Chapter 64 – Yang Jae-han Invades (3)
Inside the counseling room right next to the faculty office.
Yang Jae-han and Kang Min-Hyuk were talking without a single moment of pause.
“There was this one time while designing the villain…”
“Ah… layering two tones and then shaving them down. That’s a great technique. The overwhelming pressure you feel when looking at the Reverse Heaven’s Monarch really comes through because of it…”
Episodes from working on their respective series, insights they’d gained along the way—the conversation flowed back and forth.
“If it were me, in that situation I would’ve…”
“Oh, that’s a good idea.”
The discussion deepened, growing more and more serious.
They completely forgot that they were technically rivals fighting for the number-one spot in the same magazine. Instead, they poured out everything with genuine sincerity.
Both of them understood clearly:
The more insights and words they shared in this moment, the more those ideas would echo back—lifting them, and their works, to even greater heights.
“Brave King was heavily influenced by GETZ.”
“Ah… now that you mention it, I can see that. I didn’t notice at first when I read it. The way you adapted it is really impressive…”
Sometimes the conversation naturally turned to works that had deeply moved them.
“That scene where the goblin falls to its death from Namsan Tower—you used a double-page spread on purpose, right? Deliberately laid out the layout to maximize the character’s emotional impact.”
“You noticed? Honestly, I was worried no one would pick up on it.”
“No way. The moment I saw it, I was in awe.”
At other times, they dug deep into directing choices and character construction.
As the conversation gradually reached its natural conclusion,
An unexpected question slipped from Yang Jae-han’s mouth.
“Kang Min-Hyuk-sensei… what do you think will happen to the Korean comic market going forward?”
“Hm? Could you clarify what you mean…?”
“Exactly what I said. Honestly, the Korean published comic market isn’t what it used to be. I’ve already come to my own conclusions, but I’m curious—what do you think will happen to it?”
“……”
Min-Hyuk—who had answered every question immediately until now—stroked his chin in silence.
Not because he didn’t know.
Quite the opposite: he knew too well, which was why the words didn’t come easily.
This wasn’t based on his own insight or realization.
It was knowledge that came solely from having lived through 2025.
Saying it as if it were his own opinion felt awkward—he even considered staying silent.
But then…
‘I hope Yang Jae-han-sensei is part of the future of Korean comics.’
That was his honest thought, his honest judgment.
In the future Min-Hyuk knew, the name and legacy of the genius Yang Jae-han had simply disappeared after Aureka.
But after reading Deadline, a small part of him had realized:
If this writer kept moving forward, he might produce works so monumental they couldn’t even be compared to what came before.
And if such works could be born…
It would help Min-Hyuk himself break through his own limits—toward the ultimate goal Yang Jae-han himself seemed to quietly desire:
Becoming the greatest comic artist in the world.
His intuition told him clearly:
Right now, in this moment, the most selfish outcome would come from the most selfless choice.
Min-Hyuk slowly opened his mouth.
“I think… the published comic market is going to end soon.”
“…End?”
Yang Jae-han’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
“Yes. Even though New Chance feels like it’s having a brief resurgence right now… honestly, I believe this is most likely its last flare-up.”
“…Why do you think that, Kang Min-Hyuk-sensei?”
“Have you ever read internet comics, sensei?”
“Internet comics…? You mean the ones posted on blogs or internet newspapers?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Webcomics—already, at Bluehouse (where webtoons first began), there was already one artist serializing under the name “webtoon” at this very moment.
The problem was that almost no one had noticed yet… and very few even knew it existed.
Yang Jae-han stroked his chin and said,
“But they don’t seem that impressive yet. Honestly, I think they’re still at an amateur level.”
His expression was full of doubt.
And he wasn’t wrong.
The things currently called “webtoons” hadn’t yet achieved proper industrialization. In density and quality, they still lagged far behind published comics—truly amateur territory.
Then Min-Hyuk pulled his phone from his pocket and held it out.
It was what people called a “touch phone”—the most common type in Korea right now, just before smartphones truly took off.
“Yes, that’s right. But I believe… once we reach the era where people read comics on phones like this, webcomics will become the mainstream in no time.”
“Reading comics on phones? I can’t really picture it.”
It wasn’t even the distant future.
The current year was 2006.
Right next year—in January 2007—Steve Jobs would unveil the iPhone at an event, marking the true beginning of the smartphone era.
Even though it would take quite a long time for smartphones to truly take root in Korea due to resistance from existing carriers and handset manufacturers…
The desire for convenience and better things could never be suppressed forever.
Like a dam bursting, the smartphone era would arrive, and reading comics on phones would gradually become commonplace.
“I saw it in a documentary. Recently, developers all over the world are working on ways to use phones like PCs. They said it could spread widely soon. When that time comes… I think comics optimized for color and high readability on small screens will be the most suitable. And when that happens… published comics will become outdated content and slowly fade away.”
In that moment, realization seemed to strike.
Yang Jae-han’s eyes widened dramatically.
From his reaction…
‘He understood. What I meant.’
Yang Jae-han was a monster.
Not just in terms of current skill—but in the sense that, as long as he had desire and will, he could grow to match it at any moment.
Moreover, his understanding of directing and media was already at the highest level within the Korean market…
So he would be able to conceptualize what Min-Hyuk had just explained with ease.
Jae-han snapped his fingers and said,
“Indeed… we can’t completely rule out the possibility that such an era will come.”
“Yes. I think the probability is quite high. And when it does, everything will change—from working methods to directing, pacing, and the technical aspects of delivering works to readers. Well… it’s just speculation, of course.”
Jae-han stared straight at Min-Hyuk, biting his lip.
“…Are you really a high school student?”
“Hm?”
