Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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“I don’t think it’s that bad.”
“But that’s how everyone feels, right? They stick like daggers.”
“Khuk khuk!”
At the word “daggers,” Kang Taek-jin could no longer hold back his laughter.
No, it was more accurate to say he didn’t hold it back.
“It’s for your own good, but I guess I need to soften it from now on.”
“It’s already too late. Classes end this week and next.”
“Then I won’t give any more advice starting today.”
“Ah! You can’t do that!”
Woo Ji-hyun closed his laptop.
It was a silent declaration that he wouldn’t look at the trainees’ manuscripts anymore.
Im Seung-hye hurriedly grabbed the laptop.
“What? You said it hurts and you don’t like it? Then just don’t get hurt.”
“Hey, why does it always turn into that? I never said I hated harsh criticism, Teacher.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right.”
Kang Taek-jin, who had been watching their exchange purely as a spectator, nodded.
Im Seung-hye had complained about the pain and the harsh words, but she had never said she disliked them.
“I’m always open to it. Like iron that gets stronger after tempering, I’m ready to endure.”
“But it hurts my heart, so I can’t.”
“Aaang! Teacher!”
“Now even her eyes look blinded.”
Woo Ji-hyun squeezed his eyes shut at Im Seung-hye’s aegyo, which didn’t suit her one bit.
Kang Taek-jin burst into roaring laughter at the sight.
It was genuinely entertaining to watch.
“That’s too much!”
“Don’t ever pull that aegyo on me again.”
“Then will you look at my manuscript again? And add comments?”
“I’ll think about it after I regain some peace of mind.”
“Tch!”
Im Seung-hye pouted and grumbled.
But Woo Ji-hyun didn’t budge, keeping his eyes firmly shut.
It was a silent order to leave quickly.
Seeing that, Im Seung-hye finally returned to her seat.
“It feels more like brother and little sister than teacher and student.”
“She still calls me Teacher, though.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, but seeing it in person is something else. Woo Ji-hyun as a teacher.”
“I still can’t believe it myself.”
They were already into week seven, but the word “teacher” and the act of instructing others hadn’t sunk in for Woo Ji-hyun either.
So he shrugged.
“You’re doing great. Keep it up till the end.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Tap tap.
Kang Taek-jin smiled and warmly patted Woo Ji-hyun’s shoulder.
Then he quietly left the classroom.
“Phew.”
After Kang Taek-jin left, Woo Ji-hyun gathered his thoughts.
He had been reviewing the trainees’ writing, but he still hadn’t made up his mind.
If they had zero talent, it would’ve been an easy decision.
The problem was that most of them had middling talent.
‘If they hold out till the end, or get lucky, they could make a living, but the issue is whether they have the grit and perseverance to keep writing that long…….’
No one knew the future.
Even if they quit, their talent was at least average.
It wasn’t nonexistent, but it wasn’t exceptional either.
But he had reached this point through the miracle of regression and sheer luck.
That was why Woo Ji-hyun couldn’t decide lightly.
‘The best thing would be for them to decide themselves, but they don’t know themselves well enough for that.’
As the trainees filled their seats one by one, Woo Ji-hyun muttered bitterly to himself.
Im Seung-hye had called it harsh criticism, but in the pro world, that was nothing.
In this industry where value was measured solely by rankings, no pro writer crumbled over a few words.
Most clawed and scraped to hang on somehow.
‘It’s already week seven, and it’s still not easy.’
As a senior, giving juniors dreams and hope wasn’t bad.
But as a senior, he also had a duty to show them reality.
Time gone by never returned.
For some trainees, it might be better to find another path now than waste time in vain.
“Teacher! Everyone’s here!”
“Got it.”
Had he dwelled too long?
Im Seung-hye cautiously spoke up.
At her voice, Woo Ji-hyun opened his closed eyes and scanned the trainees.
His gaze no longer wavered.
* * *
Jo Jin-gu had been pacing restlessly since morning.
He had arrived early, his face stiff as he wandered the office back and forth.
But no one thought it strange.
Everyone knew why Jo Jin-gu was so tense.
“Phew!”
“Aren’t you too nervous, sir?”
“It’d be weirder not to be. This is an overseas export deal. And not one we initiated—they sought us out.”
“That’s exactly why we should act relaxed. We’re the ones in control.”
Yeom Tae-seong spoke with feigned arrogance.
But Jo Jin-gu gave him an incredulous look.
“We do have the upper hand, but we’re not fully in charge. If the terms don’t suit them, they can just scrap it and leave.”
“That’s true, but…….”
