WEBTOON Advanced Haga’s Romance Genre Secrets
Hello, everyone
It’s a pleasure to meet you
I debuted with the work For Sita
and recently completed the serialization of King’s Maker
I am the author Lee Sang-mi, known by the pen name Haga
In today’s lecture, I aim to share insights into the structure of the romance genre
and my unique approach to storytelling
We will cover three main subtopics
in today’s lecture
The first subtopic is Why Romance Stories Are Eternally Loved
Through this session, we’ll briefly explore
the history of romance comics
The second subtopic is The 7 Commandments of Romance Stories
This session will discuss a few key rules
that can enhance your romance storytelling
The third subtopic is Romance Writing Tips Based on Reader Demographics
We’ll delve into strategies for crafting stories
that cater to gender-specific preferences
in the genre
Why Romance Stories Are Eternally Loved
Let’s start by exploring the first subtopic:
why romance stories remain eternally loved
Before diving into the world of comics
let’s first examine one of Korea’s major cultural phenomena
The global K-POP market transcends borders and is loved worldwide
While K-POP songs cover diverse themes
like self-affirmation or familial love
the predominant theme
is love and relationships
Whether it’s light and refreshing romance
dramatic and stimulating first encounters
jealousy between lovers
or lyrics about longing after a breakup
or even lyrics about showing an entirely transformed version of oneself
love remains the central motif
This isn’t just limited to K-POP
Globally, the majority of song lyrics
are centered on themes of love, this is because
It’s because humans are fundamentally social beings
The familial relationships we’re born into
are often predetermined and outside of our control
Since these relationships are not our choice
let’s set them aside for now
Next, let’s think about friendships
Friendships are often influenced by proximity
the people we live near, or environments like schools or academies
that are shaped by our educational or career paths
Since friendships are also largely shaped by external factors
let’s set them aside as well
Romantic relationships are the first type of bond
that we actively choose based on our preferences and desires
Additionally, since we typically form romantic relationships with just one person
we invest considerable thought and care into the decision
This dynamic becomes the driving force behind countless reflections on love
and the creation of works about it
Another significant Korean cultural wave is the film industry
Unlike songs, which are condensed into three-minute formats
films typically run for about two hours
allowing for broader themes to be explored
Movie protagonists might fight against powerful adversaries
or face supernatural horrors
Some films depict comedic, everyday life scenarios
However, what often happens after all the conflicts
and obstacles are resolved?
More often than not, the two protagonists who have endured everything together
fall in love by the end
The conclusion of overseas travel movies is almost always sealed with a kiss between the main characters
While some may criticize these love stories as being predictable
their power lies in the clarity of an undeniable happy ending
After overcoming hardships and struggles
the certainty of happiness draws people to love stories
draws people to love stories
This is also why shoujo manga consistently remains beloved
consistently remains beloved
Humans are social creatures
and the idea of finding stability and attachment
achieving happiness
through love
is a belief shared by many
Moreover, love often serves as the greatest catalyst for personal growth
There’s a saying that becoming romantically involved with someone new
is like welcoming an entirely new world into your life
You naturally take an interest in your partner’s hobbies, career
and social circles
embracing aspects of the world you were previously unfamiliar with
If your partner shares many similarities with you
you’ll find a deeper sense of empathy
and engage in greater self-reflection than you would on your own
Someone important to your partner becomes important to you
allowing you to experience the world in a broader way
As mentioned earlier
most societies on Earth today
lean toward monogamy
Although exceptions like polyamory relationships exist
romantic relationships predominantly follow
a one-on-one dynamic
In romantic relationships
faithfulness to one another is a fundamental expectation
This exclusivity often leads to feelings of jealousy
and conflicts as couples work through their differences
Because these relationships are unique and irreplaceable
they feel incredibly urgent and significant to us
As a result, people hope their love
will be special and fateful
Simultaneously, they desire to see their experiences reflected in others’ lives
hoping for empathy and shared understanding
Romance stories gain even more power here
as they resonate with these deep, personal desires
The singularity of romantic relationships at certain moments in life adds weight and significance to them
This is why romance stories
always maintain a consistent level of demand
capturing people’s interest and affection
The 7 Commandments of Romance Stories
Now, let’s move on to the second subtopic
The 7 Commandments of Romance Stories
There’s a saying, "All roads lead to Rome"
This phrase originated because all major roads in the Italian Peninsula
were built radiating outward
from Rome’s Via Appia
Similarly, because we’re creating romance stories
every narrative must ultimately
lead to love
In this session
we’ll discuss seven rules that are guaranteed
to guide your romance storytelling
Fateful Encounters
Romance webtoons revolve around love and affection
It is essential to determine what kind of emotions
you want to evoke in your readers
