2:00 a.m.
The harsh fluorescent lights flickered overhead, bathing the studio in a cold, sterile glow.
"...Zzz... Phew..."
In one corner of the room, Ethan lay sprawled across his desk, snoring loudly.
"...Ugh."
Flip.
Flip.
Behind him, Johan silently turned the pages of the storyboard notebook, studying each one with unwavering concentration.
Sitting across from him, Andrew had his arms folded tightly. He bit at his fingernails, unable to hide the anxiety written all over his face.
They had already spent nearly half a day drawing the storyboard, revising it, throwing it away, and drawing it all over again.
Even though they already knew what they wanted to draw and were simply refining it, the remaining time was painfully short.
"Read this version too... Johan."
"Yes."
Andrew tried to sound calm, but the tension in his voice betrayed him.
If they delayed any longer, meeting the deadline would become impossible.
That thought alone was enough to make anyone nervous.
Johan quietly accepted the notebook.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he carefully reread every page.
The quality had definitely improved.
The fantasy elements blended together much more naturally.
The dialogue had become sharper.
The panel direction was smoother and easier to follow.
It was unquestionably a good comic.
It was easy to read, emotionally immersive, and carried Andrew's signature style—one that made readers feel as though they were standing inside the story itself.
The dramatic two-page spreads, unique to printed manga, were placed perfectly at each emotional climax.
It was easy to understand why Andrew had once won the Our Manhwa Award and successfully debuted as a professional cartoonist.
But...
Something was still missing.
A cartoonist whose series was discontinued because of poor sales...
Could this short story really create enough impact to change his fate?
Johan wasn't convinced.
He lowered his gaze and read through the storyboard once more.
It's definitely not bad...
Everything was there.
The directing.
The theme.
The premise.
Everything had been put together competently.
Yet the single most important element of any comic...
Fun.
It was still lacking.
The story still carried the atmosphere of an old literary comic.
Andrew's greatest strength had always been drawing deeply personal, character-driven stories.
Trying to condense all of that into a short one-shot inevitably weakened its emotional impact.
How can we make this manuscript more entertaining...?
Johan frowned.
His thoughts became increasingly tangled.
Before his regression, everything he had drawn had been action webtoons.
Printed manga and webtoons were completely different mediums.
No matter how hard he thought, an immediate solution refused to come.
Seeing Johan remain silent, Andrew forced an awkward smile.
"I suppose we should just start."
"It's a shame... but we're out of time."
"Teacher."
Johan suddenly looked up.
"Could you give me just ten more minutes?"
"Hm?"
"Let's think about it together for ten more minutes."
"If we still can't find the answer..."
"...then we'll begin drawing."
His voice was calm.
Yet there was an unmistakable determination in his eyes.
It was impossible to refuse.
"...Alright."
Andrew slowly closed his eyes before letting out a long sigh.
Meanwhile, Johan shut his own eyes and replayed the storyboard inside his mind.
Fun...
A way to make it more fun...
His heartbeat quickened.
Blood surged through his veins.
A strange tingling sensation spread throughout his body, as though countless tiny insects were crawling beneath his skin.
The heart of this story...
...is an autobiographical tale about a man who truly loves comics.
As a child, the protagonist wasn't particularly talented at anything.
Then one day...
His teacher praised one of his drawings.
That single moment inspired him to devote his entire life to drawing comics.
It was believable.
After all...
It was Andrew's real story.
But...
To anyone else...
Would it really feel special?
Probably not.
The protagonist's desire doesn't feel strong enough.
That was it.
That was why Johan felt the story lacked excitement.
The protagonist's motivation was simply too vague.
Too ordinary.
Because the reason he devoted his life to comics wasn't especially powerful, it was difficult for readers to fully understand the intensity of his obsession later in the story.
At that moment—
A memory surfaced inside Johan's mind.
"The themes I write about... or rather, the messages I want to convey... aren't exactly the kind of things most people naturally enjoy."
"So instead, I borrow something people can easily relate to."
"I replace the characters' desires with desires that readers already understand."
The speaker had been Choi Gyu-seok, a famous cartoonist known for creating socially conscious works similar in style to Andrew's.
Many of his comics had later been adapted into successful films and television dramas.
That conversation suddenly echoed inside Johan's mind.
Replace the desire...
His eyes flew open.
A spark flashed across his mind.
That's it!
Substitute the desire.
If he did that...
He could save this story.
Perhaps...
He could save Andrew as well.
Johan immediately turned toward Andrew.
"Teacher."
"Hm?"
"Let's change the reason the protagonist falls in love with comics."
Andrew blinked.
"...What?"
"Instead of beginning because his teacher praised him..."
"...let's make it because of his first love in elementary school."
Andrew scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"But... that's not what really happened."
"I didn't start drawing comics because of my first love."
Johan shook his head.
"Teacher..."
"This is a comic."
"It doesn't have to recreate reality exactly as it happened."
Andrew froze.
"..."
His eyes widened.
It felt as though someone had struck him over the head with a hammer.
For hours...
He had stubbornly refused to change the beginning because it was the truth.
His homeroom teacher had praised his drawing.
That was how everything had started.
That was reality.
So he believed he had to preserve it exactly as it was.
But...
What if readers couldn't emotionally connect with that motivation?
What if the teacher's praise wasn't the important part at all?
Andrew slowly lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
No words were exchanged.
Yet both of them understood each other perfectly.
Andrew quietly murmured,
"So what truly matters..."
"...is the protagonist's desire to love comics."
Johan nodded.
"Exactly."
Andrew finally understood.
So that's why you suggested first love...
Everyone had someone they could never completely forget.
Someone who lingered quietly in their memories no matter how much time passed.
A first love.
Using first love as the protagonist's motivation wasn't simply a stronger opening.
It also became a metaphor.
Just as people could never completely let go of their first love...
The protagonist could never let go of comics.
Even after countless failures.
Even after disappointment.
Even after achieving so little.
That realization sent a chill down Andrew's spine.
If I change the introduction like this...
His thoughts suddenly began connecting like pieces of a puzzle.
The protagonist would first meet the girl in his class.
He would begin drawing comics because of her encouragement.
Every scene that followed...
Every line of dialogue...
Every emotional beat...
They all started falling naturally into place.
Andrew bit his lower lip.
"Johan."
"Yes?"
"Give me a minute."
Without waiting for a reply, he lowered his head and began sketching furiously.
Scratch.
Scratch.
His pencil raced across the paper.
Despite the exhaustion in his bloodshot eyes after working all day without a proper meal...
His face now shone with excitement.
And anticipation.
Minutes passed.
Finally—
He slammed the pencil onto the desk.
"There."
He handed the notebook back.
"Take a look."
Johan quietly accepted it.
Flip.
Flip.
He carefully read every page of the newly revised storyboard.
Andrew watched him nervously.
His throat tightened with every passing second.
Finally...
Johan reached the last page.
He slowly closed the notebook.
Then he looked up.
Their eyes met.
Andrew unconsciously swallowed.
"Teacher."
"...Yes?"
A smile slowly spread across Johan's face.
"This is it."
"This manga is truly fun."
For a brief moment...
Andrew simply stared at him.
Then the tension that had gripped his body melted away.
A complicated smile appeared on his face.
It looked as though he wanted to laugh...
And cry...
At the same time.
He took a deep breath.
"...Let's get to work."
Johan smiled and nodded.
"Yes."