Chapter 110 – The Fierce Battle Begins
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“……Writer-nim?”
The assistants asked with wide eyes.
It was inevitable.
The usually wooden-puppet-like Writer Shin Yo-seop had an unusually large expression on his face.
“That, that is…… Huuu, take a look at this.”
Shin Yo-seop pressed his temples hard with his fingers, then pushed New Chance forward.
Assistant Min-cheol took it with a tilted head and looked inside.
[Final episode ‘King of Kings’ begins!]
[December, the grand finale curtain falls!]
[Who will be the last survivor?]
[Starting next week, explosive 2-chapter serialization!]
Weekly 2-chapter serialization and December finale announcement.
Brave King, New Chance’s flagship title, had just declared it would proceed in exactly the same way as Shin Yo-seop.
Moreover……
‘Even this week alone, the manuscript pages have increased.’
When he flipped forward to check the serialized part, Brave King’s manuscript, which should have been around 18 pages, had expanded to 25 pages.
And when he checked the very front……
‘Assistant names…… are listed?’
[Assistants / Kim Rok-hee, Oh Dong-gyo]
The assistants’ names, which had never been credited before, were now included.
Judging from this……
‘Did he recruit assistants for the December finale?’
It wasn’t an impossible story.
After all, Min-cheol himself was a new assistant who had joined this studio less than a month ago for Crow King’s December finale.
If the situation was flowing like this, then probably……
‘So this is a declaration of war?’
New Chance was also shouting out loud.
That they had no intention of backing down either.
Comic versus comic, New Chance versus Jump Comics—let’s have a proper head-on fight.
“What the hell, they’re also going for 2 chapters per week?”
“Writer-nim, this…… they’re clearly conscious of the Bucheon Comic Awards, right?”
Before long, the two assistants who had gathered beside Min-cheol asked with shocked faces.
Then, Writer Shin Yo-seop leaned back in his chair and pressed his forehead hard with his fingers.
Depending on how you looked at it, he seemed angry, or perhaps anxious.
A moment later, he stood up and immediately picked up his phone to call someone.
“Hello. Director Oh Han-cheol, did you see Brave King in this week’s New Chance? Yes, yes.”
“I think we need to come up with some countermeasures.”
“Yes, please give us a bit more support. I want to make sure.”
“I’ll take the color front page next week. Yes, yes, we have to make it happen no matter what.”
Some terrifying conversation seemed to be flowing across the phone.
“Yes, yes, let’s do our best.”
Click!
A moment later, Shin Yo-seop’s call ended.
The assistants asked with faces full of worry.
“What happened, Writer-nim?”
“……Is there any change?”
Then, Writer Shin Yo-seop furrowed his brow and spoke with a face full of anger.
“Starting next week, one more new assistant will come to work. And the color front page for next week’s issue has been secured. Prepare accordingly.”
“……Yes? S-suddenly?”
“I’ll make sure to pay all the overtime properly. If anyone finds it impossible, please tell me in advance. Also, if you know any skilled people around you who can do short-term assistant work, please let me know.”
A sudden declaration.
But perhaps because of the deadly serious expression on his face.
No one felt like adding a single word.
“Ah, understood.”
It was the beginning of war.
***
After both Crow King and Brave King announced their December finales.
Various communities began to boil over.
[Toriweb Korean Comic Board]
[FourDaysOnly: Yo damn, did you see the notices that went up in New Chance and Jump Comics this time?]
└[WhoIsTheGodOfComics: ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ I saw it. Both Crow King and Brave King are saying they’ll publish 2 chapters per week from now on. Both finishing in December.]
└[BestRice: Why suddenly? Did the two of them coordinate this?]
└[FourDaysOnly: Who knows. From the readers’ perspective it’s good though. Both writers are in top form lately. Since the stories have already entered the latter half anyway, they’re probably just hitting the final sprint.]
Korean Comic Board, Aspiring Comic Artist Board, etc.
Every board was buzzing about Brave King and Crow King’s December finales.
[Kaila: Aren’t they just putting on a show? If they both run until December, there might be some synergy. Look, they’re already pulling tons of attention here.]
[EricaTteokmandu: Nah, is there really a need for that? They’re rival magazines from the start.]
[KospiGanya: The industry is having a hard time lately, so maybe. Plus, the industry is small anyway, so I heard the editors at New Chance and Jump Comics are actually pretty close.]
[RollBoomIsComing: For real?]
All kinds of conspiracy theories spread, and debates raged about how the finales would turn out.
It was on par with…… or even bigger than the uproar back when Yang Jae-han vs David clashed.
Then, someone dropped a nuclear bomb into the thread.
└[LivingDan: I’m an industry insider and I heard some stuff related to this.]
└[BestRice: ㄱㄱ Spill it quick.]
└[LivingDan: There’s talk that both works will be submitted to the Bucheon Comic Awards in December. They’re going head-to-head there, so they’re doing this to fight for the Grand Prize.]
└[BestRice: Huh? Does that even make sense? Bucheon is a smaller award than our comic awards.]
└[FourDaysOnly: This LivingDan guy is pretending to know when he doesn’t.]
└[LivingDan: It used to be like that, but apparently something big is happening with the Bucheon Comic Awards this time. A lot of people are predicting that once that change is applied, the whole board will flip.]
└[FourDaysOnly: So what is ‘that’ exactly? You have to say it for us to understand.]
└[LivingDan: I can’t say that. If I talk about it carelessly, it’ll cause big trouble.]
└[FourDaysOnly: Bullshit. I’ll bet one of my balls that you’re lying!]
