Prologue

Ta-tak! Tak! Ta-da-tak! Tak, tak!

The sound of keys tapping continuously resonated in the small room.

The hour hand on the clock was already pointing at twelve. Outside the window next to the desk lay pitch-black darkness—it was midnight.

Jaegun Ha took his hands off the keyboard for a moment and pressed both pulsing temples. He had been writing nonstop from morning till midnight, without taking a break, for two consecutive days. The back of his neck, his lower back, and both wrists were extremely sore.

He went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water, something he had already done more than ten times. Yet, the lingering heat on his face refused to go away.

It’s almost done... Let’s try a little more.

He returned to the computer and opened the document information for the novel he was writing: a total of 124,331 characters.

Now he just needed to write about 15,000 more characters to reach the length required for a full book, and therefore begin the first installment of his second series. This novel was under contract with a publication company. He had to send it to the editor by tomorrow morning.

Finishing it would take about six hours at the longest.

I used to easily write over 3,000 characters per hour.

It didn’t seem to be a matter of his physical health.

Jaegun was still twenty-seven years old, too young to attribute his slowed writing speed to a decline in health. In his mind, the fundamental issue lay elsewhere.

He wanted to write what he loved.

This was the issue that constantly tormented him. However, when he thought about the harsh reality, he knew he couldn’t write freely. He had to focus on what would sell books—what would be necessary to put food on the table and pay rent.

Unfortunately, determining what kind of writing sells was a puzzle Jaegun couldn’t solve.

Despite attempting to align with trends and heeding his editor’s advice countless times, he couldn’t get the hang of producing the kind of content that resonated with the market.

Jaegun looked around his shabby studio room while sipping his coffee. With barely any furniture, the room felt empty, as if he were still in the process of moving in.

He had acquired the essential electronics from the thrift store after haggling repeatedly. Lacking even a water machine, he’d resorted to drinking boiled water or purchasing water bottles during emergencies. The used refrigerator emitted an annoying noise, almost as if it were mocking him.

Let’s not get discouraged. This one will do well. I put so much effort into writing it.

Jaegun cheered himself up by slapping his cheek. He thought about his mother and older sister, who would be praying for him even in their dreams.

He couldn’t afford to waste any time.

Ta-tak! Ta-da-tak...!

Jaegun drank the remaining coffee in one gulp and returned to tapping the keyboard.

His reflection appeared on the white monitor screen, revealing a face so emaciated that the skin seemed almost glued to the bone.