Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Once Again, Writer
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Lee Woo-hyung widened both eyes in surprise.
He had naturally assumed the homeowner would prepare some side dishes.
“Where would I find the time for that? And these days, delivery food is so much better anyway. Beats anything I could make.”
“Hmm. Still a shame.”
“Ask your girlfriend to cook for you.”
“Fair point. That does sound better. A guy in an apron just doesn’t look right—much nicer when a woman ties one on and cooks. Better on the eyes.”
Ding-dong!
As Lee Woo-hyung nodded vigorously in quick agreement, the doorbell rang.
The food they’d ordered ahead had arrived.
But it wasn’t just one dish being delivered.
“One day of letting loose won’t hurt, right?”
“Of course. Might even be our last supper.”
Once he headed to Germany, he’d have to get back in shape.
He needed to hit peak condition before the season started.
Plus, as a newly transferred player, he had to make a strong impression on his team.
But for today, he decided to set all that aside.
This would be his last drinking session with Woo Ji-hyun until he returned home.
Even then, boozing it up wouldn’t be easy.
“Truly brilliant.”
“Kill it?”
“Soju’s the man’s drink, after all.”
“Round and round we go, back to soju.”
“Exactly.”
Their vibes synced perfectly, and Woo Ji-hyun and Lee Woo-hyung smiled in unison.
Then they downed their first shots without hesitation.
“Kkh!”
“Whoa, that hits the spot!”
“Total dad vibes.”
Woo Ji-hyun chuckled at the hearty exclamation.
It clashed hilariously with Lee Woo-hyung’s refined, pretty-boy looks.
“Twenty-eight’s dad age, isn’t it?”
“Doesn’t match the face, but he’s got that laid-back charm.”
“Hahaha!”
With the side dishes arrived, the two dove into serious drinking.
They chatted about this and that, getting pleasantly buzzed.
Soccer talk led to genre fiction gossip, then girl talk—every topic flowed from their lips.
“It’s tough with the schedule, but I’m loving it. Truth is, until last year, hardly anyone knew me. Wasn’t on the national team, and I was playing for a relegation-zone Ligue 1 side.”
“Didn’t know you myself.”
“Ease up on the fact-check beatdown?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Lee Woo-hyung bristled for a split second at Woo Ji-hyun’s jab but laughed it off and raised his shot glass.
Woo Ji-hyun smirked and clinked glasses in response.
“Still can’t believe it sometimes. All this attention and hype on me.”
“Your hard work’s paying off. And honestly? I can’t believe it either. Sports star Lee Woo-hyung drinking at my place. Usually, it’s solo sessions for me.”
“So treat me right. You even scored an ad gig thanks to this body.”
“That’s why I’m serving you so well, isn’t it?”
Woo Ji-hyun bowed low from the waist, like a local groveling to a provincial governor.
Lee Woo-hyung burst into roaring laughter.
“Hey, you nail that too well.”
“I’ve got skills in flattery when I want. Don’t use it much, though. And seriously, I owe you big time. Benefited a ton from you.”
“Glad you’re killing it. Didn’t see it coming this big, though. Was just fanboying—wanted to meet the guy who wrote the book that really helped me out.”
“Here’s to keeping the streak alive.”
This time, Woo Ji-hyun raised his glass.
Lee Woo-hyung clinked his right away, like he’d been waiting.
“Damn right. Hope we keep meeting like this—easy, fun.”
“Naturally.”
“Having a friend like you is a godsend. Showbiz isn’t the dreamland I imagined.”
“Already drunk?”
Woo Ji-hyun slid over a cup of ice water as Lee Woo-hyung spouted sappy stuff, cheeks flushed from the booze.
Drink up and snap out of it.
“Brat. Gotta accept when your hyung gets real.”
“Doesn’t suit you.”
“What? Can’t I get serious? People need to be honest. That’s how you vent stress. Bottling it up solves nothing.”
“True.”
“So let’s do this now and then—grab a drink.”
Woo Ji-hyun shrugged.
Anytime you want, it said.
* * *
Jo Jin-gu twirled his ballpoint pen while gazing at the blazing afternoon sun streaming through the window, as if mirroring the bright day.
The outdoors scorched, but thankfully, his office was cool.
Thanks to the blessing of modern AC.
Even so, his expression wasn’t great.
“Webtoon adaptation, huh.”
A single phone call just moments ago had muddled his thoughts.
Of course, he’d considered it himself.
With *God of Martial Arts, Return*’s performance, going webtoon was feasible.
