Will Roxana Ever Come Back? What We Know About the Hiatus

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.

However, behind the elegant art and intense storytelling, the creator was quietly struggling with serious health problems that eventually led to a complete hiatus. Here is everything we know.

Roxana Hiatus and possible return date: 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.
• There is currently no confirmed return date, and the creator has not indicated whether she plans to resume the series.

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.”

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.

Roxana: Why the Hiatus Happened

From all official statements, three main reasons stand out:

1. Severe Health Collapse:
   The creator suffered physical exhaustion, fainting, and complications from overwork.
2. Work Pressure & Scheduling:
   Despite her worsening health, she was reportedly denied schedule adjustments.
3. Industry Conditions:
   In later posts, she discussed broader issues – the lack of rest systems for webtoon artists and her hope for better working conditions.

Will Roxana Ever Return?

Although many English summaries and fan discussions suggest that the creator expressed plans to continue Roxana, none of the verified Korean posts support this. In the original statements she shared on Twitter, the creator never said that she would return to the series, nor did she make any promise about completing the story in the future. Her public messages focused entirely on describing her health struggles, the circumstances that led to the hiatus, and her need to recover. Any quotes circulating online that imply a confirmed comeback – such as “Roxana will return one day” – do not appear in her original Korean posts and should be treated as inaccurate. At this time, there is no official statement from the creator indicating that she plans to resume the series.

Tapas’ initial plan to discontinue the series suggested that a cancellation was likely. However, the fact that they reversed this decision leaves room for interpretation – it may indicate that the platform is keeping the door open in case the creator ever chooses to return. While this does not confirm a continuation, it means the series is not being treated as definitively cancelled either.

Hiatus Timeline: Key Events for Roxana

The hiatus of Roxana reflects both a personal tragedy and a systemic issue within the webtoon industry.
JunilJus’ honesty about her health and overwork has sparked sympathy and discussions among readers and fellow artists.

While fans are still waiting for Roxana’s continuation, it’s clear that the artist’s health must come first.
And with Tapas confirming the series remains accessible, readers can at least hold onto hope that one day, both the story and its creator will return.

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?