Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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“Huu!”
After finishing his call with his mother, Woo Ji-hyun wiped the sweat from his forehead.
It had been less than ten minutes, but for him, it felt like an incredibly grueling ordeal.
Casual chit-chat was one thing, but the endless loop of nagging, complaining, and marriage prodding was tough even for him to endure.
She always said it was fine if he never got married, yet his mother never failed to bring up the topic at least once.
“It’s about time she let it go.”
During the divorce mediation period, she’d sung praises of single life, insisting how comfortable it was to live alone.
Yet, just a few years after the amicable divorce was finalized, she started gingerly bringing up marriage again.
“It’s no wonder my brothers don’t call often.”
From his mother’s perspective, it was just motherly worry, but for him, it was another source of stress.
He was already stressed from everything else; getting it from family too naturally led to less contact.
In a way, it was a vicious cycle.
The problem was, there was no escaping it.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
“What’s this?”
He shook his head with a sigh when suddenly KakaoTalk notifications started pouring in nonstop.
From close writer friends to actual friends, even acquaintances from school—messages flooded in from nearly everyone in his contacts.
“The power of advertising.”
The relentless vibrations made his smartphone look like it was struggling.
Woo Ji-hyun quickly switched it from vibrate to silent.
He planned to check them once things quieted down.
“First things first, my works. Gotta check the Writer War event results too.”
Having barely glanced at the banners earlier due to calls from Kim In-hu and his mother, Woo Ji-hyun now examined them closely.
On the main fantasy genre banner, photos of him and Lee Woo-hyung featured prominently. Right below, the second banner showcased his new work, God of Martial Arts, Return.
Finally, the third banner promoted the Writer War event, mainly featuring slots contracted with Frontier Management.
Solar Chronicle and New Wind Machine Alliance were there, sporting fresh e-book covers that looked exceptionally sharp.
“A-rang really has the eye for this.”
The same went for God of Martial Arts, Return and the other covers—they clearly had a lot of care put into them.
Min A-rang wouldn’t settle for mediocre quality.
Especially for the new release and Frontier Management’s debut title, God of Martial Arts, Return—the cover quality was beyond expectations.
It was on a whole other level compared to the one from his past life.
“I think she said they spent 1.5 million won on this one. Commissioned a super famous illustrator.”
Recalling how Min A-rang had bragged—not quite bragging—about using personal connections, Woo Ji-hyun smiled.
It was well-deserved praise; the cover was that impressive.
And the effect was evident in the skyrocketing traffic.
Not quite at Maestro on the Field levels, but it was climbing fast.
“I can practically hear the money piling up in my account.”
It hadn’t even settled yet—earliest payout in two months. Still, Woo Ji-hyun already felt full.
Even without breakfast, his heart was satisfied.
But from Jo Jin-gu’s perspective, it might sting a bit.
The biggest winner was probably Linus Publishing, holders of Maestro on the Field’s distribution rights.
“Still, they got the first button right.”
Woo Ji-hyun knew as well as Jo Jin-gu how crucial a debut title was.
Sure, competition wasn’t fierce yet, but complacency wasn’t an option.
There were no standout players, but plenty had dipped toes into paid serialization.
New outfits like Frontier Management were popping up like mushrooms.
“Time to check the gift zones too. Heh, both are up there.”
He’d expected full-throttle promotion on Kakao Page after the ads.
For top performers, anyway.
But seeing both works featured in the gift zones simultaneously surprised even Woo Ji-hyun.
Maestro on the Field, at 500 chapters, offered 30 free passes; God of Martial Arts, Return got 20.
That drove home Kakao Page’s push.
“Well, in my past life, they always backed hits hard. Banners for a full week. They must sense it too—the buzz and rising sales curve.”
Meanwhile, Solar Chronicle and New Wind Machine Alliance—fantasy and wuxia—weren’t seeing huge traffic bumps.
The entry barriers kept readers hesitant.
But the main events, Maestro on the Field and God of Martial Arts, Return, were different.
“Could I actually own a foreign luxury car?”
Woo Ji-hyun drifted into pleasant daydreams with an excited grin.
