Chapter 8 – Are You a Gangster?
Samuel Ko.
A famous editor from Horizon Cultural Publishing.
Among writers, he was known by two terrifying nicknames:
"The Manuscript Loan Shark."
"The Deadline Grim Reaper."
Both names came from his unique appearance and his brutal working style.
—Editor Samuel Ko? No, I don't want him. Please change the person in charge.
—That guy? Didn't you say he once barged into your house just to collect a manuscript?
Anyone who had worked with him had probably heard his favorite phrase at least once.
"If you're going to die anyway, finish the manuscript first."
Because of that, Samuel Ko was considered a walking disaster among established writers.
A person to avoid.
A landmine.
Someone you never wanted to meet when your deadline was approaching.
But despite all of that…
Andrew respected him.
Sure, Samuel looked somewhat evil.
Actually…
More than somewhat.
But he was also the person who discovered Andrew's work, Life at the Bottom, and gave him the chance to become a professional cartoonist.
For Andrew, that opportunity was everything.
Samuel was the reason he was able to keep eating while drawing comics.
To put it simply…
If Samuel asked Andrew to become his guarantor, Andrew would hesitate for a moment.
But if Samuel asked to borrow two million won?
Andrew would probably give him five hundred thousand without hesitation.
That was how much Andrew trusted him.
However…
That was that.
And this was this.
"No."
Andrew answered firmly.
Samuel's expression immediately twisted.
"Ah, why not?"
"Why?"
Andrew pointed at him.
"No, seriously. Two days? You want me to finish a sixteen-page short story in two days?"
He shook his head.
"No. I won't."
Then he corrected himself.
"No, I can't."
"Please, Andrew."
Samuel grabbed his hands dramatically.
"Writer Nathan caught a terrible case of the flu. We need someone to fill the empty slot somehow."
He looked desperate.
"Right now, you're the only person available."
"Are you serious?"
Andrew stared at him.
"Do you think manuscripts are jokes?"
"Please. I'm begging you."
"What kind of perseverance is this supposed to be?"
Samuel's voice had a strangely charming quality.
Which was weird.
Because his appearance was anything but charming.
With his intimidating face, he looked like someone who would threaten people in a back alley.
Yet here he was…
Begging for a manuscript.
From the side, Johan watched the scene quietly.
He rubbed his chin.
'So basically…'
'The magazine has a flat tire, and he wants Andrew to fix it.'
And in only two days?
That was definitely unreasonable.
Andrew had barely managed to finish this week's manuscript.
How could he suddenly create an entire sixteen-page story?
Of course, some people might say:
"Just do it."
But…
For some reason—
Thump.
Johan's heart started beating faster.
His forehead felt warm.
A thought naturally appeared.
'That sounds fun.'
A short story.
Unlike a long series, a short story had to contain an entire beginning, middle, and ending in a limited amount of pages.
Character development had to be efficient.
Every scene had to matter.
The idea itself had to be strong enough to carry the entire story.
In his previous life, Johan became a cartoonist late.
Because of that, short stories were something he rarely touched.
Especially traditional magazine comics.
Maybe that was why…
'I want to try it.'
Just imagining one of his short stories being printed in black and white…
Someone actually holding the magazine and reading his work…
A strange excitement spread through his chest.
But…
'No.'
Johan shook his head slightly.
This was Andrew's work.
Not his.
Even if he wanted to try it…
There was no way Samuel would ask a middle school student to create a professional manuscript.
While Johan was calming himself down—
The argument continued.
"Writer Andrew, please."
"No."
"I'll give you lots of Melona."
"What does ice cream have to do with this?!"
"You like Melona."
"I said no!"
The two continued arguing.
Meanwhile, Ethan stood nearby with an annoyed expression.
"Wait…"
He looked between them.
"Are we still getting pork belly?"
Nobody answered.
"Seriously?"
Ethan sighed.
"Isn't pork belly the important part here?"
"New writer!"
Samuel ignored him completely.
"Please reconsider!"
Andrew grabbed Samuel's shoulders.
"Stop clinging to me!"
Samuel refused to let go.
Finally, Samuel scratched his head.
"Hmm…"
He sighed.
"So you really won't do it?"
"It's not that I don't want to."
Andrew crossed his arms.
"It's impossible."
"A sixteen-page short story in two days…"
He glared.
"Does that sound normal to you?"
Samuel became quiet.
Then…
He stepped back.
"Alright."
Andrew blinked.
"Huh?"
"I understand."
Samuel sighed.
"I was asking too much."
Andrew relaxed slightly.
"Good. At least you understand."
Samuel nodded.
"Then let's forget about that."
He paused.
"And move on to the real reason I came here."
Andrew frowned.
"The real reason?"
"Yes."
Samuel's expression changed.
The playful atmosphere disappeared.
His voice became serious.
He reached inside his flight jacket.
Then he pulled out an envelope.
"Andrew."
"This is why I came today."
The sudden change in his tone surprised everyone.
Johan watched carefully.
'What happened?'
Andrew accepted the envelope suspiciously.
His eyebrows tightened.
He opened it.
Then—
"…"
His eyes widened.
He blinked several times.
"Editor…"
His voice became quiet.
"What is this?"
Samuel looked away.
"Yeah."
"That's what happened."
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Ethan noticed the mood and slowly approached.
"Sir…"
"What is it?"
