Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy – Chapter 1

So, there’s been this meme buzzing around on the internet lately.

It’s called “Monkey’s Paw,” and this frickin’ Monkey’s Paw grants people’s wishes, but not just any old way—oh no! It does so in some twisted manner.

For instance, you might wish for your son to come back to life, and bam! He resurrects as a zombie.

“Oh, I just want to be born into a world where I can only draw comics,” comes to mind as I recall my wish, while sulking over the endless insults and malicious comments on the finale of my webtoon.

Typically, the final episode of a webtoon is filled with congratulations for the hardworking author and reflections on the completed series.

But for my webtoon, “The Youngest Son of the 양 Family,” it’s a whirlwind of curses instead.

Well, it’s a fitting ending, I guess.

“The protagonist dies after getting knocked down by a dragon? Even I think that’s insane.”

This webtoon, based on the romance fantasy web novel “The Youngest Son of the 황 Family,” still had a long way to go.

However,

“—I’m sorry, but the publishing house that held the rights to the original novel went bankrupt, so the rights are now tied up in a lawsuit. Please wrap it up by next week.”

Is this even a sane thing to say?

But since the webtoon platform is the ultimate boss, us humble cartoonists had no choice but to comply.

And thus, the dragon-dispatched ending was born.

“I can’t believe I’ve lived to see a dragon ending, not even a truck!”

“This is going to go down in Korean webtoon history for all the wrong reasons, like a real kick in the teeth to the poor author.”

“Damn, it’s always the bums who have no confidence in their writing who wreck the original story with their artistic delusions.”

I wanted to directly tell readers that I didn’t want to end it this way, but I never even had the chance.

Sure, I could have filled in around 5,700 characters detailing the overview and circumstances of the event, but the editor casually cut it out.

I frantically called the editor, but,

“Sorry, the customer you’re trying to reach is unavailable. Please call again later…”

Ah, the editor is abandoning me. What’s the point of calling again?

I finally understood the desolate feelings of that empty lunchbox.

As I slammed down four cans of 12,000 won beer I bought from a convenience store, I couldn’t help but ponder.

“Where did it all go wrong?”

I just loved comics since I was a kid, so I started drawing them.

I thought I was good at drawing, that my stories and direction were solid, and that I’d inevitably find success.

“Huh, these days, works based on web novels are all the rage—let’s try drawing one of those.”

The publisher’s representative suggested the romance fantasy web novel “The Youngest Son of the 황 Family,” and honestly, it was just a cliché romance fantasy. I felt it was hard to turn down that suggestion, so I went ahead and drew it, and now look where I am.

After crashing out with this kind of ending, I doubt I’ll ever draw a webtoon again.

[If I had a Monkey’s Paw, I’d love to send that author into the cartoon universe.]

Reading the steadily increasing comments as I drained the last can of beer, I mused inwardly.


“Monkey’s Paw? I sure would love to get another shot at anything.”

With that thought in mind, I slumped down onto my computer desk and fell asleep.

*

When I came to, I found myself in an unfamiliar space, just like something out of a web novel.

Beside me, there was a little girl gripping my arm and crying, and a middle-aged man who had a sigh of relief upon witnessing my awakening.

[Is there anything wrong with you, Rupert?]

The moment I heard the name Rupert, it hit me.

Although I had no way of knowing about Rupert’s family since they weren’t part of the plot or something I had ever drawn, Rupert—specifically ‘Rupert Somerset’—was a name I was familiar with.

After all, he was a character I had created myself, how could I forget?

Rupert was a character in “The Youngest Son of the 황 Family.”

In the story, he was the typical supporting character always trying to get closer to the female lead but perpetually a step behind.

“He was just a fool smiling while being led along.”

I already wasn’t fond of the female lead who, despite having no affection for Rupert, would still keep him around but never really acknowledge him.

What irked me more was that this character, despite being treated that way, always stayed by her side, rushing to help whenever she was in need—like some kind of slave.

“But me being Rupert? This is absolutely ridiculous.”

I had no idea why I had possessed Rupert of all people.