Imagining buying a nice house, leasing a luxury import, and cruising around.
The cars escalated from popular youth rides like A-Xdi, Ben-X, BM-X to Por-ch-e and Masera-ti.
Super cars might be a stretch, but realistically, he could swing that level.
“Nice. Really nice. If I could drive something like that…”
Up till now, house first—no splurges.
Clothes and shoes were his only indulgences.
Books, well, as a writer, he bought plenty—but mostly collectibles.
He’d lived modestly, but with these two hits, new urges stirred.
“No debt, so why not go big once? Can’t enjoy sports cars in old age. When else but young?”
Gulp!
Woo Ji-hyun swallowed hard.
Bold words, but as they say, you gotta spend to know—committing wasn’t easy.
One thing was clear: his heart was leaning that way.
* * *
Frontier Management’s debut launch day, so Min A-rang arrived even earlier than usual.
She was an early bird anyway, but punched in extra quick today.
To check Woo Ji-hyun’s new release sales.
“Good morning!”
“Morning, A-rang.”
“Boss, what time did you get here? You look wrecked.”
“Around eight?”
Jo Jin-gu replied, face like he’d downed three morning coffees.
Dark circles nearly reached his mouth, and he was still sipping.
“Didn’t sleep well?”
“Too tense to sleep. I believe it’ll do great, but results are what count.”
“How’s it looking?”
Min A-rang set her bag on her desk and asked.
Jo Jin-gu just flashed a meaningful smile instead of answering.
“You must have an idea too, Min Deputy.”
“But we haven’t checked sales proper. Guesses, sure.”
She wiggled her smartphone—probably peeked at Kakao Page on the way.
“See for yourself.”
“No way it’s worse than expected?”
His enigmatic expression made Min A-rang anxious.
A bad feeling crept in.
“Check it yourself.”
“Mmm.”
With that ominous vibe, Min A-rang logged into Kakao Page via her CP ID.
First up: Maestro on the Field sales.
Linus Publishing handled it, but sales checks were fair game.
Plus, it was Kakao Page’s top push right now.
“Mind-blowing, right?”
“W-Wow…”
Jo Jin-gu sidled up, chuckling.
But Min A-rang couldn’t respond.
Sales were rocketing, piercing the roof.
“Already beat Solar Sculptor since dawn. New sign-ups surging, so that’s climbing too—but not like this. Might need more print runs.”
“Linus Publishing’s fuming.”
“Yep. If I were boss, I’d bonus Woo Ji-hyun big. Or gold bars.”
“Not his style.”
Min A-rang shook her head firmly.
Of the three in the office, she knew Linus’s president best.
He’d cheer in-office at best—never cut Woo Ji-hyun a separate check.
“True.”
“But you don’t seem too bummed.”
“Maestro on the Field’s my achievement too, sorta. Live for the future, not past. It’s dominating now, but won’t forever. Plus, most readers it pulls will flow to God of Martial Arts, Return.”
“Oh right, gotta check that.”
Nodding at Jo Jin-gu’s words, Min A-rang clicked again.
God of Martial Arts, Return’s sales graph filled the screen.
“Not bad, huh?”
“Not bad? This is a total smash! First-day sales—before 9 AM—over 3 million won!”
“Heh heh heh! That’s why I said no envy. Maestro divides fans by genre, but God of Martial Arts, Return’s raid story—way more mainstream.”
“But happiest is Ji-hyun oppa. Money rolling in from both… Whew.”
Just day one, but settlement would be huge.
Min A-rang looked genuinely envious.
“First button’s solid. Now maintain without dips. Prep next one quick.”
“To ride this wave.”
“Yeah. And tighten copyright enforcement for Woo Ji-hyun. Tell Linus firm—no excuses now with staff.”
“Yes!”
Maestro’s print and distro rights sat with Linus, so cooperation was needed.
They wouldn’t jump at requests, though.
And scans/pirates couldn’t be fully eradicated.
But sitting idle wasn’t an option.
‘Publishers gotta care for writers. Rental market excuses don’t fly now.’
Post-rental crash, most cut staff.
Copyright talk vanished—until now.
“We promised too.”