A Lewd Sketch Artist in a Gender-Reversed World - Chapter 109

Chapter 109 : Promotion

Daily life changes.

Whether I want it to or not.

The relentless flow of time always forces change upon us, and that change often manifests most clearly in our daily routines.

Usually, daily life changes either after a long period of time naturally shifts things or because something dramatic happens.

In my case, it’s definitely the latter.

It’s not as extreme as an isekai trip or anything… but it’s significant enough to say my life has changed.

Three weeks after posting the announcement on Pinbox, I had finally officially published my work on the webtoon site BestToon.

From now on, I’d need to check my bank balance on BestToon instead of Pinbox.

That’s a pretty big change to my daily life.

“Hmm~.”

For the initial launch, I uploaded a total of five chapters pretty much all the chapters I had on Pinbox.

I wondered if uploading so many at once was a bit much, but there was no helping it.

You need a decent number of chapters to attract readers.

The five chapters consisted of three free chapters and two paid ones.

From now on, readers would need to pay a 5,000 won monthly subscription fee or 300 won per chapter to own my work.

At first glance, it might seem less lucrative than Pinbox, but considering the user base, that wasn’t true at all.

With better accessibility and relatively low prices, BestToon was bound to draw more traffic.

“Let’s see how many people checked it out.”

Grinning ear to ear, I smoothly navigated to the BestToon site.

I searched for my work, S-Virus

Surely, the connoisseurs who appreciated my stimulating manga would have racked up a ton of views.

After all, the highest cumulative view count on this site was over 80 million.

Even for a newly launched webtoon, I figured I’d hit at least 10,000 views.

That was my prediction, at least.

“Nice.”

With my prostate tingling in anticipation, I checked my view count—

[Total Views: 2,000+]

“Oh.”

I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Only 2,000 views.

“Ugh…”

A sigh escaped automatically.

My ballooning expectations deflated like a punctured tire.

The view count was far more dismal than I’d imagined.

Sure, it hadn’t been long since the work was uploaded, and I didn’t have many chapters yet, so low views were to be expected.

I’d worried about this.

But 2,000? That’s too low. I had some community buzz on Pinbox, after all…

Maybe my expectations were too high, but the gap only amplified my sense of loss.

Still, I didn’t stay down for long and adapted surprisingly quickly.

“Well… it is what it is.”

Honestly, the “buzz” was just some teasing on Tartaros for my wild setting.

It hadn’t spread to other social media or anything.

Naturally, on the relatively mainstream BestToon, things were quiet.

Plenty of people probably didn’t even know a new work was out.

After all, I hadn’t gotten any proper advertising yet.

No main banner, no notification in the gift box.

Literally just posted. Probably buried at the bottom of the weekly serialization list.

It was no wonder there was no traffic.

So, I decided not to think too negatively. This was my starting point.

Views would naturally accumulate over time, and I’d focus on growing my work on BestToon instead of Pinbox.

“Tch, it’s a shame there’s no comment section.”

If there were, I could’ve at least checked the reactions.

With that, I smacked my lips and left the site.

Staring at it would only make me feel worse. I figured I’d do something else instead.

With that resolve, I logged into my university’s website and submitted a document.

The world’s gotten pretty convenient you don’t need to submit stuff like this in person anymore.

Sure, the trip to campus isn’t far, so it wouldn’t be that hard… but effort and inconvenience are two different things.

The document I submitted was none other than a leave of absence form.

A glorious university system that legally lets you skip school for personal reasons.

Yes, I was planning to take a leave of absence.

I muttered to myself, “No need to keep going anymore.”

The only reason I’d attended in the first place was because “Sewon” didn’t want to waste the tuition he’d paid.

I’d experienced college life, so there was no reason to continue.

And there was another reason too.

“I can’t keep up anyway.”

Before, I could balance school with drawing commissions or short comics.

But now, I was a full-fledged contracted artist.

I had to produce at least 50 panels a week.

That means over seven fully colored, detailed illustrations a day not just simple sketches.

“Oof…”

Just imagining it, I could see myself getting ground down. And attend university on top of that?

I’d collapse in no time.

So why a leave of absence instead of dropping out?

For a pretty petty reason.

“Gotta have a Plan B…”

Not that I think it’ll come to that.

