★Chapter 09 : You Will Fall In Love With Me★
“It’s strange.”
I murmured as I looked at the monitor. On the screen was my ongoing series, <Life Becomes Amazing After Marriage>
I’ve seen this screen dozens of times a day, repeating for nearly ten years, so there was nothing new about it. However, these days, each day felt unfamiliar.
[Good luck.]
[Enjoying it so far.]
[Oh… It’s exciting!]
When I woke up, there were positive comments piling up. It was a delightful moment, but the sudden change caught me off guard.
‘I had thought about quitting.’
Is this what they commonly refer to as a ‘reversal of fortune’ in martial arts novels? It wasn’t hate comments or empty comments anymore. Life was beginning to flow into my work.
‘It seems the readers have noticed.’
Readers aren’t fools. They know that if a freely serialized work doesn’t generate enough interest, it can be discontinued at any time.
That’s why, when they see signs of life in a story they enjoy reading, they tend to leave encouraging comments more often.
‘If I were desperate, I would have hoped for this.’
Well, the metrics have already plummeted.
It’s too far gone to revive. Moreover, it’s currently the season of competitions, and thousands of works are pouring in every day.
My work is stuck at the bottom of the abyss, unable to experience the so-called ‘meteoric rise.’ The metrics clearly indicate that it’s time to quit.
‘Hmm? But who is this person?’
Among the newly posted comments, there was one person who caught my attention. I quickly checked their profile to see if it was an impersonation, but it turned out to be genuine.
Level 99.
In other words, they had reached the maximum level.
The nickname was ‘CENTE.’
I know them well. They are considered one of the top-name readers, ranking alongside the Five Guardian Spirits in “The Divine Warrior.”
[It’s really enjoyable from the middle, but the beginning is a bit disappointing. It feels like a barrier to entry. Author, have you ever considered a remake?]
As I read their sincere comment, I found myself lost in thought. I would usually ignore most reader comments to maintain the integrity of the story, but this one felt different.
‘It’s rare for a Guardian Spirit to leave such a long comment…’
Since they read so much, it’s difficult for them to pour a lot of affection into a single work. In fact, 99% of the comments are simple words like ‘good luck.’
But leaving a lengthy comment means they feel a sense of disappointment. Perhaps this is enough reason to consider a remake.
[I share a similar sentiment with ‘CENTE.’ I’ve read a few of the author’s previous works, but this one feels the best.]
A comment appeared on the novel titled ‘Divine Warrior’ while I was contemplating. Upon reading it, I felt a flicker of hope ignite deep within my heart.
Let’s start by rereading my work from the beginning. The first step is to analyze the reasons behind the significant change in readers’ reactions.
‘The plot hasn’t changed much.’
As a writer, I have my own tricks up my sleeve, and I’ve managed to maintain the structure of the ‘climactic showdown.’ There haven’t been any significant changes in terms of the plot.
‘…Is it the characters after all?’
It’s something I suddenly realized, but my initial characters lacked charm. Since I focused on a plot-driven story, I ended up neglecting their individuality.
An emotionless protagonist.
A compliant heroine’s reactions.
Even the supporting characters around them were treated as mere tools.
In my novel, they were all nothing more than ‘dolls,’ and I presented a mediocre puppet show to my readers.
‘But the latter half is different.’
The characters began to break free from the stage I had set for them and started acting on their own. Especially the heroine, ‘Mer,’ underwent a complete transformation.
──────────
“Do you happen to know the story of ‘Persephone’?”
“…So, you kidnapped me for that reason?”
“It seems like you know.”
“Do you think I would like you because of this?”
“You don’t have a choice, do you?”
Hehe-
Princess Mer of the Ilia Empire smiled softly as she looked at the man she loved, Ciel.
Clap, clap-!
As she applauded, the knights who had been waiting outside cautiously approached, carrying something in their hands.
“…What is this!?”
“It’s an ‘Elixir’ that can even revive the dead. With this, you can cure your friend as well.”
“Are you proposing a deal right now?”
“Yes, exactly. I provide you with what you need, and you provide me with what I need. How does that sound?”
Looking into Mer’s confident eyes, Ciel felt a slowly rising wave of emotions that had been worn out by witnessing repeated deaths.
‘…Is this anger?’
He couldn’t help but feel self-loathing when he saw how easily she obtained the elixir that he couldn’t save no matter how much he struggled.
A petty jealousy towards the princess.
Mer was like a mirror. She was so clear and transparent that she constantly exposed her vile inner self.
“…Mer, I can’t love you after all.”
“No.”
Mer firmly shook her head.
It was a side of her that could never be found as the youngest in the royal family, always conceding to her siblings.
“Ciel, you will love me.”
Mer lifted Ciel’s chin and forcibly locked eyes with him. His eyes, which never showed any emotions, trembled slightly.
“Because I will make you.”
