Quitting the Dangerous Job and Pioneering Per-Episode Payments
"Why is our Sora so angry?"
Dad said this as he watched me huffing and puffing. He gently brushed my hair aside. Seeing him like that, I made up my mind. I had to make sure Dad never did dangerous work again.
"I don't like Dad doing dangerous stuff."
"Sora's still a kid, so you wouldn't understand, but what I do isn't that dangerous."
"Liar!" I pointed to the wound on Dad's arm. "How can you say it's not dangerous when you've got scars like this? Liar!"
"Sora..."
I didn't want Dad to quit working altogether. He was at an age where becoming unemployed right away would spell disaster. But I wished he'd stop this current job. People died every day in Korea from industrial accidents, and half of them were from construction sites like Dad's. Not that the workers were bad people. Before, we had no choice because we lacked leisure, but things were different now. I was earning steady money. And Dad wouldn't be totally jobless.
"I want Dad to go back to his old job."
"Sora..."
"Dad used to do game development, right? And I have tons of ideas! I can help you plenty with your work."
My head was full of hit mobile games from back then. I'd done my share of day labor too, so in a way, I was Dad's senior. Anyway, nothing beat mobile games for killing time on those slog sites.
"If Dad keeps doing that job, I won't stand for it!"
I couldn't do much, but I had to show my resolve like this. Dad pondered my words, his face troubled. Game development didn't pay well right now. Sure, it'd make bank later and become a promising field... but currently, it was low-wage.
Mom nodded along as she listened. "Honey, I think Sora's right too."
"Da-som..."
"You got hit by falling materials last time, didn't you? And yeah, we still need money, but not as desperately as before. Our pretty, cute Sora's bringing in big bucks, so you can take your time finding a new job."
"Yeah, yeah! Mom's right!"
I nodded vigorously in agreement. Mom was spot-on, a hundred—no, a thousand—times over. Last time, Dad got bruised from falling materials. Lucky it was light; if it'd been heavier, he'd have been straight to the hospital. And I'd been reborn into this body after dying crushed by construction materials in my past life. From my own experience working those sites, Korea's construction scenes had improved over time but were still risky. Even in my 20s, they were bad; early 2000s spots had to be worse. Safety rules get written in blood and tighten gradually. Right now, sites were total chaos.
They rushed to erect buildings any way possible. Thankfully, Dad quit that day after hearing us out. I sighed in relief watching him. This family I'd found again—I didn't want to lose them to some freak accident. And I loved Mom and Dad. What kid hates their parents? Before, Dad would've refused flat-out. He was our sole breadwinner; we couldn't survive even a day without his earnings. Interest and bills piled up. But no more worries like that. All that was left was making bank. Even without that, I had plenty of ways to earn. Opportunities overflowed.
"Haa..."
I let out a deep sigh. So much I wanted to do, but my body wouldn't cooperate yet. Even now...
"Sora-ya~ Sleepy? Wanna snuggle into Mom's chest and doze off?"
"Mom..."
Mom was hovering beside me. Not interfering, really—any mom would watch what her kid was up to. It was just weird how my eyelids drooped every night at 10 p.m. like automatic doors. Even forcing them open felt like fighting sleep meds. It was 10 now. Dad smiled at me too. He was busy job-hunting, sending resumes everywhere. Luckily, his age helped; plenty of options. He'd done day labor before because it paid better than game dev then. Plus, loan sharks had shown up at his workplace causing trouble. None of that mattered now. If it paid little, I'd cover it.
"Sora looks super sleepy, huh?"
"Right, honey? She acts all grown-up, but she's still a kid."
This was the weak side I showed only to Mom and Dad. Families let you drop the tough act. The breadwinner home from hard labor, the student wrapping up a safe day, the homemaker tending the house—they could all shed pretenses and be real. That was family.
"Mom... Dad..."
I'd been scribbling plans on paper, but I closed my eyes. No fighting this sleep wave. Before drifting off in Mom's arms, I snapped awake.
"Brushing... teeth...!"
Dental health was paramount. My teeth weren't all out yet, but habits started young. Teeth weren't covered by insurance. Mom and Dad burst out laughing at this. A normal kid would've just conked out, but my tooth-brushing diligence was hilarious.
I arrived at Songi Media and headed to the office. Time to discuss yesterday's plans.
"Hello."
"Hey, Sora-ya~"
Our department had grown. Not strangers, but hallway familiars had joined, swelling genre novels from two to five people. Didn't change my routine, though. I sat at the computer. Instead of writing, I monitored novel-upload sites. The one hosting my web novel, Daldongne, was testing paid models—but flat-rate subs. Per-episode payments weren't a thing in my era yet. Sites charging per chunk? Nah, folks rented from shops or bought books. That's why I eyed acquiring a popular site like Munpia to introduce per-episode billing. Cheap now, pre-growth. Web novels still felt awkward to readers.
Decision made—time to pitch.
I called for Team Leader Kim Sung-ho. Had to talk to the top dog. Nail this, and Songi Media could leap to mid-tier powerhouse. Big corp might be stretch, but solid mid-sized? Yes.
"What's up, Sora?"
Kim Sung-ho fiddled with his tie as he asked. I laid it out.
"Team Leader, you know Munpia?"
"Yeah, another genre novel site."
"Acquire it and implement per-episode payments. What do you think?"
"Per-episode what?"
I explained: Pay 100 won for a set chunk online. Good news—sites like NovelCube had trialed it. Readers hated it, though. But in my world, it was a surefire hit. Couldn't let that slip. Worlds were similar, just different names.
"So, Sora... pay 100 won to read a novel?"
"Yep, simple as that."
"But will it work...? Rent a book from a shop for 300 or 500 won, read the whole thing. Unless half a novel's worth for 200 won, no value."
He had a point. But readers were lazy by default. Rental shops died from smartphones' spread and hassle of trekking there. Web novels' anywhere-access won. One smartphone unlocked endless reads—100 or 1,000 novels, freely.