Hi all,

We're nearing the ~1/4 mark with this story, and I just wanted to check-in again on how everyone is feeling about the pacing, flow and plot. Before I go into discussion about the story and also what I have planned, I would like to quickly clarify a few things that you readers have reached out to me about!

Clarifications:

How long will this story be? This story is aimed to be 50-60 chapters long. That's because each case would be about 10-15 chapters long, and I've planned the entire story out to span 5 cases. I've also planned the ending. How often are updates? As much as possible, I try to update 2-3 times per week. I work the weekdays, so sometimes it'll take 3-4 days between updates because of how busy work can get. But like this weekend, I have a 4-day holiday, so I'd hopefully be able to update more. Sometimes, I want to update faster, but I realize I get tunnel vision if I update every day. Giving myself a day or two of space between updates lets me think of the story's big picture and make the dialogue/descriptions a bit more intricate and linked. Think of it as me doing quality control. When do I expect to finish this story? Let's do the math. Let's say, 3 updates a week, and we're at Chapter 15 by the end of this week, and we would let's say hit Chapter 60. So this story should be finished in about ~15 more weeks. We're looking at an end date of ~November. Do I plan to finish this? OF COURSE. I have to. To satisfy my own curiosity as much as yours. This story is my highest priority right now. What about my other stories? Will I only continue them after I finish with this? So, I plan to write "strange bedfellows" and "ships passing in the night" concurrently with this. Like I said, sometimes I take 3-4 days break from this story to recharge, and those days I'll sometimes write something else. So, for e.g. this weekend, I have a "strange bedfellows" update planned.  How about any new stories? I have so many plot bunnies, but I've been really strict with myself, in that I WILL FINISH THIS STORY BEFORE I RELEASE ANYTHING NEW. (Only one exception - me and Bee are planning a passion project on the side, but we've both agreed that it won't disrupt our current works!) Will this story only have one season? Well... I've had thoughts of a second season, but I've also had thoughts of doing OT6 in a different setting. I'm undecided, and I'll probably ask for your opinion again once this story is over! I realized that if I let my mind wander, I won't focus on the things that are most important, i.e. this story for now. Most important question you're probably curious about - when am I updating next??? Don't worry. This weekend is a long weekend for me. Chapter 14 will be out tomorrow, and Chapter 15 will be out probably Sunday/Monday depending on my schedule. If I manage to push, Chapter 16 can be out by Tuesday, but no promises. But Chapter 14 and 15 will definitely, 100% be out this weekend. I have them planned, and have already started writing.

 

Now, maybe we can chat a little about the story. 

I know the tone and pacing has changed quite a bit since the start of the story. It definitely started off more warm and light-hearted, with six good friends just hanging out and going about their daily lives. I did say I was inspired by Hospital Playlist, after all. But I think I also did say that some parts might get a bit sad, and it's because all six characters have difficult backstories that we'll take time to explore.

Case 01 was an introductory case for me to test the waters. I wasn't very happy with how I ended it, if I may be honest, so I'm looking to improve in the next few cases, especially as they become more character-centric. As a bit of a spoiler, I can tell you which cases will be focused on which characters - Case 02 will be Johnny-centric, Case 03 will be Yuta/Wendy-centric, Case 04 will be Jaehyun-centric, and Case 05 will be Seulgi/Jungwoo-centric. I'm still working on the little details, but this order is confirmed. 

I think we're starting to see a lot of complicated relationships emerge, as many of you have rightly pointed out. I think at the crux of it all is Seulgi, Jungwoo and Taeil's complicated family dynamics, which sets off a domino effect for everyone else in the story. Just to clear things up, Seulgi and Taeil's parents separated in Seulgi's third year of college (reasons to be explained later). Note also I said "separated", but not "divorced". That's also for a specific reason. Jungwoo comes from a single-parent household, i.e. his mom is a single mom (how this came about will also be revealed later). In that same year, Seulgi's dad met Jungwoo's mom, resulting in Seulgi and Jungwoo becoming "sort of" siblings. We have Taeil who got into a bad accident, and the only people who seem to know the full details are Seulgi, Ju