Chapter 121 – Conversation with the Monster
Inside a splendid mansion filled with artworks.
Han Yu-ra was walking down one of its corridors.
She held a magazine with her own drawing on the cover in one hand.
Her face was a mixture of tension and determination.
‘This time for sure……’
It was something she wanted to show her father, the renowned painter Han Sang-baek, a giant in the Korean art world.
Of course, Yu-ra wasn’t foolish enough to think her father would easily praise it or react the way she wanted.
But because she knew what it meant that this immovable man had suddenly called for her……
She believed now was the only time to show him this.
At the end of the corridor.
In front of a large wooden door twice the size of a normal one.
Yu-ra stood quietly and knocked.
“It’s me.”
“Come in.”
Click.
When she opened the door and stepped inside, she saw Han Sang-baek sitting in front of a canvas, working.
The room was thick with smoke and the smell of cigarettes.
On the canvas in the center was his self-portrait.
Stern and serious.
The painting captured Han Sang-baek’s characteristic gaze that seemed to pierce through a person’s heart.
Just looking at it gave off a strange eeriness, and tension rose on Yu-ra’s face.
At that moment, Han Sang-baek put down his brush, took a long drag from the pipe he had set aside, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said,
“You’re here.”
“Ah… Yes.”
“Is that the comic you drew?”
“…Yes, it is.”
“Bring it here.”
At his chin gesture, Yu-ra stepped forward and handed him the Jump Comics issue.
Flip flip! Flip flip!
He quickly flipped through the front part of the magazine.
“Melton: Chronicles of the Demon World… by Han Yu-ra.”
Page by page, he slowly turned the magazine and read it.
As if savoring the drawings.
With his usual arrogant, looking-down-from-above attitude.
By the time he had finished reading Yu-ra’s comic,
He let out a heavy breath through his nose and said,
“It’s childish. I don’t understand what’s so fun about this kind of thing.”
“Ah… I see.”
Disappointment began to shadow Yu-ra’s face when
He added one more sentence.
“Still, you drew it with effort. The drawing is quite sensual and has its own flavor.”
“Ah……”
At that moment, Yu-ra’s eyes widened.
‘For the first time… he praised me.’
Those were words she had never heard once while drawing comics.
Of course, it was a kind of afterthought added after harsh criticism.
But.
The fact that he had read her comic all the way to the end and even said something like that was, for Yu-ra, a world-changing event.
However, she did not show joy.
No, more precisely, she did not let it show.
Because she knew very well that her father — the man more frightening than a goblin — would not call her without any reason.
Yu-ra swallowed hard and asked,
“Why did you call for me?”
“I heard that the president is paying close attention to something called the Bucheon Comic Awards this time.”
“……”
“Is your comic also entering it?”
At that moment, Yu-ra’s hands, which were clasped behind her back, twitched.
Her eyes trembled slightly, and her heart pounded.
But Yu-ra pretended to be calm and answered,
“Yes, I plan to submit it.”
It was a complete lie.
She hadn’t even thought about submitting, and the editorial department had never mentioned it.
But she felt she had to say it.
Because only then would she not disappoint her father.
“That’s a good decision. Since you’re entering anyway, win the grand prize. If you’re going to do this childish thing, at least do it at a level where you can receive an award from the president.”
“I will try… No, I will win it.”
“Good answer. Have you eaten?”
“No, not yet.”
“I see… Then let’s go out for a meal. Tell Mrs. Ji-yeon to reserve a table for three at the usual Korean restaurant. The food there is good.”
“Yes.”
Yu-ra bowed her head politely and left the room.
Click!
After the door closed,
As she walked down the corridor, Yu-ra took out her phone and made a call.
<<Hello? What is it, comic artist Han Yu-ra?>>
“Oh Han-cheol, Director. Um… Can I ask you for one urgent favor?”
<<Go ahead.>>
It was Oh Han-cheol, the director of Jump Comics.
“I want to submit my work as a candidate for the Bucheon Comic Awards this time.”
<<What? Suddenly?>>
“I know it’s an unreasonable request. But I’ll raise the quality and pacing of the work even if it means dying trying. So please, just this once.”
Her voice was filled with grim determination.
There was even a subtle tremble in it.
Perhaps he sensed the resolve behind her words.
<<There’s no problem with putting it up as a candidate… but you know that all of the company’s resources right now are being invested in comic artist Shin Yo-seop, right?>>
“Yes, that’s fine. I just need the chance to fight. Just put me on the candidate list. Please.”
<<……Is something going on?>>
“It’s a family matter.”
<<Hmm.>>
There was a brief silence.
But that was enough of an answer.
She knew very well how quick-witted and experienced Director Oh Han-cheol was.
<<I understand the situation. Then we’ll proceed as you wish, comic artist.>>
“Thank you. Have a good weekend.”
<<Yes, and you too, comic artist. I hope you stay strong.>>
Click.
The call ended.
Then……
“Whew…”
As Han Yu-ra walked down the corridor, a grim determination mixed with the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
***
After Team Brave finally finished the daily life part that had been troubling them so much,
The work on Brave King began to sail smoothly.
“How’s the storyboard for this chapter?”
“Hmm, it’s good. This part… wouldn’t it be better to make Baek Seol-hee’s hair flutter more and add some sparkles, Min-hyuk-kun?”
“What are sparkles?”
“I mean make it shine. It’s a sunset scene and an important moment where she reveals her resolve. So the solemnity should match Baek Seol-hee’s character better?”
“Hmm, that’s a good opinion. How should we do it?”
“We usually use this tone in romance comics. What if we use that?”
“Ventex’s No. 99 tone. That could work.”
