Chapter 5

I am a writer, Chapter 005

Chapter 5

'Hmm, what should I do with this? Should I rewrite it using the most certain element, regression?'

After seeing the nostalgic prologue, I fell into deep thought.

To write a prologue with impact.

The first idea that came to mind was 'regression.'

Regression.

This was the universal key that modern fantasy writers, who had failed miserably in this era but suddenly boomed after 2010, used to add more novelty.

People always regret.

Each time, they ask the same question.

'What if I had done this back then?'

It's a common imagination and question that everyone has at least once.

The best element to capture this was 'regression.'

But I shook my head.

"No, it might be too ahead of its time."

Every writer dreams of a hit.

What's important to achieve that?

Is good writing alone enough?

Of course, good writing has the power to lead readers.

But good writing alone isn't enough to create a hit.

Timing and luck are necessary for everything in life.

Although regression later became a hit, it was very difficult to see it as such in this era.

How else would readers mistake the first work that used regression, 'Return Life,' published by Green Forest in 2008, as the first of its kind?

In fact, there were quite a few works that used regression before 2008.

They were just buried because modern fantasy wasn't popular, and regression in fantasy wasn't perceived as attractive by readers.

Therefore, using regression now wasn't a good idea.

I would just fail at a bad time with a wrong choice.

I had already been thoroughly irritated by the garbage-like Yang Section Chief, and if I started a serial and failed, I wouldn't be able to hold my head up.

Moreover, if I started to rewrite it with regression, I would have to remove and reassemble a lot of the story, which wasn't a good choice.

In the end, I gave up on the regression element.

"Hmm."

After giving up on the regression element, I fell into deep thought about how to write the prologue.

After much consideration, I came up with a unique idea.

"Right! Let's do it this way!"

I quickly moved the mouse.

The prologue, which was about 5,000 characters long.

I dragged it all with the left mouse button.

The white background of the word processor turned black, and the black text turned white.

I boldly pressed the backspace button.

Click!

The word processor revealed its white skin as if it had never had a tattoo.

On the white skin of the word processor, I inscribed a new tattoo.

Prologue

I will become an emperor.

A single line of tattoo under the name 'Prologue.'

Clean and simple.

I smiled contentedly.

"Good, let's do it this way."

Honestly, readers might have mixed reactions to this.

A single line.

It could seem insincere or a summary in one line.

But it was the most impactful prologue I had imagined.

In fact, single-line prologues became popular later.

Readers' reactions were better than expected.

The prologue, following the title, effectively conveyed what the author wanted to show.

Of course, it was just a trend.

When one author hit it big with a single-line prologue, others followed suit, but the impact diminished once someone had done it creatively.

Now, I planned to be the first to show this to readers.

It wasn't bound by the times.

An impactful single-line prologue.

It had the greatest influence in the paid serial market, but its power couldn't be ignored in the current paper book market.

With that, I planned to revise from Chapter 1 onwards.

With my Midas touch, which had lifted many authors to success.

Then.

Ding-dong!

A sound like a xylophone came from the speakers.

"Ah, this is a nostalgic sound."

The nostalgic sound.

It was the sound that played when a friend started a conversation on the messenger 'BunnyBunny.'

A messenger that eventually failed due to the emergence of problematic chat rooms.

A nostalgic avatar in underwear sent a message.

The nickname of the sender was 'Choi Jangjeong.'

It was the ID of my closest friend 'Jangjeong,' who was preparing to become a tax accountant.

It still sounds really childish.

But I wasn't in a position to criticize.

My BunnyBunny nickname was 'JungkyungBlick.'

A nickname combining my name with the game 'Diablo2' that I and my friends enjoyed before joining the military.

Both Jangjeong and I were shocked by our childish nicknames.

'I need to switch to NaverOn or MFN quickly.'

These were the messengers most people switched to from BunnyBunny.

Initially, MFN, and later NaverOn, were used for business by many in the publishing industry.

Anyway, Jangjeong asked me through BunnyBunny.

- Hey, you didn't forget, right?

- What?

- The blind date we agreed to have tomorrow.

"Blind date? Ah!"

At first, I didn't know what he meant, but when I heard 'blind date,' I remembered.

The wrong first step that ruined my life.

- Is it a girl named Kang So-young?

Kang So-young.

My wife's name.

Thinking about it, I had a blind date with Kang So-young the day after I signed a contract with Green Forest Publishing.

