2
Chapter 2
Long Time No See
Glpia Headquarters. Conference Room 2.
Monday, 2 p.m. The time when the afternoon drowsiness hits hardest after lunch.
Some fought it off with caffeine. Others with nicotine.
One by one, people who had struggled to shake off their sleepiness entered the conference room.
Today was the day of the weekly meeting for Glpia Management's Fantasy and Martial Arts team.
The Fantasy and Martial Arts team was the department responsible for managing web novel writers under contract with the
management company.
There were two main things the PDs belonging to this department did.
The first was planning.
They planned in advance the schedules involved in presenting web novels to readers, including contracts with writers,
monetization, completion, and paperback editions.
The second was management.
They handled everything from the writers' basic mental well-being and feedback on their works to resolving inquiries and
requests.
The reason companies that writers belonged to were usually called publishers or management companies was because they
performed both publishing and management roles.
“Is everyone here?”
A man entered the conference room.
Black, square-rimmed glasses. His hair was cut short on the sides, with the front swept upward.
It was Ji Hyun-woong, the head of the Fantasy and Martial Arts team.
The leader of fifteen PDs.
A deep, low voice. An intimidating presence in his voice alone.
“Yes, everyone is here.”
Ji Hyun-woong nodded at the senior PD's response.
“Then shall we begin?”
More things were decided during the weekly meeting than one might expect.
Works for which the PDs had submitted contract proposals.
Adjustments to promotion schedules.
Works that would be released on other platforms or turned into paperback editions.
The PDs reported various issues concerning the writers they managed to Ji Hyun-woong.
“Kim Woo-hyun, what happened to the work you said you wanted to sign last week? Did you get in touch with the author?”
It was the newly hired rookie's first writer contract.
At Ji Hyun-woong's question, Kim Woo-hyun answered reflexively, as though he had prepared for it in advance.
“Yes! I'm meeting the author tomorrow to sign the contract!”
“You're meeting in person to sign it? You're not doing it electronically?”
“Yes. The author said they wanted to hear the explanation directly, so we decided to do it that way.”
Until a few years ago, Glpia also handled contracts by meeting authors in person or visiting them directly.
But these days, electronic contracts were much more common.
That didn't mean the old method was impossible.
Glpia Management. Usually shortened to Geulmae.
It was a top-tier management company in the industry, but these days, competition to recruit writers was fierce.
Providing this level of convenience wasn't difficult.
“Make sure Woo-hyun takes the company card.”
“Yes, understood.”
The senior PD answered the team leader.
“Don't make any mistakes when explaining things, and buy the author something delicious. Something expensive.”
“Yes, understood!”
Ji Hyun-woong smiled as he watched the rookie answer energetically.
He had been like that once too.
PD, editor, manager. They were all terms used to refer to themselves.
It sounded like a good job, but in reality, that wasn't always the case.
Even if the low pay could be overlooked, dealing directly with writers was not an easy task.
Dealing with people was difficult in any profession.
If there was any enjoyment to this job, it was occasionally being able to boast about securing a good promotion or
enjoying a delicious meal with the company card.
Time passed quickly as the PDs gave their reports.
Still, there didn't seem to be anything that required particular attention this week.
The number of newly registered works had recently decreased, probably because of the contest scheduled for two months
later.
“Does anyone have anything unusual to report? Speak up now.”
It was the closing remark of the meeting. Everyone held their breath.
Everyone wanted to end the meeting as quickly as possible, so naturally, no one raised a hand.
“Then that's it for the meeting...”
Team Leader Ji Hyun-woong was about to end the meeting.
But suddenly, a familiar sound rang out.
Kkaetok!
Everyone's eyes turned toward the end of the table.
There was a notice posted at the entrance of the conference room.
[ Silence During Meetings! ]
That was why everyone switched their phones to silent before entering the conference room.
“I'm sorry!”
