so did sangwoo actually love bum?
No. It wasn't affection, Sangwoo simply thought of him as his mom and called him "mom" quite a few times. Sangwoo is sick. He has PTSD I suppose? His trauma makes him call out people who have hurt him like his mother and possessiveness. There was no feelings, affection nor love between Yoonbum and Sangwoo
I'm sorry to break it for you but the author herself said there was genuine love and affection between them. She implied it first in the official Q&A and then she explicitly confirmed it during a comic convention, Sangwoo loved Bum, and for Bum himself, not because of his mother. If you read carefully, especially season 3, you can understand how he tries to differentiate Bum from his mother, of course he was too sick and paranoid because of his trauma and ended up abusing Bum again, but this doesn't mean he never loved him.
You are blatantly ignoring the last and the most important question of the author's note, that is if Sangwoo loved Bum. Koogi said the answer is in the last chapter, where Sangwoo calls for Bum until he dies, not for his mom. But I have also met Koogi in person and during a comic convention last year she explicitly confirmed Sangwoo loved Bum for Bum.
Sangwoo took interest for Bum at first because he looked like his mother, but he progressively tried to differentiate them, especially during season 3. He failed eventually and ended up abusing Bum again but he really developed feelings for Bum himself and Koogi confirmed it
Nah, if Sangwoo didn't have trauma, then he wouldn't have kept Bum around. Not that he would kill him, I'm saying he would've thought Bum was weird and probably called the cops. So instead of, "This beautiful masterpiece, a love between Sangwoo, the killer and Yoonbum, the stalker." We would have, "So-so manga, a weird relationship between Sangwoo, the handsome goody-two-shoes and Yoonbum, the weird stalker who was arrested for breaking into someone's house."
You gotta think about these things.
That's not what I'm saying. I was replying to a person who asked, "What if Sangwoo didn't have his trauma, would they would be happy together?" I was saying no, because it wouldn't be the same plot. I wasn't talking about h being a substitute. (If you're thinking that if Sangwoo didn't have trauma, then the he would still become a killer and instead of being obsessed with his mom and keeping Yoonbum, you're saying that he would've killed him, right? While I'm saying, if Sangwoo didn't have trauma, he wouldn't have become a killer, therefore he won't of Bea normal highschooler with a girlfriend and no interest in Yoonbum.) That's what I'm trying to say. Sorry if this wasn't clear, at first.
more updates T-T
ahhh shiit, i meant to click the thumbs up but whatever T-T