Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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Yeom Tae-seong let out a deep sigh.
He had thought there might be some possibility since they were writers he’d gotten along with pretty well, but as expected, it wasn’t easy.
The contract was expiring with their current work, but the conditions they demanded were just too much—no, excessively high.
In the end, all he could do was say he’d think about it and part ways.
“Everything’s a rip-off here, a rip-off there.”
Due to the writer shortage, their market values had naturally skyrocketed.
The problem was that a significant number of those who’d taken advances in advance weren’t writing anymore.
This was especially common among writers who had started during the rental shop market era.
They’d pull huge advances and blow through them wildly, only sitting down at the computer when their bank accounts hit rock bottom.
The issue was that the body was honest.
During the time spent playing around, their writer’s instincts had faded, and their bodies craved lounging comfortably rather than hunching uncomfortably.
This created a vicious cycle, and in the end, the damage came back to the management agencies that had given the advances.
Even if they churned out canned content, it might produce something, but the chances of it being good work were slim.
“At this rate, it might be better to just raise them ourselves like Min Deputy said. Scout promising newbie writers, you know.”
Yeom Tae-seong shuddered at the sight of established writers demanding so much.
Of course, it wasn’t like he couldn’t meet their demands.
That’s why Frontier Management was called the top in the industry outside of publishers.
Moreover, like Min A-rang, he was one of the founding members, so he was in a position to accommodate most conditions.
“They’re all getting delusions of grandeur.”
Even though he’d just drunk a cool iced Americano at the cafe moments ago, Yeom Tae-seong felt his insides burning.
The inner heat surging up was far hotter than the blazing sun overhead.
As he did, Yeom Tae-seong naturally compared Woo Ji-hyun and the other writers to them.
Unlike writers who demanded this and that, Woo Ji-hyun consistently just wrote.
Proving in the end that writers speak through their writing.
And he had actually delivered results.
Not revolutionary, but with fresh material and solid prose.
Whether they didn’t acknowledge it or deliberately ignored it, other writers thought Frontier Management’s good promotion had created the current Woo Ji-hyun.
That’s why they demanded the same push as Woo Ji-hyun in their conditions.
Without knowing the real story at all.
Because of that, Yeom Tae-seong had to explain the truth every time he heard such talk.
“Man, I’ve got no face to show the President today either. Another bust.”
He’d been out since morning and met three writers today alone.
He’d selected ones he thought were decent from those he’d handled since Barun Publishing days up to Linus Publishing, but the results weren’t good.
Because of that, returning to the office wasn’t easy for Yeom Tae-seong.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Maybe because he’d eaten lunch in an uncomfortable spot, or because things weren’t going well, he rubbed his bloated stomach when the smartphone in his pocket vibrated.
Yeom Tae-seong quickly pulled out the smartphone.
Hoping it might be a call from one of the writers he’d met today.
Or maybe a writer thinking of jumping to Frontier Management.
“Yes, President.”
But contrary to his hopes, the caller wasn’t a writer.
Still, it wasn’t someone he could answer casually, so Yeom Tae-seong straightened up.
-How’re the meetings going?
“Well...”
-Tough, right?
“Yes, everyone’s demands are way too excessive.”
Yeom Tae-seong let out a groan.
It felt like too much, no matter what.
But the funny thing was, he could understand the writers’ position too.
If he were a writer, he’d have done the same—ask first and see.
-Figured as much. Same here. I bombed all my meetings today.
“Still, I’ll keep meeting more. If I see ten or twenty, I should snag at least one or two contracts, right? By lowering the bar a bit.”
-Good attitude. Never giving up till the end. Excellent. But luckily, I don’t think we’ll need to go that far.
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
-Our master key gave us a solution.
“Writer Woo Ji-hyun?”
Like the proverb about understanding perfectly even muddled speech, Yeom Tae-seong instantly got Jo Jin-gu’s meaning.
He’d ghosted exactly who “master key” referred to.
-Yeah. So come on in. We need to rework the strategy.
“Yes, sir! Got it! Heading back right now!”
-Drive safe.
Yeom Tae-seong’s face brightened.
He hadn’t heard the exact details yet, but the words “we found a solution” lifted the heavy burden pressing on his chest.
That’s why Yeom Tae-seong marched boldly to the nearby subway station in a hurry.
* * *
The atmosphere in the cafe was oddly tense.
They were close enough to hang out casually when schedules aligned, but this was the first time Woo Ji-hyun had called them out directly like this.
That’s why the three gathered in Hongdae after his call sat there somehow tense.
“Why are you all so nervous?”
“You suddenly calling to meet up feels weird. You’re super busy. Weren’t you just dragged off to shoot promo videos with the hyungs?”
“Dragged kicking and screaming. Exploited under the guise of friendship, I guess.”
“Pfft!”
