Roxana: The Way to Protect the Female Lead’s Older Brother (여주인공의 오빠를 지키는 방법) is a dark fantasy romance webtoon illustrated by JunilJus (하얀밤) and based on a novel by Kin. It quickly became one of KakaoPage’s most popular romance series and later launched on Tapas for English readers in July 2022. I also still recommend it on some of my best-of-lists, like enemies-to-lovers Manhwa.
After a hiatus of more than four years, many fans have given up hope for a comeback. But now JunilJus posted on her Instagram. It is really coming back. And the release date is VERY soon (at least for Korean readers)
Roxana Release Date and Hiatus Timeline: TL;DR
- The Roxana webtoon entered a long-term hiatus after 29 August 2022. Tapas continued releasing chapters in 2023, but these were only English translations of episodes already published in Korea.
- The artist JunilJus revealed severe health issues that made it impossible for her to continue working.
- Her posts describe hospitalization, severe exhaustion, and a miscarriage she experienced shortly before the launch – during a period in which she continued working despite medical emergencies.
- The creator met with Kakao Webtoon representatives and later confirmed she’s focusing on recovery.
- Tapas initially announced that Roxana would be removed in August 2025 but later reversed that decision.
- After four years JunilJus now announced a release date: Roxana will be back with Season 2 on October 23, 2026 on RIDI. We don’t know yet if it will be a global release or if international readers will have to wait a bit more.
Roxana Release Date and Comeback Statement from JunilJus
In a heartfelt statement, Juniljus explained why it took her so long to come back. She also thanked Kin, the original author of Roxana, for reaching out to her by email and checking on her during the hiatus. After her own recovery, her baby was diagnosed with a rare illness and had to undergo surgery. Her child later received a transplant and still requires regular follow-up care. Despite this, she confirmed that she is returning to Roxana and plans to continue the series through to its ending, with a slower release schedule of three weeks on and one week off from Season 2 onward. This is her statement, machine-translated into English:
Hello.
It feels a little awkward to be greeting you again after such a long time. Since there has been a four-year gap, I kept wondering where I should even begin. I wrote and deleted this message over and over again, and before I knew it, today had arrived.
During that time, I focused first on taking care of my mind and body, which I had neglected for so long, and tried to return to everyday life. Whenever things became difficult, I thought back to all the words of encouragement so many of you had sent me.
In particular, I think I was able to keep going thanks to Kin, who reached out by email because they were worried about me, the other creators who sent me messages of support, and the readers who always wished me good health.
There were many twists and turns during those years, and there were times when I felt a vague sense of anxiety about the future. But I truly wanted to keep the promise that I would return someday. So I am incredibly grateful and happy that the moment has finally come when I can greet you again like this.
I had actually hoped to prepare many things and come back to you a little sooner. However, my baby had to undergo several unexpected surgeries because of a rare illness with no known cause, so I had to postpone my preparations and the time when I could meet you all again.
I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone at Samyang C&C and RIDI for patiently waiting even though the preparations took much longer than expected, and for being considerate enough to allow me to stay by my child’s side.
Thanks to everything I have been through, I think I have become a stronger person and someone who is even more grateful for life.
Once again, I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported me until this day could finally come.
I am truly happy and grateful to be able to return with Roxana.
I intend to do my very best and see the story through to its conclusion, so I would be incredibly happy if you continued to stay with me and watch over that journey until the end.
I hope I can continue to count on your support. ^^
The news about the series returning was actually meant to be a surprise, so I did not expect so many readers to already know about it. Thank you so much for all the interest and support. It may be a little early, but I would also like to share the publication schedule.
Season 1 will continue from the existing 35 episodes, with episodes up to Episode 43 being released on October 1.
Season 2 will begin with Episode 44 on October 23.
Starting with Season 2, because I need to take care of my child following their transplant and attend regular medical appointments, the series will follow a schedule of three weeks of publication followed by one week off.
Even if the journey moves a little more slowly, I would be very grateful if you could continue to stay with me with patience and understanding.
Once again, I hope I can count on your continued support.
🦋 Roxana will be serialized on RIDI. 🦋
Roxana Hiatus-Timeline: From Early Warnings to Full Hiatus
The creator publicly discussed several health challenges on her personal Twitter account throughout 2021 and 2022. These posts were written to explain why continuing the series had become impossible. Below are her own words, quoted exactly as she shared them.
March 27, 2021 – The First Public Health Crisis
One of the earliest health-related posts comes from March 27, 2021. In a Japanese tweet, JunilJus revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage shortly before the launch of Roxana and continued working without any recovery time:
“After I had a miscarriage right before the launch, I worked without any recovery period and my health deteriorated.”
JunilJus
She announced that KakaoPage would implement a scheduled one-week break after every five chapters so she could protect her health while continuing the series.
April 2021 – Hospitalization and MRI Findings
In late April, she reported a sudden severe headache and a shadow detected on her MRI, which required hospitalization:
“Recently, with a severe headache, a shadow appeared in my head during the MRI, so I was admitted to the hospital. Fortunately it was not serious, but I will extend my break by another week.”
May–August 2021 – Treatment and Partial Stability
Throughout mid-2021, she shared occasional updates about receiving treatment for nerve pain and continuing weakness. While not fully recovered, she worked to maintain the series.
