"What is Yoonhwa mbti?"
'For Yoonhwa; I can notice her prominent focus in her internal world more, so definitely has an introverted dom function. I see both a heavy usage of Ti/Fe functions, so I would say (infj) as she gets these 'weird sudden off feelings' once in a while (Ni). This is how I saw her when the story first came to me. I wonder if she can come across as different types for you, readers. I do believe that the readers also contribute to the story with their own imagination and meanings, so if you felt like she is another specific mbti, then let it be. That's fine by me.'
"What about Kyungjun mbti?"
'For me, this was a clear cut answer. (estp). Even in the show he showed that his internal thinking process relied heavily on what his senses are experiencing from the outer world. He reaches his final theories always after he hears/watches/listens to what and how others interact or say (Se) and come to his own conclusions then (Ti). I tried to put this in mind while I was writing as well.'
"Who was your favorite character from your work and/or the original work?"
'My fav from my work is Yoonhwa. I relate to her introverted side the most at the beginning. Also, Eunchan. I unconsciously kept him around and gave him extra lines, the funny and the smart one. Maybe I was influenced by the o.g. character as it also caught my eyes in the show next to Seungbin. Kyungjun also played an important role for me to continue the original show because of the actor Cha Woomin (he's so handsome.) His delivery to the character and the depth he gave life to by his acting was amazing. I could even sympathize with the character despite my initial dislike of him in the original show. I think that's what made this character so interesting to write about again, because of the multiple layers that suit some of the points I wanted to tap into my story.'
"What inspired you the most?"
'During writing, I did rely on youtube background music playlists. classic. Huge thanks to the indie tiktok artists as well. They have some of the most serene music anthems that just let you swim in your daydreams and imagination. Oh, and also the fan edits in the tiktok community! As I lay my phone down -with the edit- next to me while I write as it keeps repeating. Watching how amazed most of us were by the character Kyungjun, I did intend to increase his scenes on purpose. I feel so in awe with the creativity this fandom has, so I always try to delete or change lines during writing this story to have much better plots for you, the readers, to figure out. I also read some of the comments on random Tiktok posts as well and saw how you guys shipped both Yoonseo and Kyungjun. Even though I didn't receive such signals from the show, I purposely kept these interactions in my story as well (Kyungjun and Yoonseo) to keep some of the community's readers entertained.'
"How would you describe the difference between your work and the original?"
'Well, I did intend to fulfil my own desires from the original show which is having a kind female lead that throughout the story loses her origin and turns and reshape herself into an antihero with questionable character and behaviors. We can see how Yoonhwa's character's colors change into much darker shades than the beginning. I wanted to add a psychological and philosophical emphasis as much as the heavy gore emphasis in the original one. To highlight the tension of the importance of the social group impact themes and discuss how a person's action should be guided by his moral compasses to seek the truth regardless if it goes against the social popular beliefs around them. Also other topics such as how far a person can cross the line for the name of being 'right'?'
"What influences your writing style the most? This question is for the readers who also write."
'I do journal and write daily. I read a lot -and I mean a lot- of webtoons and light novels from Novelupdates growing up, so I guess this is how my vocab has been built too as a non-english speaker. Light novels from different themes, genres and different plots with multiple writing styles. From the famous novel transmigration/reincarnation romance tropes to the one towards the open systems, survival and thriller ones. That's how I formed my writing style, mixing both the words that ignite fear and tension just as the funny and light-hearted ones.'
"Would you say that there was romance between the characters? We can see the tension between both Kyungjun and Yoonhwa."
'Honestly I thought while writing this story, that romance would be the main focus. That it would be obvious and much much more grand and all over the place. However, I ended up deleting scenes during the editing process for many reasons. For one, I felt like I would have stirred away from what I intend to build this story on. You know, the psychological impact. For another, it simply did not feel right. I hated it and loved it at the same time. So we can say the romance was intentional yet not, that it ended up being like this at one point.
"Do you mean that there were many things going on between Yoonhwa and Kyungjun in the background that didn't make their final debut in the final story?"
'The amount of scenes that it felt okay for Kyungjun to do, that I could label as 'romance' felt limited. Based on my consciousness and personal dating preferences and the character itself. Because at the end of the day, I write for my own enjoyment as well. At that time I had the challenge of keeping his 'core' the same, yet finding ways to add the romance I wanted to see. Many scenes had plot holes from the character's personality point of view. So I took a different approach with him. I tried to minimize his awful scenes instead. (The parts where he keeps committing one huge mistake after another to the point of unaliving someone in the original show.) I did feel much better and comfortable writing then. At the end, I wrote a couple of scenes where we can see a little bit of interest from the female lead towards him that originated from their middle school memories. I also added this background element to them so their interaction can hold 'weight' and sentiment on their own. I hope the readers would enjoy this approach just like I did. I'm sure it will find its own audience, right?'
"Did you write this work with an open ending in mind? Did you want to write another ending but changed your mind during the middle of your writing process? Tell us more about your opening ending and any new untold stories behind the scenes."
'This ending came to me while I was watching the show for the first time. I thought the show would end on the note of them being case studies of further developed technological societies of human behavior, and I was so convinced by it from the fourth episode I guess? At one point, I didn't even care much when they kept dying, saying that they must be alive somewhere. Lol. Well, of course that was until I was proven wrong by the original plot and got shocked by the appearance of the parents.'
"Do you have thoughts about what will happen next after the ending?"
'I do believe that a part of any art piece's beauty stems from the different interpretations and meaning given by the viewer from its own audience. I think it's part of its magic that accompanies the art. Therefore, I must admit that, even I don't know what will happen. I decide to leave the end open for me to have my share of fun. I always wonder how the after story of them waking up will go as well. Or what type of missions Yoonhwa will receive from the government. What her approach towards the 'legacy' her family gave her will be like. What will happen next if Kyungjun succeeds in waking up to the 'real' world, how will he feel about Yoonhwa then? And if their game backgrounds aren't real but close, then what type of history did Yoonhwa and Kyungjun really have? I wonder about that from time to time.'
"Any last words to the readers?"
'I had this dream of mine to write a fanfic ever since my teenage years. I had multiple private and online attempts, but all left incomplete. Online light novels really added joy to some of the hardest days in my life so I hope this first and complete fanfic of mine will do the same, even to a one. I would love that. I do feel proud of finishing this work. I really enjoyed writing it too. Thus, I can finally close this previous dream chapter from my life's book with ease and move on to whatever life takes me next. Wherever it is. Thank you if you did tap along this intimate journey of mine. I appreciate your given time.'
I enjoyed giving birth to this story so much, but it's time to say goodbye now.
The Missing Piece, you will always be loved and special in my heart.