A Lewd Sketch Artist in a Gender-Reversed World - Chapter 85

Chapter 85 : Work

If I were to summarize my recent daily life, I could say it's been quite ordinary.

The confusion I felt when I first arrived here has long since disappeared, and now I've adapted quite well to this place.

My "Pixiv" and "Pinbox" galleries, which had once vanished like a dream, now have a decent foundation.

Currently, Pixiv has over ten illustrations, and my comic "Kim Tae-yang" on Pinbox is approaching its tenth episode.

Recognition has also improved, making my days feel more stable.

I no longer worry about unpaid rent or Auntie Shimura scolding me.

I’m in a casual relationship, and things have been going well.

Just recently, Ahrin and I had a fun evening together.

These were truly peaceful and happy days.

I even felt proud for achieving this much while living in Seoul.

I found myself smiling more often lately.

I hoped this quiet daily life would continue forever...

But life rarely goes as planned.

On a bright summer afternoon, I suddenly faced harsh online criticism.

“Dang it!”

Bang!

I slammed my hand on the desk in frustration.

My tablet pen jumped into the air and landed with a thud, while the LCD tablet beside it shook from the impact.

Some stranger had posted a long, harsh critique of my work.

I stared at the monitor, heart pounding.

[Let me tell you what’s wrong with this comic ㅋㅋㅋ]

A user had written a lengthy post on Tartalos, a community I frequented for discussions around art and digital illustrations.

The post targeted my comic Kim Tae-yang, accusing it of being full of problems.

Of course, Tartalos was a place where various genres, including adult-themed illustrations, were shared — though some content wasn’t to my liking. Still, I knew how to avoid what I didn’t want to see.

But this post... was trending. It had been recommended and featured.

The more I read, the more frustrated I became.

The criticism began with how the protagonist was portrayed as arrogant and unrealistic.

"Realistically, no one would act that way on public transport."

I sighed. That scene had been a parody of an older manga, a stylistic choice.

Besides, stories like mine weren’t meant to reflect reality exactly — they were dramatized for emotional effect.

Then came a harsher blow:

"Honestly, the drawing is good, but the story isn’t very exciting."

That hit me hard. As much as I brushed off talk of "realism," hearing my work described as unexciting hurt.

Then the critique mentioned that the focus during certain scenes was more on the female characters rather than the protagonist.

"I want to see Kim Tae-yang, but other characters get the spotlight instead."

I couldn’t argue — I had been avoiding drawing certain things due to personal discomfort. I thought the story context would make up for it. Clearly, some readers disagreed.

The review continued, saying the story was scattered, new characters were added too often, and the emotional expressions of the protagonist were lacking.

Even worse, the comment section under the post was filled with people agreeing.

Some usernames I recognized. People I thought supported me. That hurt even more.

"..."

Criticism is never easy, especially when the work being attacked is the result of weeks of effort.

But I couldn’t just sit back.

I decided to leave a comment:

[hala: What is this?]

[ㄴ The author showed up ㅋㅋㅋ]

[ㄴ Are you really the author?]

[ㄴ This is going to be fun ㅋㅋ]

It quickly turned into an argument. I claimed that the critique was harsh and unfair. The writer responded that as a reader, they had the right to criticize.

In the end, the tide of public opinion was against me. I had no choice but to back off.

Before leaving, I typed:

[hala: Just wait and see.]

[ㄴ Ooh, scary~ ㅎㅎㅎ]

[ㄴ Bye~]

Thud.

I turned off the computer. I couldn’t bear to look anymore.

I was being mocked, misunderstood, and misrepresented.

But deep down, I understood the truth.

My comic Kim Tae-yang had been losing its edge.

It started as a short story collection, and the story had always been shaky.

The character was flashy but perhaps too extreme. The plot wasn’t strong enough.

Maybe it was time.

I had already been thinking about ending it... now I just had to accept it.

I clapped my cheeks and stood up.

'It’s better this way.'

It wasn’t a crime to move on from something that no longer worked.

I was ready to begin a new project.