Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl


"Can I watch other authors write?" 

"Of course," Nam Kyung said, writing a text message to someone on his phone in a hurry. Then, he suddenly looked up at Juho and asked, "Would you like a separate event for yourself? If you're open to participating in events like that, we can always go bigger." 

"No, thanks," Juho said, shaking his head emphatically. Although smacking his lips, Nam Kyung seemed stoked that the young author was on board.

"Should we go to a drive-in theater or something?" he asked, looking like he was in a great mood. Instead of giving an answer, Juho drank his coffee quietly. Shortly after putting his phone back in his pocket, Nam Kyung explained the event in even greater details to Juho, from the schedules to the format, along with Juho's responsibility as a participating author. While listening to his editor talk, Juho wondered, 'Who will I see at the event?' 

"Hello!" 

Before the event officially started, Zelkova held a celebration after they had found enough authors to participate. Having arrived ten minutes earlier than he had planned, Juho ran into Nam Kyung as soon as he walked into the building. 

"Hi, where are the others?" 

"They're inside."

Juho rushed to the conference room when he found out that he had arrived last.

"This way," Nam Kyung said, leading him toward the room, the same room in which Juho had had to decide which overseas interview to take part in. As the door opened, the same, familiar interior appeared. The only difference was that there were four other authors in the room aside from Juho, Sung Pil being one of them.

"Mr. Woo! Welcome!" a familiar person greeted the young author. It was the director of the editing department. After shaking hands, the director started out with small talk. 

"It's hot out, isn't it?"

"Yes. The Sun is quite hot today." 

As Juho talked to the director, he felt piercing gazes fixed on him like arrows. After that, he took a seat next to Sung Pil.

"Hello," Juho greeted him. After staring intently at Juho for a little while, Sung Pil greeted the author back, "Hello." 

Seeing his thick eyebrows at the conference room of a publishing company made for a different experience. 

"Why don't you all spend some time getting to know each other a little bit?" Nam Kyung suggested quietly, and the oldest looking author in the group replied, brushing his thin hair back with his hand across his balding head, "Should we?" 

"I won the Rookie of the Year Award the year before you, Mr. Woo. I run a small indoor fishing pond now." 

Appearing to be in his mid-thirties at the oldest, the man seemed as generous as the size of his forehead. With that, the turn to speak naturally went to the person next to him. 

"I debuted a couple of years ago. Since there wasn't a winner last year, I suppose that would make me the second from the last person to win the award," she said, making a 'V' sign with her fingers. There were silver rings on four of her fingers, making it look like she was spreading them all. 

"I won the award the year before the gentleman sitting next to me, but I ended up moving to the US to study abroad," the man next to her said, crossing his arms. Wearing a hairdo that split at a ratio of two-to-eight, the man had a very tactful fashion sense. Then, looking in Juho's direction, he added, "I really enjoyed your books, Mr. Woo. Thanks to you, I didn't have to worry about forgetting my Korean during my time at the States." Despite the complimentary words, his piercing gaze made him look quite unwelcoming. While Juho was busy thinking of an answer, Sung Pil rose from his seat in order to introduce himself, "I won the Rookie of the Year Award this year. Pleasure to meet you all." 

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," the fishing pond owner said. Similarly, Silver Rings also let out a hearty laugh. Unlike the two, the student abroad was pouting as if disgruntled by Juho's lack of response. Sung Pill sat back down after sharing a few more things about himself, and naturally, the turn went to Juho, who introduced himself in his usual manner. 

"Hello. Yun Woo. As for when I won the award, I believe it's already come up once, so I'll go ahead and leave that part out. My real name is Juho Woo, but please feel free to call me as you wish. It's a pleasure to meet you all." 

There was a brief and awkward pause as Juho finished speaking. As if everyone was comparing themselves to each other, the room sank into an uncomfortable silence. 

"You know, I was skeptical when I first heard that you were gonna be part of this," the student abroad said, adding, "I didn't think you'd actually agree to participate." That time, he didn't sound aggressive by any means. Rather, he explained himself calmly and honestly.

"Why was that?" Juho asked. 

"It's just that the Rookie of the Year Award sounds so shabby in comparison to what your name entails. You're the winner of not one, but TWO of the most widely recognized literary awards in the world. Our awards might have some significance in this tiny little country we're living in, but at the end of the day, they've got nothing on you." 

As Silver Rings whistled quietly, the fishing pond owner looked toward the Zelkova staff, particularly in the direction of the director of the editing department, who was listening to their conversation unfazed. The other staff members around seemed to be on their toes. However, the student abroad didn't stop there, "It's almost as if a world-class athlete is forced to practice without getting any proper support." 

"Does it seem like I deserve to be in a better environment?" 

"The way I see it, there's not a single event that takes place in this country that suits you." 

"Is that so? That's never really occurred to me before. I am thankful that people are still willing to talk to me though." 

At that, the student abroad narrowed his eyes and said, "I thought Yun Woo was invincible? Why so modest? You've earned your bragging rights, haven't you?" 

"I mean, I could do that, if that's what you want," Juho said, chuckling.

"That won't be necessary. Honestly, part of me wishes that you weren't so successful, but I'm not asking you to prove that you can be arrogant at will." 

As the surrounding staff members listened to the conversation anxiously, Juho changed the subject subtly, "If you really wanna know why I decided to be part of this, then I'd be more than happy to tell you. It's simple. I happened to have a manuscript that I wanted to show my readers."

