Chapter 004. It's been a while.

"3,000 won per drawing! It only takes 5 minutes to complete one!"

"Here, take my money. I've been waiting for you to be the first."

Grandpa, big sister, older brother, uncle, and aunt—all ages and genders—lined up to request drawings.

‘It’s a good thing I mastered the basics.’

Some manga artists start by practicing manga styles without learning realistic drawing techniques.

For such artists, caricatures might be difficult.

But I have years of experience, having practiced various drawing styles for a long time, so this was incredibly easy for me.

"Finished."

When I presented the drawing, everyone gasped in amazement.

"Is this for real? This little kid drew it?"

"I can't believe it. This kid really can draw well."

"Hehe! What a prodigy."

"Now it's my turn!"

In the morning, I didn't sell a single drawing, but in the afternoon, things turned around.

If the wind keeps blowing this way, reaching my goal of 10 customers will be a breeze.

"I saw you earlier, but I didn't know you could draw so well. I thought a kid was just sitting in for the caricature artist."

I heard someone talking from a distance.

‘That’s why business was slow at first.’

People were just staring without making requests.

"Hey, Seojun."

I heard someone call my name.

‘Who is it?’

I turned my head quickly and saw a kid my age with his parents.

"Oh, it's you."

She was a girl from my class.

I didn’t remember her well because she was so quiet.

"Seojun, did you draw these?"

When she saw my drawings, she became unusually talkative.

I nodded slightly, and she came closer to look at my drawings with curiosity.

"You draw well. I didn't know. I only knew you were good at soccer."

"Actually, I'm more interested in drawing than soccer."

"I really love drawing too. I’m envious of how well you draw."

She seemed to want to request a caricature and pleaded with her parents, but they shook their heads because the line was too long.

"It takes too long to wait. Can you draw one for me next time?"

"Sure, let's meet at school on Monday."

"Okay!"

She waved at me and ran back to her parents.

Without a moment to spare, customers flooded in like a tide, and it was already evening.

My arms were starting to ache from the workload.

I couldn't handle much more.

"As I said, I'll finish up to this point and go."

"Heh, what a shame."

Finally, as evening fell, I closed up shop.

I struggled to carry the table back, but I managed.

"How much did I make?"

I secretly counted the bills in the middle of the night.

As I flipped through the thick stack of thousand-won bills, my expression changed.

"One, two, three... 120,000 won!"

I was amazed.

The amount far exceeded my expectations.

It was worth the effort, even with the muscle aches.

I didn’t even have time to count the number of customers.

If I drew for about 6 hours, I must have done around 40 people.

As I marveled at my achievement, Lapis suddenly appeared and flew around.

"Great harvest."

"Yeah, a great harvest!"

I couldn't hide my smile even in front of Lapis.

‘It’s still not enough to buy a computer, but it’s enough to buy plenty of drawing tools.’

‘I need to go to the art supply store tomorrow.’

I hid the money in my bag and was about to go back to bed when Lapis blocked my way.

"What is it?"

"I have something to tell you. Remember, I said you could earn shop points by drawing commercially?"

"Yeah, but why?"

"Look at this."

I slowly read the text Lapis brought.

Holographic text appeared before my eyes.

What am I supposed to do with this?

‘Can I just say "renew" to update it?’

Cough! I cleared my throat and spoke clearly, as if to a voice recognition system.

"Renew."

The text flashed instantly.

"After working hard all day, let's see how many points I earned..."

I worked non-stop for 6 hours.

I was hopeful, but it didn’t take long for my excitement to turn to shock.

I felt both disappointed and disheartened.

"Is this a realistic number?"

What can I even buy with this?

Looking at the cheapest item, which costs 1,000P, it was clear that this amount was woefully inadequate.

"Exactly how are these points determined? Surely, I don’t get 1 point per drawing, right?"

"Of course not. Points are awarded based on the commercial value of the drawings. The minimum is 1 point, and there's no upper limit."

