<The Sock Monster> Interview with Author Manmulsang
Meet the Trending Author
vol. 231
[The Sock Monster]
Author Manmulsang | Kakao Webtoon
Are your socks disappearing one by one?
There might be a monster in your house, too~
A fairytale-like story you'd hear at your bedside as a child
A dreamy, mysterious, and beautiful tale to bring back your lost childhood innocence
The interview with Manmulsang, author of <The Sock Monster>,
starts right now!
[INTRO]
Q. Author Manmulsang! It's a huge honor to have you for this interview! Before we begin, could you briefly introduce yourself?
A. Hello. I'm Manmulsang, hoping to gift you stories that feel like a childhood treasure box.
△Hello! I'm the fox owner.
[About Manmulsang]
Q. Your works are like drawn fairytales, where a vast variety of creatures coexist. The pen name 'Manmulsang' (General Store) fits your world perfectly, as if you truly embrace all things.
Is there a story behind how you chose this pen name?
A. I took it from a novel called 'The River Flowing Backward'. The general store in that book is a mysterious place that sells everything you need.
Things like hot desert sand or pictures of kangaroos.(There's one thing they don't sell, but you'll have to read it to find out.)
Anyway, I chose this name hoping I could also pull any kind of story out of my head.
△A place filled with various stories, 'Manmulsang'!
Q. How did you get started as a webtoon creator?
A. Well, I didn't intend to become a webtoon creator from the start. I just had this vague desire to tell stories through drawings,
so initially, I dreamed of being a children's book author. While looking for a space to show my art and stories to more people, I found my way into Webtoon League and Best Challenge.
After that, I was able to debut on Daum Webtoon (Kakao Webtoon) through Webtoon League.
△Sujin's room, drawn by the author who dreamed of writing fairytales (Spring Flower Village ver.)
Q. You've been consistently active since your debut in 2014 with <The Sock Monster>. Aside from your currently serializing <Wait Where the Shooting Star Falls>,
you've also worked on novel illustrations and short stories. Since the work processes are different, they must each have their own charm. What are the differences?
A. I enjoy trying fun things. So when an opportunity for something interesting comes up, I tend to jump right on it.
When I handle both the writing and drawing in a webtoon. I consider this an instinctual task for me.
I have an unavoidable urge to express it. Whatever the format, I think I'll be doing this for the rest of my life.
First off, it's incredibly appealing that I can create a whole world, and when characters forge their own stories within it,
it feels like watching my own children grow up. It's very fulfilling. Though, I do feel a massive sense of exhaustion once the story ends.
When I only handle the art for a webtoon. Since the massive task of the story is removed, I can pour all my energy into the art and direction, making drawing a very enjoyable process.
And it's highly appealing that I can draw stories I wouldn't usually think of on my own. It's really fun.
In the case of illustrations. I feel like I'm working as a single cog in a machine. Webtoon creation can be lonely since it's a solo job,
but illustrating inevitably involves collaborating with others, which makes it enjoyable and refreshing in that regard.
△Lara from the main series
Q. I'm not sure how this will sound, but your works give off a fluffy, soft feeling(?). That soft and warm atmosphere instantly captivates the eyes.
Are there any works that influenced you in building this art style?
A. First, Studio Ghibli animations, the main culprit for getting me into drawing (if I hadn't watched Totoro as a kid, I probably wouldn't be drawing!🤣).
I've also been greatly inspired since childhood by children's book author Shaun Tan, illustrators Ivan Bilibin and René Bull, and game concept artist Akihiko Yoshida.
△Anyone who loves the author's art! Gather 'round!!👍
Q. Drawn in by the art, readers are often surprised by the expansive world-building and heavy themes in your works. Where do you usually get your material when planning a story?
A. I get inspiration from everyday life. I guess it can't be helped. People inevitably imagine things based on what they usually see, hear, and experience.
The Sock Monster also came from our home's sock drawer where one sock was always missing, and a passing comment from my father. And my friends told me not to say this anywhere,
but for Wait Where the Shooting Star Falls, I was inspired by the meat tables I used to wipe down every day at my part-time job.
△Could there be one... in my house too?
Q. It was impressive when you described <No More Prince> as a 'cheeky fairytale'.
Could you also describe your other works in a few words like that?
A. The Sock Monster: A fairytale for those without dreams
Wait Where the Shooting Star Falls: A story about love
△The Sock Monster (Left) Wait Where the Shooting Star Falls (Right)
Q. You have a fox persona character that serves as your avatar. Every time we spot it, it radiates this sense of inner closeness. Could you introduce Mr. Fox?