“There’s only one thing we need to do: secure the best possible contract terms and export the content. Make sure it benefits our company and the author. You think they’ll sign if we go in with that attitude?”
“I’m sorry. I was short-sighted.”
Realizing his mistake late, Yeom Tae-seong bowed his head.
Jo Jin-gu let out a quiet sigh.
The company was doing well, but Yeom Tae-seong seemed too full of himself.
Frontier Management was the top agency, but it still lagged behind publishers.
“We can’t celebrate yet, Tae-seong. We haven’t caught up to the publishers. Sure, no one matches Big Hit on a per-title basis, but overall revenue? We can’t even touch the top publishers.”
“You’re right…….”
“So let’s work harder. Stay sharp.”
“Yes, sir!”
After reining in Yeom Tae-seong’s loosened mindset, Jo Jin-gu glanced at the wall clock.
Checking the time once more.
“They should be almost here.”
“Account for some delay. They’re coming from overseas.”
“That’s why they’ll probably arrive even earlier.”
Min A-rang, passing by with a file, glanced at the entrance and spoke.
She figured guests would arrive 30 minutes early out of courtesy.
Arriving too early was also impolite.
“Usually, yeah. We’ll see. They’ll need an interpreter too.”
“Leave it to me.”
Jo Jin-gu’s gaze turned to Yeom Tae-seong.
Surprisingly, he was fluent in Chinese.
Min A-rang was near-native in English too.
‘Compared to them, all I’ve got is this job.’
Unlike the two with their foreign language skills, Jo Jin-gu only spoke Korean.
Basic conversation was fine, but not contract talks, so he muttered bitterly to himself.
Knock knock.
A knock came at the door.
Three shadows appeared on the frosted glass entrance.
“They’re here.”
“Get ready.”
“Yes.”
Jo Jin-gu and Yeom Tae-seong stood as the three suited figures came into view.
Min A-rang hurried to the door.
The security system only opened for registered fingerprints, so she had to let them in manually.
Ssshh.
With a faint friction sound, the frosted glass door slid open, and the three entered the office.
Two men and one woman. The short, middle-aged man in the center scanned the office with slight tension, then locked eyes with Min A-rang and looked surprised.
Stunned by the rare beauty.
“This way, please.”
Min A-rang hesitated between English and Korean, then chose Korean.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. They were in Korea, so Korean made sense.
It wasn’t difficult anyway.
Plus, her expression was polite, not curt, so she saw it as standard courtesy.
“Ah, yes.”
Surprisingly, the small-framed middle-aged man—who seemed the leader—replied in Korean.
A bit awkward, but he understood.
Min A-rang’s eyes widened.
“He understands a little. The department head’s daughter is a huge K-pop fan. He picks up basic phrases.”
“Ah.”
The interpreter woman smiled and explained, so Min A-rang nodded.
She felt the power of the Korean Wave firsthand.
“Hello. I’m Jo Jin-gu, CEO of Frontier Management.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Feng Wei-yen.”
Following Min A-rang, Jo Jin-gu approached with a smile and offered a handshake.
Feng Wei-yen returned it with a smile.
In halting Korean, but the message got through.
“This way, please.”
“Yes.”
Jo Jin-gu gestured and led them to the meeting room.
Soon, both sides sat facing each other in the cozy, book-filled room.
“I figured green tea over coffee would be better, so I prepared it.”
“Thank you.”
Moments later, Min A-rang served organic green tea in elegant cups to the guests.
The interpreter relayed it to Feng Wei-yen.
“Looks like I won’t have much to do.”
“No. Relay their words to me. Interpreters can make mistakes.”
“Ah.”
“So listen carefully. Ears open.”
“Got it.”
Yeom Tae-seong, who had been sitting unobtrusively, nodded.
The contract discussion began in earnest.
“Manbai Publishing would like to acquire the rights to God of Martial Arts, Return. Both the ongoing webtoon and the novel. We’re also very interested in Woo Ji-hyun’s wuxia novel, though it’s not finalized.”
“We’d like to hear how you plan to sell it in Taiwan.”
With the female interpreter’s words and Yeom Tae-seong’s additions, communication took time, but neither Jo Jin-gu nor Feng Wei-yen minded.
What mattered was whether they could align their thoughts.
Language barriers kept them both on edge, ears attuned.
“First, like on Kakao Page in Korea, we’ll serialize translated webtoons and novels on our platform. We also plan physical books, though limited quantities.”
“Your platform?”
“Yes, take a look.”
Feng Wei-yen confidently pulled out his smartphone and launched the app.
A platform similar to Kakao Page appeared on his screen.
Jo Jin-gu’s eyes sparkled.
Like discovering a new continent.