bonus: qna but it's chaos

Heyo, my precious smol beans! Welcome to the VERY SPECIAL bonus episode of The Soulmate Paradox, otherwise known as *jazz hands* QnA with the author and characters! (In their 17-18 year old selves, thank you very much. Except me. I'm a fetus :3)

You asked, and we answered! Kinda. It took a lot of gentle persuasion, especially for some of the kids...

Gregory: You are aware that I'm literally three years older than you, right? And that's not even counting the extra two years in the Epilogue.

Alex: can you please just cooperate for once it's been THREE HOURS

Gregory: WELL IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU DECIDED TO DO THIS STUPID THING

Alex: IT'S BONUS CONTENT FOR THE READERS, COME ON

Gregory: YOU PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE

Alex: WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T TRY TO KNEE ME IN THE GROIN---

Gregory: WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T TRY TO POINT A STUPID FUCKING CAMERA AND MICROPHONE AT MY FACE---

Alex: *throws table*

*chaos*

Jeong-Soon, from behind a sofa: We are experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by--- *gets hit by flying chair*

Q: Author, are you a sadist? Because you enjoy causing pain to your readers a lot, you troll!

Alex: I don't know if I would consider myself a sadist. I mean, I definitely used to be when I was younger, but nowadays...I don't really like seeing people hurt, honestly. It makes me sad---

Gregory: *mad coughing fit* lies *cough* lieees *more coughing*

Alex: OH SHUT UP I CAN ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE RIGHT NOW YOU KNOW

Q: Sully, can I be the third friend, please?

Sully: no.

Jeong-Soon: He, uh, doesn't really like people in general.

Q: Gregory, is there any chance of our one-sided friendship turning mutual? Also, will I ever receive a smile?

Gregory: Um, no. I don't like friends. I don't need friends. Friends are annoying. And I don't smile for anyone. I don't smile, full stop. There is no one I smile for. I smile for no person.

Jeong-Soon: I bought you the limited edition galaxy bomb glass dildo you wanted last week.

Gregory: I smile for one person.

Q: Demeter, what does your name mean? Is there any reason why your parents chose this name?

Demeter: Demeter is the name of the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture---Persephone's mother, if you will. That's pretty much the meaning. As for why my parents chose it...uh, my parents, actually, kinda didn't name me. That...kinda happens when one is born Darren. I chose the name for myself because A) I wanted something that began with the same letter as my deadname, and B) I saw a Tumblr post asking more parents to name their kids with Greek mythology names, and C) I'm a huge fan of Percy Jackson. Huge. Also, Demeter just sounded really cool. Super feminine. Great for passing. *laughs awkwardly*

Q: Marilyn, do you mind the nickname Balloon Tits? I quite like it.

Marilyn: In all honesty, I do mind. It's quite hurtful because it does sometimes feel like I'm nothing more than my chest, with my mother earlier and now this. But I'm okay with it, because I knew Gregory needed time, and during that time...*shrugs* well, sacrifices must be made.

Q: Mia, how did you deal with the breakup?

Mia: Ice cream. Lots of ice cream. *pats stomach* Good thing I was curvy from the start, if not, I'm pretty sure the weight would have shown more! *laughs* and crying. You've seen a basic rundown of how I dealt with the breakup in me and Demeter's bonus chapter, but trust me, there was A LOT more crying than that. And more ice cream. And lots of talking to Demeter. Having her by my side definitely made things a little better.

Demeter, through a mouthful of Caramel Crunch: LOVE YOU TOO

Q: Marilyn, how did it feel to not be accepted by Gregory at first? Did you sometimes want to give up on making a connection to him?

Marilyn: Honestly, I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider giving up a lot. He was really difficult at the start, and it was very hard watching him push me away no matter how hard I tried. I really felt like I was getting nowhere with him, and it really hurt a lot, especially because I could tell he needed help. But as a teacher, I've dealt with a lot of difficult students over the years, and I think that experience helped me continue trying. I'm glad I didn't give up on him.

Q: Author, who's your favourite character?

