Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack

Postscript

Hello, I’m ‘Ilgwai,’ the author of ‘With Three Well-Raised Idols, I Make My Confession Attack.’

I used to think that the value of that name was too high to casually call myself by it, but this time, I want to proudly refer to myself as a writer.

First of all, I sincerely want to thank everyone who has read this far.

With that sentiment in mind, I’m writing this while kneeling down, hoping to add at least a touch of humility to my words.

After posting the final chapter, I anticipated feelings of satisfaction, pride, or liberation, but it didn’t turn out that way.

I felt sad. Very, very sad.

I believe it’s because seeing your reactions had become a part of my daily life.

Now, the reality of having to face the end with all of you who shared Seon Taeyang’s story while sending me warm encouragement felt painfully obvious.

That’s truly sad and deeply grateful.

Honestly, I shed a few tears.

Thank you very much.

I genuinely feel like hugging everyone who has made it this far.

Typically, a postscript stops around this length, but I’ll elaborate a bit longer.

This is just my personal opinion, but I believe writers shouldn’t reveal too much of who they are in their writing. I’ve thought that knowing too much about the author can disrupt immersion in the story.

That’s why I aimed to become a kind of philosopher-author who conveys everything solely through the writing. One who tells the story without losing or altering it amidst all kinds of variables, obstacles, and real-life barriers.

So, I minimized the use of communication channels like author’s notes while trying to solidify my stance. I felt every word of encouragement and criticism from you all was sweet, more than anyone else could.

…Well, it seems that intention has beautifully failed. Haha.

There’s been far too much to apologize for.

Yes, I’ve made so many mistakes while progressing the story that I may be regarded as a writer resembling a flounder rather than a philosopher.

If there were readers who felt the story was shaky, I apologize.

Still, I want to say that this story followed the original plot and conveyed all that needed to be told.

Honestly, there were many moments of instability. It’s the curse of a beginner writer.

Especially while writing the Cheon Aram chapters, I seriously pondered if my duty wasn’t to quietly disappear and treat my writing as practice throughout the night.

It was the pinnacle of my “my writing stinks” phase.

However, that early morning, I chose to wake up again and correct that entire part while drafting a correction notice. If that choice is seen as okay by today’s readers, I would be glad.

Speaking of choices, I think the very process of writing this novel emerged from branching choices along the way.

The truth is, I was writing a fantasy mystery drama. I still have about 50 chapters worth of it.

I believe meeting all of you through Seon Taeyang’s story came about due to the influence of the Million Class.

Though I think only a few will know, this novel came to be through the Nobelpia Million Class. The program involved submitting a manuscript of about five chapters, which were then filtered down, gathering people for interviews, selecting them to undergo eight weeks of lectures, and collaboratively working with a PD. At that time, the manuscript I submitted was precisely that fantasy mystery drama.
I submitted the manuscript and went through a first round of filtering, then gathered people for interviews to select candidates for an 8-week lecture, working with the PD to get things organized. And at that time, the manuscript I submitted was precisely that fantasy mystery play.

When I heard the news of my acceptance, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Wait, they’re actually choosing this at Nobelpia?”

The reason I had such doubts was that the contents of that fantasy mystery play were filled to the brim with clues about suspects, evidence, various original settings, tricks, and revenge plots – a real headache of a story.

Personally, I still think the tricks themselves aren’t too bad, but I objectively judged that I wouldn’t be reading such a novel at Nobelpia if it were me.

So, I collaborated with the PD and wrote a new manuscript instead. That was the story of Seon Taeyang.

During that process, the PD was extremely helpful. They cut out a lot of what you’d call “brain wrestling” beforehand. For instance, the story the kids had was far more tragic than it is now. It’s hard to describe precisely, but I portrayed future outcomes where they got lost, imprisoned, or even died at certain branching points. At that time, I thought, “It has to be this intense to not be obsessed,” but looking back, I was a bit harsh on those kids.

Thinking about it, I really made a mess even after all that censorship…

Still, even if I had been stricter with the censorship, I’m sure I would’ve made mistakes anyway.

What’s most necessary in writing might just be the readiness to get criticized.

Before applying for the million-class, I was writing mysteries, holding on to lofty ideals as a writer.

Being a total beginner as a writer while nearing expert status as a reader, I endlessly censored my work from a reader’s perspective. By adding logic upon logic, my mystery tricks became increasingly elaborate, and around that time, I showed the story to a friend. I could see them spending 8 minutes reading the first chapter.

The feedback was, “It’s well written, but it’s heavy.”

That’s when I realized I wasn’t writing enjoyable stories at all.

I was leaning toward writing defensively so as not to get criticized.

Because of that, it seems this story aimed to be light and enjoyable for readers. So, I tried to mix in some comedy, but I crossed the line in that aspect and got quite a bit of backlash. Hahaha.

Comedy really does seem to belong to the realm of divine sense.

I tried a lot, but who knows how readers received it?

If even one person laughed, I’d be truly delighted.

I was uncertain and lacked confidence, but I thought it was necessary to try those things.

That’s what being ready for criticism seems to be about.

Who am I to think I can write a perfect story that everyone praises?

But if I had let that fear stop me from uploading and just kept writing alone, this story would never have existed. Or if I had given up midway, it would have remained another one of those common unfinished works.

And the emotion readers would have felt on the last page wouldn’t be joy, but betrayal.

That would have been terribly sad.

So, I gathered some strength. Despite trembling countless times, I miraculously didn’t break.

It’s all thanks to the readers.

