There’s no novel that starts with the intention of failing.
The reason the author struggles and toils so much is that they hope their written work will receive a good response and be seen by many readers.
A well-built tower won’t collapse easily. However, even the sturdiest tower will just stand still if no one climbs up to see it.
The feeling when a long-created work fails. It’s a pain that creators must always bear, yet one they never want to experience.
“That’s vague.”
The sales on the first day of The Rise of the Tang Family were somewhere between far from a success and too ambiguous to be called a failure.
I thought it would sell like hotcakes from day one. Maybe that was a bit too optimistic.
Hello, martial artists. My pen name is Ho Pil. The Rise of the Tang Family. Received a good response in Yichang. Your reactions and recommendations were converted to pay off our bookstore debts. Thank you always. Martial arts is great.
I thought it would even be featured in the martial arts newspaper Jeobo and I’d get to do a classy interview. What a disappointment.
“Hey, Yoon Ho. Don’t be too disappointed. We’ll sell them all!”
Hwa Rin looked at me, who was gazing blankly at The Rise of the Tang Family, with worried eyes and tried to comfort me.
“Yeah. I hope so.”
“So don’t worry. Just open the store.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
I replied to Hwa Rin in a light tone to deliberately show that I wasn’t worried at all and opened the store door.
“Surprise! What, what’s with you guys?!”
As soon as I opened the bookstore door, there were about a dozen men with haggard faces, clinging to the door like a horde of zombies ready to pounce on a living survivor.
“It’s open!”
“I’ve been waiting since before dawn!”
“Boohoo! I waited all night! Why did you open the door so late?!”
Not to be confused with zombies, the people quickly rushed in through the open door, starting to look around the store like zombies searching for a living survivor.
“Where is it?”
“I can’t see it.”
“I clearly bought it here yesterday.”
“It’s not here!”
What the heck is going on?
“Manager! Manager!”
As I stared at them with a dazed expression, a man approached me urgently.
“Aren’t you Hwang Seong? What on earth is going on here?”
Hwang Seong looked just as haggard.
He looked like a gamer waiting outside for hours in a cold night breeze, not even knowing if the contents of a game that had been released after ten years was anything but tranquilizers.
“…Give it to me.”
“What?”
What is he asking for?
“The Rise of the Tang Family! Give me Volume 2!”
“Why is there no Volume 2? It clearly says volume 2 is on the way!”
“This is a novel where Volume 1 just came out.”
I firmly told Hwang Seong, who was giving me a suspicious look as if he was lying and hiding it somewhere. How could he have seen a volume that hasn’t even come out yet?
“This doesn’t make sense. This can’t be!”
“I clearly saw Volume 2 yesterday. I was going to buy Volume 1, and if I liked it, I’d buy Volume 2. Am I supposed to believe I imagined it all night? No way. That can’t be!”
“There’s no Volume 2 after finishing Volume 1? What is going on? It has to be somewhere!”
“I stayed up all night waiting because the number one beauty in Sichuan called for me!”
Upon hearing my words, those who bought Volume 1 yesterday collectively screamed and began rummaging through the books.
Did everyone really wait here since morning just to find Volume 2 of The Rise of the Tang Family? I was barely able to hold back my bubbling joy.
“So when will the next volume come out?”
“Volume 2 will only come out after Volume 1 sells out.”
I quickly composed my expression and answered the desperate Hwang Seong’s question.
“You mean that you need to sell hundreds of copies to see the next volume?”
“That’s correct.”
At least 70 to 80% of Volume 1 must be sold before we can print the next one.
“How can you sell hundreds of copies? No. It must be a sellable book.”
“When will you wait until all that sells? Hwang, I’m suddenly blaming you. Why did you show me this book so early?!”
Hwang Seong and what seemed to be his friend started bickering. Why are they fighting?
“Just yesterday you thanked me for the recommendation and praised the book! Now you’re blaming me!”
“Anyway, it’s your fault!”
“Shut up and buy one. If it sells quickly, the next volume will come out, right?”
Hwang Seong handed the book The Rise of the Tang Family to his friend.
“Sure. Even if you don’t say it, I’m buying it.”
His friend laid down cash for the book right away.
“Manager. I’ll buy another one.”
“Didn’t you buy one yesterday, Hwang Seong?”
“Ahem. That’s…”
Hwang Seong awkwardly avoided my gaze as he struggled to find an answer. Then his friend chuckled and explained the situation to me.
