Chapter 112 – Webtoon, I’m Serious
Saturday afternoon.
Kang Min-hyuk, his stomach full from Emperor City sweet and sour pork, was walking with quick steps.
After walking for some time.
At the corner of an alley, a café came into view.
Ding-dong!
Min-hyuk took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Then……
“Hello, Writer-nim.”
“Ah, yes.”
At an outer seat in the café, a sharp-looking woman wearing glasses bowed her head politely.
Assistant Editor Pan Hee-hyun.
The future representative of Bluehouse Webtoon and one of the two people who would grow the webtoon industry.
She was also the person who had offered Min-hyuk’s group serialization on Bluehouse Webtoon.
Min-hyuk ordered a drink and sat facing Pan Hee-hyun.
First, he placed both hands politely on his knees and spoke in a calm voice.
“First of all, thank you very much for coming all the way here even though you must be busy.”
“No, meeting writers is part of my job. So…… what brings you to contact me?”
A subtle expectation was visible on Pan Hee-hyun’s face.
The meaning behind it was so obvious it could be felt clearly.
Min-hyuk let out a breath and said.
“Rok-hee and Dong-gyo…… said they wouldn’t be able to work for a while, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s correct, but… why?”
Pan Hee-hyun tilted her head.
In reality, the two had recently contacted her saying they wouldn’t be able to send manuscripts for some time.
From her perspective, she had thought they were exhausted because she kept giving feedback and demanding revisions to the plan.
At that moment, Min-hyuk bowed his head.
“I’ll apologize first.”
“Apologize……?”
“It’s because of me.”
“Pardon? Because of you, Writer-nim?”
“Yes. Actually, I have a work I’m doing right now. I needed assistants for it. So they agreed to help until December…… that’s why they can’t send manuscripts. I wanted to apologize for this first.”
Pan Hee-hyun’s eyes widened as she asked back.
“Have you already debuted as a pro comic artist, Writer-nim?”
“I’m serializing on New Chance. Under the pen name David.”
“……Excuse me?”
For a moment, a voice loud enough to echo through the entire café burst out.
When everyone’s eyes turned toward them, Pan Hee-hyun quickly bowed her head.
“I-I’m sorry. I was too surprised…… Really? You’re Writer David? The one serializing Brave King?”
“Yes.”
Min-hyuk naturally took out several original manuscript pages from the paper bag he had brought and handed them over.
After checking them, Hee-hyun’s mouth opened slightly.
‘It, it was real.’
Because she was serious about comics, she knew well.
She knew exactly where Writer David stood in the current Korean comic scene and what level his skill was at.
The overwhelming quality of Writer Kang Min-hyuk’s manuscript she had seen at Comic Land……
Now made complete sense for someone his age.
At that moment, Min-hyuk continued.
“And I know this might be too early to say, but…… if possible, I would like to do my next work with Bluehouse. After I finish Brave King in December.”
“Are you…… saying that seriously?”
“Yes. I believe webtoons are going to do extremely well. Really well.”
Pan Hee-hyun closed her eyes tightly as if dizzy, then opened them and said.
“I-I’m sorry. The situation is so sudden that my head is a bit…….”
“You don’t have to think too hard about it. I plan to finish Brave King in December, so I’m getting help from Rok-hee and Dong-gyo for that. And after that work is done, I want to do my next project with Bluehouse. Of course, only if Bluehouse wants it.”
While Min-hyuk was pouring out his words.
Thud!
Pan Hee-hyun slapped the table and said almost shouting.
“Of course we want it, Writer-nim. The contract format can be whatever you want. We will welcome you with open arms anytime.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“It’s only natural.”
David was a big shot.
Not an ordinary one, but currently the hottest comic artist in the scene.
On the other hand, Bluehouse was currently suffering greatly from a shortage of writers.
- The payment is only this much?
- If you show results, I’ll talk to my superiors and actively push for a raise……
- I’m sorry. At this rate, I won’t even be able to make ends meet.
From the company’s perspective, the webtoon business was still just a tiny additional service.
Because of that, the budget allocation was far too small, and most comic artists were working in relatively profitable sports newspaper serialization, printed comics, or the educational comic market.
Trying to recruit writers with payment that was less than half of what those places offered……
There was no way they could secure enough satisfied writers.
But now, not just anyone, but Writer David himself was saying he wanted to serialize here?
This was no different from a rope falling from the sky.
She felt like jumping up from her seat and shouting!
However, the adult inside her held her back.
As Hee-hyun repeatedly licked her dry lips, Kang Min-hyuk continued.
“And for Rok-hee and Dong-gyo’s works…… would it be okay if we prepare them together later and make the proposal again? It might sound arrogant, but I plan to help them a bit while preparing their next works. As a team.”
“If you do that, I’d be grateful! Please tell Writer Kim Rok-hee and Writer Oh Dong-gyo as well. We can wait as long as needed, so they can finish their current work and contact us whenever they’re ready.”
She meant it.
She already thought the two had solid fundamentals.
The only slight regret was that, being young writers, they still lacked clear understanding and direction for their own projects.
If David could personally guide them on that, Bluehouse would gain two more capable writers.
From Hee-hyun’s perspective, it was truly killing two birds with one stone.
At that moment, Min-hyuk bowed his head.
“Thank you for your consideration. I’m sorry for making such a difficult request after you came all this way.”
“No, no, I should be the one thanking you.”
“And, as a suggestion…… there’s one more thing I’d like to ask for in the future. May I mention it in advance? I think it’s better to say it now.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
Min-hyuk slowly opened his mouth.