└[Corial: ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹. This is gold. You better post proof later.]
The board was in full chaos with arguments flying back and forth.
Meanwhile, inside a certain café.
“Huuuuu. Damn, I want to talk but I can’t.”
A man took his hands off his laptop, shook his head, and adjusted his glasses.
A playful face in his mid-30s covered in freckles.
The man’s name was Ki Cheon-yong.
He was the very person who had been furiously posting as ‘LivingDan’ just moments ago……
And the representative of [Our Comics], Korea’s only professional comic criticism magazine.
Well, calling it a “representative” was a bit grand since it was basically a one-man operation……
“Krr, this is fun. It’s been so long since dopamine hit me this hard.”
Excitement filled his face.
Fifteen years of single-minded devotion after falling in love with Ma Dong-hyun’s masterpiece ‘Kwaecheon’ as a high schooler and becoming obsessed with Korean comics.
Burning his own money to somehow revive Korean comics, through criticism, interviews, and everything a magazine could do.
He had also visited legendary veteran comic artists from the old Clover Moon-go era to record their stories, and published special features with vivid records from the time when printed comics were burned as subversive books.
He had always taken pride in the quality of the articles he published, believing that if he kept this up, people would eventually recognize his sincerity.
But the monthly magazine [Our Comics] only sold around 300 copies.
At that volume, it didn’t even cover the cost of paper, so he made ends meet by doing substitute driving, delivery work, and all kinds of odd jobs.
From last year, he received some breathing room thanks to support from the Korea Creative Content Agency, but even then he was barely making a living.
No matter how much blood and sweat he poured in…… Korean comics just kept sinking.
But then, the work ‘Brave King’ suddenly appeared like a white knight on horseback, became a huge hit, and created a rivalry with Writer Yang Jae-han.
When he covered it in the magazine, sales that had been stuck at 300 copies jumped to 1,000, and now hovered around 1,500.
Of course, he had used a bit of marketing through his community in the process……
But it was undeniable that thanks to Writer David, an unprecedented boom had come to the magazine [Our Comics].
And now, the very Writer David who had given him this breath of fresh air was about to clash with Shin Yo-seop of ‘Crow King’ at the Bucheon Comic Awards?
All comic fans’ eyes were inevitably drawn to it.
Moreover.
‘The Bucheon Comic Awards will be designated as the Presidential Award starting this year.’
It was fresh information he had heard from a Korea Creative Content Agency employee a few days ago.
The current president, whose approval rating had fallen, was pushing the new slogan ‘Contents Korea’ as a breakthrough.
He had heard that the Bucheon Comic Awards would also come under that big tent and receive a portion of the spotlight.
In other words, there was a high possibility that the status of the Bucheon Comic Awards and Our Comics Awards would completely reverse.
And in the middle of that, the two works were going to duel with their lives on the line?
‘My heart feels grand.’
Depending on the outcome, the entire landscape of the Korean comic industry could change in the future.
Perhaps even the public broadcasters would cover it.
As the editor-in-chief of [Our Comics], and as one Korean comic fan.
Just thinking about such a future made his heart pound wildly.
‘The Korean comic boom is coming!’
The era he had waited more than ten years for, believing it would come someday but never did……
Was finally arriving!
Tap tap! Tap tap!
Editor-in-Chief Ki Cheon-yong excitedly roamed every comic-related community, actively operating as a cyber warrior—no, as a guardian of Korean comics.
But at that moment.
“It’s been a while, Editor-in-Chief Ki Cheon-yong.”
“Huh?”
When he looked up, a man with a calm impression and handsome features was looking down at him.
Ki Cheon-yong quickly stood up and extended his hand.
“You’re here, Writer Yang!”
Yang Jae-han, currently serializing ‘School of Deadline’ at New Chance and the writer who had kept the last dying ember of the Korean comic industry alive.
The main character of the special interview in the next issue of [Our Comics] had finally appeared.
Ki Cheon-yong smiled widely and said.
“Have you been well? I’ve been really enjoying School of Deadline lately!”
“Ah, thank you. Well, it’s just workroom-home, workroom-home these days because of the work.”
“Haha, is that so? Well, Writer Yang Jae-han has always been very diligent.”
It started with light small talk.
Beyond simply hearing about Yang Jae-han’s recent activities, they also exchanged stories about the current state of the industry and small anecdotes.
When the appetizer was almost over.
“Ahem, then let’s wrap up the casual talk here…….”
Click! Click!
Ki Cheon-yong opened a file on his laptop, stared at it for a moment, then spoke with a serious face.
“First, I can’t help but ask Writer Yang Jae-han this question.”
“…….”
Adjusting his glasses and moving his lips for a moment, Cheon-yong calmly opened his mouth.
“This may be very good news for me and all Korean readers, but after finishing your previous work ‘Aureka,’ you clearly declared your retirement. May I ask what exactly made you decide to return?”
He opened with the question that any Korean comic fan would be dying to ask.
Yang Jae-han, who had declared retirement from the comic industry after completing Aureka.
No one had expected him to return with the outstanding new work School of Deadline.
Then, Yang Jae-han scratched his head and answered.
“Huh? Haven’t I talked about that before?”
“No, you have never mentioned it in any official setting. Until now, there have only been wild guesses.”
“Hmm…… I thought everyone already knew.”
“Not at all.”
Yang Jae-han scratched his cheek with an embarrassed face and casually threw out the answer.
“It’s because of Writer David.”
“Huh?”
Ki Cheon-yong’s eyes widened round.
**************
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