I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game

Hello, dear readers.

This is Amateshyung, the author who has been serializing *I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game*.
The story that began back in July of last year has, after over a full year, finally come to its conclusion.
It’s been a year full of joy, and at times, trouble—but above all, I’m grateful that I was able to bring this story to an end safely.

How should I put this...
Writing an afterword like this feels strange.
It’s a moment I had long hoped for, yet now that I’m actually writing it, it doesn’t feel real. My emotions are a tangled mess.

They were kids who constantly gave me grief—but just as much, they walked alongside my life and brought me joy.
Now that the story’s over, and they’ve left my hands, I feel something welling up inside me.
Anyway...

Since this is the final afterword, I’ll allow myself a bit of rambling.
Ever since entering the final chapter arc, I refrained from even writing end-of-episode notes, not wanting to disrupt readers’ immersion.
So this will be both the first and last time I share my honest feelings about this work.

To begin with—
This novel started as part of the 2024 Novelpia Million Class program.
Thanks to that opportunity, I completed the program, was selected as an Outstanding Scholar, and was able to achieve a meaningful result.

No matter how many times I say it, it won’t be enough: I owe my deepest thanks to the Million Class and to the producers who supported me throughout.
Had it not been for that program, neither this story—nor the version of “Amateshyung” you know now—would have existed.
I took breaks like it was a daily habit, fell into slumps, received harsh criticism… and every time, the producers continued to believe in me.

I remain deeply sorry—and deeply grateful—to them.
And to you, the readers.
To those of you who pushed through all those hiatuses and stayed with Judah until the very end.
I couldn’t say it often, but it was thanks to you that this story made it this far.

Thank you.
This past year has taught me much and given me more than I expected.
A year.

Looking back, so much has changed.
I was twenty when I started, and now I’ve turned twenty-one.
Time never really felt like it was passing, I suppose.

Even my grandmother, who was still with us last year, is no longer here.
Back then, it hurt quite a bit—but by the time I came to my senses, six months had already passed.
Time... it’s hard to grasp, no matter how well you think you understand it.
While writing this story—there was a time when I was deeply, almost unbearably, stuck in ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) a slump.

You could call it “My Writing Sucks Syndrome.”
In fact, up until just a few weeks ago, I was still in a similar state.

It started around chapter 70 and lasted all the way through chapter 220.

I just couldn’t bring myself to love my own writing.
Whatever I did, it felt ugly. I couldn’t even tell what I was writing anymore.
But as a writer, I’d learned that you must never let your doubts show to your readers.

So I simply kept writing in silence.
Sometimes...
No, not sometimes—at least once a day—I thought about this:

That the Million Class title and the Outstanding Scholar honor were never meant for me.
That someone as lacking as I am shouldn’t have received them.
I felt like I had stolen someone else’s place.

All the novels around me felt like towering walls, and I felt like I was the worst writer alive.
Thoughts like that, combined with my laziness, caused my upload schedule to stretch more and more in the second half of the series.
I think all I can do is sincerely apologize for that.

Looking back, maybe I didn’t have to be so harsh with myself.
Maybe I just didn’t know better back then.
Even so—

The reason I was able to finish this story in the end was because I had people pushing me forward.
The Million Class that first gave me courage.
The producers who helped me find the identity of my writing.
The fellow writers who supported me when I wavered.
The friends who filled in the gaps when I felt lonely.
And finally, you—the readers who waited each day for a new chapter.
I couldn’t betray them.

So I kept picking up the pen.
This ending, then, is not for me.
It’s an ending for the readers, and for all the people who placed their trust in me.

Of course—
It wasn’t all suffering until the end.
As the story neared its conclusion, as I passed three million views, as I received my author’s business card...

I think I slowly began to regain my damaged self-esteem.
I’m not someone who writes well—but I’m also not someone who writes badly.
So I don’t need to hate my writing, or despair over it, or throw tantrums.

To me, I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game is a record of my twentieth and twenty-first years.
It’s a metaphor for growth.
One process, one journey.

And what I realized along the way was this:

That life is not about never breaking.
Life isn’t unbreakable.

Life is something that breaks—and then rises again, hammered together with nails and plates of steel.
That process of layering armor is what life is.
And I—

Have now fastened on my first steel plate.
I will fall again, blame myself, hate myself, resent others, feel jealous, and break again.
But when that happens, I’ll return to the very beginning.

To the crude result of a clumsy hammer, driven in with hands uncalloused.
To the first plate of armor I ever added to my story.
To that title, and to that tale.

And just like that, I’ll find the courage to say I can do better next time.
I’ll pick up my rusted hammer and repair my broken life.
That’s why this work means so much to me.

To someone else, it might be a sloppy mess.
Just another cookie-cutter fantasy novel.
Or even a train wreck of letters worthy of hatred.
But to me, this story signifies one thing:
Courage.

The one phrase: “I can still do this.”
This story is a gift to my beloved tomorrow—
Another piece of armor.

And so, even now—
I can still push myself forward, telling myself:
Next time, I’ll do better.

Thank you for everything.
It’s thanks to all of you that I was able to be here.
Thanks to those who gave me strength, I was able to reach this ending.

I’ve always been lacking, but I’ve never forgotten to be grateful.
I will walk deeper paths and become someone who writes better stories.
I’ll wrap it up here.

Thank you for the past year.
There were times I was bitter or angry at people, but now that I’ve reached the end—
All I feel is gratitude.

I’ll return soon with an epilogue to properly close out the story.
This has been Amateshyung.
===

(Below is the celebratory finale artwork!)
A fanart of Irene drawn by user "Ttameokneun Kkanpunggi"!

A fanart of Irene drawn by user "Nobung-i"!