"... Sounds like you came prepared." 

"You'll just have to find out yourself. Besides, I had a promise to keep with a friend who was drunk at the time," Juho said, shrugging nonchalantly as Sung Pil moved around on his chair timidly. 

"What about you? What's your story?" 

At that, a not-so-pleasant smile appeared on the student abroad's face. 

"Why, I'm honored that you want to know about me. I guess there is hope in this country after all. I decided to participate because I wanted to seize the opportunity. It's just not easy for the younger authors to survive in this industry. My belief is that if you're an author in Korea, you have to grasp opportunities like this." 

Juho noticed the strange pattern in the student abroad's attitude, which often appeared inconsistent with his speech. His compliments were fierce and vicious, while his attacks were indifferent and careless. At the same time, he wasn't afraid to talk openly about things that made him look cowardly. At that moment, Silver Rings raised her hand in a cheerful manner. 

"I came to take part in this because it sounded like a lot of fun. Besides, when I was told Yun Woo was gonna be there, I was sold. Also, part of me wishes that I start getting some gigs if I pull this off," she said, making a rock on gesture with her hand. 

Then, the fishing pond owner chimed in, scratching his head, "I'm here for similar reasons. Sure, I'm not a full-time author, but I've always wanted to be successful as a writer. It's always been a dream of mine. As soon as I become a bestselling author, I'm selling my business." 

After that, Sung Pil opened his mouth to share his reason for participating in the event, "I'm here to win." 

"Win?" the student abroad asked.

"Yes," Sung Pil replied brusquely. Although subtle, it was clear that he was determined not to lose to his friend, and the other authors in the room had to hold a similar feeling. As Sung Pil brought up the subject that everyone had been quietly avoiding, a strange sense of tension surrounded the room. Then, the director spoke up, clapping, "All right, then. I guess that means it's our turn to explain." After handing out some printouts, she started explaining details of the event, including those the authors had already heard. Taking place as part of the Literary History Exhibition, the main point of the event was to show readers the writing processes of the writers who had won the Rookie of the Year Award at some point.

"As for the dates, I believe we've already let you know."

"Yes, you have," the fishing pond owner said. 

"And conveniently, I see that everyone's sitting in the order in which they'll be presenting," the director said, looking around the room at the authors: the fishing pond owner, Silver Rings, the student abroad, Sung Pil, and Yun Woo. 

"All you gotta do is write freely within the allotted time. Each of you will be given a laptop that is connected to a projector, which will show your writing process on a bigger screen in real time. Your readers will be able to experience writing in a way they've never done before," she said, smiling. Although the handful of authors smiled along, none of them were in a position to be able to smile genuinely. 

"If what we write during the event is decent, does that mean you'll consider publishing it?" the student abroad asked. To which, the director said peacefully, "Of course. Making a good piece of writing into a book is our utmost priority." 

Every participant was taking part in the event with their own agenda, and Juho was no different. The desire to write a perfect piece of writing kept popping up in his mind. Although he was fully aware that it was not a good attitude with which to approach writing, he couldn't help himself. Feeling his shoulders tensing up, Juho massaged them on his own. Then, Sung Pil raised his hand and asked, "Are we allowed to watch each others' presentations?" 

"I think we can make that happen. Should you be interested in doing that, please feel free to let me know." 

Next, the fishing pond owner raised his hand, "I have a notebook that I like to write on. Am I allowed to bring it with me?" 

"Yes. You may bring anything as long as it helps you feel more at ease." 

After that, Silver Rings interjected, "What about music?"

"Of course. We will do our absolute best not to limit you all in any way. The more you are yourself, the better." 

"Huh!" Juho let out, catching the director's attention. 

"Will there be reporters?" he asked. 

"Most likely. Your presence at the event will probably attract the media's attention." 

"Will you be announcing who'll presenting on which day?" 

At that, a smile appeared on the director's face, as if she had been waiting for the question. 

"We want to keep it a secret. So, I'd like to ask you all to do your best not to disclose that information to anyone." 

"It sounds like the crowd could chant for Yun Woo while we're going up to the stage." 

Although Juho kept a smile on his face, he saw the determination in others' faces. After all, every author in the room had agreed to participate knowing that Yun Woo would be there with them. 

"I trust that everyone here will do their best. I'm sure this is nerve-wracking, but try to think of it as a walk in the park," the editor said, sending mixed messages. From then on, Nam Kyung took over and explained the event further. What made a great author wasn't how many books they were currently selling, and it was always possible that one of the authors in that room would write a masterpiece. Nobody knew what the future held.

"Well, let's do this," the fishing pond owner said, and the rest of the authors agreed. Wishing success for themselves didn't necessarily mean that they wanted the worst for others, although it naturally tended to appear that way. Every participant looked at each other, burning with the desire to win. 

---

'History of Korean Literature Exhibition Said to be Held at the National Central Exhibition Hall! Winners of Literary Awards Showcase Their Writing Process! This is How They Write. An Opportunity to Meet Yun Woo.'

'An Unreleased Interview of Authors and Critics. A Space to See the Past of Celebrity Authors. Special Events Said to Take Place.'

'Winners of Literary Award Comes Together. The Future of Korean Literature. Yun Woo Reported to Participate."

