Translator: Resnut

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Author's Blogpost: One of My Most Cherished Characters is Gone (May 7th 2024)

Link to original post: https://blog.naver.com/chungnanum/223439332224

I originally wanted to take more time for the send-off...

But honestly, it feels like I’ve wrapped things up just right. Judging by the comments filled with cries of “Bukbao, nooo!” it seems like I did a decent job.

(Though, “Bukbao”… the name does roll off the tongue nicely.)

(Resnut/N: Bukbao is probably a meme referring to Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in Korea. I'm not sure why Buk was compared to Fu Bao, though.)

Buk Hyang-hwa...

She was truly a character I wanted to send to True Immortal, at least in my heart.

But in the end, things didn’t turn out the way I hoped.

While shaping Buk Hyang-hwa and guiding her character, I came to realize something:

As a writer, you must strive to be as omnipotent as possible within your work, but remain aware that you can never truly be omnipotent.

To elaborate a bit...

I believe a writer must approach their work as if they were a 'malignant otherworldly evil god' invading its world.

If there is a predetermined narrative and fate within the world of the story,

the writer must twist the fate and gradually erode that world through the protagonist, who acts as the author's apostle or avatar.

However, while a writer can gain influence over the world they’ve created, they can never achieve complete omnipotence.

That, I believe, is the essence of being a writer.

Buk Hyang-hwa felt like someone who, in my heart, could become a True Immortal...

But it seems she couldn’t overcome the fate that had already been decided within the story.

Buk Hyang-hwa is now completely gone.

If she appears again, it’ll likely be in flashbacks or perhaps briefly in the late stages of the story.

In any case…

A character I cherished dearly has now departed.

It seems spring truly is the season of farewells.

Mad Lord is gone, Buk Hyang-hwa is gone, Cheongmun Ryeong is gone...

And in real life, even a friend of mine has left.

Ha ha...

Farewells are sad, but...

I believe that after enduring the pain of parting, everyone will grow in their own way someday.

Whether it be Seo Eun-hyun and his friends, and even myself.

I rambled on a bit since Buk Hyang-hwa is gone, but I hope all my readers have a restful night.

And tomorrow, I hope you all have a wonderful Parents' Day.