds herself simply trying to peacefully make ends meet. However, her life gets turned upside down when she finds herself entangled with Park Yunsu, a seemingly unassuming member of her local church who ends up being anything but the angel he portrays himself to be. After leaving a dead body in a suitcase in her trunk and forcing her to bury it, Yunsu frames her for the murder and begins to blackmail her, forcing her to bring him more people. What ensues is a thrilling game of cat and mouse between the two, and Chae-a tries to escape from Yunsu’s clutches, all while trying to figure out his dark secret and what he intends to do with the people she brings him.

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Safe to say, the series boasts a strong, enticing prologue that instantly reels readers in. The first few chapters are quite fast-paced, and the story escalates from zero to a hundred pretty quickly, leaving fans desperate to know what will happen to Chae-a next, but that’s not all. Fans reading Trapped will want to find out what exactly Yunsu is, and whether Chae-a will be able to outsmart this mysterious and incredibly handsome yet pretty unhinged supernatural being who’s taken an interest in toying with her.

Though technically categorized under Webtoon’s Thriller section, Trapped is quite well-rounded with elements of supernatural, psychological, and even romance twists on the genre. The best part is that the series has been completed as of June 2024 with 203 chapters, most of which are available through Daily Pass, and if that strong prologue wasn’t enough to trap you just yet, here’s everything else great about Trapped and why it is truly worthy of being called one of Webtoon’s most underrated titles.

Trapped’s Well-Written Cast and Story Are Sure to Ensnare Readers

Besides its enticing premise, Trapped also maintains good pacing throughout, never feeling sluggish or drawn-out, which is a common issue that can plague even the most successful and beloved manhwa at times. With just over 200 chapters, the story stays quite compact, with the refreshingly unique art style and muted color palette serving as another huge point in Trapped’s corner. The story also lays its cornerstone on good worldbuilding and well-thought-out vampire lore and mechanics. An excellent example of this is how Trapped handles the concept of half-bloods or children conceived between a vampire and a human, an area in which Twilight arguably falls short as seen with Renesmee.

Having said that, where Trapped truly shines is its characters, which are not just well-written but also multi-faceted. Both Chae-a and Yunsu are quite morally grey in the truest sense of the word in that it is often hard to justify some of their actions. The series also highlights their hypocrisy with them going to church and putting up a front despite both being murderers, plotting each other’s downfall behind masked smiles. Both the series leads also have well thought out backstories that are reflected in the way their characters behave and react from the get-go.

Trapped Actually Gets the Enemies to Lovers Trope Right

Lastly, the romance. Chae-a and Yunsu’s relationship starts on a less-than-ideal note with Yunsu blackmailing her, which turns into a deadly game of wits between the two, and Chae-a is simply trying her best to stay alive. While this sounds like a nightmare, Chae-a and Yunsu do eventually evolve past this toxicity. That said, it does take its sweet time doing so, giving readers a good slow burn along the way, while also making this progression from enemies to lovers, which should have been impossible, feel natural and believable.

Furthermore, the rough start to their relationship also makes Trapped one of the few proper enemies-to-lovers manhwa where the main leads actually start out as sworn enemies rather than rivals or two people that simply dislike each other a little and it makes for quite a refreshing change. Chae-a and Yunsu also have amazing chemistry and play off each other really well, with the series piling on the tension between them in just the right increments as the series progresses. While Trapped doesn’t have an anime or live-action adaptation just yet, it more than deserves one, and who knows, it could even end up dethroning Twilight in the process.

All of Trapped is available to read on Webtoon.