An Jin-jeong, who had taught classes with him at the creation academy, burst out laughing.
He could easily imagine what had happened.
But on the other hand, it made sense.
If he were Kang Tae-jin or Yeo Woo-jin, Woo Ji-hyun would’ve been their top priority too.
“Still, it was a decent experience. Got to feel the passion and fire of an idol debut group firsthand.”
“Debut groups are debut groups, alright. All full of charm. If I were younger, I’d go for it.”
Han Seung-gi’s face filled with regret.
He thought he could’ve snagged a spot if not for his age.
But he’d been cut by just one year.
He’d wanted to go deep down.
“I wasn’t expecting much to begin with. And I’m satisfied just watching the videos. Kind of vicarious thrill, you know? Plus, my age hit the cutoff exactly.”
“A ton of people must’ve secretly shed tears over age. But considering the kids’ ages, setting the cutoff at thirty makes sense. Feels like they lowered the bar quite a bit, actually.”
Unlike Joo Hye-seong, who said it coolly, An Jin-jeong showed a hint of regret.
Meeting Woo Ji-hyun’s idol debut group was, as said, a truly rare opportunity.
“They said if schedules match, they might come to the Dream Note open party, so with luck, you could see them in person.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, you hyungs got invites too, right?”
“I did.”
An Jin-jeong answered, glancing alternately at Han Seung-gi and Joo Hye-seong.
Both nodded.
Seems like they’d gotten invites due to their connections.
“Probably most writers will show up.”
“The ones who saw the promo video, especially. The old fogeys’ll come with bloodshot eyes.”
“With Cha Won-hyung there, would they cause trouble?”
“Put alcohol in the mix, who knows. Booze turns humans into dogs—a truly mysterious drink.”
An Jin-jeong, who despised alcohol, dogs, and especially jerks with rotten personalities, grimaced as much as he could.
He’d seen way too many of those types.
“Well, there’s always a few who lose it. But with not just writers but all the industry folks coming, hopefully no big drama.”
“I doubt anything major’ll happen.”
“Hope so.”
An Jin-jeong shrugged.
But his face didn’t look expectant.
“The reason I called you hyungs is I’ve got some questions.”
“Questions?”
“For us?”
“Yeah. First, Jin-jeong hyung, you planning to stick with Barun Publishing?”
Woo Ji-hyun’s gaze went first to An Jin-jeong.
He was the eldest and most experienced of the three.
“Probably? Barun’s not better at sales than management agencies, but they don’t mess with royalties. Biggest reason though—no trustworthy places calling me out there. Plenty poking around, but no management I’d deem solid.”
“What about Frontier Management?”
“Huh? You pitching contracts right now?”
Not just An Jin-jeong, but Han Seung-gi and Joo Hye-seong, who’d been quietly listening, looked shocked.
They hadn’t expected Woo Ji-hyun to come out so directly.
“You might’ve heard, but Frontier Management’s in a kinda funny spot right now.”
“I heard vaguely. Writers mass-exodus, right? Bluntly, they got poached by others.”
“Yeah. So the roster’s thinned out. And I feel a bit guilty about it too.”
“Why you?”
Joo Hye-seong, who followed other writers and surroundings closely and knew the situation best, asked like what gives.
The rumors from schemers weren’t truth anyway.
And she’d refuted them every time she heard.
Being fairly close to Woo Ji-hyun, she knew far more details than hearsay.
“It’s true I got special treatment. Not to an insane degree, but still. People who only see what they want won’t accept it no matter what.”
“True that.”
“So I actually think the current situation’s better in a way. Natural filtering—stones from jade. Just hope good people fill the gaps.”
“That’s us?”
“Yeah.”
Woo Ji-hyun looked at them in turn, starting with Joo Hye-seong, then Han Seung-gi and An Jin-jeong.
In his view, these three were undervalued blue chips.
Not in the spotlight yet, but he knew they’d blow up someday.
Even if not massively, they’d definitely deliver more than their due as writers.
“But the Frontier Management CEO might think differently.”
“That’s why I called first. I know your skills well, hyungs. And timing’s in your favor too.”
“In our favor? For us?”
An Jin-jeong reflexively questioned.
He hadn’t grasped Woo Ji-hyun’s intent fully.
“Yeah. You hyungs must know Frontier’s sales power to some extent.”
“Know it well.”
“They shade it because of you, but they promote other writers properly too. Honestly, the ones who left? Bellies full, heads empty.”
Following An Jin-jeong, Joo Hye-seong clicked her tongue.
To her, the defectors seemed clueless about their place, just fattened up.
If it were her, she’d be grateful to a management that sold well.
“That’s part of it. Even same agency, I don’t have close writer buds.”
“They’ll regret it later, beating the ground. Traitors never make it big. History proves it. Might shine short-term, who knows.”