Alex: Ah, how could you make me choose? I love all my children equally! I certainly do not have a bias towards my dorky, adorable, slightly more well-behaved, tall as frick child---

Gregory: *glares*

Alex: I'm literally his father, Problem Child. I'm not gonna steal him from you, don't worry. That aside, my favourite character is Jeong-Soon. He's been my favourite character from the start, and he's still my favourite character now. He's so...comforting. Definitely my comfort character, even though he gives me anxiety when he does something stupid. He's like, a golden retriever. Sweet, dorky, a little awkward, just wants to be friends...He's a bit of a dumbass, but between you and me, 98% of my characters are dumbasses---

Gregory: eXCUSE ME

Alex: YOU'RE INCLUDED IN THE 98% DON'T EVEN BOTHER

Q: When is the wedding?

Jeong-Soon: Oh, we already got promise rings in the Epilogue, and we're 20 then, so I think we should space out the engagement rings a few years, maybe about 5 so we can see whether we're really meant to spend forever with each other, and then we can get married the next year if we're really sure about it, so I'm thinking maybe when we're 26 or so---

Gregory: I'm kidnapping him and dragging him to Vegas next year so we can get hitched at a casino. I need to husband this one up before anyone else gets him, because he's so amazing that the moment I let him go, some fucker's going to snap him up instantly.

Jeong-Soon, tears in his eyes: it's a yes from me

Q: About how long did the whole book take you?

Alex: Exactly 191 days, if you count only the first draft of the main story. (Basically, minus all the bonuses and without including the editing time. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 22.) Yup. 191 days. I counted. (I could have counted wrong, though. I'm not very good at Maths.) I started Chapter 1 on February 4 and finished Chapter 22 on August 13. About a hundred days longer than the original ONC deadline, lol. Maybe getting kicked out was a good thing after all.

Q: Who's the hardest character to write?

Alex: Ooooh. Long answer ahead. Surprisingly, Mia was the hardest character in this book for me to write. This is simply because she is The Girlfriend in a bxb book, and let's be honest---everyone always hates The Girlfriend. And so many authors feed into that hate by making The Girlfriend a complete and utter b#tch. Which has always kind of confused me, because most authors of bxb books are ladies??? Like??? Do you chickadees hate yourselves or what??? No, seriously. There's like, one female character in every bxb book, and she's either the best friend (in which case she's quirky, crazy, and a bit questionable) or the 'slutty' b#tch who tries to sleep with every guy in school and always tries to break the main couple up or whatever.

I'll be honest here: I freaking hate that trope. It's boring, it's predictable, and it's just...confusing. (Also, cliché. Very cliché. And let's not forget disrespectful to women. Call me a simp all you want, but I do my best to respect the ladies. Unless we're fighting over who gets Groovybot in the Discord server, in which case EVERYONE gets called a useless slut who should go choke on a dildo, because GROOVY IS MINE.)

So I wanted to do something that subverted expectations completely. Mia was created to defy that trope. It was really hard, because people were hating on her from the moment she was introduced. Like, seriously. When Jeong-Soon mentioned having a girlfriend, everyone instantly started talking about making her disappear BEFORE EVEN MEETING HER. When Mia walked into the room, everyone was like "ugh I hate her already." And I was like,,,gurl,,,she's literally,,,been here for,,,like,,,five seconds,,,

But then there was the challenge of making her imperfect, but still good enough to defy the traditional girlfriend trope. I needed to make her lovable, yet flawed. Therefore, I had to brainstorm her positive qualities (sweet, kind, positive, bubbly, super understanding, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt) and pick out negative qualities that would fit well with those positive qualities (clingy, overly sweet at times, slightly overwhelming, a little TOO trusting). (But I also gave her all the brain cells in this book, so I suppose that's a big plus.)

So yeah, she was the hardest character to write, because I KNEW everyone would have this preconceived notion of her. I KNEW everyone would hate her the moment she was even mentioned. And I KNEW I would be right, and y'alls proved me correct. I made it my job to turn the hate into love, liking, or at least respect, and...well, did it work? You tell me.

Q: Does Mia get with Demeter?

Demeter, staring lovingly into Mia's eyes while holding her hands: If I said no, would you believe me?

Q: Jeong-Soon, do you believe in soulmates?

