You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

Q&A
★1
What is your favorite moment of the protagonist?
I honestly think Jeong Da-on looks coolest when he acts like a real demon and punishes the villains.

★2
How did you come up with the protagonist’s name?
It started from thinking about the relationship between Jeong Dajeong and Jeong Da-on — like what name Jeong Dajeong would want to give to her younger sibling. That’s how I conceived Jeong Dajeong and Jeong Da-on as a set.

Actually, even if their names were swapped, it wouldn’t feel out of place.
★3
Is there a character you consider the most painful “weak spot”?

In this work, Lee Pyeong-hwa weighs on my mind the most.
★4
If you could possess a character in (excluding the protagonist), who would you want to be? Please explain your reasons in detail. Also, knowing everything as the original author, would you act as an assistant supporting the protagonist, try to change the future, oppose the protagonist, or just watch everything unfold?

I’d like to possess an extra, like Extra A, and live peacefully. Jeong Da-on goes through a lot, and those around him suffer too, many villains die, so I’d definitely not want to get close to that environment. Also, since he’s good at managing things by himself, I’d just watch from afar, haha.
★5
How did you decide on the title? Especially the upside-down question mark — it feels like doing good deeds would be a disadvantage?

That’s exactly why I chose it. “You will be blessed if you do good deeds?” But nowadays, doesn’t that feel like a loss? That kind of natural association was what I wanted, haha.
★6
What motivated you to write a work based on the saying “You will be blessed if you do good deeds”? Regardless of the story, how do you personally think about that saying?

I chose the title hoping that would be true, but in reality, I don’t think it is. I think you have to work hard to make it true.
★7
Congratulations on finishing the work! What magic from the story would you most like to try using?
I’d like to try Meteor magic the most.

★8
Unlike your previous work which felt like a hymn to humanity and heroes, this protagonist Da-on is a Demon Lord with a base of hatred for humans. What inspired you to create such an opposite character?
At first, I think I had a compulsion that it had to be different from my previous work, but after settling on the theme, I thought a pessimistic protagonist would better embody that theme. After writing a few chapters, I settled on that.

★9
Which scene do you cherish the most?
Personally, I like the part revealing Jeong Dajeong’s true identity the most, since I have been thinking about it while writing.

★10
Which part of the story planning did you enjoy the most?
I personally had the most fun when I put the former Demon Lord, Hero, and Fairy together at the start. It felt like a twisted fairy tale because none of the three were exactly the proper Demon Lord, Hero, or Fairy.

★11
I really enjoyed reading this! I’m curious about novels, movies, music, or world events that inspired you before writing this work. Where did you get much inspiration for this concept?
I watch subculture content regardless of genre, but for this work, I watched a lot of documentaries and political current affairs programs while writing.

I haven’t thought about my next work yet, but I vaguely want to try a completely different genre!
★12
Will Da-on now be able to share kindness with those who like him, like Dajeong did?

I actually think Jeong Da-on has always shown kindness to others; it’s just that he doesn’t narrate it himself. I think he’ll live well :)
★13
Although you work hard on every chapter, are there any episodes you had to delete, omit, or skip that left a strong impression on you?

Episodes with Son Hyunghwa, Lee Hyunjun, and Estella were somewhat omitted. Especially, I set up Son Hyunghwa and Estella’s relationship deeply (like Orbis and Lucifer), so I wish I could have developed that part longer… Estella’s role got reduced more than expected (probably because there are many clones and the final boss is Jeong Dajeong), so it was somewhat skipped. I’m a bit regretful about that.
★14
This was a female protagonist story I couldn’t get enough of! If Da-on had reincarnated not in Korea but in a martial arts story, what position would she have had? Would you consider writing a side story in a different setting?

I think Jeong Da-on would suit being born in a righteous, prestigious clan like Namgung. She’d compete with her sister (same mother) for succession, but eventually betrayed by her sister who becomes the clan head, pushed off a cliff with her energy center damaged... then meet a mysterious opportunity, become a master of a heretical school, and return for revenge... That kind of story would suit her.
Anyway, she doesn’t quite fit the righteous school type. Since I like martial arts stories too, it sounds fun, haha.
★15

Why did you choose to write a hunter story? If the goal was to reform the Demon Lord, it seems a normal human or a classic fantasy might have worked too. I’m curious why you chose modern hunter fantasy.
I actually wrote several classic fantasy stories with the same setup at first.
But as I wrote, I questioned what “doing good” really means, and thought that addressing this ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) theme in a modern setting would be much more interesting and relatable to readers, so I rebuilt it.

Honestly, I like modern hunter stories more, too, haha.
★16
What do you usually do when resting outside of writing?

I go to work... I’m an ordinary office worker, sigh.
And I exercise to live... and support an e-sports team. That’s probably my biggest hobby recently, haha.
★17

How do you overcome writer’s block?
I don’t really solve it; I usually cry and compromise.
★18

I really love the core female-female relationships in your works. (Though this time there was a slight variation...) The dynamic between the one who leaves after giving a shocking revelation and the one who stays and tries to change the world is always so good and cinematic. Did you draw inspiration from any works for these relationships?
For inspiration... I’ve consumed so much subculture that many works come to mind.
Many fin-de-siècle works use the death of an important character to shock and completely overturn the other character’s world.

I just do that in female fantasy, and I’m thankful readers like it.
★19
What do you think true goodness is? Although shown enough in the work, I want to know more in your own words.

Many thoughts come to mind, but in the end, I think it is to never stop thinking, to keep going without getting tired, and to keep fighting relentlessly.
★20
Fantasy stories tend to be long, and I get chills every time foreshadowing laid early is properly resolved later. Do you plan where to place foreshadowing from the beginning?

I number the foreshadowings I need to pay off like debts and write them down in a notebook. I think every day that if I don’t pay off those debts, something terrible will happen. I’m glad readers enjoy it.
★21
If the standard for judging good deeds is society’s standards, then if society becomes corrupt, would that be okay? (Am I sounding too devilish?)

I actually considered that early on, but if it became like that, the story itself would become too dystopian and dark... haha.
★22
Are you planning any side stories? And will your next work be a female protagonist fantasy too? I really enjoyed both your previous and this work. It’d be great to see you plan various female protagonist stories. Also, what message did you want to give readers through this work?

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to do another female protagonist story this time either, but by a good chance I could, so I can’t guarantee what the next work will be. But I was happy because there are readers who love female protagonist stories, haha.
I hope readers who read this can hold even a little hope that this world can get better.
Thank you for all the questions; I’m sorry I couldn’t answer them all.

Wishing you a great day and hoping to meet again someday!
Thank you for reading.