Ever since high school, Seonyul has been plagued by a bizarre jinx that always leaves her trapped with Roun, a taciturn but hardworking student she can never seem to escape. Even attending different college departments doesn't break the strange cycle. But when Seonyul discovers Roun's hidden struggle, their unlikely bond begins to deepen. Is their jinx simply bad luck, or is fate trying to bring them together?

Trapped Together has a story and art by Hu. Localized by WEBTOON. Published by WEBTOON (September 8, 2026). Rated 16+.

Erica Friedman
Rating:

One of the principles of the Yin-Yang symbol is that in the extreme, everything becomes its opposite. In the situation-laden romantic comedy, Trapped Together, too many coincidences begin to feel like a horror story.

Seonyul is a nice, quiet girl. She works hard and does her best. For some reason, fate keeps setting her up in situations with the taciturn Roun (this is the spelling used in the comic, rather than the synopsis). Roun doesn't pay any attention to her, even though they end up being in close proximity…repeatedly. Including, as the title notes, being trapped together, multiple times, in small spaces. In college, they still end up being trapped together, and yet, Seonyul really knows nothing about Roun. Until after some college drinking party drama, she finds Roun alone, trembling. They finally talk about their uncomfortable relationship, and maybe the curse is broken…until Seonyul finds herself trapped with yet another guy from school, the hunk musician Jinyeoung

At this point, I was just honestly creeped out. I know it's supposed to be a sitcom romance, but I shuddered at the endless, inexplicable locking, jamming, broken doors. There's no way for me to read this as anything but a horror story. It also serves to point out a large plot flaw. We're told by Seonyul that she's a people pleaser, in a not-so-unconscious desire to keep her mother from leaving, which she did years ago. That's fine. But I ask with all sincerity, why does getting trapped in small rooms repeatedly not make you more diligent about reading warning signs?

Roun lacks any personality for the first several chapters. When he finally does get some internal monologue time, it's a little weird, but it does serve to paint him as a sad puppy. And when we finally learn more of his story, it cements that image. By the end of 8 chapters, I was pretty done with this concept, as it made me cringe. But I want to note that the fandom for this comic is super engaged, enthusiastically screaming and posting GIFs under every chapter. I'm so glad for the creator that the fans love it so much.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Romance as a genre is no different from any other fantasy. It's fun to read about slinging spells or solving crimes without actually wanting to participate in either of those activities, and romance functions in much the same way – it's fun to read about two people the universe wants so badly to get together that it keeps locking them together without actually wanting that sort of relationship for yourself. Trapped Together plays with the idea of everyone having a fated someone, a one true love, who is their perfect person. It's not their fault that the universe, the gods, or whomever is being so weird about it.

And yes, read a certain way, this is creepy. Poor Seonyul and Roun have been getting locked in rooms, closets, and other places together pretty much since they met in middle school. Everyone's noticed how weird this is, and it absolutely makes them uncomfortable to the point where they've seemingly stopped even trying to interact normally. They're always let out relatively quickly, so the universe doesn't want them dead, at least – it just really, really wants them to get together. Someone needs to tell the universe to maybe cool its jets and mind its own business.

But there's also a sweet side to this story. Seonyul was abandoned by her mother when she was little and raised by her apparently quite conservative grandmother. Roun is the scion of a medical family who is expected to follow in his parents' footsteps, and he's under an enormous amount of pressure. Left to themselves, they might have found solace in each other much sooner than college, because they both do seem like very nice people – just kind of awkward. Roun, as is revealed around chapter six, just desperately needs someone he can talk to who will be kind and listen to him. Seonyul is so busy being nonconfrontational that she barely functions socially. They're a good match and could very much help each other if left to their own devices.

I'm not sure I really want to read any more of this. It's frustrating, and the red around everyone's eyes always makes them look two seconds away from bursting into tears. (Which, honestly, they may be.) But if someone fated for you who you can't get away from is the kind of romantic fantasy you like, this is a pretty good one without any fated mates stuff thrown in. For the right reader, it will be heartwarming.