Choi Jung Soo and Kim Rok Soo were probably playing hot potato with the prospect of eventually becoming a team leader, much like the Henituses are avoiding the Territory Lord title like the plague.
LSH: Hey, Rok Soo, have you thought about taking over the position of Assistant Leader?
KRS, tears in his eyes: Team Leader...I thought you liked me.
LSH:...My bad.
KRS: And why would you want me to be the Assistant Leader? Choi Jung Soo is right there.
CJS: Me??? I thought you would get the position for sure.
KRS: Why would I accept?
CJS: Why wouldn't you?!
KRS, dumbfounded: Because I want to retire early? And be a slacker?
And at this point, LSH would be laughing too much to be able to stop them.
I got inspired by the art style of hades game and wanted to draw the four of them in Ancient Greek clothing ^^ Elias & Narke done for now
I did like an hour research into the clothings 😭 anyway
Narke: Chiton (male version), Chlamys (worn by military or for hunting purposes), Laural wreath (symbol of victory/triumph and all that, usually for various competitions but it can be a symbol of academic achievement. Can be put on the head or around the neck.), Shoe/sandals, leather belt, armband (Worn by athletes & warriors as an armor and a status symbol), I forgot his earrings...
Elias: Chiton (male version), Chlamys, Laurel wreath, shoe/sandals, leather belt, armband, earrings (serves as a symbol for beauty, status & cultural identity, since Elias has ton of piercings I decided to keep that)
It was rlly fun to draw, hopefully I'll be able to finish the rest of the drawings ^^
The possibility of web novels, as seen through ‘Debut Or Die’ and ‘Even If You Fall Into A Ghost Story, You Have To Go To Work’.
Last week, Korea's primary film magazine 'Cine 21' had a special about web novels (due to ORV). This included a four page article on Baek Deoksu's novels, titled 'The Baek Deoksu Phenomenon.' Including interviews with KWBooks insider, as well as fans, it explained and analysed the popularity of DoD and GSGW.
Below the cut is the translation for the four page article.
The Baek Deoksu Phenomenon
The possibility of web novels, as seen through ‘Debut Or Die’ and ‘Even If You Fall Into A Ghost Story, You Have To Go To Work’.
by Lee Jayeon / Cine 21 no.1517
This April, on the opening rush that happened in front of the franchise cafe EDIYA, there were a few notable points. The first question in taking a look at the scene - are opening rushes at franchise cafes a rarity? Not so much. Every season, we see cafes filled with people rushing in to get original merchandise. However, what EDIYA offered this time were not the franchise’s own branded merchandise, but idol photo cards, acrylic stands and figurine magnets. A second question. Are opening rushes to get idol merch a rarity? Also no. However, the idol we are discussing here do not exist in the real world - they are fictional characters from a web novel. It is the boy group TeSTAR from the web novel ‘Debut or Die’ (DoD).
It’s true - the result of the collaboration between EDIYA and the web novel <DoD> have been record-setting. The photo card set that offers two random photo cards sold more than a hundred thousand within three days, and the limited collaboration goods consisting of acrylic set and figurines + slogans sold out in four minutes. The event was held around the same time the idol group TeSTAR officially debuted, and the fans of the original work quickened their pace to the cafe as if a real idol was having a come-back.
The basic premise of <DoD>, in which Ryu Geonwoo, who has been preparing for the civil servant exam for four years, finds himself in the body of Park Moondae, having to debut as an idol within 365 days to survive, has its roots in the common grammar of webnovels, Hoe-Bing-Hwan (회빙환 : regression, possession, reincarnation). So does the author’s next work, <Even If You Fall Into A Ghost Story You Still Have To Go To Work> (GSGW) which has achieved ‘The Great Unification of Otaku’ one more time after <DoD>. The main character Kim Soleum, having visited a ghost story fantasy popup store, finds himself sucked into a real ghost story world, and solves ghost story mission after ghost story mission in order to return to his original world.
