Chapter 120 – Last Spurt (1)
Late in the evening, inside Kang Min-hyuk’s house.
“Hah, I’m tired…”
Mrs. Hong Mi-seon, who had just returned home from work, plopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV with the remote.
It had been an especially busy day with many customers, so she felt unusually tired.
But Mrs. Hong Mi-seon’s face no longer showed the heavy fatigue or the sighs she used to let out a hundred times a day.
Instead, her face was full of anticipation.
“Let’s see… Shall we check if our son did well today?”
She took out a book from the paper bag she had tossed aside.
This week’s New Chance.
Seeing her son’s drawing prominently displayed on the cover, she gently stroked it with her palm.
Then……
She slowly turned the pages, as if savoring every single letter and every single panel.
When she finally reached the end,
“You’ve improved a lot.”
A smile spread across Mrs. Hong Mi-seon’s face.
She used to know nothing about comics, but that was no longer the case.
She had read almost every Korean comic magazine available, and she occasionally borrowed popular Japanese comics from “Best Nation” (thanks to the store owner’s help).
Because her son was doing well and doing what he wanted, as a parent she couldn’t help but take interest.
That was why Mi-seon knew.
That Min-hyuk’s skills were continuously improving.
And that as Brave King entered its final arc, more power was being put into the manuscripts.
“I hope our son gets good results at the Bucheon Comic Awards.”
The corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted.
Even after finishing Brave King, Mi-seon continued reading the rest of New Chance.
‘This issue turned out fun too.’
The second thing Mrs. Hong Mi-seon enjoyed was the work of comic artist Shin Pil-ho.
Aside from the fact that he had helped Min-hyuk, she liked it because he was an older artist whose sensibility was similar to hers and whose stories were easy to relate to.
While she was deeply focused on reading with the TV sound as background noise,
[This afternoon at 4 o’clock, President Kim drew attention by announcing a new slogan called ‘Contents Korea’ during today’s press conference.]
“Huh?”
The word that caught her ear made Mi-seon turn her face toward the TV.
There……
The president was seen making an announcement surrounded by reporters.
[I am confident that contents will play a leading role in enhancing the value of the nation of the Republic of Korea going forward. We are preparing various support programs in close cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. As the first step, we plan to provide massive support and expand events for the ‘Comic Festival’ currently being held in Bucheon. In addition, we will also increase interest in K-pop and K-games……]
The president’s words from the press conference passed briefly, followed by the announcer’s commentary.
[As such, President Kim declared that contents are the future of Korea and stated that massive investment and improvements will be made to the Bucheon Comic Festival as the first step. In response, the Bucheon Comic Festival Organizing Committee announced that starting this year, the Bucheon Comic Awards will be promoted as the Presidential Award…… They expressed hope that this will once again broaden the foundation of Korean comics, which once enjoyed a golden age but has recently been somewhat stagnant.]
“Bucheon Comic Awards… Isn’t that the one Min-hyuk is submitting his work to?”
Mrs. Hong Mi-seon’s eyes widened.
***
The next day, inside the meeting room.
“…What the hell is going on?”
“Whew… I’m so nervous I’m shaking.”
The three members of Team Brave sat together in the lounge, letting out heavy sighs.
Then, Han Yu-ra, who was standing nearby sipping canned coffee, narrowed her eyes and said,
“Wow, you guys are saying such spoiled things. Isn’t it good to get attention?”
Oh Dong-gyo immediately shot back,
“Hey! You’re only saying that because you don’t know the weight of this! It’s the Presidential Award! The Presidential Award!”
“Yu-ra, at least show some sympathy…”
Dong-gyo and Kim Rok-hee felt like they were about to get motion sickness.
Just submitting to the Bucheon Comic Awards had already filled them with tension while working……
But now the president was paying attention to the competition? And winning it meant receiving the Presidential Award?
‘If I mess up, won’t this cause a huge nuisance?’
‘Should I just quit now?’
The weight of the word “President” was simply too heavy for two high school students with no experience or career to handle.
“Aren’t you nervous, Kang Min-hyuk?”
“Me? Well… I guess I am a little?”
Min-hyuk answered with a faint smile.
Despite what he said, there was no trace of tension in his expression or tone.
Rather, he looked like he was finding the situation even more fun.
And that was only natural……
‘Because I already knew this would happen.’
He didn’t remember the exact year since he hadn’t been drawing comics at this time in his previous life, but……
He knew that around this period, the prestige of the Bucheon Comic Awards began to skyrocket.
He also knew that the trigger was the government’s policy direction called “Contents Korea.”
From Min-hyuk’s perspective, the timing aligned perfectly with when he was submitting his work, so he actually welcomed it.
He was pouring his soul into Brave King, and there was a high chance that this work would become……
‘my first and last printed comic.’
The twilight of Korean printed comics overlapping with the golden age of webtoons arriving through smartphones.
In that transition, he hoped that the artist named Kang Min-hyuk could leave some kind of mark as a bridge connecting the legacy of the past with the next step.
And now, thanks to the president’s policy, the stage had been perfectly set……
All that remained was to deliver results.
Recently, the daily life part that ran in New Chance had received huge acclaim, setting Brave King on fire.
If he could ride this momentum well and properly ignite that flame……
He would be able to achieve what he wanted.
“Come on, don’t be too nervous. We just need to do well for the next two months, so let’s push through to the end.”