It was an intriguing story.

‘No upper limit, huh.’

I asked the fairy again.

"If I become a top artist and draw a manga, how many points would I earn?"

"I can't give you an exact number, but it should be enough to buy a few good items."

"Okay, I get it."

If I become a popular artist, I will naturally accumulate a large number of points.

‘It won’t take decades to get this, right.’

A plain gray door.

It’s the one I’ve had my eye on from the beginning.

I need to get this first.

I have the skills, but I don’t have the capacity to handle more than one serialized work at a time.

Because, I don’t have enough time!

‘But if I have this...’

I’ll have unlimited time.

I can be free from deadlines.

That means I can serialize multiple works simultaneously.

‘Webtoons, domestic, international, and everything else!’

I can master all areas of manga.

The first step to becoming the top artist.

It is the [Room of Time and Space].

"I will get it no matter what."

I don’t have enough points yet, but I will definitely get it.

* * *

I took the subway to Seoul early in the morning.

As expected on a Sunday, the subway was packed.

‘I see a lot of small shops too.’

I often saw them at bus stops and in the subway.

Additionally, nostalgic items from the late 1990s were still around.

"Kid, have some candy."

The grandmother next to me offered me two candies. I bowed and took them, putting them in my mouth.

‘People were more considerate back then.’

I thought as I looked out the window.

After a while on the subway, I arrived at my destination.

‘It’s been a while.’

Alpha Manga Plaza.

A specialized art supply store located in Dobong District.

I’ve been a regular since I started learning manga seriously in high school.

‘It’s great to have a wide variety of items here.’

There were many options to choose from.

‘The smell of the stationery store.’

As I entered, the smell of paper filled my nose.

I love this smell; it makes me feel at ease.

After a moment of appreciation, I moved on.

I put a set of manuscript paper in my cart and chose a wooden pen I liked.

‘I need to buy a few pen nibs.’

I tend to use them roughly, so they often break.

There were various types of pen nibs, but I usually use only one type.

A sharp, spread-out tip.

‘G-pen matte.’

It’s particularly challenging.

The advantage is that you can draw beautiful lines freely, but the spread-out tip makes it difficult to control the line thickness.

‘It was tough when I first used it.’

If you press too hard, the tip spreads too much, making the line too thick and ruining the drawing.

For beginners, the ink can splatter and the line thickness can be inconsistent.

‘But this is the best for me.’

It’s my irreplaceable partner, having used it for over 10 years.

There are several companies that make G-pens, but I mostly use Zebra’s nibs.

‘Matte is rougher than glossy, but I like the rough texture.’

Glossy is shiny and elastic.

Matte has no shine and less elasticity but allows for varied line thickness.

‘I should also buy two spoon pens.’

‘Spoon pens’ always produce a consistent line, making them useful for drawing manga panels.

I put the pen nibs in my cart and went to the ink section.

I chose ink from the ‘Delica’ company. There was no particular reason; I just used it the most.

‘I think this is enough preparation.’

I checked the items in my cart and brought them to the register.

"Huh?"

The clerk sister tilted her head.

Is there a problem?

"Kid, if you're drawing manga for the first time, I can recommend some items. This pen nib is very difficult to use."

She has a good eye.

She must be worried after seeing all the G-pens.

Sure, a grade schooler trying to draw manga with G-pens would probably be discouraged.

I smiled and shook my head.

"No, I’m here to run an errand."

"Oh, you’re a good kid."

She smiled and proceeded to check out.

"Come back again!"

"Sure! Goodbye!"

I bowed and glanced back.

Looking again, I recognized her.

‘That sister...’

She is the daughter of the stationery store owner.

15 years later, when I debuted in Japan, she told me she enjoyed reading manga.

‘She said she tried to become a manga artist in high school.’

Becoming a manga artist is as difficult as reaching for the stars, so she didn’t succeed.

