Chapter 122 - Publication - 4
No novel is ever begun with the intention to fail.
The reason why writers agonize and ponder so much. It is because they hope their written words will receive a good response and that many readers will want to see it.
They say a well-built tower should never fall. However, even the best-built tower, if no one bothers to climb it or take notice, will remain standing without crumbling, serving no purpose.
The feeling when a long-toiled-over piece fails. It is always a pain that creators must be prepared to endure, yet it is also a pain they never wish to experience.
"It's ambiguous."
The first day's sales of "Tang Family's Storm" were too insufficient to call it a success, yet not dismal enough to deem it a failure.
I had thought it would sell incredibly well from the first day. Perhaps, that expectation was too much.
Hello, martial artists. My pen name. Ho Pil. "Tang Family's Storm". It received a warm welcome on Yi Chang. Your reactions and recommendations. They have become replacements for our bookstore's debts. Always grateful. Love for martial arts stories.
I even expected to make the newspapers of the martial arts world and give fancy interviews. It's quite a regrettable turn of events.
"Hey, Yoon Ho. Don't be too disappointed. We'll sell them all."
Hwa Rin looked at me, who was staring blankly at "Tang Family's Storm," with worried eyes and comforted me.
"Yeah, I hope so."
"So don't worry. Open the shop already."
"Yeah yeah. Understood."
I responded to Hwa Rin in a light-hearted tone as if I wasn't worried at all, and opened the store door.
"Surprise! What, what is going on. You all?"
When I opened the bookstore door, about a dozen haggard-faced men were there. And they were pressed up against the door like a horde of zombies ready to pounce on a living survivor.
"It's open!"
"We've been waiting since before the sun rose!"
"Sob, I waited all night! Why are you opening so late!"
The people, no, not zombies, quickly poured in through the open door and began roaming around the bookstore like zombies seeking out a living survivor.
"Where is it?"
"Can't see it."
"I certainly bought it here yesterday."
"It's gone!"
What in the world.
"Manager! Manager!"
As I looked on with a dumbfounded face, one of the men approached me with a sense of urgency.
"Aren't you Teacher Hwang? What in the world is going on here."
Teacher Hwang's complexion looked as haggard as his question suggested.
His face was like that of a gamer who waited in the cold night air for hours before the opening, not knowing that the contents of a game, released after ten years, was actually a sleep aid.
"…Give it to me."
"Yes?"
What is he asking for?
"Tang Family's Storm! Give me volume 2!"
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"Why isn't there a volume 2? The announcement for it is clearly written here!"
"This novel's volume 1 has just been released."
I firmly informed Teacher Hwang, who looked at me suspiciously as if I might have hidden it somewhere and was lying to him. 200 won ghost stories aside, how could he have seen the not-yet-released volume 2?
"This is nonsense. This doesn't make any sense at all."
"I definitely saw volume 2 yesterday. If I liked volume 1, I intended to buy volume 2. Does this mean I waited all night in vain, imagining things? No, it can't be. That's impossible!"
"There is no volume 2 after finishing volume 1. What, what is this? It must be somewhere!"
"I waited all night because the Prostitute of Ho Buk First said she was waiting for me!"
Hearing what I said, the people who had bought volume 1 yesterday started frantically searching through the books, screaming in unison.
Were all these people really waiting from morning just for volume 2 of "Tang Family's Storm"? I struggled to restrain the joy that tried to escape from me.
"So when will the next volume come out?"
"The next volume will come out only when all of volume 1 is sold."
I quickly composed myself and answered the eager question of Teacher Hwang.
"Does this mean we have to sell hundreds of books to see the next volume?"
"That's correct."
At least seven-tenths, no, eight-tenths of the inventory for the first volume would have to be cleared to print the next one.
"How can you sell hundreds of books... No, this book is certainly worth selling that much."
"How can we wait until it all sells? You scoundrel Hwang Gu. Suddenly I resent you. Why did you show me this book so early!"
Teacher Hwang and his friend, who seemed close, started bickering with each other. Why are they fighting?
"Yesterday you were thanking me for recommending it and praising the content of the book! Now it's my fault?"
"Anyway, it's your fault."
"Shut up and buy one too. It needs to sell quickly if we want the next volume to come out."
Teacher Hwang handed a copy of "Tang Family's Storm" that he picked up from the stand to his friend.
"Fine. Even if you didn't tell me, I was going to buy it."
"Manager. I'll buy another one too."
"Didn't you buy one yesterday, Teacher Hwang?"
