<In the Palace of the Mountain King> Interview with Author Dol

Q. To me, who was immersed in spicy Mara flavors, a very mild Pyongyang cold noodle-like BL came along...
    That was my impression when I first read <In the Palace of the Mountain King>. I'm curious about the very beginning when you came up with the story.

A. One day, the thought suddenly struck me that I wanted to read a 'Political Marriage Medieval BL',
    so I simply sketched the rough images of the two main characters.
    A month or two later, I felt like writing a short story.
    So I decided on their names and rough settings, and wrote a prologue of about 2,500 characters as a practice piece.
   Once I actually wrote that short text, I wanted to see what happens next,
    so I started conceptualizing the characters in more detail. Although it started as text,
   drawing comics is more familiar to me than writing a novel, so I continued the story in a comic format.

Q. The scene depicting Ebe listening to the song from below the tower, and Oderic listening to Ebe's song from the top of the tower, was impressive.
    After reading the work to the end, I thought that perhaps that was the beginning of their love.
    When exactly did the two begin to hold each other in their hearts?

A. For Ebe, it was probably after Meryl, whom he lived with at the monastery, visited,
    and Oderic misunderstood his gloomy mood as homesickness and tried to comfort him. After that incident,
    he began to gradually hold the other person in his heart. Before that, his wariness toward whatever Oderic did would have been stronger.

    I think it was a similar timing for Oderic.
    He started caring about Ebe a bit earlier, around the time the bard visited and the reply came from the monastery,
    but Ebe entered his heart more deeply after he misunderstood it as homesickness and tried his best to comfort him.

Q. As mentioned in the previous question, the use of color stands out.
    In a black-and-white work, the brief glimpses of color placement feel even more intense.
    Toward the latter half, you used colors in various ways depending on the emotions. What standards did you have for this setup?

A. There are parts where my PD gave me suggestions, and other parts where I judged and added a sense of color myself.
    I think I focused on working mostly on parts that serve as emotional focal points.

Q. I think this is a story that calmly unfolds the beginning of Ebe and Oderic.
    Did you have this ending in mind from the very beginning?

A. At first, I didn't have a clear idea of how the ending should be, but I wanted to end it with a happy ending no matter what.
    Of course, depending on the development, the subject matter could have easily become a much more serious story, but I thought, 'This time, it has to be a happy ending!'.

Q. I thought the worldview was quite expansive and solid, but it doesn't seem to have been introduced much in the story.
    Are there any settings or episodes that you unfortunately couldn't use in the work? 

A. Ebe and Oderic go hunting (and picnicking), but since Ebe lived in the monastery for a long time, he didn't have the chance to ride horses, so he isn't very good at horseback riding...
    I conceived such an episode in the beginning, but excluded it due to the flow of the story.
    The image that episode gives still remains in my head, though.
    Supporting characters or those whose names are only mentioned in the work also have their own fun settings and episodes attached.
    Maybe someday the day will come when I can tell you about them...?

    Oh right, Temeryl (Meryl), who lived with him in the monastery and came to visit Ebe, also has quite a formidable dysfunctional family story attached,
    but it wasn't necessary for the story's progression, so I just mentioned it very briefly in passing.

Q. It's not easy to often encounter the Middle Ages in webtoons, so it was a bit unfamiliar at first.
    Works set in historical periods usually exaggerate historical research to make it look glamorous, or
    frequently use a more modern reinterpretation, but I felt like you tried to keep the set era as intact as possible.
    What did you pay the most attention to in the overall design, including the characters?

A. Overall, I aimed for a design that leaned more toward a historical medieval feel rather than fantasy.
    I referenced clothing from the 12th to 15th centuries and applied it to my taste,
    and tried to reduce relatively modern props or overly flashy designs as much as possible.
    I wanted people to look at it and immediately feel, "Wow, this is medieval..!"
    Even if the historical accuracy isn't perfect, I wanted it to carry a similar vibe.
    Of course, there are parts that don't fit historical facts. I hope you can overlook those as creative liberties of the medium.

Q. Were there any references or works you consulted when designing the backgrounds and clothing? If so, please give us a brief introduction.

A. Among the Western history-related accounts active on SNS,
   there are quite a few people who introduce medieval architecture or medieval illuminated (colored) manuscript illustration images, which were very helpful.
   I also referred to the archive pages of overseas museums regarding manuscripts.
    I also partially referenced a medieval European clothing handbook I bought in the past.
    Also, while playing games set in the Middle Ages or medieval fantasy, I was inspired by the backgrounds and outfits. 

Q. Please pick your favorite line and favorite scene! 

A. In Side Story 2, Oderic's line to Ebe, who has lost confidence,
    'You should have a little more confidence' is the first to come to mind.
    And as for the night scenes, they are my own drawings, but I like all of them.
    I secretly think to myself... that I was able to show a little bit of the charm of black-and-white comics through the night scenes.

[Outro]

Q. Even if it's brief, please tell us if you have any plans for your next work or any stories you're conceiving! 

A. I want to draw a medieval piece next time as well. Since people liked the medieval style more than I expected, I gained confidence.
    Nothing about the content or plans... is decided yet, but it's my personal wish.
    Since I have to juggle it with my office life, I don't know... when I'll be able to introduce it.

Q. We'd love to see you in various works in the future. If you become a veteran author someday, is there a genre or project you'd really want to challenge?

A. I really love it when multiple stories share a single worldview.
    The time periods might be concurrent or slightly different.
    It feels like the characters are truly living in this world, intertwining with each other, so I've loved that for a long time.
     No matter the genre, I want to tie several works together in that direction and showcase them. To do that... I'll have to keep working hard in the future...!

Q. Thank you so much for your hard work answering this long interview.
    You must have received many affectionate comments and questions. Are there any that stick in your memory or any questions you regret not being able to answer?

A. Rather than pinpointing a specific memorable comment, after the official serialization launch,
    I was really surprised that so many people who had been reading since the personal serialization came to visit.
    Quite a bit of time had passed since then, and it wasn't a very famous work, but I was grateful that they didn't forget and sought it out.

Q. Lastly, if you have anything to say to the readers who loved <In the Palace of the Mountain King>, please feel free to say it. 

A. Thank you to all the readers who have read <In the Palace of the Mountain King> up until now, from the personal free serialization to the official serialization.
    The path of an officially serialized author, which I never thought would be my job... it's all thanks to the readers.
    I will continue to work hard to spread the charm of the Middle Ages even a little more in the future.

    Everyone (medieval fans) let's stay together all the way...!!♥ Thank you!