In the end, I decided to continue with school.
It was Monday morning at school.
I was sitting at my desk, twirling my pen as I looked at the diagram in my notebook.
It was a diagram of me and my goal as a writer.
First, an introspection.
Skill-wise, I'm a very good writer.
To the point that a bitch like Gu Gyuri, who was considered the best writer in the industry, would steal my writing.
"Except dialogues."
My dialogue sucks.
I mean, didn't she mention it herself? That bitch had to edit my dialogue before it was up to her standard.
On the other hand, every other part of my writing was left untouched, which means they are pretty good already.
This gives me a good indication of what my strengths and weaknesses are as a writer.
And that leaves me with a choice.
"Should I improve on my weakness? Or should I optimize my strength?"
Neither choice was wrong.
Assuming I have unlimited time and energy, it would be better to take both choices.
'The problem is that I don't have unlimited resources.'
So, I have to prioritize one over the other for now.
"What's the benefit…?"
If I were to choose to improve on my weaknesses, I would be able to write a better character-centric narrative. This kind of narrative was commonly used in drama, game narrative, and opera. Basically, every medium that emphasizes dialogues.
On the other hand, if I optimize my strengths—everything else from interesting plotlines to pacing and descriptive writing… I can write a better scene-centric narrative commonly used in movies, advertisements, and literary works.
"Hm… I can't decide…"
So, let's think about this from another angle.
Remember, my goal is not only to succeed but also to take Gu Gyuri down from the throne.
What skills do I need to take her down?
"Since Gu Gyuri specializes in drama…"
Then, I can do the same and duke it out against her in her specialty later on.
That means I can take all of her work opportunities from her. A direct approach to war.
But that's only true after my skill has reached a satisfactory level—high enough to threaten her career.
How long would that take?
One year? Two years?
It's doable, but I would probably have to stay poor for a long time.
'I can't do that.'
If I took too long, Ahn Noona would lose her youth before she had any chance to enjoy it.
As much as I want to confront Gu Gyuri directly and take her down, that can wait until later.
So, my priority is to succeed first. Only then can I even think about going for revenge.
"Alright, strength, then."
I marked the corresponding diagram.
Of course, that doesn't mean I would completely neglect learning to improve my dialogue. It meant that I would prioritize utilizing my strengths most of the time.
"Let's schedule that too."
Since I am starting from the bottom, with no fans or connections to speak of… I would have to work much, much harder than I practice.
That means I could probably make do with only one hour of dialogue practice before sleep and use the rest of my free time to produce new works.
"I would also need to reduce my amount of sleep."
General knowledge recommends getting 8 hours of sleep, but that's a luxury for me at this point. I can probably cut it down to 5 hours per day or 3 if I'm pushing it.
"No… Three hours every day would be too risky."
It increases the risk of me getting sick. Which means I may not even be able to write during that time.
It's one thing if our household is rich enough to buy medicine and treat me faster, but depending on the sickness, I might have to endure it by sheer will.
'So, three hours is no good.'
It might be okay during an emergency.
But as a default?
'Not a chance.'
Anyway, now that I've decided on a basic schedule and plan of action, I just have to follow through and improve on it as I go.
"For now, let's write a movie."
A two-hour movie should be fine. It's much shorter than a standard 16-episode drama, so I can quickly write one and send it to several companies.
With that decided, I began to jot down the story.
***
I was writing during break time and thinking during class time. All that's left is to borrow the school computer after school to write what I can before backing it up to the cloud and heading back home.
Then, if Ahn Noona is not using her notebook, I can borrow it and continue where I left off.
"It will be easier if I have my own laptop, but…"
I can only make use of what I have.
Of course, I have a phone of my own, but using it to write is a pain in the ass. I would rather use my time somewhere more productive.
As I was thinking about this and that, school was finally over.
"Ah, teacher, please wait."
Now, it was time to run ahead at full speed and pursue my dream.
***
I obtained permission to use the computer room until school was closed.
Actually, I don't even need to ask.
Why? Because some students who are part of certain clubs also use it from time to time after school.
'The problem is, I'm not a member of those clubs. Or of any club, really.'
When I was still working as an assistant writer, I would go straight to my workplace instead of spending time with schoolmates at the club.
So I don't have the time or the leeway to join any clubs.
But now, I have successfully infiltrated the computer room as the sole outsider among students.
"Hey, who is that?"
"A new member?"
"He doesn't look like a freshman, though?"
"Ah, that person is… You know, the one teacher told us about…"
"Ah… The one who begged and groveled on the floor?"
… The rumors seemed to have been exaggerated a lot.
But whatever. Every second is precious. Let's ignore all the noise and write.
***
"I'm home."
"Welcome back~"
"Ah, my princess! How have you been?"
"Aang? Are you picking a fight?"
As I thought, nothing beats teasing my little sister after a tiring day of work.