Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent? 2
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“Huu-!”
Leaning back against her chair, Choi Ji-min let out a deep sigh.
She pressed her fingers around her eyes, trying to chase away the fatigue.
‘So tired.’
She worked until 10 p.m. every night.
It was no wonder she was exhausted.
Even after getting home, she kept working.
Work was her life, her everything.
Hard worker.
That was the term for people like her, completely immersed in their jobs.
It hadn’t always been that way.
She used to love dressing up as a woman and enjoying her leisure time.
But after being dumped by the man she truly loved, she focused solely on building her career.
Before she knew it, she was in her mid-thirties.
She still had no man in her life, but she was recognized at work and in society.
She had plenty of financial stability too.
‘Should I take a short break?’
The thought crossed her mind occasionally.
But she quickly shook her head to dispel it.
‘What am I thinking? This is the most critical time at the company.’
Hanul Design was a well-respected firm in the industry.
When recognized, you had to aim even higher.
Knowing that full well, she pushed aside any thoughts of vacation.
‘Already lunchtime?’
Lunchtime was approaching before she knew it.
Checking her schedule, Ji-min confirmed she had a report to review.
‘How many revisions will there be this time?’
Her gaze turned to Jeong Tae-seong.
A junior designer in his second year.
His track record so far hadn’t been great.
He seemed to have a good sense for it, but he couldn’t properly respond to client demands.
As a result, she was the one fielding the complaints.
It had built up a lot of stress.
This time was no different.
It should have been ready for review that morning.
Pushing it off until lunchtime?
‘He still hasn’t shaken off that student vibe.’
She had no intention of letting it slide this time.
If he hadn’t handled it properly, she planned to give him a stern talking-to as she headed his way.
“Tae-seong, it’s lunchtime now. Is it done?”
“Yes, I’ll send it via email shortly.”
“No need. I’ll check it here.”
‘He probably didn’t do it right anyway.’
No point in getting an email and reviewing it again.
“Then have a seat here.”
Tae-seong yielded his spot, and she sat down.
‘He’s got a knack for this stuff.’
She settled in and stared at the monitor.
Then she froze, completely lost in it.
The image on the screen showed two hats embracing each other.
It wasn’t photorealistic.
It was a style closer to a fairy tale illustration.
Even so, you could feel how much the two hats loved each other.
‘Mom…’
Suddenly, memories of her late mother flooded back.
Back in high school.
Her mother, who had passed from cancer, and the warmth of her embrace brought tears to her eyes.
It was an emotion beyond words.
To convey that through a picture?
That’s when she noticed the neatly placed tissue box next to the mouse.
She glanced at Tae-seong, and he was looking away.
A small gesture of consideration, but exactly what she needed right now.
She wiped her tears with the tissue and stood up.
“Ahem, this is excellent. Send it via email right away.”
“Got it.”
Watching him nod as if nothing had happened and sit back down, Ji-min couldn’t help but look puzzled.
‘Was he always this thoughtful?’
Two years.
Not a short time.
In that span, Tae-seong had always seemed like an immature guy.
‘And that design skill…’
The most surprising part was the artwork.
Even digitally, it brimmed with emotion.
The fonts and colors matched perfectly—things she’d never seen from him before.
‘It’s like a completely different person.’
She wasn’t wrong.
Tae-seong’s appearance was the same.
But inside, he was a man who had lived 999 lives.
‘Good thing my old skills are coming back.’
999 lifetimes.
One of them included the life of a master painter whose name lived on in history.
A legend in that world.
Praised as a skill that would never be seen again.
And now it was reemerging in a small design firm in 21st-century Seoul.
On the cover design for a little cosmetics company, no less.
* * *
Jackpot.
That was the word for it.
The cosmetics Tae-seong designed sold out instantly upon launch.
The product itself was great too.
Eco-friendly, no preservatives.
All harmful ingredients excluded.
The best product for babies.
Priced reasonably too.
And topped with Tae-seong’s design.
The response was explosive.
[SiwooMom: You can feel a mother’s love for her child in this design.]
[SeaKidsMom: Such a wonderful illustration. I love the product too.]
[YeonwooMom: Loved the artwork so much I framed it. The cosmetics aren’t harsh and suit my baby perfectly.]
Seo Seung-il, CEO of Bio-C, the company behind the cosmetics, read the reviews with a troubled expression.
“All these reviews lead with the artwork.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Our product is good, sure, but that illustration…”
He turned to see his wife and vice president, Choi Jae-yeon.
She was the top contributor to this product’s development.
If even she acknowledged it, that said everything about the artwork.
“Definitely… we owe a lot to that design.”
“Let’s commission the next one from them too.”
“I’d love to, but…”
“Why?”
“I already inquired.”
A troubled look crossed Seo Seung-il’s face.
* * *
“Yes, Hanul Design. Yes, the Bio-C product? Yes, that’s our design. You’d like to commission us? From the same designer? Ah… I’m sorry, but that designer isn’t taking private commissions right now.”
“Sorry, that designer has so many requests we can’t fit you in anytime soon.”
After Bio-C’s cosmetics hit the market.
Requests flooded into Hanul Design.
It was a happy problem.
In this economy, commissions pouring in like this.
The issue was they all wanted one specific designer.
“We’ve got a whopping 30 requests for Tae-seong today.”
“Constant phone inquiries are disrupting work.”
Employee complaints were piling up.
Hanul Design wasn’t a big company.
Just nine staff members in a small design shop.
Five of them designers.
Lately, none of them were getting specified requests.
Hanul had a unique system.
Assign a designer to a job, and they got an incentive.
It boosted morale.
Gave a sense of purpose to the work.
Employees loved it.
The problem was the recent imbalance.
All requests going to one person.
Jeong Tae-seong.
He handled jobs with suddenly expert skill.
His design sense seemed reborn.
Products with his designs flew off the shelves.
To industry folks, Hanul’s Jeong Tae-seong became a brand unto himself.
Naturally, resentment built among the other staff.
Everything funneled to him.
But the complaints soon vanished.
First reason: his talent.
“Wow…”
“Looks so delicious.”
“Pasta for lunch today?”
Eyes glued to the sample.
This package was for pasta.
Carbonara illustration that looked tastier than a photo.
Especially the kid twirling noodles on a fork—pure bliss.
Tae-seong’s skills sharpened daily.
He never delayed schedules despite the influx.
Handled everything right on time.
And there was something else that quelled the discontent.
“Ugh…!”
Lee Min-jeong, reaching on tiptoes for the tissue box on the shelf.
But shorter than average, she couldn’t reach.
‘If I were just 5cm taller…!’
Grumbling inwardly about her height, she bit her lip.
Then a shadow fell, and a long arm grabbed the tissues.
Cracked muscles peeked through the white dress shirt—impressive.
“Here.”
“Ah… thanks.”
It was Tae-seong.
He gave a slight bow and returned to his desk.
‘Whoa… was Tae-seong’s body always that good?’
Lately, he was the talk among the female staff.
His skin looked clearer somehow, body fitter.
Looks unchanged, but overall vibe warmer.
The student aura gone.
Youngest in the office, yet he carried a senior’s presence.
Quiet, considerate—enough to make women’s hearts flutter.
That was reason two.
Hanul Design was female-heavy.
Six women out of nine.
Besides Tae-seong, two men—both sales, rarely in-office.
With complaints gone, he became the company’s lucky charm.
His package designs drove sales.
Company rep soared daily.
They could raise rates on requests, and clients didn’t complain.
Best of times for the boss.
But not so great for Tae-seong.