Chapter 9: Spin-Off

“Hmm… mm-hmm-hmm…”

A tune escapes my lips even when I sit still.

Even in silence, my shoulders start to bounce for no reason.

Right now, my novel has been holding the number one spot on the Hanyang Today Bests list for several weeks in a row.

And now, with everything around me engulfed in  talk.

Honestly, I was so happy that I didn’t even feel hungry, even if I skipped meals.

When word reached my mother that the Crown Prince wasn’t eating well, she had genuinely worried about me during her daily inquiries.

Of course, childhood growth is important, so after that, I forced myself to chew and swallow my meals diligently.

But even as I did my business, a silly smile would creep onto my face, and I’d find myself jolting awake in bed with a rush of dopamine—those days just kept coming.

---

“No, about …”

“When is the next volume coming out?”

“How could you cut off the story right at the part where His Highness seems to realize the young general, his rival, has feelings for him?!”

“Sigh… I even went to the bookshop during my last outing to ask, but even the owner didn’t know…”

“Is the next volume really coming out soon? Aren’t they just playing games with us?”

---

Moreover, as time passed since the publication of the first volume, readers one by one began to lose their composure like Lady Choi.

That was because each new volume always ended with a maddeningly interesting cliffhanger.

For example, the first volume ended with Princess Ami, captured by rebels, about to be violated, when the general bursts in alone, bloodied after breaking through the rebels to rescue her.

So, readers desperate to know what happened next couldn’t help but react like they were going through withdrawal.

That addictive cliffhanger technique I’d honed as a web novelist—shouldn’t I let them have just a taste?

Of course, it wasn’t entirely my fault.

From the start, what’s the nature of the Gyeongpanbon (京板本) editions printed in Hanyang?

If the rival region, Jeonju’s Wanpanbon (完板本), favored detailed and lengthy stories stretching 70 to 80 sheets per volume—

Gyeongpanbon favored concise descriptions and shorter volumes, about 20 to 30 sheets, very much like modern web novels.

On top of that, even in this era, breaking stories into parts and sequential publishing to boost sales was already rampant.

So I really wasn’t responsible for the withdrawal symptoms my readers felt.

Shouldn’t the blame fall on the print shop owner, Gye Deoksang, whose very name just screams “money-mad”?

From the start, I’d already delivered the manuscript for the next volume to Lady Choi, just like last time!

Besides, I was a web novelist who could pump out over 5,000 characters a day as easily as breathing, and I’d serialized stories over 200 chapters more than once.

A Gyeongpanbon-sized volume? Once I got used to writing manuscripts by brush, I could easily finish one in a day if I set my mind to it.

Thanks to my cheat study, I wasn’t even constrained by time anymore.

So after I quickly wrote the rest of  up to the end, I actually had some spare time in my study to think about other things.

For instance, how to handle the aftermath of my unexpectedly blockbuster Joseon debut.

---

“I mean, it’s popular, so ideally I should keep it going for as long as possible…”

Leaning back into my soft chair, I stared at a letter from Gye Deoksang, the owner of Banggakso, lying on my motion desk and sank into thought.

In fact, Gye Deoksang had pleaded earnestly to Lady Choi on my behalf.

His Banggakso had been doing well up until ten years ago, but lately had fallen behind rival firms and was declining.

So, Gye Deoksang clearly wanted to milk this golden opportunity for as long as possible.

---

‘Make  end as late as possible?’

‘Hoho. Gye Deoksang looked like he had fire lit under his butt, bowing and begging me to somehow keep the story going!’

---

Well, it was obvious Gye Deoksang was raking in money every time a new  volume hit the shelves.

You could tell by the large manuscript fees he sent through Lady Choi at regular intervals.

Of course, every time a new payment came in, I handed it all over to Kim Josun to invest in my new business, but still.

But to fulfill his request, there was a major hurdle I had to overcome.

And it was a big one—something utterly beyond my control.

---

“Hmm… The author is troubled by such things? Nom.”

---

That problem ended up being relayed exactly as it was to Buyong, who had been giving me feedback on .

Maybe because he’s been around me so much. At some point, he started naturally using the modern word “author.”