The first goal could be to create a story so realistic
that it resonates with people's experiences and elicits empathy
This would include shoujo manga set in school environments
In such works, the characters are often
middle or high school students
and the primary readers are usually
of the same age group
By creating relatable characters and settings
and presenting engaging episodes
these stories offer empathy, self-identification
or the joy of vicarious satisfaction
Another example could be modern romance dramas
featuring office workers as protagonists
The second goal might be to create a story that offers a sense of specialness and excitement
through experiences that are hard to encounter in real life
Even within the modern romance genre
this could involve a romance with a chaebol hiding their identity
a love interest revealed to be the CEO of a company
or a secret relationship with an idol
All of these would fall under this category
These stories provide fresh excitement
by featuring protagonists who navigate extraordinary situations
within an otherwise ordinary setting
The third goal could involve stories set in bygone eras
or impossible fantasy worlds, expressing love in unique and imaginative ways
For example, set in a time when class systems existed
the protagonist could be a noble figure
of great significance
Alternatively, the story might focus on breaking the limitations of class systems
empowering the protagonist to influence people
through democratic means
Another scenario could feature a protagonist who becomes a lonely but noble empress
and dreams of a forbidden romance
with a knight sworn to protect her
Other examples include romances with cursed lovers
who must transform into animals
or narratives involving reincarnation or possession
of fictional characters
Although there are more classifications
these three categories serve as representative examples
Choosing a framework from within these categories
can lead to successful outcomes
The fourth rule is that the Protagonist must be loved by many
The protagonist, or main character, must always be designed in a way
that ensures they are loved by many people
In male-oriented works, many female characters are often
drawn to the protagonist’s abilities and strength, vying for his attention
and he ultimately chooses the one he loves the most
In female-oriented works, the female protagonist, even if unwilling
is desired by numerous male characters
These male characters may exhibit behaviors such as confinement, submission, or fascination
and the female protagonist ultimately ends up with the one she loves most
This reflects a universal human desire
to be recognized and loved by others
A slight incorporation of the harem dynamic
where multiple characters love the protagonist
often provides a stable narrative flow
Conversely, a protagonist might be isolated
due to their non-human appearance or specific circumstances
leading to rejection by other characters
For instance, in Beauty and the Beast
the Beast is repeatedly rejected due to his monstrous appearance
However, even in such stories
the narrative must conclude
with the protagonist finding someone who sees their inner beauty or virtues
culminating in a fulfilled love story
Without this resolution, the essence of a romance plot is lost
If a story starts with everyone
fearing and scorning the protagonist
and it ends with them earning respect
and gaining disciples or friends
without a romantic resolution
it becomes a mastery plot, not a romance plot
Romance must end with love
The Fifth Rule aligns
with the fourth rule
The protagonist should receive diverse forms of love
Romantic love is, of course, essential
but beyond that, pets or mascots
should also adore the protagonist as their master
Even in works where there is a destined male lead
the female protagonist’s father
often dotes on her excessively
sometimes to a slightly overprotective degree
The presence of supportive characters
who always wish for the protagonist’s happiness
allows readers to relate to and empathize with the protagonist
experiencing vicarious satisfaction
Love comes in many forms
and all of it should converge on the protagonist
The sixth rule is that the protagonist should possess traits
that readers can relate to or aspire to
Creating an exceptionally beautiful character
who embodies a dream-like ideal
is one of the most
conventional approaches
Alternatively, other characters in the shoujo manga might have striking appearances
such as golden, pink, or lavender-colored hair
in other words, flattering looks
However, the protagonist could stand out by being ordinary
with simple black hair and black eyes
This contrast can also be an effective approach
Since readers are also real-life individuals
it’s easier for them to connect with relatable traits
Even if the protagonist has an appearance
that ordinary people might dislike
providing them with an outstanding intelligence
or an exceptionally kind nature
makes them a character readers want to empathize with
Everyone inherently knows their strengths
and undiscovered charms
Of course, since it's themselves, they are naturally aware of these qualities
Others, however, can never fully understand someone
as deeply as that person understands themselves
This creates a desire within people
to have their true selves and hidden charms
recognized by others
This desire is hidden within us
Thus, giving a protagonist hidden appeal
that’s not immediately obvious to others
leads readers to wonder
When will others realize this charm and regret their decisions?
or When will they fall in love with the protagonist?
Such anticipation draws readers deeper into the story
Finally, the seventh and last rule
Unless there’s a very special reason
the protagonist’s love must succeed
in the end
You might think, “Isn’t it obvious for love to prevail in shoujo manga?”
