Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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# 2
Again, Writer Episode 002
Chapter 1: Restart.
His vision brightened in an instant, as if he had switched on a TV that had been off.
At the same time, he could vividly feel the sensations of his body, which he hadn't sensed during the brief out-of-body experience.
However, feeling an inexplicable heaviness, like sinking into water, Woo Ji-hyun grimaced and wriggled his body.
"Why is this happening? Did something go wrong?"
He could sense everything, but it felt strangely sluggish, so he reflexively moved his body.
An inexplicable foreboding made him keep his whole body in constant motion.
"Hoo!"
After about five minutes of nonstop movement, fortunately, his sensations returned to normal.
Only then did Woo Ji-hyun look around.
"It's been a really long time."
He chuckled softly as he surveyed the room where he had lived until he was 24, before becoming independent.
It was fascinating to see the scenery, faintly etched in his memory, unfolding right before his eyes.
"Oh right! The timing!"
After glancing around the sparse room with just a desk and a clothing rack, Woo Ji-hyun grabbed the nearby cell phone.
Regression was a huge stroke of luck, but he had no desire to go back to the military.
That's why he picked up the pristine white slide phone on the desk to check the date.
"Phew!"
He had suspected as much from the slide phone itself.
He had gone back to his early twenties.
But this phone was the one he had used before enlisting, so he was a bit tense. Fortunately, the current date was May 11, 2009, just one day after his discharge.
It was exactly one day after discharge.
"Thank goodness. If I had to do military service again..."
Woo Ji-hyun shook his head vigorously.
Just imagining it made him sick to his stomach.
In fact, after discharge in his previous life, he hadn't set foot anywhere near Hwacheon in Gangwon Province for several years.
It was a memory now, but he had zero intention of revisiting it.
"Alright, time to make a plan."
Having grasped the current situation, Woo Ji-hyun began outlining his future plans.
It was a heaven-sent opportunity, and he intended to live it right.
To that end, he jotted down all the major events he could recall.
He didn't know much about lotteries or stocks, but he had diligently checked news articles online every day under the guise of research.
So while he couldn't pinpoint exact dates, he remembered the big events of the year well enough.
"This is 2009. The rental shops are hitting rock bottom. It was a brutal winter for genre novelists."
2009 had been brutal for Woo Ji-hyun too.
Rental shops, once over 20,000 strong, had dwindled to under 5,000, and a hit was now around 3,000 copies.
There were about 4,000 shops, but not all stocked new releases, so 3,000 copies was considered a blockbuster.
The problem was that this number wasn't holding steady—it would keep dropping.
"That's why I prepared in my own way."
During the two years in the military, as the market worsened even more, he decided to retake the college entrance exam.
Realizing he couldn't survive on writing alone, he resolved to go to university.
True to the saying "what you learn sticks," his vocational high school major had been cooking, so at the time, he enrolled in a cram academy and studied.
But that was his first self-inflicted mistake in life.
"I blew all my savings on academy fees just to end up at some provincial junior college. And I didn't even enjoy campus life properly."
Even paying over 500,000 won a month, he couldn't achieve the scores he wanted.
Of course, he had excuses.
Unable to rely on family support, he had to cover academy fees and living expenses alone.
As a result, he couldn't focus on studying or writing.
He needed to choose and concentrate, but half-assing both led to mediocre outcomes in everything.
"But this time is different."
In his past life, he truly knew nothing.
He had thought it through and prepared before deciding, but only later realized it was the wrong choice.
And he regretted it.
But regrets always come too late, and no amount of regret changes the present.
This time would be different.
"I have no more than before, but I have memories and experience. So I just need to avoid mistakes and go straight."
Woo Ji-hyun's eyes gleamed.
He had returned to the past, but he knew his own capabilities well.
He was aware he couldn't produce works that led trends or shook up the market.
But that didn't erase the efforts he had built up until now.
"Plus, I know the future. I just need to use that wisely."
Trendsetters get the most spotlight, but you don't have to be a pioneer to make money.
Riding trends well was enough to earn plenty.
And he had one talent: diligence and sincerity.
Writing to fit the times would surely earn him far more than before.
"If luck is on my side too, I can rise. I can become top-tier."
This era was when even blockbuster genre novelists obsessed over literary merit.
Even the hits were authors struggling to balance fun and artistry.
But he knew.
How the world would change once e-books took hold and paid serialization platforms opened.
