Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Again, Writer 050
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“Why are you doing this?”
“This person is a writer. One who even published two books with our publishing house.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, check it out.”
Min A-rang quickly searched the email address listed in the profile.
In less than five minutes, she found Gunstar’s name, age, and published books.
“It’s true.”
“He’s not one I contracted with, but he’s still under Lainerus Publishing. For now, at least. He’s got one contract left, I think? It’s been a while since we received the manuscript.”
“How could a fellow writer do this?”
“It’s not just women who get jealous. In some ways, men’s jealousy surpasses women’s. But still, this crosses the line.”
Jo Jin-gu’s eyes sharpened.
No matter how envious or jealous he was, this was far from professional camaraderie.
From what he knew, Yang Geon-woo was in his thirties.
Jo Jin-gu was furious at a senior writer who debuted early and was older, yet resorted to sniping anonymously instead of guiding juniors.
Ssshh.
Jo Jin-gu pulled out his smartphone and found Yang Geon-woo’s contact.
Without hesitation, he dialed.
-Hello?
“Is this Yang Geon-woo?”
-Yes, it is.
“This is Jo Jin-gu from Lainerus Publishing.”
-Oh, yes!
His voice sounded groggy, like he’d just woken up.
But that vanished the moment Jo Jin-gu identified himself.
It was a call from his contracted publisher, after all.
Soon, the speaker picked up the sound of him straightening up.
“It’s regarding Writer Woo Ji-hyun’s novel.”
-Yes?
“Why did you do it?”
-What do you mean…?
A vein bulged on Jo Jin-gu’s forehead.
The evidence was crystal clear, yet he was playing innocent—it was revolting.
“Gunstar. Isn’t that your Munpia nickname, Mr. Yang?”
-……
Jo Jin-gu spoke in a voice suppressing his anger.
But there was no reply.
Denying it now, when it was already exposed, would’ve been even more ridiculous.
“Why did you do it?”
-Well, you see…
Yang Geon-woo’s voice trembled.
He hadn’t expected it to unravel so easily.
Especially not a call from Lainerus Publishing.
“You know your actions so far could be reported for defamation and insult, right? We already have all the evidence.”
Tap tap tap!
As soon as Jo Jin-gu finished, Min A-rang started screenshotting.
Preserving evidence, just in case.
-No, I didn’t mean to—
“Put yourself in his shoes. How would you feel if another writer criticized and trashed your work?”
-I’m sorry…
“Your apology shouldn’t be to me. We’re all family under the same roof, aren’t we? Writer Woo Ji-hyun is with Lainerus Publishing too. His current serialization is under contract.”
Min A-rang turned her head and pressed her thumb and index finger together.
Forming a circle to signal the screenshots were done.
But Jo Jin-gu’s stiff expression didn’t soften.
-I’ll delete the comments right away and take down the critique post. And I’ll apologize to Writer Woo Ji-hyun directly. I’m sorry for causing trouble, Director.
“Phew. For now, I’ll contact Writer Woo Ji-hyun first. I just saw this myself, so I don’t know his state yet.”
-Could you let me know after the call?
“I will. Goodbye.”
Jo Jin-gu ended the call, listening to Yang Geon-woo’s deflated voice.
But he couldn’t call Woo Ji-hyun yet.
Someone else had called Woo Ji-hyun first.
“Hello? Writer Woo Ji-hyun. Are you free to talk now?”
Staff were arriving at the office one by one, so Min A-rang spoke politely.
It wasn’t a casual call, so she kept it formal.
-Yeah, sure. But what’s up this early? You don’t usually call at this hour.
“Something important came up.”
-What happened?
“It involves you, Writer Woo Ji-hyun. Do you know the nickname Gunstar?”
Jo Jin-gu, beside her, subtly leaned in.
To listen to the conversation.
Min A-rang sensibly shifted the smartphone toward her left ear, closer to him.
-I do.
“Are you okay?”
-What’s there to not be okay about? You think I haven’t seen hate comments while writing? Better hate than no comments at all. At least someone’s reading it.
“To me, it seemed pretty severe. He even posted a full-on sniper piece in the critique section.”
Min A-rang spoke cautiously.
As Jo Jin-gu said, it was full of mockery and snide remarks—no curses, but close enough. That was the post in the critique forum.
-I’m fine. People have different perspectives. Different tastes too. And it’s obvious it was written out of jealousy—why react? Reacting would just confirm it for him and make him bite harder. Better to ignore it. Even with his fake critic act, views and favorites haven’t changed. It just stirred up a few more haters.
“Wow. Your mental strength is incredible.”