It was the rookie. Startled, Kim Woo-hyun hurriedly took out his phone and put it on silent.
“That's it for today.”
At Ji Hyun-woong's words, the PDs began gathering their belongings.
Kim Woo-hyun, who had been startled by his phone suddenly ringing, also checked Kkaetok with a relieved heart.
It was a message from a friend.
But the contents were far from ordinary.
* Author Min Seong-yoon posted an announcement saying he's resuming his serialization!
“This is amazing!”
Kim Woo-hyun knew Author Min Seong-yoon too.
No, he was an ardent fan.
He had gotten into web novels after reading his work, and it had even led him to join Glpia.
His dream was to plan an incredible work like one of Author Min Seong-yoon's novels.
But the author was coming back?
* If you're joking, I'll kill you!
After replying to his friend, Kim Woo-hyun suddenly felt uneasy.
The PDs who had been gathering their belongings were all looking at him.
“What? Did you win the lottery?”
Kim Woo-hyun answered the senior PD's question.
“Ah, my friend said Author Min Seong-yoon posted an announcement...”
“Who?”
“Author Min Seong-yoon!”
At Kim Woo-hyun's answer, Ji Hyun-woong was startled.
“What? Author Min Seong-yoon posted an announcement?”
“Yes.”
At the rookie's words, everyone took out their phones and checked Author Min Seong-yoon's work.
People who made their living from web novels.
Of course, they all knew who Min Seong-yoon was.
A legendary author who had stopped his serialization.
He had written a work that every aspiring writer would envy, only to suddenly disappear one day.
It had already been three years.
Of course, Min Seong-yoon wasn't the only author who had stopped a series midway.
Mental breakdowns. Worsening health. Personal circumstances. Being called to serve the country. Opposition from family.
There were many reasons writers were unable to continue writing their novels.
Checking for such problems in advance was also one of a PD's responsibilities.
The realm of management.
But when it came to preventing a writer from stopping their serialization, all PDs could really do was offer
encouragement and comfort.
“Author, please stay strong!”
If the PDs had to choose the most famous author among those who had stopped writing, they would choose Min Seong-yoon.
His novel had even been discussed for adaptations into a webtoon and drama, as well as the production of merchandise and
limited editions.
But the fact that he had stopped the serialization had always held everything back.
And now, at this very moment.
Everyone was looking at the announcement that the legendary author was returning.
“Could this really be true?”
“He left it as an official announcement. Of course it's real...”
“But there's no date for when he's coming back.”
“That's true. Maybe he's saying he's preparing to return?”
The PDs who had checked the announcement began whispering among themselves.
There were writers who disappeared again even after posting a return announcement.
The pressure of returning caused them to suffer another mental breakdown.
But Ji Hyun-woong quickly understood the situation.
A positive sign of a resurrection.
They needed to help the author's determination turn into action.
That was the role of a PD.
“Who is currently in charge of Author Min Seong-yoon? Contact him quickly and find out.”
He told them to contact the author, but everyone just stared blankly at him.
“What are you doing? Who's in charge of Author Min Seong-yoon?”
Ji Hyun-woong was angry.
Even after he shouted, none of the PDs moved.
‘These guys don't even know which authors they're responsible for...’
He understood, though.
A single PD was responsible for more than fifty writers.
Of course, some of those writers weren't currently active.
Moreover, this was a writer who had stopped his serialization three years ago.
It was obvious they had lost interest in him.
He opened the work management program on his laptop and checked who the assigned editor was.
Perhaps it was time to remind everyone of their responsibilities after their work lives had become too relaxed.
“Who is the assigned PD? Tell me, and I'll train them myself.”
Perhaps sensing Ji Hyun-woong's mood, a senior PD stepped forward first.
But Ji Hyun-woong quietly closed his laptop.
“No. Come to think of it, this is important. As the team leader, I think it would be better for me to contact the author
myself.”
