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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 13: Final Chapter and a New Project
"Editor-in-chief, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I’m Jung Junhyuk, the author of ‘D Note’. We spoke on the phone the other day."
"I remember. I’ve been following ‘D Note’ closely. I’m Aizawa Touji, the editor-in-chief."
At first, the mood was perfectly cordial.
Some even commented with surprise at how fluent his Japanese was—polished honorifics and all, not something you'd expect from a foreigner, let alone a teenager.
“I thought he’d be more eccentric, considering the kind of work he’s producing at that age.”
“Right? I was expecting someone more like ‘J’ from the story or something.”
“Turns out he’s just a well-mannered, normal kid.”
But just when everyone had dropped their guard—
"I have something I’d like to discuss with you, sir."
"Go ahead."
“I’d like to conclude ‘D Note’ around chapter 50.”
Ha ha ha...
The low chuckles among the editors instantly died off.
Wait, what?
They looked around at each other, confused.
Just a moment ago, everything had been normal. This came out of nowhere.
In manga terms, it felt like one of those blink-and-you-miss-it panels that suddenly drops a bombshell—’Oh, by the way, I’m actually the armored— And he’s the final boss’—a throwaway line… with world-shattering consequences.
[PR/N: AOT!?💀]
Smack!
One of the editors slapped the person next to him.
“…Nope. Not a dream.”
“Why the fuck did you slap me!? Shouldn't you be the one getting slapped?”
It almost turned from workplace confusion to all-out carnage, but then—
"May I ask why you're suddenly bringing this up?"
All attention snapped back to the editor-in-chief.
"I mentioned it to Mr. Matsuda from the very beginning of serialization."
Junhyuk said calmly.
"But, understandably, he had trouble accepting it."
"So now you’re coming directly to me, the editor-in-chief?"
Aizawa's eyes sharpened like a drawn blade.
Behind Junhyuk, Matsuda flinched slightly.
Because if someone heard that line out of context, it could easily sound like this—The author couldn’t convince his editor, so he went straight to the top to get what he wanted.
A move like that could be seen as undermining your own editor and disrespecting the editorial chain of command.
That’s not what Junhyuk meant.
And Matsuda wasn’t being ignored—he actually ‘agreed’ with Junhyuk’s decision to end the series.
But if that truth were plainly said out loud, it’d leave both Matsuda and Team Leader Hashida in an awkward spot.
Imagine—an editor, whose job is to ‘push for serialization’, siding with the author on cutting it short?
What kind of backlash would that bring later?
Junhyuk understood all that.
So he chose to twist the truth just a little, for Matsuda and Hashida’s sake.
"I know it’s presumptuous. And I’m aware that ‘D Note’ has been more successful than I deserve, so it makes sense the editorial team would want to continue the run."
“……”
“Matsuda respects my decision, but as my editor, he’s not in a position to casually bring up the idea of ending the series. Even if he personally agrees with me, he can’t officially make the call.”
Matsuda—who had a history of previously mentioning an early ending a little too easily—averted his eyes.
“Still, I firmly believe that wrapping ‘D Note’ by chapter 50—maybe somewhere in the fifties at most—would be the most ideal.”
“…I understand that’s your opinion. But from the editorial side, we can’t accept that so easily. ‘D Note’ is one of our top titles, comparable to any flagship series in Jump right now. I’d like you to work with Matsuda to find a way to extend it even a little further.”
Polite words—but unmistakably firm.
The message was clear—“We are not letting you end this.”
Now, if Junhyuk were to start rattling off a list of all the series that dragged on and ended in disaster… well, this would turn into a full-blown fire, not just a spark.
So instead, Junhyuk smiled quietly and asked a simple question.
“You said it’s a hit series, right?”
Only the editor-in-chief—who was sitting across from Junhyuk—caught that faint smile.
As the chief eyed him curiously, Junhyuk pulled out two envelopes.
“Editor-in-chief. I don’t believe ‘popular manga’ is a title earned just by being fun.”
“……”
“One Piece, Naruto, Bleach—ask random people on the street, and most will recognize those names. But would they still be that popular if they’d been serialized in some other magazine? That, I’m not so sure about.”
The topic shift was sudden, but the editor-in-chief listened quietly.
“A good manga needs exposure. It has to be placed where lots of people will see it. Then it has to be promoted so the world ‘knows’ it exists. That’s what allowed those works to become the massive hits they are today.”
“Buzz matters. A striking title and quality content—that’s what draws people in and keeps them reading.”
Tap.
Junhyuk pointed to one of the envelopes.