A. I created this character while preparing for my college graduation project. It was motivated by the concept of 'persona'. They say people wear masks in social life
when dealing with others. While seeing my friends detest that side of themselves, I thought the opposite.
Because people are relative, it's natural and right to wear different masks depending on who you're dealing with.
Just as you don't act the same way to someone you love and someone you hate... that's natural.
Anyway, I wanted to express the persona more fundamentally, so wearing an animal mask was the starting point.
△A drawing by the author from college days (Provided by the author ♡)
Q. Do you have any media or music you often play while working?
A. I watch YouTube a lot. Lately, the news... seems more provocative than anything else, so I end up watching it often.
And when I'm approaching deadlines, I often watch the anime 'Mononoke'. I like the series, and the screams that burst out occasionally
really snap me awake, which is great.
Q. Is there any specific song you heard and thought, 'This perfectly fits my work!'?
A. 'Starry Night by Lee Jin-ah and Onew!'
△Make sure to listen to 'Starry Night'🌙
Q. Please introduce any comics you loved as a kid~! Or recommend any works by other creators you've enjoyed recently!
A. If anime counts, the most enjoyable comic in my life is Kiki's Delivery Service!
The most fun comic I've read recently is Dandadan. Aside from that, I like Witch Hat Atelier, The Girl from the Other Side, and Blue Exorcist.
[About <The Sock Monster>]
Q. I understand <The Sock Monster> is your debut work. How long did the planning take?
A. Actually, I drew it without any real planning, just letting my hands guide me. Haha. I guess I was full of spirit because I didn't know any better.
△A fairytale-like story created by the meeting of spirit and emotion
Q. I remember being constantly amazed, even awestruck, by how you maintained high quality throughout the series.
How much time do you usually spend on the art for a single episode?
A. 4 days!! But lately, due to OCD-like perfectionism, that cycle has been inconsistent.
Q. <The Sock Monster> unsurprisingly features sock monsters! Captivated by their fluffy appearance, many readers eagerly asked for merchandise, and later they were even made into plushies.
How was the concept for the sock monsters, including the beloved 'Meung-i', born?
A. Our house was particularly bad at keeping pairs of socks together, and that day, as usual, I was looking for a sock in the basket.
Then my father walked by and said, 'A monster must be eating them one by one..' That's where I got the idea.
After that, I designed the appearance based on the axolotl, which was a very popular pet around that time.
△Meung-i and friends_The ultimate invincible cuties ★
Q It feels like reading a Western folktale, so the protagonist's name being 'Park Sujin' felt a bit peculiar at first. Are there any fun behind-the-scenes stories about other settings in the work?
A. It was because I wanted to evoke a sense of familiarity. People in Spring Flower Village use Korean names.
Since it was a place that needed to convey feelings of hometown, comfort, and familiarity, I went with that setting.
Lara was originally a girl.
I didn't plan on adding romance, so I was going to draw a cute cat girl, but as I decided to include romance elements, it became the Lara we know now.
The cute name is a leftover from that.
△The charming streets of Spring Flower Village 🌸
Q. <The Sock Monster> features a variety of creatures. Which character in <The Sock Monster> was the most fun to conceptualize?
And was there a character that was the trickiest to set up?
A. Ca~therine was the most fun. I like frogs, and she has such a distinct personality, making her fun to design.
The trickiest was probably Lara. He deviated a lot from my initial idea, and I tend to find it difficult to create male characters, so that added to it.
△Catherine with unexpected charm (Left) Delicate male lead Lara (Right)
Q. Among the settings for characters or the Four Seasons Islands in <The Sock Monster>, were there any you regretfully had to abandon due to length or plot progression?
A. There's a character named Amanda. Winnie's adoptive mother.
Actually, there was a backstory about how Amanda became attached to Winnie, but I cut it for the sake of pacing.
Amanda suffered consecutive miscarriages after marriage, which estranged her from her husband and led to a divorce.
At that time, Amanda agonizes as she re-evaluates the children she had experimented on in the past.
And she begins to form an attachment to Winnie, the only one left by her side.
△The warm-hearted ambitious one, Winnie
Q. I know <The Sock Monster> is a webtoon that brought healing to both the readers and you as the creator.
Quite some time has passed since it concluded, but are there any memorable moments from when you were serializing it?
A. When I first uploaded The Sock Monster to Webtoon League, I was so nervous and scared that I held a close senior's hand while hitting upload. I still vividly remember trembling at that moment.
Q. <The Sock Monster> features four islands themed around the four seasons. Sujin, born in the quaint Spring Flower Village, heads to the farthest island, Snowflake Village.
