These are my memories of writing this fic.

I remember the moment when I first watched the MV teaser in which ‘1000 Years’ is based on. A 1:28 clip was filled with a story to tell. I remember being blown away by Key’s opening line. I remember watching the clip over, and over, and over again; no longer sitting on my seat but crouching on it because I was filled with energy. I wanted to read the story that was behind that clip. I honestly wanted someone to write it because I didn’t think I could wait for the full MV to be released. But then I started to come out with an outline to explain the scenes...

I do believe that I was driven to write ‘1000 Years’. There were so many small similarities with what I had produced and with the two MVs and trivia surrounding the MV. There was a sea nearby their shooting location and Taemin had gone down closer to it. There was a flying bus in the MV. There is Taemin’s awkward scene at the end of the MV, which shows some connection between the two. I freaked out with such coincidences because I had written them down before I saw them.

Official Japan Mobile Site Update 121225

Right next to the MV filming location is a sea. Even though it was quite a steep path towards the beach, Taemin still wanted to watch the sea from up-close so he went out for the adventure!
Taemin who determined to take the picture of the high wave gathered his courage and got into the sea. After that his pants were completely wet (laugh)

‘1000 Years’ is definitely a moment in my life to remember because it has given me such pleasure and satisfaction in its creation. It has taught me the joy in story-telling. It has shown me that I can do it, where before I was never able to create a story for the life of me. I was writing chapters almost every day (alternating with chapters of ‘Quitting’).

• In the early stages of figuring out the plot I was telling my brother about it. I had said that SHINee were “Messengers” and they help souls pass into the Other World, sort of like death gods in Bleach. And then he asked me what were the actual death gods’ jobs ... and I mentally face-palmed myself because I had two classes of beings with the same roles. Originally I had planned Key’s book to be given to him by a Death God. It is now a recurring joke my brother has on me whenever I mention any story-writing: “What do the Death Gods do?”
• I wanted to work with my friends with writing this story – I knew there were parts that I did not think I could write. It was an anxious wait until Sami agreed to help me. It was because of this collaboration that I have discovered a good friend.
• I was eating lunch at uni when the crucial revelation struck out at me from nowhere – I was having laksa actually lol. This was when I thought, what if there was a God of Fate that wanted to stop SHINee? And there was a God of Time ... and Papa was going through the same thing as Key had...?
• It was in front of a microscope that I was thinking that the props SHINee had in the video would make cool weapons ...
• I am always perplexed as to why Minho has that darn ball!
• The full MV was released and I could not contain my excitement. And horror that Onew had a walking stick that I needed to account for ... OTL
• It was on a 2hour train ride to a conference meeting that I wrote the ‘Fathers’ Reunions’ chapter and I made myself teary; which reminds me that it was on another train ride that I made myself teary when I wrote the scene where Papa meets and marries his wife.
• It was when I was sitting in the foyer of the venue of this same conference that I nutted out the montage scene, counting down to the 1000^th Whisper. I did not know that it was such a difficult thing to think of random numbers which looked random. lol
• It was a struggle to write the last two chapters, almost as if I did not want to say goodbye.

I have so much to owe to this fic – I truly feel like I have an obligation to repay my debt towards it. But I am conflicted. I want to advertise this fic but I am someone who avoids the limelight; I work best behind-the-scenes and with anonymity.

Is this not a story that you would recommend to others?

I truly believe that it works well because it is a universal theme – it is about family.

Even I lose myself in reading it. Even when I know what happens in the end, I get caught up with the characters. I am not boasting about my abilities – it just does not feel like I wrote it when I read it.