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Interview with ORKA, author of "A Stepmother's Marchen" by Hong Chorong | November 22, 2025, 2:00 PM

Meet the Writer of the Moment Vol. 248

A tale where delicate emotions captured by the tip of a pen meet the solidarity of protecting one another - Through illustrations where even a single glance holds a story, quietly drawing in your heart An interview with ORKA, the author of "A Stepmother's Marchen" Starts now!

[INTRO]

Q. ORKA! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to interview you! Before we start the interview, could you give us a brief introduction of yourself?

A. My name is ORKA, I am the artist behind the series "A Stepmother's Marchen" on KakaoPage. It's nice to meet you! It's a pleasure to be here for the interview.

[ABOUT ORKA]

Q. How did you come up with the pen name "ORKA"?

A. When I chose my pen name, it was simply because I liked the sound of it. It has a K instead of a C, which is one of my initials. Every time people ask me about my pen name, I always think it could stand to be a little more complex, but now I've grown attached to it.

Q. Do you have any particular behind the scenes stories to share about what led you become a webtoon illustrator in "A Stepmother's Marchen"?

A. I knew becoming a webtoon illustrator wasn't an easy job to take on. So I never thought I'd become one, until I was commissioned to draw the prologue for the original novel. The agency gave me a brief introduction to the story at first. After I finished illustrating the prologue, I received an offer to go into further detail and work on the main story. (At the time, I didn't think it'd go on for this long)

Q. There must be a significant difference between working on a single illustration and working on a webtoon, which involves weekly releases. Has your experience as an illustrator helped you in any way working on webtoons? Alternatively, what have you learned?

A. Just like illustrations, there are moments in a webtoon where there is a single panel that carries the weight of a scene. (cont. under image)

(cont.) Being able to come up with these moments and complete them in a relatively short amount of time is thanks to my experience as an illustrator. Aside from that, everything else that's included in the process of making a webtoon- like storyboarding, drawing, and directing was a new experience.

Q. Do you have any special rituals or exercises you do before you work? Are there any specific songs or media you listen to as you work?

A. "Ritual" is an interesting way to put it. I do have a "wake-up ritual" where I lie half-asleep, only getting up when my dog asks to go outside! Caffeine is an absolute must when it comes to work, so perhaps my ritual is to make a cup of coffee before I start working. I listen to music on the daily, and I'm not picky about genres. Sometimes I listen to BLACKPINK's Jump and then suddenly I switch to Schumann's Träumerei. There are times when I'm hooked on a single song while working on a chapter, and I end up listening to that one song over and over again. For example, the song for the end of Part 2: Oratorio was Mozart's Requiem (Lacrimosa), and the song for Part 3's Duel of Honor was M83's OUTRO. (it's also in the intro of the Netflix series Versailles, which I also enjoy) I have a personal playlist called "ASM" that I usually play when I get stuck directing a scene.

Q. How did you develop your unique drawing style and sense of atmosphere? Are there any artists or illustrations that have influenced or inspired you?

A. I like this topic, can I go off about this for a minute? The art I was exposed to during my childhood had a huge influence over my art style. Many artists come to mind, including those from JUMP, but I was most influenced by Hisashi Hirai who designed for "Infinite Ryvius." I also really like the style and sensibility expressed in Ragawa Marimo's "Baby and Me." They're all pretty old stuff! When it comes to works that inspire me in terms of story and comics, I think of TONO's "Calvania Story" and the immersive worlds of authors Yoon Taeho and Yang Youngsoon, and Seaweed's "Chicken is Surprisingly Great." "Also "Yeohye" by Beenary also comes to mind, and I also enjoyed the overall works of Neonbi and Caramel. As well as Gold Kiwi Bird's "Medina" and Orbal's "Surviving in the Harem." It's become something like a personal filibuster, it's hard to pinpoint exactly where, what, or how I gained my personal style. Every piece is so amazing and inspiring, that if anyone reading this interview was intrigued by any of them, I truly hope that you check them out.

Q. Are there any features that you're constantly researching to enhance the details and tone of your illustrations?

A. I'm constantly looking for ways to create more quality work, more quickly. Because I'm balancing so many things, like storyboarding, lineart, coloring, and post-processing, reducing even one step in the the workflow can be crucial. (Starting Season 3, my talented assistants Lili (lineart) and 7H (shading) have been a huge help! Thank you!) I'm always brainstorming if there might be a better way to work and lately, I've been interested in utilizing 3D assets in my artwork. I'm used to drawing by hand, but I'm modernizing my approach.

Q. Please show us your studio where your masterpieces are born!

A. The main monitor in the center, a secondary monitor displaying my schedule and reference material, a tablet, Pomodoro timer, sticky notes, notebooks, and reference materials.

TN: The interview will continue in Part 2! HERE