The Novel That Was Discontinued During Serialization Became a Huge Success

Chapter 2 Editor

“Glema Headquarters. Conference Room 2.

Monday, 2 PM. After lunch, the time when drowsiness pours in.

Someone relies on caffeine, while another turns to nicotine.

People who have struggled to shake off sleepiness trickle into the conference room.

Today is the day for the weekly meeting of the Glema Management & Publishing Team.

The publishing team is responsible for managing web novel writers under contracts.

The PDs (Project Directors) belonging here have two main tasks.

One is planning.

They pre-plan various events related to authors, contracts, monetization, completion, and publishing of web novels for readers.

The second is management.

They handle the basic mental support for authors, along with feedback on their works, as well as addressing inquiries and requests.

The reason people usually refer to the company authors are affiliated with as a publishing house or management is due to the dual role of publishing and management being performed.

“Is everyone here?”

Wearing square-shaped glasses with black frames. A hairstyle with the sides trimmed short and the front hair raised Ji Hyunwoong, the head of the Publishing Team asked with a deep, resonant voice that exudes authority.

Leading a group of around 15 PDs (Project Directors).

“Yes, everyone’s here.”

In response to the Senior PD’s statement, Ji Hyunwoong nodded.

“Shall we begin then?”

The weekly meeting often results in more decisions than expected.

For instance decisions regarding, contract proposals from PDs, scheduling promotions, and works that are being prepared for other platforms or being turned into printed books.

“Kim Woohyun, what about the work you wanted to contract last week? Have you been in touch with the author?”

The first work contract of the new rookie, Kim Woohyun.

In response to Ji Hyunwoong’s question, Kim Woohyun responded reflexively, as if he had prepared in advance.

“Yes! I’m planning to meet the author tomorrow and finalize the contract!”

“You’re planning to meet and finalize the contract? Why not do it electronically?”

“Yes, the author expressed the desire to hear the explanation directly.”

Until a few years ago, Glema used to conduct contracts through direct meetings or visits. However, recently, electronic contracts have become more common.

“Gleamanagerment,” shortened as “Glema,” is the top-tier management agency in the industry, but these days, there’s fierce competition to attract authors. Providing this level of convenience isn’t difficult.

“Make sure to take care of the meal Woo Hyun.”

“Make sure not to mess up the explanation and treat the author to something delicious. Something expensive.”

“Yes, I understand!”

The youngest PD responded to the team leader’s request.

Ji Hyunwoong smiled as he saw the youngest PD responding with confidence.

He himself had been like that at times.

PD, editor, coordinator – terms used to refer to themselves.

While it might appear promising, the reality often presents more situations where this isn’t true.

Directly dealing with authors wasn’t an easy task. Dealing with people in any profession is challenging.

Sometimes, if you’re receiving good promotions or able to enjoy delicious food like this through business expenses, it’s the joy of this profession.

Time flew quickly as the PDs gave their reports. However, it seemed there wasn’t much to worry about this week.

The decrease in the number of recently registered works is likely due to the upcoming contest in two months.

“If anyone has any unusual matters, now’s the time to speak up.”

Since everyone wanted to finish the meeting quickly, naturally, no one raised their hand.

“Well then, let’s end the meeting…”

Team leader Ji Hyunwoong was about to conclude the meeting. However, suddenly, a familiar sound was heard.

*Bing ♪ ♫ *

All eyes turned to the end of the table. There was a notice at the entrance of the meeting room.

[Silence during the meeting!]

So, before everyone entered the meeting room, they switched their phones to silent mode.

“I apologize!”

It was the youngest PD. Flustered, Kim Woo Hyun quickly took out his phone and switched it to silent mode.

“Today’s meeting ends here.”

Upon Ji Hyunwoong’s words, the PDs began to gather their things. Even Kim Woo Hyun, who had been surprised by his phone ringing, checked the notification with a relieved heart.

A message from a friend. But the content wasn’t ordinary.

“Min Sung Yoon, the author, posted a notice about resuming serialization!”

“Awesome!”

Kim Woo Hyun also knew Min Sung Yoon, or rather, he was an enthusiastic fan of his.
It had been his dream to plan a masterpiece like Min Sung Yoon’s work. But the author was really coming back?

“If this is a joke, I’m going to kill someone!”

Sending a reply to his friend, Kim Woo Hyun felt a sense of bitterness. The PDs who were packing their things were looking at him.

“Why? Did you win the lottery?”

The senior PD asked, and Kim Woo Hyun answered, “Oh, it’s because my friend said the author, posted a notice…”

“Who’s that?”

“Min Sung Yoon, the author!”

Ji Hyunwoong was taken aback by Kim Woo Hyun’s answer.

“What? Min Sung Yoon posted a notice?”

“Yes.”

Upon the youngest PD’s words, everyone took out their phones and checked Min Sung Yoon’s work. These were people who made a living writing web novels. Naturally, they knew who Min Sung Yoon was. He was a legendary author who had halted his serialization. He had written a work that aspiring writers would envy, and then one day, he disappeared. It had already been three years.

Of course, Min Sung Yoon wasn’t the only author who had stopped their work mid-series.

Many authors are unable to continue writing their novels for various reasons. One of the tasks that PDs have to do is to check on these issues in advance – it falls within the realm of management. However, to prevent interruptions in serialization, the most PDs can do is offer support and encouragement.

“Author, stay strong!”

Among the indispensable authors, if PDs were asked to pick the most famous one, they would choose Min Sung Yoon. His novels have led to webtoons, dramas, merchandise, and limited-edition productions.

