Big Life

Chapter 52: Follow Me If You Can (7)

Munpiang was a website providing paid serialization services for genre novels, offering over 36,000 novels from over 9,000 writers.

Their sales performance this year was remarkable and had grown a hundred and twenty percent compared to last year’s revenue. They were also currently the leader of the domestic genre novel market.

It was currently early December, and Korea had entered an early winter. As usual, countless novels were being released on Munpiang, and Poongchun-Yoo’s The Breath was one of the novels among them.

‘Phew, that’s all for today.’

Shin Dong-Mi stretched after updating The Breath on the site.

It was the first day of their release, so they had to upload ten chapters in a row to attract readers. Ten chapters could be considered a bit less than half of a volume of the paperback edition.

‘The title is great, the cover is appealing, too…’

The Breath was a new title created to replace the existing Dragon Rider that Ha Jae-Gun had used before. The word also suggested that the dragon’s breath was the most powerful weapon in a fantasy world.

And the person who came up with this title was Shin Dong-Mi herself.

She thought that it was a fitting title that reflected the solemnity of the story along with the title’s double meaning. Thankfully, both her husband, Kwon Tae-Won, and Ha Jae-Gun had agreed to it without hesitation.

‘I hope everything works well.’

She was well-versed in Ha Jae-Gun’s past works. She finished reading the entire series of the Records trilogy as well as the Pezellon series, so she could understand his propensity in his work. Her impression of his work was simple and clear.

They were all works that would definitely sell. The immersion was much higher than expected due to the concise writing style and rapid story development.

‘It’ll definitely do well. Although it had been a while since medieval fantasy went out of trend, it’s still Ha Jae-Gun.’

Shin Dong-Mi’s eyes were filled with anxiety as she kept her eyes fixated on the monitor. Their family accounts were bottoming out, but they had a lot of bills to pay. The yearly rent, which they had to pay soon, was also a huge concern for her. Thus, her expectations of the first novel that they had just released were high.

‘Maybe it’s because the place is quiet, so many things are coming into mind.’

The house was extremely silent. Kwon Tae-Won was out for work since early morning to meet the managers he was familiar with.

Shin Dong-Mi went to make herself a cup of hot coffee. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t really have anything else to do since they only had one writer under Laugh Books, who was Ha Jae-Gun.

She had already received up to 100 chapters worth of The Breath, so the proofreading was already done.

‘I should just have some fun while doing household chores.’

Shin Dong-Mi shook off the miscellaneous thoughts and turned on the vacuum cleaner. She decided to clean the entire house. She mopped the floor and turned on the washing machine to do some laundry.

“Phew… I’m all done.” It took her two hours to finish all those chores.

Shin Dong-Mi put away all her cleaning appliances and massaged both her stiff arms alternately. Drowsiness struck her, making her yawn, but rather than heading to her bed, she started heading to the computer.

‘I wonder where is it now in the rankings?’ She was curious how much readership The Breath had gotten while she was cleaning the house. Of course, she wasn’t expecting a lot.

Shin Dong-Mi took a sip of the coffee in her cup and clicked on the refresh button.

“Huh…?!”

Shin Dong-Mi’s eyes widened in shock, and her mouth dropped slightly.

She started trembling while staring at the newly refreshed page.

“Readership is already at three thousand…?!” Shin Dong-Mi was flustered. She couldn’t have expended that it would only take the novel two hours to gain three thousand readership.

Plus, there were already over a hundred comments.

SnowSol: Ah, this is interesting… T.T(crying emotionally)

RunawaySoldier: Wait;;;;; Both the Records series and Pezellon series are still ongoing; how did he even find the time to write another new series;;;;;

HanJaeHee: Writer Poongchun-Yoo seems like a group instead of an individual???

MisterH: I met you at the authors’ meet before, Writer Ha, I’m not sure if you still remember me. I’ll enjoy your new novel. Please be careful and don’t catch a cold.

PaMoDdong: Keughhh, a dragon definitely must appear in a fantasy novel~~~

YooHunHwa: Always believing in Writer Poongchun-Yoo’s novels ^^

YiMaeWa: I was actually worried seeing that this was written by Writer Poongchun-Yoo. I thought his works wouldn’t fit the paid serialization but realized my worries were in vain. It’s a pity that I can only click the Recommend button once.

WoodenHorse: Kyaa, this is incredible. (Shivers in excitement) I’m supporting you, Writer Poongchun-Yoo. (Shivering in excitement)

SabChi: Wow, it’s his first paid serialization novel! I was surprised when I saw his name here! Poongchun-Yoo-nim! I’ll follow this novel until the end!

Invader: It’s too short (Solemn and serious)

OrangeBaack: Kyaaaaak! More, more, please, faster!

Pdel: Change into paid serialization and please upload ten chapters every day~~~!

YongAhRam: Wow, this is really interesting!

