New Release.
From a web novel author to a barbarian writer, no matter how accustomed I became to the writer’s life, there are moments that are hard to be detached from.
“By now, the Elders’ Council members must have read Zhuge Seolrok completely.”
The moment when the work is first unveiled, and readers hold their breath while reading. What kind of reactions will there be? Positive ones, I hope. What if it’s unexpected?
Even though the days of being elated or dejected by a single comment are long gone, the time after releasing a new work without hearing any feedback is always tough for a writer.
“Um, will it really be okay?”
Zhuge Soja looked at me with a trembling gaze, seemingly anxious.
“Did you not see it, Zhuge Soja? I’m confident in my writing. There will surely be positive reactions.”
Confident in my writing. There will definitely be good responses. While reassuring Zhuge Soja, I was also reassuring myself.
“Ah… that’s not it! I’m worried about something else.”
“Huh?”
What else is there to worry about besides the Elders’ Council’s reactions? Just as I was about to ask again, Gilsan, who was next to me, let out a small sigh and shot back at me.
“You’re asking if you could have gone and messed it up at the end, right?”
“Messed it up? How could you say something so harsh and hurt my feelings?!”
What was he talking about? Was he worried about the ending of Zhuge Seolrok? I glanced at Zhuge Soja, and she nodded her head awkwardly while giving a shy smile.
“You said you would wrap it up in one volume. Then it usually ends with ‘and they lived happily ever after,’ right?”
“Wow. You don’t look like it, but you seem to read a bit.”
Yeah, in a one-off novel, a complete ending is the norm. Gilsan’s rational point made me chuckle.
“Hey, even if I don’t look it, I’m the eldest son of a bookstore!”
“When did you ever brag about getting banned from the bookstore for only reading adult novels?”
“J-just let it go, okay! Anyway! Why did you write it that way?!”
Why did I write the ending of Zhuge Seolrok like that?
“Well… hehehe.”
Because I decided to become a volume villain. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at that moment.
“Hey! That guy! Why are you copying your laugh in vain?”
As I let out a laugh with no obvious reason, Gilsan approached Zhuge Soja with a disgusted expression and asked her.
“Uh-huh…”
“Yoon Ho. Stop laughing and tell me what you were thinking.”
“Anyway, it’s complete, so it doesn’t matter.”
I finished it, didn’t I? Though the ending was something no one could understand. I answered while lying on the bed, feeling like I was in a state of surrender.
“What do you mean, complete? You didn’t catch the real culprit! That’s not a true ending!”
“Does the person who drew the blueprint own the house, or does the landowner own it? The protagonist was active enough to eventually catch the culprit. So that’s the end of the story.”
“No, no matter how you put it…”
“I, I actually thought that it might not be right either…”
So Zhuge Soja was also not convinced. I guess that’s only natural. If it’s a one-volume conclusion, it should end neatly in any way.
But what can you do? I propped myself up on the bed and looked at the two of them.
“It was intentional.”
“What?!”
“You did that on purpose?”
I nodded to Gilsan’s words and continued in a serious tone.
“A writer has to take responsibility for the novel they publish under their name. For the sake of the readers, they need to bring their skills to the forefront and wrap things up as best as they can.”
“Why are you suddenly speaking like you’re lecturing?”
“In a typical scenario, at least.”
“Huh?”
Was it because I was looking at Zhuge Soja with a playful expression? Or maybe it was because of my long relationship with Zhuge Soja?
She opened her mouth as if she had guessed something.
“W-Wait, is it because it’s a novel that the elders are reading, that you wrote it that way?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Sure enough, there are only my fiancée who knows my mind. I gave a wink to the two of them, who looked shocked at my confession.
“No, so wait… does that mean you wrote it that way just to possibly get to write a second volume?”
“Of course, I did it to mess with the Elders’ Council.”
“Are you crazy?! Are you going to mess with the Elders you need to get permission from?!”
I had been hiding my intentions knowing this reaction might come out.
Now was the time to speak. I sat up and opened my mouth with a theatrical tone.
“Ha! That’s right! They forced me to write and said a one-volume conclusion is fine! Good! I’ll write it just the way you want it!”
“Y-Yoon Ho?!”
“The things I can include in the first volume are limited! But a one-volume conclusion? What should I do?! Let’s write a story that doesn’t even require thought! The standard way! Introduce the main character! No, I won’t even do that! I’ll just show their abilities!”
Let’s get it done. Might as well be bold. I’ll become a volume villain. No, a one-volume demon!
“Is Zhuge Seolrok the direct descendant of the Zhuge family? Why did the direct descendant even become a detective in Wuhan? What happened in the past? Who cares! I’m not going to reveal the protagonist’s past! Just be satisfied with the supporting character’s past!”
The protagonist’s settings are thoroughly shrouded in mystery. I’ll only show the purpose needed for the story.
“The beginning naturally has to be a character introduction event! It’s perfect for showcasing the protagonist’s abilities, but it might be a little scant for character introductions! But that’s fine! Since it’s a one-volume conclusion! What will you do if it doesn’t satisfy? No, rather, let it be even more torturous!”
Like having a delicious appetizer and waiting for the next food that will never come.
“Did you think the case was satisfactory? I won’t let you see my face like that! Let’s drop some bait! After resolving a case! It turns out it was just part of a bigger case! A hidden mastermind exists behind all of this? You’re curious, right?! You’re dying to know?! But what to do! You’ll never know!”
