Chapter 244
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: An Unbelievable Opportunity
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Hero Publishing was a small press that published books in various genres, gathered talented new authors, and released books for a niche readership.
As a company founded by people who loved books, they took pride in publishing works from niche genres.
But that was a story of the past. The number of readers was dwindling, and books from niche genres were losing their footing more and more.
In such circumstances, after a new author’s book they had poured all their effort into failed to perform, an opinion was forming that they should stop discovering new talent and focus more on established authors.
Lunchtime.
At a restaurant near the publishing house, the employees were talking over lunch. Everyone looked gloomy.
“Did you hear about the book concert? They said only ten people showed up. And three of them were reporters.”
“I heard two of them left in the middle. The articles were tiny, too.”
“And after all the money we spent on promotion…”
The sighs were heavier because it was their own workplace. Feeling like the depressing topic was ruining their appetite, one employee brought up something else.
“Speaking of which, it looks like *The Jurors* is about to become a bestseller.”
“A bestseller? Not a chance. It’s not at that level yet. Do you know how hard it is to become a bestseller? That list is pure concrete.”
In this industry, bestsellers just kept selling more as time went on, while it was incredibly difficult for the books below to break into that rank.
“Still, for a book like *The Jurors*, it’s doing really well.”
“Plus, I heard they’re making it into a play, right?”
“They’re casting actors now. Once they have the cast, everything should go smoothly. Besides, it’s required reading for young adults. Since it’s being made into a play, schools will probably promote it a lot.”
“The book will sell a ton, right? It won’t even need separate promotion.”
“If it gets famous as a play, it could get a movie adaptation and all that.”
A movie adaptation.
For Hero Publishing, which had no works famous enough for that, it was an impossible dream. Swallowing their sighs, the editors started mentioning the names of famous actors.
“Won’t they cast a super famous actor? Like Lee Jiseok?”
“There’s also Lee Seojun.”
“Does *The Jurors* have a role suitable for Lee Seojun?”
“Hmm. Does it?”
As the editors headed back to the office, each holding a cup of coffee, they spotted two figures. It was the much-anticipated new author, Choi Daye, and her editor, Kim Hyungwon.
“Author Choi is here again?”
“It’s the fourth day in a row, right? Why does she keep coming every day?”
Seeing Author Choi Daye sighing heavily as she asked questions and Kim Hyungwon fumbling for answers, it didn't feel like someone else's problem. They were too far away to hear clearly, only faint voices carried over.
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t a dream. I saw it, and you saw it too, Author Choi.”
“But there are no pictures… and no word from them…”
“Don’t worry. It’s not the kind of agency that can make a decision in a day or two. They probably have a lot of existing contracts and other schedules to consider. I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as they call!”
“...Yes. I understand.”
Her shoulders slumped, Author Choi Daye turned and left. One of the editors asked Kim Hyungwon, who was letting out a sigh.
“What’s up? What was that about?”
“Oh… it’s nothing. She was just asking if we could do more promotion.”
Unable to say anything since Lee Seojun’s offer for the play wasn't confirmed, Kim Hyungwon made an excuse. The other employees nodded in understanding.
“Look after the author.”
“Yes. I will.”
Kim Hyungwon replied quickly.
After everyone went inside, Kim Hyungwon pulled out his silent phone and recalled the dreamlike book concert from six days ago.
“...Was it really a dream?”
Just as Choi Daye had been wondering for days whether it was a dream or reality, Kim Hyungwon was also starting to get confused. He wondered if both he and Author Choi Daye had wanted [The Mirror] to succeed so badly that they’d even dreamt it.
“Ah, I have to get to the meeting.”
With a heavy sigh, Kim Hyungwon went inside.
* * *
The Hero Publishing conference room.
Every employee of Hero Publishing was gathered in the small conference room.
“I believe it’s time we change genres and focus on securing established authors.”
The president let out a groan at the editor-in-chief’s words. Half the employees nodded in agreement, while the other half had ambiguous expressions. They looked reluctant, but understanding.