She inherited her father’s store and became the owner of a stationery store.

‘But she said she wanted to be a manga artist more than a stationery store owner. Not being able to draw manga was her lifelong regret.’

It felt a bit sad.

"Huh? Is something wrong?"

"No, goodbye."

I bowed again and left.

I need to come back again.

* * *

Newcomer Manga Competition.

Many companies held competitions, but the most prestigious were from the three major publishers: IP Jump, Chance, and Shonen Champs.

Debuting through a competition, with prizes and spotlight, was the dream of all aspiring artists.

Of course, I’m no exception.

‘When I was young, my dream was to win a competition and debut with one of the three major publishers.’

The estimated competition rate was a staggering 200 to 1.

Becoming a manga artist is as difficult as passing a national exam.

Ultimately, I couldn’t debut in Korea even in my mid-20s.

Failing consecutive competitions became a trauma and a source of regret.

‘But now I can do it.’

Even though I’m a grade schooler.

15 years of technical experience.

My skills are already at a professional level.

The only issue is my young age.

But thinking about it now, it’s not a big problem.

‘There were artists who debuted in middle school.’

Son Hee-jung.

She won a prize in the Shonen Champs competition and debuted in her third year of middle school.

‘If you have the skills, even a young student can debut.’

I sat at my desk, lost in thought.

What kind of manga should I create?

What kind of manga will win a competition?

‘I need to follow current trends but also look to the future.’

Drawing a genre that became popular in the late 2010s would be too much. Bringing in material from the distant future might be out of place.

So, let’s think about the near future.

‘What Korean manga became a hit 1-2 years from now?’

I racked my brain, and Lapis appeared, sitting on my desk.

"There are many famous ones in this era."

"Famous ones?"

Lapis showed me two manga books.

Both were Korean works: ‘Gungjeol’ and ‘New Inspector Yi’.

‘Gungjeol’ was a successful romance manga that was even adapted into a drama.

"New Inspector Yi was also a big hit."

A masterpiece by Yun In-sung and Yang Gang-il.

A domestic manga inspired by the concept of Inspector Yi.

It was excellent both in terms of entertainment and as a work of art, even being exported to Japan.

"But it feels wrong to take over these works."

"Of course."

It’s not just a matter of conscience.

It’s absolutely not acceptable.

‘It would also be a disservice to the artist who gained recognition through ‘New Inspector Yi’.’

Moreover, I want to create my own work, not copy someone else’s.

‘What popular Japanese works are there now?’

There were many, but the ones that immediately came to mind were One Piece and Naruto.

And Bleach, which will start serialization in a year.

These are known as the ‘Big Three’ of Jump, which dominated the era.

‘Let’s use these as inspiration.’

What if I combine these elements appropriately?

A sudden idea came to me.

The common point between Naruto, Bleach, and New Inspector Yi.

‘Eastern themes.’

Naruto is about ninjas, Bleach is about soul reapers, and New Inspector Yi is about secret inspectors.

All of them have an Eastern perspective.

‘And Naruto hasn’t even entered Korea yet.’

The current date is May 2000.

‘Naruto’ will be imported to Korea in a month.

Naruto, which became a global hit, started serialization in Japan in 1999 and will begin in Korea in June this year.

‘It was a hit globally despite its Japanese setting.’

But what about a Korean setting?

‘There’s no guarantee that a Korean setting will be popular in Japan.’

There are no examples of Korean themes being successful in Japanese manga.

‘New Inspector Yi’ worked because the concept of a secret inspector existed in Japanese history.

A completely Korean setting might affect its export to Japan.

‘It might be premature to assume it will work, but I need to consider it.’

Overseas export.

It’s always on my mind.

My goal is to be the best in the world.

To achieve that, I need to think carefully.

‘What theme will work well in Korea, Japan, and overseas?’

I stretched out on my desk, and an idea struck me.

"Maybe I should just mix them all together?"