Q. What is Author Gyeogan's standard for a 'good webtoon' or a 'good story'?

A. I think a story the author wanted to draw is a good story!
   If it's a story you drew because you loved it, no matter what it is, that's the best story!
   And <Simbwatda>, which I brought out into the world because I wanted it so, so much, is also a good story.

Q. We're curious about your workspace! Please introduce it to us!

A. I am indebted to the resident author studio provided by the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency.
   Providing a workspace, covering the electricity bill... Are they gods?
   There was so much trash on my desk that I asked my friend Gemini to clean it up.
   (Everyone, please don't fix your secondary monitor in one spot away from the center. Your neck will get stuck turned like that...)

△This is the author's launching pad!!👣

[About <Simbwatda>]

Q. The premise that a 'wild ginseng becomes a spiritual being and accompanies a human' is very fresh and unique.
   I'm curious about the specific reason or starting point for making 'Wild Ginseng' the protagonist.

A. Initially, it started with a single scene of "I want to see something like this!"
   That scene is pretty much the final episode, so it's a spoiler.
   To give a hint, it's a heartbreaking scene. A person's tastes never really change.
   I conceptualized the journey leading up to that scene while listening to the song I mentioned regarding my pen name.

   The reason I made a wild ginseng the protagonist is quite simple!
   It's because wild ginseng is shaped like a human.
   SIMPLE IS BEST.👍
   Plus, in martial arts genres, there are lots of tropes about ten-thousand-year ginseng crying like babies,
   so I quickly decided, 'Then it'd be fine if it became a human.'
   I'm satisfied since it's less prickly than a cactus becoming a human!

△The design that became the origin of the protagonist 'Wild Ginseng'

Q. The title <Simbwatda> is the joyful cheer ginseng gatherers shout when they find wild ginseng.
   Could you tell us if there are any hidden meanings or behind-the-scenes stories to this dual-meaning title?

A. What truly moves an otaku's heart is, of course, the symmetry of a beginning and an end.
   I will only say this much.

   The second scene I came up with during story planning was the grandpa in Episode 1 shouting "Simbwatda!" after finding the wild ginseng.
   Since he found wild ginseng(?) while trekking the mountain, the usage of the word itself is perfectly correct.
   I have an obligation to finish <Simbwatda> if only for the sake of the title's narrative symmetry.

△How will 'Simbwatda!!!'🌿 touch our hearts later on? 🤔

Q. The opening line of the work, "Whether you become a monster or a sacred beast... that is entirely up to you,"
   feels like the core message piercing through the entire work. What is the biggest topic you wanted to throw to the readers through this line?

A. I tend to think there is no inherent good or evil in people or objects. It's a person's actions that determine good and evil.
   I think that applies to me, and it's the same for everyone.
   If you cook with a kitchen knife, 'Today I'm the Chapagetti Chef,' but if you stab someone, you become a criminal who cannot be reformed in life,
   and deserves to burn in hellfire after death until every fragment of your soul is destroyed.

   Simply put, let's live kindly!

Q. The Oriental fantasy worldview, with its deep, rugged spiritual mountains where spiritual and demonic energies coexist, is captivating.
   Is there any part you paid special attention to during research or historical verification to enhance the visual and structural completeness of the worldview?

A. There wasn't really anything I paid major attention to regarding the backgrounds!
   It's not like I could personally visit Mount Hua, and if I went mountain climbing, I'd probably wither and die from exhaustion like a fragile flower.

   Instead, I put quite a lot of effort into the historical accuracy of the clothing.
   At the time I was conceptualizing the story, there were quite heated controversies around traditional attire internally and externally.
   Since I'm quite timid by nature, I thought, 'If a controversy ever arises from translation errors or misinformation, I need to explain it logically,'
   so I even created my own response manual.
   I thoroughly scoured academic papers on the chronological evolution of our clothing and even hunted down overseas papers for cross-verification.
   My first time using a VPN bypass was to find papers on clothing historical research.

   Fortunately, whether due to thorough preparation or just my useless over-worrying, it passed safely without any controversy!
   What a relief, haha.