"So I need to prepare. The new era is just around the corner."
With smartphones, the genre literature world underwent a revolution.
Rental shops ended, platforms emerged, and the paid serialization era began.
Authors earning dream salaries of over 100 million won multiplied rapidly.
No, some even hit 1 billion.
"Of course, not many at first. But the point is, I can be one of them too."
Woo Ji-hyun clenched his fist.
At this time, his writing was truly poor.
He debuted luckily at 20, but that was it.
His skills were lacking, so publishers didn't offer sequels. He barely got a second contract by pitching the setup himself.
But that was the end.
After discharge, no one—neither his editor nor higher-ups—said "let's see your next work."
"Legender..."
Woo Ji-hyun gazed at the netbook.
At this point, he had only one novel in progress.
The one that got prematurely ended—the first and last time.
"A painful memory, like begging to submit and finally getting a contract."
He had two books out, but no one remembered him.
Even the publishers didn't know him.
So his only option was unsolicited submissions.
"I'm scrapping it."
Staring wistfully at the 10-inch netbook, Woo Ji-hyun made his decision.
No, he had no choice.
At this stage, he didn't know his strengths, weak genres, or anything.
No one told him.
But now it was different.
"Going with wuxia. First, sort out the cram academy."
During his end-of-service leave, commonly called "word-end vacation," he had enrolled at Cheongsol Academy near Songnae Bukbu Station. Woo Ji-hyun called them first.
No point going to college if he wasn't using his major.
And his chosen path didn't require a degree.
"Clear the slate and charge ahead."
Woo Ji-hyun set his face with determination.
His previous life had ended with death—everything gone.
So this time, he planned to live dazzlingly.
Burying that past life completely.
With resolve, Woo Ji-hyun handled everything swiftly.
With his parents divorcing next year, leading to independence anyway, he moved out early.
After the family scattered, they rarely met, so he coolly left home and settled into a one-room apartment.
He bought a new computer, keyboard, and desk too.
"I'd love to start with top gear, but my funds are limited now."
No contracts meant no income, only expenses, but Woo Ji-hyun didn't waver.
Back when he knew nothing, he'd tremble over 1,000 or 2,000 won.
Not anymore.
And he trusted his abilities.
With meager talent, he had made a living writing for 20 years.
"Going with wuxia."
He shelved the orthodox fantasy he had been preparing.
Later, after gaining some fame, he had revisited it multiple times due to regrets over the premature end, but no more.
Orthodox fantasy didn't suit him.
Plus, wuxia was dominant right now, undeniably.
"In the past, I loved wuxia but thought it wouldn't be easy to write, so I hesitated. But now it's different."
After that premature end, when he was utterly cornered, the last thing he wrote was wuxia.
If he was leaving the industry after only flops, at least for the finale, he wanted to write what he loved.
And the result was a total reversal.
"Especially Munpia—wuxia is the trend there. It always has been strong."
Let's go! Beyond the Murim! Murim Fantasy. Logging into the serialization site now called Munpia, Woo Ji-hyun smiled faintly.
It had been so long everything felt clumsy, but also nostalgic.
And it was the site that would become his turning point, so he took a deep breath and registered the work.
"Let's start."
The work that first put his name out there.
The one that kept him writing onward: Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero was now on Munpia.
"Oh, but is this self-plagiarism?"
Pausing mid-keystroke frenzy, Woo Ji-hyun hesitated.
Rewriting a past novel felt like self-plagiarism.
There were definitely authors known for that.
But he shook his head.
"No. Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero is a brand-new novel. Though it does feel a bit self-derogatory."
No one else knew, but he couldn't fool himself.
A twinge of shame hit him, but he steeled his resolve.
Strictly speaking, this Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero was the same yet different from the old one.
"Back then, with no experience, the polish was abysmal. But now..."
Woo Ji-hyun's eyes sparkled.
He decided to make this version far superior.
And he had confidence he could.
Talent might be small, but he had lived and breathed genre lit for over 20 years.
Tap tap tap!
Knowing the future that awaited, he wrote with mobile readers in mind.
Maintaining wuxia atmosphere and fun, but making sentences eye-friendly and easy to read.
"Has to be easy to read. Intuitive, clean. But fun."
Muttering the simple yet demanding condition for a writer, Woo Ji-hyun focused on the task.
A blissfully happy smile played on his lips.