'Five Authors Stand Before Their Readers. See Their Talent For Yourselves!" 

'Yun Woo's Writing Process Revealed. What Makes This Exhibition Special? The Website Reported to be Down.'

'Where to Get Ticket for the Exhibition. Ways to See Yun Woo? Names of Other Participating Authors Remain Unannounced.'

'"We Want to See Yun Woo Write!" Inquiries Flood Zelkova.'

'The Only Way to Meet Yun Woo? By Coincidence! Order of Presentation Said to be Determined at Random. The Publisher Asks Fans to Receive Their Tickets in Order.'

'The Long Kept Secret of Yun Woo's Skill! The Author Comes Face to Face with Doubts and Conspiracies.'

'How Are the Other Authors Feeling? Would Any of Them Be Able to Attract the Attention of the Fans Away from Yun Woo?'

'This is How Yun Woo's Writing Comes About! Yun Woo Showcases How His Novels Are Born.'

'The Birth of a Special Event. Yun Woo Reported to Participate. The Exhibition Gets a Major Upgrade?'

Yum Woo is the youngest author in history to enter the literature world. His debut work was a massive hit but this success was short lived for the unprepared.

A miraculous second chance comes his way one day.

This is the beginning of that journey.

Eve dreaded this day. She knew that her publisher would want to talk to her personally soon. She may have given them a couple of best-selling books, but one bad book in this very small industry meant career death. With the flop of her third book, her publishers might be meeting her to cut their losses. There were so many new authors popping up online now. Anyone of them can replace her and earn them more money than any of her books could, and she knew that perfectly well.
She sat in the lobby of her publisher's office, desperately scrolling through her phone. She was hoping to find a sensible idea that she could pitch to her publishers—a semblance of working on a new piece that they can use.
Three other authors were in the lobby with her. They were each carrying envelopes probably thick with finished manuscripts, which were bound neatly on the left side and labeled on the front with their names and contact information.
She remembered when she first pitched her book. She had to wait in a lot of lobbies like this one before somebody finally took a chance on her book. 
She looked up at the wall on framed book covers displayed right at the entrance like wallpaper. Her books were right up there: A Dream of Spring, All Your Summers, and even her latest book, August Affairs.
Three books weren't such a bad deal, even if the last one flopped. That would have been enough of an achievement for a writer like herself with nothing to lose when she started. The problem was, she thought that this would be a lucrative career that would keep her alive until she died alone in her condo unit. And no one would discover her body until her neighbors from down the hall call maintenance, asking about a funny smell coming from the old maid's unit down the hall weeks later.
She imagined that she was this Jane Austen-esque character observing and listening attentively in the waiting room while her happily-married nieces swooned over the men they ensnared. 
"Excuse me?" a voice said, waking her from her reverie. She had been staring at her phone and absentmindedly scrolling the whole time.
She saw the image of a woman in a white cocktail dress holding hands with a man wearing a coat over a simple white shirt before putting down her phone to look at the person who called for her attention.
"Yes?" she said to one of the younger authors who was smiling anxiously at her.
"You're Eve Lawrence, right? You wrote All Your Summers?" she said reluctantly. Eve nodded just as reluctantly, drawing the attention of the other two authors in the lobby and the receptionist. The girl transferred to the seat next to Eve. "Summers is why I became a writer! The wedding scene at the end, when it rained on the beach and the couple ran from church… That was just the perfect callback to the first scene…"
"All your wedding scenes are all so dreamy!" another girl chimed in. "Even the one in August Affair."
"Yeah! Where do you get all your ideas for weddings?"
"Are you married? What was your wedding like? What's your ideal wedding?" 
"Are you pitching a new book?"
"I… uh… I'm…" Even stammered and looked to the receptionist for help.
The receptionist approached their little group and said, "Ms. Lawrence, please follow me" with a friendly, understanding smile on her face. The girls groaned and each stole a touch on her forearm.
Eve looked up and mouthed "thank you" and then looked at the girls, "I need to go now. Thank you so much…"

The second section was a discussion panel.

Miss Sea, along with several other authors would be discussing about 'The Future of Imagination'. This was scheduled for two hours.

It was being held at a large conference room.

Chairs were set up on the stage for the authors and there was also a tall table that was set up for the moderator.

The conference room was soon filled with people. Each of the authors sitting here had accumulated huge numbers of fans on their own. So imagine the size of the crowd would be when all of these authors sat together.

The crowd was so huge, that all the chairs were fully occupied. Some of them even had to stand on the side or sit at the front.

The discussion progressed really well. The interactive session was full of fun and it even felt like a class room with a lot of close friends.

They shared the same interests and had similar knowledge.

They had a good laugh together.

Unknowingly, some authors gave out different surprises due to the happy mood.

One author broke the news about a sequel from her best selling novel from two years ago. The crowd went wild because they assumed she had retired.

Another author also spilled a secret that her next novel would have two female characters served as lead, instead of only one.

Overall, the people attending this panel discussion left with an abundance of secrets and new knowledge. They felt so energized!

Shao Yan captured a lot of interesting expressions from them and she couldn't wait to start working on the report for today.

She was so excited!

The whole event for Deep Blue Sea finally ended.

It's been a long day for all three of them. The adrenaline rush today was on a different level than yesterday.

They took a quick nap during the drive back to the hotel.

