Chapter 60: An Unexpected Reconnection
Back at home, Seo Juhwan sat down at his computer to write. Unlike the old computer at home, the newly purchased one booted up in an instant.
"Lucy, Blessing of Focus... no wait. How many points do I have left?"
He had used a considerable amount of points recently. Using Blessing of Focus consistently had quickly depleted his large point reserves.
[Your current remaining Desire System points are 37,230 LP.]
"I have more left than I thought?"
[You've obtained a significant amount of points from achievement completion.]
"Oh, right."
Achievements came in many different varieties and were quite broad in scope. He had received points for giving his parents a massage not long ago, and just two days ago he received 10,000 LP for starting his first solo living. He had also obtained considerable points from helping with Han Soo-ah's broadcasts. In particular, after a video edited by Seo Juhui was uploaded to YouTube, he started receiving 1 LP per 100 views. Currently, the video had already reached 100,000 views and he was steadily accumulating points.
Since Psychic Watch's videos were limited in number now, the view count would continue to rise in the future. It was unfortunate that there was a 1/2 penalty on point distribution since it was someone else's broadcast.
"I can use points without worrying too much then."
[That's not quite right. Once you start using the daily item gacha that you can purchase once per day, you'll deplete your points quickly.]
"Ah. Do I really need to buy that?"
[You don't have to, but it would be good to purchase if you have spare points. There are many different items available.]
"Tsk. I need to earn more diligently."
Money wasn't a concern, but points were.
'But I don't want to bother with broadcasting. Why is the serialization so stingy with points?'
Besides when he achieved 10,000 likes, he hadn't received any points. It would be nice if Today's Best, Weekly Best, or Monthly Best also gave points.
"Let me just write."
Seo Juhwan shook off his distracting thoughts and opened a Hangul document, a spell-check program, an internet dictionary, and the serialization site Geuljoah. This was his standard list of programs to keep open while writing.
After logging into Geuljoah, he noticed private messages he hadn't seen before.
"Ah, it finally came."
The messages were contract proposals from management companies. In fact, he had received contract proposals from several places already, but he had been waiting because there was a particular company he wanted to work with.
[Funny Books]
Hello, Author Seo Hwan.
I'm greeting you once again. I am Choi Mi-hwa, PD of Funny Books.
I have sent you a message before, and I understood your lack of response as a rejection, but with the desire to work with you, I'm taking the liberty of reaching out once more.
I have been closely following your ongoing serialization "The Possessed Master is a Martial Arts Criminal" from the very first chapter.
"The Possessed Master is a Martial Arts Criminal" with its trendy yet fresh settings and story...
...abbreviated...
Not only that, but I have also followed all of your previous works such as "Martial Arts Color Emperor" and "Blaze Chronicles."
Although Funny Books is still a small management company, I am confident that we can take good care of you as an author.
If you haven't yet signed a publishing contract, I would like to work with your work both as an editor and as a fan.
Thank you for reading this long message.
I look forward to your response.
It was an extremely thoughtful contract proposal.
Throughout reading the message, the corners of Seo Juhwan's mouth couldn't help but rise.
It was already wonderful that a contract proposal had come from the company he wanted, but the person who sent the message was none other than "Choi Mi-hwa," making it even more delightful.
In the future, Choi Mi-hwa was a capable editor with a stellar reputation among web novel authors. Her advice, each and every piece, transformed authors' writing.
She had an exceptional eye for works and was excellent at discovering hidden gem authors who hadn't yet gained recognition. Because of this, she earned the nickname "Headhunter."
Later, she would establish her own management company, sign contracts with the authors she had discovered, and grow to become one of the top figures in the industry, so there was no reason to hesitate.
If he were to sign with Funny Books, he had planned to request that she be assigned as his manager. Knowing that she was already his fan was fortunate indeed.
"But something seems off about this message? She said she sent a message before?"
And the implication was that it had been quite a while ago.
"Damn. Did I accidentally delete it?"
He was starting to remember when he had deleted it.
Some malicious commenters would attack him not just in the comments but also through private messages. Seo Juhwan had received several such messages. It seemed that when he was deleting those messages, he had inadvertently deleted Choi Mi-hwa's message as well.
Seo Juhwan quickly replied to the message.
"Since it's the weekend, I might have to wait a bit for her to respond?"
He hoped to hear from her soon.
As he was thinking this,
[A strong stroke of luck regarding matters of sexuality is intervening!]
The same message appeared for the second time today, and his smartphone on the desk vibrated.
The name displayed on the screen was Choi Mi-hwa.
She had called right after he sent his reply to her message.
He answered immediately.
"Yes, hello?"
- Um... aren't you Author Seo Hwan?
"Yes, that's correct. You're Choi Mi-hwa, PD of Funny Books, right?"
- Ah, yes! But... is your full name Seo Juhwan by any chance?
"That's also correct, but... did I tell you my name?"
- Ah, as I thought! You've been discharged! Congratulations!
"...?"
Seo Juhwan was taken aback by the sudden congratulations and could only tilt his head in confusion.
How did this woman know that he had been discharged? It was also questionable how she knew his name. Saying she found out from the news seemed odd, as it was strange that she would naturally equate the pen name Seohwan with Seo Juhwan.
But then a thought occurred to him.
'Wait? Why did the name appear on the screen?'
For a name to appear on the screen, it had to be saved—unless it was a call from a specific institution. Of course, this was his first time contacting Choi Mi-hwa.
- I didn't know Author Seohwan was you, Juhwan!
- I didn't realize my benefactor was the author I admire! When did you get discharged? I've been waiting to hear from you.
"Ah!"
Only after hearing those words did a different Choi Mi-hwa come to mind—not the PD from Funny Books.
The woman who had saved by him from a murderer when he was on end-of-service leave.
The woman who had said to contact her once he was discharged, expressing her gratitude.
Her name was also Choi Mi-hwa.
Seo Juhwan let out a hollow laugh at the incredible coincidence.
"Ha ha..."
- Author, when do you have time? I'd like to treat you to a nice meal!
Choi Mi-hwa's voice came through the smartphone.
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