The issue was quality.
“Kakao Page says they’ll back it, but that doesn’t guarantee top-tier art.”
Modern settings were easier to draw than wuxia—less need to research eras, lifestyles, costumes.
Backgrounds were a breeze to source, too.
But beyond that, his vision of a webtoon demanded killer artwork.
“Best would be producing it ourselves, but we’ve got zero webtoon infrastructure.”
Jo Jin-gu’s worries deepened.
He had thought about webtoons.
It was in the blueprint he pitched when signing Woo Ji-hyun.
Just felt too soon.
“Definite opportunity. Lets us leapfrog other agencies and authors. But the risk’s huge.”
He could guess Kakao Page’s angle.
They were gunning aggressively to catch Naver, webtoon success story extraordinaire.
Pushing *God of Martial Arts, Return* as their spearhead.
*Maestro on the Field* had massive buzz, but sports stories had clear limits grabbing both male and female users.
“Hmm.”
“Something bothering you, President?”
“Huh?”
“Brought you some coffee.”
Lost in thought, twirling the pen like mad, Jo Jin-gu snapped to at the sudden voice.
Min A-rang smiled as she set an iced Americano—ice cubes bobbing—on his desk.
“Oh, thanks.”
“Nothing major, right?”
“Nah. Just mulling a webtoon offer for Woo Ji-hyun’s work.”
“From Kakao Page?”
“Yeah.”
Min A-rang looked mildly surprised.
She figured it was solid webtoon material, but the offer came faster than expected.
One hitch, though.
Unlike Naver’s rock-solid webtoon ecosystem, Kakao Page hadn’t fully established itself.
“They rushing it?”
“Gonna leverage the fame and buzz to conquer webtoons now. Market’s basically Naver and Daum duopoly.”
Late to webnovels, but Kakao Page now outpaced Naver in total sales.
No surprise they eyed the bigger webtoon pie.
“What’s your plan, President?”
“Talk it over with Woo Ji-hyun first.”
“He’ll probably be on board?”
“Likely. Boosts a writer’s career. Issue’s the quality. Great content flops without solid art.”
Min A-rang nodded.
That was her worry too.
Rush a bad webtoon and it’d hurt Woo Ji-hyun’s rep.
“That’s why I’ll consult him separately. Came quicker than thought, but not a bad deal.”
“Right.”
“Oh, found any good new stuff lately?”
No point brooding—Jo Jin-gu switched topics.
Frontier Management’s debut hit was great, but follow-ups were crucial.
Steady hits would build the agency’s name, so he scouted rookies hard.
“Scoured Munpia, messaging promising authors, but 90% ghost me. Responses say they’re already signed.”
“Everyone’s staking claims everywhere.”
“Also, tons of mid-tier newbies. Turns out they’re pen name swaps.”
“If the work’s good, fresh starts aren’t bad.”
Usually from flops or plagiarism scandals.
Reveal later and trouble brews, but weirdly, readers cared more about fun than past sins.
Some boycotted on principle, but minorities.
‘This’ll bite us eventually.’
Early signs worried Jo Jin-gu.
One loach could muddy clear waters fast.
He wanted to prevent that.
For the thousands relying on this market.
“Hardest part’s actually signing them.”
“Not desperate yet, though?”
“With just Woo Ji-hyun, we’re fine?”
“Can’t deny it.”
She said it half-jokingly, but true.
Woo Ji-hyun’s earnings crushed everyone else.
Market-wide, few matched his revenue.
“Our company guardian deity.”
“Spot on. Real protector.”
“And you’re the one who recruited him.”
“No Woo Ji-hyun contract, no Frontier Management. Might’ve taken years even if it happened.”
Jo Jin-gu reaffirmed it—his masterstroke.
His choice was the best, no doubt.
“That means you gotta watch him closer.”
“Already planning to meet partly for that. Vultures circling hard.”
His smile vanished in a flash.
He knew without her saying—how many were poaching Woo Ji-hyun.
“For the company, we must protect Oppa!”
“Obviously.”
“So, when do we hire? Yeom Section Chief and I are barely hanging on. Can’t go further, President.”
“I know. I’m swamped too. Talking to Yeom about it. Want someone with at least a year’s experience.”
Min A-rang’s eyes sparkled.
A first-year? She’d escape junior status.
“Ooh!”
“Just a hope for now. Best we can do is post the job ad.”
Jo Jin-gu cautioned not to get ahead, but she was already tuned out.