The PDs who had been worried that they might be the one responsible were moved.
“As expected of you, Team Leader!”
“I think that's a great idea.”
Honestly, being assigned a legendary author who had stopped their serialization was a huge burden for a PD.
If the author stopped the series again, they would have to deal with the consequences themselves.
But when the team leader said he would handle it personally, everyone felt relieved.
“That'll be all for today's meeting. Everyone, you're dismissed.”
The PDs left the conference room one by one, and Ji Hyun-woong, left alone, opened his laptop again.
[ Assigned PD: Ji Hyun-woong ]
‘It's me.’
The moment he saw the name, he remembered.
Two years ago, when he had been promoted to team leader.
He had distributed the writers he had been managing among the employees under him.
But he had kept Min Seong-yoon, the writer who had stopped his serialization, under his own name.
He had decided that it would be difficult for the employees under him to deal with him anyway.
And then he had forgotten about him.
It was he who had become too relaxed.
Saying that becoming team leader had given him too much work was nothing more than a cowardly excuse.
He had always emphasized writer management to his PDs, yet he had nearly brought down the authority he had built up over
the years.
But what mattered now wasn't his authority.
It was the fact that Author Min Seong-yoon had returned.
That was what made him tremble.
Ji Hyun-woong took out his phone and called Author Min Seong-yoon.
---
I had posted that I was resuming my serialization, so now I had to write.
But there was something I needed to do before writing.
I had stopped the serialization and hadn't written anything for three years.
I needed to check what I had written before.
A novel I had stopped after 200 chapters.
It would take other people some time to read through it, but I didn't need that.
Just as my wife had incredible hearing, I had my own ability.
Memory.
I remembered every novel I had read.
I slowly closed my eyes.
When my eyelids shut and I could no longer see my surroundings.
A new world unfolded.
A panorama of memories.
The memories stored in my mind began flashing past rapidly.
Like a revolving lantern.
A revolving lantern referred to the phenomenon of a person rapidly recalling their past life shortly before death.
Romance and memories. A beautiful ending to life through recollection of the past.
But when you looked at it closely, it was a sad biological phenomenon.
The brain, sensing death, rapidly searched through its memories for a way to survive.
A yearning for life.
In the end, when the brain realized there was no way to survive, it began beautifully packaging the life it remembered.
A final gift to itself.
So that the end of life could conclude in happiness.
I possessed the ability to search through my memories and bring them back like that.
When I was young, I underwent testing, and the doctor called it perfect memory.
I stored everything I saw in my mind exactly as it was.
Just like taking a photograph or video with a camera.
When I was young, these memories had been jumbled together, but as I grew older, I learned how to organize them.
Just like folders and files on a computer.
The brain was a gigantic memory storage device.
As I searched through the data inside it, I found a familiar cover.
[ Still my No.1 ]
Behind the cover, the contents I had written began to appear.
I read through them rapidly.
Chapter 1. Betrayal
Chapter 2. Regression
Chapter 3. Newcomer
And then the contents of the novel I had temporarily stored away in my memories became vividly imprinted in my mind.
The story began to unfold like a movie.
Each time I turned the pages of my memories, the memories from that time came back as well.
‘This is how I was planning to write it...’
Chapter 200. Scandal
The train carrying me through the landscape of my memories had already reached its final destination.
Just then, as if announcing its arrival, the sound of a phone ringing suddenly rang out.
I opened my eyes and checked my phone.
[ Editor Ji Hyun-woong ]
The editor who had been in charge of me.
He had probably contacted me after seeing the announcement I had posted.
In the past, I had avoided his calls.
I couldn't bring myself to answer because I was afraid he might ask me to resume the serialization.
After a year passed like that, he stopped contacting me.
Besides my readers, there was another person I needed to apologize to.
But now, there was no reason to avoid him.
“Hello.”
[ Are you... Author Min Seong-yoon? ]
“It has been a long time, Editor.”