Whenever the storyboard I drew came out smoothly, the two of them would huddle together and sharpen the intention as much as possible.
Now, they could tell what I wanted to do and what my intention was just by looking at my eyes.
After burning through work like this during self-directed drawing time,
“Rok-hee, aren’t you eating lunch?”
“Today I’m just having a sandwich~”
“Why? Your favorite pollack jeongol is on the menu today.”
“Hehe, diet—”
They even split break time and lunch time to work on assignments or prepare for classes.
Of course……
“Sorry for making you guys do this because of me.”
“Hehe, actually it’s nice, Min-hyuk-kun. Free weekend emperor treatment and full support for canteen expenses is pretty good welfare.”
“I like it too~”
As the leader, I was covering as much of the costs as possible……
But I felt endlessly grateful to the two of them for grinding their souls alongside me to match my situation.
No matter how much they were being paid,
It was never easy for first-year high school students to take on a job with this much responsibility and pour everything into it.
And by now, Min-hyuk’s mind had also started to settle on a judgment.
‘It’s going smoothly. If we keep this up, we can make it to the end.’
The bloody battle with comic artist Shin Yo-seop at the Bucheon Comic Awards.
He couldn’t guarantee 100% victory, but at this pace, there was definitely a chance.
And even if he didn’t win……
He thought he would at least be able to say that he had done his best.
There were still mountains to climb before the final chapter manuscript, but positive energy and good feelings filled him.
However, if there was one strange thing recently……
During self-directed drawing time, in the middle of a break.
I stretched and said to my teammates,
“Whew… Want to go to the lounge?”
“Yoshi!”
Dong-gyo nodded vigorously, and Kim Rok-hee quickly grabbed Han Yu-ra’s shoulder and said,
“Yu-ra, come with us too.”
“…No. I’m busy with work.”
“Hmm, don’t be like that~. If you don’t rest and overdo it, your body will break down.”
“It’s fine.”
“Hiiing, okay then.”
But for some reason, Han Yu-ra firmly refused and buried her head back into the desk.
In the end, only the three of us headed to the lounge.
“Recently, doesn’t Yu-ra’s atmosphere feel a bit off?”
“What do you mean?”
“Even when we say let’s go to the lounge, she doesn’t come. Even when we say let’s go to the canteen, she refuses. It feels like she’s avoiding us.”
Rok-hee’s words were true.
- Han Yu-ra, the storyboard is out. Want to take a look?
- No, I’m busy right now.
Normally, Han Yu-ra would have excitedly read the storyboard and nitpicked every little thing.
But lately, even when shown a storyboard, she didn’t say she would read it.
Thanks to that, there was a slightly empty feeling.
At first, I thought it was just my imagination……
“Han Yu-ra, we’re going to Hwangje-seong. Want to come with us?”
“No, I’m full.”
“You haven’t eaten anything though.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
When she even refused the special sweet and sour pork I offered to buy at Hwangje-seong on the weekend, I became certain.
That girl was avoiding me.
“Is something wrong with you? Why are you avoiding me?”
“What avoiding? I’m just busy.”
“No, but……”
I asked her directly a few times,
But each time she made an awkward face and blatantly avoided the topic.
And……
I finally learned the reason about a week later.
The following weekend.
While Team Brave was having a meeting together with the laptop open,
Dong-gyo raised his voice and shouted,
“Min-hyuk-kun! The final candidate list for the Bucheon Comic Awards is out!”
“Oh, really? Let me see.”
Dong-gyo turned the laptop to show the Bucheon Comic Awards candidate list.
Early to mid-November.
After filtering hundreds of submitted works, they announced a total of 10 final candidates……
Then held reader voting, combined it with the scores from professional judges, and announced the results in mid-December.
It was clear that comic artist Shin Yo-seop was the strongest competitor, but there could still be unexpected dark horses……
And looking at the candidate list gave a sense of the year’s trends.
Familiar names appeared on the list.
[Shin Pil-ho – ‘Comics Are First Love’ / New Chance]
“Comic artist Shin Pil-ho is on here too?”
“Kuuu, as expected. Teacher Shin Pil-ho definitely deserves to be a final candidate.”
The corners of my mouth slowly rose.
‘He made it this far.’
The short story we worked on together in Shin Pil-ho’s studio.
The full-length series launched from that short story had now reached the Bucheon Comic Awards candidate list alongside us.
Sales and popularity were both doing quite well, so my heart felt warm and touched.
‘I should give him a call.’
Besides that……
A couple of indie comics and several works from Jump Comics were also on the candidate list.
They were mostly works by artists whose skills I usually thought highly of, so they were understandable choices.
Of course, even so,
‘Those works probably won’t surpass comic artist Shin Yo-seop’s.’
Honestly, I didn’t think any of them were strong enough to compete for first place at the Bucheon Comic Awards.
As I scrolled down the list,
“Huh? Wait…”
“What is this?”
When we saw the name of the artist listed at the very end, all three of us widened our eyes.
[Han Yu-ra – ‘Melton: Chronicles of the Demon World’ / Jump Comics]
“Why is Yu-ra’s name here?”
“This is Yu-ra-san’s work, right?”
While bewilderment filled my teammates’ faces,
‘So that’s what happened.’
I let out a heavy sigh and stood up from my seat.
“I’ll go talk to Han Yu-ra for a bit.”
“Ah, okay.”
Drag!
I entered the drawing room.
I could see Han Yu-ra and one or two others still working.
The situation made sense now.
‘Those guys… must be on the same team.’
I walked straight up to Han Yu-ra and said,
“Han Yu-ra, let’s talk for a moment.”
“I’m busy.”
“It’ll only take a minute.”
A faint look of anxiety appeared on Han Yu-ra’s face.
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