Chapter 7: A Taste of Happiness

Mideum Publishing Group’s genre literature subsidiary, Mideum, was established in 1996 and quickly rose to prominence, significantly raising its recognition within the industry.  

It is well-known as the publisher that signed the famous author of the Dragon Bra series.  

At this company, renowned for its meticulous manuscript selection in the Korean fantasy genre, a meeting was held regarding a certain work.  

“This is the first time I’ve seen a piece that brings modern times into history and writes using historical events.”  

Having joined the publishing company, I confidently claimed to have read countless writings.  

From essays to various genres, I had encountered many, but none quite like this.  

It took actual historical events from Korea and incorporated a 'genius' character to unfold the story through history.  

Readers praised it as a healing narrative for past wounds.  

The protagonist’s intense character, which made one wonder if he was a psychopath, was highly praised for both satisfaction and the suspense that kept you hooked.  

“But would people actually pay to read this?”  

Though the views were fairly high and the feedback positive, there was skepticism about whether it would translate into direct sales.  

No matter how popular it is for free, there’s no guarantee it will sell.  

The most important thing is that it’s a sellable story.  

Usually, fantasy genres deal with events set in the medieval era.  

However, this work uses words hinting at emotions and the future to prove genius and tells a subtle story about blending into the family as a clan member.  

It was far from what the market currently demanded.  

^. Contract Termination  

Listening quietly to my subordinate’s words, reading the posts from readers, I finally made a difficult decision.  

“Ere—  

“Do as I say. This might be the best chance to terminate the contract at the lowest cost.”  

I brushed off my subordinate’s thoughts neatly. My instincts, honed through years in the industry, spoke up.  

“Consumers never invest time in something meaningless, to the point of saying never. This is proof enough. Send the email immediately.”  

[Assassin: I heard the author blacklist is quite tasty these days? Shall I make it into a dish?]  

“Pfft.”  

I chuckled at the striking post and moved on to the next novel.  

***  

[The parent company has planned to purchase the land around Seocho-dong for Yookseong Town.]  

Finishing my morning work, I lifted my hands from the keyboard.  

“Am I crazy these days?”  

In less than ten days, I had written 53 chapters. This was an insane writing pace.  

“If the authors I knew before saw me like this, they’d be completely shocked.”  

I attributed the speed to concentration, but no matter what, this was a crazy phenomenon.  

To give an idea of this pace, it meant completing one work per month or finishing 250 chapters in less than two months.  

“Even though I know how to write and what to write, this is truly crazy.”  

I stared blankly for a while, then looked at my hands.  

“Hmm… It can’t be.”  

Reincarnation, system.  

When those two words came to mind, another thought formed in my head.  

Ability awakening.  

I had seen reincarnation and systems, but there was no law against gaining abilities.  

“What if that ability is just higher concentration or mental processing power?”  

That would make perfect sense.  

“Wow, that’d be amazing.”  

If so, it was the ultimate ability for a writer.  

“Let’s check if this happens when writing other works too.”  

At this speed, finishing a work within three months was definitely possible.  

Even considering some variables, it could be done by mid-April.  

“If I can just maintain this pace, I could push through volume and make money.”  

There were endless topics. I still had many novel ideas stored in my mind from before reincarnation.  

If I brought them out one by one, I could probably live comfortably as a novelist.  

“But that’s not enough. I have to be an author recognized by all readers.”  

Success as an author meant earning money by producing meaningful results but, more importantly, being recognized by readers through one’s work to avoid the worst fate.  

“Study is my lifelong friend.”  

As long as I write, I must keep studying. Writing ultimately comes from within my mind, so a solid foundation of knowledge was essential to writing well.  

This was a necessary element regardless of genre—be it martial arts, fantasy, or others.  

“Let’s finish the 13th episode and awaken Dahye.”  

After finishing the thought, I uploaded the next chapter to HiTel.  

“Oppa, dinner?”  

Just as I was about to wake up, my younger sibling’s voice came through. Her head was a mess as she rubbed her eyes and opened the door.  

“Hungry, right? Sorry, I ordered jajangmyeon.”  

“Wow, really?!”  

I didn’t know why her surprised expression looked so adorable.  

/ Um 0  

“Yeah.”  

I smiled softly and nodded.  

“Yay!”  

Dahye struck a victory pose and excitedly walked to the kitchen.  

I vaguely remembered she liked Chinese food.  

“Is it really that good? Hehe.”  

Watching my sibling’s cute expression, I took down the Chinese restaurant’s flyer from the fridge and picked up the phone.  

“Hello. This is Sunbu-dong ***302. Please bring two jajangmyeon and a small tangsuyuk. Lots of danmuji and green onions too, please.”  

After placing the order, I put down the phone.  

“Delivery fees are definitely lower now compared to when I ordered by AM.”  

Even in 2023, delivery fees sometimes added up to 10,000 won, making ordering food quite burdensome. Especially when you had to pay delivery fees on top of the food cost and sometimes even extra delivery fees.  

A truly bitter reality.  

“Oppa, I’m done.”  

