The Fantasie of a Stepmother (어떤 계모님의 메르헨), also known as Stepmother’s Märchen, tells the story of Shuri, a young woman who is forced to marry a man much older than her. After his death, she suddenly finds herself in the role of stepmother to his children. With its stunning artwork and a storyline unlike anything I’ve read before, the series quickly became a fan favorite. After Season 2 ended in May 2024 on KakaoPage (and in September 2024 on Tapas), readers faced one of the longest hiatuses yet.
The good news: Season 3 finally began in Korea on April 26, 2025. Here’s everything we know so far about a potential global release date.
Release Date: The Fantasie of a Stepmother has returned in Korea
While Tapas is still on hiatus, the Korean version of The Fantasie of a Stepmother already started Season 3:
- Official Return: April 25, 2025 (KST)
- Platform: KakaoPage
- Chapters Released: Episodes 137-138 launched together on release day
- Schedule: Weekly updates every Saturday (Korean time)
Creator Orka shared the cover on Instagram. It looks absolutely gorgeous:
The Fantasie of a Stepmother, Release Date: What Happened During the Hiatus
In January, a special collaboration café with Toonique took place, offering fans the chance to purchase exclusive The Fantasie of a Stepmother merchandise. Orka promoted the event with the following words:
Many people worked hard on this project,
and I also prepared it with lots of love and care.
It’s going to be beautiful!
This was the Instagram post:
There were many more promotional events, not only in Seoul but also Japan. To celebrate Volume 6 of the original novel there were big advertisements displayed. So a lot was going on, while The Fantasie of a Stepmother was on hiatus.
The Fantasie of a Stepmother: Carrotoon’s Official Announcement for Season 3
Carrotoon, the publisher, made the following announcement before the comeback:
Hello, this is Carrotoon.
The Stepmother’s Märchen will return on April 26 (April 25 at 10 PM) with Episodes 137–138. The release schedule will change from the previous 10-day cycle to a weekly release, with Saturday as the new release day. To ensure smooth serialization and maintain the quality of the work, the new cycle will follow this format: 4 episodes → 1 break.
Scheduled breaks in 2025:
August 2
September 6
October 11
November 15
December 20
We sincerely thank all readers for waiting patiently and ask for your continued interest and love in Season 3 as well.
The Fantasie of a Stepmother: When Can Global Fans Expect the Release of Season 3 on Tapas?
The release gaps for The Fantasie of a Stepmother have been inconsistent, which makes it difficult for global readers to estimate when new chapters will drop on Tapas:
- Between Season 1 and Season 2 (KakaoPage): about 4 months hiatus.
- Between Season 2 and Season 3 (KakaoPage): almost a full year. Episode 136 ended on May 24, 2024, and Season 3 only began on April 25, 2025 – a gap of 336 days.
- Season 2 on Tapas: The same episodes were uploaded much later. While Korea finished Season 2 on May 24, 2024, the final episode on Tapas was only released on September 22, 2024.
If Tapas had followed the same delay pattern into Season 3, the international release should have started around August 24, 2025. However, as of today, there are still no updates on Tapas and nothing new on the official creator profile on Instagram.
Creator Orka’s last post was in June 2025, where they shared a small spoiler preview for Season 3 on Instagram. It’s a fun way to pass the time for fans who can’t wait for the new chapters to arrive. There are many little previews for season 3.
Why Season 3 could be published faster than you think
The official KakaoPage announcement for Season 3 was published only two weeks before the comeback. This means that international readers might also get very short notice before Tapas starts releasing new chapters.
It is also not uncommon that Tapas begins uploading episodes on the same day the artist posts an announcement on Instagram.
To sum it up: All the Season 3 Info you need to know:
- Season 3 Korea: Began April 26, 2025 – weekly on Saturdays.
- Season 3 Tapas: Still on hiatus, no release date yet.
- Hiatus Length: Nearly a year between Season 2 and 3 in Korea.
- Tip for Fans: Follow Orka on Instagram for previews and Season 3 artwork.
Childhood-Complex-Fans have it slightly better, because season 2 has been officially confirmed. If you want to read some good historical romance manhwa while you wait, check out my best-of list. Or check out some historical romance manhwa that are overrated.