Ryu Geonwoo, who is highly knowledgeable of the K-pop industry due to his experience of earning money by taking pictures of idols, and Kim Soleum, who is well-versed in ghost story creations in the first place, share a common trait - they have a detailed understanding of the world they suddenly find themselves thrown into. They smoothly solve every problem with their deft people skills and strategical movements. Considering the characteristics of Hoe-Bing-Hwan, which guarantees catharsis from the dramatic victory of the protagonist who is practically living their life for the second time, <DoD> and <GSGW> also achieve safe entertainment within the genre.
However, the two novels don’t just exist within a peaceful fence. Although they follow traditional grammar and virtue of web novels, they freely cross the line in their own ways. What characteristics of <DoD> and <GSGW> have led to the wide fandom interactions? What kind of popular subtext might be embedded in the warm reaction to these novels? How did these two novels widen the variety of web novels? In the year 2025, to foresee the archetypical possibilities of web novel IPs, we aim to take a look back at Baek Deoksu’s footsteps.
The Records Set By <DoD> and <GSGW>
To look at Baek Deoksu as a syndrome, one must first look at the cultural/industrial achievements of their novels. <DoD>, first published in KakaoPage in January 2021, was popular among young subscribers from the beginning - currently in July 2025, it has 650 million cumulative views. Even after it ended in 2023, it reached third place in KakaoPage’s 2024 report’s ‘Works with Most Number of Comments’.
Due to the urgency of the premise in which he has to debut within a set amount of time to keep his life, Park Moondae joins an idol survival program, <Idol Inc>. The point to which he has returned is three years ago. Because he already remembers past information and data, Park Moondae respond calmly and confidently to problems and unexpected situations lurking around every corner, until he finally debuts as first place. More than anything, the way he smartly and quickly avoids the so-called ‘devil’s editing’, reminds readers of the nature of idol survival programs, leading them to get hyper-immersed. As such, <DoD> reached wide audiences, from a highly engaged group of fans who have personally experienced K-pop culture to the general public who likes survival TV shows. It’s read by a wide age group, from teens to those in their thirties. In the web novel market, trend shifts at a moment’s notice, and fnas are always hungry for new subject matter - <DoD> contributed to the diversity of subject matter by bringing together a well-known but new subject material (idol debut) and the classic Hoe-Bing-Hwan. This fresh attempt not only created an industrywide flow, it became a chance for the novel to easily reach a wide variety of audiences.
In May 2023, <DoD> opened a popup store at Hyundai Department Store ‘The Hyundai Seoul’. It was the first web novel / webtoon IP to do so. Moreover, the average spending per person was over 500 thousand won (360 USD), and the total number of visitors reached twenty thousand. Discussing this heated and crowded event, Ha Deokho, the IP Business Team Leader of KWBooks, explains : “Though we can’t say a popup store is the standard of the novel’s popularity, considering the budget/process/collaborations, it isn’t a project that we can simply start due to good feelings. With <DoD>, we carefully investigated the popularity of the novel, the immersion, and the online/offline fandom reaction, and concluded we could open a popup store.”
The opening rush was also heated. From before dawn, two thousand people stood in line. More than twice of the opening rush for the popup store for <The First Slam-Dunk> which was 800 people. “On the first day, there was a line from The Hyundai Seoul to Yeouido Station, 15 minutes by walking distance. There were even cases where people who were curious about the crowd became new fans. We were very surprised and grateful for this opening rush, but we don’t take it for granted. We are continuing to discuss methods to improve the convenience of fans in future events.”
The characteristic of the <DoD> fandom is that it is very similar to an actual idol fandom culture. “When planning merch, we take idol culture into account a lot. The most popular merch in the popup store was the acrylic stand. Since these are idols, the fans highly prefer visual merchandise that vividly shows each member’s illustration. In addition, we developed perfumes for each member. Many idol fans are fond of matching scents that would fit their favorites. We discussed with the author Baek Deoksu which scent would fit the TeSTAR members - we planned the bottle’s shape, the weight, even the packaging.” When you smell the scent, you will remember the popup store, and <DoD> - the novel’s world has been connected and expanded.
