Copyright

Copyright.

One of my buddies once tried to earn some pocket money while studying for the civil service exam by uploading movies to a file-sharing site. He got hauled down to the police station for it.

"I didn't upload them—my elementary-school little brother did! It wasn't me! I'm sorry! I made a terrible mistake!"

He dragged his kid brother along, made him write a reflection essay in his place, and got off with a warning. Even so, just thinking about the incident still made him break out in a cold sweat, and he seethed that he had completely lost face in front of his little sibling.

We all cackled and razzed him about it, but separately from that, the guy never touched a file-sharing site again.

Thanks to the merciful laws that protect creators' rights these days, countless writers around the world get to eat and live. But copyright law itself hasn't been widespread for all that long.

Of course, this world has no copyright law for creators either.

If a piece of writing is good, people pass it around, share it, tear it apart, and go, "Ah, this guy took a wrong turn on the tech tree," without a second thought.

"Hwarin, close up and let's go!"

"Okay!"

Once my book got famous, illegal copies were inevitable. I hadn't failed to anticipate that.

To protect my rights I'd need an information network telling me where my books were being sold illegally, plus the administrative power or martial force to punish the pirates. What barbarian like me was going to have any of that?

But that was all supposed to be a problem outside Yichang, the city where I worked. I never expected it to happen inside Yichang itself.

"They're really selling it."

Sure enough, another bookstore was peddling my Dangga Pungun.

"Welcome, welcome. Looking for the hot new title Dangga Pungun? We sell it much cheaper than Daseogak— Wait, what! You're that Daseogak barbarian bastard!"

The shopkeeper recognized my black hair at once and twisted his face into a scowl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? I'm selling the popular Dangga Pungun at a discount."

When I glared at him, the shopkeeper pretended not to notice and avoided my eyes. Feeling a twinge of conscience, were we?

"This is no way for a merchant to behave!"

I raised my voice so every passerby could hear.

"Merchant's code, my ass."

"Dangga Pungun is a work Daseogak sponsored into existence! And you're still going to ignore the merchant's code and pull this kind of garbage?"

Just because there was no copyright law for creators did not mean the world also lacked commercial ethics.

Even here, publishers routinely sponsored writers, helped them produce their work, and then printed the books to make money. Hwarin's maternal grandfather himself had done exactly that for years.

In this world, the copyright that belonged to publishers existed in its early form as the merchant's code—shangdao.

"There's no merchant's code worth keeping with a barbarian bastard!"

Wow. Raw, unfiltered anti-barbarian discrimination. Yep, these were the Central Plains guys I knew so well.

"Hey. What did you just say to Yunho?"

Hwarin suddenly produced a hidden weapon from empty hands and took a step toward the shopkeeper. Wait—where had she even pulled that from?

"A-a-a Murim person is trying to beat somebody up!"

"Hwarin, I'll handle this."

I stopped Hwarin, whose voice had gone dead calm. The rival shopkeeper's face turned ashen in an instant; he glanced back and forth between her and me before opening his mouth again.

"Y-you barbarian! You're the one who ought to know the merchant's code! How dare you come looking for it!"

"What part of the merchant's code did I break?"

"You brought some foreign-style bookstore into the city and muddied Yichang's waters! Do you even know every bookstore in Yichang is in the red because of you?"

"What are you talking about…"

"Looks like you found yourself a decent writer and thought you'd rake in some cash. Well, we won't stand for it! Every bookstore in Yichang has agreed to make up our losses with this book—just so you know!"

Despite his bluster, the shopkeeper kept one eye on Hwarin the whole time and edged backward as he finished speaking.

So that was how things stood.

Daseogak was the biggest bookstore in Yichang. We occupied an entire three-story building, stocked a huge collection, and sat on a convenient main thoroughfare.

There were reasons a shop could still turn solid profits even after fifty years of half-hearted management. Once a place like that introduced modern sales methods, customers poured in by the hundreds.