“That idiot Hwang had his light on until late last night. In the morning, he looked all haggard and the book was stuck together. His pages wouldn’t turn, and the manager should have seen that dazed look on his face. What a fool.”
Ah, so that’s why.
“Hey, you!”
Hwang Seong yelled at his friend with a look of panic I had never seen on him before.
“Were you trying to impregnate The Rise of the Tang Family?!”
“Let’s meet again. Manager, give me one copy. No, three copies.”
“Are you planning to impregnate three copies?!”
“For preservation, appreciation, and preaching!”
“Three beauties from Sichuan are going to get impregnated today.”
“Hey!”
I tried hard not to laugh at Hwang Seong’s bright red face as I rang up four copies of The Rise of the Tang Family.
“I really wish I hadn’t seen this. How could I live without seeing Volume 2 of The Rise of the Tang Family?!”
“Ugh! This isn’t the time to be hopeless. We need to start recommending The Rise of the Tang Family to others so we can see the number one beauty from Sichuan!”
“Yeah. The more we spread the word about The Rise of the Tang Family, the faster we can see Volume 2. Let’s protect the next volume!”
“I’ll buy one more!”
“I have to see the number one beauty from Sichuan! Give me one too!”
The guests who came in the morning purchased additional copies of The Rise of the Tang Family on top of everything. They committed to giving praise and encouraging word of mouth.
Thanks to that, as soon as the store opened, I was able to sell as much as I did yesterday.
“Wow. The response is great.”
After the unexpected tsunami of customers subsided, the bookstore quieted down slightly.
I gazed blankly at the significantly reduced stock of The Rise of the Tang Family.
It’s a success.
This time, it’s truly a success.
What? I could do it! Yes. It was just a slight misdirection. I can succeed with my writing in the Central Plains. I can raise my fame.
At that moment, the things that brought me here overlapped, and my heart grew heavy. I turned away to touch the wall so no one would see my expression.
“Yoon Ho. Are you okay?”
Hwa Rin came up behind me with a worried voice, but I kept my eyes on the wall and lifted my hand to stop her.
Just a moment. Just a moment is all I need.
I still have a long way to go and I’ve barely taken my first step.
—————————
As the buzz about The Rise of the Tang Family started to spread, the sales began to rise significantly. Thanks to that, more customers came looking for Volume 2 starting from the morning.
“Is The Rise of the Tang Family out today?”
“No.”
“Will it be out tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Why does every time I ask, you say no? Can’t you do better than that?”
“Yes, no.”
“Ugh. Why isn’t that first volume being released?! There are so many people taking them away!”
Well, we keep printing them.
“Is this when you start shouting? Manager, do you have a release date? If The Rise of the Tang Family is coming out in a week, I’ll start being happy from today!”
“It will be hard to become happy for a while.”
I felt sorry for the waiting readers, but I have to make hay while the sun shines. The selling speed is faster than the printing speed, so eventually, it will all sell.
“Damn it. I need to go up to the second floor for some tea.”
“I’ll go with you. I heard there’s a gathering on the second floor discussing The Rise of the Tang Family!”
“Just pay the entrance fee and you can go in.”
I collected the entrance fee for the second floor of the Tea Bookstore and headed upstairs to start my work.
At one corner of the second floor of the Tea Bookstore, Hwang Seong, who has become a regular, his friend, and several other men were already seated and chatting.
“I thought The Rise of the Tang Family would be a dull story about martial artists, but it turned out to be truly captivating.”
“I also thought it was going to be boring, but the battle scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. I could believe it was written by someone from the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“Not to mention, usually in these types of books, a martial artist just kills the villain and it ends there. But here, he pursues a woman! And that woman is… Wow! The number one beauty from Sichuan!”
“When a man is willing to risk his life for himself, how could the number one beauty from Sichuan not fall for him? Even I would have fallen for Tang Jung if I were a woman.”
“With a flower that no man could conquer asking the protagonist to claim her directly, I’ve never been so excited in my life.”
“The final romantic scene was really… Who would’ve thought the number one beauty from Sichuan would do such things with her heart? It felt totally real as if the author was describing it just in front of me.”
Dear readers, a little bald fellow just walked by with a scowl on his face.
I feel great reading the comments from readers, but it would be nice if the Tea Bookstore acknowledged that there are female customers here too.
I should either space the conversation tables out a bit more or get some soundproof partitions.