“But the reason our company was founded was…”
“The company has to survive before we can discover new authors or publish niche genres. You all know this from the book we just published.”
At the mention of [The Mirror], the president massaged his temples wearily. *It’s a good book, so why isn’t anyone interested?* His mind grew complicated.
“If we continue like this, we’ll go bankrupt. I love our books, too. I want to see more books from various genres, from a wide range of authors. But first, the company has to survive—”
“Um…”
The editor-in-chief, who was in the middle of speaking, the president, and the other employees all turned their heads. Kim Hyungwon, the editor in charge of [The Mirror], had his hand raised with an anxious look on his face.
“May I be excused to use the, uh, the restroom?”
“...Just go.”
The president was too dumbfounded to even get angry.
At the president's words, Kim Hyungwon shot up and headed out of the conference room. A cell phone was clutched in his urgent hand.
The editor-in-chief sighed lightly and continued speaking. He suggested cutting various costs and introduced established authors who had a dedicated readership.
“Of course, it won’t be easy since they have existing publishers, but…”
It was a long and drawn-out discussion, but no one in the room lost focus. They were people who had gathered because of their love for books, but money was a serious matter.
“Established authors certainly offer more stability—”
“Mr. President!”
The meeting came to a halt once again as Kim Hyungwon burst through the door.
The editor-in-chief and the president glared at Kim Hyungwon. Though both were good-natured, they were also two people who enforced boundaries. Expecting an outburst, the employees shrank in their seats.
Just as the editor-in-chief was about to speak, Kim Hyungwon shouted.
“It’s Lee Seojun!”
“What?”
“The actor, Lee Seojun!”
Hearing a name he never expected to hear now, in this place, the president sat up straight and stared at Kim Hyungwon. The others, who had been nervously shifting their eyes, all turned to look at him as well.
His face flushed red, Kim Hyungwon couldn't contain his excitement and yelled out.
“Lee Seojun wants to stage [The Mirror] for his school’s graduation performance!”
Everyone stared blankly at Kim Hyungwon’s face. They couldn’t seem to process the sentence that had just entered their ears. They couldn’t even comprehend the first word.
*Why is Lee Seojun’s name coming up here?*
After a moment of silence.
The president, finally understanding Kim Hyungwon’s words, unknowingly dropped the pen he was holding. It fell onto the table, rolled, and then clattered to the floor.
*Clack.*
With the sound of the falling pen, the conference room erupted.
* * *
A few minutes earlier.
In the middle of the meeting, Kim Hyungwon had received a text from An Daho. Using the restroom as an excuse, he had stepped out, called him, and gotten his answer.
“Waaaaah!!”
Cheering with joy, Kim Hyungwon started walking back to the conference room, but then he remembered the person he’d seen in front of the office just a little while ago. Her slumped shoulders had been a pitiful sight.
“Ah! The author!”
He thought of Author Choi Daye, who must have been waiting as anxiously for this good news as he was. Kim Hyungwon quickly called her.
-Yes!
She answered the moment he called. It seemed she, like him, had been glued to her phone for the past six days.
Hearing the trembling in Author Choi Daye’s voice, a mix of hope and worry, Kim Hyungwon burst out laughing.
“Author Choi! He’s doing it! The play!”
-!!!!
A scream-like cheer erupted, and Kim Hyungwon pulled the phone away from his ear. It was the first time he had ever heard the quiet Author Choi Daye make such a loud noise. The massive cheer left his ear ringing for a moment, but Kim Hyungwon could only laugh.
*Well, it’s understandable! It’s* that *Lee Seojun!*
A guaranteed box-office hit. World-class recognition.
The clothes he wore, the items he owned, the instruments he played, the food he ate, and so on.
Countless things had become massive hits just by being associated with the name Lee Seojun.
“And now your book is going to be one of them!”
-This isn’t a dream, right?!
“Of course not! Ah, I have to get back to the meeting right now… I’ll get a definite confirmation and let you know right away!”
