Chapter 62 – Yang Jae-han Invades (1)
In a quiet corner of the corridor with little student traffic, Kang Min-Hyuk held his phone with a slightly tense expression.
Then… a clear, refreshing voice came from the other end.
<<This is David-sensei’s phone, right?>>
“Ah—yes! It is. May I ask who’s calling?”
<<This is Yang Jae-han, the writer. You might know me? I’m the one serializing Deadline in New Chance.>>
The moment he heard that, Min-Hyuk covered his mouth with his palm.
‘Nice!’
He clenched his fist and pumped it into the air in silent joy.
Calm down, calm down.
Min-Hyuk took a deep breath and spoke into the phone again.
“Ah, of course I know you. I’ve been a fan since your <Aureka> days!”
<<Really? Haha, that’s nice to hear. I’ve been enjoying Brave King a lot too. It’s really fun.>>
A dizzying rush of dopamine hit him.
But he forced himself to stay composed and continued.
“So… may I ask why you called?”
<<I’d like to meet you in person, David-sensei. I think you’re incredibly talented, and your work has been a huge inspiration to me. I’d love to have a proper, in-depth talk. Would that be okay with you?>>
The polite, respectful tone.
Min-Hyuk answered calmly.
“Of course.”
<<Then… when would be a good time for me to visit? I’d like to come as soon as possible.>>
“I’m actually attending Korea Animation High right now… and we’re not allowed to leave campus on weekdays. Would the weekend work for you?”
<<Ah, right—of course. I heard from Shin Pil-ho-sensei about that.>>
“Oh, you did? Then on the weekend…”
Min-Hyuk was about to confirm when—
<<Weekends might be a bit difficult for me… Hmm. Then I’ll figure out my schedule and come visit you soon.>>
“Huh? You’re coming here?”
Did Yang Jae-han-sensei misunderstand what he meant?
He’d said weekends were tough, so what did he mean by coming over…?
As Min-Hyuk scratched his cheek in confusion—
Ding-dong-ding-dong!
The bell signaling the start of class rang again.
<<Ah, looks like class time. Good luck!>>
“Wait—sensei?”
Click.
The call ended abruptly, without room for further discussion.
“…What exactly is he planning to do?”
Bewilderment settled over Min-Hyuk’s face.
***
The next morning, inside the classroom.
“Ughhhh…”
Min-Hyuk sat at his desk, tapping his fingers rhythmically while furrowing his brow.
‘What the hell does he mean by coming here?’
The words Yang Jae-han had left him with yesterday were still swirling chaotically in his head.
‘Is he seriously planning to show up during drawing time?’
If so… maybe he could talk to Choi Jung-an-sensei and step out for a bit.
While he was agonizing over it—
“Mataku… ‘love,’ huh.”
Oh Dong-gyo, sitting next to him, was letting his delusions run wild again.
As morning homeroom approached—
Slide!
The door opened, and their homeroom teacher, Choi Jung-an, walked to the front podium.
“Bow to the teacher.”
“Hello, teacher.”
After the greeting, Choi Jung-an began calling attendance.
Then…
Suddenly, a bright sunflower-like smile spread across her face. She cleared her throat and spoke.
“Ahem. Today, I have some very special and wonderful news for all of you.”
“Special news?”
“What is it? Are we skipping class?”
The murmurs grew louder. Choi Jung-an closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again and continued.
“Everyone, you all know Yang Jae-han-sensei, right? The one who did <Deadline> this time and <Aureka> before that.”
“Yessss.”
“Well… Yang Jae-han-sensei is coming to our school today.”
In an instant, every single pair of eyes in the room widened to saucers.
“No way—really?!”
“Why’s he coming all of a sudden?!”
No one could hide their excitement.
And for good reason—it was that Yang Jae-han.
There was no way the students of the Comic Creation Department—who were already obsessed with comics—didn’t know him from Aureka.
On top of that, the entire Korean comic community had been buzzing nonstop about the David vs. Yang Jae-han showdown in New Chance.
Choi Jung-an tapped the podium a few times with her palm to quiet them down.
“He’s agreed to give a special lecture here at our school. His schedule is extremely tight, so it was arranged last-minute—that’s why I’m only telling you now. Today’s two-hour Character Design class will be replaced with Yang Jae-han-sensei’s lecture.”
“Ooooooooooh!”
“Can we get autographs?!”
“Ughhh, it’s Yang Jae-han!!”
Everyone was practically vibrating with excitement.
But amid the chaos, one person’s face darkened.
‘So this is what he meant by coming…?’
No—when someone says “I’ll come visit,” you don’t normally expect them to show up like this.
Confusion creased Min-Hyuk’s brow.
Of course, it was good—really good—that Yang Jae-han wanted to meet him…
But…
‘What if he finds out I’m David?’
Yang Jae-han had no idea Min-Hyuk was hiding his identity as a comic artist, nor did he know the full context.
If they didn’t coordinate beforehand, there was a very high chance his secret would slip out during the conversation.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
‘Should I just come clean now and get it over with? No… dealing with the aftermath would be too much…’
While Min-Hyuk tapped his desk thoughtfully, lost in worry—
‘Hm?’
Maybe it was just a feeling?
But even amid the excited chaos, he sensed Choi Jung-an staring straight at him.
When their eyes met, she pointed subtly toward the door and mouthed something.
From the shape of her lips, it looked like…
‘Yang Jae-han… writer?’
Yang Jae-han what?
Min-Hyuk tilted his head in confusion. Then she made a zipping motion across her mouth.
What did that mean? Min-Hyuk scratched his head and mouthed back.
