Chapter 96 – Comic Land (2)
“Hm?”
“What’s up?”
When Min-hyuk just blinked blankly, the others asked.
He waved his hand dismissively.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. Just something came to mind.”
“……What the heck, so lame.”
Min-hyuk scratched his chin and closed his eyes for a moment.
Then the name of the benefactor who had bought his doujinshi flashed clearly in his mind.
‘CEO Pan Hee-hyun…… right?’
Pan Hee-hyun.
The person who laid the foundation for what would become one of the two pillars of Korean webtoons in the future—Bluehouse.
Starting as an ordinary employee, driven by nothing but her pure love for comics, she grew the undervalued webtoon market…… and later spun off Bluehouse Webtoons, eventually rising to the position of CEO herself—a legend in the Korean comic industry.
Back in 2024, when Kang Min-hyuk was still a webtoon artist, he wouldn’t even have dared to make eye contact with her.
And yet she had come by their booth.
Realizing it only now made him feel a pang of regret.
‘Ughhh, I should’ve at least said hello.’
It was a little disappointing, but well……
No need to be too pessimistic about it.
The fact that such a big name had shown interest in this side of things meant that the comic he had drawn wasn’t wrong after all.
After that, time passed.
Around 3 to 4 p.m.
“Huuu…… it’s finally getting quiet now.”
“Ughhh, I’m so tired.”
Including Min-hyuk, the kids slumped in their chairs and let out heavy sighs.
From morning until now they had been constantly defending against endless waves of customers, and the only things they had eaten in between were one roll of kimbap and some drinks…… so exhaustion was inevitable.
Still, the one saving grace was.
“Still, we sold almost everything.”
“It’s kinda amazing that these actually sold.”
Kim Rok-hee’s goods, printed in huge quantities, sold out as expected, and the rest of the items were nearly depleted too.
At the very least they hadn’t gone into the red—no, in fact……
They had made quite a solid profit.
Then Kim Rok-hee let out a sigh, stretched her neck, and said.
“Should we start taking turns to go look around now?”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course. There’s hardly anything left to sell and barely any people, so what’s the point of everyone sitting here? Anyone who wants to go browse, go ahead.”
Hmm…… maybe I should take a look around.
Although Min-hyuk had participated in Comic Land, he had never once come here as a ‘customer.’
With a flicker of anticipation, he quietly stood up.
Then.
“Ahem, then I’ll go with you.”
From the side booth, Seung-heon also got to his feet.
And so the neighborhood friend duo—Seung-heon and Min-hyuk—began wandering the venue together.
“It’s Two Land. I love that one. Hey Kang Min-hyuk, you like this work too, right?”
“Ooh…… looks pretty good?”
The two slipped back into country-mouse mode and toured around here and there.
Goods from works they usually liked were lined up endlessly……
“And the prices are cheaper than I expected?”
“Right? You could keep buying forever.”
Perhaps because these were unofficial products operating on the edge of legality……
The prices were surprisingly low.
It felt like trying to grab item A at Dai○ but ending up picking up one after another—bags filling up endlessly with stuff.
Like a chaebol.
Or like Disney turning into a content-shopping conglomerate.
“This is practically free, free!”
“Ughhh, so good, so good.”
While they were excitedly strolling around with light steps, it happened.
“Huh? K-Kang Min-hyuk!”
“What now.”
“Look at that! Look!”
“What is it?”
Seung-heon shook Min-hyuk’s shoulder as if he had seen a ghost, making a huge fuss.
Min-hyuk turned his head with a ‘what now’ expression.
“Hm?”
And then his eyes widened into perfect circles.
The reason he looked so shocked was……
Right in the middle of a sea of various Japanese works, there was one booth that stood out glaringly.
“Brave King?”
An entrance signboard showed the host character Coup-ler and the protagonist Kim Bin-woo facing each other.
For a moment, Min-hyuk’s startled eyes blinked rapidly.
“Is that…… really Brave King?”
‘They’re doing secondary creations of my work?’
Honestly, he was flustered.
He knew Brave King had gained a certain level of popularity as a comic.
