Chapter 15
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Assembling the Webtoon Team
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"Whoa, fuck. What the hell is this place...?"
Seven years had passed since he dove into the world of comics out of his childhood love for drawing.
"Not gonna get skinned alive or something?"
May 15th.
He stood in front of a building, lost in serious contemplation.
Should I just head back?
〈Happiness Goshiwon〉
He glanced at the sign. For a split second, it looked like 'Hell Dorm', so he rubbed his eyes.
Did I even come to the right place?
When he heard they were looking for a webtoon artist, he agonized over it for a long time before setting up the meeting.
He hadn't even heard what the project was or which company was behind it, but the phrase "industry-best compensation" had lured him all the way here.
This doesn't feel right.
He'd gotten off the bus and hiked uphill for over ten minutes. All around were crumbling old multi-family homes on their last legs, and among them stood the goshiwon building, radiating a vibe of "I'm the shabbiest one here!" and dragging down the whole neighborhood's prestige.
Just bail.
Above all, life was precious. Just as he was about to turn away,
"Artist? You're Gu Tae-jun, right?"
May—the queen of seasons. Warm enough that you wouldn't freeze even sleeping outside after a night of drinking. Mosquitoes weren't swarming yet either. Perfect weather for romance.
Whoa...
The queen herself was standing there.
She's fucking gorgeous.
Her black suit and white blouse hugged her slender figure perfectly, and she carried a binder of documents in her arms.
"You're the artist, right?"
"Ah, yes, yes. I'm Gu Tae-jun."
She ran a pen across the binder she was holding.
Attendance sheet?
"Thank you so much for coming all the way here."
Just her smile was enough to make his head spin.
She pulled a business card from the small pocket on her blouse.
"I'm Go Ye-jin, the team leader who'll be taking care of you from now on. Nice to meet you."
"Ah, right, right. You're the team leader."
'Memento Mori Studio?'
He'd never heard of it. No company signs anywhere nearby.
"This way."
She led him into the building. As he followed her up the stairs, catching glimpses of her sleek legs, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Is the office inside this building?
But she kept climbing. And then she opened the door to the rooftop.
"...?"
As he furrowed his brow in confusion, Ye-jin smiled brightly and said,
"That's our company president and author, Memento Mori."
Tae-jun walked over with a dubious expression toward the man standing by the pavilion, bowing his head in greeting.
What kind of meeting was this on a rooftop?
But Memento Mori... where have I heard that before?
It felt recent, but... His thoughts were interrupted by Ye-jin's voice.
"Coffee? Green tea? What would you like?"
A portable gas burner on the pavilion table had a kettle boiling away.
Even putting it kindly, it looked pretty pathetic.
"I'm good. I had some on the way."
He sat down at the pavilion and looked around.
"So... what exactly is my role here? I haven't heard anything."
Ye-jin smiled like a ripe apricot and replied,
"A few more people need to arrive, so could you wait just a bit?"
Until the other two showed up on the rooftop, he kept stealing glances at Ye-jin.
She turned to the president and said,
"Shall we get started, President?"
"Please do."
Listening to them, Tae-jun felt puzzled.
She's so young, and she's calling him president?
He looked pretty average, and his clothes didn't scream money either.
Snap!
She snapped her fingers, and someone dragged over a whiteboard from the side.
Handsome guy.
He'd been told he was no slouch himself, but suddenly he felt intimidated.
Ye-jin stood in front of the board. Jin-seong just standing next to her drew all the eyes.
They really make a great pair.
He could've sworn they were a mixed idol group.
Ye-jin spoke clearly.
"'Cold Noodles Lover,' who'll handle adaptation and storyboarding—thank you for coming."
She smiled at the middle-aged man.
That uncle's 'Cold Noodles Lover'?
Ye-jin continued,
"Gu Tae-jun, who'll handle the artwork—thank you for coming."
She gave a small clap, and his face flushed red.
"Ugly Duckling, who'll assist with backgrounds—thank you for coming."
The only other female artist hadn't been able to look up since Jin-seong appeared. She seemed really shy.
Ye-jin said,
"Then let's begin the project briefing."
The colorist, post-processor, and editor weren't there, but this was enough to get started.
Once storyboarding and artwork were underway, they could fill in the rest gradually.
"We've gathered here to turn Kunlun Return into a webtoon."
Gu Tae-jun's expression hardened.
That's right! It was Kunlun Return!
The author's pen name was Memento Mori.
So that guy over there...?
Didn't she say he was the president and author?
Kunlun Return...
No one in the industry hadn't heard of it lately. It started on LitWorld and spread to multiple platforms, sparking curiosity among comic artists about who the author was.
Not a one-hit wonder either. His simultaneous serializations were all performing similarly.
He was single-handedly dominating the top 1-2 spots across platforms—a miraculous feat.
A monster!
"This is Go Ye-jin, your team leader who'll treat you like family. Nice to meet you all."
She finished her greeting and pointed to the whiteboard.
"As you can see, our team will produce webtoons through thorough division of labor. Our goal is weekly releases, targeting the market with unprecedented quality and overwhelming fun. Since the source material is so solid, we're expecting direction that maximizes the original's appeal rather than heavy adaptation."
