Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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# 71
Buzz! Buzz!
An arm shot straight up from under the covers.
It groped around the small table beside the bed.
In a frantic search for the smartphone vibrating like mad.
“Ugh, what’s this in the dead of night? No alarm went off, so it can’t be past six yet.”
Woo Ji-hyun peeked out the window with bleary eyes.
His lids were puffy from sleep, making it hard to focus.
But one thing was crystal clear: it was still dim outside.
“The time...”
Even as he peered out the window, his hand kept fumbling until it seized the wildly buzzing smartphone.
He checked the time immediately.
Shockingly, it wasn’t even 5 a.m. yet.
“What the hell, this ungodly hour... Wait, didn’t I set it to ring?”
Woo Ji-hyun always kept his phone on sound mode except when writing.
Which meant this vibration wasn’t a call, text, or KakaoTalk.
His senses sharpened in an instant as he unlocked the screen.
“What?”
That’s when Woo Ji-hyun saw it.
A flood of likes and friend requests pouring in on Instagram and Facebook alike.
Instagram follows were climbing nonstop, even without separate notifications.
And he hadn’t done a thing to cause it.
“Right, I did post that one photo. But one photo shouldn’t spark this kind of...”
Still groggy, he mumbled to himself and trailed off.
It hit him late: the person in that photo with him was anything but ordinary.
“Whew.”
Realization dawning, Woo Ji-hyun opened Instagram.
The like count was staggering.
A number his account had never seen before.
“As expected of a sports star.”
The shot of him beaming with a signed copy of his book in hand, arm slung around the other’s shoulder, was covered in thousands of red hearts.
Unlike his other posts, which topped out at a dozen or so.
Seeing it, Woo Ji-hyun nodded to himself.
“Followers shot up too. Barely cracked sixty before.”
He shook his head at the skyrocketing follower count, then switched to Facebook.
The likes there were even wilder.
Friend requests from all over the globe too.
“Guess it turned into free advertising.”
Maestro on the Field’s sales weren’t anything to sneeze at.
It only trailed Solar Sculptor—nothing else came close.
It had even outperformed the top romance fantasy title.
And with this buzz, Woo Ji-hyun figured he might actually catch Solar Sculptor.
“My pace is way faster anyway. Ride this hype and crank out volume—I could give it a real shot.”
He muttered while eyeing the wall clock ticking just past 5 a.m.
He’d thrown in the towel yesterday.
But things were different now.
Long-term might be tough, but short-term? He could top Solar Sculptor’s sales for a few days, easy.
“Hm?”
His eyes lit up as he schemed.
Then the phone rang.
The pre-dawn quiet shattered with blaring music.
Noisy as it was, Woo Ji-hyun didn’t pick up right away.
“...Hello?”
He stared at the screen’s name for a beat before answering cautiously.
Silence poured from the speaker.
-What’s up? Something wrong? Your voice sounds totally flat.
“Check the time. Decent folk are sleeping.”
-Oh, yeah? Just wrapped work, lost track it’s five-ish.
“Crazy. You’re just getting home?”
Woo Ji-hyun let out a dry chuckle.
They’d parted yesterday afternoon.
Hearing the guy was only now home was absurd.
-The ad shoot dragged. Director’s a total perfectionist. So... yeah, till now.
“But that’s no excuse for a dawn call.”
-Cold-blooded. No sympathy to spare?
“You’re raking it in. That’s what counts.”
A wry chuckle came through from Lee Woo-hyung.
Woo Ji-hyun figured it was par for the course.
Big bucks demanded big sacrifices.
-That’s what kept me going. First ad shoot of my life. Yesterday was wall-to-wall interviews post-flight. First time I got what ‘swollen lips’ really means.
“Strike while the iron’s hot. Take me—busted my ass writing. Still planning to.”
-Time to write? Your Insta and Facebook are exploding.
“All your doing.”
-Hahaha! Aren’t you gonna thank me?
Lee Woo-hyung’s laugh was playful.
Too bad Woo Ji-hyun wasn’t the type to swoon.
“Over the top. I didn’t post for the reactions. Just a souvenir snap...”
-Blew up bigger than I figured.
“Yeah, first taste of this frenzy for you too.”
-Yeah.
A faint tremor colored Lee Woo-hyung’s voice.
He was just as stunned.
Even so, he’d called at this hour out of worry for Woo Ji-hyun.
