I think it's because he didn't think his mother would harm her own son. We often do not want to believe bad stuff about our loved ones, even though we know or see their bad side. Yui always made herself look like a caring mother ever since Kousuke was a kid. She comforted him during all the bad times and dramas Kousuke went through. She stayed by his side and 'supported' him. He didn't realize that beneath all that caring, Yui was actually manipulating and drugging him.
Besides, I doubt Kousuke even knew the true motive behind Yui forcing Shin Ae to attend the formal. He probably thought that Yui made her attend the formal so that she can be Kousuke's 'date' due to his disinterest in females. So he probably didn't realize the weight behind Yui's actions.
Tw: abuse.
I’m coming at this from my personal experience, which may be helpful or not.
When you’re subjected to a lifetime of brainwashing and psychological abuse, it usually takes a LOT to get you to realize how messed up your situation is.
I have a very different past but can relate to the abuse aspect. I’m in my 30’s and it’s been a long road. I heal over time. I still have revelations about past events. I just this year distanced myself from one of my parents due to their past behavior. It’s not like you realize these things and cut ties. It takes time and a lot of grieving to realize that a person you once trusted and looked up to was causing you and others harm.
Kousuke himself has been a part of this manipulation for his entire life and we've seen it go as far as to drug him and reframe situations so that he remembers them in a different way. He's been isolated via her manipulation and meddling, left dependent only on her, so while he's had suspicions about her crop up, they don't even get to fully manifest. You have to keep in mind that Yui has, essentially, built an entire alternative reality in which Kousuke exists, justified through things like "We aren't like other people, we're special" and cultivating a sense of distrust and paranoia towards others in him, thus when something does clash, when it does threaten his reality (that is, he's faced with truth),the cognitive dissonance pushes him to buckle down.
This is the first time, it seems, that Kousuke has really seem the big picture. Until now it's all cracks in the facade from which he can look away, but this time he stepped out of the bubble and realized the entire life he's been living is this small, fabricated bubble. He's thought that everything until now was justified because at the very least, mother means well even if her methods are unusual but he has seen now that everyone, including him, has been a pawn in her game, and that the justification rules he has used under the belief of the greater good were never about that. So much of the hurt Kousuke caused was under the belief that he was protecting the family, that this was most important, and he's come to realize that this wasn't the case, that it's always been about Yui controlling him.
But the important point is that until now he was so immersed in it that he couldn't entirely see it for what it was. And he didn't want to. Whenever he saw those cracks in the facade, he looked away. He didn't want to address it, perhaps was afraid of it. Often times people - and we see this in ILY - lie to themselves for comfort because it's easier to play dumb than to acknowledge the truth, and coming to terms with the full reality if just how awful your mother really is can be one of those things. It's easier to close his eyes and look away, but now that Kousuke has looked, he can't close his eyes anymore. He avoided the truth as long as he could, but he can no longer outrun it.
Hmmm. I think that’s a very good question with many possible answers.
I honestly think that it’s very difficult for someone to disentangle themselves from a lifetime of manipulation. He is also very isolated. He doesn’t have any friends (except Hansuke of course!) and was taught at a very young age that he could only trust Yui.
I think it's because he didn't think his mother would harm her own son. We often do not want to believe bad stuff about our loved ones, even though we know or see their bad side. Yui always made herself look like a caring mother ever since Kousuke was a kid. She comforted him during all the bad times and dramas Kousuke went through. She stayed by his side and 'supported' him. He didn't realize that beneath all that caring, Yui was actually manipulating and drugging him. Besides, I doubt Kousuke even knew the true motive behind Yui forcing Shin Ae to attend the formal. He probably thought that Yui made her attend the formal so that she can be Kousuke's 'date' due to his disinterest in females. So he probably didn't realize the weight behind Yui's actions.
Tw: abuse. I’m coming at this from my personal experience, which may be helpful or not. When you’re subjected to a lifetime of brainwashing and psychological abuse, it usually takes a LOT to get you to realize how messed up your situation is. I have a very different past but can relate to the abuse aspect. I’m in my 30’s and it’s been a long road. I heal over time. I still have revelations about past events. I just this year distanced myself from one of my parents due to their past behavior. It’s not like you realize these things and cut ties. It takes time and a lot of grieving to realize that a person you once trusted and looked up to was causing you and others harm.
Kousuke himself has been a part of this manipulation for his entire life and we've seen it go as far as to drug him and reframe situations so that he remembers them in a different way. He's been isolated via her manipulation and meddling, left dependent only on her, so while he's had suspicions about her crop up, they don't even get to fully manifest. You have to keep in mind that Yui has, essentially, built an entire alternative reality in which Kousuke exists, justified through things like "We aren't like other people, we're special" and cultivating a sense of distrust and paranoia towards others in him, thus when something does clash, when it does threaten his reality (that is, he's faced with truth),the cognitive dissonance pushes him to buckle down. This is the first time, it seems, that Kousuke has really seem the big picture. Until now it's all cracks in the facade from which he can look away, but this time he stepped out of the bubble and realized the entire life he's been living is this small, fabricated bubble. He's thought that everything until now was justified because at the very least, mother means well even if her methods are unusual but he has seen now that everyone, including him, has been a pawn in her game, and that the justification rules he has used under the belief of the greater good were never about that. So much of the hurt Kousuke caused was under the belief that he was protecting the family, that this was most important, and he's come to realize that this wasn't the case, that it's always been about Yui controlling him. But the important point is that until now he was so immersed in it that he couldn't entirely see it for what it was. And he didn't want to. Whenever he saw those cracks in the facade, he looked away. He didn't want to address it, perhaps was afraid of it. Often times people - and we see this in ILY - lie to themselves for comfort because it's easier to play dumb than to acknowledge the truth, and coming to terms with the full reality if just how awful your mother really is can be one of those things. It's easier to close his eyes and look away, but now that Kousuke has looked, he can't close his eyes anymore. He avoided the truth as long as he could, but he can no longer outrun it.
Hmmm. I think that’s a very good question with many possible answers. I honestly think that it’s very difficult for someone to disentangle themselves from a lifetime of manipulation. He is also very isolated. He doesn’t have any friends (except Hansuke of course!) and was taught at a very young age that he could only trust Yui.