“No, I mean… when I was your age, I never thought this deeply about things like this. It’s surprising… almost absurd.”
“Ahaha, no—it’s just my random rambling. Thank you for listening so seriously to nonsense like this.”
Min-Hyuk gave an awkward smile and waved it off.
Of course, this wasn’t rambling or speculation—it was 100% the future he had already lived through.
But since it didn’t come from his own insight or realization, he didn’t want to act like it did.
Still… he thought this would be enough.
Because this was Yang Jae-han.
The same artist who, just because Kang Min-Hyuk had serialized Brave King, had created the monumental work called Deadline.
Someone like him wouldn’t simply let these words pass by.
And indeed…
“No… I think this is something worth seriously considering.”
The sincerity in his eyes was unmistakable.
Thump! Thump!
Min-Hyuk’s heart raced.
‘The webtoon market with Yang Jae-han in it…’
What kind of monstrous works would emerge?
As both a reader and a fellow competitor, the anticipation was overwhelming.
But just as he caught his breath and was about to speak again—
BAM!
The door burst open, and Ma Dong-hyun stormed back in.
With a face full of irritation.
“Ah—sunbae-nim.”
“Yang Jae-han, you damn bastard—how long are you planning to keep this kid here?!”
“Huh? It hasn’t been that long, has it?”
“Not that long?! It’s already been over two hours—two hours!”
In that instant, both Jae-han’s and Min-Hyuk’s eyes widened in shock.
“Two hours already?”
“Already?”
Perhaps because they’d been so absorbed in conversation…
Both of them had thought only thirty or forty minutes had passed at most.
“Huuu… no helping it. Then… shall we wrap this up here?”
“Ah—yes.”
Both Min-Hyuk and Jae-han stood up.
Somehow, their faces were filled with visible reluctance.
When Jae-han reached the elevator—
He turned back, extended his hand, and gave a gentle smile.
“Then… let’s meet again next time, Min-Hyuk artist. For some reason, I feel like we’ll be seeing each other quite often.”
“Yes… I’d like that too.”
Min-Hyuk firmly shook his hand in return.
“Aigoo, damn it—damn it! Hey, get going already. Stop bothering the poor kid.”
“Ughhh, sunbae-nim, why are you in such a rush?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? My junior comes all the way here to see his great senior, and I don’t even get to chat with him a little?!”
“I… don’t really have anything to say to you, sunbae-nim…”
“You little—! Anyway, Min-Hyuk, just head back to class. I’ve already talked to the teachers.”
“Ah—yes.”
Ding!
The elevator arrived, and the two of them disappeared inside.
Min-Hyuk took a deep breath.
“Huuu…”
It felt like waking up from a dream.
He scratched the back of his head and walked down the corridor.
Somehow, after all this, it really hit him.
‘I made the right choice revising those chapters.’
The reckless plan to scrap Chapters 11–14 and go head-to-head with Yang Jae-han in Chapter 15.
He’d done it purely out of a desire to beat Yang Jae-han…
But thinking that all that effort had led to this moment filled Min-Hyuk with a strange sense of fulfillment.
It was as if he’d received compensation for his hard work in the most bizarre way possible.
And through today’s conversation, he felt like he’d broken through several more layers of eggshells.
‘Well…’
Slide!
With his chest full of something indescribable, Min-Hyuk returned to the classroom.
“Ahh, the key thing to pay attention to here is figuring out what the ‘it’ in the text refers to… It’s clearly explained in the very next sentence, right?”
From the looks of it, this was English class.
Min-Hyuk gave a small nod and quietly took his seat.
But suddenly, Dong-gyo—who sat beside him—stared straight at him, squeezed his eyes shut, and nodded solemnly.
‘……?’
Not understanding the gesture at all, Min-Hyuk tilted his head in confusion.
About ten more minutes passed like that.
Ding-dong-ding-dong!
The bell rang.
“Bow to the teacher!”
“Thank you!”
And with that, break time arrived.
“Huuu…”
Maybe because he’d been talking so much—should he grab something to eat?
Feeling a slight dizziness, Min-Hyuk let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.
‘Hm?’
Suddenly, kids started slowly crowding around him.
Wondering what was going on, he tilted his head again when—
“K-Kang Min-Hyuk! Is it true you had a meeting with Yang Jae-han-sensei?!”
“Weren’t you Shin Pil-ho-sensei’s assistant?!”
“So you got introduced through him? And you designed the Reverse Heaven’s Monarch too?!”
“You’ve got connections at New Chance?!”
Questions poured out in near-shouts from every direction.
Only then did Min-Hyuk understand.
The meaning behind the face Dong-gyo had made during class.
“Ughhh… well, it’s like this…”
Min-Hyuk scratched his forehead and turned his head—only to see Dong-gyo with a shrunken, apologetic expression, raising one hand in a “sorry” gesture.
‘I-I’m sorry, Min-Hyuk-kun… The other kids kept pressing me so hard…’
The message was clear even from his face.
Min-Hyuk let out a sigh.
‘Well… no helping it now.’
He’d have to smooth things over somehow.
Turning to the kids with a light smile, he said,
“Ah, well… it’s like this. I used to work as an assistant in Shin Pil-ho sunbaenim’s studio for a while.”
And so, Min-Hyuk’s near-perfect day came to a close amid the uproar.
**************
TL Note:
You can read 25 additional chapters of this novel right now on Patreon via the Premium Tier
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Comic Artist”
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
If you join Premium, you’ll get:
🔓 25+ advance chapters instantly
🚀 Up to 9 chapters per week
📖 Access to the advance chapters of my 5 other novels as well
After joining, please message me and tell me which novel you’re most excited for.
That helps me decide which series to prioritize and update faster.
If you’re reading all 6 novels, let me know too — it really helps with planning future releases.
**************