Hello, this is Seorin, the author.

I am an amateur writer from Korea, and I gathered the courage to upload my work on Tapas in hopes of meeting readers from around the world. Thank you sincerely for taking the time to read Afterlife Dating.

I still remember when I first came up with the idea for this story.

As dating reality shows became increasingly diverse, I suddenly found myself thinking:

"At this rate, won’t there eventually be a dating show where they bring in ghosts?"

That absurd and mischievous thought became the starting point of Afterlife Dating.

However, as I continued writing, one question gradually settled heavily in my mind:

How far is it acceptable to put humanity’s most private emotions—love and loss—on display?

This question is why Ham Seonyeong, the money-driven shaman who made a living by turning other people's stories into content, finally closed her camera bag and set down her gimbal at the end.

I wanted to portray her transformation: from someone who paid her apartment fees by selling the pain of others, to someone who, in an unrecorded spring breeze, begins to reflect not only as a true shaman, but also as a fellow human being.

As a side note, there are unfortunately no plans for a Season 2.

Afterlife Dating ends here—with an open ending.

Still, I believe that Seonyeong's story continues beyond the final page.

I believe she will grow into a producer who is no longer driven solely by ratings, but who possesses at least the minimum sense of ethics needed to handle other people's lives and love with care.

I like to think that whenever she points a camera at someone's sincerity, she now pauses to consider their heart first.

At the same time, I did not want to portray the participants of this program merely as passive victims.

As Exorcist Hyunwoo says in the story, the ghosts also wished to be seen—and to be loved once more.

Whether they wanted to linger in the world out of regret, have fun a little longer, or find a companion, they remained beings with living emotions even after death.

Likewise, I believe that participants in real-life dating shows are also active individuals with desires of their own.

Through the lens of black comedy, I wanted to reflect our own tendency to watch, consume, and turn other people's relationships into entertainment within the larger systems of capitalism and show business.

At times the story was absurd.

At times it was bittersweet.

But above all, I am deeply grateful to every reader who stayed with this chaotic little tale until the end.

Finally, I would also like to thank Seonyeong, Hyunwoo, Lady Mija, Jieun, and Minsu.

As strange as it may sound, they often felt as though they moved on their own while I was writing.

Thank you for loving Afterlife Dating.

And I hope that each of you finds your own warm season of flower-viewing.

— Seorin