When they almost reached the hotel, Shao Yan asked Miss Sea what her plan was for dinner.

Miss Sea looked exhausted so she just suggested to go to the market nearby to explore.

Uncle Yang brought them to a local night market.

Shao Yan took a lot of pictures here, that she forgot to eat her food. This brought laughter from the manager, calling her 'workaholic'.

Shao Yan smiled embarrassingly, and kept her camera away for now, and she joined them to hunt for food.

Despite it being weekdays, the night market was still bustling with activities.

Q city was famous for being an old German town, seafood delicacies and their famous local beer.

And that's why, Q city always attracted a lot of tourists every year.

The four of them spent few hours here, trying on many local delicacies.

Shao Yan also bought several packages of Laoshan green tea to give out to some friends as gift. Laoshan green tea was supposedly the famous local tea that was very fragrant and considered as one of the best tea in the country.

Being an avid tea drinker herself, Shao Yan also bought some packets for herself.

Shao Yan felt that there were still many things in Q city that she wanted to explore.

She promised herself that she would come back next time for a short vacation.

When they went back to the hotel, uncle Yang asked about their flight schedules again. Fortunately, they would be sharing the same flight to city S, so uncle Yang only needed to take one trip.

Shao Yan felt that she had forgotten something, but she couldn't recall what it was. Until she went back to her hotel room and found out that her phone battery had died.

Ah! That's right!

Shao Yan slapped her forehead. Usually, Mr. Wang would have called her many times to check on the situation.

No wonder it was very quiet today.

Shao Yan quickly charged her phone. While it was charging, she went to take a bath.

Messages started coming in.

Shao Yan finished her shower and came out with towel wrapped on her head.

She sat cross legged on the bed and started to checked on her phone.

Shao Yan had few voicemail messages. She started to listen to them one by one.

The first one was from Mr. Wang.

'Miss Shao, how was the event today? I saw some live post online and it looked like the reception was really good. Oh and I've seen your email. Looks good. We can publish it tomorrow. Thank you for the pictures too."

Shao Yan listened to it again especially on the last part. She didn't hear any weird tone from him. Did he really have not seen the pictures of Miss Sea?

The second voicemail was also from Mr. Wang.

'I forgot to ask you about your flight tomorrow. Since it will arrive in the afternoon, just take the rest of the day off. Come back to work the day after. Don't forget to go through the next schedule with Deep Blue Sea.'

Shao Yan was speechless. She was grateful for the break that he had given her. But why did Shao Yan has to go through Miss Sea next schedules, instead of him? Was he avoiding Miss Sea now?

The third one was from Lee Ying. 

'Yan jie~ How's city Q? Did you meet any cute guys?? Are you coming back to the office tomorrow, Yan jie? Or are you going to skip it? Don't forget to bring souvenirs for the company oh~'

Shao Yan gave a helpless smile. This girl. -.-"

All she could think about was food and cute guys. Shao Yan shook her head.

The next one was from Li Xiqing.

Shao Yan paused for a while, before clicked play to listen to it.

'I will be there on time tomorrow. Don't forget to go through all your luggages again.'

She could hear noises from the background, it seems that he was walking.

'You've been busy the whole day, make sure you drink a lot of water '

Shao Yan glanced at the glass next to her bed, and then she reached out to drink from it.

'Don't sleep too late. I will see you tomorrow.'

She leaned back to the headboard. She heard him paused for a while.

...

'Good night'

...

He had not hang up yet.

For a while, Shao Yan could only hear the bustling noise from the background.

And then he lightly breathed in, 'Have a good rest now'.

And then he hung up.

Shao Yan was stunned for a while. All she could think about was when he stroke her head before he stepped out of her house that night.

His right hand touched her left upper arm, and then started to slide down to her wrist.

"In case you haven't noticed.." he started to say.

She had stiffened up, started from his initial touch.

"I'm officially pursuing you."


+++

All she wanted was a second chance in happiness. She had been divorced for two years now and has forgotten about the idea of finding another man. But destiny is playing a cute joke on her to let her met him.

He is successful and powerful and full of distrust on women.

Until he met her.

After that one fateful encounter, are they destined to be together forever? Is God of happiness finally bestowing this tiny spring water to both of them?

+++


ps: I only write happy ending stories. This is 1v1, with a little drama here and there. But those drama only served a purpose to strengthen their relationship. Female lead here is not perfect at all. She is insecure, full of flaws and broken. Male lead is gorgeous and charming as usual. But somehow, they complete each other.

There will be no pitiful weak Cinderella stories here, no white lotus and no almighty CEO that rule the country.

I am portraying normal average people in society. So if this is not your cup of tea, feel free to move on :)

+++


Let's embark on this love boat with me! 


This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

The cover is not mine and was taken from Google image and credit goes to the original artist.


Tag: Female lead, Handsome male lead, Modern day romance, Mature romance, Adult romance, Business world, Second chance

Some authors in chat talked about a book's worth. 

Most agreed that its value depends on the readers' willingness to pay for a novel. And the most selling here in WN are romance and h e n t a i.

Honestly, it is true in a sense that most authors who don't write these two genres or have the general audience receive lesser income to none. However, there are also other genres that are popular.

What saddening is that a story which has no s** will be buried deep in the list of books.

One time, a person told me that he won't read books without s**. I think you understand what I mean.

Sad... 