△Delicate designs! You can see them to your heart's content in <Simbwatda> 🔥

Q. The protagonist 'Wild Ginseng' is a multi-dimensional character who, as an incomplete spiritual being, learns about human emotions and society.
   What did you focus on most when designing the character 'Wild Ginseng'?

A. The terrible fives!
   A terrifying interrogator throwing infinite '?'s with eyes wide open!
   An innocent, pure-madness child who smilingly tears off dragonfly wings and pokes ant hills with a twig!
   That's why his eyes are so huge and round.

   Also, his eyeballs!
   The red pupils symbolizing a wild ginseng spirit inside green irises are his charming point.

△One of 'Wild Ginseng''s 1,000,000....0000 charms.👍

Q. The young lord 'Chorokhae' is a figure who tries to maintain his firmness amidst his family's tragedy and the threat of assassins.
   We're curious about the birth story behind the unique and beautiful name 'Chorokhae'.

A. I simply wanted to give him a funny nickname.
   A wild ginseng, who is the greenest of all, calling the very blue Rokhae "Chorok-i (Greenie)." That's it! I decided.
   The 'hae (sun/sea)' at the end is a bonus.

   Chorokhae is Greenie.
   Ah... I can clearly picture Mr. Chorok grabbing the back of his neck and collapsing in exasperation right now.😏

Q. 'Wild Ginseng' and 'Chorokhae' start with a contract but change as they influence each other.
   When directing the chemistry and the shifting relationship between the two characters, what point do you pay the most attention to?

A. I think it's the influence they have on each other.
   I hope Wild Ginseng learns goodwill and tolerance from Rokhae, and Rokhae learns how to assert himself from Wild Ginseng.
   It's probably because I love stories where two imperfect individuals are influenced by each other and gradually change, even while pretending they aren't.
   It's also beautiful when two solid people meet and carve out parts to fit each other,
   but I prefer it when two people with different colors meet and end up blending into each other's colors.

   I don't really know what I'm saying either. It's just that kind of vibey vibe.

△I like 'Chorokhae'. (Serious)

Q. The elegant, dense art and the weighty coloring of <Simbwatda> heighten the immersion of the work.
   To best bring out the atmosphere of this piece, what kind of know-how do you exercise in coloring and lighting?

A. Holy moly! Hearing you say that makes my whole body twist, my lips ascend so high that my cheekbones fractured.

   I have absolutely zero, not even 1mm, not even the size of a parasite on a flea's liver worth of confidence in my art.
   To the point where my mom looked at a drawing of a person I did in 6th grade and said it looked like a cockroach... (Mom...)
   Since I do everything from shading to post-processing alone, the order and process change every time, which probably just makes it look diverse.
   Everyone, if you collaborate like this, you might be resented and beaten to death. I'm fine because I'm alone! Hahaha.

   If I absolutely had to mention something as know-how,
   I set the mood with a [Multiply] layer, add another [Multiply] layer for shading,
   then for the light source, I use an [Overlay] layer if it's a soft light, or an [Add (Glow)] layer if it's a strong light,
   and finish it off by adding reflected light with a [Screen] layer.

   Wow~ I pretty much gave away the secret sauce just now.

△There are so many more scenes I want to introduce... but please check them out in the comic!💕

Q. What is the most memorable scene from Part 1, or the most challenging panel to draw?

A. For the best scene, maybe the part in the sleeping-in-the-cave episode, with Rokhae's inner thoughts and him headbutting Wild Ginseng to wake him up?

   Personally, Rokhae's monologue was my favorite scene.
   'Even in my dreams, I do not know how to be greedy.'
   I think this one line is perfect for describing Rokhae.
   Oh my, this softie is too kind for his own good; at this rate, I'll have to feed and raise him for the rest of his life (positive)

   As for the tricky panels... it's every panel... with 3 or more people in it...
   Everyone, take the easy way out... A solo author getting greedy and using layouts with five people in one panel all the time?
   That just means I have no lingering attachment to this mortal world anymore...
   And perhaps because I learned film directing first, I really like scenes where time passes purely visually without dialogue,
   or scenes showing characters moving and traveling.
   I feel happy every time I slip those scenes in between.

△It's a breather scene, but what's with the overflowing detail?

