[LLG] After diving head-first into webtoons, creator learns hard lessons

Many dream of leaving their mundane jobs to pursue something creative and original. Only a few actually take the leap, and even fewer succeed.

But it's usually only the stories of the successful that get told; this is not one of those stories.

For Dang Yeon-hee, a 34-year-old aspiring webtoon artist in Gyeonggi Province, the journey has entailed many disappointments and painful lessons about harsh realities. It has ultimately turned into a path of self-discovery.

"I lacked a sense of reality," she said, reflecting on her decision to quit her copywriting job to jump into the world of webtoons.

"At work, I felt like a raccoon in a suit," she explained, using the analogy to describe how she hid her true identity at the office.

“Why endure this? I'm still young."

Positive comments on her Instagram, where she shared daily slices of life in cartoon form, emboldened her to take the plunge.

Striving to make a mark

For those who are unfamiliar with Dang’s chosen field, webtoons are online-only, serialized comics optimized for mobile phones. Originating in South Korea about two decades ago, this type of web comic is now gaining traction worldwide, with successful series being adapted into K-dramas and films.

While there are various avenues for aspiring artists, the most sought-after path is winning a contest on the webtoon platform run by Naver, S. Korea’s No. 1 portal.

"Naver holds two annual contests," Dang explained. "You can also submit your work to other platforms, but big platforms like Naver won't accept works from inexperienced artists."

Another route to becoming a successful webtoon creator is by publishing their series on open platforms and waiting for them to strike gold -- be discovered by the masses of readers.

Naver has three leagues in its webtoon platform. The most accessible league is where any aspiring webtoonist can present their work. If a certain work shows potential for success, it gets promoted to the second league, where selected, yet still-amateur creators publish. From there, the more successful ones have the opportunity to debut on Naver's main webtoon platform, where readers pay to read.

"The ‘Best Challenge’ route (earning a spot in Naver’s middle league) is no easier. It requires aspiring artists to constantly create with no guarantee for success," Dang said.

In the initial phase, Dang maintained her optimism as she soon got promoted to Naver's middle-layer platform. There, she uploaded over 20 episodes. Shortly thereafter, she received an invitation to join Manhwa Gajok, a small webtoon platform akin to YouTube, where webtoon content creators are remunerated based on clicks.

But that was it. She entered four Naver contests, only to be rejected each time. Her published works on Naver’s open platform didn’t gather enough interest to establish her name either.

Her pen name, derived from the Korean word meaning "of course," embodies her efforts to stay confident during her journey to become a webtoon artist: "If I do what I can, of course, things will go well!"

However, her experience brought the stark realization that her initial outlook may have been naively optimistic.

‘Accept your insignificance’

The past four years as a struggling webtoon artist weren't just about artistic hurdles; fear of judgment loomed large for her.

One friend's comment after Dang revealed her career change stung.

"It's hard to succeed in creative fields without existing fame,” the friend said.

Dang felt compelled to defend her choice but ultimately opted for what she thought was a more thoughtful approach. Through a KakaoTalk message, she carefully expressed her discomfort with the insensitive remark.

The conversation, however, became a turning point. Dang realized how she herself had failed to consider the feelings of her friend, who thrived in her office job.

"I might have said things like, 'I don't want to waste time in the office,'” she admitted, recognizing how it could have come across as dismissive.

"She's a good friend who lives a life grounded in reality and excels at what she does," Dang said. "It was a chance for me to learn and grow. I always thought of myself as considerate, but I have much more to learn."

The weight of societal expectations became evident again at her wedding in 2021.

Guests' inquiries about her occupation left her feeling insecure.

"They meant well," she said. "But I was insecure at the time."

She even questioned whether keeping her job until the wedding would have made things easier for her.

"It made me realize the importance of being part of society and having a job," she reflected. "But knowing myself, I think I'd still have made the same decision even if I could go back in time."

In Korea, success stories often portray overcoming hardship and chasing dreams as an absolute victory. However, Dang's narrative has evolved to focus more on embracing reality and navigating societal perceptions.

After getting married, Dang followed her husband, who had to move for work to South Jeolla Province, where she had no friends or family.

At first, she thought it wouldn't be a problem, since she could create her webtoon anywhere. Yet, she became depressed about living somewhere she didn't know anyone and wasn't able to focus on her webtoons.

“Time just flew by,” she said.

To create a more stable financial foundation, she is now preparing to take the labor attorney licensing exam.

“I guess I am not enough of an artist. My insecurity about not having a job shook my world,” she said.

Dang also acknowledged that she still cares about what others think.

"It might seem absurd for a 'mungwa' (liberal arts) person like me to pursue a career in webtoons," she explained as one of the reasons she has decided to become a labor attorney.

But even her fallback option is not easy, as she is studying over 10 hours a day for it.

This decision has also led her to take a break from webtoons to focus on her studies.

"Expecting things to go well without trying to change is self-destructive behavior, but expecting things to go well while doing what you can is a positive mindset and self-confidence,” she said. “What I can do now is face the reality that I have been avoiding.”

Nevertheless, her aspirations remain intact.

She referenced a quote from "Why Fish Don't Exist" by Lulu Miller -- "The way to live was, in every breath, to concede your insignificance, and make your meaning from there” -- to illustrate her point.

"I think I need to learn humility, accept myself as I am, and still find meaning in my existence," Dang said. "For me, that meaning will be serializing a complete webtoon with an ending on a widely used platform one day."

Standing for living, loving and growing, LLG goes beyond the realm of daily news, exploring the vibrant tapestry of modern life, as told by real people. -- Ed.