Jeong-Soon: I personally believe in fate, so yes, I do believe in soulmates too. I believe that sometimes, two (or more!) people are just destined to be with each other from the very start. Does that count as soulmates? I think it counts as soulmates. But I believe in soulmates. *smiles at Gregory* Mainly because I've found mine.

Gregory, turning fifty shades of red: One more word and I'm going all tsundere anime loli on you.

Q: Jeong-Soon, what song describes Gregory best in your opinion?

Jeong-Soon: I'd say 'Fools' by Troye Sivan, but I think that describes our relationship rather than Gregory himself. Hmm. Let me check my playlist. *rolls out 50000-song playlist* This, uh, may or may not take a while---

*five hours later*

Jeong-Soon: After much careful consideration---

Mia: I ended up picking out five songs and asking him to choose one so we wouldn't be stuck here until next year.

Jeong-Soon: And I agreed because it's been five hours and my boyfriend is two seconds away from killing me if I don't give him some attention.

Jeong-Soon: I'd say 'Jamais Vu' by BTS suits Gregory best, in my opinion. Like, look at these verses! 'a remedy, a melody/a memory that's left behind just for me/if I stop right now/if I just turn it off, will everything will be more comfortable?/i'm OK but I'm not OK/i told myself I was used to it/it always hurts like it's the first time' You can't tell me that's not him.

Gregory: Except for the last line. It actually doesn't always hurt like it's the first time.

Jeong-Soon: Pretty sure the way you were moaning last night already established that.

Alex: can we please keep this PG ffs

Q: Gregory, how is the therapy going?

Gregory: It's...actually going pretty well. You probably already know that from the Epilogue, but I think it's really helped me. Doc's a pretty chill guy. I'm...kinda glad I took Marilyn's advice. *looks down at sneakers*

Marilyn, tears in her eyes: you're doing great sweetie

Q: Gregory, what song describes Jeong-Soon best in your opinion?

Gregory: 'Cameo' by Sam Tsui.

Jeong-Soon, from distance: HEY!

Gregory: I'm joking. It's actually pretty hard to choose just one song that describes Jeong-Soon, honestly. While 'Only You' by Little Mix and Cheat Codes does suit him, it only really suits him if you're looking at him from my perspective, so not really him as a whole. I'd say 'Rocket Rocket' by Nu'est suits him okay. 'Be Alright' by Ariana Grande, too. 'Magic' by TXT as well. And... *side-eyes Alex* how the fuck do you even choose a song that describes your boyfriend?

Alex: you ask me i ask who

Gregory: YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND

Alex: THAT DOESN'T MEAN I CAN THINK OF ANY SONGS THAT DESCRIBE HIM

Q: Marilyn, did you ever lose your patience with Gregory, or threaten to do so?

Marilyn: No, I would never do that! With these kinds of kids, you can't lose your patience with them. You have to be firm but kind with them, and if you lose your patience, they'll just hate you.

Q: Did you change anything from the original plot, besides the chapter names?

Alex: So much. So. Much. I did some rough planning for TSP, but since I'm generally a pantser who tends to sketch out an outline and then improvise the rest, a lot of things changed along the way.

For example, there was Kaden, Gregory's ex-best friend, who was deleted and combined with Colin because he was irrelevant (and also because the readers got confused). There was another deleted scene in Chapter 17 where we get to see a softer, more nostalgic version of Gregory right before they have sex, but I felt like it would make more sense for him to tease Jeong-Soon instead of being soft with him, because Gregory isn't a very soft character.

In Chapter 18, my original idea was to have Gregory attempt to initiate a fight with Jeong-Soon instead of threatening to kill him. I felt like a death threat to the person he loves most would be a more realistic way of having him realise that he needs help, because he starts a lot of fights but he's never accepted the fact that he needs help in any of them. By threatening to kill Jeong-Soon, that helped Gregory realise he actually needs help. Their original conversation in Chapter 22 was also very different. (Gist of it is still the same, but it was super different.) Colin was not originally meant to appear in Chapter 22, but I felt like Gregory letting go of him would be a nice way to wrap up any loose ends.