Q. The highly anticipated Part 2 has been in serialization since this March.
   Compared to Part 1, what are the biggest differences or key points to watch out for in Part 2?

A. Ah... well... I feel incredibly apologetic to say this, but this unworthy Gyeogan,
   not long after the serialization started, had to take ANOTHER! long-term hiatus due to back issues...

   Nevertheless! If you wait for me, since <Simbwatda> will conclude with Part 2, it seems only intense, driving plot developments will happen from now on.
   I plan to squeeze, extract, and produce only the most entertaining essence,
   so I'd appreciate it if you focused on the emotional lines of Wild Ginseng and Rokhae as they change according to the flow of events!

Q. If there were BGM or sound effect directing for the webtoon, what kind of songs do you think would suit <Simbwatda> best?

A. This is a song I heard recently, and as soon as I heard it, I thought, 'Ah, I really covet this.'
   It's "Yeongmul-ida (It's a Spirit Creature)" by Yi O-mong.
   The song is genuinely so good, and I listen to it by myself while imagining Wild Ginseng.

   As for other songs, the ones I play always change depending on the situation,
   but among Chinese historical drama OSTs, rather than the super 'pink, light green, lovey-dovey' ones,
   songs that make you feel like you need to grab a helmet and armor right now, or like a foggy Mount Hua is unfolding before your eyes, would suit it well.

 

Q. If <Simbwatda> were to expand into other media like animation or drama (OSMU),
   which medium do you think would be the most attractive?

A. I would be truly grateful for a media mix in any medium—anime, drama, film, game, etc.

   If the work's unique magnificent martial arts worldview or flashy martial arts directing were kept intact,
   wouldn't a blockbuster-level drama or film with massive capital and technological power suit it best?
   Regardless of my personal preferences, since I'm imagining it anyway, my wish is to dream on a massive scale.

   

Q. Within the grand narrative flow of <Simbwatda>, could you give us a little hint on where the currently serializing story stands in your overall plan?

A. In terms of story volume, we are exactly halfway there.
   The stories that follow will scale up and flow with the feeling of a final battle!
   All the necessary characters have appeared now, so it's time for me to joyfully contemplate how to torture these friends properly.

[Outro]

Q. When <Simbwatda> finally concludes, what kind of message do you want it to be remembered for leaving with its readers?

A. They say it takes an average of around 3 minutes to read one webtoon episode.
   My goal is to create a work where everyone who read <Simbwatda> won't feel that those roughly 300 minutes, or 5 hours, were a waste of time.
   
   If, at the end, readers think, 'Mhm, that was a good story,' and as they journey on to find another work,
   it becomes something worth pondering over for a moment, I couldn't ask for more.

Q. You are completing a gem of a work called <Simbwatda> in the fiercely competitive webtoon market.
   In every exhausting and difficult moment of deadlines, what is the driving force that picks you back up
   and makes you pledge, "I must let the world know about this story no matter what"?

A. Do you know the reason why film directors make commercial films after making independent films?
   With independent films, they do whatever they want—works with zero commercial viability, full of personal fetishes, made for themselves rather than the audience—
   and I heard it's because only after healthily venting those desires can they do commercial work without ruining it and going broke using other people's money for their chaotic mess.

   <Simbwatda> is like that independent film to me, a work where I poured out everything I wanted to do.

   To make the children I created happy,
   and simply wanting to see the final scene—I think that's the driving force keeping me running.

Q. If you had to introduce <Simbwatda> in just one line to your precious people or the broader public,
  how would you like to define this work?

A. A full-scale martial arts/xianxia/fantasy/drama mishmash coming-of-age story featuring a horde of long-haired men, which is rare these days.

   I'm joking.
   'A story of a non-human learning humanity' would be the most appropriate.

Q. Finally, if you have any words for the readers who cherish and love <Simbwatda>, please feel free to share.

A. A work holds no value without its readers.
   I give my utmost gratitude to the readers who added the value of <Simbwatda> to my life.
   Whether it's <Simbwatda> or any future work I greet you with, I will create works that make you feel your time spent reading wasn't wasted.

Don't miss the chance to share in the growing pains of these two up close!
Thank you for joining us for this long interview.💕