Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Is the Author Omnipotent?
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"What's the point of dwelling on old stories? We need to worry about how to grow our money from here on out."
"Who doesn't know that? That's exactly why it's the toughest issue."
In response to Father's rebuttal, Little Uncle spoke in a quiet voice.
"You remember that son of my friend's boy I mentioned last time? The one working at a securities firm in Yeouido."
"Oh, that friend of his who pulls in eight-figure salary?"
"Yeah. He gave me a tip this time."
"A tip?"
"It's not some weird theme stock like last time, is it?"
"No, I told you it's solid this time. It's a KOSPI-listed company with rock-solid fundamentals."
Big Uncle jumped in on Little Uncle's words.
"If the fundamentals are that strong, wouldn't it already be well-known?"
"I said it's not."
"Alright, alright, let's hear the story first. So, what does this company do?"
At Father's words, Little Uncle continued.
"It's called FineTech, and they're researching blockchain."
"That Bitcoin thing?"
"Something like it. Anyway, they have proprietary tech in development, and word is they're about to partner with a U.S. company using it."
"With a U.S. firm?"
"Yeah. But nothing's public on the surface yet..."
Tae-seong tuned out Little Uncle midway and pulled out his smartphone.
He searched for FineTech.
A simple homepage came up in the results.
'They're into blockchain, but not crypto-related. Using it for security systems, maybe?'
He skimmed the site and got a sense of their business.
Blockchain was a field he'd dabbled in himself once.
'The stock price...'
He closed the screen and checked the portal site's stock section.
'980 won per share.'
The issued shares were on the low side too.
'If they announce a strategic alliance with a foreign company like Little Uncle says, the price would spike on the news alone.'
It'd depend on the partner, but there was clear upside.
'Plus, it's built a solid base.'
Tae-seong pulled up the chart to review the history.
FineTech had listed on KOSPI five years ago.
It had peaked at 2,100 won once, but mostly traded under 1,000.
'The low was 811 won, just a brief dip. Probably panic selling on bad news. Or maybe the index dropped.'
It was the former.
Crypto bad news had tanked all blockchain stocks.
'Average low around 880 won. It's lingered there long enough to build a wall of supply.'
Tae-seong approached it with technical analysis.
To eyes that had lived the life of a legendary analyst, FineTech's chart looked prime.
'They're accumulating while suppressing the price.'
Someone was deliberately keeping it down.
With few shares outstanding and low market cap, a few hundred billion won could've scooped it up easy.
'When it breaks out, who knows how high it'll go.'
"Aw, come on! How could a company like that still fly under the radar?"
"I'm telling you, this one's really good!"
"You lost a ton last time on that friend's tip, remember?"
"Yeah, better to ignore that guy's advice."
"Is that so...?"
Big Uncle and the other adults' words were shaking Little Uncle's confidence.
But Father sat there deep in thought.
Tae-seong watched him silently.
* * *
On the drive home after Lunar New Year.
Father glanced at Mother while driving.
'The mood's off.'
He knew exactly why things were tense between them.
'They had a stock spat.'
Father was your typical middle-aged family man.
Retirement was just two or three years away.
He desperately wanted to build some nest egg.
'He burned money on stocks a few times before.'
It had sparked huge fights with Mother.
He'd stayed quiet for years, but with some financial breathing room lately, the itch returned.
They'd discussed it, and conflict erupted.
'I'll look into it more when we get back.'
Tae-seong wanted to help his father.
In the old days, he'd have stayed silent.
But now, he could.
'For now, keep quiet.'
Silence filled the car on the way home.
* * *
After Lunar New Year, Tae-seong headed to the studio.
He opened the door to find someone already there.
"Seong-ho, you're here early?"
"Ah! Author, you're in?"
Han Seong-ho held a rag in his hand.
The studio was spotless, not a speck of dust.
"Were you cleaning?"
"Just tidying up a bit. How was your New Year?"
"Good. You went home too, right, Seong-ho?"
"Thanks to you, I did. The gift cards you gave let me bring some presents home after ages. Thank you."
"No big deal."
For New Year's, Tae-seong had given gift cards to the studio crew.
Assistants didn't earn much.
Even heading home for the holidays, gifts could strain the budget.
Knowing that, he'd prepared them.
'Seong-ho's so diligent.'
Han Seong-ho was consistent as ever.
He was always first in after arriving.
And without being asked, he cleaned.
Never missed a day in over a year.
Impressive guy.
Tae-seong helped Seong-ho finish up and took his seat.
The other assistants arrived soon after.
They exchanged quick greetings and dove into the morning meeting.
"Season 2's serialization date is set. Starts March 11th, a month from now."
"Ooh!"
"Finally locked in."
"We have 11 chapters in reserve now. I'd like at least 20 by launch."
That meant drawing nine chapters' worth in a month.
Tae-seong's pace as lead artist was key, but the assistants' roles were crucial too.
"I know it'll be tough, but this break is prime time to stockpile. Let's push hard."
"Yes!"
"Got it!"
The assistants' morale was higher than ever.
Not just Seong-ho—they'd all used Tae-seong's gift cards to bring decent presents home.
Most were in similar straits.
Family always nagging about jobs.
At least this time, gift sets softened the glances.
Small cost to Tae-seong, huge impact.
"Alright, let's have a great day."
"Please take care of us!"
With Season 2 looming, they kicked off reserve stockpiling in earnest.
* * *
LitWorld.
The site where amateur writers could serialize most freely.
Even pros tested works here.
Real-time reader feedback was the killer feature.
LitWorld's boards split into three: Author Serialization, General Serialization, and Free Serialization.
Author Serialization was exclusive to pros who'd finished published works.
They got their own dedicated space.
[Otherworld Chef]
One such board popped up.
Plain enough at first glance.
But the author's name attached had readers buzzing.
[Jeong Tae-seong]
Half a year since [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] wrapped its mega-run.
In a genre market with fast serialization and hundreds of titles, branding your name was no small feat.
Especially when half a year could erase most from memory.
Tae-seong was one who stuck.
[Return of the SSS-Class Hunter].
Last year's hottest genre novel.
Record sales, clean finish—readers raved.
His new work.
It ignited from the jump.
[BlackDragonKing: Author! You're back! Waited forever!]
[RedChick: Whoa! New Jeong Tae-seong! Locked in for the honey drip!]
[Daybyday: Hooked from the start!]
[Kkiming: Trust Tae-seong reads. Approved? Yeah, approved.]
Episodes 1 through 5.
All hit over 5,000 views in a day.
Proof of his name's pull.
Comments topped 300.
Hype from the gate.
'Feels good.'
Second time serializing.
Still thrilling to see reactions.
Energizing, even.
Writing solo felt like solo battlefield.
But posting brought backup.
Never alone.
'Time to write.'
Tae-seong dove into the next episode.
[Otherworld Chef 4]
The filename pointed to volume 4 already.