"Cough. Well, that's…"
Teacher Hwang awkwardly avoided my gaze and hesitated to answer. Then his friend beside him smirked and explained the situation to me.
"This Hwang Gu bug. Last night, the light was on in his room till late. In the morning, I saw Hwang Gu, his cheeks hollow and the book soggy. If the manager saw him with his pale face because the pages wouldn't separate... Stupid guy. Hehehe."
Ah, so that's why.
"Hey, you!"
Teacher Hwang shouted at his friend with an expression of panic that wasn't usual for him.
"Were you trying to impregnate Tang Family's Storm?"
"Just you wait. Manager, one volume. No, three volumes."
"Planning to impregnate with three volumes?"
"For preserve, enjoy, and convert others. That's what I'm buying it for!"
"The three most beautiful ladies of Sichuan will surely be pregnant today."
"Hey!"
I struggled to keep from laughing at Teacher Hwang's increasingly red face as I rang up four volumes of "Tang Family's Storm."
"It would have been better if I had never seen it. Living a life unable to see Tang Family's Storm volume 2!"
"Ugh! Now's not the time to despair. We must quickly recommend Tang Family's Storm to others, so we can see the First Prostitute of Ho Buk."
"Right. The sooner we spread the word about Tang Family's Storm, the sooner we'll see volume 2. Let's defend the next volume!"
"I'll buy another one!"
"I will see the First Prostitute of Ho Buk! Give me one too!"
The customers who came in the morning bought additional copies of "Tang Family's Storm." They assured me that they would not only sing its praises but would also spread the word far and wide.
Thanks to them, I was able to sell as many books as I did the day before right after opening in the morning.
"Really. The response is good."
The bookstore had become momentarily quiet after the unexpected whirlwind of customers.
I dumbly gazed at "Tang Family's Storm," which had noticeably decreased in quantity compared to the morning.
Success.
This time it really was a success.
What now? I could do it after all. Yeah. It was just a matter of a little misdirection. I can succeed as a writer in the central plains. I can raise my fame.
For a moment, as the events that led up to here overlapped, I felt a tightness in my chest. I turned around so that no one would see my expression and leaned my hand against the wall.
"Yoon Ho. Are you okay?"
Hwa Rin came up from behind with a worried voice, but I raised my hand and stopped her while still staring at the wall.
It'll only be for a moment. Just a very short moment.
There's still a long way to go and this is just the first step.
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As the buzz about "Tang Family's Storm" started to grow, the sales began to climb. Thanks to that, the number of customers looking for volume 2 increased as soon as the morning arrived.
"Did 'Tang Family's Storm' come out today?"
"No."
"Will it be out tomorrow?"
"No."
"You keep saying no, no. Don't you know yes?"
"Yes niyo (a playful twist on 'yes')."
"Ha. Why doesn't the damn volume 1 diminish at all! There are so many people buying it!"
Well, because we keep printing more.
"Should I reprimand this guy? Manager, is there a scheduled date by any chance? If 'Tang Family's Storm' comes out in a week, I think I'd start to be happy from today!"
"It seems it will be difficult for you to find happiness for a while."
I felt bad for the waiting readers, but one must row when the water enters the boat. Eventually, it will all sell if it's selling faster than it's being printed.
"Damn. Might as well go up to the second floor for some tea."
"Join me. There's a gathering on the second floor recently, all about 'Tang Family's Storm'!"
"Pay the entrance fee, and you'll be allowed in."
I collected the entrance fee for the second floor of Daso Gak and followed them up to start the day's work.
In a corner of Daso Gak's second floor, Teacher Hwang and his friend had become regulars, already seated in the conversation area with a few other men.
"To think 'Tang Family's Storm' would be just another dull martial arts tale. It turned out to be utterly captivating."
"I also thought it'd be another trite story, but the gripping fight scenes really impressed me. It's as if the people of Sichuan Tang wrote it themselves."
"Is that all? In most books of this kind, when martial artists kill the villains, it ends too simply, but here they fall for a woman! And she's... Oh! The Most Beautiful of Sichuan!"
"When a man is willing to risk his life for her, how could the Most Beautiful of Sichuan not be charmed? I'd have fallen for Dangjeong myself if I were a woman."
"The scene where the until-now unattainable flower herself begs the protagonist to pick her… At that moment, I felt excitement like never before in my life."
"The final scene with the lovers together was really... to think the Most Beautiful of Sichuan would do such a thing with her heart. And with a bosom majestic enough to hold all of man's desires, as if the author depicted it right before our eyes as vividly as possible."
Dear readers. A young lady just left with a frown.
