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ch 3 ## There Are No Secrets in This World (2)
Lunchtime at the company.
After eating, everyone usually gathered with a cup of coffee to chat.
That was no different in the Finance Department of Jogyeong Trading.
"Mr. Sehyeong."
Near the end of lunch break, while everyone was enjoying coffee, Team Leader Go Ina spoke up.
"Y-Yes, Team Leader?"
The one who answered was employee Joo Sehyeong.
"What have you been so absorbed in lately?"
"Excuse me?"
"I keep seeing you sneak glances at your phone. You were holding it the whole time earlier too. Waiting for someone's
message? Or watching Tube?"
"N-No! I don't look at it while I'm working!"
"Who said you did? When did I ever say you were using it during work? You seem awfully guilty."
Sehyeong's face instantly turned bright red.
Seeing that, the rest of the team burst into laughter.
Everyone secretly slacked off during office hours once in a while.
Fortunately, no one here was overly strict about it.
"Anyway, what are you reading that's worth slacking off for?"
"I-I'm not slacking off! Ahem... I've been reading web novels lately. Just as a hobby."
"Web novels?"
The moment those words came out, Team Leader Go's eyes lit up.
"Oh? Really? What are you reading?"
"A fantasy novel that recently became paid on MoonStory. It's called Regressed as the Count's Good-for-Nothing."
"Oh, fantasy. I mostly read romance or romance fantasy."
"Team Leader, you read web novels too? What do you like?"
"I love romance fantasy. Have you heard of The Villainess's Third Life Will Be Different? It got so popular that it was
even licensed in Japan."
"I've never heard of it. I don't really read romance fantasy."
Just then—
"What? No one here reads chaebol or office-worker novels?"
An unexpected voice joined the conversation.
It was Assistant Manager Choi.
"Assistant Manager, you read web novels too?"
"Of course. My friends do too. But aren't chaebol reincarnation stories and office-worker success stories much more fun?
Being reborn as the grandson of a conglomerate or getting an unbelievable promotion at work. That's every office
worker's dream."
"Haha, those do sound fun."
"I don't know... Personally, I don't really want to consume work-related content after leaving the office."
Before long, everyone was enthusiastically recommending novels they'd enjoyed.
Whenever someone mentioned a title another person knew, the discussion became even livelier.
Meanwhile...
One person remained completely silent.
"Oh, right. Assistant Manager Yoon, don't you read web novels?"
At Team Leader Go's question, everyone's attention shifted toward one man.
Yoon Seongjun.
"I don't."
"Really? That's unexpected. You look... literary somehow."
"...What exactly does looking literary mean?"
"You know, like a bookish guy. Someone who'd look good in glasses, seems intelligent, knows a lot... and is handsome."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Especially at the last part.
"That's true. When Assistant Manager Yoon joined the company, it caused quite a stir."
Assistant Manager Choi chuckled as he sipped his instant coffee.
Everyone else was drinking iced Americanos from cafés.
Only he stubbornly stuck with instant mix coffee.
"I remember the department manager saying, 'Is this a company interview or an actor audition?' Right, Seongjun?"
"I'm sorry. I don't remember."
"Haha! Always so modest. With a face like yours, you could've been much more arrogant."
It was true.
Within the company, Seongjun's appearance was well known.
His expressionless, stoic face didn't make him seem cold.
Instead, it made him look intelligent.
He resembled the composed executive from a television drama.
Maybe that was why.
Even when he'd first joined the company, everyone had talked about him.
Even now, newly hired employees were surprised by his looks.
"Thanks to Assistant Manager Yoon, plenty of new female employees suffered from unrequited crushes. There was even a
joke that he should conduct recruitment interviews."
A typical joke you'd hear in a small company.
Still, plenty of women had been interested in Seongjun.
"If it were anyone else, I'd say they were exaggerating. But with Assistant Manager Yoon, I believe it. When I first saw
him, I thought he'd stepped right out of a romance fantasy novel."
That comment came from Team Leader Go.
"What's a romance fantasy male lead?"
"It just means you're ridiculously handsome."
In any case...
None of them could pursue him.
Because Seongjun was a widower raising his daughter alone.
It wasn't as though women had never approached him.
Some had even confidently declared they'd help raise his daughter.
But...
He turned every one of them away.
"My daughter loves her mother very much."
Then he'd quietly add—
"So do I."
For Yoon Seongjun and Yoon Siwoo...
There would only ever be one wife.
One mother.
Even if she was no longer in this world.
"I'm more of a webtoon person."
This time, Seongjun's colleague and friend, Jin Yongsu, joined the conversation.