Also, Demeter wasn't supposed to appear until Chapter 19. In my original draft, Jeong-Soon calls Mia first. Mia tells him to come to her house, but says she has someone over---who turns out to be Demeter. I made Demeter appear earlier in the final version because firstly, it gave her relationship with Mia an extra spark, and also gives her the opportunity to at least meet Jeong-Soon, which then sets up the scene where she gives him advice more realistically. Also, instead of going to Mia's house, they stay in Demeter's car, because it doesn't make sense that you'd invite a virtual stranger to your house.

Q: Why did you choose the names Jeong-Soon and Gregory for the main characters? Do they have any special meaning to you?

Alex: Honestly, no. I just choose my names randomly. Like, I take whatever sounds good and work with it. Jeong-Soon and Gregory were just names randomly plucked from my brain when I came up with this idea.

Q: Do you get inspired by people around you when you create these characters?

Alex: Absolutely!

Jeong-Soon: Me and Greg are actually partially based off Alex and his boyfriend!

Gregory, scowling: I got the bad side of the deal.

Alex: Hush, being based off me is an honour.

Gregory: How come HE gets based off your sweet, adorkable boyfriend while I get based off some fuckwit demonspawn from the depths of Satan's belly---

Alex: EXCUSE ME SIR I AM A CHRISTIAN KINDLY DO NOT REFER TO ME AS A DEMON

Gregory: WELL YOU ARE ONE

Alex: I SHOULD HAVE BASED YOU OFF MY 2ND GRADE BULLY YOU UNGRATEFUL WENCH

Jeong-Soon, desperately trying to stop his boyfriend and creator from killing each other: help me

Alex: ANYGAYS, AS I WAS SAYING--- *glares at a tied-up Gregory* One of my trademarks is that many of my characters and events are based off actual events and people in my life (although I can't say we've ever had to deal with murderous headphones), so yes! Several characters are inspired by real people, especially my friends. For example, Dillon and Jeong-Soon's friendship is based off my own friendship with my bromate (platonic soulmate). (And yes, I am 100% the Dillon in that friendship.) Gregory is based off my younger self (as you can see, I am NOTHING like that anymore), while parts of Jeong-Soon are based off my boyfriend. Except my boyfriend's actually smart. And wayyy more loyal. No offense, Jeong-Soon.

Jeong-Soon: None taken.

Q: You mentioned that you're a kpop fan. What's your favourite upbeat, sad, and romantic song?

Alex: I can't answer that. I like way too many kpop songs to answer that. I'm sorry T_T

Q: Why does Gregory wear that red jacket so much? What's it to him?

Gregory: I just like it. Can't I wear what I like all the time if I want to?

Dillon: But it's so...ratty.

Gregory: *hisses angrily*

Alex: Actually, the jacket was another one of my more subtle details. It's red, because of the whole red/blue contrast (Jeong-Soon mostly wears blue t-shirts/jackets, while Gregory always has his red jacket on), but the reason why he always wears it even though it's really beat up is because he has a hard time letting go. The constant usage of the red jacket was a little nod towards his stubborn character and his struggle to let go of things.

Although Jeong-Soon's wardrobe colour scheme remains the same (blue), he changes clothes quite often, often switching between new and old jackets as well as t-shirts. He's fairly susceptible to change, so I left that contrast between him and the tattered red jacket that Gregory always wears to further showcase their opposing natures.

Q: Author, I'm currently writing a book myself, and I've loved your writing ever since I started this book. Do you have any writing tips? Not only writing, but also where you get ideas from, etc.

Alex: Awww, thank you so much! I'm really glad you like my writing! And as for writing tips...well, honestly, I don't really feel that I'm qualified enough to offer writing advice, haha. But I'll try.

I'd say the most important thing is to find your own writing style. Like, I have a pretty distinct writing style. While it does vary depending on the genre, it remains heavily descriptive and character-focused. It's not too hard to tell it's written by me. So honestly, it's a good idea to develop your own unique writing style, as it helps your readers recognise your books, as well as separating your writing from the crowd.

Another bit of advice is to develop your characters well. If you don't have a good plot but amazing characters, honestly, most of the time, the characters are able to carry your plot to decency, at the very least. Like, develop your characters. Give them distinctive, unique personalities. Make them different from not only each other, but also from the typical characters you always see in every other book (*coughcough bad boy and good girl coughcough*). Again, even if your plot is absolute crap, if you have REALLY good characters, they'll be able to work with it. Third tip? Edit. Always edit. Proofread everything you write and keep on proofreading, because you're bound to spot a mistake somewhere.