September 2021 – Recovery and Hope
After months of silence, JunilJus returned with a hopeful update:
“Yesterday, for the first time, I went to the hospital alone without help.
Of course, on the way back home I still needed my family’s help”
Her tone was positive – but it was clear that her body had not fully recovered.
January 2022 – Hospitalization and Slow Healing
By early 2022, she revealed that she had undergone internal treatment and was finally starting to recover:
“I have been receiving various internal and external treatments at the hospital, and only now am I beginning to return to daily life.
I was unable to support my body and spent my time just lying down”
Even though she resumed some activity, this was the beginning of a much more serious collapse.
April 5, 2022 – The Full Breakdown (Most Important Statement for the future of Roxana)
This is the post every fan should read to understand the hiatus. It captures the emotional and physical state that forced her to stop drawing:
“By the time the season ended, my body and mind – which had already been damaged during the launch – had become even worse.
I was in so much pain then that I couldn’t do anything for quite a long time, and I think all I did was go to the hospital.”
This post is the core statement that explains why Roxana went on hiatus – extreme exhaustion, both mental and physical.
TRIGGER WARNING! August 29, 2022 – Health Crisis and Hiatus Confirmation (Most Important Statement for the future of Roxana)
She then provided a fuller description of the miscarriage and the conditions under which she had been forced to work:
“About a week after I began showing signs of a miscarriage, on the day it happened I fainted so badly that I couldn’t even feel the pain and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Even then, my former PD said it was difficult to change the launch date…
…so on that day and the days around it, I worked on the manuscript while bleeding.”
This confirms that the hiatus was rooted in severe medical trauma, not creative delay.
August 30 – 31, 2022 – Clarification and Goodbye for Now
Following media reports, the artist released a longer statement clarifying her position:
“I didn’t speak out because I wanted to completely destroy someone – I opened up because I wanted to forget.
My friends told me to forget such a person for my own sake.
But I couldn’t do that with my narrow heart, so I wrote with anger and sadness.
Now, I think I can let those feelings go. It’s okay.
In this context, “someone” refers to her former PD – the person who refused schedule adjustments even during her medical emergency. She explicitly asks readers and journalists not to attack or expose him, explaining that she shared her story to heal, not to harm. With this message, she stepped away from public communication, promising to focus on healing first.
Roxana: Tapas’ Role and the 2025 Controversy and return
In April 2025, Tapas published an unexpected announcement:
“The series will no longer be available starting August 29, 2025. Previously purchased episodes can still be accessed through the Tapas app.”
Tapas Announcement, April 8 2025
This caused concern among international readers, who feared the series would be permanently removed.
However, just weeks later, Tapas issued a correction:
“Following further discussions with the content provider, the decision has been made to extend the availability of the series, and Roxana will continue to be accessible on Tapas! Episodes 1, 2, and 3 are scheduled to be restored for free on June 6, 2025.”
Tapas Update, May 30 2025
This reversal confirmed that the removal was temporary and likely related to licensing updates rather than cancellation. Whether that means that Roxana will possibly return one day is unclear, but at least Fans can now still access the official version to support the creator. And at the end of 2025 Tapas released another very interesting Hiatus announcement:
Dear Readers,
Thank you for your continued support of <Roxana>! Season 2 has come to a close, so we will be taking a hiatus break before returning with season 3!
– Team Tapas – Dec 22, 2025
The back and forth around the hiatus announcement had already suggested that Roxana was likely to continue. After the original notice was revised twice, one version even referred to the period “before returning with Season 3.” The creator’s latest statement now removes the remaining uncertainty: she explicitly confirmed that she is returning to Roxana and plans to continue the series through to its conclusion. But another important thing to note is that Juniljus said Roxana will return with Season 2. I think that is an error on Tapas’ side because Season 2 has only had eight episodes so far.
Roxana: Why the Hiatus Happened
From all official statements, three main reasons stand out:
- Severe Health Collapse:
The creator suffered physical exhaustion, fainting, and complications from overwork. - Work Pressure & Scheduling:
Despite her worsening health, she was reportedly denied schedule adjustments. - Industry Conditions:
In later posts, she discussed broader issues – the lack of rest systems for webtoon artists and her hope for better working conditions.
Hiatus Timeline: Key Events for Roxana
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2021 | Medical emergency during launch period |
| Apr 22 – 26 2021 | First hospitalization (headaches, black spot in brain) |
| Sep 17 2021 | Recovery update |
| Jan 6 2022 | Hospitalization confirmed |
| Apr 5 2022 | Mental & physical collapse explained |
| Aug 29 2022 | Full account of miscarriage and ambulance hospitalization shared |
| Aug 30 – 31 2022 | Clarification & hiatus confirmation |
| Apr 8 2025 | Tapas removal notice |
| May 30 2025 | Tapas reversal – series remains available |
| October 1 2026 | Roxana Season 2 Release Date and Comeback confirmed |
The hiatus of Roxana is not just about one series. It also highlights the darker side of the webtoon industry. JunilJus openly talked about her health and the pressure she was under, which led to a lot of discussion among readers.
After years of uncertainty, the story is now officially continuing. JunilJus has confirmed her return and said that she plans to see Roxana through to its conclusion.
If you’re keeping track of ongoing romance webtoons, you may also be interested in updates about other series currently on break: Iseop’s Romance Return Date, My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me Hiatus, Will I Stan the Prince return?
