Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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The two stepped into the study-cum-workroom and let out gasps of admiration.
The tidy space perfectly embodied a man's dream library.
Cute scale models and figurines dotted the shelves, bringing joy just to look at.
"They're not expensive. I haven't made that much money yet."
"Still looks great. Cute and cozy."
"The books are organized so you can grab them easily. And seeing it like this, you really have published books."
Im Sang-min gazed at the bookshelf nearly filled with Woo Ji-hyun's works, his face showing a hint of awe.
The neatly stacked volumes were proof of how hard Woo Ji-hyun had been working.
"Come on, let's pack these up quick. Then we can drink."
"Not dinner first?"
"Dinner and drinks. Isn't that how it goes?"
"Yeah, yeah, handle it yourself. I'll get ready."
Woo Ji-hyun headed to the kitchen first.
To move the delivered food to the living room.
Back in the day, he might have cooked from scratch, but not anymore.
No need to buy ingredients and cook when convenient delivery was right there.
"Delivery food for the win!"
"Super convenient, right?"
"Make the booze ice-cold, please."
"Yeah, yeah."
With meticulous care, even grabbing his bag, Kim In-hu packed the books he'd never received before.
But the funny part was, the guy who'd only poked his head in to chat vanished into another room the moment the packing was done—instead of coming to the living room.
"Whoa!"
"Awesome. Looks like three times what I have."
"I've got three guys at home, including my brothers, but there's more clothes here than in our house."
Following the study-cum-workroom, they entered the walk-in closet and their jaws dropped.
Clothes crammed every inch of the double-sided racks lining both walls.
And the drawers straight ahead were massive.
Atop them sat rings, bracelets, watches, and other accessories.
"Nothing pricey. All mid-range brands. The winter coat's the most expensive."
"You dumped all your money into this place?"
"Dumped? I spent reasonably. Clothes and shoes are my one indulgence. The dirt spoon's joys and sorrows, all wrapped up."
"I'm dirt spoon too, but clothes aren't my thing."
Im Sang-min ribbed Woo Ji-hyun.
He'd scraped by as well, but fashion had never been a priority.
Money went to games, if anywhere.
"I'm dirt spoon, man."
"I'm at least silver spoon. You've got a house in your name."
"With the mortgage, I'm scraping by. Grade 9 civil servant pay is peanuts."
"But job security till retirement. Civil servants are gonna be every job seeker's dream soon. And you'll thank me forever."
Woo Ji-hyun grinned smugly.
He was the one who'd recommended the civil service gig.
"I'm already grateful. That's why I brought gifts."
"...Toilet paper?"
"Key item in a single guy's house. Get a girlfriend, and I'll ship wet wipes online too."
"If you're offering, hook me up with a pretty girl first."
Woo Ji-hyun sighed.
Not a whiff of matchmaking in those words.
And what grated more was Im Sang-min chuckling along beside him.
"Bedroom's nothing special. Time for dinner."
"Where's the soju?"
"We'll grab it. It's gotta be in the fridge."
"Soju goes in the freezer, right? Ice-cold always. Even in winter. Lukewarm ruins it."
Leaving Woo Ji-hyun sighing nonstop, the two headed to the kitchen.
Then plopped down in the living room like it was their own home, bottles and glasses in hand.
"What're you doing? Sit. Tour's over—time to drink for real."
"You guys are the enemy."
"Hey now! Don't be like that. We always cheer and bless you."
"Not that we hit church or temple. Heh heh heh!"
Old friends synced up perfectly, and Woo Ji-hyun surrendered, shuffling to the living room.
"Here, big bro pours you one ice-cold. Full of love!"
"Maximize surface tension—just on the brink of spilling. Wipe it yourself if it does."
"You're a genius at tormenting people, huh?"
"Authority in the field, that's me."
Im Sang-min shrugged.
He had confidence there, no matter what anyone said.
"You two talk such shit."
"Kuhahaha!"
As always, banter laced with insults and teasing stretched on endlessly.
But the vibe was great.
They all knew it was just ribbing.
"But you never got a car? You have your license."
"I work from home. Need one?"
"Still, it'd be convenient."
"Not necessary yet."
Talk shifted from girls to cars.
Interest was there, but affordable options limited, so it fizzled quick.
"Should we hit a class reunion? I passed, Sang-min's settled. You've always hustled."
"Now?"
"Not 'now'—before it's too late. We're twenty-six already."
"Bragging?"