For ideas, my advice would be to observe. Observe everything. The people around you, the way they act, what happens in their lives. Observe and remember. Remember what you and your friends did today, remember how the Starbucks barista acted, remember how it felt to fall on the road. Observe, remember, and expand. Expand on the way that cute exchange student winked on you. Expand on that weird dream you had last night. Expand on anything and everything you see. The thing is, anything can be an idea if you want it to be. Just observe your surroundings, remember events, and expand on anything that happens.

I'm sorry I can't be very helpful here, as I'm not the best author out there, haha. Good luck with your book! You're gonna do great!

Q: Is Sully a cat or dog person?

Sully: Cat person. I can relate to them.

Q: Do Rylee and Jeong-Soon become friends?

Jeong-Soon: He's friendly. I'm friendly. So yeah, we do!

Rylee: Bro.

Jeong-Soon: Bro.

Rylee: Close your eyes. What do you see, bro?

Jeong-Soon: Nothing, bro.

Rylee: That's my life without you, bro.

Jeong-Soon, tearing up: Bro...

Dillon: Not gonna lie, I feel like I'm interrupting something.

Gregory, glaring at them: Same.

Q: What's one stupid thing Jeong-Soon and Gregory always disagree over?

Gregory: Choking, because he's a pussy.

Jeong-Soon: Wanting to avoid accidentally killing you is NOT being a pussy. We always argue over what an acceptable level of bed-making is. Gregory's such a stickler about that.

Gregory, sarcastically: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise wanting you to at least straighten your side of the bed was being a stickler.

Jeong-Soon: But we're going to sleep in it anyway!

Gregory: THAT'S NO EXCUSE FOR YOU TO NOT MAKE YOUR SIDE OF THE BED

Q: Do Gregory and Mia eventually become friends?

Mia: *awkwardly looks down at floor*

Gregory: I'll save you from having to listen to Little Ms Sunshine's speech---we don't.

Mia: After everything that happened...I just couldn't be friends with him.

Gregory: And I didn't want to be friends with her anyway.

Mia: So no, we don't eventually become friends.

Jeong-Soon: 😔

Q: Author, did you fully come out yet? If yes, can you tell me how?

Alex: Uhm. Well, I'm not exactly fully out, both gender and sexuality wise, but I am openly bi, so I guess I can kinda answer this? In terms of parents, I did come out to my mom (just straight up told her) but she's still in denial. For my dad, I just kept saying "boyfriend or girlfriend" and "he or she" every time I talked about future partners (I'd say "them" but I'm only into guys and gals, so I wanted to come out as bi specifically), and I think he's caught on? Also, I keep making gay jokes, watching gay movies, reading gay books, listening to gay songs, etc. Like, seriously, my whole existence is made of mlm and wlw content. Even though I've never come out to him officially, I'm pretty sure he knows at this point. Honestly, just keep making gay jokes until your parents catch on.

In terms of friends, it depends. I technically didn't come out to my really close friend group? Because one of my friends didn't know I was still closeted so she, uh, kinda outed me? Yeah. (Rough time.) For some of my other friends, I either make A TON of gay jokes, constantly talk about being gay, participate very violently whenever someone's being homophobic, and wait for them to catch on. Sometimes, if I'm comfortable enough with them and don't get homophobic vibes, I'll wait until they trust me enough to start telling me secrets (which doesn't take long for some reason? because apparently people say i'm very genuine? which makes them trust me easily?) and then say, "Hey, I have a secret too, wanna hear it?" and baddabing baddaboom, I'm coming out.

Another way I came out was to talk about kissing girls and guys in certain classes (for example, we're learning about Nazi Germany in History, and every time some Nazi does some homophobic schist I'm like "This makes me want to go out and kiss all the pretty guys and girls") (Btw, my History teacher's response was, "Just make sure to follow Covid protocol and stay safe." I adore her.) And yet another way I came out was just to face the person like, "Can I tell you something? I'm gay." Like, no gay jokes, no subtle hints, just "I'm gay." (I only recommend this method with people you're EXTREMELY comfortable with, though. My English teacher's response was, "I know, and it's perfectly okay," because he's absolutely amazing, but not everyone is so lucky.)

