Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Signing in Shanghai
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Representative Kwon was busy.
He traveled back and forth to China himself, working hard to secure even better contract terms.
After about a month, a rough draft of the contract was ready.
-Writer-nim, have you checked the final contract?
"Yes. There don't seem to be any major issues."
-That's a relief. Before finalizing, Baikcent has invited you over. What do you think?
"An invitation?"
-Yes. Baikcent will cover all expenses and has invited you to China. They really want to meet you in person.
There was no real need for him to go to China just for the contract.
He had delegated full authority to Representative Kwon.
But with the other side politely extending an invitation, there was no reason to refuse.
Above all, he had no pressing schedule at the moment.
"Understood. Let me know once the dates are set."
-Yes! I'll coordinate with Baikcent and get back to you.
"Sure."
After hanging up, Tae-seong recalled his memories related to China.
'I've lived in places similar to China several times before.'
The Central Plains martial world.
Historically, it could be seen as ancient China.
But there were many differences, so he didn't think of it as the same world.
Still, having lived there made the trip to China feel fresh rather than daunting.
'This should be fun.'
It was his first trip since returning to his present life.
It felt like a trip worth commemorating in many ways.
* * *
Shanghai, China.
Home to Baikcent's company.
It was his first time in modern Shanghai.
"Wow—! I was vaguely scared of China, but it's more developed than Seoul?!"
Eun-ha Choi was delighted like a girl on a field trip.
Baikcent had invited not only the author Tae-seong but also the translator Eun-ha Choi.
As their translator, she was an important figure too.
"Shanghai is one of China's most developed cities. Especially the city center—it's famous for its stunning night views. We'll arrange some sightseeing after the meeting."
The publisher rep had come in person: Representative Kwon.
This showed how much effort he was putting into this China publication.
"Representative Kwon!"
Just then, a man approached.
Spotting the round-faced man, Representative Kwon greeted him warmly.
"Director Choi! Long time no see!"
"Haha! Long time indeed. How've you been?"
"Thanks to you, doing well. Oh, introductions. This is author Jeong Tae-seong of [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter], and the lady here is translator Eun-ha Choi."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Choi Young-min, director at Grape Books."
"Nice to meet you."
"Hello!"
"Director Choi Young-min handles the novel division in Korea and also oversees China operations. He's been a big help with this Baikcent contract."
"Thank you for your efforts on my work."
"Haha, no need. The work is so good, I didn't have much to do. You must be tired from the trip—let's head to the hotel."
"Yes."
They rode in a car arranged by Director Choi and headed to the hotel.
* * *
They unpacked at the hotel and rested.
In the evening, they moved to the meeting spot.
The meeting spot was one of the hotel's many restaurants.
"Baikcent seems to have put a lot of thought into this for you, Writer-nim."
Tae-seong smiled at Representative Kwon's words.
Everything prepared felt tailored to him.
From the hotel to the meeting place.
They minimized the movement.
It was very convenient for the author.
"Here we are."
The restaurant was Chinese cuisine.
Flashy and upscale.
The main hall was already packed with guests.
But they were led to a separate room on the second floor.
Inside, three people awaited.
"Come on in!"
The middle-aged man among the trio greeted them as representative.
Seeing him, Director Choi smiled brightly and bowed.
"Long time no see, Executive Director Lee."
"Haha! Doing well, Director Choi?"
"I'm the same as always. Introductions. This is author Jeong Tae-seong."
Director Choi stepped aside to introduce Tae-seong.
The middle-aged man hurried over and welcomed Tae-seong warmly.
"I've been dying to meet you! Author Jeong!"
"Thank you for the warm welcome."
"This is Executive Director Lee Bong-hyeon, who heads Baikcent's content division."
Tae-seong nodded at Director Choi's explanation.
An executive director was a high position in the company.
It was surprising that such a person had come personally.
After brief introductions of the others, they sat.
"Shall we eat first? Or handle business?"
Executive Director Lee Bong-hyeon gave Tae-seong the choice.
His gaze turned to Tae-seong.
"Let's handle business first, then eat comfortably."
"Agreed."
Executive Director Lee Bong-hyeon nodded to his subordinate.
Soon, documents were placed in front of each person.
"We've prepared them in both Chinese and Korean."
Baikcent was a global company.
They had plenty of experience contracting with other countries besides China.
They were pros at this, thoroughly prepared.
There were no major issues with the contract contents.
It was evident that Grape Books and Representative Kwon had revised it extensively.
The fact that it was similar to the Korean version was proof.
"We've set the advance at 300,000 yuan. If sales exceed expectations, we'll settle additional royalties."
300,000 yuan.
About 50 million won.
It was like receiving full royalties upfront as an advance.
Not bad.
Since no one knew how it would perform in China, it could serve as insurance.
"Do I sign both copies?"
"Yes."
Representative Kwon kindly pointed out the spots.
All signatures were completed.
Executive Director Lee checked the received contracts.
He soon nodded.
"Haha! Glad the contract went smoothly."
"Thank you for the favorable terms."
"What are you saying! We should be thanking you for the great work! Alright, shall we start dinner?"
Soon, a feast of dishes piled high.
Some featured China's signature spices.
But considering Tae-seong's group, most were light and easy to eat.
"The food is all top-notch."
"Is it to your taste?"
"Yes, very delicious."
"Haha! Good to hear. This place is quite famous in Shanghai, but I worried Chinese food's strong flavors might be off-putting."
"The originals probably have even stronger spices... You must have requested it in advance?"
"Oh ho, you know your food. Correct. With so many spice-heavy dishes, I asked ahead."
He definitely felt the hospitality.
It revealed Baikcent's high expectations for this import.
"We're planning a strong push for [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter]. The work is so good, the internal buzz is great."
"Thank you for the kind words."
"Right. I read the manuscript too—really fun."
The Baikcent male staffer who came with Executive Director Lee spoke up.
Early 30s, working in the novel division, named Wang Jo-guk.
"Yeah. Especially how each character's personality shines. And the nationality-specific traits were spot-on—impressive."
The female staffer's name was Yeo Su-bing, a team leader.
She handled the webtoon division.
"But I have a question."
"Yes, go ahead."
"I heard you drew the webtoon version of [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] yourself. Is that true?"
"Yes. I handled the art. Though my team helped a lot."
"Wow—! So you did both the novel and the art?"
"Yes."
"Amazing! We have many authors here, but none juggle both."
Novels and art are entirely different fields.
Juggling them is tough.
Plus, [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] had high quality in both.
Before being told, it was hard to believe one person did both.
"Wouldn't [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] make a great movie?"