-Okay!
Neither Author Choi Daye nor Kim Hyungwon was worried at all.
What publishing house would possibly object when *the* Lee Seojun wanted to promote their book by turning it into a play?
With a flower-strewn path clearly visible ahead, Kim Hyungwon managed to calm his fluttering heart and strode confidently back to the conference room, bursting through the door. He even felt a thrill as all eyes turned to him.
He wanted to enjoy the attention for a moment, but he was itching to speak and couldn't hold back.
“Lee Seojun wants to stage [The Mirror] for his school’s graduation performance!”
At Kim Hyungwon’s loud announcement, the conference room descended into chaos.
Not a single person remained calmly seated. The nearby employees, and even the president from the far end of the table, rushed over to where Kim Hyungwon stood.
“What are you talking about?!”
“Really, the real Lee Seojun?”
“The Lee Seojun who filmed *Shadowman*!?”
“Yes! That Lee Seojun!”
Even hearing the answer, it was hard to believe.
The conference room became as noisy as a madhouse.
“Wait, why is Lee Seojun suddenly coming up?”
“Graduation performance? What’s a graduation performance?”
“*The Mirror*? You said *The Mirror*? Why *The Mirror*, which completely flopped, instead of any other book?”
“But why did they contact you instead of the company?”
“Hold on. Everyone, quiet down.”
The president’s heavy voice silenced the room. But even in the silence, you could almost hear what they wanted to say. The president, the editor-in-chief, and the employees all had flushed, excited faces.
The president asked in a trembling voice.
“Tell us from the… from the beginning.”
“Well…”
As Kim Hyungwon laid out the story, the president, the editor-in-chief, and the employees were left speechless.
“The student you asked to attend the book concert as an audience member was Lee Seojun?”
“And he seems to have enjoyed the book you gave him for free then?”
“He got the author’s autograph and asked if he could make it into a play?”
“No, no, what kind of coincidence is that…!”
The more they heard, the more unbelievable the story became.
“...Hey. Be honest. This is a hidden camera prank, right?”
It was so absurd that they started scanning the conference room, searching for cameras that weren't there.
The employees, who just two hours ago at lunch had been enviously listing actors who might star in the play for [*The Jurors*], were now speechless at the turn of events. They had never imagined that the name they’d uttered with such envy would come back to them like this.
“So Lee Seojun is really making a play out of our book?”
“Yeees.”
Happily answering the same questions over and over from the president, the editor-in-chief, and the other employees was getting a little tiring. Kim Hyungwon quickly got to the point.
“So, Cocoa Entertainment asked for a response as soon as possible…”
“A response…! Right. We have to give them a response.”
The president, who had been dazed by this unexpected fortune, took a deep breath. He was not the type to let such a massive stroke of luck pass him by.
He may have been churning inside, but the president composed his expression and spoke.
“Contact them immediately. Tell them it’s fine to use it.”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
With a bright face, Kim Hyungwon ran out of the conference room. Watching him go, the president turned his gaze to the employees, who still couldn't contain their excitement.
“Let’s make this the topic of today’s meeting.”
They had been in the middle of a meeting that would decide the fate of Hero Publishing, but neither the president who was about to make a decision, the editor-in-chief who was leading the meeting, nor the employees who had been listening with serious expressions cared anymore.
Everyone quickly returned to their seats and looked at the president, their eyes shining.
“How we are going to capitalize on this opportunity.”
At the president's words, suggestions flew out as if they required no thought at all.
“Let’s put Lee Seojun’s picture on the book cover! A scene from the play would be even better!”
“And we can put a picture of him in his daily life on the book band!”
“Let’s make bookmarks and posters, too!”
“First,”
Amid the excited voices of the employees, the editor-in-chief's meaningful tone cut through. It was a voice brimming with such emotion that it captured everyone’s attention with a single word.
“How about we prepare an English edition of [The Mirror]?”
......!
At the editor-in-chief’s suggestion, the conference room exploded once more.
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