Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Once Again, Writer
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Woo Ji-hyun trailed off.
No man hated a pretty woman.
And Woo Ji-hyun loved beautiful women, too.
It was just that the beautiful women never seemed to like him back.
‘Especially in my past life.’
His past life had been a string of failures, just like the saying about sky-high ideals and a cesspool reality.
And his love life had been no different.
With standards set impossibly high and no grasp on reality, most of Woo Ji-hyun’s life had been spent alone.
No wonder he’d coughed up blood and died in that two-room apartment.
‘I told myself I’d live differently this time, but nothing’s really changed.’
An odd expression crossed Woo Ji-hyun’s face.
His position as a writer had improved, sure, but in the big picture, he was still just writing away.
Still, he wasn’t disappointed.
His dream of becoming the top writer, reaching the pinnacle, was slowly coming true.
“So you need to be more aggressive, too. If you like a girl, go for it right away. Asking for her number isn’t that hard, right? Don’t tell me you don’t have the guts?”
“As if. I’ve played the field plenty. Clubs, hookups—I’ve done it all. Getting a number? Piece of cake. I just never hit on girls who had boyfriends. But anything else? I’ve tried it.”
“Ooh, really?”
“Wanna head to Gangnam tonight? It’s been a while.”
An Jin-jeong’s pupils shook for a split second.
He’d unwittingly taken Woo Ji-hyun’s bait.
But then, unexpected reinforcements arrived.
“Pfft! Gangnam’s nothing special. It’s just loud.”
“On weekdays, it’s not even that crowded. Not many spots stay hot every day.”
“Exactly, yeah!”
“Hoo. You girls know your stuff. Frequent visitors?”
Woo Ji-hyun chuckled at the three women piling on in perfect sync and asked.
All three clamped their mouths shut at once.
Just like a man didn’t want his past revealed, the same went for women.
“W-We’ve been a few times. After turning twenty.”
“Just curious to check it out.”
“Wanted to see how it works. As writers, I thought getting some experience would be good…”
“Why the guilty faces? Plenty of underage kids sneak in. You didn’t beat anyone up or steal, did you?”
“Underage?”
Im Seung-hye, mid-excuse, widened her eyes.
The unexpected word had shocked her.
An Jin-jeong, already tipsy, reacted the same.
“Yeah, I saw one once.”
Woo Ji-hyun gave an awkward smile, unable to say she lived next door now.
He smoothly raised his glass.
“What, you think they’re rare? Back in our day, fake IDs got us into clubs all the time. Kids flashing IDs older than they were.”
“You know it. I was in that crowd(?).”
“Not anymore. You’re doing great now.”
“Working my way back to my real age.”
“Pfft!”
An Jin-jeong burst out laughing.
Woo Ji-hyun’s last line had been too hilarious.
The women covered their mouths, giggling too.
“Hey, sir, you’re at it again.”
“Huh?”
“Look over there.”
In the cheerful atmosphere, Ma Ye-eun, sitting to Im Seung-hye’s left, frowned and whispered.
Quiet enough for just her friends to hear.
Im Seung-hye and Um Jeong-ah turned to glance at the corner seat.
“What’s up? Something wrong?”
“Hmm.”
As the three focused on one spot, An Jin-jeong, flushed from drinking, craned his neck.
The women had blocked the view, so he stretched to peer into the corner.
“Sigh.”
Woo Ji-hyun sighed without even looking.
He knew exactly who was sitting there, so he clicked his tongue.
People didn’t change easily, after all.
“Whoa! What the hell?”
“Let’s go. Before it blows up bigger.”
“Even if you like her, this is too much…!”
An Jin-jeong sobered up instantly and shot to his feet.
Following Woo Ji-hyun’s lead.
He strode ahead purposefully.
“Looks like the dinner’s wrapping up early. You three, get home safe.”
“W-Wait!”
Im Seung-hye stammered, flustered. They hadn’t even gotten to real talk, and he was bailing.
She glanced at her friends on either side, but they looked stunned.
The sudden turn had caught them off guard.
“Hey, hyung!”
“Let’s talk, Gi-deok hyung.”
Moments later, An Jin-jeong’s rough voice and Woo Ji-hyun’s calm remark echoed in the quiet room.
Lee Gi-deok, arm casually around a young female trainee’s shoulders, scowled fiercely.
The much-younger guys were treating him like a criminal.
He’d just been quietly building rapport.
“What, punk?”
“This ain’t right. It’s not just you two—other people are here. And she doesn’t even seem into it.”
“Hey, Woo Ji-hyun.”
Lee Gi-deok glared.
The huge age gap made Woo Ji-hyun’s straight stare ridiculous.
But Woo Ji-hyun didn’t back down.