“U-Um, Master Kang?!”
“But that’s not where it ends!”
“Eh?!”
“At the end, out of nowhere, I’ll mention characters from another novel of mine! Just briefly! But it’s something you can’t ignore! The detective who captured the criminal became interested in the best thief in Wuhan! Could Zhuge Seolrok connect with the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes? No way! What you’re looking at is the last page!”
A one-volume conclusion.
If it’s the end, it should be the moment to wrap up the story. But I have no intention of presenting a clean conclusion.
In the end, I’ll aim for a larger scale. If there are those satisfied with just a single appetizer, I’ll show them that there could have been a more delicious dish but won’t serve it.
“I’ll amplify all the many questions! Build up the anticipation, and then at the very end say ‘The End’! So what?! I solved the case! I’m not taking responsibility! One-volume conclusion, done!”
One-volume demon. Let’s make them never be satisfied with the conclusion.
Completing Zhuge family’s commission while wrapping it up with a delightful vengeance was my grand plan.
Finally speaking of the plan I had kept to myself felt refreshing. This was why, at the end, the criminals lamented like “I couldn’t possibly forgive that guy…” while the background music played.
“…….”
Fortunately, the two didn’t retort with “So that’s why you ended it like that!” but seemed to be momentarily lost for words, staring at me blankly.
“Why?”
Gilsan leaned in and began to ask Huang Yi quietly.
“Huang Yi, that guy, seems to have been more angry than expected, huh?”
“A bit, I mean, he probably got pretty mad because you forced him to write it a lot…”
“I can hear you, you know.”
“After writing such a ridiculous piece and the reason for the ending being only that petty reason…”
“Hey, if I had known it would be this empty of a vengeance just because of that kind of talk, I wouldn’t even have muttered it!”
“What are you saying? Anyway, will it be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is the Elders’ Council going to suddenly demand the next volume or something?”
“No way… The family elders have their dignity.”
At least, I kept my promise.
I left plenty of bait, but they cannot deny that Zhuge Seolrok has the completeness of being a one-volume work. Well, they’ll probably just be in a state of being indecisive and restless.
I smiled at the needless worries.
“…That guy. I think sometimes he underestimates his own writing too much.”
“I, I’m a bit anxious too!”
It’s going to be fine.
Heart Demon.
As a martial artist, as you continuously perform self-cultivation, you inevitably encounter this fellow. Is it only the heart demon through martial arts?
As we live our lives, we are swayed by countless emotions and desires, and aged by the trials of the world. But does that mean we will yield to the heart demon?
We learn to stand tall before the great wall, wavering yet unyielding. In time, our hair turns white and wrinkles grow, but we finally know how to be detached from life.
Elder.
When I reached an age where I could laugh off most things, I was accepted as a member of the Elders’ Council by my family.
“This is just impossible!”
However, this time, even the Elder could not endure this matter.
Elder Oh closed his eyes and calmed his heart, but eventually, he tried to throw himself out of the Elders’ Council.
“Elder Oh is having another fit! Quickly catch him!”
“Let go! Let go of me!”
This was already the third attempt today to escape from the Elders’ Council by Elder Oh.
“And if I let go? Where will you go?!”
“Where will I go? I need to go after that black-haired demon!”
Elder Oh’s eyes burned with the intent to catch that guy right away.
“That demon! Is Ho Pil the demon now?!”
“He said he’s writing a one-volume series but ended up with a broken volume! He wrote a novel that carves out the hearts of people!!! What else could it be but a demon!”
“Nah! Hold on! What are you doing?!”
While several Elders subdued Elder Oh, another Elder was stealthily trying to slip out the door.
“I just need to use the restroom for a second…!”
“That guy’s using Light Body Movement! Quickly catch him!”
“Get that guy too!”
“Let him go!”
Following Elder Oh, Elder Pal was swiftly subdued as well.
“This is a demonic work! How could a writer do this?!”
Having looked forward to the one-volume conclusion in joy, how could I cause such shock to the point of heart demon status?
Even once Elder Oh and Elder Pal were restrained, they still found it hard to calm down on their seats.
“They say in the Tea and Book Club, which enjoys Ho Pil’s novels, they call that ‘cutting magic.’”
“To pierce the hearts of people with brushstrokes, such magic is something the righteous cannot dismiss!”
“Ha… Cutting magic…”
The lingering impact of Zhuge Seolrok was far too strong. A deep sigh escaped the lips of all the Elders’ Council.
“Are we only going to sigh? Let’s go meet him right now!”
“If we go now, all we’ll hear is how it was done on the basis of the promise.”
Just as Elder Oh was about to rise again, someone appeared by opening the door to the Elders’ Council.
“Elder Councilman?!”
Elder Councilman wore an expression of displeasure and threw something into the Elders’ Council.
“Urgh!”
“Ugh!”
“Why are the Seventh Elder and Third Elder here?!”
What Elder Councilman threw was none other than the Seventh Elder and Third Elder. They had originally agreed to meet after reading it all, but why didn’t they show up? It turned out they were with Elder Councilman.
All the Elders looked on with curious expressions as Elder Councilman sighed deeply and opened his mouth.
“I barely caught them trying to sneak into Ho Pil’s lodgings.”
“…….”
“Now that we are all gathered, let’s talk about Ho Pil and Zhuge Seolrok.”