"Aren't webtoons more popular anyway? Aren't web novels basically beneath webtoons?"
Team Leader Go shook her head.
"Yongsu, what's your favorite webtoon these days?"
"Me? Solo Apocalypse."
"You know that's adapted from a web novel, right?"
"What? Seriously?"
"Yep. These days, successful web novels become webtoons. Popular webtoons become dramas or movies. Then once those
become hits, people go back and read the original novel."
Yongsu's eyes widened.
"Wow... Then how much money do those authors make?"
"Who knows? Between novel revenue and adaptation rights... the biggest hits probably earn hundreds of millions of won."
"Wow... I guess people saying you can't make money writing anymore is outdated."
After muttering that, Yongsu poked Seongjun in the side.
"Hey, Seongjun. Maybe I should start writing web novels as a side job."
"Do whatever you want."
"Come on, don't be so boring. Didn't you say you used to write?"
Since they'd joined the company together, they'd talked about many things.
Including Seongjun's abandoned dream of becoming a novelist.
"You've even written storyboards and advertising copy for the company. The president loved your work so much he kept
asking for you."
Since it was a small company, there wasn't even a marketing department.
Employees often had to handle work outside their own roles.
Whenever advertising campaigns or promotional videos needed storytelling or catchy copy...
Those jobs somehow ended up on Seongjun's desk.
His work always received good feedback.
Eventually, the president simply started giving everything to him.
"Even when you're buried in work, you write those proposals effortlessly. Maybe you're actually talented."
"Company advertising and web novels are completely different. Don't confuse them."
"You're no fun. Then how about we grab a drink after work? I've been feeling down lately."
"You drink by yourself."
"Why are you always so impossible?"
No matter how much Yongsu pestered him...
Seongjun remained unmoved.
"I have something to give my daughter."
---
People really weren't kidding when they said ten years could change everything.
The idea that people couldn't make money from writing had become outdated.
Honestly...
It was a little embarrassing to admit.
But life really did surprise you.
"I knew web novels were popular... but I never imagined they'd become this big."
I knew readers paid around a hundred won per chapter.
But I couldn't imagine making a living from that.
Even if hundreds of people read your work...
Wouldn't that still be too little?
I'd assumed everyone simply wrote as a hobby.
Yet now...
People were making hundreds of millions of won.
"I really have been out of touch."
Whether people called it literary fiction...
Genre fiction...
Fairy tales...
Or web novels...
It didn't matter.
My dream had always been the same.
To create stories.
The reason I'd wanted to become a novelist in the first place...
Was because I wanted to become an omniscient author.
The type of story had never mattered.
If I'd been born ten years later...
Would I have become a web novel writer?
"Dad!"
The moment I heard Siwoo's voice...
That thought disappeared.
If I'd been born ten years later...
I never would've met my wife.
I never would've had Siwoo.
That hypothetical world made no sense.
"I'm home, Dad!"
Besides...
I'd already achieved my dream.
"You worked hard today! By the way... today's chapter comes out at eight as usual, right?"
"Of course, dear reader."
I'd already met the greatest reader I could ever ask for.
Every evening at exactly eight o'clock...
I'd send the latest chapter to Siwoo through CocoaTalk.
"Here!"
Suddenly...
Siwoo held out a 1,000-won bill.
"What's this?"
"A donation!"
"A donation?"
"Readers donate to their favorite authors, don't they? This is my donation. Thanks for always writing such fun stories,
Dad!"
She smiled brightly.
That smile alone was more than enough payment.
"Thank you. But keep it and buy yourself some ice cream."
"Ahem. It's rude to refuse a reader's support. You're supposed to say, 'Thank you. I'll repay your kindness by writing
even better stories.'"
"Hahaha. Thank you very much, dear reader. I'll continue working hard."
A donation...
Then...
Did this thousand won become the very first money I'd ever earned through writing?
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to frame it."
"Dad! You're so embarrassing!"
---
Actually...
The reason I started writing web novels was rather simple.
When web novels became popular...
I was relieved.
One hundred won for over five thousand characters.
That seemed incredibly cheap to me.
Other children secretly spent hundreds of thousands on games.
Or wanted expensive luxury goods.
Siwoo never asked for any of that.
She'd never cared much about other people's opinions.
Instead, she wanted only one thing.
"Dad, I want to read more web novels!"
Stories.
She just wanted more stories.
At first, I thought web novels would cost far less than buying fairy tale books.
So I put 30,000 won into her account.
"Dad! Recharge it again! I'm out of cash!"
"Already? On what?"
"What do you mean? I spent it reading web novels!"
That day...
She burned through all 30,000 won.
Three hundred chapters.
Gone in a single day.
