Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: People Searching for Cain
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### Chapter 43: People Searching for Cain
Once the bumbling new hires had grown into competent editors who were pulling their weight, Min A-rang's overtime finally came to an end.
The daily battle against late nights had reached its conclusion at last.
Even so, she still worked late one or two days out of her five-day workweek and came home exhausted.
"You little rascal, you're twenty-nine now—why are you holing up at home so early? And on a fiery Friday, no less!"
"I'm still twenty-eight, Mom. And by Korean age, I'm only twenty-six!"
"Since when does this country go by Korean age? We only check that when picking up meds at the pharmacy!"
Min A-rang, who had managed to leave work on time for once on a Friday, scowled as much as her pretty brow would allow, starting right from the entryway amid her mother's nagging.
Lately, the scolding seemed even more intense.
"What's with you these days? Did another friend's daughter get married?"
"...How'd you know?"
"There aren't that many reasons for you to nag, Mom. And from your reaction, sounds like the guy was pretty decent? A real career man?"
"Oh my. You're spot on. You could read fortunes on a mat. No, forget that—let's read yours first. When will you get married? What kind of guy?"
Min A-rang bowed her head.
A silent signal that she was done engaging.
Instead, she belatedly kicked off her shoes and headed inside.
"Come on, spill. What guy did you see? Hmm? He look good to you? No, even to me?"
"Why does he have to look good to you? It's me getting married."
"That's 'cause us grown-ups have sharp eyes. We've lived long enough and met enough people. We can spot the perfect match at a glance."
"Ugh."
Min A-rang shook her head at the machine-gun barrage of chit-chat.
Unfortunately, her mother's words showed no sign of stopping.
"Why aren't you dating anyone in this prime time? Work matters, but a woman needs to meet the right man. That's why they say women have it rough."
"I'll handle my own life, Mom. And these days, everyone marries later. You know rushing in blind doesn't end well. I'll take my time, check everything out, and marry someone I think is worth sharing my future with."
"You're right. But still, you gotta do it before thirty! Past thirty, you're bargain-bin goods!"
"The world's changed, Mom. What era are you living in?"
Min A-rang let out a hollow laugh.
It sounded like something out of the Joseon era.
Sure, there were still guys who tossed out lines like that casually.
But none among her acquaintances.
'Age is just a number.'
Sure, youth had its cute, pretty charm, but maturity brought a sultry allure.
Plus, the atmosphere and poise differed markedly from one's early twenties, so Min A-rang was confident.
She was beautiful now and would be in the future.
Men still asked for her number on the street—not just one or two.
"You're home?"
"Huh? Dad, what's up? Everyone's home at this hour? Don't you usually use work as an excuse to go drinking on Fridays?"
"Ahem! Uh-hm! My health check came back rough, so I'm taking it easy. Gotta at least see the grandkids get married before I go."
"You planning to live that long?"
"Of course! It's the century of centenarians—I need to see the great-grandkids too."
Min A-rang could only chuckle at her father's ambitious, no, outrageously ambitious dreams.
Especially when she herself wasn't even dating anyone.
"Not sure you'll make it."
"Your mom and I will live long and healthy. Don't worry. But no boyfriend?"
"If I had one, it'd show. I'd come home late or go on trips, right?"
"I'm against sleepovers before marriage. Sleep at home."
Min A-rang shot her father an incredulous look as he reverted to classic dad mode and tried to sound stern.
She couldn't fathom why he thought history only got made in bed.
"So as long as I sleep at home, it's fine? Doesn't matter what I do during the day?"
"Uh, w-what?"
Min Han-gi flinched.
Her meaningful expression made him realize just how naive his thinking had been.
But he couldn't exactly get crude with his own daughter, so he was stuck.
"Don't obsess over sleep so much, Dad."
"Ahem! How's the company? Sounds like you're settling in nicely."
"It's more than settling—we're charging toward the top. Few competitors at our level. We haven't hit publisher revenues yet, but with our growth, I figure we'll close the gap in two years."
