Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent?
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Tae-seong handed over the paper he had prepared in advance.
It had the chart printed out exactly as is, complete with a detailed analysis.
"A friend of mine said someone's been quietly accumulating shares. Everything's analyzed on this chart, apparently... but honestly, I don't know much about stocks."
His father was already glued to the chart, seemingly not even hearing the conversation.
Tae-seong smiled as he watched his father.
Then he spotted his mother approaching the shop and quietly said,
"Mom's here."
"Oh? Oh, right. Yeah, Tae-seong. Keep this a secret from your mom for now, got it?"
"Yes, but please discuss investments with Mom first. That way, she won't feel left out."
"Hmm, yeah, I'll do that."
His father pocketed the A4 sheet just as his mother arrived.
"Sorry, was I late?"
"No, we just started too. Come on, let's eat."
"Today's on me, so eat up. Royalties came in today."
Tae-seong had made the first move, preempting any objection from his father.
* * *
One month later.
[FineTech Hits Upper Limit for 3 Days Straight!]
-FineTech, which secured a strategic partnership with America's E.N Group for security-related blockchain technology, continues its skyrocketing rise with three straight days at the upper price limit.
A smile crept across Tae-seong's lips as he read the article.
Having bought FineTech stock early, he was already up 120% on his principal.
The stock, which had been climbing steadily, had gone berserk three days ago following the news announcement.
'Dad must've made a killing too.'
The side dishes at home had gotten fancier lately.
His mother's face was lit up with a constant smile.
Proof that his father had consulted her before investing.
'Time to sell that fictional friend story again at the right moment.'
Seeing his parents happy filled him with joy.
Tae-seong closed the news article and turned back to his main work.
'Two weeks left.'
The paid serialization switch for Otherworld Chef was two weeks away.
He had plenty in reserve.
Tae-seong had already started on volume 5.
Even if they went paid right away, he had four months' worth of content secured.
'And Season 2 is going smoothly too.'
The webtoon was progressing perfectly as well.
Adding the assistant had been the right call.
'They're doing better than expected.'
The new assistants were faithfully fulfilling their roles.
The original two went without saying.
Even as they handled their own tasks, work on [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] had actually sped up.
'I need to step it up too.'
His colleagues were helping out.
It'd be ridiculous if he, the writer, didn't put in more effort.
Tae-seong straightened his posture and dove into writing.
* * *
Three days before Otherworld Chef switched to paid serialization.
CEO Kwon dropped by.
"Come on in, sir."
"Everyone's working hard—take a break and have some of this."
"Perfect timing, I was getting hungry. Thanks!"
"Enjoy!"
CEO Kwon always brought snacks whenever he visited the studio.
"I'll step out for a quick chat with the CEO. Relax in the meantime."
"Sure~"
"Got it."
Tae-seong headed downstairs to the first-floor café with CEO Kwon.
"I'm here today about that romance novel you showed me last time."
"You mean Black Knight's Her?"
"Yes. Actually, I showed it to a drama PD."
"I see."
"Yeah, the PD loved it. Said they really want to turn it into a drama themselves. It was their official stance."
CEO Kwon emphasized the "official stance" part.
"So, they've proposed adapting it into a drama."
"Exactly."
"What are the terms?"
"They want a full rights sale contract. Fifty million won."
When adapting a novel into a drama, broadcasters have two options.
One is the rights contract.
They buy the full rights and produce the drama accordingly.
Various scenarios are possible, but typically, the author gets a fixed payout regardless of the drama's performance.
The other is revenue sharing based on running guarantees.
In that case, the original author gets a cut based on the drama's success.
"Fifty million is on the high end for an adaptation fee."
CEO Kwon was right.
Original authors rarely made big money from drama adaptations.
Most hoped for promotion of the original work and boosted sales.
But exceptional originals could rake in more.
Black Knight's Her was one such case.
Fifty million was A-list territory.
"A drama, huh..."
It was unexpected.
Black Knight's Her was his first romance novel.
No telling how it would perform in serialization.
Yet here was a drama deal.
It showed CEO Kwon's skills exceeded his expectations.
"Could we tweak the contract terms?"
"The terms?"
"Yes. I'd prefer running guarantees over full rights sale."
"As I explained earlier, running guarantees mean your payout depends on the drama's performance. You okay with that?"
"Yes, no issue."
Truth be told, fifty million was pocket change to Tae-seong either way.
Just from [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter], he'd already cleared hundreds of millions.
Plus, royalties in the tens of millions hit his account monthly.
CEO Kwon didn't know, but stock gains were piling up too.
Money no longer bound Tae-seong.
"And one more condition."
"Go ahead."
"For the female lead casting, I want them to use the actress I choose."
It was an unusual request.
Tae-seong stated firmly, seeing CEO Kwon's surprised expression.
"If the broadcaster rejects this, we can walk—no hard feelings."
"Understood... I'll convey your wishes."
"Thanks. And thank you for securing such good terms."
"No, no—it's what I do. Oh, how about a team dinner tonight? The assistants have been working hard; might as well treat them to some meat since I'm here."
"Sounds good. I'll check with them."
"Yes!"
That evening.
The studio family enjoyed a hearty fill of hanwoo beef for the first time in ages.
* * *
Lee Se-ha.
The name of the heroine in Black Knight's Her.
She was a real person.
She didn't exist in this world, but in Tae-seong's 39th life—the one he had lived before.
There, she had lived.
And stayed by his side for life.
Thirty-nine lives.
Reincarnation sounded glamorous, but repeating life 39 times brought immense stress.
Especially betrayal, jealousy, envy, greed.
Experiencing humanity's dark sides over and over wore him down.
He lost trust in people and distanced himself.
Even in reincarnation, he sought something to immerse in.
In his 39th life, it was the law.
Upholding justice.
Becoming a prosecutor who enforced it fairly for all.
That was what Tae-seong pursued in his 39th reincarnation.
He lived it.
He made the rich dodging justice through loopholes, the powerful pulling strings—all face judgment.
No mercy.
Those bribing him got extra punishment on top of their crimes.
Five years passed like that.
People started calling him the Black Knight.
And kept their distance.
Out of fear.
Of harm from associating with someone who targeted the mighty.
Then one day.
A woman approached.
Lee Se-ha.
'I want to be a prosecutor like you, sunbae.'
She said it with a bright, confident smile.
She followed him everywhere.
Imitated him in everything.
Studying, dealing with criminals, enforcing the law.
From one to ten—she copied it all.
Even punishing the powerful.
As time together grew, he learned her past.
Days of suffering from ignorance of the law.
A shattered family, a deceased father.
She too had been betrayed by people.
But she didn't break.
She overcame with unbreakable spirit.
Just one life.
Her shining presence in it melted his distrust of humanity.
Tae-seong fell in love with her.
She felt the same.
They naturally shared love, leading to marriage.
Even after, they worked as prosecutors, upholding the law for years.
Until the very end, together.
'It's her story.'
He couldn't entrust her role to just anyone.
At minimum, he wanted to pick her stand-in.
Then his phone rang.
It was CEO Kwon.
"Yes, sir."
-Writer! The PD said okay. They'll accept your input on the actress casting.
"And the other conditions?"
-All accepted. They'll go with all your terms.
"Got it. Let's sign the contract."
Black Knight's Her.
Tae-seong's first romance novel was contracted for drama before it even hit the world.