A world without copyright.
Even the author of the classic masterpiece, Don Quixote, endured hardships due to illegal copying and derivative works. For a long time, copyright issues have been a constant headache for writers and publishers.
“Where did you get this?”
I skimmed through The Rise of the Tang Family that I received from Im Ha-yeon. It wasn’t just some novel with the same name; it was a straight-up copy, not a derivative work.
What I was reading was a book that was published verbatim by another bookstore, despite being sold at the Da Seogak.
“I found a young reader who was too engrossed in reading. I also heard news about Ho Pil, the author.”
“Let’s go down and check.”
As I descended to the first floor, I spotted a young reader frantically panicking.
“Dear guest! I was just taking a moment to read; I definitely wasn’t slacking off…”
The boy made excuses like a child caught red-handed hiding a snack from his mother.
“I’m not saying this to scold you. Where did you get The Rise of the Tang Family?”
“I heard from a bookstore that they brought in a writer named Ho Pil. People flocked there because they said it was an interesting novel, so I bought one.”
“Did Ho Pil really go to another bookstore?”
Im Ha-yeon asked me with an uneasy voice.
“Which bookstore was selling it?”
It was a world where bookstores claimed they sponsored the authors and had copyright under the guise of propriety. The only place I could assert the copyright for The Rise of the Tang Family was in Yichang.
Right now, at this moment, it’s possible that The Rise of the Tang Family is being printed somewhere in another city. I couldn’t take any retaliatory action against it. But here, in Wuhan, someone had the audacity to judge and sell The Rise of the Tang Family without permission, and they even dared to disguise themselves as Ho Pil.
“It was definitely a bookstore with the name Man Geum written on it.”
The young reader seemed to recall and mentioned the source of The Rise of the Tang Family.
Man Geum?
Man Geum Bookstore?
“Jeon Gil-san, this punk crossed the line!!”
—————–
“How can a person do that?!”
“Right? They only took the franchise fee, carrier pigeon rental fee, personnel introduction fee, material cost, advertising fee, and other small expenses!”
I ensured that the profits would cover the Man Geum Battlefield tests.
Not satisfied with that, they went against the ethics? Then why even start a business?
Im Ha-yeon and I, unable to hide our anger, headed towards Jeon Gil-san’s establishment.
“Jeon Gil-saaaaaaan!”
I crashed through the door of Jeon Gil-san’s office like I was ready to throw someone out.
“I was actually waiting to see you!”
This punk pretended to be calm. Jeon Gil-san stood up, as if he knew I was coming.
“I helped you out of goodwill! And you cross the line!”
From today onward, this establishment is closed for business. I’m confiscating the Nine Black Qi Hands, you punk.
“You came because of The Rise of the Tang Family, right? That’s not me.”
“Huh?”
In Jeon Gil-san’s hand was The Rise of the Tang Family published by another bookstore.
“Although I’m a slacker, I’m a slacker in the bookstore world. I’m not so rotten to ignore ethics.”
“There are plenty of reasons to suspect otherwise.”
I’ve had various experiences, and I’ve heard stories in the Hao Mun. Where are you lying?
“That’s not it! I wouldn’t do anything to get on my grandfather’s bad side!”
As I shot him a doubting glare, Jeon Gil-san awkwardly defended himself, perhaps feeling a bit guilty.
Yeah. That suits you better than ethics or whatever.
“There’s been a rumor about The Rise of the Tang Family being sold at a bookstore named Man Geum, so if it’s not you, then who?”
If it’s not Jeon Gil-san, then who could it be?
“My cousin, Heo Song, did it.”
The name of the culprit slipped out of Jeon Gil-san’s mouth.
“Your cousin? The grandson of Man Geum Chairman?”
“Yeah. He stuck the Man Geum name on a bookstore a while ago. He thought he could get away with using the name of Man Geum Bookstore without actually writing it himself.”
Jeon Gil-san ground his teeth, saying if it weren’t for that cousin, he would have acted long ago.
“So that punk is trying to run a business selling The Rise of the Tang Family under a fake Ho Pil’s name?”
Is it like a chicken place stealing the reputation of a luxury brand? No, even worse, since it’s a similar trademark in the same industry.
Impersonating the author and creating a similar trademark. He’s trying to scam for a big haul.
“Was it really a fake Ho Pil then? Follow me. I’ll have him face us.”
——————
“The Rise of the Tang Family is one per person!”
“Get out of the way! I’m buying first!”
“I heard this book is really interesting!”