- Yeah, I said we'd meet at Burger King at Shinchon Station at twelve for a quick lunch. Then we'll go to a cafe for some coffee, and I'll quietly leave, so you do your best.

Right, Jangjeong ate a hamburger with me and went to a cafe, then left, saying he had something to do.

We played bowling, had dinner, and had a few drinks.

Then we went to a karaoke bar, had some beer, and shared feelings through love songs.

"Right, the problem was that we went to a motel on the first blind date and had sex. I should have just sent her home."

We used a condom, so I was sure we had proper protection.

But after about three months of writing, Kang So-young told me she was pregnant.

It was a bombshell for me.

"Ultimately, it wasn't my child. Sigh, thinking about it makes me angry."

Unconsciously, I put my hand in my pocket.

Habitually reaching for a cigarette that I no longer had.

I remembered that I had decided to quit smoking.

"Ah, I decided not to smoke anymore."

I pulled my hand out of my pocket, which was aimlessly wandering.

"Anyway, what should I do tomorrow?"

The blind date with Kang So-young.

I thought about not going at all.

But it would be a pity not to go.

Although it wasn't the current Kang So-young, she was the woman who had ruined my life.

If I could, I would have killed her.

Filled with murderous intent, I shook my head.

"No, I can't waste this golden opportunity to return to the past just because of a woman like her."

I tried to suppress the rising murderous intent and thought about what to do tomorrow.

"Should I just pour water on her?"

A common act in dramas where women do to cheating boyfriends.

But it wouldn't be satisfying enough.

"Should I just bring a head of kimchi?"

A famous internet meme.

That might be satisfying.

"Hah, it's a waste of time. After all, she's just a woman from the past, and she has nothing to do with me now."

Still, I should give her a taste of it.

"Let's just let the wind blow."

Deciding what to do with Kang So-young, I called Jangjeong.

- Hey, Jangjeong.

- What?

- I'll just meet her at Burger King.

- What? Is that okay?

- You'll probably find it annoying anyway, right?

- If you two can handle it, it's easier for me. Then I'll make other plans for tomorrow?

- Yeah.

- Okay, I wish you luck.

I sneered at Jangjeong's wish for my blind date to go well.

"Good luck, my ass."

I had no intention of going.

I didn't want to waste this golden opportunity to return to the past on a woman like her.

Jangjeong would be furious if I stood her up, but I already had a plan in my head.

It was a waste even now.

Spending time on Kang So-young.

I touched the manuscript again.

Kang So-young was one thing, but my current goal was more important.

The goal to crush Section Chief Yang.

***

"Ugh, I'm exhausted."

The weak voice that came out of my mouth after staying up all night.

I had revised all the roughly written content.

Since I had no plans to go out today, I could sleep as much as I wanted.

The story itself wasn't bad.

It was just that the sentences and paragraphs were too long to read smoothly.

I spent the whole night revising them.

After finishing the manuscript, I looked at the clock in the bottom right corner of the monitor.

11:50.

I smiled.

"Let's wait now."

My wife, Kang So-young, was smarter than I thought.

I realized her cunning only right before her death, but from her usual behavior, I could tell she had a sharp mind.

It wasn't far from Dangsan to Shinchon.

So I arrived at 11:55, 5 minutes before the scheduled time.

But when I got there, Kang So-young was already seated.

Even though I arrived 5 minutes early, I apologized for being late and entered with a disadvantage. After a passionate night, I asked her the next morning over breakfast.

How long had she been waiting for me?

She had been there since 11:50, exactly 10 minutes before the scheduled time.

When I asked why, she answered like this.

"If Mr. Jungkyung had been there first, I would have seemed like a punctual woman, and if I had arrived later, like yesterday, I would have felt guilty and paid more attention to you."

That's right.

It wasn't just about being early or late.

She had a plan.

"Ha, thanks to you, I had to wait 10 more minutes. When you realize you've been stood up, you'll feel pretty bad."

Thinking about Kang So-young waiting and getting stood up made me happy.

Moreover, I had finished revising the manuscript.

I got up from my seat and headed to the bed, not caring if I had a 12:00 appointment or not.

"Let's take a nap and wake up, shall we?"

"Ugh, I slept well."

I fell asleep around 12:00 and woke up around 3:00.

Maybe because my body had changed but my mind remained the same?

The habit of taking short naps as an editor made me wake up after a few hours even when I tried to sleep normally.

But despite not sleeping much, I felt refreshed.

"Is this what it feels like to have a young body?"

Anyway, since I felt so refreshed,