Since he was ground zero for the chaos.
“No need to apologize. It helps me too. Already brainstorming how to leverage it.”
-Classic writer. Brain works overtime.
“Can’t dodge it? Enjoy it. Quit fretting and crash. You’re beat, and your schedule’s jammed today.”
-Crammed to bursting. Still, I’ll make time for our promise before I fly out. Soju first, then Germany.
His tone brooked no argument.
And truthfully, it was non-negotiable.
Nearly a year since he’d returned—leaving without soju didn’t compute.
“Your buddies are counting on it too?”
-I’ll squeeze it in. Trim sleep, carve out the slot. That’s why I shoved all the pictorials and ads to afternoons.
“Smart move.”
-Good you’re not freaking. Was worried. Sleep in—I’ll hit you up this afternoon!
His voice brimmed with energy, belying the all-nighter, before he hung up.
But Woo Ji-hyun had zero plans to doze off again.
“Good timing like this? Milk it for all it’s worth.”
Sales might not spike as wildly as hoped.
No harm in prepping though.
He’d finished the main story—side stories were a breeze.
Kakao Page might even love it.
“Ten or so should give me enough volume to compete.”
Still in pajamas, he headed to his workroom.
Moments later, the lively clatter of typing echoed from within.
* * *
Jo Jin-gu arrived at the company office bright and early.
Back in his salaried days, he’d show thirty minutes ahead of schedule.
Now? No one told him to, but as owner, he was first in every time.
Tiny compared to his old haunt, Rainer Publishing—embarrassingly so.
Still, it was his, and that stirred an odd affection.
“Terrifying too, though.”
After agonizing deliberation, Jo Jin-gu had launched a management firm.
Publishing couldn’t spearhead the current or emerging markets effectively.
Plus, he saw it as his final shot at a new life.
Miss this window, and business ownership was off the table forever.
“Weather’s nice, air’s fresh, office is cozy.”
A sub-20-pyeong hole-in-the-wall by Hapjeong Station.
To him, though, it felt like home.
His first venture—it’d stick in memory forever.
“Good morning, sir!”
“Morning, Yeom Section Chief.”
“Hahaha!”
Jo Jin-gu was savoring his morning coffee when Yeom Tae-seong strolled in.
The wall clock near the entrance read eight on the dot.
Official start was nine-thirty—he’d beaten it by an hour and a half.
“Aren’t you cutting it too close to dawn? Early train?”
“Nah, I left early on purpose. Gotta check writer schedules, lock in cover drafts for sections—tons on the plate.”
“Better than twiddling thumbs.”
“True. Just... money’s hemorrhaging.”
Yeom Tae-seong’s face twisted in heartbreaking thrift.
With only three staff total, company funds felt personal.
“Startup phase—no helping it. Systems aren’t locked in yet. But these are must-spends. Lucky we’ve got you two; no outsourcing needed.”
“I’ll redouble my efforts!”
“Right—earn that founding hero status.”
“I haven’t forgotten the equity you promised!”
Yeom Tae-seong’s eyes sparkled with fervor, hands clasped like a schoolgirl’s.
“Of course—it’s in the contract. Course, if you bail first, that’s that.”
“I quit Rainer Publishing ready to bury my bones here. I’ll only split when I’m set to fly solo.”
“Obviously.”
“Good morning!”
No sooner had Yeom Tae-seong finished than the door swung open to a bright voice.
Frontier Management’s final staffer had arrived.
“Min Deputy, you’re early too?”
“Early bird gets the worm—or a few extra.”
“Not wrong, but ease up. Yeom and I are battle-hardened, but you’re green.”
Jo Jin-gu glanced at the clock again.
Not even half-past eight.
“I’m good. Gotta proof Woo Ji-hyun’s manuscript, vet the covers. Tweak some sections too. Time to reclaim Asura Sword Emperor rights soon. Solar Chronicle right after. Plus sort recovery timelines for all the other writers.”
“Yep.”
Jo Jin-gu nodded emphatically.
He tracked every operation himself.
Early days demanded it.
Buzz!
Mug in hand, lost in thought, Jo Jin-gu eyed his desk.
His smartphone was vibrating mercilessly atop it.
“Huh? Oh Executive this early—what’s up?”
“Oh from Kakao Page, right?”
“Yeah.”
Double-checking the screen, he headed to his seat.
Finally, he scooped up the phone.
“Yes, Oh Executive.”