──────────
Rereading the scene I posted yesterday, I realized once again how proactive the character ‘Mer’ has become.
Originally, she was merely an existence that always obediently approached the protagonist and served as the minimum support for his mental recovery. But now, the force of the royal bloodline is shining through.
‘…The reason it turned out like this is…’
It must be because of the contract marriage.
Thanks to having some breathing room, the pressure to commercialize this work disappeared.
As a result, I threw away the tightly woven plot and started writing based on my instincts. In the process, the image of the sea and the princess overlapped.
‘Thanks to that, even the protagonist has changed.’
The protagonist, Ciel, possesses the ability of ‘infinite regression.’ But that’s all. No matter how hard he tries, only the ‘process’ changes. The predetermined future remains unchanged.
As the unhappy future repeated, the protagonist’s emotions wore down and he became numb to everything. Even saving the princess was a mere whim.
‘I originally planned to follow the cliche path.’
Like in typical regression stories, I had thought of using the cheat of ‘killing him in advance because he will do bad things in the future,’ but the development completely changed as the princess’s personality transformed.
‘What if she becomes the only existence that brings changes to the protagonist’s repetitive future?’
The emotionally worn-out protagonist will do whatever it takes to ‘use’ her. In the process, a spark of hope will revive, and the dormant emotions will slowly awaken.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Read from the original site [ https://moonlightnovel.com/ ]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
The heroine firmly believes that someday their relationship will be reversed, even though she knows the protagonist is trying to exploit her, even her heart.
‘It could be quite interesting.’
Once I roughly outlined the structure, I could see which parts needed what modifications.
I could skip the frustrating parts in the beginning and slowly build up the process of the heroine’s changing emotions, allowing readers to immerse themselves more.
‘There aren’t as many elements to revise as I thought.’
With this amount, there’s no need for a grand remake. A day or two should be enough to make the necessary modifications.
Just as I made up my mind and was about to start writing, a new notification suddenly popped up on the screen.
[It’s fun.]
For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.
It was the first time I saw a comment from the princess. Not only from her, but she never leaves comments on other works either, only providing support.
‘…Her level is lower than I expected?’
Naturally, I thought she would be at the highest level.
Of course, the level doesn’t hold much significance. No, it’s actually good news for me. It means I satisfied the discerning taste of the princess.
I quickly tried to press the Like button, but I received a notification saying, *The comment has already been deleted.* It seems she left a comment and immediately deleted it.
‘But again, sponsorship… Huh?’
As the notification refreshed, I quickly checked and saw that the princess had sent a donation. However, the amount was beyond my imagination.
[100,000G]
I doubted if I saw it correctly, so I looked at it several times, and it was indeed accurate. She had sent a whopping 100,000 won. Naturally, it was the greatest sponsorship of my life.
‘Yes, now I’m sure.’
My half-doubtful heart, which had persisted until now, was completely ignited. If I modify the early parts, this will definitely “succeed.”
With confidence, I immediately started typing. Truly, writing felt enjoyable after a long time.
***
“Is there any news from Kangjak-nim?”
강작가님은 소식 없나?”
“The author signed a contract with Jeil Media.”
“…What about Author Park-nim?”
“He’s close with Choi, the youngest author…”
* Ha…*
Choi Jin-cheol, the CEO of the small publishing company <Daehan Media> buried himself in his chair. A sigh involuntarily escaped his lips as the gloomy reality approached.
“I guess we really have to take down the signboard now.”
The web novel market has been growing steadily in recent years. As a result, the number of full-time writers had increased, and naturally, the number of publishing companies had increased as well.
However, as always, the number of people who could taste the fruits of success was limited. Daehan Media had been pushed out of the market.
‘…It’s a repeating vicious cycle.’
Unable to secure good works, they were pushed aside on the platforms. As they were pushed aside, they couldn’t provide promotions to other writers, which diminished the merit of their management itself.
It was only natural for writers to strip away their loyalty and move to other management companies.
“How much work do we have left for the future?”
The number of contracted projects has been decreasing. Now, we have fewer ongoing works than employees.
In fact, I had been considering taking down the signboard from the beginning, but I forced myself to hold on this far out of a sense of responsibility towards the affiliated authors.
“How many more works are left to be completed?”
“<After Divorce, Trillionaire> has been completed, and there are about 10 more episodes left of <SSS-Class Slave Hunter>.. The other one is…”
“Kim Ha-neul.”
Kim Ha-neul.
An author who has been with Daehan Media since their debut. Diligent and with a good personality. The only downside is the lack of a convincing hit work.
‘That was also our problem.’
We had some decent works.
We couldn’t provide proper promotion like other management companies, and we received more feedback instead. In essence, we were like the honorary employees of Daehan Media.
“I wanted to stay together until the end.”
The reality was not so easy. The company’s debts alone were staggering. The cost of renting the office was all from our own pockets, so we couldn’t even face our family members.