Naturally the surrounding bookstores' sales had to shrink.

"Yunho. Can I step in?"

"Stabbing one guy won't solve anything!"

"If he doesn't want to get stabbed, I've got medicine for that too."

"Eek!"

"Don't."

I held Hwarin back once more. If every bookstore had decided to print Dangga Pungun, waving a blade at one or two people wouldn't fix the problem.

We were being thoroughly screwed over, out in the open.

They could make money off a runaway hit and hurt Daseogak at the same time. Of course they weren't going to care about merchant's codes or anything else.

"But, Yunho—"

"I've got an idea. Follow me."

"I'm coming with you!"

Without looking back, I walked out of the rival shop.

Since the other side had picked the fight first, I had zero intention of just sitting there and taking it.

No—if you let yourself get hit once in a scrap like this, you would keep getting hit forever.

As Kang Yunho, proprietor of Daseogak, and as Hopil, author of Dangga Pungun, I absolutely had to win this war. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠So what method would let me win?

When companies go to war, the easiest tactic is a price-slashing bloodbath. The problem was that in a price war the other side held an overwhelming advantage.

"Their printing presses are way better than ours, after all."

The presses Daseogak owned were decades old. We didn't even have a type-casting machine.

They, on the other hand, clearly possessed better presses and a cheap supply chain for pumping out books.

If we entered a price war, the odds of us winning were slim.

"Should I just go poison them all real quick?"

Hwarin offered the suggestion with a worried look.

"If you did something like that, the Sichuan Dang Clan would come after you whether Dangga Pungun was involved or not."

I appreciated her trying to think of solutions, but that one went way too far. This wasn't a life-and-death duel between Murim fighters; it was competition between merchants.

The moment our rivals became personal enemies instead of business competitors, we might not be able to keep doing business in Yichang at all.

"Damn it… Then what do we do?"

"There's a way."

"What way?"

Hwarin looked at me, curiosity bright in her eyes.

If Daseogak tried to fight a publishing price war, we would lose by a landslide. They probably thought this was a fight they could only win.

But there was no reason I had to fight on ground that favored the enemy.

If the board favored them, I would just flip the entire board over.

"There's one method that will take a little time. In the meantime I don't plan on getting beaten one-sidedly, so I'll throw a few checks their way first."

I would land a clean one-two punch that actually hurt.

If they were going to poke at a bookstore's weaknesses, I would use my own strengths.

"Checks? How?"

"I'm going to try something called 'dropping coordinates.'"

Using my strength as an author, of course.

Scholar Hwang visited Daseogak today without fail, as always.

Waiting for volume two of Dangga Pungun was pure torment. The more times Scholar Hwang reread the book, the worse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his thirst for the next volume became—exactly like drinking seawater.

"Thank heaven for the Tea-and-Book Society."

The gathering dedicated to discussing Dangga Pungun: the Tea-and-Book Society, or Daseohoe.

At least meeting with fellow members helped soothe the craving for the next volume. And as Dangga Pungun grew more popular, membership kept climbing.

Today, as usual, Scholar Hwang stepped into the shop and first looked toward the display where copies of Dangga Pungun were stacked.

"This can't be! Impossible!"

"This has to be a dream! It has to be a dream!"

The Daseohoe members who had arrived ahead of him were already howling in despair.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"What on earth is going on?"

Scholar Hwang asked the wailing crowd in shock, but no one could answer. They could only point, faces full of hopelessness, at a signboard covered in writing.

Scholar Hwang looked at the board to learn what had happened.

"What kind of bolt from the blue is this?!"

Scholar Hwang clutched his head at the unbelievable news.

"It looks as though volume two of Dangga Pungun may never come out."

The manager of Daseogak appeared among the wailing people and spoke while tidying books.

"Manager, what in the world is happening?"

"Why won't volume two be released?"

The devoted readers of Dangga Pungun surrounded the manager and demanded an explanation for how things had reached this state.