Andrew quickly hid the document.
"Nothing."
But Johan had already seen it.
Only for a moment.
Only a few words.
But enough.
His expression hardened.
Notice of Serialization Termination.
Johan's eyebrows slowly furrowed.
He looked at Andrew.
The trembling eyes.
The helpless expression.
The way his lips moved but no words came out.
'Did you already expect this?'
Was this something Andrew had been afraid of all along?
Ethan leaned closer.
"Can I see—"
Smack!
Johan hit Ethan lightly on the head.
"Ow! Why did you hit me?"
"Watch your timing."
"What did I do?"
Ethan rubbed his head with an innocent expression.
Samuel looked at Andrew calmly.
"Now that it's decided…"
"Please finish the manuscript by next week."
He bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry."
Andrew's shoulders slowly sank.
It looked as if all his strength had left his body.
Even Ethan, who had been talking about pork belly just moments ago, noticed the atmosphere and quietly stopped.
"Haa…"
Andrew let out a small sigh.
"It's not easy."
His voice was filled with regret and bitterness.
He stared blankly at the cabinet for a while before finally looking forward again.
"Okay. I understand."
Samuel's expression darkened.
"Andrew…"
"Just go back."
Andrew forced a calm smile.
"Let's end it here."
Samuel looked at him with a complicated expression.
"Andrew…"
But Andrew turned away.
"Kids, let's go."
"Uncle…"
Ethan noticed the mood and hesitated.
Johan closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.
'This atmosphere…'
He had never personally experienced a serialization cancellation.
After all, his life as a cartoonist only began much later.
But he could imagine what it felt like.
A story you poured your heart into.
Characters you created.
A world you wanted to complete.
And then someone else decides that it ends.
Maybe the most painful thing for a creator was…
Not being able to finish the story they wanted to tell.
Johan looked at Andrew.
They had only known each other for a few days.
They weren't close enough to call each other friends.
But watching another creator lose the chance to finish his work made his heart feel heavy.
'But what can I do?'
The publisher had the final authority.
The editor could only fight so much.
The writer had no choice but to accept reality.
Especially in 2005.
The Korean comics industry was struggling.
Webtoons had not yet appeared, and traditional magazine comics were slowly declining.
Publishers had to make decisions based on survival.
At that moment, Ethan carefully opened his mouth.
"Uncle…"
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well… if things work out, we can eat pork belly later."
Andrew looked at him.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
He walked over and placed his hands on Ethan and Johan's shoulders.
"It's okay."
Andrew smiled.
"This kind of thing happens often to cartoonists."
"Really?"
"That's what I'm saying."
Andrew gently pushed them forward.
"So let's go. I'm hungry."
The three of them began walking toward the villa entrance.
Samuel watched their backs silently.
Then—
"Damn it…"
His voice stopped them.
Andrew's footsteps froze.
Behind him, Samuel's face was red with frustration.
"Are you really okay with this?"
Silence.
"You said this work was important to you."
Samuel's voice trembled.
"You said you cherished this story."
He clenched his fists.
"So why are you pretending everything is fine?"
Andrew slowly turned around.
"Editor Samuel."
His voice became sharp.
"What exactly do you want me to do?"
Samuel remained silent.
"If I complain, will the publisher change their decision?"
"…"
"Will crying in front of you bring my series back?"
The lobby became completely silent.
Samuel lowered his head.
Then he spoke.
"Write a short story."
Andrew froze.
"A short story?"
He stared at Samuel in disbelief.
"Are you joking?"
"If you do it…"
Samuel took a deep breath.
"I'll try to stop the cancellation."
Andrew's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Neither the readers nor the editors want the magazine to collapse."
Samuel looked directly at him.
"If you can give them a reason to believe in this work again…"
He paused.
"Then I'll have a reason to fight."
"A reason?"
"Yes."
Samuel's eyes became sharp.
"To grab the editor-in-chief by the collar."
"To flip the desk."
"To do whatever it takes."
Andrew stared at him.
"…"
"Do you think I'm making an empty promise?"
Samuel spoke firmly.
"Have I ever lied to you about work?"
Silence.
"If you do me this favor…"
Samuel clenched his fist.
"I'll stop the cancellation."
His expression was serious.
Those words didn't sound like a joke.
Even Ethan, who was standing nearby, felt a chill.
But Andrew didn't look away.
After staring at Samuel for a long time, he finally closed his eyes.
Then he sighed.
"Fine."
Samuel looked surprised.
"But let me ask you something."
Andrew opened his eyes.
"Does that actually solve the problem?"
His voice became heavier.
"You're asking me to create a 16-page short story in two days."
He pointed toward the studio.
"The assistants are gone."
"This week's manuscript was barely completed."
"And now you want me to make another finished story?"
Andrew shook his head.
"If something like that was possible…"
His expression turned bitter.
"Why would I have struggled every week just to meet deadlines?"
Samuel said nothing.
"I want to save this work."
Andrew lowered his head.
"But this is impossible."
That was when—
"Try it."
A clear voice came from beside him.
Andrew turned his head.
Johan was standing there, staring at him with shining eyes.
"Let's make the short story."
Andrew froze.
"If we work together…"
Johan smiled slightly.
"There's no way we can't finish 16 pages in two days, right?"
Andrew stared at him.
Completely speechless.
What did this kid just say?