Dagger to the Heart is one of those Webtoons that instantly hooks you. The character design feels fresh (an assassin who actually has scars on his face and hands? Yes please) and the art is absolutely gorgeous. It feels dynamic and new, definitely something to get you out of that Otome Isekai loop. With only 13 episodes, artist Oori managed to amass a whopping 3.2 million views.
But after just 13 episodes, the updates stopped. Here is what happened and whether the Webtoon will ever be back.
When will Dagger to the Heart be back? TL;DR
- Dagger to the Heart went on hiatus in March 2025. The series will continue, and the creator is actively working on it.
- There is no official release date yet, but Oori is feeling better and is currently working on buffer episodes.
- The reason for the hiatus was Oori’s health. As she explained on Instagram, she developed an eating disorder and lost a significant amount of weight, which left her without the strength to continue working on the series.
What is Dagger to the Heart about?
Dagger to the Heart has a very iconic start – the first meeting of the protagonists has the FL on the ML’s lap. I know it only has 13 chapters, but just the art alone is reason enough to read this one. It seems to be a great enemies-to-lovers story, and the dynamic between the MCs is a lot of fun. Also, finally a dark-skinned FL. We love to see it.
How hard is it to kill a princess? Rafael, a cocky assassin, takes on a job to kill Sazet, the princess of the empire, but soon finds that she is not the easy target he thought. When they are forced to team up, Rafael must decide if he will bury his dagger in her heart…. Or if his will be captured first.
Hiatus: Why it has been so quiet around Dagger to the Heart
The last episode was published on March 13, 2025. The episodes aren’t free to read but locked behind a paywall. Beyond a simple “Dagger to the Heart will return” announcement from Webtoon, there was no additional explanation for the sudden hiatus. It has been very quiet around the series’ page for a few months.
From her Instagram posts, it’s clear that Oori is an introvert who, as she puts it, “tends to go missing often.” She has been open about experiencing “mental bumps” in the past, including struggles with impostor syndrome and negative thoughts – though that was before Dagger to the Heart. She has explained that she posts fewer updates because her brain “works better when [she] doesn’t have to stress too much about keeping or checking socials.” Still, she has said she’s actively trying to carve out a space for herself on social media, even though she’s shy.
In January 2025, shortly after the launch of Dagger to the Heart, she posted:
I’m really shy when it comes to interacting with people I don’t know and my introvert levels needed some recharging after the launch
The Hiatus Notice – and the Reason Behind It
In a Valentine’s Day post on Instagram, she announced that there would be a “brief” hiatus:
I also want to take this post to let you all know that Dagger will experience a brief hiatus 😔 I’ve been having some health concerns that are affecting my work and I feel really guilty about leaving you without warning about updates, so hopefully this period of time will be super useful to resolve that.
After that, things went quiet. In November 2025, she returned with a heartfelt and honest post to update her fans about what had been going on:
Recovery and a Hopeful Outlook
The most recent update about her health was in December 2025, when she stated:
Health wise, I’m almost fully recovered from this awful year 😭✊✊
I’m a little sad because there are things I just can’t eat yet (like cheese… and I freaking love cheese 😔), but I’m back to my work routine and I’m getting things done I couldn’t months ago. So, even thought slowly, I’m getting there!!
Since then, Oori has shared two more posts introducing both of her main characters. She also mentioned that she is currently working on buffer episodes for Dagger to the Heart. Fans can likely expect a comeback this year – but that is only speculation on my part, of course. There is no official release date yet.
