Novelist Running Through Time

Chapter 103

TL: KSD

If someone were to ask me if I am a ‘professional novelist’, I would probably hesitate for a while, beating around the bush with my answer.

What is the criteria that separates professional novelists from amateur novelists? As a novelist, I am quite lacking. On the path of novel writing, there are no professionals or amateurs, only different ways of expression, and so on…

But in the end, I would answer ‘yes’.

Because I have staked my life on writing.

In the same vein, if someone asks me if I am a ‘professional entertainer’, I would definitely answer ‘no’.

I entered the entertainment industry unintentionally and I don’t particularly wish to walk this path,

As an artist, my tendencies are closer to those of a literature student studying novels than an entertainer who delights people.

But if someone asks me if I am an ‘amateur entertainer’?

Because I think I know a little about what kind of place the ‘entertainment industry’ is.

EP 7–Isomer

“Huh? Author Moon?”

“Hello, Actor Bae Seong-won~nim.”

“Hey! Why so formal between fishing buddies! Just call me Uncle Seong-won!”

It wasn’t because I casually greeted an actor I happened to meet in the hallway of the Baekhak Entertainment building that I considered myself an ‘amateur entertainer’.

I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to translate the concept of ‘amateur’ as ‘ordinary person,’ but I have become someone who can no longer see the entertainment world through the eyes of an ordinary person.

It wasn’t a sudden epiphany, but rather a change that came gradually, like growing taller.

Just as one day you look in the mirror and find that you have grown much taller, one day you look into your heart and find that your values have changed.

(I’m sorry to say this for Bae Seong-won, a sea man who understands the feelings of a black porgy), but if I use Bae Seong-won as an example, I no longer looked at him and thought, ‘He’s handsome’.

To the general public, Bae Seong-won might look like a handsome movie actor, but knowing roughly how much it costs to maintain that face makes me think more complexly.

What is the difference between natural beauty and artificially sculpted beauty?

Should cosmetic surgery in celebrities be rejected or tolerated? Is the reason for human rights of entertainers or the needs of the viewers?

If a person can become a product, can humanity also be commodified?

Of course, I might just be a weirdo for having these thoughts just from seeing Bae Seong-won’s face once in the hallway, but anyway, it had become a bit difficult to view the entertainment industry the way I used to.

I have seen a lot.

I have seen Kim Byul suffering from malicious comments, PD’s whose eyes glint with ratings, and celebrities whose personalities switch on with the camera.

I have seen how much money a movie or a variety show can make and glimpsed the precise machine-like system that is a broadcasting station.

That’s enough experience for the rose-colored glasses to fall from one’s eyes.

Therefore, as I entered the pre-meeting location for the variety show <Let’s Become a Novelist!>, my heart did not thump excitedly but settled calmly.

“Hello.”

“Oh? Author Moon In-seop? Wow, it’s nice to see you.”

The same was true even when greeting a comedian I had grown up watching. The persona reflected on TV is merely professional acting. I do not know his real persona. Therefore, there is no particular reason to feel familiarity or joy.

Thus, I sat down with a stern expression.

Of course, I soon artificially softened my expression, but my heart remained stiff throughout.

I was properly nervous.

“…….”

Of course, there are people who enjoy meeting strangers and building new connections.

However, I am someone who has suffered more harm than favors from people.

Such ‘meeting’ occasions where you get to know new faces are not something I find enjoyable.

The variety show <Let’s Become a Novelist!> doesn’t exactly hold a significant place in my life either.

But it might be different for someone else.

For PD Shim Yeon-ho, who just entered, this show seems like it will occupy a substantial part in his future life.

“Ah, everyone’s here. Nice to meet you. I’m PD Shim Yeon-ho.”

Following that, the greetings from the staff continued. The production team, including the scriptwriters and assistant directors, finished their introductions.

After that, the participants from various age groups greeted everyone with friendly smiles.

“I’m not sure if I can learn to write novels at this age, but I will do my best. Please don’t scold me too harshly if I fall behind. Ha-ha. Thank you all in advance.”

