Authors Tidbit: Seo Ran, Buk Hyang-hwa, and Yuan Li


    Since I''ve created a blog and all, I''m thinking of posting at least once a week.


    The posts will mostly be about tidbits which won''t appear in the actual novel.


    For now, let''s talk about a tidbit regarding Seo Ran, Buk Hyang-hwa, and Yuan Li.


    I chose this topic because many readers might be curious why Seo Ran''s name sounds feminine.


    The hidden truth is that, during the novel''s conception, Seo Ran was actually a female character.


    And even the name wasn''t ''Seo Ran''. It was Baek Ran (??白蘭: a Korean name for Yn magnolia) - a disciple from the ck Ghost Valley who was expelled, honed her skills in the ck Castle for vengeance, and eventually became a ughterer who led the massacre in the Heaven-Treading Desert.


    (Note: ''Baek Ran'' is the "White Orchid" from the White Orchid Blessing Incantation)


    As you might''ve guessed, at that time, Buk Hyang-hwa, Seo Ran, and Yuan Li were all the same person.


    This being who was Yuan Li, Seo Ran, and Buk Hyang-hwa at the same time, was nned to give the protagonist water in the desert and fall in love with him. She was a tragic figure who couldn''t let go of her vengeance towards the ck Ghost Valley,mitted massacre, and ultimately met her demise at the hands of the protagonist, but...


    In the end, I was worried that the story would be tooplicated.


    I assigned the ck Ghost Valley part to Seo Ran,


    the romance part to Buk Hyang-hwa,


    and the main perpetrator of the massacre was made to be Yuan Li.


    At that time, I thought this was a good idea...


    Looking back, though, I wonder if sticking to the original setup would''ve been better for Buk Hyang-hwa''s poprity.


    But then again, my skill in creating female characters was practically non-existent at the time, so the original narrative probably would have suffered in viewership anyway.


    (Note: The author talks about the viewership here because a lot of Korean readers were fed up with Yuan Li''s constant revivals at the time, which took a toll on the viewership.)


    And if I had gone with that character setting, my most painstakingly crafted Episode 131 probably wouldn''t exist.


    (Note: Episode 131 in the Korean version is Episode 129 in the We Tried TL version - thest chapter of the 10th regression)


    Hu hu...


    Buk Hyang-hwa had a tragic story, and some may refer to her as a cursed beast(...), but she is my most beloved character who symbolizes the Head Realm saga along with Yuan Li.


    (Note: ''Cursed beast'' is a Koreanmunity meme that originates from the gacha game Princess Connect! Re:Dive. Some people in the Korean RTCmunity call Buk Hyang-hwa ''cursed beast'' for the memes, because she was loosely associated with the whole Yuan Li zombie tendency in the 10th regression.)


    Even though the character Baek Ran has vanished to the other side of fate, her name still apanies Seo Eun-hyun through the White Orchid Blessing Incantation. I believe the absent(?) Baek Ran would be satisfied(?).


    That''s all for today''s Tidbit.


    Have a pleasant night.


    TrantingNovice: This is a trantion of the author’s tidbit made by our fellow member of the discord Resnut! He’s someone I ask for help quite a bit when ites to terms (as he’s fully caught up in the raws) and he helps pointing out any vague parts or inuracies in the trantion, contributing to the uracy and quality. Let’s all give a round of apuse to Resnut!