Original Sin (MewGulf AU)

🌻Chapter 1

🌻

"Hey, are the second editions ready?"

Gulf Kanawut raised his head reflexively. With the staff meeting finally over, Makihara, the department's assistant editor, picked up one of the hardcover books resting on Gulf's desk. The title was Emergence, and it had a gaudy cover design. Beneath the slogan Gulf had thought up, there was the declaration: 'More than 200,000 sold in the first month!' to help boost sales.

They were in the pulp imprint division of Sozan Publishing, and despite the fact that it was seven in the evening, the office was still bustling with life, everyone working away busily.

"Yes. Those are Mister Mew's review copies. I was just about to deliver them," Gulf said.

As Gulf put the book in a paper bag printed with the Sozan Publishing logo, his lips curved into a smile. It was a huge hardcover book, more than 800 pages long. He wouldn't be able to bring Mew many, but a handful would suffice.

"Are you sure you want to carry such a heavy book there on foot? Why not mail them?"

"I'm not as week as I look."

Gulf's skin was pale, and his facial features delicate, so people tended to treat him carefully. But he was a man, almost twenty-eight years old, and he wasn't so frail that he couldn't carry a few books somewhere, even if they were hardcovers. Sometimes he just got fed up with the impression his appearance gave people.

"I guess. But you just got back from a trip to Kyoto yesterday. Aren't you tired?"

"I'm fine. And sorry about missing the meeting yesterday."

"It was just a staff meeting, it doesn't matter. So long as you got something hammered out for Mister Ichikura's new book, it's fine."

Gulf worked for the Sozan Novels label, which published light fiction, mostly mysteries. Up until the previous year, Gulf had worked for the literature and fiction imprint on the same floor. Though a single, flimsy partition separated the two departments, the atmosphere on either side differed strikingly.

Gulf was a devoted fan of mysteries, but at first, the other editors had been worried weather or not he would be able to adopt to a department with such a sharp learning curve. Gulf had swept those concerns away by the successful publication of a new book by Mew Suppasit, one of the authors he managed who was spectacularly popular. Emergence had been published in hardcover and was selling well. Three days after its release, the company decided to issue a second edition.

"I had no idea Mew Suppasit could write a story like this. I'm honestly impressed," Makihara said.

"A lot of people have been telling me that. Is it really so incredible?"

"Don't you think that's why it's doing so well?"

Mew Suppasit's books sold well that it was tempting to add the prefix 'super'to his title of best-selling author. His newest release was a mystery that hinged in a subtle twist, but there was also a prominent love story, which was unusual. None of Mew's previous works had concerned themselves with romance very much, that made Emergence distinctive.

The book was causing a sensation. Sozan Novels always included cut-out survey cards in their books, and a fair number of readers had filled them out. The department had even received phone calls lauding Mew's talent. As a result, Gulf had been completely frazzled for the last two weeks. At a meeting before the book's release, some staff members had voiced their misgivings that the immense page count would turn some readers off, but it didn't keep the book from selling.

"How in the world did you get him to write that?"

"...Trade secret," Gulf said, but in reality, he couldn't divulge the deal he had made with Mew to anyone.