But just in case my work flops spectacularly, I chose a leave of absence.

Dropping out after a leave is common enough, so I was just delaying it.

“Ugh!”

With my tasks done, I stretched lightly.

*Crack.* My body, stiff from sitting too long, let out a satisfying groan. My tense muscles slowly relaxed.

That was everything I needed to check today.

I’d submitted the leave form with a vague reason, and checked my pitiful view count.

All that was left was to hunker down at my computer and churn out drawings.

With that, I did some more stretching, then picked up my tablet pen to start drawing again.

“Wait, now I’m pissed.”

But that didn’t last long. A sudden surge of frustration made me put the pen back down.

I couldn’t help but marvel at my lack of patience barely a few minutes with the pen before tossing it aside but I couldn’t help it.

This was pretty infuriating.

“So when are they giving me a promotional event?”

Usually, when a new work launches on a webtoon platform, they promote it in some way.

A banner on the main page, social media ads, or at least a notification about the new release.

That’s how you boost traffic and get the trickle-down effect of readers attracting more readers.

Typically, promotions kick in shortly after a new work is posted.

But I hadn’t gotten any ads, or even a hint of one.

Sure, it’s only been a few days since the launch, so that could be why…

But not even a heads-up? That’s too much.

Isn’t it standard to inform the artist about upcoming promotions?

That way, I could prepare mentally, and we could coordinate.

But there was no word from them, so it’s safe to assume no promotions were planned yet.

*Boiling, boiling.* My blood was simmering.

What kind of slave management is this from the company?!

It’s their loss too. If I make money, they get their cut, which becomes their capital.

My loss is their loss.

And yet, no ads? Does the company not even know the M in marketing?

As I was raging internally…

*Ding!*

My phone chimed with a notification.

I checked it, and sure enough, it was from Song Hara.

[Song Hara: Hello, Artist ^^]

[Song Hara: I’m contacting you regarding a promotion. Could we meet up soon to discuss?]

Nice.

I let out a small gasp of admiration.

Speak of the devil—she brought good news just as I was grumbling.

“Promotion” is just industry jargon for advertising.

This meant the company was finally planning to promote my work.

My irritation started to melt away.

Not entirely, though, so I played a little hard to get.

Honestly, going out was a hassle.

[ Lee Sewon: Sure, but going out’s a bit inconvenient… Is it possible to discuss this over the phone?]

As soon as I sent the message, her reply came surprisingly fast.

[Song Hara: It’s a bit of a long discussion, so I think we should meet in person. I’ll treat you to a meal.]

“Hmm.”

Fair enough.

If she’s buying, I can’t exactly say no.

We quickly settled on when and where to meet.

Tomorrow at 11 a.m., at a nearby barbecue restaurant. The sooner, the better for these things.

[ Lee Sewon: See you tomorrow then.]

[Song Hara: Okay.]

With that, I was about to exit the chat.

[Song Hara: Wait a sec.]

[Song Hara: Can I ask you something before we meet?]

[ Lee Sewom: ?]

But then she stopped me, hinting at something else.

I tilted my head.

Her messages continued.

[Song Hara: Never mind, forget it.]

[Song Hara: Let’s just skip it.]

She gave up seconds after bringing it up.

“What’s that about?”

Her vague behavior made me tilt my head again. If she had something to ask, just ask.

Now she’d only piqued my curiosity by cutting it off like that.

With no choice, I tapped the keyboard to prod her.

[ Lee Sewon: What is it?]

[ Lee Sewon: You can ask anything, no problem.]

[Song Hara: No, it’s fine. It’s kind of a sensitive question, haha ;;]

“Ugh, what is it already?”

Now I had to know.

So I prodded her again.

[ Lee Sewon: Now I’m curious, so just tell me.]

[ Lee Sewon: Hurry up.]

[Song Hara: Okay, fine.]

Finally, she gave in to my persistent urging.

A brief silence fell over the chat. Given how fast she typed earlier, she could’ve said it quickly.

I could almost picture her typing and deleting repeatedly.

After a short wait, her question was indeed a surprising one.

[Song Hara: Artist, have you ever considered revealing your face?]

[Sewon: ??]

“…Huh?”

I tilted my head again.

___________________________________

Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id