Chapter 38
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Page's Proposal
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Our Ye-jin, cool Ye-jin, Lady Ye-jin, capable Ms. Ye-jin.
As I headed down to the first floor, there she was, standing with the visitors in full elite secretary mode.
What kind of luck did I have? Ye-jin exuded an aura that would fit right in beside a major corporation's chairman without missing a beat.
And maybe that's why the people from Page had blended in so naturally. As soon as I appeared, she smiled and introduced me.
"This is the president."
Two of them had come.
"Hello. I'm Jeong Hyun-woo."
Truth be told, there were times when casually greeting and chatting with strangers like this felt a bit burdensome.
Of course it did. I'd spent the last ten years practically living alone, and even before that, I wasn't exactly the outgoing type.
'Hidden, Kyle...'
Looking at the business cards they handed over—introducing themselves as Hwang Sang-woo and Woo Min-jae—I saw English names listed alongside.
Just like my pen name Memento Mori, did they have two names too? Big IT corporations really were on another level.
Ye-jin led us to the neighboring building. The goshiwon only had the rooftop as a decent meeting spot, so the trainees' living room was far better.
Hwang Sang-woo stared at the mirrors covering every wall, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Are you in the entertainment business too?"
Ye-jin smiled faintly in response.
"The president has interests across various content fields."
"Ha, when do you even find time to write?"
This one was on me to answer.
"Whenever I can."
"That quality isn't something you squeeze out in stolen moments."
"Having lots of time doesn't guarantee good writing either."
"Fair point."
As we settled in, Cha Do-hyun brought over some drinks. With Jin-seong drilling the trainees hard on the rooftop, the place felt relatively quiet.
"Hello, Team Leader. We met once before—I'm Cha Do-hyun."
"Ah!"
His face was a vague blur, but definitely someone I'd run into. That must be how Cha Do-hyun felt about Hwang Sang-woo right now.
"Have a productive meeting."
With a polite bow, Cha Do-hyun withdrew. Hwang Sang-woo and Woo Min-jae Team Leader took a quick look around before diving straight into business.
Everyone was busy, so the pleasantries could end there.
'I've really come a long way.'
The Page organization head gracing us with his presence, no less.
"To cut to the chase: join us, and we'll offer far better terms than anything on the table now. Most importantly, our reader base is different. Within the next five years, we're projecting a 30-fold increase in users, and our webtoon division is gearing up for the same."
Woo Min-jae Team Leader chimed in confidently from the side.
"It'll be the biggest platform in the country."
This kind of bravado was only possible for a mega-corp, but since it aligned with the future I knew, I couldn't exactly deny it.
"Monopoly, right?"
"Exactly."
I paused at that. With my own Talent Market platform in development, I had to tread carefully now. Find a win-win angle, maybe?
"Obviously, platforms grow with readers, but isn't there something that needs to come first?"
They both nodded in unison.
"Flagship titles."
"That's why we're here for you."
Having clearly done their homework on me, Woo Min-jae rattled off my track record before chuckling.
"Doesn't have to be your next big thing. As long as it's something we can push hard—even if it takes time—we'll launch it alongside a webtoon adaptation and promote it as a marquee title on our platform. The Greatest Idol Ever works too."
Adding one more work to my plate wasn't a big deal.
I wrote fast, had plenty of completion experience, and knew what genres would blow up ahead of time. No point wasting time agonizing.
"Send the terms over in a document."
I glanced at Ye-jin, and she wrapped it up.
"We'll review and get back to you. Have you eaten?"
Hwang Sang-woo let out a joking laugh.
"Skipping meals has become routine lately."
I stood up.
"Let me treat you to a great galbi spot. Sound good?"
Life doesn't always go smoothly—sometimes it snags on the tiniest details.
A writer's job is straightforward: write, continue, finish. But the various ventures I'd taken on involved people, and people were incredibly complex creatures.
Especially mentally.
'Uncertainty about the future weighs heaviest.'
I could charge ahead because I had solid intel, but the others had no choice but to trust and follow me blindly.
In that process, doubts would creep in, sensitivities flare, and they'd wonder, 'Am I doing the right thing?'
'They'll just have to push through.'
After the Page folks left, I slipped back into routine: writing, checking on the group I'd named D.M., reviewing manuscripts from my affiliated authors in the spare moments.
Before bed, I'd scour the web for stories I remembered. My schedule was brutally packed, but having lived ten years without slacking, it didn't feel off.
'Just endure this year. Just this year.'
Was it some positive influence? Seeing me grind like a maniac, the people around me were matching the pace.
They might've seen me as a monster at first, but humans adapt by mimicking.
A month flew by.
We'd lived that month like it was a single day, so it hit us fresh when we realized how much time had passed—an event that drove it home.
"...So cute!"
"They're tiny."
"Look, this one's trying to walk!"
"Feels like they just opened their eyes yesterday!"
