Character Appeal (1)
"It's been a while since we met in person!"
Today, my editor paid a visit to my studio apartment.
She waved at me with a bright, refreshing smile.
"Editor Seo?! What brings you here?"
Her sudden visit caught me completely off guard.
"I came to help you brainstorm for your new project! Teehee! Since the only author I manage is you, HyeonseongSia, I actually have a lot of free time."
So she really has no work these days...
As she pushed up her glasses and spoke with a smug grin, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.
My editor, Seo Dahye.
A virgin turning thirty next year who looked great in thick, black horn-rimmed glasses...
...Or so she claimed.
Whether she was a virgin or not was none of my business.
"Still, dropping by without warning is a bit..."
"I just want to be helpful! If I lose you too, HyeonseongSia, I'll end up unemployed!"
It was incredibly awkward having my editor cling to me and beg like this.
I was pretty sure I wasn't the only author she was supposed to manage.
What on earth happened to her?
"Ed-Editor, please calm down first."
"Then set me up with a guy."
"Excuse me...?"
"Work hasn't been going well, all the authors I managed have jumped ship... and I'm a solo-since-birth virgin! I'm so lonely! *Waaaaah!*"
Whining in front of me, she looked just like a child.
I thought the editor's job was to take care of the author.
At least, that was my understanding...
But right now, it looked like the author had to take care of the editor.
If I said no, she would definitely make my life a living hell.
Let's see, a guy to set her up with...
Today is the weekend, so is that guy at home?
I should try calling him.
"Editor, stop crying! I'll call a friend of mine, so just wait a second."
"Really?!"
She looked at me with the pure, hopeful eyes of a child.
What a mess...
I was the one who was supposed to be coddled by my editor.
And yet, here I was, coddling her instead...
I could only sigh.
"Hyunseong, what's up? This is rare. Don't tell me you're calling about money again?"
"It's not about money... Are you busy right now?"
"No? Just watching TV at home."
"Then can you come over to my place for a bit?"
"Suddenly? Well... I don't have anything else to do, so I guess your hyung will make an appearance."
"Thanks. Come over right now."
"Sure, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."
I had called Geum Jeongho to pacify my editor.
I worried for a second about what I'd do if he didn't pick up...
But fortunately, he answered right away.
Thanks, Jeongho... And I'm sorry.
"Haha... My friend said he'll be here in fifteen minutes, so please wait a bit."
"Thank you, Author! I guess I'll finally lose my virginity before I turn thirty, right?"
"Please cut it out with the vulgar jokes."
"I'm not joking!"
"Ah... right..."
Is she really twenty-nine?
She acts like a total child...
"So, until my boyfriend arrives... what should we do?"
Has Jeongho already become her boyfriend in her mind?
Can Jeongho handle a twenty-nine-year-old virgin editor...?
Good luck, Jeongho!
"Oh, right! I forgot why I came here in the first place. Author, do you have a plot outlined for your new work? I'd like to take a look."
"Ah... actually, I haven't even started yet."
"What?! It's already been four days!"
It was true.
To increase my input.
I had been reading countless novels, not just on Yutonovel's Best Sellers list,
but diving deep into the abyss of the platform.
Time had flown by at the speed of light.
Forget a new plot—the stockpile for my currently serializing novel, I Want a Happy Ending, had completely run dry...
"Author, have you decided on a genre?"
"Not... yet."
I had read novels of countless genres during this time.
Gender-bender, NTR, harem, fantasy, romance, isekai, and more.
I read almost everything without being picky, but...
I still hadn't found what I truly wanted to write.
"How about the same genre as your previous work?"
"My previous work...?"
"Yes! Right now, you're lacking character appeal. The characters in your current serialization are a bit dry, if you know what I mean. They aren't charming at all."
I was amazed by my editor's sharp critique.
Indeed, looking at the recent comments...
While there were many comments praising my writing,
there were far more criticizing my characters.
I had tried adding new characters and tweaking their personalities to cater to the readers, but...
the response remained cold.
"But 'Lee Su-a,' the heroine of your contest-winning debut, My Childhood Friend is Not Honest, was incredibly charming."
"Lee Su-a..."
Lee Su-a.
A character I created using Sia's name as inspiration.
The heroine of my previous work, My Childhood Friend is Not Honest.
"Su-a loved the protagonist but couldn't be honest, so she was this timid girl who just watched him from afar. Seeing her go through so many hardships, gradually change, and finally confess to him... *Ah...* Just thinking about it again makes me emotional. The build-up was absolutely fantastic!"
Her personality was different from Sia's.