But that was……
Only within the context of the stagnant Korean comic market.
He had never even imagined that his own comic would be squeezed in among the Japanese works that readers still loved so much.
Frankly, it would’ve been weirder if he hadn’t been surprised.
Seung-heon scratched his head, looking equally shocked as he answered.
“Looks like it…….”
And that wasn’t even all of it.
Nearby, he could see three or four more booths in the same vein.
Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded wildly. Min-hyuk swallowed hard and said.
“……Let’s go check it out.”
“Yeah.”
When they arrived at the booth……
“Hello.”
“Ah yes yes, right now we only have this much stock left, though.”
The booth owner responded with an apologetic expression.
Indeed, most of the goods seemed to have sold out—only a few items remained.
The leftover goods were mostly of minor characters who barely had any screen time in the work and didn’t show much appeal anyway.
For anyone coming to buy goods, it was bound to be disappointing.
But Min-hyuk felt differently.
‘Crazy, they even made goods for these super-minor characters?’
He was actually thrilled.
No—he felt like he wanted to give that person a present or something for showing this level of care and effort.
Min-hyuk barely suppressed his excitement and blurted out.
“I’ll take everything that’s left.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes yes, I’ll buy them all.”
The booth owner, surprised, quickly packed the remaining items into a bag and handed them over.
“Thank you so much!”
As he was about to move on, Min-hyuk paused and asked.
“Um, can I ask just one thing?”
“Ah, sure.”
“Why did you choose Brave King?”
“Why?”
“There are so many popular Japanese comics around, so I was curious why you specifically picked this work for your booth.”
The booth owner tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand the question, then answered.
“Because…… I like it?”
“Which part?”
“The artist—David artist-nim—has genuinely great skills, the characters are charming…… and honestly, it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen a Korean comic with this kind of quality. Does that answer it?”
The corners of Min-hyuk’s mouth slowly crept upward.
“Yes, that’s more than enough.”
“Ah, okay okay.”
After that, Min-hyuk’s shopping spree continued.
“I’ll take one of each of these.”
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
Whenever he found a booth featuring Brave King as the main title, he bought up the goods.
He thought of it as a small way to repay the readers and fans who had loved his comic.
Well, he didn’t buy out every single item like at the first booth.
After going around a couple more booths, Oh Seung-heon grinned and said.
“Wow, popular artist. I’m jealous, seriously jealous. So many fans like this.”
“Shut up. Don’t make things awkward for people again.”
Thwack!
“Ow!”
When Seung-heon teased him smugly, Min-hyuk jabbed him in the side with an elbow to shut him up.
“Why’d you suddenly do that?”
“Why do you think……? You really don’t know?”
“Hiiing.”
Thinking back to Seung-heon’s terrifying antics (?) from middle school, Min-hyuk figured it was better to suppress him early. That was why he acted.
Seung-heon himself seemed to know his own sins well enough—he didn’t talk back anymore.
‘Looks like there’s just one booth left.’
Min-hyuk let out a deep sigh and headed toward the next one.
“Hello there!”
“Hello.”
A guy around his age with a buzz cut and intense eyes sat with his arms crossed, giving off a bold vibe.
On one side of the table were quite flashily decorated tarot-card-style illustration goods, and on the other side sat a single doujinshi.
‘Hm…… a doujinshi?’
Min-hyuk’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
Among all the Brave King-related booths he’d seen today, this was the only one with an actual doujinshi.
“Can I take a look at this?”
“Of course! I drew it myself, so please give it a read!”
Min-hyuk flipped through the pages and began reading the doujinshi.
Then……
‘Hm?’
What unfolded was somewhat different from what he had expected.
It wasn’t centered on the popular protagonist or the characters around him……
The story was told entirely from the perspective of Brave King’s host character, ‘Coup-ler.’
And the direction of the interpretation……
‘He had pretty much the same thoughts as me.’
The origin of Coup-ler’s birth, where this character came from, why he became the host of this death game, what his desires and purposes were.
An episode that delved into the roots of it all and described them in detail.
Of course, the details Min-hyuk had captured and the direction of his thoughts were quite different.