<GSGW>, the author’s next work after <DoD>, is referred to as ‘The Great Unification of Otaku’. Otaku from all sorts of genres have joined Kim Soleum’s adventures in ghost stories. <GSGW> reached ‘Milliion Page’ within five days of launch, a record in 2024 KakaoPage - for the ‘Fantasy-Modern Fantasy-Wuxia’ genre, the quickest ever. (Editor’s note : ‘Million Page’ is a KakaoPage Brand for novels that were either seen by a million readers or reached cumulative million USD revenue.) Currently in 2025 July, <GSGW> has over 190 million views and three hundred thousand comments. Its first official merchandise, the ‘Daydream Inc. Onboarding Kit’ that recreated what the protagonist received in-novel, sold over 10 thousand sets, reaching 500 million won (360 thousand USD) in revenue. There is an exhibition planned for September. Ha Deokho IP Business Team Leader says : “It will be an exhibition in which the attendants will feel a sense of immersion as if they have fallen into that world, just like the protagonist.” It will be a story experience that follows a narrative, which brings into real life the scenes you have only imagined. The duration will be fairly long as well.
Derivative Works - How a Vibrant Fandom Breathes and Evolves Alongside the Novel’s Universe
In an attempt to analyze the public’s excitement for the two webnovels from an industrial point of view, we requested distribution platforms and industry stakeholders for an analysis and commentary on the factors behind its success - but in the end, all declined to participate. We could sense the caution and reluctance surrounding the idea of making an official statement about a specific work. At the same time, this cautious refusal itself shows one side of the current fervor for the novels. It seems that due to the immediate and explosive fandom reaction, the distribution platform and the publisher can’t help but be cautious in making official statements. This heated fandom response can be interpreted in many aspects.
First, there is the area of derivative works. Derivative works go further than drawing (or writing) imitating the original work. Rather, it refers to delving into the small gaps left unspoken by the original work—proposing imaginative and novel ideas that breathe life into the novel’s universe and expand it in vibrant ways. One can present a situation in which two characters who have no relation to each other grow close, or have characters fall into entirely different worlds. Then what about <GSGW>? What kind of fluidity and creative flexibility does <GSGW> potentially hold?
To hear voices in real life, we interviewed actual fans of <GSGW> who create various fanworks such as fan fictions, illusts and comics. What they all pointed out in common is that <GSGW>’s episodes consist of ghost stories.
Here is the more detailed plot of <GSGW>. Kim Soleum, who originally liked a ghost story creative work called <Darkness Exploration Records>, visits a related popup store where he falls into the ghost story world. He opens his eyes to find himself in Daydream Inc. In this company which sells various products by collecting energy that are emanated from various ghost stories, employees go to work risking their lives. Just as a lawyer works on their cases, as a surgeon works on surgery, the people there solve ghost stories one by one. The thing is, this <Darkness Exploration Records> read by Kim Soleum is, to make a comparison, something like Namuwiki (Translator’s note : a popular subculture wiki in korea). It is an open-source online platform where everyone can participate - various ghost stories are created from the original archetype. Therefore some patterns emergy. Although the whole story is connected, it is divided into episodes. Each feature different ghost stories. This is where the gap lies where fans have the chance to get involved.
“Because the basic format is Soleum entering the ghost story, solving the problem and then coming back, fans create original ghost stories to see how Soleum would react, or how Soleum would interact with other characters. Whether it be comics of fanfics, this is the popular format. The <Darkness Exploration Records> that Soleum read is becoming real life.” (Fan A). With the protagonist at the center, the fans create ghost stories which involve the characters that they want him to be connected with, or the happenings that they want him to experience. What happened inside the world of the novel is being recreated in real life. When you think about how passionate love and imaginative variations serve to extend the life of the original work, <GSGW> is certainly moving forward with its fans.