Woo Ji-hyun smirked at Kim In-hu harping on age today.
He could read his friend's mind crystal clear.
And sure enough, the one with a girlfriend, Im Sang-min, sipped soju contentedly alone.
"Of course. Success means flaunting it. You don't show off, so girls don't flock! Buy a car. Splurge on luxury. Flex a bit!"
"You know how much I make?"
"You're killing it. Blood Link's top ranks on Kakao Page steady. Martial arts stuff holding strong too."
"It's our little league still. Gotta scale up."
Kim In-hu hyped him, but it didn't fill Woo Ji-hyun's ego.
Plus, knowing the future, Naver webnovels and Kakao Page were corner stores to him now.
By next year, late at latest the year after, they'd explode huge.
"Guys earning less date fine."
"Quit stabbing the sore spot. Anyway, you wanna go?"
"Yeah. Catch up with the crew too. I holed up in Noryangjin three years straight studying. Time to see people."
Kim In-hu had a point.
Woo Ji-hyun got it completely.
So he nodded silently.
"I'll join in that case."
"To cheat?"
"Heh heh heh."
Im Sang-min chuckled wordlessly.
Then wiggled his fingers out of nowhere.
"Gonna spout that 'just hold hands and it's done' crap again?"
"Why hate? 100% success skill for me."
"Get slapped with harassment charges, lose a hand, then you'll learn."
Kim In-hu clicked his tongue.
The guy's style hadn't evolved in years.
Gotta adapt to trends, right?
"I time it perfect."
"What're the others up to? Jobs working out?"
"Too busy working to know details. Just chat with who I talk to. Yoon Sung-hwan's at Duseon Infracore, I think. Contract, over a year, renewed."
"Yeah?"
At the sudden Yoon Sung-hwan drop, Kim In-hu eyed Woo Ji-hyun's face.
Subtle reprimand in his gaze too.
Bringing up Yoon Sung-hwan in Woo Ji-hyun's house wasn't ideal.
"At least he's working."
"We're not kids anymore."
Im Sang-min realized his gaffe late, grinning sheepishly.
But Woo Ji-hyun brushed it off.
Classmates—topic was bound to come up.
Sure, he and Yoon Sung-hwan had beef, but not these two.
"Anyway, we're going? Scheduled?"
"Check calendars first."
"Why, freelancer? 'Free' in freelancer, right? Even civil servant me can swing it, working Sang-min too. Your excuse?"
"I've got my routine. Sudden gigs pop up."
"That's why plan ahead. You're in—no buts."
The two bickered anew.
And the drinks flowed deeper.
* * *
Pausing Maestro on the Field mid-writing, Woo Ji-hyun closed his eyes briefly.
Blue-light blockers on, but eye breaks were key.
Serialization was a marathon, not a sprint.
Speed mattered, but not at health's expense.
"Long game. I'm centenarian material. Thick and long life. Living large."
Woo Ji-hyun's dream since kid days: eat well, live well.
Evolved to landlord once mature.
And with regression unlike others, he craved that healthy, plush life even more.
"But did only I regress?"
Mid-eye massage, eyes shut, Woo Ji-hyun muttered suddenly.
The thought hit out of nowhere.
"No huge changes, so probably just me. Huh? Novel idea? Solid title."
Struck by inspiration, he jotted it on the notepad by his keyboard.
Perfect regression tale later if timing fit.
Swish.
Green tea prepped for a break, he logged into Kakao Page.
Checked his own works first.
Barun Publishing and Q&D Management exclusives Heavenly Thunder Sword Hero and Asura Sword Emperor weren't there yet.
But Linus Publishing ties were all available.
So he monitored them in spare moments lately.
"Traffic steady climbing. Not huge on revenue, but. Time folks noticed banner impact."
Print market prized name value.
Paid serials and ebooks? Banners and events ruled.
One banner or event could multiply sales x2 to x50.
Which meant sales power was king.
"About time they catch on. Managements popping up like weeds around now."
Unlike expected early struggles, Kakao Page stagnated six months then rocketed.
From plain ebook platform, bold tries forged its identity.
Growth not solo, though.
Solar Sculptor and Blood Link twin engines split Naver's webnovel turf overnight.
"Heh heh."
Canon: Solar Sculptor alone would've carried Kakao Page.
But Woo Ji-hyun variable altered that.
Not all good for him alone, though.
Hugely positive for Kakao Page too.
Boosting its webnovel serials alongside.