Chapter 39 – Entering AniGo
After the counseling sessions began…
“The one for number 3—go ahead.”
“Ah, got it!”
One by one, the kids left the classroom in order.
“…”
They still seemed awkward around each other, mostly stealing glances.
Some doodled absentmindedly in their sketchbooks, while others had already opened manga and were lost in reading.
Min-hyuk tapped his foot lightly as he looked around.
‘Well, not many extroverts here, huh.’
He himself had plenty of serialization-related work to do.
Still, he didn’t want to bury his face in a sketchbook like a total shut-in on the very first day.
If things stayed quiet, maybe he should be the one to break the ice…?
Just as Min-hyuk steeled himself to do something uncharacteristic—
“Min-hyuk-kun… what’s your current best pick these days?”
“Hm?”
“Comics, anime, whatever you’re into. Right now… what’s your number-one recommendation?”
At that moment, Oh Dong-gyo, seated right beside him, grinned and asked.
His expression was full of genuine curiosity.
‘Huh… he’s more outgoing than he looks.’
What had Min-hyuk considered good around this time…?
After a brief moment of thought, Min-hyuk snapped his fingers as something came to mind.
“Well lately… I’ve been really enjoying Detroit Metal Night.”
“Oooooh! DMN! You know your stuff, huh!”
Dong-gyo snorted excitedly through his nose, eyes sparkling as he continued.
“Of the recent stuff I’ve seen, that one has the best comedy. The gap moe when the timid protagonist transforms into full death metal mode—it nails that feeling perfectly. Absurdity! Irony! Yeah, the technique there is brilliant!”
“…Haha, y-yeah, right?”
‘This guy’s sharper than I thought.’
Sure, his speech pattern was weird and his tone was overly hyped, but even in just a short conversation, it was clear.
Detroit Metal Night was a gag manga that had become legendary in Japan at the time.
The protagonist was a musician-wannabe who dreamed of indie-style music, but he had zero talent in that direction.
However, the moment he put on death metal makeup and grabbed a mic, he unleashed insane gimmicks, character, and vocal power that shredded the stage—an isekai-style gag based entirely on that delusion.
Normally, kids this age would just say “it’s fun” or “it sucks” at most.
But Oh Dong-gyo already seemed to grasp the core appeal and concept of the work.
‘Well… that’s probably why he won the Excellence Award.’
He was clearly serious about comics in every way.
The old Kang Min-hyuk would’ve found this kind of character a bit overwhelming.
But now…
‘He’s actually… pretty cool.’
Seeing someone so earnest about comics stirred a strange sense of camaraderie inside him.
Even that oddly otaku-like way of speaking felt endearing because of how genuine his passion was.
Min-hyuk found himself quietly starting to like Oh Dong-gyo.
“I’m telling you—this series keeps going at this rate, I bet it’ll rank in next year’s ‘This Manga Is Amazing!’ list. Heh heh. The problem will come when the protagonist’s character gimmick eventually runs dry. How they handle the supporting cast at that point will decide—”
…The otaku switch had been fully flipped.
Min-hyuk’s lips curled upward in amusement.
Dong-gyo went on without pause, passionately analyzing DMN’s future trajectory.
But for Min-hyuk, he couldn’t just listen casually—because in reality…
‘It did rank number one in ‘This Manga Is Amazing!’ in Japan… but the mid-section got repetitive and lost steam.’
And just as Dong-gyo predicted, DMN’s future played out almost exactly that way.
‘Man… these monsters are everywhere.’
A first-year high schooler having this level of conversation?
Min-hyuk was already feeling deeply satisfied with having come to AniGo.
Just then, Dong-gyo adjusted his glasses, flashed a sly (?) grin, and lowered his voice.
“Heh heh. Since Min-hyuk-kun recommended something… mind if I return the favor?”
“Go for it.”
“Have you heard of a comic called Brave King? It’s being serialized right now in the Korean comic magazine <New Chance>.”
“Uh… yeah?”
“Yare yare… don’t tell me… you don’t know it, Min-hyuk-kun? You’re not one of those types who thinks only Japanese manga is superior, are you?”
“No, no… it’s not like that.”
Because I’m the one who drew that comic…?
Min-hyuk blinked in confusion, unable to find the right words.
“Oh, you’ve read <Brave King> too?”
“You too?”
Two boys sitting in the front row turned their heads slightly and joined the conversation.
“Oho, you guys have all read it?”
“Of course. The forums went absolutely nuts over it. The Korean Comics board was talking about nothing else all day.”
“You’re on the Korean Comics board too?”
“Duh, obviously. Everyone at my old cram school was on it.”
Once the conversation started flowing, the kids began chattering away.
In the middle of it, Oh Dong-gyo turned back to Min-hyuk with a dead-serious stare.
“Anyway… you have to read <Brave King>, Min-hyuk-kun. <Brave King> is the ‘hope’ and the ‘revolution’ of Korean comics. If you haven’t read it, you can’t call yourself a true comic person!”
“Uh, uh-huh…”
Dong-gyo spoke with such grave sincerity it almost felt like a life-or-death recommendation.
For a moment, Min-hyuk felt like his limbs and internal organs were being sucked into a black hole.
Just then—
“Kang Min-hyuk, they’re calling you to the counseling room.”
“Ah… yeah.”
Min-hyuk practically fled the classroom at his classmate’s words.
“Huuu… I survived.”
Out in the hallway, Min-hyuk let out a huge sigh of relief.
He hadn’t committed any crime—it was just people excitedly hyping up a comic they loved.
He was grateful. Happy, even.
But still… somehow, his instincts were screaming.
If he ever revealed he was the author of <Brave King>, things were going to get very exhausting.
