It was one evening not long after I had joined the current company when I dropped by at McDonald’s for a bite. Waiting in line, I found a man ahead of me looking into his cell phone. I peeked over it to see what was so funny and some familiar characters captured my eyes. He was reading the webtoon that I was in charge back then, and I couldn’t stop looking over it even when my order was ready. In a moment when his finger moved to the button to pay for the next episode, I secretly yelled out of delight.
It was probably since then that I got a new habit of glance at other people’s cell phones in subways or buses. The reason was very simple – I just wanted to see if anyone enjoyed the webtoons that I was in charge. It started for a personal reason but come to think of it, that habit was of a big help for my career as a webtoon producer. I was able to grasp the trend of webtoon that held the readers even during the rush hour.
The remarkable trend of webtoon in recent years is ‘novel comics’ for sure. ‘Novel comics’ are recreated webtoons that dramatize the story of recognized novels and add attractive illustrations. Since novel comics are based on the story that already proved to be popular, they can draw the readers in a more stable way than original webtoons which have to start from creating stories. Moreover, novel comics are often adopted to TV shows or movies as in the case of the hit webtoon The Office Blind Date, which has recently been announced to be dramatized in a TV show. The boom of novel comics, however, doesn’t mean that original webtoons have become history. As is the case of Incomplete Life or Navillera, there are still original webtoons that are adapted to TV shows with touching stories and attractive directing, and remain steady sellers among viewers of the shows as well as readers of the webtoons. In the past, there were only original webtoons in the market, but now webtoons are being produced through many different ways, thus boosting the growth of the webtoon market. One of the major platforms leading this trend is Kakao Page, and here I introduce a few novel comics and original webtoon that are on the spotlight these days. How about passing time safe at home by enjoying webtoons in this prolonged time of remote communication?
Cool girl’s romance, The Duchess of an Empty Shell
One of the leading genres of novel comics is romantic fantasy. It is mostly about the romance that happens in a fantasy world. For example, the main character moves to a fantasy world for some reason by going back to the past or going into a book or a movie, and meets another main character to fall in love or get married.
Romantic fantasy, however, is not limited to the romance between the main characters. In The Duchess of an Empty Shell by Han Jin-seo, the main character Ivona goes back to the past after dying due to her disloyal fiancé. Remembering that she was betrayed by her fiancé, Ivona tries to carve out a new life. She jumps in series of problems to solve them by using her magical power to summon magical creatures. Readers also get absorbed in the story, support her way of living new life and feel catharsis while reading it. Moreover, Ivona is active in choosing the male protagonist who can be of help for her through a contractual marriage. Still this webtoon does not fail to meet the expectations of readers who want romance. Here the romance begins with contractual marriage but ends with chocolate sweet love!
Mystery Action Drama in Joseon Dynasty, Yonhwajeon
Compared to The Duchess of an Empty Shell which is set in the western world, Yonhwajeon by Kkulbongi is a novel comics that is set in Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The main character, Yonhwa, is a male thief disguised as a woman. Yonhwa robs rich nobles of their possessions to give out poor neighbors. He has a psychometric power that lets him read the memories of what he touches. Using his special power, he finds out the secrets of his mother’s mysterious death and wipes up the gang plotting conspiracy. His dazzling action presents the readers with thrilling excitement and adds vitality to this webtoon. I would recommend Yonhwajeon to those who love historical drama, action or detective stories. Why not taking the opportunity to travel back to the time of Joseon with Yonhwa?
Today and tomorrow again, Don’t Want to Go to Work!
Unlike the two webtoons mentioned above, Don’t Want to Go to Work! is original webtoon. It is about the tough work life of salaried workers as can be inferred from the title. Jeongwoo, the main character, is a newcomer at a construction company and envisions her future as a career woman working with professional bosses in a clean office. The reality, however, is a shabby underground office and pathetic bosses. What adds to this unfavorable reality is a nerd colleague of Jeongwoo, which makes her work life more extreme. In spite of all these, Jeongwoo does not quit and keep working because of love – love for the people she is working with. In our life too, what drives us to wake up every morning and go to work would be the good people that we are working with. Well, it is still true that we don’t’ want to go to work today and tomorrow again.
Kim Tae-wan studied creative writing for B.A. and M.A at Chung- Ang University, and currently working as a webtoon producer at Kakao Page.
Translated by Ok Eurom
* 《Cultura》 2021 October (Vol. 88) *