The screen was packed to the brim with comments. Shin Dong-Mi gasped as she read through all of them, and she could no longer hold in the rush of belated excitement.

‘It’s already ranked 20th?!’

The surprise didn’t end there…

The ‘Today’s Best’ ranking that refreshed according to the readership count showed The Breath in the 20th place.

Those ranked in the top 20 would be featured on the site’s main page, which would definitely expose the novel to more readers sitewide.

‘It’s just the first day, and we’re already in the 20th place in just two hours!’

Shin Dong-Mi fumbled as she took out her phone, wanting to share the great news with someone. She called someone, and someone quickly picked up on the other end of the line. Of course, it was Kwon Tae-Won.

— Yeah, what’s wrong?

“Honey! The Breath is 20th place in the rankings!”

— 20th place? Really?

Kwon Tae-Won asked almost immediately. He found the news a bit unbelievable.

Shin Dong-Mi clicked on the refresh button once more and answered, “Of course it’s real, why would I joke about something like this? I uploaded ten chapters, did some chores for two hours, and when I came back, it was already in 20th place. It’s going up as we speak, and it actually went up again just now. The readership had also surpassed three thousand and five hundred. Isn’t it amazing?”

— Wow, Writer Ha Jae-Gun Jae-Gun’s name is really powerful indeed. His position in the paid serialization market would be fully stabilized after releasing 30 chapters. I want to see it with my own eyes too, but I’m driving now. So frustrating.

“You’re driving? You should have told me first. All right, let’s hang up. Make sure to come home early, okay? Let’s celebrate.

— Okay, I’ll try to be home early. See you.

“Yeah.”

Shin Dong-Mi ended the call and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

However, her excited heart showed no signs of calming down.

“Please keep this up… Please favorite the novel, and make sure his previous works get more popular, too. Ah, Writer Ha Jae-Gun, thank you very much!”

Shin Dong-Mi cried tears of happiness when she recalled how many rejections they had received from the many other writers Kwon Tae-Won had approached back then.

The Breath’s first release was relieving her of all the accumulated pain and sorrow. She prayed hard for this uptrend to continue until they could fully switch to paid serialization. Shin Dong-Mi kept praying earnestly with her clasped hands.

***

Shin Dong-Mi’s earnest prayers seemed to have been heard.

The uptrend continued every day as if the graph line wanted to reach the skies. The interest in The Breath soared so high that the novel eventually settled in the top 10 in just a week after being published.

The readers of The Breath also included Park Jung-Jin’s colleague at work.

“Section Chief, are you not going for lunch?”

It was already 12 p.m. when Park Jung-Jin stood up from his desk.

Section Chief Lee didn’t even look at Park Jung-Jin as he replied, “Oh, Deputy Park. Go ahead and have lunch without me. I bought kimbap to eat. I want to read this novel.”

“Novel? Are you reading another martial arts novel?” Park Jung-Jin asked and approached Section Chief Lee’s desk. Section Chief Lee’s eyes did not even look away from the screen for a single moment while he was unwrapping the kimbap.

“Huh?The Breath? This is a fantasy novel?” Park Jung-Jin tilted his head in curiosity after reading the novel’s title. “I thought you don’t read fantasy novels, Section Chief?”

“Well, yeah. But I’ll read everything from Poongchun-Yoo.”

“Pardon? Who?”

“Poongchun-Yoo. You know, the writer who wrote the Records trilogy. This time, his new novel isn’t a paperback edition but in paid serialization. I feel more comfortable reading paperback books, but there’s nothing much I can do.”

“...!” Park Jung-Jin was surprised as a great number of thoughts flashed across his mind. A new fantasy novel? He had just recently heard that Ha Jae-Gun was working on a novel featuring a karaoke helper. Was that novel really that difficult to write that he decided to go back and start working on fantasy novels?

“Anyway, I’m sorry. Go ahead and enjoy your lunch.”

“Ah, yes… I will do that. Enjoy your novel.”

Park Jung-Jin whipped out his phone immediately as soon as he stepped out of the office. He waited for a long time and was about to hang up when Ha Jae-Gun finally picked up the phone.

— Yeah, Jung-Jin?

“Were you sleeping? Sorry, sleep more. I’ll call again later.”

— It’s fine. It’s time for me to get up, anyway. Just say it.

“Really? Anyway, when did you publish a new novel? The Breath?”

— Wow, the response is quite fast this time. You wouldn’t have read it since you’re busy. Did you find out because of that Section Chief?

“Look at you picking on me. That’s right, you punk. The section chief is at his desk reading your novel while eating kimbap for lunch. Wow, you’re really amazing—you actually converted a man who only reads martial arts novels into a fantasy reader.”

— I just wrote it to the best of my ability. I’m glad to hear that he enjoys it.

“I thought you were working on a book with that karaoke helper? You said the male lead was modeled after me. Did you give it up?”