“My friend in Yichang praised it nonstop!”
I thought it wasn’t something I could control if my book was well sold outside Yichang. But seeing someone else benefit from the book I wrote and should be distributing twists my insides.
“Who is this? Isn’t that the infamous Jeon Gil-san?”
In a ridiculous situation where my book was disguised as someone else’s, a young man with a notably petty resemblance to Jeon Gil-san approached us.
“Heo Song!”
“Came to see how well the sales are going, huh? Even if your delivery food is selling well, it won’t match the sales of my Man Geum Library’s The Rise of the Tang Family.”
“So shameless! You used the name of Man Geum Bookstore without permission!”
Oh, how warm the familial bond is. As I watched their back-and-forth, it felt like we were not in front of a bookstore but in some alley.
“Ha! It’s not Man Geum Bookstore; it’s Man Geum Library! Hanging out with black-haired barbarians, you’ve got a lot of nerve picking at small things.”
The imposter bookstore owner, known as Heo Song, sneered at me and Jeon Gil-san.
“Barbarians? Hahaha!”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Hello, I’m Kang Yoon-ho from Da Seogak.”
I politely greeted the stunned imposter.
“Wait?! You’re Kang Yoon-ho from Da Seogak in Yichang?!”
A look of despair flashed across Heo Song’s face.
“The Rise of the Tang Family is selling well from Da Seogak in Wuhan.”
You’ve been selling The Rise of the Tang Family without permission? I stressed Da Seogak for effect.
Heo Song looked at me but adjusted his expression, returning to the earlier smirk.
“It’s not Da Seogak’s but Man Geum Library’s The Rise of the Tang Family. No way you thought someone from Yichang could claim ethics over a bookstore in another city? How shameless of you, barbarian.”
This punk casually belittles me.
I find that irritating but it’s true. The rights I can claim are only for my publication in Yichang. Even if someone prints The Rise of the Tang Family in another city, I couldn’t claim ownership.
“I can’t claim ethics outside of Yichang, but I’d say I can within Wuhan.”
Do you think your grandfather will smoothly get past this? But despite my remark, Heo Song’s expression remained unchanged.
What’s he thinking?
“Da Seogak isn’t solely my grandfather’s anymore.”
This punk touched upon the current vulnerability of Da Seogak.
“It hasn’t moved to Man Geum Battlefield yet. I’m still the one running it.”
“It’s not about who the captain is, but rather who the owner is. Just because you have the keys to Da Seogak now doesn’t change the fact that it’s still your grandfather’s goodwill.”
Whose property is Da Seogak now?
I had just accepted the Man Geum Battlefield test. So, the real owner of Da Seogak was closer to being my creditor, Man Geum Chairman.
“Do you think the Chairman would agree with that?”
“If the rights are unclear, having propriety is enough. We invited the poor Ho Pil writer here, so your grandfather would probably agree.”
So who is this Ho Pil you’re bragging about? I’ve never even received a full course meal from you guys.
I basically got the situation.
The Rise of the Tang Family is a book that has already succeeded in Yichang. While I’m trying to pass the successor test, you brought Ho Pil along for justification.
So all I have to do is smash that justification.
“Let’s see what this face of the Ho Pil author looks like. You maintained contact until recently, but suddenly you went to Man Geum Library without notice. I can’t believe that.”
I’ll expose this fake right away.
“Ahem. The Ho Pil author is very particular about meeting people.”
I could see the look of confusion on Heo Song’s face.
“He’s been hurt because of you, and that’s caused him a health issue.”
That’s a lie! Heo Song raised his voice. He wasn’t able to control his expression. He’s wary about my meeting with Ho Pil.
“What nonsense are you talking about? It’s like you have a reason for not wanting to show me the author.”
I shot Jeon Gil-san a glance, asking for support.
“What are you so nervous about that you refuse to show the Ho Pil author?!”
“Hah! I anticipated you saying that. Wait! I’ve got solid proof to show you.”
So you’re saying there’s proof that you have the Ho Pil author?
There’s no way anything like that exists.
Heo Song entered the store and came back to us with something in hand.
“Look!”
“Wait?!”
“Whoa!”
“What is this?!”
Heo Song pulled out evidence that the Ho Pil author was with Man Geum Library.
The identity is…
“[It’s Ho Pil…]”
——————
“I can’t believe I fell for ‘It’s Ho Pil…’.”
I had no choice but to return to the office.
Where I was forced to return because the contents were dead end material, even for me.