I also sometimes casually drop the fact that I have a boyfriend into the conversation and wait for them to catch on. (This method...did not go well. I was chatting with a chick in Sky and casually dropped my bf in the convo. She was like, "Hang on, you're a girl? I thought you were a guy?" and I was like, "Yeah, I'm a guy" and my head was like MISSION ABORT MISSION ABORT and then she was like, "But then you have a boyfriend?" and I just awkwardly kinda "yeah" and she was like, "Like, a friend or a lover?" and then I said "It's complicated" and changed the topic because I just recalled that she was from a country where homosexuality may have been a foreign concept. #saveme)

Point is, I'm mostly openly gay. (Well, bi, but y'know, technicalities. And I tend to tell people I'm umbrella term gay because it's easier. Sometimes I say I'm bi if I know the person better, because 'biromantic grey-asexual' mayyy be a bit confusing for some.) And I've come out in a variety of ways. So really, there's no 'right' way to do it. You don't even have to come out if you don't wanna. I mean, the straggots don't come out as straight. If you have uber religious or extremely homophobic parents, I'd recommend waiting until you move out (so you'll still have a roof over your head if they kick you out). The best way for me is generally to make a heckload of gay jokes and wait for people to catch on, but that might not be the best way for you. It differs from person to person. All I can say is, come out if you're comfortable, come out when you're comfortable, come out how you're comfortable, and good luck!

Q: Author, I want to ask a question ABOUT Gregory. What made you write such a toxic character? And how did you even make Gregory so toxic? Was there some inspiration from other characters or from your own life?

Alex: Gregory is...complicated. I wrote him like this because Jeory's relationship was initially meant to be a toxic relationship, but the boys noped out of it near the end of my planning. (They were like, "make us pure. make us sweet. make us couple goals. if you make it toxic you're getting writer's block for the next three months.") So yeah, he was kinda modelled as a toxic character because I wanted to explore a darker side of romance than I usually do, but that didn't work out. However, Gregory was a very complex, layered character for my standards, so I kept him like that despite the atmosphere and dynamic of their relationship being changed.

As I said earlier, Gregory is based off my younger self. I wasn't exactly the best person when I was younger. I was violent, stubborn, selfish, angry all the time, and had enough self-destructive tendencies to wipe out a country. (Thankfully, none of those characteristics remain in me now except the self-destructive tendencies. I'm working on that, though!) Even my inability to keep a stable relationship until I became less toxic was reflected in his character. (I went through three relationships in two years during my 'toxic' phase, as compared to my currently steady relationship with my boyfriend now, when my character has already evolved and improved. This was mirrored in Gregory's inability to stay together with Jeong-Soon until he finally agreed to get help.)

So yeah, I guess you could say that I made him so toxic by drawing inspiration from the person I know the best---me.

Q: For every character including the author---Troye Sivan or Lil Nas X, and why?

Jeong-Soon: Troye Sivan, because I admire how open Lil Nas X is, but I don't really listen to rap.

Gregory: Troye Sivan. Two words: Blue Neighbourhood.

Mia: Troye Sivan! I love all his songs so much, as well as how genuine he is! I don't really know much about Lil Nas X, but I'm sure he's a great person too!

Demeter: Troye Sivan. Sorry, Nas, but crying at 3am over a gender identity crisis with 'Heaven' on repeat is unmatched.

Dillon: Lil Nas X! He's so confident about his sexuality and unafraid to call the haters out, and I think I died and went to heaven when he kissed that backup dancer!

Magnus: Troye Sivan, he's got a nice vibe!

Aimee: Lil Nas X, simply because I love disagreeing with my boyfriend. Also because 'Montero' is bomb. Grinding on the devil then killing him? Now that's my jam.

Sully: Lil Nas X. I like 'Industry Baby'.

Marilyn: I'd say Troye Sivan, because Gregory introduced me to some of his music and I love his voice!

Alex: Troye Sivan, hands down. I love Lil Nas X, but Troye was literally my first male celebrity crush, and I generally prefer his music. I really admire his style, still have a mad crush on him, and y'alls had better stream 'Angel Baby' when it comes out on September 10.