However, his works were always plagued by interruptions in serialization. And now, at this very moment, everyone was reading the announcement that the legendary author was making a comeback.

“Is this for real?”

“He left an announcement. It must be real…”

“But there’s no specific date mentioned for his return.”

“True. Maybe he’s getting ready?”

The PDs who checked the announcement were buzzing with discussion. Some authors write a comeback announcement and then disappear again.

The pressure of returning can lead to mental stress. However, Ji Hyunwoong quickly understood the situation. It was a positive signal of revival. They needed to turn the author’s intention into action.

“Who is in charge of Min Sung Yoon’s writing? Contact them right now and find out.”

Despite being told to make the call, everyone was staring blankly, seemingly frozen in place.

“What are you all doing? Who’s responsible for Min Sung Yoon’s work?”

Ji Hyunwoong was getting angry. He shouted, yet none of the PDs were moving.

‘These people don’t even know who their assigned authors are…’

He understood, of course. One PD could be in charge of more than 50 authors, and not all of them are currently active. Especially authors who went on hiatus three years ago. It’s likely that they lost interest.

He opened his work management software on his laptop to find out who the assigned editor was. He realized that he needed to be more vigilant in his job, which had become somewhat lax after such a long time.

“Who is the assigned PD? Please let me know, and I’ll handle the education.”

Perhaps sensing Ji Hyunwoong’s mood, a senior PD stepped up first. But Ji Hyunwoong quietly closed his laptop.

“No, upon thinking about it, this is an important matter. As the team leader, it would be best if I contact the author directly.”

The PDs who were worried that they might be responsible felt moved by Ji Hyunwoong’s decision.

“As expected of our team leader!”

To be honest, being in charge of a legendary author who is returning from hiatus is a significant burden for a PD.

If the author starts serializing again, the responsibility of managing them would fall on the PD’s shoulders. However, the fact that the team leader himself was taking charge brought relief to everyone.

“That’s it for today’s meeting. Everyone, you’re dismissed.”

The PDs left the conference room one by one, and Ji Hyunwoong, who remained alone, reopened his laptop.

[Assigned PD: Ji Hyunwoong]
“It’s me.”

As soon as he saw the name, he remembered. Two years ago, when he was promoted to team leader, he redistributed the authors he was managing to the junior staff members.

But he had kept Min Sung Yoon, the author who had gone on hiatus, under his wing. He had thought it would be too challenging for the junior staff to handle.

And he had forgotten about it. He had become lax.

The excuse that becoming a team leader had made his workload overwhelming was just a cowardly justification. He had always emphasized author management to the PDs, and he had almost compromised the authority he had built up over time.

But what mattered now wasn’t his own authority. It was the fact that Min Sung Yoon, the author, had returned. That was what made him nervous.

***************

Now that the announcement of resuming serialization has been made, it’s time to start writing again. However, there’s something that needs to be done before I start writing. It’s been three years since I stopped serializing and writing. I need to review what I wrote in the past.

The last Chapter I wrote was chapter 200 of my ongoing novel. It might take some time for others to catch up if they want to read it, but I don’t need to do that. Just like how my wife had an amazing auditory memory, I have my own ability too – a strong memory. I remember every single detail of the novels I’ve read.

I closed my eyes slowly, allowing my eyelids to shut, and as my field of vision disappeared, a new world opened up. It was like a panorama of memories unfolding before me.

Memories stored in my mind started rushing by rapidly, just like a moving lantern. This phenomenon is often referred to as “ju-ma-deung” in Korean, which means “deathbed lantern.” It’s the idea that before you die, your entire past life flashes before your eyes in a moment of reflection – a romantic and nostalgic journey through the memories, a beautiful closure to one’s life.

As the brain senses the impending approach to death, it rapidly scans through past memories, searching for a way to survive. It’s a yearning for life, a desire to find a way out.

Eventually, as the brain realizes that there’s no way to escape death, it begins to beautifully package the memories it holds – its final gift to itself. It’s an effort to end life on a happy note, to make the last moments of life joyful and meaningful.

I possess the ability to explore and extract these memories, just like opening up a treasure trove. When I was young, I underwent testing, and the doctor told me that I have a complete memory ability. I retain everything I see exactly as it is, like taking a photo or recording a video with a camera. While these memories used to be jumbled when I was young, I learned to organize them as I grew older, much like sorting files and folders on a computer.

The brain is like a massive storage device for memories, and while digging through its contents, I stumbled upon a familiar cover – [StillmyNo.1]. Flipping it open, I started to see the contents I had written. I quickly read through them:

Chapter 1: Betrayal
Chapter 2: Return
Chapter 3: Newcomer

And suddenly, the details of the novel that I had set aside in my memories came into sharp focus.

Flipping through the pages of memories, I found myself recalling the thoughts I had at the time.

“I was planning to write it like this…”

Chapter 200: Scandal.

As the train of my memory journey passed through the landscapes of my past, it had finally arrived at its destination.

Just then, as if announcing its arrival, the phone started ringing abruptly.

I opened my eyes and glanced at my phone.

[Ji Hyunwoong, Editor]

The editor who used to be in charge of my work. It seemed like he had reached out in response to the announcement I had posted.

In the past, I used to avoid his calls. I couldn’t bear the thought that he might ask me to resume serialization.

After a year passed, there were no more calls from him.

There was someone else I owed an apology to, besides my readers. But now, I had no reason to avoid him any longer.

“Hello.”

[Is this Mr. Min Seong Yoon, the author?]

“Long time no see, Editor.”