Those good literary authors will just choose Amazon. I totally agree with that.

But, is that what really makes a book valuable? So, the authors will just resort to writing stories with s**  since most will welcome it.

I feel sad if it is.

I've been reading and watching epic and classic stories like Mary Poppins, The Twelve Kingdoms, Fushigi Yuugi, The Vision of Escaflowne, Star Wars, Anne of Green Gables, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and others. 

These are great books but I'm not sure if the new generation is still reading them.

Hoping they are.

So, what is the worth of a writer? Of a person's storyteller's heart and creativity?

Will it just be buried deep in isolation? Will it just be following the flow of readership and abandon its desire to produce good stories?

I disagree. We still love good stories. There are still more readers who love good reads. In fact, these type of stories are more engaging and imploring. Those epic stories won't be called epic if no one reads them anymore. They are classified as such because their worth is beyond trends.

They simply go against the flow and create a tsunami, leaving people awestruck.

That is the type of book I want to write. I prefer to be remembered as an author who writes good stories without compromising the principles I believe.

Don't get me wrong. There are still good books with a bit of those s** things out there that you can read. But they don't focus on those scenes but on the story itself.

I am a person who never follows trends. And I care less what people call me. I will rather be true to myself than to follow the crowd and lose my self-respect.

In my opinion, the worth of a story is not only on the business side but also on how much heart and effort the author gives to his/her books.

To authors: Let us enjoy writing good stories. Let us be proud of what we write for not everyone can be authors. And not all writers can finish a book. The truth, most books here are unfinished.

To readers: Support good books and give the authors that confidence to continue writing good stories. Without your support, the authors might give up. If no one read good stories, then there's no point on writing one. But I believe most readers still love those type of books.
-----o----
Inspirational Quotes for Authors:

"I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose." — Stephen King

"If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write." — Somerset Maugham

"Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer." — Ray Bradbury

"I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly." — Edgar Rice Burroughs

"The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story." — Ursula K. Le Guin
-----o----
Inspirational Quotes for Readers:

"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light."
–Vera Nazarian

"Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself." —George Bernard Shaw

"Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood." — John Green

"The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you." —W. Somerset Maugham

Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life."
–Helen Exley

Have a good and fruitful day.

😁😁😀😄💖💓💞

I  invite you to read the short diary of my daily struggle as a writer. No clear update but I will try to write every day. Don't expect very long chapters.

Started as an entry for fun and submitted for writing prompt #63: One chapter post but still ongoing.

 Please add tags: #diary #drama #comedy #author #writing

Please read my ongoing story:
The Sorceress' Heir: Blossoming Youth and Power

This was Hanna, a confident, good looking yet an introvert girl. She was friendly but did not have much friends. She was intelligent but never spoke much. She was funny, but did not laugh much. It was probably due to her toxic upbringing that she had built walls arround herself, not letting anybody know her so well. It was only her best friend Lilly, who actually knew who Hanna was in reality. 

Hanna did love her mother a lot, that is why she chose to wear her best creation for today. Her mother did not have time or perhaps did not consider the 'Writer's event' to be important, so Hanna instead wore her mother's creation to feel her presence.

This event was supposed to be the biggest annual even of the United States of America, where only the most reputable and famous authors and tycoons were invited. Two years back in November, Hanna had started to write a scientific fiction book, involving a vast virus, which takes over the entire globe, killing millions of people. And now, the book was already number one selling in America, and was soon planned to be published by her publishing house, in several languages all across the globe. Hanna had dreamt about this virus in her dream two years ago and the next morning, she already found herself writing a scientific love story about the virus.

While the entire world was busy fighting the dangerous coronavirus, a young writer found her love during her time in Quarantine by chance! 

Will the story end up with a tragic ending or is their still any hope for the two...?

A simple and short love story, which will keep you engrossed at the time of isolation!
---

Webnovel Spirity Awards 2020

Koto who had now been invited into her apartment had now sat on the floor of her apartment's living room which had tatami as it's flooring like one that you would see inside a japanese traditional house.

"I have my ways..."

With a grin on her face she slid the envelope across the table to where Honoka was seated.

"Ways...?"

Did she ask my editor for my home address? This is way to weird for me to even react to...

The small-bodied Koto then continued: "Yes, Ways." with a smile that could make anyone think that she's a little suspicious.


Ok...? That's really concerning me regarding my privacy...

"Moving... on..."

Honoka tried changing the subject ignoring the still smiling young-in-appearance woman and reached for the envelope.

She saw several concept sketches on the sheets of paper inside of the envelope, slowly going through each and everyone of them she saw sketches of the characters that she had created for her light novel drawn beautifully... They were near to perfect that she almost dropped the aforementioned stack of paper.

"Those are some of the concept sketches of your characters that I quickly sketched before coming over her..."

"Q-Quickly? But You drew them so well... How could they be drawn 'quickly'...?"

Honoka couldn't believe that the woman in front of her had just done some "quick" sketches that looked like a pro did it, with shakey hands she slowly lowered the stack of paper onto the table in disbelief to what she had just heard as an answer to a question that she never really asked in the first place.

This sounds like a lie... How could someone do sketches like these and say they drew them quickly...?

This has got to be a lie... She's probably just being sarcastic, right...?

She continued to become very confused at the information that she just heard from Koto that it made her a bit dizzy from trying to make her brain process it all and come to a conclusion that would end this whole thing.

