Q. Are there any media you often watch or music you play while working?  

A. In the early days of serialization, I made a playlist of songs with lyrics that had a heart-fluttering vibe matching the work's atmosphere,
   but lately, I've been into YouTube ASMR channels. I frequently listen to Animal Crossing ASMR.
   Even when I'm not working, I just leave it on while cleaning or reading a book. 

[About <Red as a Tomato!>]

Q. I understand this is your first officially serialized long-form work. How did you feel when the official serialization was first decided?

A. I thought I was lucky.

Q. After seeing the first episode, I thought it was a work focusing on Yiseok, who easily turns red like a tomato,
    but as the story progressed, I realized 'tomato' is a word that expresses very multifaceted feelings!

    Could we hear directly from you why you decided on the title '<Red as a Tomato!>'?

A. While writing the synopsis, I was looking through a dictionary to decide on a title and found a proverb,
   “Don't be an apple, be a tomato.” The title was inspired by that.
    The meaning is 'Let's be someone like a tomato, the same on the inside and outside, rather than an apple that is red on the outside but white on the inside.'
    I guess it means to be genuine!
    The nuance is cute, but it also carries a meaning that makes you think a lot, so I liked this proverb.
    During school days when it's hard to figure out 'myself,' everyone probably has the experience of being more like an apple than a tomato,
    and I felt it was a theme that pierces through the characters in the work.

    I once saw a comment from a reader asking if it was a message directed at the readers of this work; if that's how you felt, that's great too.
    Whatever you think, it makes sense, so it's a title I really like.

Q. I thought the characters' personalities were very distinct.
    Were there any specific people or characters you referenced for the character designs of the protagonists who make the readers' hearts flutter?

A. Well, for example, the female protagonist Yiseok is a character conceived using Shin Eun-kyung from the movie <My Wife Is a Gangster> as a motif.
    Yiseok is so cute now, but initially, I imagined a very charismatic female protagonist.
    So I wrote the early storyline picturing someone tall with a fierce impression.
    Then, by chance, I saw an actor on a variety show wearing a school uniform with a light layered haircut, a loosened tie,
    and a baggy dress shirt. Their somewhat free-spirited energy caught my eye.
    That look ultimately had a big influence on the character's visual design.

    In the case of Haeju or Haeyoung, I imagined them contrasting with the intense female lead Yiseok,
    and unconditionally being soft and pretty male leads, which is how their current looks came about.
    Honestly, since I was young, whether it's a celebrity or a comic character, if they are male,
    I've historically only liked characters with pretty appearances, so I think that was reflected.

    To sum up, the protagonists' character designs were created by referencing celebrities or movie roles that match the keywords of the characters in the work,
    and memorable connections.

△I want it! ID photo!

Q. Someone said that. This work is a stevia tomato...
    Whenever I saw the cool gazes of the male leads consumed by jealousy, it reminded me of a sour and salty tomato.
    Which one do you think it is, author?

A. I've only ever eaten regular tomatoes, so I'm not really sure... Pesticide-free organic tomato...?

Q. Usually, school romance combined with first love has a particularly strong sweet flavor. Haeyoung's flirting is almost at a dangerous level.
    Um... is it based on your own experience?

A. No, it's not.

△It's not, but it's at this level...?

Q. There are unusually many scenes utilizing tight shots or POV shots of the characters.
    Thanks to that, it feels like we can immerse ourselves deeper into the characters' psychology. Do you have any know-how for storyboarding like this?  

A. I'm still a beginner, so I can't really call it know-how...
    I just thought it was important for readers to follow the characters' emotional lines without any jarring moments while reading.
    So I drew the storyboard imagining the emotions they would feel from their perspectives.
    I'm glad if that came across well, but I still lack skill and am working hard on it.

△Was it from this moment...? That I couldn't take my eyes off this work...😌

Q. I felt the depiction of how hearts change and flow was incredibly meticulous.
    I think the dialogue and scripts for these parts must take up the largest portion of the story work.

    Could you share 3 memorable lines that stick in your mind?

A. I'm Shin Yiseok, but my day feels like it belongs to Jo Haeju.

    I like it because I can see right through you. That's why I like it, but why does that make me upset right now.

    There are moments when conflict is absolutely necessary. Moments when you shouldn't run away. Turning a blind eye to that is deceiving yourself.

△Can you see the changing heart?

Q. On the other hand, are there any scenes with no dialogue that you had fun drawing and felt warm and fuzzy about? 

A. Haeyoung's dream.
    The scenes where he plays out his delusions of Yiseok and Haeju in his dream were fun to draw because they are scenes that can't come true in the main story.

△...😏

Q. The scene where Haeyoung comes under Yiseok's umbrella is my absolute favorite!!
    It reminded me of Kang Dong-won's umbrella scene in the movie 'Temptation of Wolves'.
    Are there any scenes from movies or novels you referenced for scenes in the work?

A. I mentioned this earlier, but when I was young, the movie <My Wife Is a Gangster> was such a hit that it became a series.
    Under the influence of that movie, there was a time in my class when it was a trend to punish boys who acted up, or
    to call girls with loud voices and power 'Gangster Wives'.
    I always liked those kinds of girls,
    and that vague memory from my school days served as a starting point when conceptualizing <Red as a Tomato!>.
    I don't remember the details of the movie well, but the scene where Shin Eun-kyung glares at the screen with a messy short cut, or
    her easygoing and unhesitating actions definitely influenced the foundation of the character.
    Initially being misunderstood as a good fighter just by her looks,
    or being suspected of coming from a gangster family, are also ideas that stemmed from this movie.

