Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Remake
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📧 PD Email 📧 Writer-nim. Would it be possible to wrap up the ongoing series within the next 20 chapters?
A death sentence for his work had arrived from the PD.
"Haa..."
Truth be told, he'd half-expected it.
The view counts had plummeted compared to launch.
Purchases were down too, and the remaining readership was less than 20 percent of what it had been at the start.
But there was still so much story left.
And there were readers who stuck around, faithfully following along.
So he'd planned to end it in a way that minimized the damage to those readers.
"...Guess I'll have to cut it off here."
The point where the story's tone truly shifted, in his mind.
He'd wrap it up just before that turning point.
By then, most of the hooks and mysteries from the early chapters would be resolved.
The protagonist wouldn't fully achieve their goal, but they'd at least wear a happier expression than in the beginning.
Having worked as a webtoon artist for so long, he couldn't help feeling some lingering attachment.
How many creators actually reached the ending they'd envisioned?
Unless they were serializing on one of the mega-platforms.
Far fewer than you'd think made it to their intended conclusion.
Due to personal issues.
Worsening health.
Or insufficient income.
That was just how the world worked.
A reality where even finishing your own story was a struggle.
'At least this isn't the worst outcome...'
Still, he decided to accept it as a decent result in this industry.
A few days after posting the finale.
The comments were full of pleas to shake a carrot emoji or pleas to continue on a personal blog.
But he couldn't bring himself to pick up his tablet easily.
Regret?
He had some, but a moderate amount could fuel ideas for the next project.
Anger, then?
No. If anything, he was grateful for the chance to serialize such an ambitious work on a platform beyond his league.
'Can I write something even better than this...?'
Anxiety.
That was what blocked his path forward.
He had savings, and side gigs to supplement, so this year was fine.
"Haa..."
But he wasn't living just for this year.
No proper home, just scraping by on monthly rent next year and beyond.
No girlfriend meant expenses weren't sky-high, but irregular income demanded tightening the belt.
That's why the email had irritated him.
📧 Fan Email 📧 Hello, Writer-nim. I'm a fan who really enjoyed 'The Regressing Hero Heads to the Battlefield to Die'.
A message saying they'd enjoyed his work.
The business-like subject line had him clicking frantically, expecting an offer.
But the content made him mutter a curse.
"What... bullshit..."
His excitement crashed into this prank:
'If you upload the remaining story to your personal blog on the original schedule, we'll pay you 1.5 times your platform salary.'
Too drained to deal with such nonsense, he blocked the sender and flopped onto his bed.
"Haa..."
A sigh heavy with mixed emotions.
Lying there blankly, he scrolled through the comments on the finale, reading each one again.
💬 Comments ⭐ Top Comment — Anonymous Finale? Just like this? (Recs: 192 / Disrecs: 2)
— Anonymous Writer-nim, if you were threatened into an early finale, draw a carrot in the afterword pls (Recs: 112 / Disrecs: 3)
— Anonymous No professionalism... Who’s gonna read your next work if you bail like this? (Recs: 230 / Disrecs: 58)
Of course, readers didn't consider the author's circumstances.
They had no reason to.
In the vast webtoon market, artists supplied entertaining stories, and readers consumed them for fun.
He knew these reactions were natural.
But that didn't stop his chest from aching a little.
Closing his eyes, he let his wandering thoughts drift.
Suddenly, the blocked email resurfaced in his mind.
He knew it was a prank.
Even if it wasn't.
"...Let's bite."
The lingering love and regret for his unfinished story pushed him to fall for the obvious gimmick.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After yoga with Jisoo, I got home and my phone buzzed lightly.
Checking it, there was a reply to the email I'd sent earlier.
"Oh, it's here."
I tossed my gym bag haphazardly in the entryway and checked immediately.
📧 Reply Email 📧 Hello. This is writer Remarling.
I read your email. Thank you for enjoying the series, and for the generous offer.
I'd love to continue, but with the finale out and contract issues, posting the sequel on a personal blog isn't realistic.
Instead, I'd like to propose remaking it—twisting the platform version to follow my original vision. Would that work for you?
It might not match what you expected. If you're still okay with that, could you detail the payment terms and other conditions?
A pretty lengthy response.
Skimming it, one thing jumped out immediately.
"...So he didn't end it because he hated where it was going."
Sending the email, I'd worried maybe the writer had bailed because he disliked his own direction.
No matter how plain the afterword, readers couldn't know the behind-the-scenes talks.
But if he was seriously considering it like this, he hadn't given up midway.
"Remake, huh... Could be even better."
Filled with anticipation, I typed out specifics on payment and terms, then hit send.
A few days later.
An email arrived with a blog upload notice and a link.
Clicking it, there it was.
The webtoon I'd been waiting for, in solid quality.
"Ooh..."
The art was even better than the original.
The story tweaked just enough to feel fresh, even knowing the whole plot.
'Remake was the way to go.'
Remakes got a bad rap sometimes, but great ones existed too.
Like this.
'Now I've got something to look forward to again.'
With that, I cheerfully resumed my morning routine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ LiliaToon, a mid-sized webtoon platform.
Not as massive as the giants, but with subsidiaries giving it decent scale.
They scouted and contracted artists, ran ads on sister sites for traffic.
And specialized in edgier webtoons hard to find elsewhere.
A platform hustling to avoid being overshadowed by the behemoths.
Among its PDs scouting and managing talent was one.
"Did you see writer Remarling posted a new work on his personal blog?"
A bespectacled female PD asked her stone-faced male counterpart.
Lee Jowan, the PD who'd discovered several of LiliaToon's hits.
He shook his head indifferently.
"Nah. Too busy to check every obscure artist's blog posts."
"Aw, that's harsh. He was your charge."
"So?"
"You were all buddy-buddy at launch, but now you talk like you don't know him."
He cleared his throat lightly at her jab.
"...I had high hopes for that one personally, but it tanked weirdly. Disappointing. And at some point, he started distancing himself from me too, so my mood soured..."
PDs were supposed to guide artists to better work, but Remarling had felt uncontrollable.
Plot overly swayed by comments.
Protagonist shifting from bold launch vibes to hesitant worrywart.
Once readers mass-dropped, the series crumbled beyond PD salvage.
Poor performance wrecked artist condition.
Ruined artist wrecked the PD in turn.
So Jowan chose distance and early finale.
Dragging it out would've hurt the writer more and distracted from other duties.
The pragmatic call.
"...Anyway, got it. I'll check it out later."
The female PD smiled, satisfied, and left.
Sighing briefly, he pulled up Remarling's blog.
About 5 chapters' worth.
The title alone told him it was a remake of the one he'd axed.
'Without a word?'
His eyebrow twitched.
Not obligated to notify, but as his former PD, a heads-up would've been courteous.
And damn, it was good.
The early hype had been real; this felt unburdened, pure creation.
'...Maybe keep an eye on it.'
He bookmarked the blog for regular checks.
Just in case.
Couldn't let another platform snag the talent.