New Serialization (6)
May was already drawing to a close. June meant finals at university.
"Ugh. Studying is such a pain in the ass. I'm just gonna read novels instead."
"...How does this oppa only cram on the day of and still get good grades? I don't get it."
"Heh. Guess my brain's just that good."
"Seok-chan hyung, you're being a total buzzkill."
"You little shit, you're getting bolder with me every day, huh?"
"Just your imagination."
"Ha-yeon unnie, teach me how to study~ Let's compare notes."
"Which ones?"
"Ugh, that total nerd's simping for Raccoon again..."
"Kyaa!"
"...Getting played by Ji-kyeong. It's not comparing— she's just showing him hers."
The students were starting to gear up for exams. That's when Lee Seok-chan, the one in their group with zero interest in tests, turned to the side.
"Hey, Joo-hwan. You not studying?"
Seo Joo-hwan shrugged. Exams weren't his priority right now—writing was. Ever since meeting Choi Mi-hwa, he'd been getting steady feedback, completely overhauling and polishing the early chapters. He'd only just started serializing it recently.
"Planning to cram just the day before."
"That's my buddy."
Lee Seok-chan grinned proudly, but Jeong Ha-yeon shook her head.
"You two the same? He's working instead of studying."
"Yeah, shut up. I'm working too."
"You working?"
Jeong Ha-yeon's eyes went wide. Lee Seok-chan working? Had he picked up a part-time gig? Oh, right—she vaguely remembered him mentioning stocks or investments last time.
As she eyed him with fresh curiosity, Lee Seok-chan puffed out his chest proudly.
"Diligently reading novels is my job~ See? I read and give spot-on feedback! Doesn't that make our Seo-writer nim write even better stuff? Right, Joo-hwan?"
"Mine's a military story."
"? So?"
"You're exempt, you bastard."
"Gah. Suddenly my middle school ACL surgery from back then—!"
Lee Seok-chan dramatically clutched his knee, pretending it hurt.
According to him, he'd been a star striker on the middle school soccer team. But tragically, he'd torn his ACL badly and needed reconstruction surgery...
Then Jang Deok-hoon spoke up with a skeptical look.
"Seok-chan hyung, didn't you say you played soccer last week too? As a forward."
"Kyaa. And I scored three goals for a hat-trick? Skills haven't dulled yet."
"...Doesn't that mean you could enlist?"
"Hey now. Even if I wanted to, they exempted me at the physical. Seok-chan's too delicate for marches and such."
"...Bullshit."
"Huh? Did you just curse at me?"
"Just your imagination."
Jang Deok-hoon glared murderously at Lee Seok-chan's knee. His own body was so ridiculously healthy he'd scored a Grade 1 and had no choice but to enlist. He felt profoundly grateful for his healthy parents and accident-free life all over again...
Lee Seok-chan cackled and slapped Jang Deok-hoon's shoulder.
"You punk, when you enlist, hyung'll throw you a huge send-off. I'll even shave your head myself."
"Oh, I wanna join in on that."
"Right? It'll be hilarious."
"Let's film it. Uhahaha."
"Even Joo-hwan hyung..."
Jang Deok-hoon shot Seo Joo-hwan a betrayed look. But the already-discharged guy just cackled along, like it was none of his business. That was the essence of guy friendships.
Jang Deok-hoon clamped his mouth shut and glared daggers at the smugly grinning Lee Seok-chan.
"...Hyung, can I just punch you once? I'll go easy."
"Hey now, Deok-hoon. I'm your hyung, not a friend."
Jang Deok-hoon occasionally rebelled against Lee Seok-chan like this, but he was fundamentally respectful to elders. Still, even he couldn't help cursing at the thought of enlistment.
"Fucking hell..."
He couldn't straight-up call his hyung a motherfucker, so he muttered it quietly to himself.
*
Seo Joo-hwan logged into LitLover. He wanted to check on his recently started serialization, I Regressed to the Day Before Enlistment.
"Ugh. This title, seriously..."
