Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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Woo Ji-hyun asked in a tone that suggested he had a pretty good idea why she was calling.
As he did, he thought about the current volume count for Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero that had been published.
‘It’s definitely fast. We switched to releasing a volume every three weeks.’
Compared to other writers, it was an insane publishing schedule.
On top of that, this was a new release while the final volume still hadn’t come out.
That was why some readers had expressed concerns about Woo Ji-hyun’s decision.
It seemed like he was pushing himself too hard.
-I feel like I’ve only been calling you for business stuff lately.
“No, not at all. Honestly, this is more comfortable for me. I get a bit sensitive when I’m working.”
-You said you work alone at home, right?
“Yeah, cafes are too noisy. People coming and going all the time.”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t write at all with crowds around.
But it was uncomfortable, and there was no need to put up with it, so Woo Ji-hyun worked alone at home.
Right now, his one-room served as both living space and studio, but when he moved to a jeonse next year, he was planning on a 1.5- or two-bedroom place.
He intended to separate the bedroom from the workspace.
-That makes sense. Every writer has their own style. Plus, these days, publishers are even getting rid of their studios.
“They’re gone now. Oh, I checked the cover.”
-What do you think? We’ve got three concepts again. Pick one, and we’ll tweak the font and text size from there.
“Number three looks the best.”
Woo Ji-hyun spoke as he examined the three designs in order.
The best was when one hit you right away with a “This is it!” feeling, but that was super rare.
Even if the writer explained in detail, it hardly ever turned out exactly as imagined.
So at some point, Woo Ji-hyun had started just picking the least bad one.
-I think three’s the strongest too. The composition works well for adding the title and author name.
“Same here.”
You couldn’t decide a cover just based on the character illustration.
Something that looked fine as a portrait could turn awkward once the title and author name were added—and that happened all too often.
That was why he had to consider everything when choosing.
-And one more thing I wanted to ask you, writer-nim!
“Go ahead.”
-We’re planning to add a foil stamp to the title. Any color preference? Gold, silver, and red are the classics.
“Foil stamp?”
-Yes!
Woo Ji-hyun’s face froze in surprise for a moment.
In his past life, the first work he’d ever foil-stamped was Asura Sword Emperor.
Hearing they were doing the same thing now gave him chills.
It felt like the slightly altered future was snapping back to its original course.
‘Some things don’t change? That can’t happen. Then what was the point of regressing!’
Woo Ji-hyun’s pupils shook violently for an instant.
He didn’t want to think about it, but the unwanted outcome floated into his mind anyway.
-Writer-nim?
Yoo Mi-rae called out cautiously at his silence.
She wondered if the call had dropped.
“Ah, sorry. I wasn’t expecting that. I know foil stamping jacks up the unit price quite a bit, whether gold or silver.”
-Asura Sword Emperor was worth it, in my opinion. The section chief approved it too. And it’s a little incentive for your next project with us. Hohoho!
“We haven’t contracted the next one yet.”
-True! Though it’s kinda funny saying that when Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero isn’t even finished.
They’d sped up to every three weeks, but the finale was still far off.
Plus, Asura Sword Emperor volumes 1 and 2 were slated for next month.
So yeah, a next-project contract felt a bit premature.
“I’m always grateful. Thanks for bringing it up first.”
-Then if you stamp the deal too…
“Haha. I’ll think positively about it. And let’s go with red foil. Gold feels too flashy—worried it might come off as all show and no substance.”
-Red foil. Yeah, it balances the whole design nicely. Got it. We’ll go with concept three and red foil!
Yoo Mi-rae didn’t push the contract talk further.
You couldn’t seal deals over the phone, and coming off too pushy wasn’t good.
Just conveying that Barun Publishing wanted to keep working with Woo Ji-hyun was enough.
“Looking forward to it, Assistant Manager Yoo.”
-No worries. I’ll make sure we nail a great cover this time.
“Thank you.”
-Have a great rest of your day!
“You too.”
After wrapping up the energetic call with Yoo Mi-rae, Woo Ji-hyun dove back into work.
Soon enough, his hands hammered the keyboard like it was on fire.
* * *
As evenings grew noticeably shorter, Woo Ji-hyun headed to Bucheon’s Sinjung-dong.
He’d left with plenty of buffer time to avoid being late, but traffic jammed up anyway, and he arrived right on the dot.
The funny part? Even though he was punctual, he was the third to show.
