Chapter 148

“Ah, are you perhaps angry?”

“I’m not angry.”

“You’re angry, aren’t you!”

Why is this person always so high-strung? It’s true that I’m annoyed, but I’m not angry.

“I’m telling you I’m not.”

“Alright, let’s go with that then.”

“Agh.”

Now that I think about it, I might actually be angry. This woman had a real talent for getting on my nerves.

“So… are you saying my novel is going to fail?”

“Yes!”

Is it really okay for someone to respond so energetically from that spot? I felt like I was the fool for getting angry instead.

Fine, I’ll endure it.

No matter how well I write, novels don’t necessarily succeed. And I’m definitely not an expert in this field; Han-bom is the professional here, so it wouldn’t hurt to hear her opinion. I pressed down my bubbling feelings and asked.

“Why?”

“The criteria for failure varies, but from a financial standpoint, it’s definitely a failure. It’s not 100%, but 99% for sure. People don’t really read novels like this. It just doesn’t fit the web novel platform.”

“In what way?”

“There are many reasons. The pacing at the very beginning is alright, but here you’ve gone with a serious fantasy instead of a romantic fantasy. Serious fantasy, in itself, isn’t very popular these days. It has a slow tempo, and detailed build-ups are important, but that makes it slow and frustrating. There’s less dopamine that people can get immediately, you know? And author, I mean, Seol-guk didn’t write poorly. This novel is just too wholesome. It’s lacking in the stimulating flavor.”

“This isn’t… stimulating?”

“Ah, right, in terms of its destructive feel, it actually has quite a strong stimulating aspect. There are people who like that kind of thing. Still, the vast majority of readers want something deliciously stimulating, not painfully stimulating.”

“But.”

“I understand what kind of story you want to tell. No matter how it ends, it’s a story where you can choose for yourself, right? But in this field, that’s not really that important. Just because it’s a web novel doesn’t mean you can’t realize the author’s ego, but an absolute prerequisite for success is reader satisfaction. Just because you choose for yourself and feel satisfied doesn’t mean that readers will be satisfied.”

Han-bom’s critique was valid. The notion that I was momentarily angry felt pitifully legitimate, and it was a correct observation. Despite her playful attitude, her insights were serious and undeniably persuasive.

… I knew it, but I hadn’t thought about it properly. It was obvious that caring for the reader was a fundamental premise.

Fundamentally, my writing was me. I had been selling my naked self until now. To perverted fetishists who liked that sort of thing. But absolute success had to be sold to the general public.

Because there were readers who loved my nakedness as it was, I was able to earn money. So I had never thought about dressing up my nakedness. I thought that would be deceitful.

However, web novels were strangely the opposite world. If you don’t dress it up, no one will look. Exhibiting my shabby nakedness will only yield beneficence, not applause.

I needed to adorn myself with attractive clothes and accessories and enchant people with stimulating dances. If it isn’t visible, it won’t be acknowledged.

“So! Can we spice up the love story between Seol-neu and Ivan just a bit? Just a little progress? Just adding a hint of romance! That would double the views! If we add some more stimulating flavors like sugar and salt, it’ll quadruple! No, hundred times!”

“I’m not going to do that.”

But I had no intention of succumbing to that provocation.

There was clearly a provocative meaning hidden within Han-bom’s evaluations and critiques. She must have hoped for something because I was serializing and writing for my own tastes. I almost succumbed for a moment and really got angry, but anyway, I wasn’t writing this to serialize it for real.

So, I had no intention of dressing myself up.

Seol-neu’s story wasn’t pornography. It was a self-portrait. It was a picture of a future I had not pursued. Therefore, I would write my shabby nakedness as it was. I would walk as I am.

Exhibit? I hadn’t thought about it. Maybe someday, but not now. Written words that aren’t visible are meaningless. Just not now.

“This isn’t without potential… Are you really not going to do it? If you just follow my coaching! It’ll be epic! A massive success! That’s not a dream!”

“Why should I believe someone who already tried writing a web novel and utterly failed?”

“Ah, well, that’s a bit of a different field… isn’t it? Writing and coaching are a bit different, right? Being good at it doesn’t mean you’re a good teacher, and being good at teaching doesn’t mean you’re good at it…”

Not a chance.

Of course, that wasn’t entirely wrong, but trustworthiness was zero coming from someone who had failed so badly that they said they would go take the college entrance exam again and look for a job.

“Ugh, I made Chan-wook a huge success, you know. Can’t you trust me a bit? Have you lived deceived?”

“Chan-wook…? Was he originally called that?”

“Ah.”

The sudden mention of Park Chan-wook’s name, and somehow the strange title. Han-bom’s flustered appearance was a bit unfamiliar. Wasn’t she calling me author before?

“Um, it’s not something to hide, but it’s embarrassing to say it suddenly… Actually, we decided to start dating recently.”