This also made her quite as she continued thinking deeply about it all.

Koto was about to also speak up and get her attention back on her but Honoka's phone suddenly rang...

And with Shigure's name on the caller ID she immediately answered it without having any second thoughts.

Shigure who sounded really excited all of a sudden immediately speaking up as soon as Honoka picked up the call: "Hey listen, I know this is sudden but the higher ups just informed me about the best selling authors which includes you being planned to be sent on a "inspiration gathering trip" to Kyoto in three weeks."

Honoka confused by this whole ordeal could only say one thing and it was: "What...? What about Kyoto?" as a reply to her editor who suddenly made a sudden announcement via a phone call.

I already knew that I'm one of the best selling authors but... This trip is way too sudden.

Koto who was still in the same room as her only stared at the silver-haired girl who was facing away from her in the middle of a phone call near the entrance of the apartment just tilting her head dying to know what was going on in the said call that made Honoka all tense.

The phone call ended after Shigure after she asked Honoka about some things that he didn't understand on the draft of the new volume.

"Sorry about that, my editor suddenly called me."

Honoka quickly sat back down with he phone now placed in front of her in case someone else tries contacting her.


Kyoto, huh?

Koto smirked in front of Honoka who was still trying to explain the sudden announcement as if she was planning something.


"W-What? Is there something on my face?"

"Nah, It's nothing... Just remembered something funny."


I should follow her there and prank her...

The young-looking girl's smirk only continued as Honoka looked through the sketches one more to think  about wether she'll go with her current designs or not.

"*Tick...* *Tick...* *Tick..."

The sound of the wall clock inside the apartment was the only audible sound that could be heard, mere minutes passed by as she continued to this, meanwhile Koto started to mess with her smartphone to pass the time as she waited.

With a brief inhale of air Honoka finally made her decision: "All the designs are good to go, but..."

"But?"

"I have something that I wanna make sure of..."

This urge to say this to Koto has been bugging her since her editor had contacted moments ago...

"And that is?" The shape of koto's mouth changed into a shape that looked like a cat's mouth as she anticipated what it was that Honoka wanted to make sure of.

"You're planning to follow me all the way to Kyoto, aren't you?"

"W-What do you mean~? I wouldn't even dream of doing that~ Come one~ What do you take me for~?"

Koto laughed as she said so to try to ease the tension in the room, but this only makes Honoka even more suspicious of her answer.

I can't trust her for some reason... 

Why do I feel this way towards her...? 

Is it because of how friendly she is towards me...?

I really don't get it...

With slightly cold-looking eyes she stared into the cat girl's eyes expecting her to be telling the truth.


Her gaze was so scary that it made Koto a little uncomfortable

"Um... Y-You're scaring me..."

Why does she not trust me..? 

Yeah sure, I wanna go too but I'm not really gonna bother her that much...

As if in a daze, Honoka quickly snaps out of what she had just been doing to her like she wasn't herself as she heard this statement...

"W-What? What was I...?" She slowly backed away from the scared girl feeling confused at what had just happened, only remembering the phone with her editor a moment ago and not what her and Koto were just talking about.

[To be continued...]

A female immortal around the age of 800 decided to join a chat group for cosplayers that had members that are immortals, vampires, hackers, demons, and many more immortal creatures including some fantasy creatures as members.

But the only problem is she has almost no experience in cosplaying and only has a year of experience and writes light novels as a job so she barely has anytime to work on her costumes.



CHAPTER 8 

MEMORIES 

It's the truth that things end but memories last forever. One day all these noises, the problems, the detritus on this planet will end. Well who knows when will this happen and how? There are predictions though. The earth was created by a bang, accidentally. All the matter in the universe was created in one big bang at a particular time in the remote past which is known as the 'Big bang theory'. 

There is a fifty year old book predicting 2020 as 'global catastrophe'. The end of the world was predicted to occur in 2020, following a "global catastrophe" brought on by unlimited economic growth by the global superpowers, according to a book written almost fifty years ago. Well who knows if this is true but if we look around we can agree that the world has gained in terms of the wealth which is human development but has lost in terms of health which signifies the nature and the natural habitant. 

A best selling book called 'the limits of growth' was published in the year 1972 when the world actually began to wake up to environmental damage. The authors of this book were the first to coin the term 'sustainability' and said without it, civilisation will begin to decline by 2020. Well what they predicted is actually true, we are in a phase where the quality of living has been declined and we are facing the edge of our lives. 

In the sixties, all over the western world, economies were growing and people were shopping post war and the consumer process was firmly established. All the development in the economy sector started to take place. These authors were worried about the people losing out in the world to hunger, pollution and industrialization that is the price paid for our growth. We have already witnessed a lot, one was the 'great famine' which occurred around two hundred years ago. Not only that but industrialization started to boost, you might have studied it in the modern history where all these things started to boost up and people accepting the modern world in which the human gained a lot in many ways, right? However there's an old saying 'no gain without pain' which means that you have to pay for the things you gain and now the time to pay has finally arrived. 

This is what actually is happening in 2020! Don't you think if we analyse it then we can come to this conclusion that 2020 was chosen as the year of downfall. How? We can take the example of Professor Meadows who explained that it became clear to us that the factor which were causing progress in the seventies would lead to catastrophe in the early part of the next century. 