“Actually, my wife writes novels, so I’ve always been interested in literature. I thought this broadcast would be a great opportunity. So… Anyway, I’ll work hard!”

“Ah… When everyone introduces themselves so intellectually, it makes me feel a bit embarrassed for being tricked by PD Shim Yeon-ho into coming here. Ha-ha-ha!”

There weren’t any particularly memorable comments. I just extended my introduction a bit when it was my turn to say I would work hard.

And as always, I received the gaze of those amazed by a young child writing novels, and when people with doubts asked me tough questions, I answered them straight. It’s the usual drill.

But perhaps it’s just my skewed perspective, objectively, it was a pre-meeting without any issues.

With the assembled cast exchanging greetings and pleasantries warmly, PD Shim Yeon-ho also looked relieved.

Thus, the pre-meeting for <Let’s Become a Novelist!> ended smoothly, and I went to a nearby popular restaurant to enjoy a bowl of udon before returning to my studio.

However, when I placed my hands on the keyboard at my desk, a peculiar self-introduction I heard earlier echoed in my ears.

– Hello! I’m Min Hyo-min, the cute maknae of Beni-vis! Even backwards, it’s still Min Hyo-min! Please take good care of me!

These days, idol greetings really need to be unique.

* * *

Even though I was openly slacking off with my broadcasting side jobs, it’s not like my main job was doing any better.

I just can’t seem to write my damn novel.

It’s not exactly a slump.

It’s just that writing novels is inherently tough. It’s the path I chose, so I just have to endure through sheer grit.

After all, I’m not a genius. There’s no status window or ghost telling me what to write for my next novel.

Becoming a ghost novel king is impossible.

– Can’t write?

– Then give me some advice on my writing.

– … If you’re really stuck, just take a look at mine for reference or something. Hmph.

Of course, there was one soulmate who inspired me just by being around.

Miracles like status windows don’t exist in reality, but maybe Yu-na was my miracle.

Of course, it’s ironic for me, who has traveled back in time, to talk about the absence of miracles.

“Ha…”

Despite my resolve not to be tied to the past, the pain I feel every time I think of Yu-na is inevitable. I crave a cigarette.

But after much contemplation, I’ve acknowledged that time is made up of memories.

Therefore, my life is not two separate lives but a continuous single thread.

I must keep moving forward.

The same goes for literature.

To others, it might seem like the miraculous literary parade of a genius boy blessed by the gods, but to me, my literature is an extension of the long journey built by novelist Moon In-seop.

Then, where should this path lead?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

Of course, there’s no clear answer, so I just keep sighing.

“Haah…”

“Ugh…”

Then, my sigh overlapped with Kim Byul’s, who was sitting across from me.

Since Baekhak Arts Middle School and Baekhak Arts High School are only separated by a fence, we often run into each other at the convenience store in front of the schools.

And whenever we meet, it’s almost like an agreement to sit at the table in front of the convenience store and share snacks.

It’s not particularly problematic, but if there’s one issue, it’s this:

Even though I know Kim Byul is a professional actor, seeing her sneak snacks away from her manager every time makes her look a bit clumsy.

Seeing such a clumsy-looking Kim Byul sighing as if she had experienced the whole world, I wondered what was going on.

“Why are you sighing like that?”

“You go first.”

“I asked first, so you answer first.”

When I pulled out the unbeatable logic of high schoolers, Kim Byul twirled her hair with her fingers and pouted her lips.

“It’s just… I don’t like the new drama I’m joining this time.”

“Oh, is Kim sunbae joining a drama?”

Lately, she’s been seen often in movies and variety shows, but Kim Byul fundamentally is a drama actress. Wasn’t it a drama that made her famous when she was younger?

It naturally led me to think.

“Is that why you coldly rejected my suggestion to join ‘Let’s Become a Novelist!’ last time?”

“Yeah…”

It seems there was a reason she had so bluntly rejected the variety show I had particularly proposed.