"That's tough. Content volume's a different league."
Min Han-gi shook his head firmly.
You couldn't ignore the decades of accumulated content.
Individual author payouts might be small, but not for publishers.
Assume a 5:5 split—if a slow seller gets 100,000 won a month, the publisher gets that from 100 such authors.
"You're missing something, Dad. Can publishers keep their content forever?"
"Hmm."
"The world's changed, and so have the writers. Rental shop era folks are aging out, and young blood's flooding the paid market. Those newbies milk sections dry—they know steady sales come from their writing. They leverage it for better contracts too. Publishers' transmission rights will vanish fast."
Min Han-gi's face grew serious.
His daughter was right; it wasn't a simple issue.
He also realized how deeply she understood the industry now.
"Makes me jealous."
"Stare all you want—I'm not joining Linus Publishing."
"Why not? You might inherit it someday."
"Maybe then, but not now. I'd just watch you golf all day and get pissed enough to quit."
"..."
Min A-rang shook her head as if the thought alone was repulsive, leaving Min Han-gi speechless.
Hilariously, his wife in the kitchen was nodding along, fully agreeing with their daughter.
"Plus, they don't need me."
"Why not? Editors as good as you are rare."
"But I'm not a planner. I don't fit editorial planning. Romance, maybe, but I need more experience."
"You're already great. But A-rang-i."
Min A-rang shivered visibly.
She even scratched at the goosebumps on her arms.
"Eek, why call me like that? Gave me chills."
"...Can't a dad say his daughter's name?"
"It's the tone. Creepy."
"Sheesh."
Min Han-gi smacked his lips at her disgusted face.
He subtly gauged her expression.
"But why?"
"Heard Woo Ji-hyun finished part two."
"Huh? How'd you know? It's not public yet."
"No secrets in this biz. Hot authors' news spreads underground."
Min A-rang blinked wide-eyed as her father grinned.
No eternal secrets here.
"True. Everyone's tuned to Ji-hyun oppa's updates. Especially with his value skyrocketing."
"Taiwan, now Hong Kong and Singapore too. So, A-rang-i."
"Eek! Gross!"
She scratched her arms again at his low, deliberate tone.
Her body reacted on instinct.
But Min Han-gi pressed on.
"Could we snag his next contract?"
"You matching his price? Not chump change like 100 or 200 million anymore?"
Jo Jin-gu of Frontier Management had already floated 200 million.
Hence her deadpan look.
Linus couldn't swing that in advances, as far as she knew.
"Woo Ji-hyun doesn't push for advances. Never has, despite all the probes."
"Right. He doesn't demand them upfront. But he's got pride."
"You know it exceeds the norm. But not all deals are about money, right?"
Min A-rang's eyes narrowed.
She shot her father a sharp glare.
"That earlier talk was bait? Get me to jump ship with Woo Ji-hyun."
"Heh heh. Wouldn't it be nice? Easier for both. You've worked together ages—bonds and loyalty matter."
"Sigh."
"Or at least put in a word for Maestro on the Field? Webtoon adaptation would kill it. Export to Taiwan, Hong Kong."
With God of Martial Arts, Return paving the way, Min Han-gi truly regretted it.
A webtoon could boost Linus revenues too.
Same author made promo easy.
"Dad, I'm Frontier Management staff. Deputy manager, not some grunt."
"But my daughter too."
"Separate work and family, Father."
Min A-rang snorted and stormed to her room.
Min Han-gi smacked his lips again.
The more he thought, the more it stung.
But as publisher president, both she and Woo Ji-hyun had outgrown his sway.
* * *
"New work coming along?"
"Working hard. Scrap if it flops."
"Start a whole new story?"
"Usually. Sometimes total rewrite."
Elder nodded at Woo Ji-hyun scribbling furiously in his palm-sized notebook.
He could feel the creative agony from the words alone.
Especially knowing a chapter topped 5,000 characters, a volume around 125,000—he'd come to respect novelists.
"You scrapped a ton too?"