It was several times darker and more grim than what he had envisioned, with quite a bit of gore as well.
But.
‘The overall trajectory is similar.’
And that wasn’t all.
‘The fundamentals are solid, the directing is good too. And…….’
It felt like his style had been copied quite a lot.
The way dialogue was written, the art style overall—it was strikingly similar to Min-hyuk’s own.
Clearly someone heavily influenced.
Thud!
When Min-hyuk closed the doujinshi after reaching the last page, the buzz-cut boy asked with a face full of anticipation.
“So, what do you think, reader-nim! I tried my own interpretation of Coup-ler!”
“It was fun. Your skills are good, and overall the comic is well done.”
“Ooh! Thank you! I really studied David artist-nim’s work a lot, so I’m glad if that passion came through.”
“You must really like David, huh?”
At that, the buzz-cut boy squeezed his eyes shut and nodded vigorously.
“Like him? I love him!”
“Love…… huh?”
“Yes! I still can’t forget the day I met David artist-nim. As a die-hard New Chance reader, I was depressed after Yang Jae-han artist-nim retired…… and then I encountered Brave King. The shock I felt is something you probably can’t even imagine. The moment I saw the work, I thought: This is the future of Korean comics. David artist is the white horse-riding hero who will save the Korean comic industry!”
Min-hyuk gave an embarrassed look and waved his hand.
“David isn’t quite at that level, is he?”
“No way! My eyes don’t lie. David artist is a god! He’s going to become the god of comics! My words will become prophecy!”
The buzz-cut boy shouted with clenched fists, brimming with excitement.
It felt like if anyone disagreed, he might actually throw a punch.
And at that moment.
“Pfft!”
Oh Seung-heon, who had been quietly listening, burst into laughter.
Min-hyuk immediately jabbed him in the side again.
“……What is it?”
The buzz-cut boy’s eyes narrowed.
His brow furrowed—he was clearly getting angry.
“Ah, no, it’s just that…….”
“Hey, customer over there, what’s so funny? Is my comic amusing to you?”
“Uh, well…… it’s not that. The funny part isn’t you.”
The atmosphere was starting to turn a little hostile.
Maybe panicking.
Seung-heon’s eyes darted around before he glanced at Min-hyuk.
‘What do I do about this.’
‘Why are you asking me?’
A silent conversation passed between them, and finally Seung-heon, unable to withstand the pressure, opened his mouth.
“To be precise…… I laughed because of David artist.”
“Haaaaaaa…….”
The moment those words left his mouth.
‘What the hell are you saying.’
Min-hyuk let out a deep sigh.
“What did you sayyyy? Are you mocking David artist right now?”
Thud!
The buzz-cut boy shot up from his seat entirely, pointing accusingly and shouting.
“What’s going on over there?”
“Are they fighting?”
The eyes of the surrounding booths and people all turned this way.
Somehow the situation was spiraling in a completely unexpected direction.
“Apologize! You insulted David artist-nim!”
“Uh, well…… s-sorry.”
“That doesn’t sound sincere at all!”
To make matters worse, the buzz-cut boy pressed them even harder.
‘I just want to run away.’
Deep wrinkles of awkwardness creased Min-hyuk’s face right then.
Bam!
“Argh! W-who is it!”
Someone’s fist slammed down from behind……
The buzz-cut boy clutched his head and turned around.
And then.
“Who else! I leave for a minute and you start causing a scene? I told you to behave!”
“Ah, no, it’s just…… those people were insulting David artist-nim…….”
“Talking back?”
A clear, sharp woman’s voice rang out, and the buzz-cut boy shrank his shoulders and stepped back.
He looked like a mouse in front of a cat.
“Excuse us, sorry about that. This guy’s personality is a bit…… hm?”
“Uh, wait—you?”
Just as the woman stepped forward and started to bow in apology.
Min-hyuk and the girl’s eyes met, and at the same time their eyes widened.
“Kim Mi-na?”
“Min-hyuk sunbae-nim? Seung-heon sunbae-nim?”
It was their middle school junior—the girl who had once come to them for career advice about comics.
Kim Mi-na.
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