The reason I said no to this ship is because it was "too cliche." Friends to lovers is only a good dynamic when you do it right. So I chose the safe option by having Soyun and Karin get together. NOW HOLD ON. DON'T LEAVE YET. I'M NOT DONE.

Max is one of my first trans characters, and with that-- I considered them to be one of my first aro/ace characters as well. It took a lot of thought and a lot of processing to come to the conclusion that Max and Soyun's friendship dynamic is fully capable of a safe transition into lovers-- leaving Soyun and Karin as the cliche couple. I can't lie, Soyun and Karin would be cute together. There's nothing wrong with their relationship, but I know I can do better. So bam! Max is now Soyun's potential lover. It just feels right, y'know? Anyways. I'm gonna leave it at that. Hope you guys like the progress of these drawings so far. I've got two more to go and then I'll start shading or whatever. Please stay well out there 🫶🏽