Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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Jo Jin-gu shouted in a resolute tone.
It wasn't a joke; in his judgment, it was better than Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero or Asura Sword Emperor.
That was why the president had also called it a good work.
Its actual performance might fall short of Asura Sword Emperor, but considering the e-book market, Solar Chronicle's results were far more likely to dominate.
'The market hasn't fully formed yet, but that will change. This market is bound to grow no matter what.'
Smartphones were starting to emerge in Korea in earnest.
Because of that, Jo Jin-gu was convinced that a new market would open up alongside the decline of the rental shop market.
He believed the power of content was limitless.
The only issue was the time it would take for e-books to take root properly.
'But Woo Ji-hyun seems to write with this in mind.'
Woo Ji-hyun's writing clearly reflected current trends.
Yet he used a clean, concise style.
He maximized short sentences for easy reading while including appropriate descriptions and natural connections between them.
From this, it was clear Woo Ji-hyun was considering the e-book market as well.
'And he doesn't artificially pad the length either.'
In the current trend, martial arts novels typically wrapped up in around 10 volumes.
If they performed well, authors would stretch them out, but Woo Ji-hyun didn't.
He ended neatly within the perfectly fitted story.
That was why Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero finished at 12 volumes and Asura Sword Emperor was heading toward 14 without drawing reader backlash.
To Jo Jin-gu, it all seemed like a perfectly structured composition.
'Even though he could have stretched it out easily. It must not have been an easy decision as a writer.'
The reason big-hit works didn't conclude was precisely because of the current rental shop market.
With the rental market plummeting, there was no guarantee a follow-up would match the current success, so every moderately successful work dragged out its story.
Or they slowed the pacing.
But Woo Ji-hyun did neither.
'That's why I personally recruited him.'
Jo Jin-gu smiled contentedly.
He could confirm his choice hadn't been wrong.
"Please take good care of this work too."
-I'll do my absolute best. Oh, and Writer Woo Ji-hyun. Do you have time this month by any chance? The president wants to have a meal with you. You can meet your new handler at the same time.
"At the publishing house?"
-Yes, it's in Mapo-gu, so a bit farther than Barun Publishing.
Jo Jin-gu smiled sheepishly.
It wasn't just the distance; coming from Incheon to Mapo-gu involved slightly complicated routes.
Still, he thought getting some fresh air and going out wouldn't be bad.
"This month doesn't have much time left, so how about next month?"
-Early May works anytime except weekends.
"Then I'll visit the first Wednesday of the month."
-Got it. I'll schedule it that way!
"Yes."
Woo Ji-hyun ended the call.
He'd unexpectedly made a visit appointment, but he didn't think it was bad.
In his past life, he'd contracted with Linus Publishing too, but never visited in person.
So, to tour the place and get some air, Woo Ji-hyun made the appointment.
"Plus, there's income."
Bzzz!
Woo Ji-hyun smiled at Jo Jin-gu's prompt follow-up text.
This completed the foundation he was building.
"You reap what you sow, right?"
Muttering cryptically, Woo Ji-hyun chuckled.
Then he collapsed face-down on the floor as if fainting.
The moment he checked the text, his tension released, and sleep overtook him again.
* * *
As May arrived, Woo Ji-hyun grew busy again.
His studio lease was nearing its end, so he had to look for a new place.
"How about this house?"
The real estate agent cautiously asked while showing him a villa with a 40 million won jeonse deposit.
She secretly glanced at Woo Ji-hyun's appearance.
He looked a bit prematurely aged, but still in his mid-twenties.
When he said he was looking for jeonse without a loan, she was surprised and intrigued.
"It's not bad."
Whoosh.
Woo Ji-hyun turned on the sink while surveying the empty interior.
The water pressure was weaker than expected.
"Since it's vacant, you can move in right away. Just repaper and replace the flooring."
"But the roof is right above. I've lived in places like this—the floor under the roof gets brutally hot in summer and freezing in winter."
"That's true."
"And there's an eating alley nearby, so it'll be noisy at night."
The agent smiled awkwardly as Woo Ji-hyun sharply assessed the surroundings in a way beyond his years.
He wasn't just prematurely aged; he inspected meticulously.
"Still, finding a jeonse at 40 million like this is tough."
