Chapter 156
Translator: uly
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Once Again, Writer
This is a work of fiction and has no relation to any real names, events, organizations, place names, or individuals.
Chapter 55: Regret Is Always Too Late, No Matter How Fast
Jo Jin-gu arrived just ten minutes before the open party was set to start, figuring there was no need to show up too early.
That said, arriving right on time would likely cause a bottleneck at the entrance, so he timed it for ten minutes early and took a moment to look around.
"They really put a lot of effort into this."
"We shelled out some serious cash, you know?"
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, the dazzling lights caught Jo Jin-gu off guard, drawing quiet admiration from him. Min A-rang and Yeom Tae-seong voiced the same sentiment.
It was the kind of surprise that hits when you show up without high expectations and get blown away.
"Wow, so this is an open party."
"First time for me at a place like this."
"Same here."
Following Min A-rang and Yeom Tae-seong, the core members of the webtoon team—founding pillars like Lee Ji-seong, Jang Yu-ri, and Ha Jong-su—gaped in awe.
They hadn't received invitations themselves, but Jo Jin-gu had brought them along, insisting it'd be a valuable experience. And now, all three were reaffirming that tagging along had been the right call.
Who knew when they'd get another shot at an event this massive?
Plus, it was packed with web novel authors.
"It's huge."
"They said just the listed attendees number around three hundred."
"No wonder it feels a bit like a wedding hall buffet."
"It's way classier than that. Different dress code, too."
Jang Yu-ri shot Ha Jong-su a sharp look.
As if comparing it to a wedding hall wasn't an insult to the party planners.
"I was speaking figuratively."
"There's a photo zone."
"Huh? A photo zone?"
"Over there."
Ha Jong-su, who had been craning his neck like a country bumpkin taking it all in, widened his eyes at Jo Jin-gu's low remark.
Sure enough, in the direction he pointed, there was a modest photo zone—the kind you'd only see in articles or on broadcasts.
"Oh my gosh."
"Good thing I put thought into my outfit today."
"Glad I brought the new bag."
"Same."
Lee Ji-seong and Jang Yu-ri's eyes sparkled.
They'd already gone full makeup with perfect hair. They'd planned on snapping selfies whenever they could, and now with a dedicated spot, it felt like all that effort had paid off.
The lighting, which was nothing special outside the restrooms, had been perfectly set up around the photo zone. The two women's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Won't you take some, Min Deputy?"
"Hee-hee. I come out great even in casual shots."
"True. Heads are already turning like crazy just looking at you now."
"It's only for a moment. Oppa told me Tiramisu is coming. No idea how long they'll stay, but once they arrive, all those eyes on me will shift right over."
Min A-rang shrugged.
She was drawing stares now, but a girl group showing up would flip the script entirely.
What was funny was how unbothered she seemed while saying it.
"You're not even a little bummed? Must be because one person's all you need."
"One is more than enough—it's overflowing. Honestly, I care more about that one's gaze than everyone else's."
"Hee-hee. Let's snap a quick one and head in."
"Sure."
While Yeom Tae-seong led the webtoon team, Jo Jin-gu posed briefly at the photo zone with Min A-rang before heading into the main hall where the party's program would unfold.
Of course, he didn't forget to fiddle with the new platform set up on his tablet PC on the way in.
Q&D Management's proprietary service, Dream Note.
"They've borrowed from everywhere."
"Benchmarking's a given if you prioritize convenience. Functionally, they're all pretty much alike aside from the themes. It's like they're all from the same mold."
"But no content yet. Mostly physical books from publishers."
"Can't be helped. Most works, especially new ones, have exclusivity or pre-serialization restrictions."
Jo Jin-gu nodded.
That was the disadvantage of being a late entrant, plain and simple.
Still, having their own platform was enviable.
If it took off, it meant steady revenue.
'The real question is whether they hit break-even—or survive this Warring States era.'
The genre market was already split between Kakao Page and Naver.
Those two giants were battling to devour bigger shares of the pie, while Munpia, Joara, and Ready Books scrambled to boost their market share any way they could.
Leveraging their strengths to the max.
The rest were clawing for survival.
That's why Jo Jin-gu was curious.
How far could Dream Note go?
"What do you think, President?"
"About what?"
Settling into the round table assigned to Frontier Management, Jo Jin-gu asked back.
Min A-rang, seated beside him, lowered her voice.
"Dream Note. What do you see for it? Can it shake up the two giants and three mid-tiers?"
