ch 271
Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 271
One-hit wonder.
Originally a term used in popular music to refer to an artist who achieved major success with only one song.
In our industry, it also refers to writers who achieved great success with only one work.
There's a negative connotation that they only succeeded once, but personally, I think the fact that they succeeded even once is amazing in itself.
With my newly serialized work "I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy," I too ascended to the ranks of one-hit wonders.
There were times when I worried it might be a flash in the pan, but with each episode that was serialized, more readers sought out my writing.
I signed a contract with a company that has a decent reputation in the industry under favorable terms, and a webtoon adaptation was confirmed alongside the paid serialization.
Usually, webtoon production based on web novels takes a considerable amount of time.
At minimum one year, but unusually, we found a studio in just three months and started the webtoon when we reached episode 150.
Normally, novel writers leave the webtoon entirely to the studio, but I participated in the webtoon production as well.
Setting everything else aside, I absolutely could not allow the faces of Luciel, Se-jin, and Eunseo that I knew to come out as completely different images.
Besides, I had already written everything up to the conclusion.
While they weren't completely identical, they were at least similar to some degree.
When the webtoon was released, the response was even more explosive.
It dominated the serialization platform, and I made more money than I could have ever imagined before.
Due to the nature of the genre, a drama adaptation was impossible, but it was translated and expanded into overseas markets.
The response was particularly good in Japan, and I heard they were even producing an anime in collaboration with an animation studio.
It might not be comparable to famous overseas works like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but it was truly an enormous success - about as much as could be earned with a single work in the web novel industry.
So much so that the company requested if I couldn't write it as long as possible, but I couldn't accept that request.
Because my story only went that far.
I didn't want to write a follow-up work either.
They say once you succeed, people will applaud even if you produce crap, and indeed, my previous works that had terrible performance also saw their revenue increase significantly as this work became successful.
But I no longer wanted to write anymore.
Though I also didn't intend to give up everything and think of dying like before.
"Author?"
Oh, I was in the middle of an interview.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else. What was the question?"
I had already announced my retirement, so I had refused several times, but they contacted me so persistently that I had no choice but to accept.
"I heard your reason for declaring to stop writing. So I asked what your future plans are. You're still young, after all."
Indeed, I'm only thirty now.
"I'm trying to live as kindly as possible."
"Pardon?"
"It's a bit out of the blue, isn't it? But as I said, I want to live kindly for the rest of my life. Actually, well... it's not that I've been living wickedly until now, but it doesn't seem like I've been living kindly either."
The interviewing reporter still looks puzzled.
"Are you perhaps going to convert to a religion..."
"It's not that. Now that my livelihood issue is resolved, I plan to live by helping people in need around me. If I have the means, I'll also donate, and if possible, I'll do things like scholarship programs and volunteer work."
"Marriage plans... do you perhaps not have a girlfriend?"
For a moment I wondered if this person was interested in me, but there's a ring on the left ring finger of the interviewer's hand.
Of course.
Even if there was one, I have no intention of that at all.
"I'm not interested in dating or marriage. Well, it's not that I like men or anything like that. It's just that I've been living alone for so long that being alone is comfortable."
That should be an appropriate answer.
Fortunately, the interviewer seemed to notice that I was feeling uncomfortable and didn't ask any more questions in that direction.
After finishing the interview, I drove to the supermarket.
Diapers and formula, various snacks, drinks, instant noodles, and rice.
One cart wasn't enough, so I went back and forth three times to fill the car.
What I said in the interview about living by helping people in need wasn't just to package myself as a good person.
I'm actually doing volunteer work, and I was supposed to go to an orphanage today.
Just as I was about to start the car, I felt a vibration in my pocket.
It was the president of the volunteer group I had recently joined.
"Yes. This is Lee Min-chan."
"Min-chan, we're about to leave now. When are you coming?"
"I'm also just leaving now. I think we'll arrive around the same time."
I hung up the phone and departed.
It wasn't far from the supermarket, so I arrived in about 30 minutes.
[Hana Orphanage]
This wasn't my first time, so I entered and headed toward the cafeteria with familiarity.
After parking and getting out, I could see the director and the group members.
"Hello."
"Min-chan, welcome."
"I stopped by the supermarket on the way and bought some of the things you mentioned last time. Could you help me unload them?"
"Of course we should help."
"You bring things like this every time. Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it."
I exchanged greetings with the director who bowed several times and carried the items I had brought.
I thought about providing cash support or donating to an organization, but both the group president and my internet research showed that charitable organizations like that often use the money for operating expenses, and not much actually goes to support people in need, so I try to buy and donate items directly like this rather than cash when possible.
It's troublesome, but I have plenty of time anyway.
After that, I played with the children for a while, then helped prepare lunch and finished the meal.
Later, I replaced lights in the orphanage and repaired broken toys and equipment, and before I knew it, it was evening.
The orphanage director asked me to stay for dinner, but I had an appointment, so I left the orphanage.
This time I came to a shabby rental house.
After parking and waiting for a moment, one familiar car entered and honked its horn.
Soon, a man got out of the car and approached me.
"Big brother!"
The existence that, along with writing, made me not give up on life - my younger brother.
"Si-woo, you're late?"
"I came straight after work, but the traffic was terrible."