An Jin-jeong stepped up instead.
“Act your age. Hitting on a twenty-one-year-old? Too far.”
“You little shits…!”
“If you’re gonna flirt, take her aside. What’s this?”
An Jin-jeong muttered like to himself.
But the jab was clearly aimed.
Lee Gi-deok bared his teeth and stood.
“Let’s take it outside. People are watching. What’ll the newbies think of this industry?”
“Fair point. Come with us, Gi-deok.”
“…Cha-won hyung.”
“Don’t make me ask twice.”
Kwak Cha-won, back from a smoke break, growled with fierce eyes.
Lee Gi-deok swallowed hard at the menacing glare.
“And Tae-jin.”
“Yeah, hyung.”
“Let’s call it here. Handle the rest.”
“Got it.”
“Jin-jeong, Ji-hyun—come with me. Explain what happened.”
With leader-like authority, Kwak Cha-won cleared the room in seconds.
Ending it outright to prevent escalation.
Some trainees stood with regretful faces.
Im Seung-hye bit her lip, staring at Woo Ji-hyun’s retreating back.
‘This wasn’t in my plans…’
She glared venomously at Lee Gi-deok.
He was the root of this mess.
It hit her anew: this scene was no different from any other.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Kwak Cha-won led after his piece, Lee Gi-deok following with a scowl.
An Jin-jeong and Woo Ji-hyun brought up the rear.
Their eyes matched perfectly.
Like they had to remove this shit-stirring tumor now.
‘Not that it’ll be easy.’
Lee Gi-deok had sparked endless rumors over women in Woo Ji-hyun’s past life.
So Woo Ji-hyun had been waiting.
Knowing something like this would happen eventually.
‘Clean out the shit nearby first. Or it’ll dirty my spot, too.’
Woo Ji-hyun didn’t attend just any event.
An Jin-jeong, walking beside him, felt the same.
“Hey, hyung!”
“Quiet and follow.”
“Urk!”
Lee Gi-deok flinched under Kwak Cha-won’s sharp gaze and shuffled silently.
No remorse on his face.
If anything, he shot death glares at Woo Ji-hyun and An Jin-jeong trailing behind.
Not that it fazed them.
* * *
Jo Jin-gu arrived at the office early but couldn’t enjoy his usual leisurely morning coffee.
Taiwan service for God of Martial Arts, Return had launched yesterday; results were coming soon.
Tense, he sipped his coffee halfheartedly.
“Morning, President!”
“Yeah. Good morning, A-rang.”
“You seem way too nervous.”
“That obvious?”
“Super obvious.”
Min A-rang set her shoulder bag at her desk.
Anyone could see Jo Jin-gu was on edge.
While the man himself worked casually from home.
“Sigh. The pressure to succeed is killing me—heart won’t stop pounding.”
“Get any sleep?”
“An hour or two? Woke at dawn, couldn’t go back. Need good sales news to relax.”
“And if it’s the opposite?”
Min A-rang teased playfully.
Jo Jin-gu’s reaction was intense.
His face hardened instantly.
“There’s that saying about words planting seeds. Watch it!”
“Kidding. But anyone’d think you’re the author. Ji-hyun oppa seemed chill. Like he didn’t care.”
“Just acting?”
“Nope. It was like, ‘Oh, going international. I’ve grown up. Cool?’ Slept great, up working.”
“He’s always diligent.”
No denying Woo Ji-hyun’s work ethic.
Likely the only writer without deadlines.
In all their time together, Min A-rang had never marked one on his monthly schedule.
Unlike others with fixed dates.
“So don’t stress too much, President. Worst case, we break even. And the webtoon was already popular—unofficial translations everywhere. That’s why Manbai Publishing bought the rights, right?”
“I know, but I’d love bookstore sales, too. Bestseller means our management’s first offline hit.”
“Oh, hadn’t thought of that. If it happens, it’d feel amazing.”
Min A-rang’s eyes sparkled.
Jo Jin-gu was president, but she handled Woo Ji-hyun.
Her proofread, edited book becoming a bookstore bestseller?
Just imagining made her heart race.
“See? You’re excited too. Heart pounding.”
“Yeah. But what if the hype crashes hard…?”
“Where’s the comforting A-rang? Break even, remember?”
“Hee-hee. Just testing weakness. ‘Do your best and leave it to heaven,’ right? We did all we could—now wait.”
Bzzz!
As Min A-rang finished, Jo Jin-gu’s precious smartphone buzzed.
Manbai Publishing’s logo lit the screen.
A KakaoTalk from their staff.
“Huh? Wh-what?!”
Jo Jin-gu unlocked it and bulged his eyes.
Then let out an incomprehensible yell.
“What? What’s it say?”