“Contact the authors and express our gratitude for their support. I will personally contact Kim Ha-neul.”
“Boss, are you really going to shut down?”
“What else can we do? Unless a major work suddenly explodes or a conglomerate announces an acquisition of our company out of the blue? Your salary has been delayed for three months.”
“Well, maybe something could work out.”
“What?”
Park Dojin, the last employee of Daehan Media, shrugged his shoulders. He turned the monitor around to show the screen to Choi Jin-cheol.
“Kim Ha-neul’s latest work is quite promising.”
“Promising? Bullshit. All the indicators were messed up in the beginning. He must be stuck at the bottom of the competition.”
“He made it into the top rankings.”
“Huh?”
Being in the top rankings meant entering the top 200 in the competition’s “ranking.” That meant the latest episode had received at least 100 views.
“…Is this for real?”
“The prequel is also increasing rapidly. The initial indicators that had collapsed are being restored.”
“Is this even possible?”
“The cheetah is stretching its legs.”
Among the authors, there’s a meme that says, “The cheetah is smiling.” It’s a mixed joke filled with self-deprecating humor that their buried works in the abyss will eventually skyrocket.
But there’s always a reason behind something being labeled a “meme.” The resurrection of works that were already dead was nothing short of a “miracle.”
‘…Unless you’re a pervert, no one goes down to the abyss to read works.’
Just being in the top 200 of the competition rankings was one thing. There were separate works that made it to the Today’s Best. It was literally the minimum standard to attract readers.
Who would read works that couldn’t even pass the standards? Occasionally, there were some strange creatures called the “Abyss Investigation Team,” but satisfying their tastes was not an easy task.
“Two of the Five Thrones have joined. Plus, there’s the sponsorship from ‘Princess.'”
“What? These are people who are hard to gather even in the top ranks of the competition. Did someone write a recommendation post?”
“Not yet. The author has completely rewritten the early parts, and it seems to be quite significant.”
“Step aside for a moment!”
“Well, I’ll just stay here at the CEO’s seat…”
“I said come out!”
Choi Jin-cheol pushed Park Dojin aside and quickly sat down, starting to read Kim Ha-neul’s writing. His hands scrolling on the wheel became faster and faster.
“…What is this? It’s interesting.”
“Right? It’s been a while since I saw a work like this.”
Due to the nature of being an editor, reading dozens of works in a day, even reading itself sometimes felt like “work.”
People who initially started reading novels because they enjoyed it would later be tearing their hair out. But “<Life Becomes Amazing After Marriage” was simply enjoyable.
“…This is troublesome.”
However, Choi Jin-cheol couldn’t be happy. If it was this work, it was certain to be monetized, but no one could guarantee how far it would go.
Moreover, if the work was monetized, he would have to read at least up to episode 150. Even if it was serialized daily, it would take a minimum of five months to complete.
“…Our company can’t handle it.”
The best move for both parties was to terminate the contract. Since Kim Ha-neul hadn’t received an advance, they could neatly wrap things up.
“But still, it’s fortunate. Kim Ha-neul will finally succeed. Let’s end it on a positive note.”
“Are you letting go of it?”
“We both have families.”
After a long wait, success was within reach for his colleague. It was sad that they couldn’t stay together until the end, but Choi Jin-cheol believed that this was the best choice without any doubt.
“Just getting to this point is a miracle.”
Ring!
Just as Choi Jin-cheol sighed and stood up from his seat, a call came to his desk. It was an unfamiliar number when he checked.
Is it a debt collector?
After hesitating for a moment, Choi Jin-cheol answered the call.
“This is Daehan Media.”
“Yes? What did you just say…”
“Is it true!? Yes! Then, I’ll go right away!”
Click.
After hanging up the phone, Choi Jin-cheol hurriedly put on his clothes, and Park Dojin quickly grabbed him.
“Where are you going?”
“Dojin, it seems like there’s no escaping death.”
“What?”
“I might be able to pay off our overdue salaries. And double it.”
Confused by the cryptic statement, Park Dojin tilted his head, and Choi Jin-cheol patted his shoulder.
“I’ll tell you when I get back. Don’t move from here at all. If a call comes, answer it immediately.”
“…Are you running away?”
“If I were, I would have done it earlier. Oh, and contact Kim Ha-neul too! Tell him to write as much as possible since we’ll push it forward! Hahaha!”
Whoosh!
Leaving only those words behind, Choi Jin-cheol left the office. Park Dojin, who was watching his back, lowered his head.
“…Ah, it’s such a hassle to find another job.”
Park Dojin was convinced that the CEO had run away. He absentmindedly looked around the empty office and then let out a deep sigh as he picked up the phone.
“Author-nim. Did you have a good rest? This is Park Dojin. Your work made it into the rankings this time…”
Just one more time, I’ll believe.
With that thought in mind, Park Dojin struggled to continue speaking.
