Minty: "Iboni, based on everything you've shared—that resilience and the choice not to pass on pain—we know that hope and self-reliance are crucial themes in your writing. You had to rely on those concepts profoundly during your atheist period."
Minty: "So, my question for this next part of the show is about the utility of belief within your narratives. In your stories, especially where characters face overwhelming odds, what is the key distinction you draw between a necessary, self-affirming 'hope' or 'belief' that drives a character forward, and 'superstition' or 'blind faith' that might lead them astray or make them weak?"
[A few people in the audience tilt their heads, clearly trying to process the big question along with Iboni. There's a quiet, concentrated hum in the room.]
Iboni: "I'm sorry but could you please elaborate your question Minty??"
[The audience lets out a supportive, relatable laugh. A few people nod as if to say, 'Yeah, I didn't get it either!']
Minty: (Laughing) "Oh, I am so sorry, Iboni! I got a little too philosophical there, didn't I? Let me pull it back and make it much more concrete, especially since you gave me that wonderful analogy about Jesus earlier."
[The audience settles back down, appreciative of the reset. One person in the crowd gives a small go for it clap.]
Minty: "You mentioned that when you were younger, you saw Jesus as a 'magician'—someone who just swoops in and makes the bad things disappear instantly. But now, you see Him as 'Someone you can rely on,' someone with a plan that requires you to walk the path with Him."
[Nods of recognition from the crowd; they remember this point from earlier and are eager to see how it connects to the books.]
Minty: "I want to take that idea and look at your characters in Runaway With Me—who have a prophecy—and Love Yourself: Wonder—who have big dreams."
Iboni: "Oh! Okay, sure!"
Minty: "My question is this: In your stories, how do you show the difference between a character who is just waiting for a 'miracle' or 'luck' to fix their life—the 'magician' mindset—versus a character who uses their belief as fuel to actually stand up and change their situation themselves?"
[An "Ahhh" of understanding ripples through the audience. Now that the question is clear, the energy in the room is one of high anticipation.]
Minty: "Basically, do you think belief should make a character sit still and wait, or should it be the thing that makes them move?"
[A few people in the audience whisper "Makes them move" to themselves, clearly already picking sides.]
Iboni: "You know, I just realized now that I UNINTENTIONALLY wrote those two sides in those two stories."
[The audience lets out a soft, intrigued "Ooh," like they're watching a puzzle finally click into place. The camera cuts to a few viewers who are nodding, eager to hear the comparison.]
Iboni: "In Love Yourself: Wonder, the main character sits still and waits. She waits for the 'miracle' of her dream to happen; and it did, in the form of her meeting with Taehyung."
[A light, romantic "Aww" goes through the crowd—the K-Pop fans in the audience are smiling, clearly remembering that 'dream-come-true' moment in the fanfic.]
Iboni: "While in Runaway With Me, the female lead grabbed the belief that was told by her grandmother and made it her drive to move."
[There is a sudden, sharp round of applause. A few people in the audience actually start nodding vigorously, clearly preferring the warrior energy of the second protagonist. You can hear a faint "Yes!" from someone in the middle row.]
Minty: "That is an incredible realization, Iboni! You essentially wrote the 'Magician' faith in your first book and the 'Reliable Partner' faith in your second—even before you had the words for it yourself!"
[The audience erupts into cheers. The energy in the room has shifted from purely emotional to high-octane inspiration.]
Minty: "It's as if your subconscious was already moving toward this 'expanded' worldview before your conscious mind caught up. One character waited for the miracle, but the other became the miracle by moving toward the prophecy."
[A few people in the crowd are seen snapping their fingers in agreement, clearly moved by the idea of 'becoming the miracle.']
Iboni: (Looking thoughtful, almost speaking to herself)"Yes, yes. It does look like that."
[A respectful, heavy silence falls over the studio. The audience isn't cheering yet—they are giving Iboni the space to let that realization sink in. You can see a few people in the crowd smiling softly, as if they are witnessing a very private, sacred moment of discovery.]
Minty: (Softly, after a beat) "And that is the beauty of being a writer, isn't it? Our pens often know where we're going before our feet do."
[The audience responds with a warm, gentle ripple of applause. It's not a roar; it's an 'I see you' kind of clap. One person in the audience places their hand over their heart, clearly touched by Iboni's vulnerability.]
Minty: "Iboni, seeing that progression from sitting still to moving with purpose... it makes me think about the memoir, Boy in Denim Jacket. In a true story, there are no prophecies and no K-pop miracles—just the raw reality of high school."
[The camera pans to a few younger audience members who sit up a bit straighter at the mention of the memoir. The energy in the room shifts from the fantastical back to the relatable.]
Minty: "In that memoir, where did that drive to move come from? Was it the writing itself that became your way of taking action, rather than waiting for a miracle that might never come?"
Iboni: "Its both for that memoir. Thinking about it, I only realize now that my writing truly came from what I felt because the first novel, Love Yourself: Wonder, it WAITS for the miracle to happen and believing it will happen; in the second novel, Runaway With Me, it ACTS for the miracle to happen..."
[The audience is following the logic, nodding along as she builds this bridge between the stories.]
Iboni: "...then in the third, Boy in Denim Jacket, it ACTS for the miracle but the act does not have any direct impact yet it WAITS for the miracle that will never come. Huh. There are truly things that you will realize after time passes by because you only see the part of the picture that you focuses on at some specific times."
[A profound, heavy silence fills the room. You can see several audience members looking at one another with goosebumps expressions. The idea of acting for a miracle that will never come strikes a deep chord of grief and beauty.]
Minty: (Quietly, clearly moved) "Wow... the act of acting, even when the outcome is already lost. That is the definition of courage, Iboni."
[The audience begins a slow, rhythmic clap that gradually builds in intensity—it's a standing ovation of pure respect for the depth of that insight.]