However
Surprisingly, many aspiring creators make the mistake
of ending their stories with the protagonists breaking up even though they love each other
or one of them dying and so on
They create such tragic endings
While tragic endings can be impactful
There is even the saying
If there are many scenes of happiness and warmth
prepare yourself emotionally before diving into the official work
because it’s probably filled with sorrow and tragedy
It's a joke among fans of tragic tales
Tears, being less frequent than laughter in daily life
can evoke strong emotional satisfaction for authors
knowing they’ve deeply moved
their readers
However, in reality
no one wishes for their love to end in separation
Even tragic endings often fall under the category
of a "merry bad ending"
Take Romeo and Juliet, for example
Though they come from feuding families
and their love leads to
faking death to hide from the eyes of their family
and plans to run away
they have a misunderstanding after one sees another drink poison
they end in tragedy with both dead
But first of all, they were certain of their love for each other
ensuring their love was realized
Second, their love caused their families
to regret their feud and reconcile
Later, they reconcile while they grieve Romeo and Juliet
In my own work, For Sita
the male protagonist sacrifices himself
sending the one he loves back to his past self
While it seems to end in tragedy
with his life ending
the epilogue reveals that the protagonist’s sacrifice is rewarded
and he reunites with Sita
meeting his true love
Thus, even if death
or external separation occurs
the emotional bond of love
must remain intact
If love cannot triumph in this life
it must find resolution in the afterlife or another realm
This is the core principle of romance stories
fulfilling the reader’s expectations
for love to prevail
Writing Tips Based on Audience
The third subtopic focuses on writing tips tailored to specific audience
"Female-oriented" and "male-oriented" works
refer to stories where the primary readership
leans significantly toward one gender
Over time, the lines between audience genders
are becoming increasingly blurred
However, for debut authors or creators
tackling their first original work
designing stories with a clear target demographic
can yield better results
To simplify, let’s assume that shoujo manga
is female-oriented and action manga is male-oriented
Let's assume this
In female-oriented stories
the protagonist often dies and gets reincarnated
into a completely new world
such as a Rococo-era setting
a medieval world with social hierarchies
or even a fantasy realm
This represents the protagonist leaving modern reality
Such features are prominent because
real-world systems like glass ceilings or discrimination
have often suppressed women
encouraging them to remain submissive, historically
Thus, female-oriented genres often reflect a desire
to escape these constraints
In male-oriented stories
dramatic events occur within the protagonist’s existing reality
For instance, dungeons might suddenly appear,
or ordinary people begin awakening as hunters
These disruptions break existing societal rules
revealing the protagonist’s
latent potential
This represents the protagonist's world undergoing change
Such narratives are common because
historically, male success has often been through competition
and were rewarded when successful
while failure has sometimes led
to a sense of worthlessness
This fuels a desire for self-validation that is reflected in these stories
Although both genres feature
major disruptions for the protagonists
female-oriented stories typically involve leaving the existing world
while male-oriented stories maintain the world
but introduce new rules favorable to the protagonist
By understanding these consumer tendencies
creators can craft stories more strategically
Designing narratives that satisfy readers’ latent desires
and provide vicarious satisfaction is important
Let us go into more detail
For example, in female-oriented romance stories
male protagonists can be “bad boys” or even tyrants
but they must be kind to the heroine
Additionally, they should avoid harming children or animals
This aligns with the audience’s desire
for idealized satisfaction
distancing the narrative
from real-world crimes
It is making sure that the characters
do not cross the line of morality
For example, in The Archer’s Prey
the protagonist, Lee Mu-Gil
is depicted as a morally ambiguous character that has slept with both men and woman
He is a killer who takes assassination requests
He is rude and has a bad attitude as well
When he accidentally touches the heroine inappropriately
when he falls over
his reaction diverges from typical male leads
who would normally apologize profusely
and act flustered
Instead, Lee Mu-Gil offers his chest and says
“Go ahead, touch me too"
"let’s call it even”
This is how he reacts
He is a surprising character
Mu-gil, due to his childhood trauma of abuse
never harms children
and strictly confines his violence to villains
He embodies the concept of "necessary evil,"
remaining committed to eradicating evil with evil
As a result, readers of this comic
feel reassured that Mu-gil will not harm
innocent characters
and can enjoy the story
with ease
In Who Made Me a Princess
the protagonist's father is portrayed as
an emperor who ascended to the throne through bloodshed
Before the protagonist is reincarnated into the story
he is depicted in the original work as a cold-hearted man
who heartlessly rejects his child
However, after the reincarnated protagonist
interacts with her father
it becomes evident that he does not oppress the common people
but targets only the aristocracy
Additionally, it is revealed that his perceived coldness toward the protagonist in the original novel
stemmed from the meddling of antagonistic siblings
On the other hand, in female-oriented romance
Boys’ Love (BL)
the hurdle for empathy becomes higher in BL
Since the protagonists' genders differ from the majority of the audience
a greater sense of distance arises
This is reflected in the popularity of genre tropes
such as dominant characters who, blinded by love
resort to violence or commit illegal acts
In male-oriented genres, characters are granted a higher level of moral leniency
