A story of a prosecutor/web novelist

“I was fantasized by a story where a handsome crown prince typically seen in the movies or dramas kills people with willful negligence, and I began to write that story myself.”

Seo Ah-ram, a prosecutor at the Criminal Trial Department of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, said in a phone interview with The Dong-A Ilbo, adding that many criminals commit murders fully aware of their dreadful consequences. Starting on August 1, Seo is publishing her web novel called “How Crown Prince Kills” on content platform KakaoPage. The prosecutor-turned-novelist drew the inspiration of the book from her day-to-day encounters with criminals. “At first, it starts with self-suspicion, but they eventually find their inner evil being manifested in the form of hideous crimes. I wanted to send something of a warning to criminals through a story about a crown prince who gradually morphs into a psychopath killer,” Seo said.

After graduating from the Seoul National University Law School, Seo became a prosecutor in 2013 and served at the Seoul Southern District and Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office. On KakaoPage, she uses a penname called “Choyeon.” Following her 2019 novel titled “Dark Prosecutor,” a plot built around a prosecutor digging into the past after losing his sights by a mysterious assault, she published her second novel “Prosecutor’s Daycare Diary” in 2020 depicting a story of a prosecutor who fakes her identity and works at a daycare center for investigation. Both attracted more than two million viewers, and adaptations into movies and dramas are currently discussed. Seo is successfully juggling both of her roles as main character (as prosecutor) and second (as novelist). “I’ve investigated various cases – traffic accidents, voice phishing, sex crimes, domestic violence you name it, but it is my principle not to use them for my stories to keep my work ethics as prosecutor,” she said. “I don’t draw inspirations for my stories from a certain case. Rather they reflect the thoughts I had during my encounters with perpetrators.”

She is also a working mother of two. When asked if it is challenging to be a mother, a prosecutor, and a writer, she answered in an upbeat voice. “I jot down the ideas for my stories while taking care of my kids and write whenever I have time over the weekends. The biggest appeal of web novels is that you can write novels even if you are not a full-time writer or a star debutant from a well-known publisher,” Seo said. “I never imagined I could become a writer. You should try too if you want!”


hoho@donga.com