"Well… Dangga Pungun was written by an author whom Daseogak supported with everything we had—body and soul. Happily the writing succeeded, and Author Hopil was delighted that he could finally repay us. But then he witnessed something shocking."

"Something shocking?"

"Other bookstores started selling Dangga Pungun without any permission. As a result Daseogak's copies haven't sold for days. When the author saw that, the shock left him refusing food and drink and collapsing in bed."

The manager hung his head as if the news were too bitter to bear.

"Do those people not know the merchant's code?! If a bookstore sponsors an author so he can write, of course only that bookstore should print the book!"

"Of course they know. Dangga Pungun simply sells so well that they do it anyway."

"And all that money just goes straight into those bookstores' pockets?"

"Yes. Regrettably so. Daseogak had been giving every single coin of the profits to Master Hopil in his hardship, yet for days now we haven't been able to give him a single copper."

"What absolute garbage these bastards are!"

"It's because of scum like them that good authors die young!"

"Manager, then what do you plan to do from now on?"

"Haah. What can one mere bookstore manager do against every bookstore in Yichang? We have no choice but to give up on volume two of Dangga Pungun."

Dangga Pungun was ending after one volume? Really?

The faces of the Daseogak regulars all looked different, yet at the shocking news every one of them wore the same expression.

"We cannot let Dangga Pungun end at volume one."

Scholar Hwang steadied his reeling mind and spoke to the members.

"Th-that's right! We can't allow it! We'll put our combined strength into this."

"How, exactly?"

Color returned to the manager's face as he watched their actions with keen interest.

"Just wait and see."

The members of the Tea-and-Book Society gathered in a circle and began discussing countermeasures.

"There are friends who have been dying to join the Daseohoe. Easily several dozen of them. If we persuade those friends…"

"My academy also has plenty of comrades who have been waiting for the next volume…"

"I will speak with my master. He is a devoted reader himself; he will gladly give his blessing."

"Honored customers?"

"Leave it to us!"

The eyes of the Daseohoe members burned with fighting spirit brighter than ever before.

"What is this?"

The next morning, all over the streets of Yichang—on every wall and post where people passed—countless posters had been pasted up.

"What's written on these?"

"Apparently Daseogak sponsored Dangga Pungun, and other bookstores just started printing it however they liked."

"That popular novel these days?"

"Yeah. Complete trash, those bastards. The author was so shocked he refuses to release volume two."

"Nooo! I want to see the Number-One Courtesan of Hubei get laid!"

"The scholars have made a truly righteous decision. Those without the merchant's code need to be taught a lesson!"

"A boycott, eh? If the scholars who buy the most books all boycott together, the damage to the shops will be enormous."

"Just how entertaining is this book that they're launching a boycott over the next volume?"

"Don't you know? There's even a whole society these days called the Daseohoe dedicated to discussing that book."

"My word. I ought to read it myself if I get the chance."

The posters plastered all over the streets of Yichang drew the eyes of countless people.

Even those who normally had no interest in books began to take notice of Dangga Pungun simply because a mere novel had sparked a full-scale boycott.

One by one more people bought and read Dangga Pungun, more common folk grew fanatical about it, and the Tea-and-Book Society's gatherings swelled in numbers.

"All the customers have vanished from the shops!"

"No! Where did all those throngs of scholars go?!"

As more devoted readers raged against the culprits preventing the next volume from appearing, the damage to the bookstores grew steadily worse.

"I only meant to throw a light one-two punch, but the effect was better than I expected."

I had figured that even if I dropped the coordinates, they would only take a couple of check punches. Instead it looked like they had walked straight into a counter-punch.

Originally I had thought it would only serve as a little pressure before I used other schemes.

"I can't stop at this."

Even unexpected results should be used if they can be used.

I once again began writing words down on paper.

Hopil is starting to feel dizzy. Please torment me harder, and hurry.