Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent?
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Daesung Books.
It was one of the three largest bookstore chains in Korea.
The Gangnam branch, in particular, was spacious and featured a sleek, modern design that often hosted various events.
Early that morning, a huge crowd of women had lined up at this very location, where signings by popular authors were frequently held.
Each of them held the same book in their hands.
[Her of the Black Knight]
It was the original novel of the drama that had hit a peak viewership rating of 38%, establishing itself as the most popular show of the year.
Today, Daesung Books was hosting a signing event for the novel's author, Jeong Tae-seong.
With a massive fanbase, the author had drawn fans who arrived bright and early just to get his signature.
Tae-seong was chatting with the staff in the waiting room provided by Daesung Books.
"We're currently handing out numbered tickets, and so far, around 550 fans have shown up."
Department Manager Choi Hyeong-su from Grape Books explained, prompting Representative Kwon to express his amazement.
"Wow! If it's already 550, we'll probably end up with over a thousand by the end."
Representative Kwon had organized several author signings before, though not on a massive scale.
Even for authors classified as popular, only about one to two hundred fans would typically show up for a signing.
That's why most events were scheduled for just one to two hours.
This time, considering Tae-seong's name value and recognition, they had set it for four hours.
But if the crowd exceeded a thousand, even four hours might not be enough.
"Sales are through the roof too. The initial print run of 10,000 copies sold out instantly. We did a reprint of 20,000 more, and with pre-orders included, 10,000 of those are already gone."
Representative Kwon added his explanation.
Romance novels surprisingly had high sales volumes.
Even so, breaking 10,000 copies was rare.
And Her of the Black Knight had already gone into additional reprints.
At this sales pace, no one could predict the final numbers.
"It's about time."
The signing was set to start at 10 a.m.
As soon as Choi Hyeong-su checked the time and spoke, a Daesung Books staff member entered.
"Author! Everything's ready."
"Let's go."
Tae-seong said as he stood up.
* * *
"Wow! This is insane."
A man holding a camera in one hand remarked.
The middle-aged man accompanying him nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, tell me about it. This doesn't even look like an author signing—more like an idol or actor fan event. I'd totally buy it."
"Should we start with photos?"
"Yeah, from the entrance onward. Get some good shots."
"Yes, sir!"
They weren't the only ones.
Quite a few people were wandering around Daesung Books with cameras in hand during the signing.
Most of them were entertainment reporters.
Her of the Black Knight had been loved by the masses.
Even a month after its finale, the internet was still buzzing about it.
Its OST tracks held strong in the top ranks on various music sites.
And now, the original novel had been released.
Plus, Jeong Tae-seong had made waves with his cameo appearance in the drama.
It was perfect fodder for articles from the reporters' perspective.
'Still, this is impressive. A single author's signing drawing this big a crowd...'
Im Mun-gi was a reporter with 15 years of experience.
He'd covered all sorts of events.
He had reported on popular authors' signings before too.
But he'd never seen a crowd like this.
'The author's got professionalism.'
His camera zoomed in on Jeong Tae-seong, who was signing books.
He made eye contact with each reader handing over their book and smiled at them—it screamed pro.
'He's good-looking. Not standout like an actor, but definitely above average for a regular guy. Great vibe.'
Click-!
The female readers seemed to think the same; their smiles never faded during handshakes or chats with Tae-seong.
'Hm?'
That's when it happened.
A stylishly dressed woman stepped up to Tae-seong.
'That woman...'
He knew exactly who she was.
"Hello?"
Tae-seong looked up at her greeting.
She was elegantly dressed and made up.
"Hello. Thank you for buying my book."
"I really enjoyed it."
"Thank you."
She handed over her book.
But it wasn't just the book.
On top of it was a business card.
[Leo Entertainment]
It was from an entertainment agency that frequently appeared in news and TV.
"Give me a call when you have time."
She smiled at Tae-seong, who had looked up.
* * *
The signing event, which spanned three full days, concluded triumphantly.
Due to the overwhelming turnout, they had to extend the hours.
As a result—whether by coincidence or not—Her of the Black Knight sold out its initial and reprint runs, leading to yet another reprint.
It was the second reprint just one month after publication.
"Leo Entertainment, huh..."
Various things happened during the signing period.
He received tons of gifts, and a tiny few even cried while confessing their love.
They were minor incidents.
But the business card in his hand?
That was uniquely memorable.
Leo Entertainment.
It was a major agency packed with famous idols and actors.
'Contact from an agency...'
Not an everyday occurrence.
He'd gotten calls from all sorts of places before, but never an entertainment agency.
He knew what they wanted, though.
'Probably looking to sign me.'
Lately, TV had been full of shows turning non-celebs from professional fields into stars.
'Not really my thing.'
