Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent?
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“All three are related to illustrations, right?”
“Yes, the main reason readers get so immersed in the story is the characters. Adding illustrations of Park Jin-gyu and Lee Se-ha as special extras is sure to get a great response.”
“Hmm, of course, we’re fine with that. It doesn’t cost much to produce either. But wouldn’t it be better to throw in a physical product?”
Illustrations surprisingly didn’t cost much.
Things like mugs or keychains actually ran up higher expenses.
If leftovers piled up, disposing of physical goods was a bigger hassle too.
Illustration items, on the other hand, were easy to store.
They took up so little space.
Disposing of them was straightforward as well.
Even so, he brought up physical products for sales reasons.
Female readers tended to prefer something more practical.
It was backed by data, so Representative Kwon was pushing for physical merch.
“No, I think illustration-related items would be better than physical goods. And if we slip in a special webtoon as the last one, the fans will love it.”
“A special webtoon?”
“Yes. Season 2 is wrapping up soon, so I’m thinking of starting work on the Black Knight’s Her webtoon.”
“Oh! That’s fantastic news! So you’re putting that webtoon in as the special extra.”
“Yes, we’ll produce a portion for the extra, then service the rest through Grape Books. It’ll boost limited edition sales and give us solid promo too.”
“That’s a brilliant idea!”
“I’ll compile the details and email them over. As for the illustrations, my office staff can handle that.”
“Got it. We’ll sort out the pay accordingly and send it over. We’ll make sure it’s top-tier industry rates.”
Tae-seong’s drawing skills were already proven.
He knew the skills and diligence of his office staff too.
Above all, it was an investment to keep the writer Jeong Tae-seong happy.
Tae-seong knew that, but replied nonchalantly.
“Thank you. I’ll send the email soon.”
Tae-seong knew his own worth well.
Which meant he knew exactly how to leverage it.
“Let’s have a quick meeting this morning.”
He hung up and gathered the office crew.
* * *
“So, I’d like to entrust the limited edition illustrations to all of you.”
Twenty minutes into the meeting.
Tae-seong had explained everything that happened.
The first to speak after was his 22-year-old assistant, Baek Chang-o.
“Um... I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“If we do this work, will we... get paid for it?”
His tone was incredibly cautious.
Korean society had this weird quirk.
People got super hesitant talking about money.
Especially in business with acquaintances.
Even though it was just labor for pay.
“Of course. The exact amount isn’t set yet. But I’ve got YK Books’ promise for top industry rates.”
The assistants buzzed.
Top rates meant serious cash.
“Of course, we’ll split this pay between you all and me.”
Tae-seong had brought in the contract.
He planned to run things this way going forward, so he wanted to set it straight from the start.
“The split is 9 to 1.”
The assistants’ faces fell.
They’d assumed they’d get the 1.
“You all get the 9 share to divide up.”
“Really?”
The youngest, Choi Gil-yong, asked with wide eyes.
It was rude, but the others felt the same, so Tae-seong let it slide.
He nodded to confirm again.
“Going forward, if similar jobs come through the office, you’ll get 90% to split.”
Bright smiles lit up the assistants’ faces.
They already had their studio salaries, and now side gigs on top—naturally, their income was spiking, and so were their moods.
“Of course, we can’t let the current work slip.”
“Yes!”
They answered in perfect unison, like they’d rehearsed.
“We’ve got an illustration poster planned. I’ll handle the roughs for that. Who was confident in illustrations again?”
Tae-seong looked at Han Seong-ho.
He was seeking input from the assistants’ unofficial leader.
“Gil-yong has real talent for illustrations.”
“Then Gil-yong, you take the illustrations. I’ll send the sizes once YK Books emails them.”
“Yes!”
“Next up are the cards. There’s a good chunk of work—20 character cards needed. Chang-o and Sang-jun, you two handle it.”
“Got it.”
“Yes.”
After assigning those, Tae-seong turned to Han Seong-ho and Yoo Min-kyung.
“And you two, join me on the Black Knight’s Her webtoon.”