I buried my head on the desk and held my head in despair.
“Could it be that the Ho Pil author really left?”
Jeon Gil-san shot me a look full of suspicion, as if everything was my fault.
“I can understand the Ho Pil author’s feelings. If they’re always using ‘It’s Ho Pil’ when problems arise at Da Seogak, it’s no wonder he’d be fed up with it.”
Im Ha-yeon sighed softly and mentioned the content of ‘It’s Ho Pil’ that she just saw.
“No…”
I wrote that.
“I’ve heard of the infamous nature of ‘It’s Ho Pil’. Isn’t it too exploitative?”
“Right? They keep shutting the store while protesting, and while you might be fine as the bookstore owner, that would be a loss for Ho Pil author trying to sell books.”
“Plus, it even wrote that they were irate over the underhanded business tactics using The Rise of the Tang Family. I can see why moving to another bookstore would make sense.”
“The underhanded tactics spread even to other cities. If it weren’t for a true friend, I would have already cut ties, you know? Or are you thinking of cutting ties now?”
“That won’t happen. That’s definitely a fake.”
I’ve been friends with him long enough to know everything about him, including my dark history.
“If you say so, but…”
Why are you giving me that doubtful look too, Im Ha-yeon?
“Let me know when it turns out he’s a fake. Heo Song’s name has been coming up at Man Geum Bookstore too. If it’s confirmed that he brought in a fake author, I’ll make sure to crush him as the son of Man Geum Bookstore.”
Jeon Gil-san spoke to me like a hyena targeting a helpless prey.
“Probably as the grandson of the Man Geum Chairman.”
It’s clear as day you want to eliminate a rival successor.
“Just make sure to combine your efforts. I’ll take my leave.”
Jeon Gil-san chuckled before leaving the office.
—————–
A fake Ho Pil.
As a writer, my reputation is my life. Whoever he is, how dare he try to steal my reputation?
What should I do now? At times like this, having the Man Geum Chairman step in to discipline that grandson is the best.
“I’ll resolve this myself or you’d better dress up and come to the mansion.”
It seemed the Man Geum Chairman had heard the news and sent me a message.
“Damn that old coot.”
I could picture the fanciful smile on Man Geum Chairman’s face upon hearing the news.
Did the Jeongal family’s daughter look for him? He probably meant to initiate a matchmaking to resolve this issue, huh?
“I’ll go and check.”
Im Ha-yeon leaned against the wall, gazing at me for a while before finally speaking as if she had made up her mind.
“Where are you going?”
“To confirm whether the fake is indeed a fake. If it is, Jeon Gil-san said he’d crush him. I’ll check if the real Ho Pil author is there and find out who he really is.”
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
“Do you even know who I am? Leave the window open. I’ll be back quickly.”
“Please be careful.”
“But… if it really is the real Ho Pil author… no. I’ll be back.”
Thank you. If you need a signature or something later, I’ll give it to you in bulk. I sent off Im Ha-yeon, who was mixed with hesitation.
I hope Im Ha-yeon can find out, but what if she fails?
I can’t reveal my identity.
This isn’t a city where I’m guaranteed the rights for publication outside of Yichang. It’s questionable if anyone would believe me if I revealed my true identity, and all it would do is disrupt a rogue’s business without any benefit for me.
The loss of being exposed as a barbarian author is even greater.
I don’t intend to just sit back, but there’s truly no way for me to hide the author’s identity.
After all, I was the one hiding as an author.
“Surprise! When did you come back?”
Lost in thought, I looked up to find Im Ha-yeon.
Wow, she’s quick. But why does her expression seem so dark?
“…Just now. I think the Ho Pil author may have been kidnapped.”
Im Ha-yeon reported to me with a somewhat discontented gaze.
“What does that mean?”
“The security was intense. But it didn’t seem like it was to guard from outsiders, rather, it felt like it was set to monitor the people inside and prevent anyone from escaping.”
“Are you saying the Ho Pil author was kidnapped?”
Wasn’t that a fake author? This is getting more puzzling.
I’m right here, but who the hell are you?
“Kang Yoon-ho, the store manager.”
Clang! The sound of a locking door echoed as Im Ha-yeon called my name in a heavy tone of voice.
“Uh? Why are you locking the door?”
Calling me “store manager” is what she does when she’s upset.
Did I stress her out during the night?
“I have a question for you.”
Im Ha-yeon’s face was grim. Did something serious happen?
“Ask away.”
“…Was the Ho Pil author, by any chance, a woman?”