"The two giants are rock-solid. They're massive corps already. But the three mid-tiers? It could stir things up. They're the ones flipping back and forth anyway."
"Even mid-tier revenue would be insane."
"Annual sales top ten billion at least. Pure profit's less, but still efficient enough."
Running a management firm gave him a rough idea of what those mid-tier platforms raked in.
If he really wanted details, he could dig them up.
But scaling his own company to that level wasn't easy.
He wanted to, sure.
"Still, good for authors. More platforms mean more sales channels."
"Good for authors, yeah. Complicates things for us, though. New strategies, data accumulation. The risk is they vanish overnight after all that."
"And that happens all the time."
No wonder it felt like the Spring and Autumn Warring States—warlords rising and falling.
Platforms came and went, but so did author management firms.
Locked in endless survival battles.
"There's Woo Ji-hyun, over there."
"Yeah. And he's with some heavy hitters. Folks who dominated rentals back in the day, too."
"Some still active. Most transitioned to agents, though. Haha."
Seemed like yesterday they were all young writers, but now they were all pushing past forty.
He wasn't much different.
"Surprisingly young table, though? Ji-hyun oppa's no kid either."
"Everyone's got age on them. Lucky there are some young ones like that. Check the other tables."
"Whoa."
Min A-rang's jaw dropped.
Unlike Woo Ji-hyun's table, buzzing with warmth, the others were stiff and awkward, like they'd swallowed sour fruit.
And surprisingly older.
The women authors were the youngest of the bunch.
"Romance writers showed up too."
"Mostly romance fantasy, probably. Heard newbies are flooding that genre. Solid sales per category. Plus, Q&D ran a creative academy. Second round's wrapping up prep."
"Skipping this time?"
Min A-rang's subject was missing, but Jo Jin-gu got it instantly.
Not getting it would be weirder.
"Doesn't suit his style, seems like."
"Heard there were some uncomfortable moments."
"Would be weirder if there weren't. This industry's full of all sorts."
"Tons of weirdos."
Min A-rang shrugged and cracked open a water bottle on the table.
The AC blasted cool air, but her throat was parched anyway.
"Not gonna go say hi?"
"We'll see him soon enough. Might run into him grabbing food. Besides, it's been ages since he caught up with other authors. Give him some space."
"Space, huh."
"And I've got work to do."
Min A-rang grinned, glancing at Yeom Tae-seong, who was eagerly scoping the room.
While Jo Jin-gu handled rival presidents and veterans, she and Yeom Tae-seong needed to hustle, networking with authors.
No better sales floor than this goldmine.
"Told you I hired right. He's loving it."
"No clue how long it'll take."
"But trying's what matters. Plenty will bite, surprisingly."
Jo Jin-gu thought of the three Woo Ji-hyun had cautiously brought over.
Not whales, but they'd bolstered Frontier Management big time.
Now they were solid pillars.
No jackpots, but sales were impressively steady.
"Um... long time no see, President."
As he scanned the filling seats, a familiar voice hit Jo Jin-gu's ear.
Min A-rang and Yeom Tae-seong, surveying attendees, turned too.
"Ah, Woo-ju."
"Figured you might skip, but here you are."
Woo-ju, who had trashed Frontier Management's office on his way out, gave an awkward smile and continued.
He sneaked peeks at Yeom Tae-seong and Min A-rang.
Hard not to, after what he'd done.
"Got an invite. Plus, personal ties with Q&D's president."
"Hahaha. I see."
"But what brings you here? Thought Big Hit's table was that way?"
No rule said you had to sit with your agency, but no reason to come this far either.
Especially after their messy parting.
Jo Jin-gu stayed composed, but Yeom Tae-seong openly scowled at Woo-ju.
Eyes screaming, *Why are you here?*
"C-Came to say hi. Feels wrong to pretend we don't know each other."
"I see."
Woo-ju fidgeted, swallowing hard repeatedly.
Like he had something to say.
But guilt kept him from opening up.
*Ugh, the vibe...*
Woo-ju gauged the table.
The young newbies—or whatever—watched like spectators.
Min A-rang and Yeom Tae-seong shot hostile glares.
He couldn't get a word out.
Instead, he inwardly cursed Park Chan-hu, who had flipped like a restroom quick-change artist.
*Should've never trusted that guy! Damn it!*
When he'd strutted out of Frontier Management, Woo-ju had been dead certain he'd hit it big.
Friends raved, and Big Hit's president, Park Chan-hu, had been blown away by his next project's synopsis.
But reality? A disaster.
And the problem wasn't just the results.