Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint – Side Story - Chapter 0.1
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The Prologue: A message from the author
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Author’s Message:
Side Story Announcement!
{Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint – Side Story}
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Thank you, everyone, for waiting patiently.
Finally, we are starting the side story of the Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.
Although we’ve started the side stories, I honestly have no idea what to write. After all, this story was not originally planned to have a side story.
During the break, I read the comments that fans left on the main story, and I was truly amazed.
You all are geniuses. In contrast, I have no thoughts at all.
To such an extent that… I haven’t even decided on the main character yet.
When I was writing the main story of “전독시,” the content flowed smoothly.
Now, my mind is blank, as if someone has hit me hard on the back of my head.
Still, I’m writing this announcement because, well, at least I should try writing something.
…
I typed up to that point, then stopped and pressed the backspace firmly. Good grief, what am I doing? No matter how bad the situation is, a professional writer shouldn’t write like this.
I started biting my nails and began writing a new sentence.
What if I start like this?
…
Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself. Although I appear in Episode 549 of “전지적 독자 시점,” everyone has probably forgotten. Let me introduce myself.
I am Lee Hak-hyeon (李鶴翾).
My father, flying like a noble crane, paid a hefty sum of 300,000 won at a philosophy institute to give me my name.
Hak (鶴) for crane, and Hyeon (翾) for flying.
The philosophy institute that named me went bankrupt shortly afterward, but my father discovered the hidden parentheses in front of the meaning of Hyeon (翾), which is ‘to fly.’
翾 – to fly lightly
In other words, this is who I am.
Lee Hak-hyeon, 33 years old.
1. Lightly – A hit web novel author.
1. Lightly – To fly
By the way, the name of my only hit work is as follows:
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Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint – Total of 551 Chapters
―Author Lee Hak-hyeon
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A full-length fantasy novel spanning 551 Chapters, “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.”
Shortened to ‘전독시’ (Jeondokshi).
I’ve been with this novel for years, from the late 20s to the early 30s…
I wrote up to that point and pressed the backspace key again.
It turned out to be a self-introduction.
It’s even dreadful. What am I doing introducing myself when I’m not even the protagonist of the side story?
Zzzt.
Just now, that wasn’t the sound of a plot development spark but the ringtone of my mobile phone.
I pressed the call button with a serious face like Kim Dokja, prepared for the aftermath of continuity.
Then the voice of the assigned goblin came through.
―Author-nim.
This is the second scariest thing for me these days.
“Yes.”
―Are you writing the side story?
And this is the first.
“No.”
On the other end of the line, the person letting out a sigh was my dedicated editor, Ji Eun-yu.
According to Ji Eun-yu, she is a seasoned PD in this industry, and if you look at it in a certain way, I was drawn into this industry because of her, despite being someone who wrote pure literature.
In that sense, she was like a benefactor of my life.
―What would you like to do?
I replied with a gloomy voice.
“Well, you know. What should I do?”
―Aren’t you playing a game right now? The new one that just came out?
“I just installed it.”
―Why is Steam showing you online then?
“It turns on automatically when I turn on the computer.”
―Really? Just now, it said you started a game.
I turned off the loading game and said.
“Do you really think I’m playing a game for fun? I’m trying to get ideas.”
―I used to believe that statement. I did.
Ji Eun-yu gained insights during her six years as an editor.
She believes that writers who play games to get ideas end up just playing games.
In fact, I think that statement is correct.
“What about the ideas you mentioned before?”
“When I actually try to write, it doesn’t work.”
“What about collaborating with your previous works? We briefly discussed that.”
I recalled the names of my previous works one by one.
『Orc Philosopher』
『Warden of Infinity』
『System Breaker』
『The Wizard of the Unending World』
『Method Master』
『How to Become a Star Writer』
…
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no natural way for those novels and Jeondokshi to harmonize.
Moreover, 『How to Become a Star Writer』 is a ridiculous story where the author Lee Hak-hyeon (yes, that’s my name) becomes a ‘star writer’ by possessing the novel, and there was no way I could use such a novel as a collaborative work.
Above all,
“Why collaborate with a failed work?”
Most of those novels couldn’t even transition to paid content and were discontinued.
“I enjoyed all of them.”
“Even if you say that, it’s not comforting at all.”
“You mentioned climbing up to the rooftop after drinking and coming up with something. Why not try that again?”
“I’ve already tried.”
“Don’t you feel any tingling at the back of your head, or something like that? Like having Han Sooyoung appear in your dream.”
I sighed without laughing or crying.
In the novel, Yu Jung-hyeok stabbed my back, Han Sooyoung sent me a novel, they wrote it well, but…
I don’t know.
Lately, I’ve even thought it would be better if it actually happened.
“Ugh, sorry.”
I understand.
Ji Eun-yu must be frustrated with what she said.
Continuous news of a market downturn, Ji Eun-yu’s management is also experiencing financial difficulties.