“Aah. I really want to see Volume 2 soon.”
“I come to the Tea Bookstore every day just to check how many copies of The Rise of the Tang Family are left.”
“Oh, you too? This is such a good conversation, it seems I’ve found a kindred spirit. Let me buy today’s coffee. Manager, two iced Americanos please.”
Suddenly, I was unable to suppress the urge to celebrate and rose to the occasion, moving busily around the Tea Bookstore thanks to The Rise of the Tang Family.
——————-
After some quieter time passed, I opened the printing room door.
“Hwa Rin, are you doing well?”
I called out to Hwa Rin, who was diligently printing books by herself. I felt bad seeing her doing all this alone.
Although Hwa Rin volunteered to handle the printing because her appearance was better suited for daytime work, I still felt guilty about it.
“Just work. Why did you come?”
Hwa Rin stopped working and glanced at me, scolding me.
“Let’s eat lunch and then get back to it. Aren’t you hungry?”
I held up a simple snack I had in my hand and replied.
“Give it to me. Ah! Damn it.”
Hwa Rin’s hands were covered in ink as she reached for the food.
What is she hiding her hands for? With that mess, she can’t eat. Ink doesn’t easily wash off, and it’ll be awkward to go wash it off.
“Should I feed you?”
“What, what? Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?”
“This isn’t weird. I’m just going to pop a bite into your mouth since it’s just a small snack.”
“…Fine.”
Why are her eyes closed? Hwa Rin awkwardly lifted her chin.
“Open your mouth.”
“Aaah.”
I began to feed Hwa Rin piece by piece of the snack, and she started chewing on it.
It felt almost like a mother bird feeding a baby bird. No, this was a rather strange situation.
“This is a bit embarrassing.”
I couldn’t help but mention the awkwardness. Thinking about it, isn’t this something couples do?
“Damn it. I feel embarrassed too!”
Hwa Rin shot back with wide eyes at my comment.
“Then you could’ve just said it was embarrassing.”
“You’re the one who offered to feed me.”
Hwa Rin, with a flushed face, began playfully punching my chest.
“That’s true. Hahaha.”
I scratched the back of my head sheepishly as I tried to shake off the embarrassment.
“Gah! This is ridiculous.”
“How’s the printing going?”
I changed the subject to distract from the embarrassment by looking at the stack of The Rise of the Tang Family.
“It’s going well, but the casts keep breaking or wearing down. I probably won’t be able to print anymore until the typesetting is delivered after today.”
“Is that so?”
The letterpress printing has structural issues. The letters made from lead alloy are soft, and since direct pressure is applied by the printer, they can easily break and wear down.
There’s a relief press for letterpress printing that solves some of these problems, but it seems to be less common in this world due to technological advancement.
Even in Yichang, a city developed in Hubei, no one has a relief press. Maybe I should set up my own printing house once I make some money.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to keep asking for your help until today.”
“The only thing I can help you with is this, so don’t feel sorry for me.”
Hwa Rin looked at me with a slightly bittersweet expression.
“You don’t need to think like that. Should I keep feeding you?”
I asked playfully, wanting to lighten the mood.
“Damn it! Go get some gloves from the entrance and you should hurry back to work.”
Hwa Rin lightly nudged me with a slightly flushed face.
“Oh, okay. I’ll get them and bring them back.”
If she had gloves, why didn’t she mention it sooner? I handed gloves to Hwa Rin and went back to my station.
——
What if the stock runs out faster than the printing delivery?
Those worries were short-lived. Suddenly, the customers coming to buy The Rise of the Tang Family decreased sharply.
“What’s going on?”
Have we finally reached the endpoint of the campaign? But it seems too sudden for that. Popularity wouldn’t suddenly disappear like this.
Is there a reason for this?
“Is that The Rise of the Tang Family that’s popular lately in Yichang? Brother, should we buy one too?”
“No need. There’s no reason to buy it here.”
What’s going on?
“Customer, may I ask what you just said?”
I approached the customer to clarify what I heard.
“Well, ha ha. It’s not that I won’t buy the book, but… it’s just that for The Rise of the Tang Family…”
“Is that why I’m asking?”
“Nearby bookstores are selling The Rise of the Tang Family at a much lower price than here. I’m sorry to say, but if it’s cheaper, there’s no reason to buy it here.”
Are you telling me that my book is being sold at another bookstore?
