Ch.BONUSAfterword

I’ve always had one dream.

It was a dream I’ve had vaguely since childhood. I don’t know if anyone would understand, but it was a dream I kept in my heart even when others dismissed it.

I lived with Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” in my heart.

Even if my interpretation might differ from his intention, dreams have always been good friends that let me face the world of fantasy.

As Teach from One Piece said, I believed that people’s dreams never end, which is why notebooks filled with my scribbled stories still sit on my shelf.

“The Villainess’s Bodyguard” was an impulsive creation that pulled out what had only been my fantasies into a novel.

I just thought “this would be nice” and scribbled the first chapter, and what I wrote without any plot became the work it is today.

Evan was originally a darker character, Lize was more tragic, and Irene was a much more pitiful character.

Looking at what I wrote initially compared to now… I can see so many things I’d change, which I suppose is proof that I’ve developed somewhat.

This work is like my troubled child. It’s the first long-form series I’ve ever written, and I tried to plan it out as best I could.

I’ve heard it called a well-written pure romance, and I’ve also been criticized for knowing nothing about romance.

What would my past self say if they could see me now?

They’d probably yell at me, asking if this is really all I could accomplish.

Even though I’ve finished it, I still feel regret, probably because I know my own shortcomings.

I could have done better, I could have written something more entertaining.

At some point, I started struggling with writing that wouldn’t flow, like a blocked faucet, and the goals I had firmly promised to keep eventually shattered and scattered like sand.

I think I’m left with more regrets than relief about this work.

To make it more readable, to make the romance more relatable.

I tried to use my own experiences and incorporated things I’d seen in various media.

I can’t help thinking that perhaps I wrote too hastily.

In truth, the part after the tea party was an episode I created almost spontaneously. I did tie up all the loose ends, but that process was also largely improvised.

Thinking about the story before bed, waking up at dawn to write down ideas that came to me.

If I had to pick the most rewarding moment in my 20 years of life, I would confidently choose these six months.

But what I’m most grateful for is all of you readers who have followed along until now.

All of you who gave me the motivation to keep writing pure romance, who made me love my work and put effort into it.

Everyone who supported me and cheered me on—you are all the people I’m most grateful for.

The story of Evan and Irene has ended, but I hope it remains in your minds and hearts.

I don’t want to come and go like the wind; I have a small wish that when you think of the pure romance genre, my name might come to mind.

I’m not sure if I’ll write another pure romance like this again.

There are things I want to try writing, and I plan to challenge myself on platforms other than Novelpia.

Even if we meet somewhere else, I’ll still be Le Million, so I hope we can greet each other warmly.

Really… thank you.

To all the readers who have read “The Villainess’s Bodyguard,” to the PDs who supported me, to my friends, to my parents—thank you all!!!!