    I can't think of a specific work I referenced for particular scenes, but
    the umbrella scene from <Temptation of Wolves> you mentioned is so famous that I might have unconsciously referenced its nuances.

△You are my Kang Dong-won.

Q. The rule of the black-haired male lead! Ta-da! Haeju broke that...
    As Haeju's deeply twisted side was revealed, I naively thought
    'Haeju will find peace and love as his relationship with Yiseok develops, right?'
    but it seems Haeju will actually find the answer in his relationship with Woojin.

    Looking at it that way, this work isn't just a massive whirlwind of an emotion called love,
    but it also feels like a work that deals with various relationships and feelings.

    Was the character relationship chart of the kids a setting that hasn't changed since the early stages of planning?
    Or are there any characters that were newly introduced while conceptualizing the story?

A. The settings of the work haven't changed.
    The initial plan was a blunt but honest female lead, a two-faced male lead,
    'Are you still not going to fall for me?' and a love triangle with an attractive second male lead who acts like this.

    The reason I structured it this way is because since a long time ago, when I couldn't even imagine becoming a webtoon author,
    I couldn't understand the psychology of female leads in romance comics who never fall for the second male lead's temptation
    and steadfastly only look at the main male lead.

    So a female lead who already has an unrequited love but falls for the passionate seduction of the second male lead,
    and the changing psychology in that process became the main branch of the story.
    I also wanted to branch out the backstory and psychology of the male lead who grows later on, since it's a school drama where he isn't just cleanly cut off because he wasn't chosen,
    which is how this work ultimately came to be.

△A hardening heart and a ruined heart

    In <Red as a Tomato!>, Haeju is a protagonist, but not a romantic protagonist.
    It's true that I intentionally wrote the plot synopsis to be misleading.
    It starts that way at first, but it's a story where the focus shifts. However, if there's one thing that changed during serialization, it's the screentime of Gyoeun and Bomi.
    I planned to deal with their stories in depth from the beginning and had episodes made, but it's a shame I couldn't show them.
    The story of Haeju and Woojin also progressed slower than planned, so I have nothing to say even if you think I'm dragging it out.
    It's regrettable, but I think it's an issue with my own capacity not being able to keep up with my ambition.
    When conceptualizing this work, I created these characters thinking that just because it's the romance genre doesn't mean everything has to be romantic.
    That's also the reason why I didn't just throw away Haeju's narrative just because Yiseok didn't end up with Haeju.
    Aside from Haeyoung and Yiseok's fresh romance, I also wanted to talk about their friendship and growth.
    In a romance genre love triangle, the remaining person usually ends up as the third wheel, but I didn't want to force a partner onto them just because of that.
    Just like human relationships are essential, but dating is a choice.
    You can be influenced by a specific person, but change must come from your own will, right?
    I didn't think romance necessarily needed to interject here. I'd like to continue this well going forward.

△Haeju!! Let's be happy!!! 🙏

Q. Is there any song that comes to mind as fitting for <Red as a Tomato!>?

A. I happened to listen to a song called “love song” by Roller Coaster,
    and it's a song I grew to like because the lyrics made me imagine Haeyoung and Yiseok's relationship in the work.
    It especially reminded me of the scene where Yiseok confessed in the heat of the moment.
    I listened to BOL4's “To My Youth” a lot while working on Haeju's episodes.  

Q. Could you tell us if there were any episodes you had fun with during the serialization of <Red as a Tomato!>? 

A. The scene where Haeyoung seduces Yiseok at the bus stop, and
    the scene where Yiseok draws the note "Bring someone with 'ㅎ' (H) in their name" at the festival and is conflicted,
    were scenes I wrote in advance when planning the work early on, and I was glad to actually draw them.
    It's childish, but the only reason Haeju and Haeyoung's names have the same consonant is just for that scene.

Q. How much is left until the finale? Do you have any plans for side stories afterwards? ...It doesn't seem like the fans will let you go.

A. Those who have been watching since the beginning might have guessed, but the current serialized portion is already extended.
    There isn't much left until the finale, but if I happen to do side stories, I'd like to try drawing their story after they become adults.

[Outro]

Q. Do you not use SNS or blogs? I want to completely fan out, where should I go...?

A. It seems like making an SNS account would be good for my future serialization activities, but
    honestly, I wouldn't know what to say if I made one.
    I deliver any necessary messages through the Author's Home, so I wonder if I really need to make one, but
    if I were to make one, it would probably be a blog.

    But would you come visit...?

△...I want to cling to you fiercely

Q. If you become a veteran author someday, is there a genre or project you'd really want to challenge yourself with?

A. I'm still busy just keeping up with my serialization, so I haven't thought about that, but
    if I get to do my next work, I have thought that it'd be nice if the protagonist wasn't human. 

△🤭

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 memorable ones, or questions you regret not being able to answer?

A. I remember a worried comment asking why I always just put a dot in the Author's Note, and if I was sick.
   That reader's heart is so cute and warm. I'll try writing something in the Author's Note from now on.

Q. Lastly, if you have anything you'd like to say to the readers who have loved <Red as a Tomato!>, please feel free.

A. I am only grateful for the lot of interest and love you've given my debut work.
    I make a lot of spelling mistakes, and there are so many shortcomings that make me close my eyes tightly in embarrassment,
    but seeing your constant love sometimes makes me choke up. Thank you so much. 

Like sweet stevia🍅
Thank you for joining the interview💕