**I read this book through unofficial translations from Korean to English**
[Using this listing as my marker for the THGLL Side Stories (25 chapters)]
The side stories were a nice-to-have. It didn't add much to the overall story but it was still enjoyable to read. It seemed like the author used this as a way to tie up some loose ends and give us updates on how some characters were faring 1-2 years after the System disappeared.
Chapters 1-10 were entertaining because it covered Lee Sayoung and Cha Eui-jae fulfilling their promise on what they were going to do after the Apocalypse was over, and Eui-jae's internal crises during these chapters were funny.
The rest of the chapters were alright. They covered Ham Seok-jeong's loneliness, Hong Ye-seong getting a new Kkokko in the form of a white puppy, Honeybee and Matthew, aquarium date shenanigans, and closing off Ga-young's story.
The ending of the side stories felt a bit sudden, especially when it felt like there were so many other things that could be covered regarding the characters and the story. However, the way the author decided to end it was sweet, with the final lines being "It's okay to have secrets. Because they know it's for each other", which justified how both Sa-young and Eui-jae still had secrets and past experiences that they kept from each other - experiences that even we, the readers, don't get to read about - but they don't pry because they understand that if it were truly important, they would have shared it with one another.
I think there's also a bit of beauty with how abruptly the ending came. There's still so much more we could see, like Sa-young and Eui-jae getting a house together and witnessing their lives when their powers are fully gone, but in a sense... we don't need to see it. Because the Hunter wants to live quietly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.