— I’ve already submitted it for a contest.

“Oh, really? Which contest is it?”

— I’ll let you know if it wins an award. If I don't mention it by the end of this year, that means I got eliminated, so don’t bring it up ever again.

“All right, I got it. I’ll keep that in mind. But wow, you write really fast. Are you even taking care of your own health? I’m really worried for you.”

— I’m resting enough while working.

“I hope this novel will be a great hit, too. Now, wake up and go get some food.”

— All right, thanks. Enjoy your lunch, too, and let’s talk later.

***

Beep!

Ha Jae-Gun laid back in his bed after hanging up the call. Rika was lying on him with her back facing him. When he started tickling her, Rika turned around and looked at Ha Jae-Gun with a pout.

“Did you have a good sleep? I fell asleep without realizing it. I think it was because of the gloomy weather.” It was cloudy outside. Ha Jae-Gun put away his blanket and sat up.

Rika followed suit and jumped off the bed.

“Should I just rest today since I’ve already sent a hundred chapters of The Breath over to them? It’s around four volumes worth, so I still have quite a bit of time.” Ha Jae-Gun picked Rika up and hugged her tight. However, Rika seemed to be annoyed because she hit his chest with her front paws.

Seeing how cute Rika was acting, Ha Jae-Gun hugged her tighter and said, “No, I should just continue working hard today. It’s a paid serialization, not a paperback book, so I can even upload three chapters a day. It’s better if I get it over and done with, right?”

“Meow…!”

“You still don’t like me? All right, off you go.”

Ding, dong!

The bell rang as soon as Ha Jae-Gun put Rika down on the floor.

Ha Jae-Gun walked toward the door with a surprised look while wondering about the identity of his surprise visitor.

“Who is it?”

“Open the door, punk.”

“Huh? Noona?” Ha Jae-Gun quickly opened the door for Ha Jae-In.

She was carrying bags of groceries.

“Why did you come here without contacting me first? And what’s all these?” Ha Jae-Gun took over the bags from her and made way for her to walk inside the apartment.

Ha Jae-In closed the door behind her. She took off her shoes as she answered Ha Jae-Gun, “To surprise you, of course. You haven’t eaten yet, right? It’s so obvious.”

“I just woke up ten minutes ago, all right?”

“And you’re proud of that when the sun is already hanging so high in the sky?”

“It’s so cloudy outside. What sun are you talking about?” Unlike his grumbles, Ha Jae-Gun was happy to see Ha Jae-In, who came all the way from Suwon to visit him.

“I’ll make some beef shabu-shabu for you. Sounds good?” Ha Jae-In said as she took off her coat.

There was nothing for Ha Jae-Gun to complain about. It always felt great to be at the receiving end of someone’s cooking, and there wasn’t any restaurant in the country that could satisfy his tastebuds properly except for his sister.

“It’ll take around twenty minutes. Go wash up in the meantime.”

“Okay.”

“Do a clean shave, too. Don’t live like a barbarian just because you’re living alone at home. Men should always be neat.”

“All right, enough with the nagging.”

Ha Jae-Gun took a fresh set of clothes and headed to the shower.

Meanwhile, Jae-In put on the apron and started cooking.

“Should I set the table?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing else to prepare. The shabu-shabu broth just has to boil, and it’s almost done now, too”

The pot of broth was boiling on a portable stove and was surrounded by many types of vegetables, noodles, and fresh beef.

“Thank you for the food, Noona.”

“I’ll be watching you, so don’t you dare leave any leftovers.”

Ha Jae-Gun tasted a spoonful of the broth. As expected, Ha Jae-In’s culinary skills were amazing. He almost exclaimed upon tasting the broth.

“It’s delicious.”

“Put lots of meat in there, and the vegetables, too.”

Ha Jae-Gun did not disappoint his older sister and ate more diligently than usual. Ha Jae-In smiled in satisfaction as she served him the cooked beef and vegetables.

“Father and Mom are still doing fine, right?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he picked up a piece of vegetable.

He couldn’t change the way he was addressing his parents anymore. When he started growing up, his dad became his father, while his mom still remained his mom in his heart.

“They’re well. However, Mom is very worried about you since you haven’t visited for a while. She’s wondering if you’re eating properly. I couldn’t stand her anymore, so I came here to see for myself.”

Ha Jae-In pinched Ha Jae-Gun lightly in the cheeks and smiled. “You’re well and alive, so that’s verified. It’ll soon be the end of the year. Why don’t you come home?”

“I still can’t…”

“Why not?”

Ha Jae-Gun picked up a piece of meat and vegetables and chewed on them instead of answering her.

Ha Jae-In did not probe any further because she knew it was partly because of the estranged father-son relationship. In addition, she wasn’t really persuasive enough to convince him.

“Wait a while longer. I’ll visit once I’ve saved enough money to buy us a house.”