Afterword (mild spoilers)
I Was Kissed by the Junior Coworker I Hate wraps up its main story tomorrow with the epilogue!
For now, today’s update marks the final chapter, so I’ve added the “Complete” tag as a milestone.
I tried to bait readers with the “transfer” vs. “short business trip” misdirection all the way to the final episode, and wow, that was tough to pull off — the crossed-wires dialogue especially.
If anyone out there didn’t catch it until the very last chapter, or felt properly fooled, I’d be delighted.
Even so, finishing this is incredibly bittersweet…!
I didn’t want it to end, but the flow for landing the “twist” had finally come together, I’d run out of tricks for stringing out the slow burn, and honestly both of them had reached such a painfully restrained limit that it felt cruel to keep going (lol), so I decided to bring it to a close.
It’s unbearably lonely, but I’m glad I got to finish it properly. Loneliness, relief, happiness — all sorts of feelings are mixed together right now.
I hope the ending landed with the bright, chuckle-inducing aftertaste a rom-com should have.
I’ve always loved reading comedy and rom-com, yuri or otherwise, and had long wanted to try writing something as upbeat as the works I admire.
Thinking back on it now, even my very first work, posted right after I registered on Kakuyomu, was also aiming for slow-burn-times-comedy. It’s unlisted now. Barely anyone read it, and it sat at zero views the whole time it was public.
Feeling nostalgic, I reread it recently, and didn’t crack a single smile. I couldn’t believe I’d actually published something like that. Genuinely embarrassing. But to the readers who found and supported it back then — it really did keep me going.
Compared to that, this time I actually got comments saying “I burst out laughing,” so I feel like I’ve grown at least a little.
I’ve been stunned by how many support comments and ratings I’ve received this time, more than ever before.
Every time I posted a new chapter and got reactions from all of you, I couldn’t stop grinning. Every single comment was genuinely encouraging.
Checking everyone’s reactions after posting became my after-work daily routine. Every day was so much fun.
Writing rom-com genuinely lifts your own mood too — it’s incredibly enjoyable.
As I kept writing, Asami-san ended up becoming an overwhelming comic-relief character. Originally I’d planned to make her more of a “perfect prince” type. Looking back, I think it worked out better this way.
I know there are plenty of jokes that probably didn’t land, but if even one spot got a little chuckle out of you, I’d be happy.
I tend to be someone who promises a follow-up story and then never delivers, but this time I have a vague sense of what I want to write, so I think I’ll actually be able to update it.
Personally, I love the slow-burn, messy, prickly stage before a couple actually gets together. I’m not great at writing straightforward sweetness.
But I do think there’s something appealingly steamy about secretly dating within the same office. And the jealousy that comes specifically because you’re together now is nice too.
I’m thinking of posting it loosely, in more of a short-story-collection format.
Updates going forward will likely be irregular.
If you’re willing to give the follow-up a read, I’d be grateful if you could just follow and wait patiently.
Some of you might feel the fluffy, love-dovey stuff after they actually get together is beside the point. If that’s you, I hope you’ll enjoy going back and rereading Asami and Hanamori’s slow burn from Chapter 1 instead.
Also — the main story has been fairly wholesome (?), but the side stories will likely have a lot more explicit content. Please be aware of that if it’s not your thing.
Lastly, thank you so, so much for finding and reading this story among so many others.
My heartfelt thanks as well to everyone who supported it through ratings, hearts, comments, reviews, and sharing on social media. Thank you.