“First, this isn’t confirmed yet on my side either. However, if Bluehouse reviews it, I’m willing to actively mediate. What I wanted to propose to Bluehouse is…….”
Min-hyuk continued speaking.
He laid out the plan he had been thinking about for a long time, clearly and without the slightest hesitation or tremor.
“So, what do you think about that part?”
“For example…….”
Whenever Pan Hee-hyun asked a question, he answered immediately.
After talking like this for about fifteen minutes.
“That’s what I wanted to say.”
Min-hyuk finished speaking.
Then.
‘……This is from a high school student?’
A dazed expression appeared on Pan Hee-hyun’s face.
It looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Because the proposal Kang Min-hyuk was making right now……
‘He didn’t just think about this lightly.’
It wasn’t some vague idea—it was full of incredible detail.
She could clearly understand the intention behind his proposal and exactly what benefit it would bring to Bluehouse.
‘This is something our company would definitely be interested in.’
It was at a level where she would believe it came from a competent sales department employee, not a high school student.
While organizing her thoughts, Min-hyuk asked.
“Um…… did I go too far with what I said?”
“No, no! Not at all.”
Pan Hee-hyun adjusted her glasses and answered.
“I will review that proposal very seriously.”
Her tone was extremely serious and grave.
***
Sunday evening, inside the empty drawing room.
Near Kang Min-hyuk’s desk, the ‘Brave King’ team members gathered.
While others were resting in the dormitory or at home, the reason these three had gathered like this was……
Naturally, to work on the next chapter’s manuscript for Brave King.
“Alright, check these.”
“Okay.”
“Huuu, I feel honored. We get to see Writer David’s storyboard first.”
Dong-gyo and Rok-hee read the storyboard with serious faces.
‘As expected…… it’s Min-hyuk-kun.’
‘The storyboard is really well made.’
Surprise appeared on both their faces.
Even though they were rough sketches, the poses and expressions were captured so well that they could already imagine what the finished manuscript would look like.
It was a scene that showed just how solid Kang Min-hyuk’s fundamentals were.
Moreover, what impressed the two even more was……
[In this scene, make sure the overwhelming power of the opponent is properly felt. Use an extreme low camera angle. Exaggerate the shadows even more.]
[For this character’s face, draw the eyes smaller than usual to give a sly feeling.]
The notes Min-hyuk had written with his mechanical pencil throughout the storyboard.
For team work, Min-hyuk had briefly written down why he composed each scene this way and why the work needed to be done like this.
Reading it made them feel……
‘This is really educational.’
‘So this is how Min-hyuk-kun works, with such clear intention behind every part.’
They could keenly feel the difference between themselves and Kang Min-hyuk.
Characters, dialogue, even cut placement and the use of minor tones.
Not a single thing was done ‘just because.’
Every single element had intention behind it and was deliberately created.
Seeing this, they once again clearly realized the gap in skill between themselves and Kang Min-hyuk.
And that wasn’t all.
“For page 3, this scene where Coup-ler delivers his line, pay extra attention. I’m going to direct it so it connects to the final scene later.”
“Ooooh, then that’s going to be no joke!”
Through this process, they could clearly see how Kang Min-hyuk structured the entire episode and what steps he took to lead it.
‘He starts by thinking about what kind of hardship the protagonist will face and why the opponent is acting this way.’
‘As expected, he builds the perception of surrounding characters in this kind of way.’
Both Kim Rok-hee and Oh Dong-gyo.
They kept catching glimpses of areas they had never reached before and continued to feel it.
Although they were helping with Kang Min-hyuk’s work, in some ways……
This was becoming a very big learning experience for them.
But the one receiving an education was not only them—Kang Min-hyuk was learning too.
“If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to say them.”
“……How about adding a muffler to the outfit design here? It might give a bit more sense of season.”
“Oh, that could work.”
“Or use that muffler to cover the scar near the neck?”
“Hmm, that’s even better. We can use that directionally too.”
The sparkling ideas the two threw out.
Min-hyuk caught them well and reflected them immediately, which raised the quality starting from the storyboard stage.
The three of them were properly creating synergy by helping one another.
“Then let’s go with this for this chapter’s manuscript.”
“Ahem, I’m looking forward to it! This is going to turn out to be a masterpiece, Min-hyuk-kun.”
“I have a good feeling too. Isn’t this actually going to win the Grand Prize?”
After finishing the meeting like that and about to disband in a warm atmosphere.
Thud!
“I’ll take a look too.”
“Huh?”
Han Yu-ra suddenly appeared from behind, snatched Min-hyuk’s storyboard, and started reading.
Flip! Flip!
She read with full concentration, moving her eyes quickly.
Min-hyuk smiled faintly and asked.
“How is it? This chapter’s storyboard. Not bad, right?”
“…….”
Wrinkles formed between her brows.
It somehow looked like she was annoyed.
Yu-ra muttered.
“Cheap. This is three against one.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Not interesting at all.”
Thud!
She handed the storyboard back to Min-hyuk and returned to her seat.
Kim Rok-hee laughed and said.
“Seeing Yu-ra like that, the storyboard must have turned out really well, huh?”
Min-hyuk and Dong-gyo also nodded, lifting the corners of their mouths in smiles.
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Check out new Translated Novel:
[1] The Regressor Who Turns Trash Martial Arts into Divine Techniques
[2] I Descended as the Iron-Blooded All-Master
[3] The Female Employees I Couldn't Eat
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