She spoke like a pro. Her crisp delivery was even beautiful.
But he couldn't let her beauty cloud his judgment. He raised his hand.
"What share do I get?"
"Since you'll handle all artwork, we guarantee 30% of net profits post-launch, plus a minimum of 800,000 won per page."
"That's an advance, right?"
"Yes."
An advance, but still excellent terms.
"And me?"
Cold Noodles Lover asked, and Ye-jin replied kindly.
For some reason, the handsome guy next to her frowned at her smile.
Do they not get along?
"For adaptation and storyboarding, we guarantee 7%, with a minimum of 400,000 won per page."
Four weeks a month made 1.6 million won, but storyboards came faster and in higher volume—6-7 pages a month easy.
Conditions are solid.
Even the background assistant got a small share at 3%, making him wonder, What does this company have left after handing out shares like this?
"Deputy? Could you hand out the contracts to the artists?"
At Ye-jin's words, Jin-seong grimaced like he'd never heard "deputy" before.
Tae-jun took the contract from Jin-seong and confirmed Ye-jin's words were true.
No poison clauses.
Standard stuff like penalties for quitting without reason or tanking quality—nothing anyone would actually do.
Rough estimate, minimum production cost per page is 3 million won already.
Factoring in the no-shows too.
Should I stick around?
He raised his hand again.
"When do you expect the original to wrap up?"
Ye-jin answered immediately.
"Before fall. At 400 chapters."
Fans might complain, but she'd already heard as much from the author.
Cold Noodles Lover asked,
"I'd need to read it, but even compressing 3-4 chapters per webtoon page gets us to at least 100 episodes. Weekly releases means about two years. Right?"
"Normally, yes, but once you read the original, compressing 2-3 chapters per page will be tough too. It's that solid—no fat to cut. Some days might even be one original chapter per webtoon page. That'd push the finale back further."
Cold Noodles Lover chuckled unwittingly.
No way, right? Do these people even know comics? He started doubting.
But with these terms, I can just knock it out quick.
400,000 won times 100 pages was 40 million won worth of work.
Storyboards done in a year.
Definitely industry-best pay.
"Take the contracts home, read them carefully, and if you're in, contact us—we'll guide you on filling them out. Any questions?"
After some back-and-forth, the three headed down from the rooftop.
Ye-jin came back up after seeing them off and asked,
"Shall we?"
"......"
"......"
You could never know what artists were thinking without getting inside their heads.
The interview wrapped up, and I finished all the procedures at the bank—my building now. Paid the full balance, took out hundreds of millions in loans using it as collateral.
Two series finales will cover it.
I'd originally planned to end Kunlun Return around volume 20, but I changed my mind.
To shift reader paradigms, I needed to accelerate and showcase more works.
The next three months.
Wrap both series, dive into new ones. Keep building up to opening the gate.
Plenty of material.
Still no luck finding Author 7.
External distribution revenue kicks in next month, bringing in even more cash. Pour some into webtoon production.
Once it gains momentum, webtoonize all my works.
This will be my pension—and accelerate Korean webtoons.
I'll surpass you.
Following Ye-jin's advice, I set up the corporation and printed business cards early.
Tax accountant talks were all on her. A one-woman army of talent.
"Hey! You gonna make that face in front of the artists?"
"What'd I do?"
Of course, without people around, true colors show.
"And why am I deputy?"
"Want employee instead?"
"......Deputy's fine."
A three-person company with no staff yet, but I knew: conquering Korean webtoons would shake the global scene.
"Wear something decent for once!"
"Ugh, my ears are bleeding!"
"Hate nagging? Do better!"
I called over the bickering pair.
Sitting at the pavilion, I said seriously,
"No new tenants for vacancies for a while."
"Why?"
"Gonna recruit novelists too. Space to live and work will help struggling ones."
Besides Author 7, I'd preemptively snag targets the Team Leader might want.
With fame from two works, the Memento Mori name should draw rookies.
Right now, that bastard's probably doing the same.
Scouting on the side, but no hits on works I remembered. Since I—Number 1—didn't get kidnapped, did things shift?
The more his plans derail, the easier his tail shows.
If I just wanted money, all-in on Bitcoin and HODL would make me set for life.
But time's precious. Can't let a decade of honed talent rot.
I'll grow beyond your reach.
I was the only one who knew how.
"I'll sign."
Tae-jun binge-read Kunlun Return up to chapter 228. Couldn't put down his phone even on the toilet, skipped proper meals for kimbap.
Insane. How does someone write like this?
He had to draw this. Not literary genius, but something about this author's writing was different.
-Great choice! Prepare two copies then, mail one back or bring it in person.
"I'll come."
Sure, Ye-jin's beauty hooked him first. Single, lonely age.
But now? He wanted to meet the author, talk it out. How to adapt this masterpiece choked him up, but the drive to tackle it surged wildly.
"Day after tomorrow. Got it. I'll be there by 6, no delays."
Apprentices, disciples, assistants—different names, same gig: support the main artist.
But this company webtoonized its own IP, investing in artists.
Six-person team including the leader? Impressive commitment.
"Memento Mori..."
Scrolling recent comments, he felt a deep thirst.
"Remember death."
Author! Cliffhanger again?!