A Lewd Sketch Artist in a Gender-Reversed World - Chapter 104

Chapter 104 : Heart-Pounding

“Eeeeh?!?!”

I screamed like some heroine from a light novel.

Goddamn, I felt embarrassed that such a girly sound came out of my throat, but there was no helping it.

That message was too shocking to stay quiet about.

“What the hell is this?”

Seriously, what the hell.

The situation was so out of the blue that I felt cognitive dissonance.

My eyes were wide open, but I couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.

So, I decided to sort out the situation first.

Let’s see… qwer1 sent a message first, and while I was whining like a kid about not wanting to draw that damn gay art, they seemed to soften up a bit. I kept pushing to get what I wanted.

After a few back-and-forths… a contract offer came out of nowhere.

“What the hell?”

Even after sorting it out, I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Who sends a contract offer in a chat like this? I even put my personal email on my Pixiv profile.

For now, I decided to ask the obvious question.

[hala: Wait a sec. Are you an editor?]

An editor is someone who manages an artist’s work. They usually send contract offers for promising works or manage artists. Typically, only editors send messages like this.

[qwer1: An editor… well, something like that.]

If it’s yes, say yes. If it’s no, say no.

What’s with the “something like that”?

I didn’t quite get it, but I grabbed a glass of cold water to calm down.

*Gulp gulp.*

The cold water slid down my throat. As it hit my stomach, my mind started to settle.

I rubbed my eyes and slowly reread the message.

‘Thankfully, it doesn’t seem fake…’

The email and phone number made it look legit, not like a prank.

Unless they’re a complete psycho, who’d put this much effort into a joke?

[qwer1: So, what do you think?]

As I was checking, another message came.

Even though I couldn’t see them through the anonymity, I could somehow feel their amusement.

I tapped the keypad to reply.

[hala: What do I think? It’s so sudden I can’t even process what’s happening.]

I was being honest. Before I could feel joy or surprise, it just didn’t feel real.

My brain couldn’t keep up with reality. I was left staring blankly with my mouth open.

Then they spoke again.

[qwer1: Just think of it simply. We enjoyed your work and took this chance to send a contract offer. That’s it.]

That made it sound simple… but I was still dumbfounded. The fact that a legit company was watching my weird stuff was kind of embarrassing.

Do I have to respond now? It felt too big to answer rashly.

As if sensing my hesitation, they spoke again.

[qwer1: I was going to send it via email, but… it ended up in this chat.]

[qwer1: So don’t feel too pressured. Take your time to think it over and reply later.]

As expected from someone editor-like, their words felt considerate.

I still didn’t get why they said “editor-like,” but whatever they say.

“Phew…”

I let out a sigh of relief. Good thing I didn’t have to decide now.

It was my first time getting an offer like this, so I had no idea how to handle it.

Still, I had something to ask, so I sent a message.

[hala: Okay, so what about the commission?]

I almost forgot amidst this huge news, but the commission was still pending.

Wait, so this person’s an editor but still requested those kinds of drawings?

[qwer1: Hmm, let’s put that on hold for now. Keep the payment for now. Is that okay?]

[hala: Oh, sure. That’s fine.]

So, we put the commission issue aside. I didn’t want to work anyway, so that was great.

If they forget about it, I might even keep the money for free.

[qwer1: Then, I look forward to your positive consideration. Talk to you later ^^]

[hala: Oh, yeah, sure;]

With that, they ended the conversation.

Maybe because their shocking identity was revealed, they felt oddly distant.

I thought they were just some rich, idle otaku… but turns out they have a proper job, and reading NSFW stuff is part of their work.

A proper corporate worker.

‘That’s badass.’

Earning money by reading NSFW stuff. Isn’t that the dream job?

With that thought, I jumped up and sat at my computer.

I wasn’t going to draw, but I wanted to look something up.

“BestToon, huh…”

It sounded familiar…

The webtoon industry in Korea is pretty developed.

Manga is a popular genre everywhere, and Korea’s no exception.

With the internet, accessibility has become so easy that more people read webtoons than don’t.

If you ask 20-30-year-olds who use smartphones if they read webtoons, most would say yes.

That’s how massive the webtoon industry is.

The same goes for adult webtoons with 19+ ratings.

Since humanity’s oldest profession is prostitution, lust equals money, and there are plenty of people who can draw sexy stuff.

Sure, the audience is smaller than all-ages webtoons, but it’s still significant.

At least in terms of views, it’s worlds apart from my Pinbox account.

*Click clack.*

So, I searched for ‘BestToon’ online.

Thankfully, the site popped up at the top of the results.

I was worried it might be some obscure platform, but it wasn’t.

As confident as they were with the contract offer, it was a pretty big site.

“Wow, look at those view counts…”

The red-themed main page showed tons of serialized works. Views ranged from at least 100,000 to over a million.

Some works even had over 10 million views.

This was beyond big it was massive.

I thought about my Pinbox account.

‘I think I had around 600 subscribers…’

Compared to this, it felt insanely huge.

Sure, my subscription fees are a bit pricey, so the numbers are lower, but still.

The gap was undeniable.

If I signed the contract, I’d be serializing on a platform like this…

“…”

It was starting to sink in. How big this offer was.

How massive a place was trying to recruit me.

*Thump thump.*

My heart trembled faintly. I could feel dopamine trickling in my brain.

Even though I was sitting still, I kept giggling.

“Hehe…”

A webtoon. A formal serialization, no less.

Every artist dreams of being a webtoon creator.

Bringing an imagined world to life is inherently fun.

I was no different.

Since I started drawing, webtoons were a goal. When I thought about college, I wanted to major in something webtoon-related.

I’d fantasized about becoming a successful manga artist plenty of times.

But after failing the art entrance exam, it remained just a dream…

Who’d have thought it’d come true like this?

“Hehe…”

And it wasn’t just some random company—it was a top-tier one!

‘Feels good.’

How could it not?

A major company like this wouldn’t have unfair contracts. I don’t know the profit split, but it’d probably be industry standard.

There was no reason to refuse.

This kind of opportunity is one you grab.

I hadn’t replied yet, but my mind was already 99% set on YES.

I’d probably contact them soon to confirm the contract.

It felt like my daily life was about to change drastically… but in a good way, so it was fine.

I’d follow up later.

For now…

‘Gotta brag first.’

I can’t resist bragging.

Big news like this grows bigger when shared.

Bragging enriches life and brings more smiles.

So, I took a quick screenshot of the contract offer and sent it to Sung Arin and Lee Eunbyul.

Those uncultured nerds would have fun reactions to this.

The “1” in the chat disappeared quickly.

[Sewon: (photo)]

[Sewon: I’m kinda awesome, huh.]

[Ahrin: ???]

[Ahrin: Holy crap]

[Eunbyeol: ?? What’s that??]

[Eunbyeol: Fake ㄴ]

“Hihi.”

I enjoyed their reactions for a while.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id