NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 6
The following morning.
Around nine o’clock, Hayoon woke up, reheated the leftover perilla leaf soup from the night before for breakfast, freshened her palate with some fruit, brushed her teeth, and returned to her room.
“Hmm…”
Then, she buried her face in her arm and sniffed.
The uniquely feminine, fresh scent of her skin ascended.
It smelled so sweet that it seemed like she could go her whole life without washing and not lose this fragrance.
However, while Hayoon’s skin might be fragrant, her clothes were another story.
“Ugh…”
The pink pajama shirt she had been wearing for three days straight was starting to signal that it needed washing. Hayoon prepared some fresh underwear and went into the bathroom to shower.
Once she returned to her room, she stared for a while at her reflection in the mirror, now wearing pink lingerie.
“Strange, it feels like I’m getting more used to this somehow… I shouldn’t be feeling so natural about it…”
With a heavy sigh, she finished putting on her pajama pants and shirt.
“Let’s work. Work.”
She had eaten, showered, and changed her clothes, so now it was time to seriously get to work. Hayoon gathered the goods boxes she had piled in a corner of the room and dragged them next to her desk. She placed the pre-opened packaging of the drawing pad and acrylic stand on the clean desk.
Next, after attaching her phone to a stand so that it filmed from above, she heard the recording start tone and began prefacing her message.
“I apologize.”
The title of the post that would accompany this video was an apology.
#
After the high-speed growth phase came to an end, Korea began to grow desolate.
And the place where this phenomenon was most evident was the internet.
If you stayed silent on a certain issue, you were faulted for being silent; if you apologized, you were condemned for apologizing—such was the internet.
They even say in the entertainment world:
“Why apologize? It’s just like advertising that you want people to criticize you.”
Thus, at this point when the act of ‘apologizing’ in Korea had lost its inherent value,
it was golden Saturday afternoon at 2 PM.
An apology post surfaced on the Girl War Gallery.
The writer was a newcomer artist who was about to set up a booth at the December Comic Market for the first time.
She was also the artist who had stirred up controversy the night before over the advance payment notice…
“Posting an apology, huh? She’s just asking for it!”
M4 Agabang Security Guard, who had been scrolling through communities while scratching their stomach in the corner of the room, scoffed at Hayoon’s move.
All of the moderators who had previously apologized for not properly managing the Girl War Gallery had already been ousted in the forum and disappeared into the annals of history.
In the internet world, apologizing was like declaring oneself a masochist asking for punishment, and the newcomer artist was starting to seem submissive as if she had no backbone, just like one would expect from a rookie.
“Kind of disappointing…”
To M4 Agabang Security Guard, who had been consistently active on the Girl War Gallery for 461 consecutive days, this blatant ignorance of the community’s norms was far from appealing…
“Hm?”
Expected to only repeat insincere and empty “I’m sorry” statements, the post instead had a video attached to it.
The video was titled “Apology.”
Setting aside the actual apology, what caught attention was that it had been made into a video…
“Perfect for personal attacks.”
It looked amateurish, too.
There would certainly be plenty of people who would tear it down mercilessly, criticizing the pronunciation or the tone of voice.
“Damn, what’s she trying to do with this?”
For M4 Agabang Security Guard, who had already made a prepayment of 75,000 won for reservation of some goods the previous day, this was all quite worrying.
The image of Hayoon making a short apology, getting a lot of hate, and then no-showing for the December Comic Market loomed in their mind, driving them mad…
[Sorry.]
“What?”
For some reason…
Instead of the gruff male voice that was expected in the video, a clear, feminine voice was heard.
Not only was the voice beautiful, but the pronunciation was perfect as well, leaving M4 Agabang Security Guard completely astonished…
[“Many of you asked why we need advance payment for the kimono acrylic stand and the swimsuit scroll mount. Well, I place orders based on the order in which the illustrations are completed, and I realized that my schedule was a little too tight…]
Hayoon gave a detailed explanation of her current situation.
[“Right now, I’m receiving support through uploading artwork on Pixiv Fanbox and Patreon…”]
During the explanation, a few screenshots of artwork Hayoon had posted on her Pixiv account appeared on screen.
This was a carefully edited apology video, and all the main characters in the artwork were from the game “Girl War,” designed to appeal to the Girl War Gallery users.
The apology video continued amidst this meticulous and calculated approach.
[“Typically, funds from sponsorships are transferred to the account at the end of the month, and for bulk orders of acrylic stands and drawing pads, it can also take over a month depending on the supplier’s conditions…”]
Hayoon used her damp voice to emotionally appeal that if she doesn’t have the funds coming in, the physical time required to produce the goods in bulk would be insufficient.
[“As the volume increases, the production time for goods also extends, so I judged that using the advance payment method to the fullest is the best way to provide goods to as many people as possible on the day of the comic market…”]
“Ahh…”
As the explanations in the continuing apology video unfolded, M4 Agabang Security Guard sighed.
Due to their own robust physique, M4 Agabang Security Guard rarely had experience mingling with female friends.
To begin with, playing with the boys was more enjoyable, and it was even more fulfilling and fun to lie around in the room, playing games, or reading doujinshi and engaging in reverse shipping (reselling items for profit) of HK-M4.
“So, there’s nothing else she can do.”
That’s why?
M4 Agabang Security Guard perceived Hayoon’s actions as a “misunderstanding” stemming from a lack of understanding about the community.