Throughout this process, I’ve come to differentiate between the stories I find fun and those that readers also find enjoyable, as well as those that only I find amusing.
I think I’ve somewhat figured out how to distinguish between stories that everyone finds entertaining and those that I personally find amusing.

As a result, I keep thinking that I can write my next work in a much more enjoyable way.

In that sense, I can confidently declare that I will be writing my next project.

I love writing, and now I’ve fallen in love with it all over again.

Moreover, I already have about eight plots in mind that I think I could start publishing immediately, so I believe it will be a long time before my well runs dry.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case right now.

Honestly, balancing my main job with writing novels hasn’t been easy for me.

If I could brag a little, I’ve been serializing this novel daily without a single break.

At the time, when everyone in the million-class level was asking to extend the serialization, I insisted on only being able to publish if it was five days a week. And look where that got me!

It hasn’t been easy, but I’m really glad I could do it.

I didn’t want to disappoint the ridiculously kind readers who have been following my daily updates.

However, in the process, I had to give up on one thing after another—my main job, trust, health, relationships, and so on—so I think I’ll be spending some time trying to recover what I’ve lost.

It’s late, but I guess I have to give it a shot.

Also, there won’t be any side stories.

I might write about other characters if it’s not about the five main characters, but I don’t think anyone would want that.

Originally, I wanted to portray this story like an ensemble drama.

For instance, not just the main characters—Gyeoul, Gaeul, Yeoreum, Yuri, and Seon Taeyang—but I also wanted to delve into the stories of Seo Soo-yeon, Park Miso, and even further into characters like Alcest.

Additionally, I wished to faithfully portray the realities of management in the entertainment industry.

However, as I serialized and read each comment from my readers, I realized, “Ah, this is a story that only I enjoy.”

I particularly felt this while progressing with the story of Girl 100.

Thus, I will not illustrate side stories for other characters.

You might be wondering if I could write afterwards stories for the main five characters as side stories.

To put it simply, I don’t have confidence in writing that story more entertainingly than what I’ve written so far. So, I don’t think I will.

Also, it’s my personal opinion, but I believe a story should become more interesting as it progresses.

Therefore, I think the ending point should be the moment that best unleashes the potential for enjoyment that the story can provide. For me, that has always been the confession scene featuring Oh Yoori.

It’s a scene I’ve thought about hundreds of times, revised dozens of times, and adjusted every single word and sentence. If I have any writing skill, that scene has truly squeezed everything out of me.

In fact, right now, I could fill 50 chapters just with sweet little stories of Gyeoul and Seon Taeyang gaming together, Gaeul and a mask busking, Yeoreum having a date with Oh Yoori over a beer, but I see that as unnecessary fluff.

So, I believe stepping back now is a way of showing respect and courtesy to avoid it turning into a cash grab or a stretch. Naturally, that’s to the readers.
Of course, for the readers.

But for those who might feel a sense of loss, let me unveil a bit of the backstory.

Cheon Jong-hoon marries Seo Soo-yeon, who was his secretary in the first playthrough when Seon Taeyang didn’t regress, but in the second playthrough, after his regression, he ends up marrying Yoon Seo-a, who is Han Gyeoul’s stand-in and the fifth member of Alcest.

He personally finds the latter option much more satisfying.

Park Miso, the viral marketing manager, tries to confess to Seon Taeyang in her third year at TwoBear but gives up due to the aggressive blocking from the trio. Well, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway since Seon Taeyang would surely have rejected her, but it’s still a bit disappointing for her.

The idol Seri, who expressed interest in Seon Taeyang five years later at TwoBear in the first episode, actually likes him. Despite already being a successful idol, she joined Seon Taeyang’s company to follow him. The reason she took the kids back to Flower at the end of the first playthrough was because she saw those members as nothing but a draining burden that could never surface on any broadcast.

After sending them back, she made the promise to stop any involvement from Flower and planned to retire as an idol to join Seon Taeyang’s company as a producer. If Seon Taeyang hadn’t had a regression, they would have likely pushed forward together for a comeback.

Jin Baek-ho, the chairman of Jinkang, is on board with Seon Taeyang and the kids’ harem and even actively participates. This is partly due to guilt towards Seon Taeyang, but he also thinks this is the only way for his daughter, Jin Yeoreum, to find happiness.

In his judgment, if he had to choose one of the four, he felt it would probably be Oh Yoori. For similar reasons, even Gyeoul’s grandfather agrees with this crazy harem situation.

Surprisingly opposing is Seon Taeyang’s older sister and protector, Lawyer Seon Dalrae, who absolutely cannot bear to see her brother suffer for life after seven years of torment from the kids. To win her approval, Gyeoul, Gaeul, and Yeoreum compete to become the first daughter-in-law.

Finally, in episode 200, the person Seon Taeyang chooses in his heart as his lover is Yoo Gaeul. The reason for this choice is that he decided based not on his feelings but on the answer to the question, “Who does he need the most?” Nonetheless, whatever the case, they would have found happiness together eventually, as Seon Taeyang would surely have opened his heart over time.

To be honest, if Gaeul had just quietly waited without stirring up scandals, she probably would have been on the pure love route with Seon Taeyang. The reason why Gyeoul and Yeoreum went full throttle was because Gaeul ignited romance rumors.

Such a shame. Gaeul.

That’s all; I’ve wanted to bring joy to you, dear readers, through “Ilgwayi.”

I would deeply appreciate it if you remember this name.

I’ll definitely return with even more entertaining stories.

Until then, I sincerely wish you health and happiness.

Thank you so much.

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