So if we ask if this is the end? Well I would say no that's not the end, world will not end soon although there will be a lot of problems, disasters which human kind will have to face. Well again who knows when will the world end? It maybe soon or not so soon, we can't be sure of that, anyways we all are not focusing on that because we all are busy in our lives, figuring out the way for ourselves from this situation. This pandemic did put a break in our lives but it can't stop us from continuing the things and now rather in a faster pace. The virus was started from one country, it is obvious the world didn't want this to affect us but it had a huge impact and now we all are facing this together. If we think this in a political view there is a lot of things which is unsaid. 

We all are going to die one day and that's the ultimate truth which is not so pleasant thought and most of us don't feel so comfortable to think about it, right? Well obviously we think and we know that right now we are here to live our lives and death is far away for now but life is not going to last forever, it is going to end one day. Same thing with the changes we did to this world and our environment. We will end but our memories will live forever, likewise the world will end but the impact will live forever. Memories are timeless treasures of the heart no matter how much time will be gone memories remain in our hearts and in this world we will be left as memories.

The book '2020 THE YEAR'  is a non fiction work. This book is about the year '2020'. The book helps us in looking at the changes which we faced during this pandemic, how it changed our lifestyles all over the world and how we are dealing with this situation. The world is in a war against this deadly Corona virus which have affected us in a major way and there has been huge losses all over the world. The world has been transformed into something new and wearing masks is our new normal. Reading the chapters helps the readers to open their eyes and realize those things from which we were blindfolded. There have been a positive as well as negative changes in the world. The important thing is what we learnt from these changes. The communities all over the world have been facing different and difficult situations in their lives, during this time, we all have to keep patience and fight this deadly virus together.

"What? You're the author of [Stories About The Ming Dynasty]. 

Returning home, Jiang Dejun walked in to be shocked by Jiang Cheng! 

Jiang Cheng was actually the author of [Stories About The Ming Dynasty].

"So the reason why you didn't go to Hainan with us, was because you actually wanted to stay home and write a novel? I thought you gave up on writing and wanted to become an actor?" Jiang Dejun asked, completely puzzled.

"Yeah, Xiao Cheng, are you picking up writing again?" Jiang Cheng's mother Gao Linlan asked puzzled.
 
"I never put it down and I still plan to act. I've had the idea for [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] for a while now but I was afraid of affecting my studies, so I pushed it aside till now!" Jiang Cheng lied.

"But when did you become interested in history? Let alone the Ming Dynasty?" Jiang Dejun quizzed, still with doubts.

"There's a quote online that sparked my interest and gave me inspiration - There is no China without the Qing Dynasty and no Qing Dynasty without the Ming Dynasty. I became very interested in the Ming Dynasty, so I collected information and began to write a book about the Ming Dynasty. A lot of it is thanks to your collection, Dad! Otherwise I couldn't find such a wealth of information on my own."  Jiang Cheng said, pointing to the thick stack of history books on the computer desk.

Bright Moon was his son.

Jiang Dejun thought, realizing the reality of his situation. He was stuck in two minds, pride and sheer surprise, his son had surpassed his expectations with this one. 
 
When he learned that Jiang Cheng wasn't just randomly hiding behind the scenes but in actual fact waiting for them to arrive back in order to discuss the matter of publishing. Jiang Dejun and Gao Linlan were relieved and the issue of publishing [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] became the main focus.

"I suggest you choose one of those large publishing houses. I think People's Literature Publishing House would be good. These large-scale publishing houses are generally more formal. They have their own sales models and networks, but they are also more prone to bullying. Their share splits are very low, and authors can generally only get 5 to 15% of book sales. 

Only well-known authors and novels can get over 15%. But the average author can only take less than 8%. So when you talk to these publishers, you must pay attention to grasp their bottom line and maintain your bottom line as well or else they will squeeze you dry." Jiang Dejun as an industry expert explained, giving advice.

"So that's how it is, what about those smaller publishing houses?" Jiang Cheng nodded. Fortunately, there was someone in his family who knew the inside story, otherwise he could have potentially lost several million. Because in his memory, sales for [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] in his previous life exceeded 10 million copies making it the best-selling historiography in 30 years.

"Well naturally, smaller publishing houses can't compete in terms of reach and network, which leads them to take more risks. These small publishing houses generally look for newcomers with potential to raise. Whilst also swooping in from time to time when those large publishing houses turn down less profitable books. They live in the cracks of the larger publishing houses. As for their share splits, it's slightly higher but overall pretty similar to those of larger publishing houses."

"Why don't they increase the percentage split to attract well-known authors?"

"It's not that they don't want to, but they don't dare. If they did, then they would have to face the joint suppression of the major publishing houses. Every industry has its own rules, and some rules can't be broken. "

Jiang Cheng understood the principle but seeing how badly authors were currently being squeezed, he couldn't help but feel slightly unresigned.

"Dad, what would you think about me handing over [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] to Southern Weekly for publication and distribution?" Jiang Cheng asked, putting forward his own idea.

Jiang Dejun said with relief: "As the CEO of Southern Weekly, naturally I would love to have [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] at Southern Weekly; but as your father, I have to remind you to think over your choices carefully before making a decision, after all, although Southern Weekly isn't small, it's definitely not a huge publishing house, so the benefits you could gain might not be comparable. I need to discuss it with your Uncle Xu, but I estimate that we can give you a maximum of 30%. This is because of your current popularity and the fact that you are family, otherwise it would be 20% at most. "

Jiang Cheng nodded seriously and said, "Understood, I'll talk to Uncle Xu then before making a decision."

