After hours ✓(editing)

A Few Words.

Rant alert!

After Hours, as you've read is a Kim Seokjin FF. The inspiration behind writing this book, I'd say was the lack of good hyung line books. Like, I was searching like crazy for one descent Seokjin FF and while I found some really amazing books, now adorning my Must Read reading list, they aren't in abundance. As expected, the maknae line is quite famous.

But I wanted to do justice to the hyung line and thus, I decided to write with Seokjin as my male lead.

When I was making the outline of the Bangtan universe, and I swear, the file is indeed named Bangtan universe with all the details about all the 7 book titles and plot, I was actually going to first write the Taehyung FF and then introduce Sehee to Seokjin in that book. But I can't exactly explain why but I kept on writing furiously for After Hours but I couldn't bring myself to write another book. So, in the end, I decided to make a few changes and publish this book first. I honestly don't regret the decision because this book has become so close to my heart now.

Coming to the point of our main female lead, Choi Sehee. I was always going to make her this independent entrepreneur with amazing skills in kitchen. I just didn't plan on making her such a hermit that she wouldn't even know about BTS. But considering the timeline and reality, I realised, everyone has a preference and Sehee doesn't necessarily have to like K-pop and actively keep up with it. It's not completely impossible for the people in Korea to not know about BTS or even care about it if they are actually that busy with their lives.

So, instead of making this a point of ridicule, I wanted to add a dash of reality to the story with Sehee's character.

For the longest time, I couldn't completely understand Sehee's character, even though I was writing it. I only knew that I wanted her to be strong. I wanted her to be understanding, caring and kind. She had no vices, only virtues but as the story progressed, for me personally, she started to look like a real person instead of a fictional character as things from her past started popping up. She started to show her weaknesses, fears and we get a glimpse of her vulnerability. It's what makes her real and somewhat relatable in the story.

Writing about Seokjin was very easy to be honest, possibly the easiest thing about the whole process. I guess it is because he is a real person and I don't want to brag but I can still evaluate a person correctly by looking at them to a certain extent. As I studied his personality closely before writing it, I also came to a realisation that Seokjin keeps his professional and personal life so well separated. It's not like he is fake on camera, it's still a part of who he is and yet, it's not the complete him.

Most of the writers I've seen, write about the on-screen persona of Seokjin, highlighting his goofy side more but knowing what I did from my observation, I couldn't focus on that one thing only. And if I look back to what I've written, I didn't stress much on the on-screen persona. Instead, I focused on the reality or what I assumed for the time being, would be the real Kim Seokjin like.

But, beware. I, in no way, claim that the description I have given about Seokjin is precise. It is what I've perceived from the videos that are available for viewing and in no way am I bashing the other writers for only focusing on only one trait. I'm just a simple person, trying to make my writing as unique and as relatable as possible.

The third character who had a heavy presence throughout the book was, Lee Aera.
I wanted to give Sehee a family. I didn't want her to have adoptive parents who treated her so well she rarely thought about her real parents. No, I wanted it to be that one painful memory for her and yet, she needed a family. What better than a younger sister with a contrasting personality, always reminding her sister of the reality of the real world. I wouldn't say much about her here since the next book is going to have a her presence in it quite heavily, but I'd only say one thing. I love how Aera is such an enthusiastic eater! She reminds me of myself!