‘Keep quiet?’
Did she read his lips?
Or maybe she simply understood the intent in his eyes.
Choi Jung-an gave a small nod and lifted the corner of her mouth in a faint smile.
The tension that had gripped Min-Hyuk’s face began to ease.
‘Ah… I’m saved.’
She must have already explained the situation to Yang Jae-han in advance.
Thank you, sensei. Seriously… you’re a true teacher.
For a moment, Min-Hyuk looked at Choi Jung-an with genuine respect.
But while the two of them were silently communicating through gestures—
‘Kang Min-Hyuk… could it be… forbidden love?!’
Oh Dong-gyo, watching from the side, was sinking even deeper into his misunderstanding.
***
Inside Ani-Hall, the event space on the 5th floor of AniGo.
“Yang Jae-han’s coming? Why all of a sudden?”
“No idea. Maybe one of the teachers knows him?”
“Well… I heard Ma Dong-hyun-seonsaengnim is acquainted with him.”
“Maybe Ma-seonsaengnim dragged him here by the collar.”
“Kekeke, if it’s Dong-hyun-seonsaengnim, that’s totally possible.”
The hall—usually quiet—was now packed with well over a hundred people.
Students from both the Animation Department and Comic Creation Department, years 1 through 3, had all flooded in for Yang Jae-han’s special lecture.
“Hey Min-Hyuk-kun, sit over here!”
“…Sure.”
Oh Dong-gyo, who had rushed in ahead, had already saved seats near the front.
“Come on, come on—this way.”
“…Okay, okay.”
Kim Rok-hee elbowed Han Yu-ra lightly and sat right behind them.
The hall buzzed with restless excitement, everyone waiting for the arrival of the legendary Yang Jae-han.
‘Yang Jae-han-sensei…’
A serious light filled Han Yu-ra’s face.
‘Hmm… I heard Yang Jae-han-sensei is pretty cute in person. I’m curious, so curious~’
A sly, mischievous smile played on Kim Rok-hee’s lips.
Everyone held their own kind of anticipation for today’s lecture in their own way.
Then—
“Ahem!”
Ma Dong-hyun, the department head, cleared his throat loudly. Hands clasped behind his back, he sauntered up to the microphone on the podium.
<<Alright, everyone—sit down quickly.>>
Just by opening his mouth, his deep, resonant voice filled every corner of Ani-Hall.
Once the students settled, he continued.
<<As you all know, in a little while, Yang Jae-han—the author of Aureka and Deadline—will be giving you a special lecture. The guy might look like a slacker, but he’s seriously good at comics… and there’s a lot you can learn from him. So don’t dawdle—make sure you squeeze every last drop of value out of this lecture. Got it?>>
His speech was as blunt and hierarchy-free as ever.
Kim Hak-jung, the associate department head, pressed a hand to his forehead with a sigh.
“Hey, watch your wording…”
Choi Jung-an, sitting nearby, let out a small laugh.
Ma Dong-hyun, true to his “comic maniac” nature, continued unbothered.
<<What, no response? Come on—show some fighting spirit!>>
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
Shouts came from all over the room.
Only then did Ma Dong-hyun look satisfied. He grinned, tilted his head slightly, and said,
<<Alright then… let’s welcome Yang Jae-han-sensei with a big round of applause!>>
Thunderous clapping erupted as the side door of Ani-Hall opened.
A man stepped out.
Slim build, long legs.
Neat jeans and a dress shirt that suited him perfectly.
The clean-cut man walked straight to the podium and bowed.
<<Hello, everyone. I’m Yang Jae-han, the writer.>>
Clap clap clap!
“Waaaaaah!”
The applause was deafening, eyes sparkling like they were greeting a celebrity.
He gave a light smile and briefly scanned the room.
And in that moment… his gaze met Kang Min-Hyuk’s.
‘…So we meet like this.’
An awkward smile tugged at Min-Hyuk’s lips.
Yang Jae-han’s mouth curved up just a little more in response.
Somehow…
Even though over a hundred people filled the hall,
In that brief instant, it felt like darkness had fallen over everything except the two of them, spotlights shining down solely on them.
Of course, no one else had any idea…
<<We have our great senior here—our department head, Ma Dong-hyun-sensei—who kindly invited me. It’s an honor to stand before all of you, the future comic artists, animation directors, and animators.>>
<<During the time I’ve been given today… if I can leave behind even the tiniest grain of something useful for your future work, I think this visit will have been meaningful.>>
<<So first, I’d like to start by showing you the PPT I prepared and talking about my process…>>
Yang Jae-han casually took the remote from his pocket, and the PPT appeared on the screen.
<<I’ll mainly cover my representative works, Aureka and Deadline—how I planned them from the very beginning up to completing the manuscripts. I’ll break it down step by step and share the details with you. I thought this might be helpful when you’re working on your own projects in the future, so that’s what I focused on preparing.>>
He continued speaking naturally.
Sharing how he came up with ideas, his creative process, and everything in between…
Every time he slipped in a casual joke, soft laughter rippled through the room.
His words sank in effortlessly, easy to absorb.
But what struck Min-Hyuk most while listening to the lecture was…
‘He prepared all of this in just one night?’
Yang Jae-han had only said he wanted to come visit last night.
To think that in that single night he’d put together this entire PPT, contacted the school, and arranged a full lecture…
It was almost unbelievable.
‘What kind of person is he?’
And someone like that was going this far… just to meet him?
A complex mix of awe and bewilderment filled Min-Hyuk’s face as he stared straight at Yang Jae-han.
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