"Hmm."
"For around 50 million, there are better options."
"I'm not prepared for that much. I need to keep some reserves."
"What about a jeonse loan?"
Woo Ji-hyun shook his head.
If he wanted a loan, he'd rather call the publisher and advance his royalties.
It was simpler, with no interest.
But he didn't want to take on debt.
'This place is just a midpoint anyway.'
Such a house didn't fit his big picture.
He had no intention of hopping jeonse forever either.
So he'd never considered moving with debt from the start.
"Sorry, but my job makes jeonse loans difficult."
"What do you do?"
"Genre fiction writer."
"...Genre fiction?"
The agent in her forties blinked.
The term was utterly foreign to her.
But Woo Ji-hyun wasn't offended.
His mother would have made the same face if he weren't a writer.
"Fantasy or martial arts novels are called genre fiction or genre literature."
"Ah! Like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?"
"Similar."
"But does that pay well?"
She clamped her mouth shut mid-question.
She even covered it with her hand.
She realized too late she'd overstepped.
"It varies by writer. Some make good money, others don't."
"Sorry."
"No problem. You didn't know. And luckily, I'm in the well-paid group."
Woo Ji-hyun smiled brightly without a hint of annoyance.
Perhaps feeling guilty, she clapped in exaggerated surprise.
"That explains it. You look young but hunting for jeonse."
"But loans are tough. As you know, age is a factor."
"Can't expect help from parents? For 50 million, there are really decent places. At 60 million, even a small two-room apartment."
"Unfortunately, that's not feasible."
Seeing Woo Ji-hyun uninterested, the agent spoke regretfully.
40 million was substantial, but felt awkwardly in-between.
"How about semi-jeonse? Landlords aren't listing full jeonse much these days, but semi-jeonse is available. Good houses too."
"I'm not considering semi-jeonse. Any other listings? Commercial-residential is fine."
"Commercial-residential."
The agent pulled out a small notebook and furrowed her brow, checking listings.
Meanwhile, Woo Ji-hyun pondered.
With his monthly rent ending soon, he needed to decide.
He also had to shop for appliances.
'It's just for two years anyway. Maybe compromise on a few conditions? Compared to before, this level is already decent.'
Versus his past life hopping monthly rents, this was worlds apart.
Financially incomparable.
But human greed knew no bounds.
"You said no noisy places?"
"Yes, as a writer, I work from home a lot. I prefer quiet spots."
"Okay even if farther?"
"As long as not too far."
The agent nodded vigorously.
Searching commercial-residential, she found one matching his criteria perfectly.
She strode ahead confidently.
"By the way, is 5 million negotiable?"
"Hmm. That should be doable."
Using 45 million for deposit would tighten his belt for a month, but he could manage.
Asura Sword Emperor royalties would come early June.
Then Woo Ji-hyun thought a credit card would be nice.
With proper limit, it was convenient.
"Good. One more option."
"Really."
His face brightened at more choices.
Soon, they left the empty house one after another.
* * *
Tap tap tap!
With lively keyboard sounds, a deletion notice went up on the Solar Chronicle serialization board.
Announcing the end of free serialization and nationwide distribution of volumes 1 and 2 tomorrow.
Surprisingly, comments poured in rapidly despite just posting.
"Golden Best #1, Today Best #1, Favorite Best #1. Who knew I'd achieve a triple crown with Solar Chronicle."
Woo Ji-hyun beamed, checking the surging comments.
It had been popular in his past life, but not like this.
Now, he was nearly conquering Munpia.
"Of course, I wrote it really well."
Among many novels, some drew special affection and ease.
Solar Chronicle was one.
He'd invested the most emotion and passion so far, and this time was no different.
"Comments are positive too. Let's ride this momentum. With the '2010 Anticipated Work' title, time to hit it big."
He knew his strengths.
But he had ambitions too.
Writing again was ambition for success as a writer.
Big hits needed skill and luck.
"Pathetic compared to the 10,000-rental market, but the top-performer title matters."
Linus Publishing's band even had "2010 Anticipated Work."
Jo Jin-gu promised a push too.
So Woo Ji-hyun wondered if Solar Chronicle might truly shine like the sun.
Bzzz!
"Yes, Mom."