Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Is the Author Omnipotent?
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“It seems to have caused quite a stir in China.”
“I see.”
The video had been uploaded two weeks ago.
Right the day after the incident.
“At first, the response wasn’t all that great. But once the news outlets picked it up, the reactions started pouring in.”
Word of mouth is a scary thing.
The views exploded in no time, and the media began covering it more prominently as a result.
“But it wasn’t on YouTube, right? Does it still blow up like that?”
“Ah, you probably wouldn’t know, Author, but YouTube is blocked in China. They have their own platforms like Youku and Tudou. Their reach within China is actually even greater than YouTube’s.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Anyway, once it caught attention on both sites, people’s focus shifted to who this mysterious good Samaritan was.”
“Is that so?”
“Baikcent plans to use this for marketing.”
“Marketing?”
“Yes. If we reveal that you were the good Samaritan while people’s interest is at its peak and do an interview...”
“It’d naturally promote the work too.”
“Exactly. Securing media coverage is something Baikcent can easily handle. But they wanted your approval first, so they reached out.”
Promotion is crucial.
It’s why countless companies and films pour astronomical sums into it.
Plus, Tae-seong had lived one of his 999 lives as a marketing expert.
‘Even the best product won’t necessarily succeed without promotion. Especially in a flood of new works every day—without it, it’ll just get buried in the mud.’
To a writer, their work is like a child.
Especially [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter], which was Tae-seong’s first life laid bare to the world.
He wanted as many people as possible to read it and connect with it.
He’d achieved that in Korea.
But whether it would work the same in the massive China market was anyone’s guess.
And now, a golden opportunity had arisen.
No reason to let it slip.
“I’ll cooperate fully.”
“Great decision! If the media mentions the title, the promotional effect will be huge!”
President Kwon beamed.
He knew full well the value of promotion.
An issue like this could be a massive boost if handled right.
The only hurdle was the author’s willingness.
Now that was settled, they’d go all in.
“I’ll pass that along to Baikcent, then.”
“Yes, please do.”
* * *
A few days later.
A message came from President Kwon.
[President Kwon: It’s hit the news in Shanghai.]
There was a link attached.
Clicking it brought up a Chinese news clip.
The report was mostly accurate.
‘Oh? That’s Executive Director Lee.’
The surprise was that Lee Bong-hyeon had done the interview himself.
He handled it smoothly, like a pro.
And he made sure to drop the title too.
‘Baikcent’s really going all out.’
Proof of how much they were expecting from this.
Now it was just a matter of waiting for the results.
Serialization was still a month away.
But thanks to this, Baikcent had decided to start early.
Better to serialize before it faded from memory.
Tae-seong agreed, so it was set to launch in a month.
‘The results are up to the readers.’
Until then, he’d focus on what he could control.
‘Time to write.’
He opened the word processor and placed his hands on the keyboard.
[Title: Black Knight's Her]
A new story.
The genre was fantasy romance.
* * *
‘Whew—! This is nerve-wracking.’
President Kwon sat in a café.
It was on the first floor of Tae-seong’s office building.
He’d come today at Tae-seong’s invitation.
[Let’s talk about the next work.]
‘Well, it has been half a year since [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] wrapped up.’
Last year’s biggest hit.
It had turned Tae-seong into a star author overnight.
Every publisher and agency in Korea was desperate to sign him.
YK Books was no exception.
‘We’ve just been too busy to bring it up.’
Novel to webtoon adaptation.
China expansion.
It had all happened in a flash.
And with the author handling the webtoon himself, finding the right moment had been impossible.
But now Tae-seong had brought it up first.
Ding-a-ling—!
The café door opened, and Tae-seong walked in.
“Sorry I’m a bit late.”
“No, no.”
They exchanged brief greetings and sat.
Coffee was set before them, and they dove right in.
“I’m currently writing my next work.”
“Already started?”
“Yes, I’m working on volume two right now.”
“Volume two?”
Tae-seong’s writing speed was downright mechanical.
But volume two already?
Way faster than expected.
“And I just finished volume one of another one.”
“What?”
“Any issues?”
“Oh... no. From what you said... you’re writing two new novels at once...?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re also prepping the webtoon, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
He was even gearing up for season two of the [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] webtoon version.
Sure, he’d expanded the office staff, but they were support.
Tae-seong was still the main artist.
‘Other webtoon creators struggle with one episode a week...’
And Jeong Tae-seong was prepping two novels on top of that.
‘When does he even sleep?’
Unbelievable.
“President?”
“Ah, sorry.”
“No worries. Here are the two novels I’m working on.”
Tae-seong handed over his smartphone.
“Title’s Otherworld Chef, huh.”
“Yes. Modern setting, but with fantasy elements.”
President Kwon started reading as Tae-seong explained.
Soon, Tae-seong’s voice faded into the background.
He was hooked.
Tae-seong stopped explaining, watched, and sipped his coffee.
* * *
President Kwon’s scrolling finger halted.
Nothing left to read.
“Gasp! Sor... sorry.”
Snapping out of it, he apologized profusely to Tae-seong.
“No, it’s fine. Enjoy it?”
“Yes, it was incredible. Time flew by.”
No exaggeration.
After chapter one, nothing else registered.
He was lost in the story.
Devoured straight through to volume two.
‘It’s been ages since I got this immersed.’
He reads dozens of novels daily.
Plenty are fun.
But ones that make you forget everything? Rare.
Otherworld Chef was one of those.
“The setup with the protagonist, who rose to the top as a chef in another world, returning to modern society as a chef—it’s fresh. And using otherworld cooking knowledge? Unique twist.”
Most regression or return stories feature mages, swordsmen, or martial artists.
But Otherworld Chef starred a cook, as the title suggested.
“Plenty of cooking stories, but this kind of protagonist? Rare. It’ll hook readers right away.”
Hundreds of novels drop daily.
Readers decide fast—maybe five at most before moving on.
Otherworld Chef grabbed you from the start.
“And your storytelling prowess? Proven with [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter]. Readers will trust and follow.”
“Thanks for the kind words.”
“Just facts. Now, the second novel...”
He handed back the phone.
“I’ll read it back at the office. If I start here, I’ll zone out till the end again.”
“Appreciate that.”
Now out of the story, President Kwon faced a dilemma.
‘How much to offer?’
Tae-seong was already top-tier.
What sum would seal the deal?
[Return of the SSS-Class Hunter]
Not just the novel—webtoon success too.
Best-performing webtoon from a novel original.
China launch incoming.
Baikcent’s full backing.
Success wasn’t guaranteed, but solid results expected.
Contracting the next work from that author?
Had to tread carefully.
“First off, thank you for showing YK Books your next works first.”
“No problem. [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] blew up thanks to your support and YK Books.”
“That means a lot.”
President Kwon was genuinely touched.
Fame and fortune change people.
But not Tae-seong.
Same as day one.
“So, I’d like to do my next works with YK Books too.”