Archer: I think---

Everyone: No.

Archer: But---

Everyone: You don't get an opinion.

Q: Best and worst trope?

Alex: Best trope? Enemies to lovers. Toxic if not done right, but when done right? The sexual tension is *chef's kiss* Worst trope? Good girl x bad boy. Or bad boy x nerd. If I have to read ONE MORE BAD BOY STORY, I WILL THROW UP.

Q: Fav book on and off Wattpad?

Alex: On Wattpad, I have four! Missed By A Mile by auro, Too Far To Forget by ravi, Forget Me Lots by noda, and Turnpike by simonesaidwhat. Off Wattpad, I have three! The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, and I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson.

Q: What will Gregory and Jeong-Soon do 10 years later? (Like, their jobs and stuff.)

Jeong-Soon: I'm going to become a music teacher, just like Marilyn! What about you, Gregory?

Gregory: Serial killer.

Jeong-Soon: But---

Gregory: Serial killer.

Jeong-Soon, through gritted teeth: His future career is currently undecided.

Q: What was your first book on Wattpad?

Alex: A Percy Jackson Truth or Dare book called...wait for it...'Just Another Truth or Dare Thing'. Yeah. We don't talk about that.

Q: Do you have Spotify?

Alex: Nope. I can get it if I need to, though. I'm just lazy.

Q: Are you a cat or a dog person?

Alex: Is both an option? I love both cats and dogs! But I'd say I do prefer cats a bit more, so cat person, I guess? But I love dogs, too! So, um, again, is both an option?

Q: The ONC prompts came out February 1st. You published this on February 3rd. How did you make the playlist so fast?

Alex: Oh, I just have a really eclectic, wide taste of music, so it was easy for me to throw together a few songs in a short amount of time---

Gregory: He's lying. It took him five months to create the playlist because he selects the songs as he writes the chapters, which is why he always publishes it after he finishes the book. And he was STILL changing songs even after it was 'finalised'.

Alex: sir kindly do not expose me

Q: What's the word count for each chapter?

Alex: About 2000-6000 words, minus the author's notes. Although I tend to stick to 3k+ word chapters.

Q: To the lovebirds, who will be the one to propose?

Jeong-Soon: *looks at Gregory*

Gregory: *looks at Jeong-Soon*

Both: Gregory.

Q: How did you write Gregory's mental illness?

Alex: Personal experience. But exaggerated.

Gregory: He gave me a shitty brain.

Alex: You already have a shitty brain.

Q: How old are you?

Alex: Oooh, getting a bit personal, I see. I've mentioned my age or at least hinted at it quite a few times throughout the book, I believe? I'm fifteen, as of right now (though I'll be turning sixteen next month!) I know, I'm old 😭 I've already started looking at retirement homes 😭😭😭 And I know what y'alls are thinking: "how is Alex so old but still so bad at writing?" well. the answer is that i simply pride myself on being a disappointment :)

Q: What's the full story on Jeong-Soon's parents dying?

Jeong-Soon, looking sad: Car crash when I was twelve. We were just going out for dinner...but the driver of the oncoming truck had been drunk...

Gregory, rising from the deepest depths of hell: NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE YOU'VE MADE HIM CRY

Q: How did Magnus and Aimee react to Jeory being together?

Magnus: It was a shock! A good one, of course!

Aimee: We were very surprised, but we handled it with maturity and grace.

*flashback*

Gregory and Jeong-Soon: *walks in holding hands*

Magnus: *glances at them* *smiles at them* *immediately looks at them again* *gaze dramatically travels down to their interlocked hands* waaaaiiittt---YOU GUYS ARE A THING?

Aimee: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

Magnus: SINCE WHEN WERE YOU GUYS A THING? I'M HAPPY FOR YOU, BUT...SINCE WHEN WERE YOU GUYS A THING?

Aimee: YOU HOOKED UP WITH THE DUDE WHO PUNCHED MY BOYFRIEND?

Magnus: NO BUT SERIOUSLY SINCE WHEN WERE YOU GUYS A THING

Aimee: WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

Jeong-Soon, panicking: I CAN EXPLAIN

Magnus, sheepishly: Yep, like Aimee said, lots of maturity. Lots of grace. We handled it well. Very well.