Even as the author, the creepy title gave him chills. His real-life similar experience made it trigger full-on PTSD.
"At least I regressed to my last days. Dodged a bullet."
What if he'd actually gone back to the day before enlistment, like the title? Regression was an unmatched opportunity, so he'd have powered through somehow. But the sense of loss and despair in that moment? Just imagining it gave him goosebumps.
I wanted a different title.
For the record, this nightmare title was Choi Mi-hwa's idea. Non-mainstream genre meant pulling aggro with the title at least. She insisted on keeping it or switching to something even more clickbaity post-monetization.
"Gotta change it to The Regressor's Barracks Life later."
His own naming sense might not be much better, honestly...
Comments first.
Seo Joo-hwan deliberately checked comments before stats. Like checking his horoscope. Good reactions meant good metrics ahead—a comforting thought.
"Whoa. Fanart?"
Seo Joo-hwan's eyes widened as he double-checked the comments. He'd gotten plenty during his previous series too. But "fanart" was always a mood-lifter, quality be damned. Grinning ear to ear, he closed the comments and checked the stats.
"Kinda meh..."
He smiled with an ambiguous expression, just as he'd said. Thanks to Choi Mi-hwa's advice, it was performing better than expected. But objectively? Still meh, since his baseline had been rock-bottom.
15 chapters in, 3,000 favorites. Not bad. But compared to The Possessed Master is a Martial Arts Public Enemy's 8,000 at the same point? Sigh-worthy.
Seo Joo-hwan shook his head, shaking off the disappointment.
"Whew. Not doing this for the money. Just enjoy writing. Only 15 chapters so far."
He muttered it like a mantra to calm down. But how could he not care about the cash? At least the "promo message" option remained a comfort.
"Hit 15 chapters—time for promos."
Could've started from chapter 1, no biggie. But he thought back to his reader days. He hated instant promos. Better wait till 10+ chapters so people had something to judge. Plus, trauma from creators dropping after a few chapters killed his enthusiasm for early follows.
I get it, though.
As a writer now, he understood free serialization reactions dictating hiatuses. Hobbyists aside, you couldn't cling to unprofitable work when livelihood was at stake. Better than ghosting post-monetization, even.
Readers mostly understood too. Plenty cheered them on for the next one. But only once or twice.
Repeat it, and trust erodes.
Once trust dipped, early chapters got skipped. Worst case, they blacklisted the pen name till completion or ignored entirely. Standard reader stance.
Seo Joo-hwan knew it well—as a reader first.
"Money's whatever. I'll finish no matter what."
He steeled himself again and sent group promos to previous readers. Short and sweet: new series notice, title, genre, quick intro.
...Stick to 1 chapter a day for now. Stockpile till then.
Dumping three or four daily like last time wouldn't build enough audience pre-monetization. Writers always wanted max eyes on their work.
Then his smartphone buzzed.
"Yo, hyung. Where you at?"
Seo Joo-hwan snatched it up like he'd been waiting.
"Yeah, hyung. You almost here?"
"Almost there. Anyang Station, right?"
"Yup. Be right there. Others say anything?"
"Both said they're almost here."
"Ah, right. They live together. Anyway, heading out now. Might beat you there."
"Okay. You called us to Anyang, so you're buying?"
"What? Isn't that what elder bros do?"
"Yah, I just got out not long ago! Too busy to even meet up."
Lee Jeong-hoon grumbled like he was genuinely hurt. He'd been Seo Joo-hwan's army junior, discharged about a month ago.
Seo Joo-hwan chuckled.
"Why you being so clingy, hyung? You were busy too."
"Don't remind me. 'Friends' drag me into work right after discharge... Tsk. Fine, hyung'll buy today."
"Hey! Don't take jokes seriously. It's your discharge bash—I'm buying, duh. Prep for all-nighter drinks."
Seo Joo-hwan grabbed his jacket and headed out. Lee Jeong-hoon let out his signature hearty laugh.
"Sounds good. Been too long—let's make it a double date with the four of us."
Today marked the reunion of the four who'd met at a Hongdae club.