While she shared Sia's inability to be honest about her feelings,
unlike the prickly Sia, Su-a was an extremely timid character who couldn't even strike up a conversation with the protagonist.
"Your current work, I Want a Happy Ending, is also fun, except for the lack of character appeal. But readers these days tend to prioritize charming characters, so even when the cover art is released, it probably won't blow up."
"It... won't blow up?"
"How should I put this... The problem with your current work is that... it feels like you don't love your characters. Reading it, I get the sense that you're being dragged around by the readers. Catering to their needs is fine, but it doesn't work if the author doesn't actually care about the characters."
I guess an editor is an editor for a reason.
She saw right through me.
Lee Su-a, the heroine of My Childhood Friend is Not Honest, was a character I had poured my heart and soul into.
Since her name was inspired by Sia, I treated her as if she were Sia herself.
I loved her sincerely.
I didn't care whether the book sold well or not.
I had no other desires.
I only wanted the Lee Su-a I created to be loved by the readers.
Because of that, Su-a, filled with my affection, was highly praised by the readers.
But my next work, I Want a Happy Ending, was different.
In my struggle to write something of higher quality than my debut,
I wrote it based on research, reading through the top-ranking novels on Yutonovel.
The premise was something I wanted to write, but the characters were a different story.
I had simply copied characters from popular novels.
I didn't love the characters in my own story.
Imitation is the mother of creation.
They were characters created solely to make money.
Because I didn't love them...
they turned out so utterly unappealing...
"Hyunseong, your hyung is here. Wanna hit the PC cafe and play some games?"
While I was wallowing in self-reproach,
Jeongho's voice echoed from beyond the door, accompanied by a cheerful knock.
"Is... Is that him? The man who will be my boyfriend?!"
"Uh... probably...?"
My editor dashed toward the door like a starved beast.
"Huh...? Who are you?"
"Hello! I am twenty-nine years old, my name is Seo Dahye, and I'm a virgin! Nice to meet you. I currently work at the major platform Yutonovel, and..."
"Ex-Excuse me? You're squeezing too hard... Ah, it hurts... *Aaaaargh!* Why is this woman so strong?!"
"Let's go somewhere quiet and have a nice, long chat just the two of us!"
"Hyunseong...? You're inside, right? You crazy bas—*Ahhh!* Don't drag me away! Ryu Hyunseong!!! You motherfucker!!!"
Jeongho's screams pierced through the door.
I'm sorry for selling you out, Jeongho.
But my editor is a good person.
I hope you two find happiness.
And I'll borrow some more money from you later.
To create a character I could truly love,
I wanted to meet Sia, the person I loved most in the world, and get some inspiration.
So, I contacted her immediately and asked her to meet me at the park where we often went on dates.
"Hyunseong, I'm here. By the way, didn't you say you were busy lately?"
"I thought it would be nice to get a change of pace. Do you not like it?"
"It's not that I don't like it... In fact, I actually... li—"
"Hmm...?"
"N-Nothing! I just happened to be free, so I came out!"
Sia arrived just thirty minutes after I called her.
Even though she acted prickly toward me,
even that side of her looked incredibly lovely to me.
"Did you buy new clothes? I've never seen that outfit before."
It was my first time seeing Sia in short shorts.
A loose white t-shirt paired with black short shorts.
On top of that, her dark black thigh-high socks created a perfect absolute territory.
Sia's bold outfit.
It was the ultimate reward.
"Well... yeah. Ah! Don't get the wrong idea, I didn't buy this to show you! I just bought it because I wanted to!"
"Yeah. It looks really good on you!"
"Really?! I-I mean... I told you, I didn't buy it to show you!"
When I gave her a thumbs-up and praised her, she looked pleased for a split second before immediately snapping back.
But seeing the slight curl of her lips, she seemed to be in a good mood.
"Sia... can I hold your hand?"
"My hand...? S-Sure... Since we are a c-couple, after all..."
Even though we had been dating for over eight years,
every time I held her hand...
my heart fluttered.
As our hands clasped, both of our faces turned as red as ripe apples.
"I guess... even after eight years, I still can't get used to this..."
"Yeah... But I still l-like it..."
"Me too. I wish time would just stop like this. Don't you, Sia?"
"Yeah... Hyunseong... Do you think we can stay together forever?"
"We will be. I'll stay by your side forever. So please stay by mine, too."
"Okay..."
We just stood there in the middle of the park, holding hands and looking at each other.
Sia and I both wished with all our hearts that time would stop so we could be together forever,
but our time continued to flow quietly.