“Hey, Ji-hyun?”
“You guys beat everyone else, as expected.”
“People who live far away always arrive first. Look at you—Incheon, right? That’s why you’re early.”
“Maknae can’t be late, or I’d catch hell.”
Woo Ji-hyun replied as he slid into the seat between Kim Jang-su hyung and Park Geon-woo hyung, who’d already grabbed the table.
The two nodded in agreement.
“That’s exactly the kind of hyung he is.”
“Agreed.”
“Should we order meat first?”
“We can do that?”
When Kim Jang-su hyung—the eldest of the three—boldly suggested starting with meat, Woo Ji-hyun tilted his head.
Was it okay to order ahead?
They didn’t even know exactly how many were coming.
“Let’s get ours first. Why wait around starving? Plus, it’s rude to the boss.”
“Fair point.”
“What do you want? It’s been a while, so you pick.”
“Samgyeopsal for me.”
“Add a bottle of beer.”
Park Geon-woo smoothly tacked on beer to Woo Ji-hyun’s choice.
He preferred it over soju, so he ordered confidently.
“What about you? Booze?”
“I’ll start with beer. Soju if the vibe calls for it.”
“Classic boozer.”
“Not really. The hyungs who aren’t here yet are the real ones.”
Woo Ji-hyun said, thinking of a few in particular.
Compared to them, he was an amateur.
“They’re not boozers. Just drunks. Ugh, no idea how they even taste the stuff.”
“Tastes are personal.”
“Personal?”
“Personal taste.”
Kim Jang-su grimaced.
The age gap wasn’t that big, but somehow it felt generational.
“You get it?”
“Of course.”
“Traitor.”
“Gotta keep up, even if I don’t.”
Kim Jang-su and Park Geon-woo started bickering.
Woo Ji-hyun watched with a fond smile.
These two hyungs were personal favorites.
They didn’t talk often, but meetings were always comfy.
Took a while to warm up at first, though.
“You’ve been killing it lately, huh? Great buzz.”
“Good luck.”
“But you holding up? Cranking out pages like a madman.”
Kim Jang-su asked with a hint of worry.
He knew the kid wrote fast, but writing wasn’t just about speed.
Plus, you needed time to recharge after pouring it out, so he fretted about a burnout mid-run.
“Still good. And before enlistment, I was doing a volume a week.”
“That made you a legend. Phil Media still doesn’t have anyone faster.”
“It was insane. Results weren’t great, though.”
Park Geon-woo glanced at Woo Ji-hyun’s face.
But it was true, so no hard feelings.
Flops had reasons.
‘Plus, I really couldn’t write it later.’
Woo Ji-hyun still remembered opening the Blaze manuscript for revisions—claiming it was for a split edition.
The cringe, the despair, the blank void.
He’d quit midway.
‘Once I reclaim the transmission rights, I’ll let management handle the splits. Oh yeah, gotta recover them from Phil Media.’
The contract from age twenty was five years—expiring late next year.
November now, so about a year and four months left.
But cancellable three months early, so really a year and one.
“Fair enough. Can’t hit home runs every time. If even trash sold big, we’d all be set—owning buildings by now.”
“Tough times now. Who knows about the future.”
“That’s why prep. Rental shops are dead—wait for the new market. Feels close to me. Surviving till then’s the trick.”
“Hyung’s got foresight.”
Woo Ji-hyun’s eyes sparkled.
Never expected this mindset now.
Or maybe he’d brushed it off before.
“What bullshit is that? But damn, your style’s leveled up. Way better than pre-army.”
“I thought the same. Casual but dandy vibe?”
“Got orthodontics, LASIK. Switched up the look.”
“Ooh!”
Kim Jang-su and Park Geon-woo looked mildly shocked.
Knew he cared about fashion, but this much change at once? Unexpected.
Then they remembered his age and nodded.
“Gotta date sometime. Prime age and all.”
“Sounds like an old soul. You’re twenty-three.”
“It’s prime, though. You’re still in your prime too, hyung.”
“Me, taking this from you. Time flies.”
Kim Jang-su chuckled.
Grumbling aside, he wasn’t offended.
“You’re prime age, hyung. Me too.”
“But you’ve got army left.”
“…Don’t poke the bruise?”
“You started it.”
As they bickered again, the samgyeopsal, beer, and cider arrived.
The rest of the crew started trickling in too.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“You three are first, as expected.”