Ah, was that when? Christmas Eve… No, dating right then was a bit weird, right? They must have been going out before that, considering they had been hanging out, and then they spent Christmas together. The timing didn’t seem off. By the way, this person…

“…May I ask your age?”

“Age? I’m still young and lively! It’s rude!”

“I’m twenty-eight. Ham Yejin is twenty-nine, so since she’s older, at least thirty. Now that a year has passed, at least thirty-one.”

“Ugh.”

“Is it acceptable for a thirty-one-year-old woman to date a twenty-five… or rather, a twenty-six-year-old kid?”

“I-I didn’t propose! I was confessed to!”

“Really?”

Park Chan-wook, that kid.

Is that what he was into? He must know this person isn’t normal, but he confessed to a woman six years older than him? I distinctly remembered him cursing when he spilled the soup.

“Is it true? Really?”

“Come on, you don’t have to keep asking three times. It’s true…”

“I never thought of that kid as having that kind of preference…”

In an instant, I scanned Han-bom. Um, no. I hadn’t considered her internally, but if she just kept her mouth shut, her exterior was impressive.

She looked surprisingly young for her age, and she had a decent bust. All men are usually like that, anyway. If the two stood together, it wouldn’t be strange if Han-bom were treated like an older sister. This was also somewhat due to Park Chan-wook looking old.

“Why did it suddenly get quiet?”

“Oh, nothing, just thought it was like that.”

“It seems like you’re looking at my chest.”

“I’m a woman now, so it’s fine.”

Han-bom took on a somewhat wronged expression. I realized I had changed a lot. I was able to make these kinds of jokes now.

Considering Park Chan-wook, who is impulsive enough to charge directly at me, spilling soup but stopping at curses, it seems he might have had feelings for Han-bom for a long time.

“Why did you accept the confession? Do you… like that kid too?”

“Um, it’s not that I have feelings like love. It’s just that I’ve known him for a long time, so I’m familiar with him, and I don’t have anyone else I like right now, so I agreed. And most importantly, he has a lot of money.”

This person is elaborating on the one reason you absolutely shouldn’t mention.

“Well, at this age, that’s really important. It’s a factor that must be considered.”

“If only you didn’t feel the need to say it out loud.”

“Hehehe… I guess I lack some common sense.”

“Are you just saying that to brush it off?”

“I do think that I actually might be lacking.”

“If you know, you should fix it.”

By the way, the idea of this person and Park Chan-wook dating seems a bit… concerning. It wasn’t like we had said we wouldn’t see each other again, but I still felt like I had completely ended things with him. It sounded strange, but it felt like we were just casually seeing each other, without any romantic relationship.

In the future, if something happened because of the past and I ended up in court again, I might see him again, but that was different from seeing him next door.

“If you’re going to bring him home, please let me know.”

“Why?”

“I have some work, so meeting would be a bit awkward.”

“Weren’t we reconciled and done with that? Have you met without me? What happened?”

“Well…”

I hesitated to speak, but I thought that even if I hid it, Park Chan-wook might spill it, so I summarized and explained what had happened back then. The story started with a weird individual, and Han-bom’s face turned pale as I mentioned getting hit on the head, and she even looked slightly horrified.

“Ugh, that must have been really scary. Are you okay now?”

“I’m fine. I’m all healed.”

“Actually, one of the reasons I wanted to change jobs was that the security there wasn’t great. The city center is fine, but just stepping outside is really scary. I also wanted to move to Seoul for that reason. But I’m glad nothing serious happened to you.”

“Glad… I guess.”

In the end, I’m lucky that there were no aftereffects and my head healed well. Normally, it wouldn’t be something to be thankful for at the point I got hit.

“But Chan-wook is cooler than I thought. Hmm, good choice, me!”

“Technically, wasn’t the choice Park Chan-wook’s?”

“Don’t nitpick the details. But is it a bit weird to date because of that? It’s not a bad thing.”

“The vibe is just that way.”

“I think it might take a while before I can bring him home, but I’ll let you know when the time comes. I’m also going to be pretty busy with my job move.”

At least I was glad this part of the conversation made sense.

“Where are you moving to? A publishing company?”

“Yes, it’s a relatively large one this time. I got scouted… but half of it is because of my connections? It feels a bit like parachuting.”

“Is it okay to talk about that?”

“You won’t say anything anywhere, right?”

“…I won’t.”

“Then that’s good!”

Sigh.

“I wish you well.”

“Hehe, thank you. By the way, I heard Yejin is also changing jobs.”

…What? During our ordinary conversation, suddenly, a strange story I had never heard before reached my ears. I thought I might have misheard, so I opened my mouth again.

“What did you say?”

“I heard she’s moving this time? I don’t know the details.”

…The answer didn’t change. I hadn’t misheard. Han-bom had dropped a bombshell on me.

Ham Yejin was changing jobs. So…

That meant she was quitting.