Born in Incheon, Ryu didn’t want to study humanities or technical studies and instead decided to study creative writing at Goyang Arts High School, which he considered to be a romantic alternative. He wrote fiction and went to college, and even made some money. His autobiographical novel You Think Age Is Going to Change Me? was published independently, and together with Safehouse Inc., he released the Ryu Yeonwoong Short Stories audiobook collection. He dreams of pioneering the field of black comedy in Korean literature, and is working hard towards that goal.