‘Let’s keep it hidden for a while. No real benefit to showing off anyway.’
His goal in coming to AniGo was simple: to draw comics in an environment surrounded by fellow comic creators, build a rock-solid foundation… and use that to reach an even higher level as an artist.
There was no need to flaunt his pen name or his work for that.
Probably…
Thud.
Min-hyuk’s footsteps stopped in front of the counseling room.
Knock knock knock!
“Kang Min-hyuk here.”
“Ah, come in.”
Slide!
When Min-hyuk opened the door, a small room about two pyeong in size came into view.
As he sat across from her, homeroom teacher Choi Jung-an held a file folder and spoke.
“Hmm… Min-hyuk. I saw the comic you drew for the competition. You’re really good.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“So… what’s your goal here at AniGo?”
“My goal?”
“Well, almost everyone in Comic Creation wants to become a comic artist. But some focus on university entrance, while others aim to debut right after graduation. Depending on what you want, the kind of support we give will differ…”
“Ah, that.”
Min-hyuk stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before nodding firmly.
“I want to do it all.”
“Hm?”
“I want to go to university and keep working as a comic artist. As long as my body holds up… I want to do everything.”
So that he would never again feel regret over things he never even tried.
A serious light settled over Min-hyuk’s face.
Perhaps startled by the intensity—
“Ah…”
Choi Jung-an blinked in surprise. Min-hyuk, realizing he’d come on too strong, quickly waved his hands.
“Ah, sorry. I think I sounded way too serious. I haven’t decided on anything specific yet, so…”
“Ahem, I understand what you’re saying. Hehe, well… you just got here today. Take your time thinking it over.”
As Choi Jung-an lifted the corners of her mouth in a gentle smile, Min-hyuk hesitated for a moment before quietly interjecting again.
“Um, seonsaengnim… may I ask just one more question?”
[TL Note: Seonsaengnim (선생님) is the standard, highly respectful Korean term for “teacher,” used in schools and for anyone in a teaching role.]
“What is it?”
“I’ve been drawing comics lately.”
“Ah, so you have a work you’re preparing as a hobby? If it’s about your project, you can come talk to me anytime—”
“No, that’s not it… I’m actually serializing in a magazine called <New Chance>.”
“Hm?”
Choi Jung-an tilted her head, clearly confused about what he meant.
Min-hyuk continued.
“Our family has some financial difficulties… so I’m getting paid to serialize in <New Chance>.”
“So you’re saying… you’ve officially debuted?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Choi Jung-an’s eyes widened like saucers.
Min-hyuk kept speaking.
“I didn’t know exactly what the school rules say about this, so I thought it’d be better to be upfront from the start. I’ll probably need time for manuscript work too.”
“Uh… um…”
Beads of sweat formed on Jung-an’s forehead.
‘He debuted? And he’s only a first-year high schooler?’
Are kids these days just that precocious? No—this wasn’t even a matter of being precocious anymore.
The words coming out of Min-hyuk’s mouth were so far beyond her common sense that, for a moment, her mind felt like a tangled ball of yarn.
‘Well… he already had near-professional skill during the competition.’
It was possible. Totally possible.
Jung-an steadied herself and continued.
“M-Min-hyuk-ah… may I ask… what the title of the work you’re serializing in <New Chance> is?”
“Do I… have to say it?”
“Um… I promise it won’t go beyond me. Since I’m in a position to guide you, knowing would help me support you better in various ways.”
“It’s called… <Brave King>.”
“Whaaaat?!”
In an instant, Choi Jung-an shot up from her chair.
And then…
“Uh… uhhh… r-right. Ahem!”
Realizing belatedly that she’d overreacted, she cleared her throat awkwardly and sat back down.
“Min-hyuk-ah… that’s not a lie, right?”
“No, it’s real. Do I… need to show proof, like the contract or something?”
“No, no, that’s not necessary. I’ve read that comic too. It was really well done, so I was just… surprised. Hehe.”
Truthfully, “surprised” didn’t even begin to cover it.
When Choi Jung-an had first encountered <Brave King> in <New Chance>, her reaction had been…
- Department Head-nim! This comic <Brave King>! They say it’s by a total rookie!
- Oooooh! Amazing! There’s real spirit in the art and the story!
- If I ever get the chance, I’d love to meet the artist!
- Hehe! I know Song Mi-hyeon from that side a little—want me to set up a bridge?
She had gone full fan mode, spouting every over-the-top reaction imaginable.
Korean comics had finally produced a white horse-riding hero to save the industry, the future looked bright, she wanted a signature—she had rambled on and on.
‘And that person… is the student sitting right in front of me?’
Uh… what do I even do now?
‘Should I ask for a signature? Or ask about future plot developments?’
“N-no, that’s not it.”
Slap slap!
Choi Jung-an lightly patted her own cheeks to snap herself out of it, then recomposed her expression.
“So… given your situation, I’ll have to talk to the department head, but the school can definitely help. We might be able to substitute some assignment work, and for your own projects… you know how long our autonomous activity time is, right?”
“Ah, yes… you mentioned we can use the studio during that time…”
“Right. You can work during autonomous study periods. If that still isn’t enough time, we can discuss more later.”
“Ah… thank you so much.”
“Is that enough for today’s counseling?”
“I think so.”
When Min-hyuk nodded, Jung-an gave him a warm eye-smile.
“If you ever need anything, come talk to me anytime. Can you call the next student in?”
“Yes.”
As Min-hyuk nodded and left the counseling room—
“Huuu… wow… the world really is full of surprises.”
Choi Jung-an stared down at Kang Min-hyuk’s photo attached to the file folder, shaking her head in disbelief.