That was when I realized...
Her reading speed was only getting faster.
I didn't want to stop her.
Of course, if it had interfered with her studies or daily life, I would've stepped in.
But Siwoo always handled her responsibilities well.
More than anything...
It was my pride as her father.
And my guilt.
I didn't want to become the kind of father who couldn't even support his daughter's favorite hobby.
I wanted to give her everything she wished for.
Just as I'd once written fairy tales for her...
I began writing web novels.
By now...
I'd written more than five series for Siwoo.
Each one had hundreds of chapters.
Writing every day never felt burdensome.
If anything...
It was easier than writing a brand-new fairy tale every single night.
"So, Dad! What happens to Jinwoo today? Is he finally performing at the Mango Music Awards? What about the line
distribution? How's he going to use his ability this time?"
Kwon Jinwoo.
The protagonist of my current novel.
Siwoo's eyes sparkled with excitement as she bombarded me with questions.
I could only give one answer.
"No spoilers."
"You're the worst! Just tell me a little!"
"If I do, waiting for the next chapter won't be any fun."
Watching her pout and complain with exaggerated gestures...
Was adorable.
It only proved how much she loved my stories.
Actually...
The idea for Only 10 Seconds as a Genius Idol came from a simple conversation.
"Those idols are amazing. Our Siwoo would've made a great idol too."
"Dad..."
"What? You're pretty, your voice is nice, and you're getting taller every day."
"Please stop saying embarrassing things with such a serious face! Besides, do you know how hard idols work? You only see
them shining on stage. Do you know how much effort goes into one performance? Tons of idols disappear without anyone
even noticing."
"I had no idea."
"Exactly! If you tried being an idol for just one day, you wouldn't be saying that."
It was a conversation we'd had while watching a music awards show.
Back then...
I knew nothing about the entertainment industry.
I only saw the glamorous side.
Ironically...
Siwoo understood the hardships much better than I did.
She was a middle school girl who loved idols.
When I started planning her next novel...
That conversation became my inspiration.
"An idol works hundreds of hours just to shine for ten seconds."
What if...
An ordinary person who knew nothing about idols possessed the body of a failing idol?
That alone wasn't enough.
The protagonist needed something unique.
So I added one ability.
"What if he could become a genius idol...
For exactly ten seconds?"
The more I brainstormed...
The more interesting the story became.
Before I knew it...
The novel had passed Chapter 150.
Thankfully...
Siwoo still loved every chapter.
So I planned to keep writing.
"All right. Let's eat. Give me a minute."
As I turned toward the kitchen—
"Oh, Dad."
"I have something to tell you."
Siwoo suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
"What is it?"
"Well..."
She fidgeted with the hem of her school skirt.
Like a child who'd done something wrong.
Sensing something serious...
I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You can tell me."
"What happened?"
Siwoo rarely hesitated like this.
She was usually independent.
Countless bad possibilities flashed through my mind.
But I didn't pressure her.
She'd chosen to tell me herself.
I should wait.
"...I'm sorry."
"I showed your novel to my friend."
"...Hmm?"
"Siwoo."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"You wrote it just for me! But I showed it to Harim without asking. You know Harim, right? I let her read it
yesterday... I'm sorry. Your novels are just so good. I wanted someone to talk about them with."
I understood.
She felt guilty because she'd shared something I'd written exclusively for her.
But...
"I don't mind."
"They're your stories."
"You can do whatever you want with them."
Unlike what she'd feared...
I wasn't upset at all.
If anything...
I was simply happy she loved my stories that much.
Though...
I did become curious.
How would someone other than Siwoo react?
Throughout my life...
I'd only ever had one reader.
Everything I'd written was tailored specifically for my daughter.
Maybe another person wouldn't enjoy it at all.
"So..."
"What did your friend think?"
"That's the amazing part—"
Just then—
Buzz.
Buzz.
A phone vibrated.
It wasn't mine.
It was Siwoo's.
"Oh."
"It's Harim."
She glanced at the caller ID.
Harim...
The very friend she'd shown my novel to.
"Go ahead."
"She's probably waiting."
Only after I said that did Siwoo answer.
"Hello? Harim? Yeah. Yeah... What? Chapter 154 of Only 10 Seconds? Not yet. Dad always sends it at eight."
Only 10 Seconds.
Apparently, she'd shortened the title of my novel.
So they really were talking about it.
Wait.
Hold on.
Tonight, I was supposed to send Siwoo Chapter 154.
If Harim was already asking about Chapter 154...
Then that meant—
"...What?"
"You read all 153 chapters in one day?!"
"I thought you said even ten chapters a day was your limit?!"