Aimee, looking down at her combat boots: Totally. So well. The wellest of the well.

Q: Who do you think is the biggest idiot among you three (kidding) among Jeong-Soon and Gregory?

Gregory: Alex.

Alex: Go to hell.

Gregory: With you here, this IS hell.

Alex: What happened to showing respect to your parents, young man?

Gregory: You're not my dad.

*seconds later, at the orphanage*

Lady at the orphanage: Sir, we can't take him, he's already eighteen---

Alex: I DON'T CARE HE'S A BRAT

Alex: As much as personal bias wants me to say Gregory is the bigger idiot, I'm gonna have to go with Jeong-Soon. I love him, but he's...

Gregory: So fucking dumb.

Jeong-Soon: HEY!

Q: What gave you the idea of writing TSP?

Alex: A song. More precisely, 'Whisper' by Vixx LR. Although my original idea using that song was quite different, I got the idea of the magical headphones as well as the whole soulmate thing from there. As well as the red/blue colour contrast.

Q: What was the original ending you thought of when you first started writing?

Alex: Surprisingly? This one. Like, the current ending was the very first ending I thought of. I thought up four other alternate endings because I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a fully happy ending with no strings attached, but I ended up going with the original happy ending I thought of. So yeah, this was the original ending.

(Here's the other four alternate endings this book could have had, in case you're curious!)

- Gregory gets hit by a truck as Jeong-Soon is proposing. Scrapped because I hate the Truck-kun trope.

- There is no epilogue. Instead, in the last chapter, Jeong-Soon admits that he doesn't think they're good for each other and leaves. Gregory falls onto his knees as a tear rolls down Jeong-Soon's cheek, while the ending is left somewhat ambigious. I scrapped this because I like endings that wrap everything up, and that one was way too depressing.

- Returning to my classic murder mystery roots, in the epilogue, Gregory wakes up in a white room. A nurse comes in to give him his medicine. He remembers where he is---in a mental institution after being declared clinically insane, after murdering a boy he held unrequited love for: Kang Jeong-Soon. Everything else is revealed to have been all in Gregory's imagination, where he dreamed up a life he could have had with the boy he loved. I scrapped this because I absolutely hate those types of endings. Even though it would have been a good twist, it would have made zero sense.

- While everything else goes as planned, the epilogue is completely different. Gregory visits a music festival, two years after breaking up with the only boy he's ever loved. He hasn't seen Kang Jeong-Soon since their breakup, and he reminisces on their good times together, as well as how they'd tried to make it work but ultimately couldn't. It's then that he spots a familiar flash of blue a little distance away, and he sees Jeong-Soon again. Laughing. Happy. Surrounded by his friends. But then Jeong-Soon spots him, and Gregory hears him ask his friends to go on ahead. As they stare at each other, Gregory feels his heart beat again, and he takes a step forward. This ending gave me major 'What If It's Us?' (by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera) vibes, and fit perfectly with my usual bittersweet endings. It's slightly open-ended, but still wraps everything up, just the way I like it. I ended up seriously debating between this one or the current ending, because both made sense and would fit the story, but I ended up choosing the happy ending because it's been a crappy year and I want a happy ending.

Q: When reading, do you prefer fluff or angst?

Alex: Angst. Fluff makes my heartu go boom-boom, but there's nothing I like more than sobbing my heart out over some good angsty Romance.

Q: If you ever had a chance to meet these two, what would be the first thing you would say to them?

Alex: "You guys are complete idiots, but I love you anyway. I would literally die for you two. I'm so glad to have written you. Thank you so much."

Jeong-Soon, tearing up: Awwww

Gregory, trying to scowl but failing miserably: you're a fucking idiot too *secretly tears up*

Anddd, that's a wrap! Thank you so much for your questions, we had lots of fun answering them! *glares at Gregory* Well, MOST of us had fun, anyway. Once again, don't forget to stick around for next week's final Author's Note, some extra trivia, a little bit of behind the scenes action, PLUS a sneak peek at my upcoming book, Adonis!

Thank you so much for sticking with us, and see you next week! I love you guys so much!

xoxo, Alex