49
Chapter 49 Marathon Running Cheetah
“Boss, the branch manager of Fantasy World LA has arrived.”
“Mr. Phelps?”
Jimmy Carter, the president of Fantasy Publishing, felt both pleased and puzzled at the sudden visit from his old acquaintance who hadn’t even contacted him beforehand.
“Yes.”
“Show him in.”
“Yes. But he has brought guests as well.”
“Guests?”
“Yes.”
‘Guests brought by Mr. Phelps… interesting.’
“Well, bring them all in.”
‘Was he planning some kind of surprise?’
Carter smiled, already sensing that the guest Phelps brought was meant as a gift for him.
Then—
He paused.
The “gift” turned out to be unfamiliar Asians.
“Why that expression? Are you not happy to see me?”
Phelps grinned mischievously as he stepped forward with Kang Jiseop and Do Mino.
“Or do you not like these friends?”
“Haha, of course not. I was just surprised. But who are they?”
“Go ahead and greet him. They’ll be more helpful to you than I am.”
With confidence, Phelps introduced them.
“This is Kang Jiseop, a PD from ABS Broadcasting in Korea.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Jiseop.”
“Ah, I’m Jimmy Carter from Fantasy Publishing.”
“And this young writer is Do Mino, the one who’ll make you very rich.”
“Haha, this little guy is a writer?”
“Don’t underestimate him. He’s better than any writer you have.”
Despite Phelps’ bold claim, Carter chuckled as if it were a joke.
“I’m Do Mino.”
Mino greeted him calmly and handed over the envelope.
“This is…”
“A fairy tale I wrote. I hope to sign with Fantasy Publishing.”
“Haha, alright.”
Carter assumed it was part of a prank and casually took the manuscript.
“Let’s all sit and see how amazing this story is.”
He opened it lightly—
Then his expression changed instantly.
‘This is…’
For the first time in a long while, his heart raced.
‘This will definitely succeed.’
A story that was not only well written and entertaining—
But one he wanted to bring to life.
But after a few pages, Carter suddenly closed it.
Kang Jiseop’s heart sank—
But Mino remained calm.
Because Carter immediately began examining the illustrations.
‘He likes it.’
“You’re good at drawing too.”
A simple sentence—
But the highest praise.
“Thank you.”
“Do you like dogs?”
“A little.”
“That’s more than a little. You understand animals as they are.”
Carter valued the kindness in Mino’s drawings.
“Most people don’t know corgis originally have long tails, or that Dobermans have long ears.”
“I think corgis would prefer long tails.”
“Haha, maybe. If they weren’t herding cattle.”
“But your main character is a rabbit.”
“Yes.”
“Is the rabbit you?”
“No.”
“Then what are you in this story?”
“…I think I’m the cheetah.”
“The cheetah?”
“A man who runs faster than the rabbit, but gives up earlier. Because he wants to live doing what he likes.”
“Haha, was that in your story?”
“Yes.”
“Why include that?”
“I wanted the cheetah to be the protagonist. But it would be too sad.”
“Sad?”
“There are more rabbits than cheetahs in the world. Most readers are rabbits. A rabbit beating a cheetah wouldn’t feel relatable either.”
‘He really is the author.’
“To show that the cheetah is kind, the story needs to be from the rabbit’s perspective. A protagonist who grows slowly is easier to relate to.”
‘Not just talented—he understands storytelling deeply.’
“I also thought the cheetah would prefer a story where the rabbit is the protagonist.”
“That makes sense.”
“He knows what he wants to write and what he needs to write.”
“There are many animals in your story.”
Carter grew curious but didn’t reopen the manuscript.
“An octopus playing piano, a crocodile playing cymbals, a giraffe playing violin.”
“It’s funny. They can’t play them properly.”
“What you like and what you can do are different.”
“Quite realistic.”
“But in the end, they succeed.”
Mino placed the illustration of an animal orchestra.
“These are humans.”
“In my story, animals become human. The turtle creates a potion.”
“Haha! What?”
“The subtitle is The Origin of Humans. A more cheerful explanation than The Origin of the World.”
“Ha! You already know that?”
“I’m interested in art.”
“…Impressive.”
Carter gathered the manuscript.
“No need to test further.”
Kang Jiseop clenched his fists.
“You want to sign with us?”
“Yes.”
“Wait a bit. We’ll review it properly to offer the best terms.”
“Understood.”
“It won’t take long.”
“Yes.”
“But we’ll need your guardian’s contact.”
“I don’t have parents. I live in an orphanage.”
“…I see.”
“And I live in Korea.”
Carter realized he had forgotten that.
“You came all this way?”
“I rejected a contract in Korea.”
“A flat fee?”
“They offered 100 million won for all rights. I refused.”
“….”
“I want a publisher who recognizes my value.”
“Haha, you came to the right place.”
Age didn’t matter.
“Did you really come all this way for that?”
“Traveling and working is nice.”
“Haha!”
Carter didn’t fully understand—
But accepted it.
---
“That was amazing. Signing a contract in one day.”
“I know.”
“But what you said about the cheetah was cool.”
“…I’m glad. But is the cheetah really cool?”
“Huh?”
“To me, it’s short-lived.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s fast, but weak.”
Like he once was.
“It burns out quickly. Life is a marathon, but it sprints and collapses. So I want to become a turtle that was once a cheetah.”
“Haha! You, a turtle?”
He could earn billions—
But chose not to.
“Let’s go see the others. We might catch the fireworks.”
“You really are a kid sometimes.”
“The fireworks are supposed to be amazing.”
“…Alright.”
“Wait.”
“What now?”
“Did you lie to Carter?”
“Who would understand a cheetah’s sadness?”
He smiled.
“I’ve been working too hard lately.”
“What?”
“I need rest.”
“…What?”
“Let’s go back to the hotel.”
“You’re skipping fireworks?”
“We can go tomorrow.”
For him—
Sleep was the best.