Along the way, she passes through Scorching Sun Village (summer) and Colorful Autumn Leaves Village (fall), with brief introductions to each.
If these villages actually existed, which one would you be most drawn to?
A. For me, it's unconditionally Colorful Autumn Leaves Village. I love autumn.
I love seeing the beautiful autumn foliage, the high skies, the slightly chilly breeze, and taking a nap under a cozy blanket.
△How beautiful would the village at the end of this road be?
Q. The gentle and affectionate Sujin becomes incredibly scary once she gets angry. Could she... perhaps resemble you a lot?
Could you give us a hint if there was a real-life inspiration?
A. I based her on my elementary school homeroom teacher. She was incredibly sweet, but when it came time to scold, she didn't hold back. I really liked her.
Q. The cat-human 'Lara' has a timid personality due to childhood trauma. He seemed to have a fling with the confident 'Sujin',
but frustrated many readers with his slow pace before making the mistake(?) of finally realizing the difference between a romantic interest and a friend in Season 2. Once he realized his feelings, he showed some cute jealousy, revealing glimpses of a romantic male lead. If you could show more of the sweet Lara and Sujin, what kind of scenes would you want to draw?
A. I'd like to draw their time living together before getting married. I want to illustrate how these two, who are still a bit different, slowly get used to each other amidst their everyday routines.
△Excerpt from the author's SNS_Such a super cute family
Q. The story between 'Kim Tae-joong', founder of Snowflake Village, and the Bigfoot, the masters of the snowfields, closely mirrors conflicts often seen in reality.
While Kim Tae-joong's methods to achieve his goals were wrong, as the story progresses, it's hard to label him as simply bad.
When designing the narrative of Snowflake Village, which complex aspects, including the characters, did you focus on most?
A. First, I send my thanks to Tae-joong for lending me his name. I believe discrimination and inequality exist in any society.
Also, everyone has different priorities and acts accordingly. Results inevitably follow, and I think people face them in their own unique ways.
I focused my work on Kim Tae-joong's way of accepting those results: regret and reflection.
△Which side would we be on?
Q. The setting of the 'Kkung-geul-lae Whale' sustaining an otherwise beautiful fairytale village was so heartbreaking it made me feel apologetic just reading it.
It could be seen as a cruel setup, but was there a specific reason you decided on it?
A. When I set up world-building, the very first thing I do is figure out what the world's energy source is.
This conclusion came after pondering how an icy land with no oil could supply enough energy to heat a city.
It's a cruel method, but isn't it something humans would likely do for their own survival?
△Aren't we hiding another whale right now in reality?
Q. Which episode in <The Sock Monster> was the most fun to work on?
Or conversely, was there an episode that was difficult to draw?
A. The most enjoyable one was when Suyeong wanders the Book Grave Street; I remember having fun drawing all the different bookstores.
I thoroughly enjoy drawing those kinds of backgrounds.
△A harmony of objects, colors, and imagination!
[Outro]
Q. I understand <Wait Where the Shooting Star Falls> is currently on hiatus due to health reasons.
Author!! Health is the most important! You must stay healthy! Can you hear the cheers of fans who want to be with you for a long, long time?
A. Thank you. It's not easy, though. It feels like I'm hanging onto an ice cliff with bare hands.
My hands are so cold and painful, but if I let go, I feel like I'll be instantly swallowed into the fierce, pitch-black sea. Still, I will diligently undergo treatment. I must break free!
And if I shake off this awful OCD, I want to use it as story material. I have enough data!
Q. The current season bears a strong resemblance to Snowflake Village. Is there something you feel you 'absolutely must do when winter comes!'?
A. In winter, it's Bungeo-ppang. Winter is only truly complete after eating Bungeo-ppang.
△Bungeo-ppang goes right here
Q. When this interview is published, Christmas will have passed, and the year-end atmosphere will be in full swing. How are you planning to spend it?
A. I plan to gather with my college comic club friends. It sounds fun, so I'm looking forward to it :)
△How is everyone spending their year-end 🤭
Q. Thank you so much for your hard work answering this long interview. You must have received many affectionate comments and questions from fans captivated by your stories,
but are there any that stand out in your memory?
A. There was a student who previously emailed me saying their dream was to be a webtoon creator, and I later received an email saying they had become one. I was so incredibly glad and happy.
Q. Lastly, if you have anything you'd like to say to the readers who loved <The Sock Monster>, please go ahead.
A. Thank you for being with The Sock Monster. I hope you will join me for future stories as well :)
Thank you for enjoying the interview until the end :)
Happy New Year ❤️