“A webtoon?”
“Yes. Right after SSS-Class Hunter’s Return Season 2 ends, we’ll serialize Black Knight’s Her.”
“We’ve got about four months till Season 2 wraps.”
“One month to finish the finale drafts, then we shift full focus to Black Knight’s Her.”
Han Seong-ho’s expression darkened briefly.
It vanished in a flash, but Tae-seong caught it.
“We start in three days. Schedule’s tight, so prep ahead.”
“Yes!”
Meeting over, Tae-seong tapped Han Seong-ho’s shoulder.
A “let’s talk” gesture.
Han Seong-ho got it and followed him out of the office.
Only when they reached a quiet spot did Tae-seong speak.
“Something bothering you?”
“Honestly... if we keep this pace with our current staff, it might be a stretch.”
Tae-seong figured Han Seong-ho had two worries.
First, losing personal work time.
Han Seong-ho was already good enough for agency offers.
More studio work would eat into that.
Second was the studio strain he’d just voiced.
Hearing it, Tae-seong smiled.
‘This guy cares about the studio as much as I do.’
He’d half-expected it.
Han Seong-ho’s sacrifices so far only came from real affection.
“We’ll bolster the staff soon.”
“Boltster?”
“Yes. I’ll set up a spot soon to lay out my plans. Trust me and hang tight, even if you’re curious.”
“If you say so, Writer... alright.”
Tae-seong patted his shoulder as he nodded.
* * *
YK Books sent the official offer.
One illustration included.
Pay: ten million won.
True to their top-rate promise, solid terms.
Illustration cards: one million won each.
Top-tier again.
Finally, the webtoon: three hundred thousand won per panel.
Two chapters’ worth, totaling about twenty million won.
Just the extras came to fifty million won.
Add hardcover and production costs, and it’d be massive.
A glimpse of how much YK Books was investing in Black Knight’s Her limited edition.
“Everyone, let’s kick off work. Roughs are up on the cloud. You’ve each got your folder—use the passwords I emailed to log in.”
“Yes!”
The assistants’ voices brimmed with energy, more than ever.
They were earning pay they couldn’t snag solo.
Effort now meant real rewards.
Motivation surged, naturally.
“Let’s get to it.”
“Got it!”
* * *
Tae-seong finished all the base roughs.
But the job wasn’t done.
He oversaw everything, pointing out fixes in the assistants’ work.
“Put a bit more care into Lee Se-ha’s hair here. And their embrace looks off—tweak around the hands.”
“Yes.”
“Try recoloring Park Jin-gyu on card 1.”
“Got it.”
“Card 10’s a rare one. Extra attention.”
“Yes!”
With Tae-seong steering, work sped up smoothly and steadily.
‘It’s going as planned.’
Tae-seong didn’t see this as just a gig.
It was his experiment in building a team.
‘Assembling a team’s easy. Capital pulls talent. The trick is making it click organically.’
Tae-seong’s core work was creation.
Making new things—that’s the gig.
It clashed with standard company pipelines.
Having run a company, he saw the gaps clear as day.
‘Office workers just follow processes. Creators venture into the unknown, birthing new stuff.’
Even pros couldn’t predict reader reactions pre-release.
That kept the adventure going.
Adventure bred fear.
Get swallowed by it, and slump hits.
Tae-seong had been there, multiple times.
‘Keeping slumps at bay—that’ll be my role.’
Someone to steady them.
Give solid advice, pump them up.
Editors should do it, but they’d never felt a creator’s doubts.
Tae-seong had lived it all.
He could advise right.
‘Best part: working with the team frees up my time.’
He’d worried this collab would steal from main work.
Surprisingly, no.
Time allocated efficiently.
Sharing tasks even sharpened the assistants’ focus.
‘Nail the system, and the upsides stack.’
Issues to fix first, though.
Like the workspace.
Their current studio was a one-room officetel.
Fine for pure work space so far.
But more people? No way it’d hold.
‘Time to snag a real office.’
Time to dip into his savings.