Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: A Changed Future
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Long hours of work had left her body stiff, so Min A-rang stood up from her seat to stretch, glancing over at the partition next to her.
There, she saw the two siblings with their lips pursed in identical pouts, completely absorbed in their work.
‘They’re really something.’
It looked like they were just roughly sketching, but somehow, a character would take shape in no time.
And before long, backgrounds and speech bubbles began filling the panels at a rapid pace.
“Impressive, right?”
“Oh, President.”
“Their skills are improving so quickly. Even with the original story, laying out the synopsis and directing the scenes are completely different matters.”
“They’ve been coordinating with Oppa in between. They check with him on anything they’re unsure about or anything that seems off.”
Min A-rang looked at the Lee Hye-seong and Lee Ji-seong siblings with newfound admiration.
Even young people could be know-it-alls, but since they were still amateurs, they were confirming everything with Woo Ji-hyun from start to finish.
Of course, only on the story aspects.
“They’re not fully confident yet. Plus, with an original author there, they have no choice but to get it checked. It’s not their own work, after all.”
“Still, it seems like a good pick. They don’t slack off at all. That’s why the progress is so fast.”
“And we’re steadily building up our data in the process.”
“Shouldn’t we prepare for the future?”
Min A-rang cautiously broached the subject, stealing a glance at the two siblings who were working more enthusiastically than anyone.
Right now, all their focus was on God of Martial Arts, Return, but she knew they were preparing their own projects on the side.
“I’ve been thinking about that. I’ve been meeting people too. We can’t rely on those two forever. Besides, their contract is only for this one project.”
“As expected of you, President. You’ve been preparing separately?”
“We can’t just do this once and call it quits. And ultimately, webtoons are the way to go. It’s still tough to jump straight to dramas or movies.”
“You’re seeing that far ahead?”
Min A-rang looked slightly surprised.
Jo Jin-gu seemed to be aiming much further than she’d thought.
“It’s not just me. Writer Woo Ji-hyun thinks the same.”
“Well, that Oppa...”
He’d shown insight bordering on foresight, almost like he knew the future, so many times that Min A-rang now just accepted it with a resigned expression.
She wasn’t easily surprised by much anymore.
“So don’t worry about the webtoon side. I plan to hire more people soon. Full-time staff.”
“Isn’t this expanding too quickly?”
“It’s just a bit bigger than before. And it’s something we have to do anyway. Of course, our solid finances make it possible. By the way, how’s the newbie?”
Jo Jin-gu nodded toward the new employee, who was glaring intensely at proofreading and editing work.
But Min A-rang’s expression was quite meaningful.
“She’s realizing why rookies need an adjustment period.”
“Your mentor must have felt the same.”
“Wasn’t I quicker to adapt, though?”
“You don’t think it was just your talent, do you?”
This time, Jo Jin-gu gave a meaningful smile.
Min A-rang pouted her lips at that.
“Of course not. I know how much effort the seniors put in.”
“And add Writer Woo Ji-hyun to that. It’s not easy for a newbie to handle a writer like him, in skill or personality.”
“I’m very grateful for that. Though the person himself doesn’t seem to care.”
“I can see that.”
Jo Jin-gu nodded.
Woo Ji-hyun was the type who handled things well no matter who was assigned to him.
No wonder he was a writer without deadlines.
He was a model for all the other writers.
“Take good care of her. Don’t be too hard on her.”
“Hey, you know my personality. I’m not the type to nag anyone.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“We’re keeping an eye on rookies, but the results are minimal. Most don’t even reply to our outreach letters.”
Min A-rang’s expression darkened for a moment.
Thanks to Woo Ji-hyun, Frontier Management was sailing smoothly, full speed ahead.
But that made new momentum even more necessary.
Fresh, powerful, consistent momentum.
“That’s something even I can’t help. I thought we’d built decent recognition for our agency, but it’s not easy.”
“Our contract terms are competitive too. And our star writer is the hottest one out there, Ji-hyun Oppa.”
“Exactly.”
“Why not ask Oppa about it?”
Min A-rang’s eyes sparkled.
It was the look of someone with a plan.
“Ask him what?”
“To find us some good rookies. He’s proven his eye for talent. And it’s his expertise—he’d know the fit right away.”
“Hmm.”
Jo Jin-gu stroked his chin.
It was a valid point.
The issue was whether it was right to use the busy Woo Ji-hyun as a scout.
Weighing the pros and cons, the benefits tipped the scale.
‘It feels like dumping work on a writer who’s doing great.’
Woo Ji-hyun was already swamped with the webtoon adaptation of God of Martial Arts, Return.
He was constantly hounded by the Lee siblings at all hours.
Of course, the webtoon’s quality was improving accordingly.