“The shocking, unexpected finale of ‘D Note’. And then—right after—the much-anticipated new series from the creator of ‘D Note’.”
Junhyuk looked the editor-in-chief straight in the eyes, a hint of mischief glinting behind his calm expression.
“Now that’s the kind of headline that gets people talking, isn’t it?”
“……”
“Of course, there are conditions. First, D Note’s ending has to satisfy readers. It needs to blow them away.”
He pointed to the envelope beside him—labeled: D Note – Final Chapter.
“Second, the new series has to be absolutely killer.”
He tapped the first envelope again.
“I’m confident I can deliver on both counts. But I also know I can’t just declare that and call it settled.”
“You’re saying you’ll leave the decision to me?”
Junhyuk gave a silent nod.
“And if I’m not satisfied—what will you do?”
“In that case, I’ll respect your judgment.”
“I’m the editor-in-chief. If I follow the company’s stance, I may have to completely reject your request.”
“In that case…”
Junhyuk’s eyes—calm until now—narrowed ever so slightly, the faint smile never quite leaving his lips.
The editor-in-chief instinctively stiffened.
“…that would be very unfortunate.”
His tone was soft, emotionless even—but that only made the impact sharper.
The editor-in-chief realized it immediately.
‘If I force my decision on him, the relationship between Junhyuk and the editorial department will be beyond repair.’
No threats. No raised voices. Just an unshakable conviction that spoke louder than any outburst ever could.
‘That gaze… is this really a kid who just entered middle school?’
“I trust you’ll make a fair decision, Editor-in-Chief. I’ll take my leave now. Thank you for your time and patience today.”
And just like that—less than an hour after he arrived—Jung Junhyuk had turned the editorial department upside down and strolled out like he owned the place.
＊ ＊ ＊
The editorial office of Weekly Shōnen Jump had been quiet all day.
The only sounds were the occasional ring of the landline and the brief voices answering those calls.
Even the ringtone never lasted more than three seconds.
Everyone worked silently, each person immersed in their own tasks, tension hanging in the air like a thick fog.
Shff. Shff.
The only sound that stood out clearly was the editor-in-chief flipping through pages.
For some reason, that soft rustle of paper felt sharp like the scraping of a whetstone sharpening a blade.
Time passed. And one by one, people started leaving for the day.
“I’ll head out first. I’ve got something to take care of real quick.”
Only the editor-in-chief stayed behind, postponing his departure.
In his hands was a stack of papers, left behind by Jung Junhyuk.
The dimly lit editorial office.
Alone, the editor-in-chief continued turning pages.
Once he’d read through the entire stack, he finally set it down.
“Phew…”
A sigh slipped out of him before he realized.
“Well, damn…”
How was he supposed to respond to this? At this point, it felt like he might be under some kind of spell.
At first, he had brushed Junhyuk off as just another impulsive young author, boldly claiming he wanted to end his series.
That seasoned confidence, that composure he’d sensed over the phone—maybe it was just his imagination. Maybe Junhyuk really ‘was’ just a kid.
But the longer they spoke, the harder it became to believe that.
This wasn’t some immature student sitting across from him. Nor just a young artist with lofty dreams.
It felt more like a veteran editor was calmly presenting a well-reasoned pitch for the right course of action.
No wonder Matsuda and Hashida had already been swayed.
There’s no way they just happened to bring him along today under the pretense of a simple editorial office tour.
‘Did he even account for their positions and how it would look?’
At this point, it was getting hard to tell who the adult really was.
Or maybe… he was just that exceptional.
“…Still. This is insane.”
What shocked him the most wasn’t Junhyuk’s confidence, or even his tact.
It was the ‘work’ he’d brought with him.
A full storyboard—a rough draft—for the conclusion of ‘D Note’.
Maybe it was the clarity of the sketches. Maybe it was the composition.
But reading it felt like reading a completed manuscript.
Even after finishing it, the editor-in-chief sat there, still caught in its afterglow.
And that wasn’t all.
The new series he read right after? Somehow, even more impressive.
If ‘D Note’ was a modern dark fantasy, the new one was a classic dark fantasy through and through.
Typically, when a successful author launches a new series, especially in a similar genre, the tone, the flavor, ‘something’ always bleeds over.
But this new work? Not even a whiff of D Note's residue remained.
“…Unbelievable.”
The editor-in-chief looked down at the manila envelope containing Junhyuk’s new project.
Written on it was the title of the manga—
‘Fullmetal Alchemist.’
That was the title of the new series Jung Junhyuk had brought in.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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