All I knew was that the original Rupert had fallen from his horse and lost consciousness—that little tidbit was all I was clued in on.

“Wait, was there even anything like this in the original?”

Rupert wasn’t a major character by any means; he was just a supporting character there to boost the female lead, with no detailed backstory, family background, or anything of that sort.

Even the description of him was limited to mentioning his blond, wavy hair and glasses. So, when I looked in the mirror, I was quite surprised by how different my face was from what I had imagined.

While his blond hair was indeed as wavy as described, I expected that wearing glasses would give him a gentle look, but he came off as rather sharp-featured.

“If he saw my webtoon, I bet he would sue me for slander!”

Hey, don’t blame me! It’s the original creator’s fault for such vague descriptions.

Fortunately, getting used to this body wasn’t difficult.

Maybe it was a perk of being in another world; I could speak and understand freely, and, most importantly, this body belonged to Rupert, the second son of a Count.

Back on Earth—or should I say, my past life—I was essentially a drawing slave, being bossed around by webtoon editors to fix this and fix that.

But here, if I pull the cord hanging from the canopy of the bed I was lying in, a maid would promptly appear.

And if I asked for a pen and paper to gather my thoughts, the family’s butler would acquire them in no time.

“Water.”

Just saying the word water made a maid appear out of nowhere, bringing me a cup of water in a flash—a hard-to-believe occurrence.

Have I turned into a dragon? Is this some dragon magic?

To have such persuasive magic to summon water with just a single word is beyond comprehension.


“Thank you, dear readers. Thanks to your malicious comments, I’ve ended up living like this. I owe this grace entirely to you.”

It seems that living a good life really pays off.

*

The shock from falling off the horse wasn’t too severe, and after a day of ample rest, my body quickly recovered.

Indeed, unlike my own worn-out body from spending sleepless nights drawing webtoons, Rupert’s physique was fresh and vibrant.

“With a condition like this, I could pull off six nights of late work without a hitch.”

How could I still be having such thoughts when I finally had a young, sturdy body at my disposal?

I scolded myself for not being able to shake off my life as a drawing slave just yet.

After getting back on my feet, I used the excuse of being dazed from my fall to quiz those around me about the situation.

I had read the original novel “The Youngest Son of the 황 Family” once in order to create my webtoon, and I was familiar with the overarching world since I’d gone over specific sections multiple times.

However, because romance fantasies typically lacked intricate world-building or setting details, there were quite a few things I had to learn hands-on.

First off, the Somerset family I belonged to resided in Goldfull Valley, which had once been famous for its gold mining.

However, over time, the days of thriving gold extraction had passed, and now it was just an ordinary piece of land with no remarkable features.

Still, as a noble, I figured there wouldn’t be any worries about food and living.

“What’s important is that I must never get involved with the Imperial Family or the Bluewell Dukedom.”

Getting entangled with the male lead, the Third Prince, or the female lead, the Noble Young Lady of the Dukedom, would bring me nothing good.

Whether due to the author’s convenience or the random appearance of some unidentified assassin group bent on destroying the Empire, characters were dropping like flies, forgetting the very essence of romance fantasy.

In the midst of this, the love between the Third Prince and the Noble Young Lady blossomed poignantly.

“I have no desire whatsoever to be a stepping stone for that kind of love.”

After all, Rupert wasn’t even a major character, so it wouldn’t matter if I quietly slipped away from the storyline.

His only role was to play the clown whenever the female lead was hurt or struggling because of the male lead.

“No matter how pretty the female lead is, she’s someone else’s prize, and there’s no chance for me, so I should just avoid getting involved.”

The antagonists that appear in the story will be dealt with by the protagonist crew anyway.

With great power comes great responsibility, after all, and the protagonists are expected to carry the load.

Just like every supporting character has their role.

“What role is that, you ask?”

Since I’m already stuck in the nobility’s shoes, I might as well do whatever I want and live leisurely.

Is that all I need to do in this other world—eat, play, and enjoy?

But that notion didn’t last long.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that simple. That would truly be the folly of the Monkey’s Paw.

See you in the next chapter!