They vaguely concluded that since women are generally kind and sensitive, she likely wanted to share her art-made goods with as many people as possible, accepting the necessity of the advance payment policy.
-“Ah, if there’s no production budget, what can she do?”
-“I heard it costs at least ten thousand won just to make a drawing pad or a frame base. Ordering 100 means 1 million won; it’s not a small amount.”
-“That’s right. With a monthly salary of 2.5 million won, after tax, it’s half, and making just a few of such things would use up two months’ salary.”
When they paused the video briefly, scrolled down, and looked at the comments, most of the other users had long forgiven the initial uproar.
Men being softer on women is like an instinct ingrained in their genes, and Girl War users were no different.
“Hmm, isn’t it fine if she just makes good products? Yesterday, I also doubted her intentions, but why was it so chaotic?”
Even though they had initially questioned Hayoon’s intentions, now M4 Agabang Security Guard had turned into someone leading the criticism against the previous turmoil.
“Because production costs are quite high… I just couldn’t handle it with the money I had saved…”
Hayoon held up a large acrylic stand on her white, smooth arm to show the real item.
It made sense now why she made a video; she was trying to show the status of the goods that have already been placed on order.
“Wow, this does justify the high cost…”
Upon seeing that, M4 Agabang Security Guard, with their mouth agape, stared at the acrylic stand in the video.
An oversized acrylic stand comparable in size to figurines.
Many doujin artists avoid ordering such large acrylic stands due to production costs, but here was a newcomer making a bold move for her first booth next month.
“Her advance payment for production is justified. Those fools causing trouble are the problem. What else did they have to do on Friday night?”
M4 Agabang Security Guard, who didn’t have any large acrylic stand goods in their display cabinet, was now fully converted into Hayoon’s loyal supporter and took every opportunity to criticize those who spoke against her.
“And if a few of you noticed, the pad under me is also one of the goods I’ll be selling. The material is incredibly sturdy, and the print is sharp, so it’s great for display without actually using it.”
“Khh…!”
Between the perfect quality of the illustrations shown every time and the finishing touches of the goods, the viewer couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“I’m definitely looking forward to seeing you again next year. Definitely.”
Considering what it might feel like to visit Hayoon’s booth in a month and receive the goods, what those yet-to-be-revealed two items might feel like in person,
Would they look great in the display, she wondered.
These thoughts continued, and M4 Agabang Security Guard’s loyalty to Hayoon’s booth soared.
Not yet finished, it seemed.
“But, since I caused some trouble… I thought about how I could atone, and I figured holding an event would be good?”
A nuclear bomb had just exploded.
“So, I thought I’d give away one of the items introduced in this apology message through a lottery.”
An event giving away free merchandise.
For hardcore collectors cramming their rooms with merchandise, this was an event they’d participate in with gleaming eyes.
#
That evening.
“Ah, it’s like this.”
Hayoon smiled looking at the growing followers on Pixiv and the gradually increasing numbers of FanBox and Patreon supporters, a grin she couldn’t hide.
Her art style and the quality of her work have long been commercially validated.
What she needed now was a chance to attract new followers, a promotional opportunity to convert as many people as possible into potential customers.
The Girl War Gallery was fulfilling this role admirably.
In less than a day, her followers on Pixiv had increased by nearly 300, and newly acquired supporters had surpassed ten.
-Yumnaaa…
-Huuu…
And then, the “good vibe girls” who appreciated her simply because she’s a woman.
Rarely said, but being a woman is definitely an advantage in the doujin world.
In the 2020s, even men pretend to be women by using virtual avatars in broadcasts, and if you’re a “real woman” making things they want to buy?
Not to mention, the quality is excellent.
Even if the price conditions are the same, wallets naturally open wider for female artists than male artists.
-“I’ve been saying this since yesterday, the quality is insanely good, seriously.
-“Aside from quality, the size of the acrylic stand alone is something you must buy.
-“True, lately, savvy young people who calculate the profit and loss of merchandise have been increasing, so such items are rarely made anymore.
-“This person really deserves to make a lot of money.
-“I’m happy to see someone who truly loves ‘Girl War’.
The result?
Despite the title “Apology,” the comments were overwhelmingly filled with praise for Hayoon.
The blatant compliments and attention she never experienced in her male persona made Hayoon’s mouth curl up into a big smile.
“Ah, these pretty things. Nobody sucks up as well as they do when they’re willing to flatter me.”
Feeling unusually elated, Hayoon replied to a few suitable comments, entering a phase of personal satisfaction and image making when…
-Do you do cosplay? Lot of cosplayers come to comic markets these days. I’ve heard some booth operators also do cosplay.
Someone crossed a line without noticing.
└Ah, another crazy fan rushing ahead.
└These types always show up, don’t worry about them, Miss Author…
While various comments were criticizing that person…
“Hmm… If pre-sales revenue looks like it’s going well, I might want to express my gratitude by doing cosplay… should I…?”
Hayoon tried to half-joke with a hint of tease, but…
└????
└Is she really going to do it?
└Exactly how much?
“What? Why are they so persistent…?”
This time, the other comments started fixating on the cosplay.
└So how much.
└Answer.
To be honest, it was scary.
It was scary, but…
“Damn… I don’t want to back down from this vibe…”
This kind of viral chance might not come again, and it would be a shame to crawl away now.