“Yeees…… Comic artist-nim.”
“Whew… It looks like it’s not only the Brave King characters heading into the final battle.”
When the kids slumped down, Min-hyuk raised the corners of his mouth.
‘Now all that’s left is to charge forward.’
The final battle of Brave King, and the name of the episode, was ‘King of All Things.’
Min-hyuk had already thought through the framework and key directing for it.
This was something he had roughly planned from the very beginning when he started Brave King……
‘And I’m going to combine the host character Coup-ler’s backstory with the twist and the theme of the work.’
A final act far from ordinary — full of explosive twists that would pull everything back to the central axis.
Even Kang Min-hyuk himself couldn’t predict what kind of impact this would have on the Bucheon Comic Awards judging results or the readers’ evaluations.
From now on, all he had to do……
Was struggle with everything he had to deliver this as completely and powerfully as possible to the readers.
“Alright, let’s go over the flow one last time up to the final scene. Everyone read it and let’s talk again.”
Min-hyuk distributed the storyboard he had organized — the flow all the way to the final scene — to the kids.
In terms of episodes, it was a short volume of less than 10 chapters.
Everyone read it with serious expressions.
“Hmm… I see.”
“Ah, so it’s done like this.”
The kids let out sighs or nodded, showing various reactions.
Even though he had explained the overall flow several times through the synopsis before, seeing it in concrete storyboard form gave them a completely different feeling.
After reading it all, the kids spoke with similar expressions and voices.
“This is really good? How did you come up with this, Kang Min-hyuk!”
“It’s perfect, Min-hyuk-kun.”
“I don’t have any complaints either.”
All of them gave positive reactions.
At least for the three people present here, it meant that Kang Min-hyuk’s intentions had landed to some extent.
“Whew…”
Min-hyuk let out a sigh of relief, then clapped his hands and said,
“Good, good. Then let’s run all the way to the end.”
“Let’s gooo!”
“I hope… we can finish this alive.”
While the kids burned with (questionable) fighting spirit and headed back to the drawing room,
Han Yu-ra finished the rest of her canned coffee and stepped out into the corridor.
At that moment.
Vrrrr! Vrrrr!
Suddenly, the phone in her pocket vibrated.
Yu-ra took it out, frowned, and pressed the call button.
“What is it, driver?”
<<Ah, yes, young lady. It’s nothing else… The master asked me to tell you something.>>
“…What is it?”
<<He said please come home for a while this weekend. He has something important to tell you.>>
At that moment, Han Yu-ra’s eyes widened.
<<Will that be difficult?>>
“No. I’ll go. This week… seems fine.”
<<Ah! Yes! Thank you, young lady. Then I’ll come pick you up on Friday evening.>>
The driver’s voice sounded relieved, as if he hadn’t expected her to agree so readily.
“Yes, see you then.”
Right at that moment.
“Yu-raaa, aren’t you coming~?”
From the far end of the corridor, Kim Rok-hee was waving her hand widely and calling out.
“Coming.”
With the corners of her mouth slightly raised, Han Yu-ra walked forward confidently.
***
Inside the drawing room.
Scratch scratch.
Han Yu-ra had her head lowered almost into the sketchbook as she drew the storyboard.
In the storyboard for her comic, Melton: Chronicles of the Demon World……
[Father! I did it! I really did it!]
[Khm, well done. It’s not that amazing, but… this time, I suppose I can give you a little praise.]
[Lord Melton! If you’re going to praise her, do it properly! Didn’t the young lady achieve tremendous results?]
[Th… that’s true. Khm!]
[Well done, Melania.]
[Yes, Father!]
There was a scene where the protagonist, a former war mercenary, participated in a duel tournament of high-ranking demon nobles, achieved good results, and received praise.
Their eyes met, and the high-ranking demon noble and father, Melton — who usually showed a cold and strict demeanor — carefully stroked his daughter’s head with a joyful expression.
‘Good.’
Perhaps satisfied with her own comic’s content, the corners of her mouth twitched just from looking at it.
Han Yu-ra kept moving her hand without stopping, completely immersed in the storyboard.
The protagonist Melania overlapped with herself, as if she had become the character.
How long had she continued working like that?
“Whew…”
After finishing one storyboard, Han Yu-ra put down her mechanical pencil and stretched her hands.
As she slowly raised her head, her eyes landed on the stack of Jump Comics magazines piled on the desk in front of her.
[High-ranking demon noble father and his clumsy genius swordsman daughter! Melton: Chronicles of the Demon World!]
The cover featured her drawing: the daughter riding on her father’s shoulders like a piggyback ride.
The expressions of the two people in the drawing looked incomparably happy.
It was exactly the scene Han Yu-ra had dreamed of her entire life.
And as she quietly stared at it,
‘Maybe this time……’
Anticipation welled up inside Han Yu-ra.
Even though she knew well how many times this feeling had been crushed and betrayed by her father……
She thought that with the results she had achieved this time, even he would have no choice but to acknowledge it.
She guessed that the sudden invitation to come home was probably for that reason.
That was also why she had willingly agreed to go home, even though she had barely returned there throughout the semester.
‘Let’s do our best.’
Until Father has no choice but to acknowledge me.
All I have to do is become that great of a person.
For the first time in a long while, hope filled Han Yu-ra’s face.
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