There are characteristics within derivative works due to the original work being a web novel. According to how the character is described in-novel, each fan imagines a different face. The less description there is, the less limits there are to their imagination. “This character called Kwak Jegang barely has any description in the novel. So the readers imagine long hairs, glasses, and such - as a result, this character has a true variety of presentation. There are sad stories, too. Everyone’s been drawing characters the way they want, but when the official description or the illustration that goes against it is posted, there are mumblings and mutterings before the artist deletes their work. Our cultural heritage, gone. (laugh)” (Fan A)
Of course, the derivative work has its dark side as well. There are fans who sell actual merchandise of in-novel items or symbols. For example, Braun. This bunny keyring that Kim Soleum holds inside his chest pocket is his good friend and advisor. Fans made actual keyrings of Braun out of love for the character, but in the heated atmosphere, there began to emerge full-fledged profit-driven activities that are difficult to regard as mere fandom activities. <GSGW> fan B remembered the atmosphere of November 2024 as this : “Those people commonly known as “dealers” began producing and selling merchandise. Recreating exactly what the original work describes, or adding imagination. The latter is part of the charm of derivative works, but at some point, it has started to tread a fine line. For example, the fan merch for the Supernatural Disater Bureau used symbols similar to actual governmental agencies. Because there weren’t official merch back then, people began to treat it like official.”
Hyper-immersion is fandom’s significant play material, but a need for a divide that makes clear the virtue of where unofficial merchandise must stay began to rise. As such, KWBooks announced guidelines for derivative works twice. November 2024, and May 2025. It hasn’t been unheard of to set the direction and limits for fandom’s play culture, but it isn’t a commonly done thing either, so it gained some attention.
Ha Deokho Business Team Leader explained : “Voluntary derivative works are very important from an industrial point of view, but the pursuit of excessive profit not only disrupts the industry ecosystem but also dampens the atmosphere within the fandom.” “The MZ generation needs a playground where they can play freely. A space where they can talk about the things they like and actively express their thoughts on it has become important. That is the current derivative works. However, because items from the original work were repeatedly becoming fan merch, ironically, the original publisher was having to tread carefully. Ideally we wish to create new merchandise that is not currently available. In addition, when unofficial merch is first registered onto the fans’ brains, they are sometimes taken as if they are official merchandise. It was about time that a precise guideline for a more healthy fandom culture had to be announced.”
After the two guidelines were announced, the overheated fan-merch culture began to cool down. It was made possible by the active involvement of fans who brought attention to the problematic situation and the company’s flexible response in quickly recognizing and addressing the issue.
Super IP, Baek Deoksu : What Only They Can Elicit
At first glance, the world imagined by Baek Deoksu seems like a world of despair. Even under the refreshing goal of idol debut you have to be concerned for your life, and the grotesque descriptions of various ghost stories raise goosebumps just as horror movies do. But at the same time, Baek Deoksu finds hope. The premise that Kim Soleum, the protagonist of <GSGW>, is a huge scaredy-cat, doesn’t merely stop at eliciting empathy from the reader. Despite that, he moves forward. Having witnessed employees dying before his very eyes, having to shudder in fear as he touches his own corpse, Kim Soleum thinks of what he can do at that moment. Fear and horror are his main emotions, and identity. But that does not make him turn away from others. He doesn’t abandon others due to fear - he holds others close due to fear. A hope that comes to you in the darkest form possible. It is what Baek Deoksu holds close in their hands at the face of any danger.
That is not all. Baek Deoksu doesn’t divide characters clearly into light and dark, good and evil. In Baek Deoksu’s world, the annoying coworker today can be the savior of tomorrow. Did not the TV-headed guy from the Tuesday Talk Show who killed off participants without any guilt become ‘Braun’ who shares his emotions with Soleum? (Unbelievable.)
Despite the daily schedule from Monday to Tuesday, the novel does not allow boredom to set in, because unpredictable crises come crashing in rapid succession. There have been many offers of media mix that seek to materialize this vibrance. “Not only <DoD> but <GSGW> has received many offers of webtoon, animation, live action, and games. Although nothing is fixed yet, many things are being discussed. We are exploring possibilities by leveraging the strengths of web novel IPs, which can be adapted into virtually any media format.”
snowghoul
prguitarman
kianamaiart
tangentwithtanner
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
titsay
izzy806
2087
