by the sidelines • haechan

author's note

hi guys! xera here.

i don't usually write author's notes (who am i kidding this is my first) but i really felt the need to for this book in particular, so don't mind me if i go off the script.

firstly, the reason i started writing this book in the first place was for the love of taekwondo, a sport i have been doing for almost 8 years, but it wasn't only that.

i wanted to reflect the life of a taekwondo player; their first lost, first win, how they pick themselves up from the ground and continuing pushing themselves to their limits. but what made it more memorable was because i myself have those experiences too, more in particular.

i wouldn't say all scenarios in the book happened to me (i definitely didn't sprain anything during my matches), but stuff about changing clubs, getting wrecked in a match, tough trainings, they're all taken out of experience. i tried my best to put those experiences into action, and i hope they're played out as realistically as they are.

moving on to the main characters. for sung yoojin, i can say she's very similar to me. both of us thought winning was easy, until we faced off with a larger crowd that eventually threw us away from that mindset. both of us had our downfall, but we also had friends to pick us up and keep us going. we had our separate dilemmas, but we came to a conclusion that what we chose was the right path, because only we get the authority to determine it. neither of us got that final win, but that meant we had a continuous goal to strive for. if there was something i'm proud of, it would be our character development.

on the other hand, lee donghyuck aka haechan was a separate character that i completely thought of on my own. in all honesty, i chose donghyuck as the male protagonist mainly because he had a background in taekwondo, but also because he really fitted the character that was constantly under the pressure of his dad, so he decided to do whatever it takes to finally impress him. it's no one that i know in particular, but i hoped this showed another side of taekwondo players as well, because i know how hard it is to keep your standards up.

and yes, i didnt forget the other characters as well. honestly, i wanted shin youn to be sort of part of the main cast with haknyeon, but (in all honesty) it was getting harder to fit her into each scene since her character was dismissing every human connection. haknyeon, on the other hand, was the best fit for the trio, acting as the mood maker and bridge between the two protagonists. and yes, they depict my friends whom i have fun with in and out of training and honestly (i've been using this too much), their my life support apart from my parents. in the near end, i also added characters like lee soobin and im junhee, but the reason why only soobin was present in the last chap was because of her outgoing personality; she couldn't stand not going to her new friend's competition (if that makes sense).

okay, back to the plotline. i bet y'all have realised the lack of romance in this book, and that because it's not supposed to be focused on it. as much as i wanted to include as many interactions between yoojin and donghyuck as possible, it would feel forced and unnecessary (believe me, i have chunks of drafts dedicating to them). and considering their personalities and priorities, it would be impossible for them to form a love line in just a month. i hope this clears anything up.

and i saved this part for last because it's the most crucial part of the story; the taekwondo commands and other korean words. i don't know if others might find this cringe, but i'm not using it as a koreaboo. these are actual words used in taekwondo competitions and training (charyeot, kyeongnet etc), including some korean words, such as yeoljeong (meaning passion) to give a more realistic effect. (i hope it did hehe)

all in all, i had lots of fun writing this book as the idea had been stuck in my head months before i actually started it, and i'm glad i got to write about the ups and downs of taekwondo, my life long passion. honestly, i didn't expect this book to go that far but it has already gained 1.7k views as of now?? sure it's because of multiple chapters but it's a milestone i didn't know i'd reach. all i've got to say is thank you so much for reading and waiting for my super long updates (it's been half a year since i started lmao) and hope y'all stay around for my future works too!

any other questions regarding this book or other works are welcomed here!! ->

(ps. i noticed a lot of sunflowers reading this and following me ksncksks thank you so much hehe)