The building itself felt overwhelming—tall, sleek, glass reflecting the sky above. For a brief second, Minwoo stood at the entrance, adjusting his grip on the folder he carried, steadying his breath. This was the place he had imagined so many times, always from a distance. Now he was actually here.
A female secretary greeted him politely and asked his name. After checking the schedule, she smiled and gestured for him to follow her.
"This way, please."
As they walked down the hallway, Min-woo's steps felt a little stiff. The office was quiet but busy—editors discussing projects in hushed tones, assistants moving briskly between desks, walls lined with framed covers of successful webtoons. Each step made his heart beat faster.
She stopped in front of a door and knocked lightly before opening it.
"This is his room."
Min-woo stepped inside.
Yoon looked up from his desk and saw Min-woo for the first time.
He stood immediately, his expression warm and welcoming, and extended a hand.
"Min-woo, right? Please, come in."
Min-woo bowed slightly and greeted him, his voice polite but unmistakably nervous. This was his first time sitting across from someone in such a big publishing company, and the weight of it pressed heavily on his shoulders.
They sat down, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Min-woo took a breath.
"I should tell you first," he began carefully, fingers tightening around his folder, "I… I don't have a high school graduation degree."
He paused, hesitation creeping into his voice, preparing himself for rejection—for the shift in expression he had seen so many times before.
But before he could continue, Yoon lifted a hand gently, stopping him.
"I don't care about degrees," Yoon said plainly. "Or certificates. They're just pieces of paper."
Min-woo looked up, startled.
Yoon leaned back slightly and continued, his tone confident and sincere.
"I've seen your webtoon. It's very good. Even without major advertising or marketing, it's gaining popularity. That tells me everything I need to know."
He smiled.
"I know you have potential. That's why you were definitely called for this interview."
Relief flooded through Min-woo so suddenly it almost made him dizzy.
"Thank you, sir," he said quickly, bowing his head in gratitude.
Taking a steadying breath, Min-woo opened his folder and laid out the new webtoon ideas he had prepared—story concepts, themes, rough outlines, character arcs. His hands trembled slightly as he passed them across the desk, but his eyes were steady.
Yoon read carefully.
The room grew quiet as Yoon flipped through the pages, occasionally pausing, rereading certain lines. His expression shifted from polite interest to genuine focus, then to something like quiet admiration.
Finally, he looked up.
Yoon was impressed—truly impressed.
Even if Tae-won had never existed, even if there were no personal connections at all, Yoon knew he would have chosen Min-woo. The ideas were raw, emotional, original. There was depth in his storytelling, a voice that couldn't be taught.
"You have a lot of potential," Yoon said honestly.
The words were simple, spoken without exaggeration or performance, but they landed in Min-woo's chest with unexpected weight. For a brief moment, he forgot how to breathe.
His heart swelled—slowly, painfully, beautifully.
For the first time in a long while, he felt truly seen. Not measured by what he lacked, not judged for the gaps in his education or the detours his life had taken—but recognized for what he could become. For the stories he carried inside him. For the work he had built with his own hands.
Yoon didn't let the moment linger too long. He was direct, efficient, professional.
"I'll ask our team to prepare a contract today," he said, turning slightly toward his desk. "We can review it tomorrow. If everything looks good, you can start working immediately—starting tomorrow."
For a second, Min-woo thought he had misheard.
A… contract?
Tomorrow?
His next webtoon—published by this company. His dream company. The one he had only ever imagined working with from afar.
His mind went blank.
Inside, fireworks went off—his chest buzzing, his fingers tingling, his heart racing wildly—but he forced himself to stay still. He sat straight, hands folded neatly on his lap, using every ounce of self-control he had not to let his emotions spill across his face.
He was over the moon.
Yoon looked at him calmly and continued, "Do you have any conditions? Anything you'd like to discuss before we proceed?"
Min-woo blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Conditions?
The question felt almost unreal. Just being offered a contract from a huge publishing company like this already felt like a miracle. A blessing he didn't dare negotiate with.
He shook his head slowly. "No, sir," he said honestly. "I don't have any."
Yoon studied him for a moment, reading the silence, then nodded with understanding.
"That's fine," he said. "If you can't think of anything right now, that's perfectly okay. Our team will contact you today, and we can go through the draft together tomorrow. If anything comes to mind later, you can tell us then."
Min-woo nodded quickly. "Yes. Thank you."
Without wasting time, Yoon reached for the telephone on his desk and dialed an internal extension.
"Mrs. Han," he said calmly. "Could you come in for a moment?"
A few minutes later, the door opened and a woman who looked to be in her late forties stepped inside. She carried herself with practiced confidence—sharp eyes, neat attire, and an air of quiet authority.
She bowed politely. "You called for me?"
Yoon gestured toward Min-woo. "This is Min-woo. He'll be joining us as a webtoon artist."
Min-woo stood immediately and bowed deeply, nervous again but smiling faintly.
"Mrs. Han is from our HR department," Yoon continued. "She'll help you complete some formalities today. We'll meet again tomorrow to finalize everything."
"Yes, sir," Min-woo replied, bowing once more. "Thank you very much."
Yoon gave him a brief, professional nod in return.
Min-woo followed Mrs. Han out of the room, his steps light, his heart still pounding. As the door closed behind him, the reality slowly began to settle in.
He had done it.
He was finally here.
That day, Min-woo didn't really do much—at least not in the way people usually imagined a big, life-changing day should look.
There were no dramatic celebrations, no loud phone calls, no pictures taken in front of the company building. Instead, the hours passed quietly. He sat with Mrs. Han, signing and filling out document after document—personal details, bank information, identification forms, clauses and acknowledgements he read carefully even though his hands trembled slightly as he held the pen.
Each signature felt unreal.
Every time his name appeared on a page, his heart skipped. It was proof. Tangible proof that this wasn't just a dream he'd wake up from.
When everything was done, Mrs. Han smiled at him kindly and told him the team would contact him again in the evening with the draft contract. Min-woo bowed repeatedly, thanking her more times than necessary, his voice soft but sincere.
When he finally stepped out of the building, the late afternoon air felt different.
Lighter.
Brighter.
He walked without any real destination in mind, just letting his feet carry him forward. His phone buzzed a few times—messages from acquaintances, notifications from readers of his current webtoon—but he barely noticed. His thoughts were somewhere else entirely, floating between disbelief and quiet joy.
By the time he reached home, the sun had already dipped low. He unlocked his apartment door, leaned back against it for a moment, and let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding all day.
He smiled to himself.
Utmost happiness, quiet and overwhelming, settled into his chest.