My sibling came out rubbing her wet hair with a towel.  

“That was back when she didn’t care about grooming, so it was quick.”  

Whether she was in 2nd or 3rd grade of middle school, she started caring about grooming and spent about an hour and a half on her hair and makeup.  

That was a remarkable investment of effort and passion.  

But now, before she started getting ready, her time wasn’t much different from an average guy’s.  

“Come sit here. Oppa will dry your hair.”  

I sat my sibling on the chair, shook her long hair with my hands, and dried it with the hairdryer.  

“I never did this before.”  

Even with her right in front of me, thinking of the past made my heart flutter.  

The emotional surge brought tears to my eyes.  

‘Let’s do well from now on. I won’t let anyone leave like that anymore.’  

Eat lots of good food.  

See many wonderful things.  

Travel widely, both domestically and abroad.  

Live doing everything we want.  

I promised myself all this.  

“Done, all finished.”  

“When’s the jajangmyeon coming?”  

My sibling, having her hair dried, turned her head to look at me with bright, expectant eyes.  

“It’ll be soon.”  

“I hope it comes quickly. I’m so hungry.”  

< Guy  

I gently stroked my sibling’s hair. She sat quietly, feeling my touch.  

Ding dong.  

Ding dong.  

About five minutes later, the doorbell rang and the long-awaited delivery arrived.  

“Two jajangmyeon, 6,000 won. Small tangsuyuk, 5,000 won.”  

Eating jajangmyeon outside cost 2,000 to 2,500 won per bowl.  

Back then, tangsuyuk was 5,000, 10,000, or 15,000 won.  

The total was 11,000 won.  

“Unimaginable prices compared to 2023.”  

It was cheap but also bitter.  

I had forgotten how much prices had risen due to the old memory.  

They’d risen way too much.  

“That’s 9,000 won. Please leave the bowls outside the door; I’ll come get them. Enjoy your meal.”  

The delivery driver kindly said this as he gathered his change and went downstairs.  

“Back then, the containers weren’t plastic disposables but real bowls.”  

In the future, all bowls would be plastic.  

And they’d shout about being eco-friendly.  

A strange system.  

I was nostalgic, gazing at those rare bowls in 2023.  

“Oppa, hurry!”  

Dahye eagerly urged me to sit down quickly. She was truly very hungry.  

“Let’s eat.”  

I kindly removed the plastic wrap and mixed the jajangmyeon deliciously.  

Finally, I unwrapped the tangsuyuk and placed it in front of Dahye.  

No matter what anyone said, tangsuyuk was best ‘with sauce’.  

In my style, I poured the sauce over the meat and mixed it thoroughly.  

“I’ll eat well.”  

Just as Dahye picked up her first chopstickful, she paused.  

“You bought this, Oppa. Why are you saying you’ll eat well to me?”  

I clasped my hands and said “I’ll eat well,” and Dahye smiled.  

“Haha, it wasn’t to you. It was to the person who prepared the meal. Even though we pay for food, think about how much care goes into making it.”  

“You have to.”  

She looked at me with wide, innocent eyes, and a smile formed.  

“You don’t have to, but small gestures like this will make our Dahye a charming person.”  

“Okay. I’ll eat well. Is that enough?”  

After a brief pause, Dahye followed me, saying “I’ll eat well,” seeking my confirmation.  

“Haha, well done. Now, let’s eat.”  

No matter how much I cared for my sibling, I believed it was important to teach her basic manners.  

Watching Dahye eat, I took a moment to think about the example I’d show in front of her.  

“Oppa, what are you doing if you’re not eating?”  

Watching only Dahye eat quietly, she looked at me with jajang sauce smeared around her mouth and asked.  

“Just looking at you eat makes me full. Eat a lot.”  

I wiped the sauce from her mouth with a tissue and fed her some tangsuyuk.  

“Mm, delicious.”  

Seeing my sibling so happy made a smile naturally spread across my face.  

This was true happiness.  

“Eat a lot, my little sister.”  

After finishing her jajangmyeon and reaching for the tangsuyuk, I finally scooped some noodles and brought them to my mouth.  

“I’m full. I can’t eat anymore.”  

Leaning back, my younger sister gave up.  

“That should be enough.”  

Eating too much isn’t good either. Now I’d clean up the rest.  

I devoured everything my sister left and cleaned all the dishes neatly.  

“Wow, Oppa’s like a dog. Totally like a dog.”  

“Uh, uh… Ha, haha.”  

Though the phrase was a bit coarse, I understood the meaning and laughed it off without feeling hurt.  

“I’m going to brush my teeth.”  

“Brush them well. By the way, did any emails come in?”  

I tidied up and turned on the computer, hoping for emails from the publishing company.  

I took a deep breath and opened the internet browser.  

With a trembling heart, I accessed Daum.net and checked my emails.  

“This is...”  

[New mail 1]  

“It’s here!”  

Opening the inbox, I saw an unread email marked “1.”  

I moved the mouse and clicked immediately.  

Soon, the name ‘Mideum’ appeared on the screen.