It held no appeal for Tae-seong.
He already had a ton on his plate.
Just handling those was eating up his time.
He couldn't take on more.
Slide-!
He tucked the business card into a drawer and turned to his monitor.
'Time to get ready.'
The manuscript for Otherworld Chef was wrapping up soon.
It was time to prepare the next story.
'What should I write this time?'
A smile crept onto his lips.
The thought of connecting with readers through a new tale already had him excited.
* * *
[Jeong Tae-seong, Holding Signing Event to Celebrate Her of the Black Knight's Release]
After the event, articles flooded various media outlets.
The response was explosive.
The public interest in author Jeong Tae-seong was sky-high.
Thanks to the image revealed during the drama.
Plus, Her of the Black Knight was highly praised among readers as an exceptional work.
It captured the subtle emotions of romance in a way that didn't feel like it was written by a male author.
Especially, the limited edition's webtoon bonus became a hot topic.
[Jin-gyuLove: Saw the webtoon in the limited edition? Quality is insane, right?]
[Tae-seongFan: Totally agree. Could start serializing it right now.]
[YeomTony: Didn't you know? Grape Books announced it's coming soon.]
Choi Hyeong-su didn't miss the buzz.
He announced the webtoon serialization schedule for Her of the Black Knight via Grape Books' main banner.
He also linked the novel for promotion.
The reaction was explosive.
Sales, which had dipped 30% post-finale, surged by 300%.
An incredible response.
Tae-seong was getting daily updates from Representative Kwon.
-We'll go all-out promoting on Grape Books until the webtoon launches a month from now. Same for online and offline after it goes live.
"Thank you."
After hanging up, Tae-seong checked the manuscript progress.
"Manager Han."
"Yes, Representative."
Han Seong-ho, who had been working on the manuscript, turned around.
When starting the company, the first thing Tae-seong did was assign ranks.
They had all been assistants before, but that wouldn't fly after incorporation.
So, he promoted the longest-serving Han Seong-ho and Yoo Min-kyung to managers, and the others to assistants.
"Care to chat for a sec?"
"Yes."
The two headed to the meeting room.
"How's the manuscript work going these days?"
"We're finishing up episode 3 and starting coloring on episode 4. Episode 5 is getting polished from the draft you gave us."
"Nice."
They had begun work on the Her of the Black Knight webtoon while preparing the limited edition bonus.
They got systematic during that bonus webtoon production.
Full production kicked off after the bonus was complete.
Tae-seong had been heavily involved early on.
But lately, assistants handled everything after he provided the initial drafts.
There was a lot of trial and error at first.
It was a new system, so adaptation took time.
After about two weeks, everyone started getting the hang of it.
Once adapted, things went as expected.
Speed picked up, and quality held steady.
With a bit more time, he expected even faster pace with higher quality.
"Serialization starts in a month, as we discussed. Previews will drop then too, so we need to stockpile as many episodes as possible."
"Got it. I'll remind the team again."
"But don't forget: quality matters as much as speed."
"Yes, I know."
"Good. I'm counting on you."
* * *
"I just sent the final manuscript for Otherworld Chef."
-Good work!
"The rest is on you."
-Yes, sir!
After hanging up with the editor, Tae-seong leaned back in his chair.
"Whew-!"
Another tale complete.
Otherworld Chef was a story drawn from a slightly special life.
In his previous life, Tae-seong had lived as a world-class chef before dying and awakening in another world.
A familiar place.
Dragons soared, monsters roamed.
But one thing was different.
"The food there was absolute trash."
Recalling it made him shake his head.
Having tasted the finest in his prior life, he couldn't adjust.
He felt like he'd starve to death.
So, he picked up the knife again.
He'd cooked since he could walk.
At first, his parents freaked out.
A toddler wielding a kitchen knife? Natural reaction.
But after tasting his food, they never stopped him again.
"It was fun."
Word of Tae-seong's cooking spread through the village like wildfire.
Villagers gladly paid for his meals.
As he grew, his fame spread further.
Beyond the village to the territory, neighboring territories, kingdoms, and empires.
Plenty happened.
Wars even broke out over who would claim him.
That's when he set down the knife.
He said no cooking if blood was spilled.
The wars stopped because of it.
Remembering brought a smile.
'Glad readers enjoyed it.'
They reacted with delight to Otherworld Chef, just as he'd hoped.
Now, for the next story.
He'd been mulling it over for days, and the outline was mostly done.
"Whew-! Let's whip up something light."
He'd just turned in the finale.
But he didn't stop.
A story he wanted to share with readers swirled chaotically in his mind.
He had to write it now.
He opened a Hangeul file and filled the blank page with black text.
Tap tap tap tap-!
[Return of the Sword Immortal]
The next story was a wuxia tale.