---

“It sounds like you want to write more , but the story just isn’t coming, right?”

“Nomnomnom… Of course. Romance stories are always over once the man and woman get together, have kids, and build a family. No matter how skilled the author is, there’s no getting around that.”

---

Munching on the baekseolgi I’d gifted as a thank-you while pretending to be “that person,” Buyong hit the nail on the head.

Honestly, that’s a limitation in modern times too.

Romance is a genre powered by the heart-fluttering tension as the couple comes together.

After that, there’s naturally less story to sustain the narrative.

So when the main characters finally get together in the last volume,  was effectively over—except for some epilogue.

But a debut work is always special, and with  burning so hot,

with Gye Deoksang’s urging and for fan service, I still wanted to somehow deliver more story to satisfy the readers.

---

“Hmhm… But there is a way!!”

---

Buyong, who had been stuffing his cheeks full like a hamster, swallowed the rice cake with a gulp and shot up his index finger.

After dashing off somewhere and returning, he brought back a few books in his hands.

---

“What’s this?”

“Hmm… Reference materials that could hold the answer you need, Author?”

---

Buyong thrust two books toward me with his pale hands.

.

—the titles caught my eye.

They were apparently steady sellers that remained popular in Hanyang before my novel took the city by storm.

---

“So, Sohwan, do you think this will solve the author’s problem?”

---

Once again, Buyong proved to be a great help.

This fellow.

A lucky charm that rolled my way when I least expected it.

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* * *

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A few days later.

At dawn, booksellers and wholesalers were already crowding in front of the Gyeonggi Banggakso.

This was because owner Gye Deoksang had announced in advance the upcoming publication of a new novel.

---

“Hey, Assistant Kim, you’re here? So you heard the news too?”

“That’s right. I hear Jeonju secured another blockbuster on par with ?”

---

Exactly.

The reason these people were gathered in front of the Banggakso was none other than the unprecedented mega-hit, .

With the story seemingly nearing its conclusion, wholesalers worried that their recently booming sales would soon plummet back to normal.

So when word spread that Banggakso’s owner had found a new work to carry on ’s phenomenal sales, everyone rushed over at dawn.

But of course, not everyone took the announcement at face value.

---

“Eh, come on. Now that guy’s had a taste of money, he’s getting more boastful.”

“It’s probably just hype, using ’s fame to try to push a few more copies of something new.”

“Gye Deoksang’s gone full merchant, I tell you! Haha.”

---

Skeptical.

That’s the perfect word to describe the mood of the wholesalers gathered before the Banggakso.

But not long after—

The Banggakso’s doors opened, and steaming-hot sample copies began to be distributed, and the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

---

“Gye, Gye Jeonju!!!”

---

With someone’s shout, the wholesalers surged into the Banggakso like a tidal wave.

Crunch.

In the commotion, the entrance door came off its hinges and crashed to the ground.

All the wholesalers, desperate to secure as many copies as possible, rushed forward en masse.

---

“Out of the way, out of the way!!”

“You’ll get trampled to death!!”

“Hey, Assistant Kim! Didn’t you just say it was all hype!!”

“When did I say that!!!”

“Jeonju, get out here!! Someone’s going to die!!”

---

Clutched in the hands of the shouting wholesalers was the new release titled .

This was the first installment of a heroic tale focusing on Prince Jin, the older brother of ’s protagonist, Princess Ami.

In other words, a spin-off novel starring a supporting character from the original work.

This was exactly the solution Kim Buyong had suggested to the Crown Prince.

The books she brought, , contained stories about the children born to the main couple of .

So, even during the Joseon era, this kind of series or spin-off work was quite popular.

Moreover, unlike  which had fresh but somewhat unfamiliar elements,  was a classic heroic novel with a male protagonist.

No wonder the wholesalers charged into the Banggakso like raging bulls the moment they skimmed the plot.

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[One step. Another step. And another.

In an instant, the Japanese pirates who attacked Nanjing fell to arrows shot from Jin’s bow.

Born with hawk’s eyes and trained in archery by a martial master, the prince was invincible.

“Seize him!! Take him, and the rest are mere scarecrows!!”