Many of the hired staff have left, and affiliated authors are either moving their management or leaving the market one by one.
In the midst of all this, whether writing a side story will actually help is doubtful.
“Anyway, there are many readers waiting for your story, Author-nim.”
“Where are they?”
It’s a shameful story, but ‘Jeondoksi’ once hit the top spot on the platform as a free bestseller and sailed quite smoothly.
I gained readers who liked my novel, and various communities responded positively.
Even after completing a work, I used to secretly search for ‘Jeonjijeok Dokja’ and feel pleased while looking at the readers’ reactions.
But that was all in the past.
Now, no one remembers my novel.
“Don’t drag the tail of the conversation. They’re here.”
So, where are they?
I suppressed the sudden rising question and said, “I’ll try my best.”
After giving a gloomy response and hanging up the phone, I felt the need for a drink today.
I closed the laptop, went to a nearby convenience store, and chose a can of beer and some snacks.
Initially, I picked up potato chips, put them back, and chose protein biscuits.
Has it come to a point where I have to pay attention to such things?
After a simple calculation and sipping the beer, Ji Eun-yu’s words came to mind.
‘Many readers are waiting for your story.’
By the way, the above quotation marks (「」) are symbols I use when I have special thoughts.
I’m having one of those moments now.
I emptied the beer and logged back into the web novel platform.
In the meantime, there were numerous message alerts:
system messages asking for continued serialization and messages from fellow writers announcing their serializations.
And,
“I enjoyed it, Author-nim.”
Messages left by readers.
“I’m a 14-year-old middle school student this year. It was my first time seeing a web novel…ㅠㅠ”
Some messages were cute, while others were heartfelt.
“Reading this novel is the joy of my military life….”
All of them were fragments of appreciation that readers had left for me.
And three years had passed.
The middle school reader might have become a high school student.
The high school reader might have become a college student, the military reader might have been discharged, and the job seeker might have found employment…
I hope.
In any case, the readers became something and moved on from this story, while I remained here, choosing protein biscuits instead of potato chips, becoming an uninteresting human.
“I enjoyed it, Author-nim.”
In a moment of distraction, a laugh escaped, causing me to spill some beer.
Seeing the alert, it seemed to be a newly arrived message through the platform.
After three years since the completion of the series, there was still someone sending me a message.
“Sender: Kim Dokja Representative.”
Checking the sender’s ID, something immediately came to mind.
Kim Dokja Representative.
During the peak of my serializations, there was a reader with that nickname.
“It’s been three years since Jeondoksi concluded. Every year around this time, memories come flooding back, and I binge-read it. I enjoyed it again this year. Every time I read it again, it feels like reading a different novel. Suddenly, memories from three years ago come rushing back. It was enjoyable back when you were serializing.”
That’s what I wanted to say.
This reader used to leave comments every day, and I received appreciation messages each time.
In short, a person who truly suited the nickname ‘Kim Dokja Representative.’
“I don’t know if you remember.”
Of course, I remember.
I still occasionally see those messages from that time.
The memories of writing tirelessly until the deadline, reading messages and comments from readers with a body worn out from exhaustion before going to bed.
If it weren’t for those who shared that time with me, I wouldn’t have been able to endure the loneliness or write the final sentence.
I hesitated but then grabbed the keyboard.
This time, I wanted to reply to the reader with my own words, not within the novel.
However,
“There’s a small fan event tomorrow at 7 PM. If you have time, it would be great if you could come and enjoy it. We also have a special gift prepared as a thank-you gesture for the author.”
A gift?
“Sorry, but the event ticket is not free. I have to make a living too.”
Suddenly, the prologue of Jeondoksi came to mind.
In the prologue, Kim Dokja sends a message to the author tls123.
The epilogue mentions that it will be released for a fee.
In a way, this message seemed to be a small jest prepared by the long-time reader.
I started writing my response.
“Thank you so much, dear reader. However, I’ll accept only your heartfelt wishes as a gift. And if the event ticket is not free… doesn’t that make it more of a purchase than a gift? (Laughs) You didn’t prepare a separate gift, did you?”
But even if the reader had genuinely prepared a gift, it wouldn’t be right for me to accept.
As someone shameless enough to not even write an extra chapter for three years, how could I accept a gift?
Moreover, is it still appropriate to use (Laughs) these days?
Maybe it’s better to avoid it?
I was innocently contemplating such thoughts while sipping my beer.
The next day came, as I was blissfully unaware of what would unfold in my life.
Author’s Note:
This story is an extra chapter of ‘Jeondoksi’ but not something beyond the main story.
While it continues Kim Dokja’s story, it is not solely for one Kim Dokja.
Thank you for waiting patiently.
Once again, I begin ‘Jeondoksi.’
February 2023, SingShong
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[TL/N: ‘Jeondoksi’ is a shortened version of “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint” which is used by the Author here.]
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