While it's nice to read comments like a reader's, I wish they'd remember there are female customers at Daso Gak.
Maybe I should space out the seats for discussions or invest in some acoustic partitions to absorb sound.
"Ah, I really want to see volume 2 soon."
"Actually, the reason I come to Daso Gak every day is to check how much volume 1 has decreased."
"Really? We have a lot to talk about; it seems I've found a kindred spirit. I'll buy coffee today. Manager, two iced Americanos, please."
I struggle to hold down my shoulders that involuntarily want to rise to heaven. I busily move around Daso Gak, which is thriving even more thanks to "Tang Family's Storm."
-------------------
During a quieter time.
I entered the print shop.
"Hwa Rin, is it going well?"
I called out to Hwa Rin, who was busily printing books on her own. I felt sorry seeing her working on my book alone.
Though Hwa Rin volunteered to work the press in daylight due to her face, the guilt remained.
"Just work. Why are you here?"
Hwa Rin stopped her task and looked at me, only to scold.
"Come and eat lunch. You must be hungry."
With that, I raised the simple snacks I brought in my hand.
"Give it here. Ah! Damn."
Hwa Rin's hands reached out for the food, but they were covered in ink.
What's there to be ashamed of hiding your hands like that? You can't even eat like this. Since the ink doesn't wash off easily, it would be awkward to go and clean up now.
"Shall I feed you?"
"What, what? What's with the sudden madness?"
"What madness? Don't take it the wrong way. It's just a bite, so I'll put it in your mouth."
".... Okay."
Why close your eyes? Hwa Rin lifted her chin as if embarrassed by something.
"Open your mouth."
"Aaah."
I fed Hwa Rin the snacks one by one, and she began to chew them thoughtfully.
It's like feeding baby birds. No, it feels more peculiar than that.
"This is a bit embarrassing."
Eventually, I couldn't hide my embarrassment and spoke out. Upon reflection, isn't this something that couples do?
"Damn. I'm embarrassed too, okay?"
Hwa Rin's eyes widened as she retorted to my words.
"Well. You could have just said it was embarrassing."
"It was your idea to feed me."
As she spoke, Hwa Rin swung her fists and lightly thumped my chest, her face flushed.
"That's true. Hahaha."
I scratched my head awkwardly to soothe my embarrassment.
"Tsk. What madness. Really."
"Is the printing going well?"
Looking to change the embarrassing subject, I glanced at the stacked copies of "Tang Family's Storm."
"I'm working hard, but the type keeps breaking and wearing down. If I keep printing today, I think I won't be able to print anything until we receive more supplies."
"I see."
Letterpress printing does have its structural issues. The lead alloy type is soft, and direct pressure from the printing press makes it prone to breaking and wearing.
There is a kind of printing called rotary printing, which overcomes the disadvantages of letterpress, but it seems to be high-end technology in this world and thus not widely available.
Even in Yi Chang, a developed city in Ho Buk, there's no one with a rotary press. Later, when I earn more money, maybe I could also set up my own printing house.
"I'm sorry, but can I ask you to continue for today?"
"I can't do much else to help you, so don't feel sorry."
Hwa Rin looked at me with a slightly bitter expression.
"You don't have to feel that way. Should I keep feeding you?"
I asked Hwa Rin teasingly, with a playful smile.
"Nonsense! Go grab some gloves from the entrance, and you better get back to work quickly."
Hwa Rin, with a slightly flushed face, pushed me toward my tasks.
"Alright, I got it. I'll get them and head back."
She should have mentioned the gloves earlier. Why didn't she? I handed the gloves over to Hwa Rin and returned to my workplace.
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What if the inventory runs out before we get the new shipment for the printing press?
The worry was fleeting. Suddenly, the flow of customers coming to buy "Tang Family's Storm" drastically decreased.
"What's happening?"
Have we reached the saturation point of the offensive? It was too sudden a disappearance for that. The popularity couldn't just wane overnight.
Is there some reason?
"Is this the popular 'Tang Family's Storm' in Yi Chang these days? Brother, shall we get one too?"
"Forget it. There's no reason to buy it here."
What does that mean?
"Excuse me. Could you tell me what you meant by that comment just now?"
I approached the customer, wanting to confirm what I had hea
rd.
"Well, haha. It's not that I don't want to buy books. It's just 'Tang Family's Storm' specifically."
"That's exactly why I am asking."
"It's like this. A bookstore nearby is selling 'Tang Family's Storm' at a much cheaper price than here. No offense, but if it's cheaper, there is no reason to buy it here."
Someone is selling my book at another bookstore?