At the command of the pirate leader, hundreds of cavalry charged the prince, but it was useless.

As if he and his horse were one, he cut down the enemy cavalry one by one with his sword.

“Im… Impossible! How can this be?!”]

---

The most vital cliché in heroic novels of the time was the “extraordinary encounter” (奇緣).

Just as in modern martial arts novels, meeting a powerful benefactor and gaining mysterious abilities was essential even in this era.

Curiously, the author of  made brilliant use of the cliché: the prince, falling off a cliff, drinks a mystical elixir and learns martial arts from a master surnamed Lee.

And the real twist? That mentor is actually the general’s father from —a shocking connection that left fans of the original reeling.

With his miraculous new powers, the prince overcomes a crisis that threatens the nation and revives the royal family, which was on the brink of collapse.

Of course, like ,  was set in the late Yuan–early Ming period of the Central Plains—due to “adult circumstances.”

Still, something about the plot made modern readers think of the final years of a previous dynasty, and it had a gripping pull.

And then—

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[“Huh…?”

“Has Your Highness already forgotten this girl?”

In that moment, Jin realized who the woman before him was.

A small pouch dangled open from his hand. An awkwardly tied knot appeared before them.

It was the Dongshim-gyeol (同心結)—the token of the bond they shared as children.

“As if I could ever forget you.”

“Your Highness…!!”]

---

And, of course, another essential cliché in heroic novels: reunion with one’s destined partner.

As expected from the author who shook Hanyang with a romance, the romantic subplot was deftly woven into the heroic narrative.

So the wholesalers were now fighting tooth and nail for copies of the new book.

---

“Gye Deoksang! After all we’ve been through together, give me a big batch this time!!”

“You think you’re the only one close to Jeonju? Wait your turn!!”

“Cutting in line? I’ll settle this with life and death right here and now!”

---

Facing another storm, Gyeonggi Banggakso was in chaos from all the wholesalers fighting.

Naturally, the storm soon spread to ordinary readers eager to get their hands on the new book.

Life in Joseon or in modern times—some things never change.

It didn’t help that readers, fed up with the flood of cheap imitations that appeared after ’s success, were just waiting for something better.

---

“What’s this? It’s just a copy of !”

“Generals and emperors fighting over a woman? Just changing a few words doesn’t make it new!”

“Sigh. Why do so many people try to copy a great story as soon as it comes out?”

---

But that only worked in ’s favor.

Sick of shoddy knockoffs, readers turned their attention to the official follow-up, .

---

“A sequel to ?”

“Oh my, it’s about Princess Ami’s brother? I have to read this!!”

“This one I can show my husband too! Give me a copy!!”

“Me too!! If it’s from this author, it’s guaranteed!!”

---

They say real pearls shine among fakes.

Emerging from the pile of copycats, the sequel to the hit novel quickly became a smash success.

Gye Deoksang, grinning from ear to ear, began writing out a massive promissory note yet again.

But after such an unprecedented double hit shook Hanyang for a lengthy spell—

A completely unexpected problem exploded in the city’s publishing industry.

It was the kind of mishap you’d expect in the premodern era—or, sometimes, even in modern times.

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* * *

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“What? We’re out of paper?”

“Other printing houses are out of paper too?”

“Then how are we supposed to print books?”

---

Hanyang’s paper stocks had run dry.

This was the result of  and its sequel  flying off the shelves.

With these back-to-back hits, a paper shortage for book printing had set in.

And—

As soon as word spread in Hanyang, a certain place began to move.

That was the mansion of the Jangdong Kim clan.

Kim Josun, having already been tipped off about this by “that person,” sprang into action.

---

“Husband, shall I send someone to Andong immediately?”

“Do so. ‘That person’ truly can see the future!!”

---

At first, he’d only half-believed it, thinking it was just a ploy to get closer to someone in the palace.

But now, seeing it with his own eyes, he was convinced that becoming “that person’s” hands and feet had been the right choice.

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“Ho… In that case, could it be that the rest of the ‘three’ will also…?”

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As he witnessed “that person’s” prophecy come true, Kim Josun’s eyes gleamed sharply.