Jiang Cheng a screenwriter is reincarnated to 2001, into the seventeen-year-old body of another Jiang Cheng. 

Clutching onto the dreams of his previous life he attempts to succeed where he previously failed. 

He starts from scratch, as a small-time screenwriter writing television shows and movie scripts. 

Filled with dreams of becoming a generational  entertainment legend and establishing an entertainment empire he takes the road to become the King of Film.

_____________________________________________

*Discord: https://discord.gg/TeTKhzp

Why not try my other books: Angel of Death and Rebirth of the Entertainment Giant

Kurt Peters' POV
"Excuse me! Coming through! Make way please!" I said as I made my way through the crowd of people. I can't believe it! I overslept and now I'm going to be late! How careless can I get!? "Excuse me!"
I kept pushing and squeezing pass through the crowd. It's still early and yet it feels like rush hour, there are so many people today. What's up with that?
I woke up late because I stayed up all night writing a new story for Ms. Veronica, she instructed me to start writing a new story so I can finally publish a book. I managed to write a few chapters last night, around 4 chapters, I think? Ms. Veronica told me that it's okay if I don't finish my story right away. She said that rushing to finish a story is a bad move for a writer. She says that I must take time to explore where my story will lead me. 
Some people think that the writer is the one in charge of where the story will lead, but little do they know that the story is the one which guides the writer. That's a quote which Ms. Veronica keeps saying on her books. I didn't mention this did I? Ms. Veronica has already published around 20 plus books, and nearly all of them are all-time best-selling novels. Ms. Veronica is one of the big authors around the world. A surprise, right? Don't worry, you're not the only once which were surprised. I just found about these things last night.
How did I manage to find them? Well, I got curious about the history of the Daily Publisher, so I searched it. And while searching about the Daily Publisher, I saw Ms. Veronica's author profile, so I clicked it and my eyes nearly fell from my face, my eyes grew so wide as I saw Ms. Veronica's achievements and recognitions.
The certificates which were hanging in Ms. Veronica's office didn't even made a scratch on the list of achievements she has. The list of achievements goes on and on. I was shocked and amazed at the same time. I'm under the wings of the biggest author in the world! I can say that I am intimidated by Ms. Veronica's achievements, I don't know if intimidated is the right word I am looking for, but I need to up my game! With this much achievements, Ms. Veronica must have high hopes and standards!
Anyways, enough about Ms. Veronica's achievements and stuff, let's get back to the main story. But seriously though, I can't still believe that I am under the wings of a famous author, and I didn't even know that Ms. Veronica was one of the famous authors.
Anyways, back to the story. I ran as fast as I can to reach the building. I manage to reach the building, but I didn't stop running. I don't know why, but I didn't stop running.
I was going to Ms. Veronica's room, it's not that far from the entrance, so I don't know why I didn't stop running. As much as I want to tell you all why I didn't stop running, even I don't know why I didn't stop running.
Ms. Veronica won't be coming to work today because she said that her meeting yesterday has a part two today. But even though she won't be coming to work, she gave me a deadline to pass in my work before 9 am comes, and it's already 8:53 am. Oh wait, now I remember why I didn't stop running, I had a deadline to catch. Well, there you go, that's the reason why I didn't stop running.
As I kept running, I accidentally bumped into someone, it was a man, he was around his late 30's or something. As I hit him, I accidentally let go of the pages of my story. I was holding them the whole time I was running, I didn't have the chance to put them in my bag because I was in a hurry.
I fell down when I accidentally bumped into this person, but he didn't fell down. Is this guy made of iron or something? He didn't even budge.
"I…. I'm sorry…" I said as I stood up.
"No, no, it's okay." The person replied, there was this tone to his reply, it was a cold reply. I looked at him and he was picking up the pages of my story.
I was about to say that I can pick those up but he was done picking up the pages and he started reading them. I stood there quietly as I waited for him to give me back the pages to my story. I wanted to say that I am in a hurry and I need my pages back, but I can't, I don't have the courage to say it.
After he was finish reading the first 2 pages, the man looked at me. "Did you write this?"
"Y… yes…"
The man looked at the pages of my story and looked back at me.
"I can tell that you are an invitee of Veronica because you are wearing her ID."
"A… actually. I work h…. here now…." I stuttered as I try my best to keep eye contact.
"Oh? Is that so? You work here?" The man said as he let out a small laugh. "You? Work here? How did you get a job here? Only the best of the best are allowed to work at the Daily Publisher, and judging from this thing here, you don't belong here. You don't belong to work with us. This story is rubbish, it's garbage. Go work someplace else kid, a place which is on your level." The man then threw the pages of my story on the ground and he started walking away. 
I felt my heart being shattered into tiny pieces as I stood silently. I saw people looking at me. They were talking to one another as they kept on looking at the scene I started. I quickly picked up the pages and ran towards Ms. Veronica's office. There I sat down on one of the chairs, thinking.
The whole day went by with just me sitting, not doing anything. I kept thinking about what happened earlier. Do I even belong here?
-End of Part-

This book is a compilation of different stories ranging from 2 to 5 parts. When one story has ended, another story will begin.

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