-I’m a mid-tier writer now. I’ve got some experience under my belt. No point getting all emotional. It’d just hurt me.
“Mental armor confirmed!”
-But you didn’t call just to ask that, right?
Min A-rang’s face brightened, as did Jo Jin-gu’s.
Contrary to expectations, Woo Ji-hyun didn’t seem shaken.
“Of course not. I’m your handler. It’s my job to check in and take care when something happens.”
-Really?
“Your tone sounds like you doubt it.”
-If that’s how you felt, then yeah.
Now a vein popped on Min A-rang’s forehead.
But she barely calmed her excitement.
“I called because I was worried…!”
-Haha. Kidding. Thanks. But really, no need to worry. It’ll all vanish once the serialization’s delisted anyway. Writers speak through their work. No matter how many hate comments or critics, it boils down to success or failure. And I’m confident there.
“Can’t argue with that. Oh, almost forgot. Gunstar? He’s a writer contracted with our publishing house.”
-Makes sense. Felt like it was from another writer. Total setting fanatic vibe.
“Setting fanatic? What’s that?”
-Term for those obsessed with world-building, personified as bugs.
It was a new term, but it stuck oddly well.
Jo Jin-gu beside her stroked his chin, muttering “setting fanatic” repeatedly.
“Anyway, the point is, Gunstar wants to apologize formally to you. The director just reamed him out over the phone. He sounded totally deflated.”
-For defamation or insult?
“Wow. You’re a mind reader.”
-Come on, that’s obvious. And I’ve preserved all the evidence myself, just in case. Thought about legal action if it crossed the line. Market’s tough, but I’ve made some money.
Min A-rang snorted at his usual obnoxious tone.
As if it wasn’t worth replying to.
-Hey. Say something. I know the call’s still on.
“What will you do?”
-Give me his number. A call’s no big deal. I didn’t do anything wrong.
“Got it.”
Min A-rang ended the call and looked at Jo Jin-gu.
But he’d already heard everything and was texting Yang Geon-woo.
“Done.”
“Somehow wrapped up.”
“A bit late, though.”
“It was just one day.”
Min A-rang saved the screenshot files separately.
Woo Ji-hyun said he’d preserved evidence too, but better safe.
People often backtracked later, so she saved one on her device and one on a USB.
“One day is plenty of time to shatter someone’s mental state.”
“I misspoke.”
“Still impressive. Even if you don’t break, you can’t help but waver. Plenty of glass-mental writers out there.”
“Definitely a unique case.”
Woo Ji-hyun wasn’t a particularly special writer.
Not exceptionally talented either.
But he was uniquely resilient.
“Exactly. Plus, this work’s getting good views. Even with people nagging why not martial arts.”
“What amazes me more is he’s run nonstop without a single slump. Usually, writers rewrite their next works over and over, but not him.”
“Good for us. Means steady good manuscripts.”
“Didn’t expect him to handle pure fantasy this well, honestly. I was worried deep down. Afraid it’d flop and he’d crash.”
Min A-rang didn’t think his choice was bad.
As an editor, she understood.
Expanding as a writer was essential.
Especially for the future.
“But he crushed those worries instantly. Not blockbuster level, but readability’s top-notch. And now he’s got name value.”
“Volume 3’s way more fun than the serialized parts so far. Pace drop is a concern, though.”
“Time to ease up. Maintaining that pace till now was insane. Think about how many books he’s churned out in a few years.”
“Yeah.”
Min A-rang nodded in agreement.
Still, she kept glancing at her smartphone.
Wondering about the call with Yang Geon-woo.
“Worried? Call him.”
“Morning meeting’s soon.”
“Wow. Prioritizing work during work hours? True assistant manager material.”
“Ehehehe!”
Her promotion to assistant manager was approved recently, based on performance.
Starting next month, she’d be Assistant Manager Min A-rang.
“Gotta get new business cards.”
“Already waiting on them. I’ll hand ’em over when they arrive.”
“Sure, sure.”
Jo Jin-gu smiled at her excitement and returned to his desk.
Woo Ji-hyun’s issue was settled; time for his own work.
* * *
Woo Ji-hyun entered the bustling Juwan Station food alley on Friday and looked around.
He lived in Incheon but usually met friends near home or Bupyeong, so he wasn’t too familiar with Juwan’s layout.
He vaguely knew the food alley line.
“But I’ve got my trusty smartphone. What a lifesaver.”
With the map on, Woo Ji-hyun alternated between his phone and the street, slowly heading to the meeting spot.
Ding-a-ling!
“Why so late?”
“Still a minute early. Promise time not up yet.”
“What if an Incheon guy shows up late to us?”