On the rooftop.
No idea who named her, but the mother cat was called Happiness.
She'd birthed five kittens, and watching these wriggling little lives provided a healing I hadn't known I needed.
By now, Happiness had mostly let her guard down around us. Even with us all crouched in a circle watching, she'd just yawn.
Jin-seong had played the biggest role there, no doubt.
"Wow..."
"They're really small..."
"Can I touch one?"
Men and women alike melted into the same reaction before absolute cuteness.
Forgetting practice for a bit, D.M., me, Ye-jin, and even Team Leader Minchoi were all fixated on the kittens. Summer was fading now, so the rooftop wasn't scorching anymore.
Come to think of it, this summer had been scorching in every sense.
The building's AC couldn't combat the sheer passion everyone had, forging a shared vibe among us. Showing interest in a stray cat like this was just part of the downtime.
Everyone has those moments where just eye contact sparks big smiles, right?
Oh, but was she a stray anymore? Lately, Happiness hadn't left the rooftop. Staying put wouldn't be so bad.
"Let's name them too!"
At Team Leader Minchoi's suggestion, Jin-seong rubbed his chin and tossed out,
"How about Tiger?"
No way he was thinking of that canned stuff, right?
Jin-guk piled on.
"Then this yellow one could be Lion?"
Seemed like we shouldn't leave the naming to them—Ye-jin shook her head.
"Perfect, there are five, so match them to D.M. This could be marketing material too. Everything we do from now on has to count."
"Whoa... chills. Marketing? These kittens can't even walk yet!"
Jin-seong gawked, and Minchoi nodded along as she eyed Ye-jin.
"Exactly. Even if not intentional, if these kids pop up in D.M.'s daily life, fans will latch on."
Minchoi turned to D.M. with emphasis.
"That's why I keep telling you to watch your actions. No one knows you now, but something you do today could explode years later into something uncontrollable. If you've set your sights on being idols, live every moment anticipating public scrutiny."
Spot on. That's public life for you. Oh, does that include me?
Minchoi pointed at a kitten with her finger.
"Starting from this one: Min, Chan, Seong, Guk, Jin. Got it memorized?"
She'd named them after the last syllables of D.M.'s names, then stood up.
"Early on, grab popularity any way you can. Other agencies build worlds—lean into this. Take good care of your assigned kittens. Young animals die easy."
Ji-min asked,
"Wait, so our stage names follow this too?"
"Not a bad idea. Up to the president."
Marketing, huh...
Not planned, but my eyes met Jin-seong's. A cute kitten perched on those solid shoulders? Not a bad visual.
'Gotta put this in the novel.'
Struck while the iron's hot—I had to write it down now, or I'd forget. Multi-tasking author problems.
"Heading out first."
Back in my room, I opened the folder. There sat the month's worth of The Greatest Idol Ever drafts.
'What chapter was I on...'
Find the right spot and slot in the kittens.
'Give the cats distinct personalities too.'
Animals aren't without character. If they're just props, better to leave them out.
Since the story doubled as D.M. promo, it'd draw female readers, and cats as a hook would tighten the fandom bonds.
'Volume 2, so time to send to Page.'
I hadn't spent the month on this alone. I'd polished that rough romance fantasy outline too.
No matter how versatile I was, new genres were tough—precision crafting was key. Not ready for the world yet, but I'd titled it.
'Annulled, But It's Fine.'
Couldn't match seasoned romance pros, but I'd chip away for a future shot.
Quick file tidy-up, then email check.
「Hello?」
About a month ago? Yeah, sounded right.
'Number 5? Number 8?'
A reply had come.
「I'm so shy... I kept agonizing over it T_T... Finally mustered the courage to email...!」
Aah...
Vague from the manuscript alone, but now it clicked.
'Number 8.'
Right on the edge of madness. I'd hit that point often. Locked in a space where you couldn't go out, stay over, or even check the weather—anyone would.
Even criminals had rights: exercise, routines. Mine was worse.
That bastard! Got mad just thinking about it.
【I feel like I'm going to die here. Nightmares every day, so scary... Can't even sleep anymore. -8】
Number 8 was fragile. Rock-bottom self-esteem, unique chat style.
But she didn't know. How decent her novels were.
【Try asking for sleep aids this week. Something to knock you out deep.】
As the veteran, I opened the floodgates. Team Leader bastard was probably monitoring, so phrasing it indirect might get through.
【Should I? -8】
【What kind of nightmares?】
Buy time for Team Leader to mull it over—shift topics.
On my monitor, she burst into tears. No sound, but the raw sorrow made my nose tingle too. Tear-and-snot-streaked face, her hands flew to the keyboard.
【Grandma keeps appearing in my dreams... Grandma... -8】
She was Number 8—early member. With that glass mentality, how long could she last? I'd wondered.
But at this stage, she had more talent than me and scraped by accumulating points.
'This life will be different.'