“What we need right now is speed. Other agencies wait until around episode 10 to read and decide before sending letters. But we could decide after 2 or 3 episodes. Or even just 1 or 2. Approaching faster than anyone else would boost our success rate, right?”
“You’re right, but it’s hard to ask that of Writer Woo Ji-hyun. If he’s enjoying it, no one can complain, but his workload is already heavy.”
“Ah.”
Min A-rang opened her mouth at Jo Jin-gu’s gaze.
She’d belatedly realized what she’d overlooked.
“And that time would be better spent writing, which benefits him more. We’d be grateful for the help, but...”
“You’re right, now that I think about it.”
“But casually sounding him out doesn’t sound bad. Not pushing, just asking if he’s seen any good novels lately or any fun free serials.”
“Even you hate to give up on it, huh? Hohoho!”
“Better to try when the odds are good?”
Jo Jin-gu smiled back at Min A-rang.
He was considerate of Woo Ji-hyun, but it was still a shame to let it go.
“I’ll call Oppa today. It’s settlement day anyway.”
“I’ll count on you, Min Deputy.”
“Leave it to me!”
Min A-rang nodded with a bright smile.
* * *
The weather felt like autumn had fully arrived, so Woo Ji-hyun grabbed a long cardigan and headed out.
“Bucheon Station’s been a while.”
He had a car, but since it was a drinking meetup, he took public transport to Bucheon Station.
There was the hassle of taking a bus from Seochang 2 District to Songnae Station and transferring to the subway, but it was still better than Hongdae or Sinchon.
Distance-wise, it was much closer.
“You’re here?”
“Sorry. I’m late.”
“No. My office is right around here, so of course I’d arrive first.”
Woo Ji-hyun bowed in surprise upon entering the meeting spot.
He’d thought he was early, but Kwak Cha-won had beaten him there.
“You must be busy—why didn’t you come later?”
“I’m free today. I was on a week-long drinking binge for work until yesterday, so no plans today.”
“They sell booze here too.”
Woo Ji-hyun murmured softly, looking around the place.
Most people came for meals, but they did serve alcohol.
“Booze for work and booze with a dongsaeng are different.”
Woo Ji-hyun smiled faintly at the occasional dialect slipping in and took a seat.
As if waiting, a server placed basic side dishes and a bottle of soju on their table.
“Don’t overdo it. Health comes first.”
“I know. Don’t worry. This hyung’s still in his prime. Just turned forty—what’s the big deal? Speaking of, the sashimi here’s not bad.”
“I like sashimi too. Even more with spicy stew at the end.”
“Right. End with spicy stew. Clear broth is the truth.”
Woo Ji-hyun nodded with a laugh.
He preferred the clean, clear gejang-style spicy stew over the red, chili-heavy kind.
Its crisp flavor paired perfectly with soju.
Like the Western concept of marriage in food pairings—it was spot on.
“Exactly.”
“See? You know your stuff.”
Kwak Cha-won grinned satisfyingly at Woo Ji-hyun’s quick agreement.
Then, without waiting for food, he poured the soju.
Pour, pour, pour.
Woo Ji-hyun quietly watched the clear liquid slowly fill the glass, then took the bottle from Kwak Cha-won and poured into his glass as well.
“I’ll pour water too. No sides yet.”
“Why no sides? We’ve got peppers, carrots, and ssamjang right here?”
“Water’s still the best.”
Woo Ji-hyun grabbed the water pitcher to stop Kwak Cha-won, who was about to toast right away.
No matter what anyone said, water was the ultimate drinking snack.
It helped with calorie control too.
Of course, once the booze hit, calories became someone else’s problem.
“Busy these days?”
“Yeah, with the webtoon production underway.”
“Heard Frontier Management’s handling it directly. But I caught some interesting rumors.”
“What kind?”
Woo Ji-hyun countered as he downed his soju.
He didn’t meet people often, and hadn’t done anything noteworthy lately.
So the rumors puzzled him even more.
‘Really, it’s just people who barely know me blabbing.’
Some were people who actually knew him to some degree.
Close? Not quite.
“They say you personally scouted the webtoon artists. That you picked them yourself.”
“That’s true. Not that I knew them before.”
“So you found them at a cafe?”
“Yeah, they had potential. Suited my preferred art style too. An artist’s skill matters, but so does whether their style fits the work.”
“Makes sense. Writers have a vision in mind.”
Kwak Cha-won was a company rep now, but he’d started as a writer.
So he could relate to Woo Ji-hyun.
Even with the executive title, he planned to write again someday.
“Yeah. Can’t hold them forever, but we’re doing this project together. Minds might change later.”
“There’s always the chance they go independent and flop hard.”