This guy is already twenty-six.
"Excuses. There are grapes and Korean melons in the back of my car. Go get them."
"To take to grandma?"
"She likes grapes and Korean melons."
The place I came to was my maternal grandmother's house.
Although it's a place full of trauma for me, as it appeared in the highest difficulty of the Trial of Origin, my brother and I entered the apartment building without hesitation.
"15th floor, right?"
"Oh, you remember that."
"Do you think I'm as stupid as you?"
After severing ties with my parents, I naturally stopped contacting other relatives as well, but a few days ago my brother told me that our grandmother was in the early stages of dementia.
I thought about it a bit, but decided to visit.
It was my mother who was bad, not my grandmother's fault.
My grandmother had a somewhat stern personality, so I didn't feel close to her, but I remember that she always cared a lot about us.
During holidays, since our family was struggling financially, she would pack more things for us than for other aunts' or uncles' families, and she secretly gave us pocket money too...
"Big brother, aren't you getting out?"
"Yeah. I should get out."
The corridor-style apartment at the very end.
This is our grandmother's house.
I used to come here a lot when I was young.
When I pressed the doorbell, my youngest aunt opened the door.
"Who is this? Min-chan, it's been a long time."
"Hello."
Grandmother was watching TV, and fortunately she recognized me and was very happy to see me.
Since I hadn't visited for several years.
I massaged her shoulders a bit and we ate the fruit I brought together.
"The grapes are long and elongated like eggplants."
"They're imported grapes. The name was Black Sapphire, I think? Like Shine Muscat, they have no seeds and you can eat the skin, so you just need to wash them."
During the conversation, she sometimes mistook Si-woo for our late grandfather, but her condition doesn't seem as serious as I thought.
She ate the fruit well... I feel much more at ease.
"Let's go now."
"Yeah. Grandma, I'll visit again later."
I said goodbye to grandmother and my aunt and came back down to the parking lot.
"Big brother, how about a beer?"
"I brought the car."
"We can call a designated driver. You buy the alcohol."
"You have work tomorrow."
"Ugh, that's right."
"Tomorrow is Friday, so let's drink tomorrow. Bring your girlfriend too. I'll buy something delicious."
"Then beef?"
To my brother who asked jokingly, I said okay and returned home.
The first floor of the villa I bought with my first settlement.
I took out a small loan when I bought it, but now I've paid off the loan completely, so it's entirely my house.
Actually, even if I decided to buy an apartment, I could afford it, but since I live alone, I don't need a big house.
A 3-room villa is sufficient.
After washing and lying on the bed, I was checking tomorrow's schedule when, huh? I got a call from the administrative office of the high school near my villa.
I had visited the school a week ago saying I wanted to give scholarships to students who try hard regardless of their grades each semester but have difficult family circumstances.
They said they would look into candidates, and it seems they've made selections.
They asked me to come to the school tomorrow, so I can visit the school and meet my brother for dinner.
I turned off my phone screen and the lights, but I couldn't fall asleep.
Maybe I should have just had a beer and come back.
Tomorrow is also quite packed.
There's a reason why I suddenly decided to live by volunteering and donating like this.
Previously, I vaguely thought that if I didn't have to worry about making a living, it would be fine to help people in need, but I didn't think I'd go this far.
Originally, I was going to finish writing and turn my back on the world, but I changed my mind because I have a goal.
I know that there is an afterlife.
When you die, you go to the King of the Underworld and are judged according to your conduct in this life.
When I was first judged in the underworld, I was exactly in the middle - neither particularly good nor evil - so I was destined to be reincarnated normally.
If it hadn't been for the luck of being the 7,777,777th soul to be judged.
Maybe such luck will follow me again this time, but honestly, the possibility is slim.
So I decided to live as kindly as possible, doing my best in this life.
Because instead of asking to go to heaven, I'm going to ask to be able to meet my precious people once more.
I decided to visit my parents separately this weekend.
Of course, the situation hasn't changed from before.
I vowed not to attend their funerals even if they died, and honestly, that feeling hasn't changed even now.
But if I can see everyone again, there's nothing I can't do.
***
"Sister? Sister!"
I opened my eyes to Lumiel's voice.
"Shin-hyeok is..."
"...Brother-in-law already made his wish."
If he made his wish, he must have already left.
Even though I tried so hard to stop him, he even made me faint.
He's really too much.
"Sister, are you okay?"
"...I'm okay."
It's a future I foresaw from the moment I broke free from the shackles of the Demon Realm Tree and raised my level with my master's help.
No, even if I hadn't known such a future, I would have thought that the Shin-hyeok I know would definitely make a wish.
I still tried to stop him just in case.
"The outside world has already been reset in time."
"Right. Then we need to go meet our old man first."
The first thing Shin-hyeok requested was about Master.
If we don't go find him quickly, he'll become an immortal.
"Sister... are you really okay?"
"Of course. Lumiel, you know, don't you?"
"I know. Whatever happens, you never give up on anything that's yours."
"Right. You know me so well."
As expected of my little sister.
"But..."
"But what? It's okay. I've already finished all the preparations."
I patted the back of Lumiel, who had a worried expression, a couple of times, said goodbye, and left through the Hells Gate.