As long as their personal convictions are deemed just
they can break societal ethics or laws
This allows readers to feel catharsis even when characters employ extreme measures
or they may even enjoy watching corrupted laws and systems
being restructured
Although these works are labeled "male-oriented" and "female-oriented" for convenience
female readers also enjoy hunter and dungeon genres
Similarly, male readers are drawn to romantic fantasies
and reincarnation-based shoujo works
In modern times, traditional constructs like "the man box"
or gender discrimination are gradually diminishing
As a result, works like Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint and Return of the Mount Hua Sect
are gaining popularity
among both male and female readers
In the case of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint
it is known to be created by
the husband-and-wife duo Sing Shong
This work showcases features of male-oriented genres
such as dungeon breaks
and people awakening to new powers
The protagonist, Kim Dokja, is the only one who knows the future
At the same time, the work also incorporates elements of female-oriented genres
For instance, Yoo Joonghyuk, a character admired by readers
possesses traits akin to a main romantic lead
A stunning appearance, a strong-willed personality
yet a willingness to bend for the protagonist
is what he acquires
Furthermore, characters of all genders and ages
express affection for Kim Dokja, making the story appealing to a wide audience
Additionally, even with a relatively ordinary appearance
there are those who come to recognize the protagonist's true value
through their sacrificial nature
Take the example of Chung Myung in Return of the Mount Hua Sect
He has a self-reliant personality
single-handedly determined
to revive his declining sect
Furthermore, as a reincarnated character
he possesses immense potential and extraordinary skills
Since the genre is martial arts action
it exhibits characteristics of male-oriented works
However, Chung Myung also leads the members of his sect together
demonstrating familial bonds
He becomes the central figure of various affections as he breaks down prejudices
held by many surrounding characters
Thus, it is beneficial to define your target audience from the outset clearly
whether they lean toward male-oriented, female-oriented works
or both genders
as well as whether they are students or working professionals
It is important to define this before you begin
That concludes today's discussion on the three main topics
where I have shared the narrative conventions of the romance genre
and my own techniques
How was it?
Through the chapter on why romance stories remain universally beloved
we briefly explored the history of romance and shoujo comics
I explained that humanity, as inherently social beings
constantly seeks connections with others
Additionally, the societal norm
of monogamy
underpins the desire for love
to feel special, meaningful, relatable
as well as many other emotions
This is why romance and shoujo comics remain powerful
and enjoy enduring love from audiences
Please remember this as you create your works
In the second section, The Seven Commandments of Romance Stories
I discussed several guidelines
that can enhance romance storytelling
Of course, these rules are not absolute
Above all
fun and logical consistency should take precedence over rules
By subverting clichés
you can create even more engaging narratives
However, when struggling to design a story
adopting such rules can make it easier
to craft a narrative
that resonates with the audience
The third section covered writing tips
tailored to different audiences of romance stories
We explored strategic methods for designing narratives
based on distinctions between female-oriented and male-oriented genres
By precisely targeting your intended audience
and following the corresponding conventions
you can produce higher-quality works
If you’ve already determined whether your story
is female- or male-oriented
but need additional breakthrough ideas or genre-specific rules
not mentioned in today's lecture
try to analyze the works you've enjoyed so far
this is another strategy you can use
Pick five examples of female-oriented works
and five examples of male-oriented works
More specifically
review the top five or six ranked webtoons by day
and read them all
Try summarizing their plots in a single sentence
You’ll likely notice recurring elements
shared among stories targeting similar demographics
such as women in their 20s
or teenage boys
These common patterns
reflect not the unique identity of a single work
but the conventions of the genre itself
Using this method
if your story has a clear target audience and genre
you can analyze and compile the elements
that make other successful works
If you are curious in what elements these are
you can use stories that are already published
try summarizing them in one sentence
and discover and organize the common patterns
that you can find
and develop yourself
I hope today’s lecture
has been helpful to everyone
That concludes this session
Thank you
Why Romance Stories Are Universally Beloved The power of love stories Assurance of a happy ending Love as motivation for growth The weight of a unique, one-of-a-kind romantic relationship
The 7 Commandments of Romance Stories Gain empathy with a story that feels realistic and relatable Create uniqueness and excitement with a story that’s hard to experience Express love through memories or within a fantasy setting
Protagonist is loved by multiple characters Protagonist must receive various forms of love Protagonist should be empathizable Protagonist's love must ultimately be fulfilled
Writing Tips for Different Audience Groups Women's taste vs. Men's taste Readers leans toward one gender Characteristics of women's taste Many women’s genre works are set in new, imaginative worlds
The characters in women's genre work typically avoid crossing a minimum moral line Characteristics or men's taste In many men’s genre works, an unexpected change occurs in the protagonist's world
Men's taste genre works are less sensitive to characters who break moral rules and norms as long as the character's personal beliefs are justified The story should allow the reader to satisfy their latent desires vicariously