But seeing Kim Byul sorrowfully sipping her apple juice, it seemed like things weren’t going well.

Kim Byul glanced around and then leaned towards me, murmuring as if sharing a secret.

“I went to the drama pre-meeting yesterday, you know…?”

“And?”

“It was a total disaster…!”

Kim Byul, who typically harbors the instinct of a typical Korean high school student with a penchant for prefixes like ‘fucking-’ and ‘crazy-,’ is usually cautious with her words due to her public status.

If she used ‘fucking-‘ then it really must have been…

“It was a complete mess.”

“I’m telling you, it was a fucking disaster!”

Kim Byul was venting her frustrations rapidly. I wondered why she had even bothered looking around cautiously before.

“At the pre-meeting, seeing the leads fight in front of the PD, I thought they were crazy! They weren’t just arguing privately but outright attacking each other. Their combat power is no joke…”

“I see…”

“So, watching the two leads create chaos, writer Seong Min-suk got so angry she just left. The PD is so weak, he couldn’t even think of stopping the actors from fighting…”

“Hmm.”

“The supporting actors just froze up and couldn’t say anything, they just went back reading the room. Of course, there was no dinner afterward, and now there’s talk that Yurim unnie might drop out of the drama. Ah! I’m! Really! Going crazy! Did I really choose the wrong project? Why is it always like this with me…”

Before she started venting, Kim Byul looked like a normal person, but now she looked as if she had been tearing at her hair, almost turning into a ball of fur rolling across the convenience store table.

I listened to her rant flow out from the gaps in her disheveled hair, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

But amidst Kim Byul’s whining cries, there was content that I couldn’t just let slip by.

“Now that I think about it, even the drama’s title is totally weird. What was it again? It was ridiculously long. Something Rosario? Rosaria? Rosaria in pat… ris? Weird, right? Right? They said it’s Latin. Who names a Korean drama in Latin…”

“…Is it by any chance <Rosarium: In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen>?”

“What, how did you know-!!!”

Kim Byul was so shocked that she jumped up like a mole in a whack-a-mole game.

And while I didn’t jump up like a mole in a whack-a-mole game, I was just as surprised.

Oh my goodness.

Even to me, a time traveler without much practical gain, there are criteria for judging the success of a drama or movie.

It’s that if it’s a work whose name I know, it must be a blockbuster. If even I, who have lived solely engrossed in novels, know it, it must be a nationwide super-hit.

And <Rosarium: blah blah blah> was one of the few exceptions to this rule.

It was a drama I had actually watched.

But how could I have watched any drama at the ruthless New Light Spring Orphanage, where only the strong could get their hands on a remote control through sheer blood and sweat?

The reason was because of ‘mandatory viewing’.

Rosarium refers to the ‘rose garland’ and the Catholic Church’s ‘rosary’, and the subtitle means ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’.

In short, it’s a drama with a strong Christian theme.

At New Light Spring Orphanage, Director Moon Chung-jae encouraged (forced) all the children to watch the premiere of ‘Rosarium’ together to foster Christian ethical consciousness.

Any Christian suffering under societal oppression can’t help but show their children pro-Christian films with excitement. Anyone who has attended a church school or a Christian-affiliated orphanage would understand. We must sympathize with the poor adults who have been recycling The Passion of the Christ for 20 years…

However, contrary to the expectations of South Korea’s 83.2 million Christians, <Rosarium> left behind a bizarre legacy of a ‘priest uniform fetish’, eliciting a statement of concern from the Central Council of the Catholic Church of Korea.

That means,

It caused a wild frenzy with handsome actors in priest costumes and became a major hit.

“Um…!”

My mind, which had momentarily traveled to the past, returned to the present.

I spoke to Kim Byul, who was staring at me with a dazed expression.

“You absolutely must do Rosarium.”

“What?”

“I have a good feeling about it, so you have to do it no matter what.”

“All of a sudden…?”

“Ah, just do it if I tell you to do it!”

I tried to fully exercise my role as a time traveler for once, but this ungrateful Kim Byul wouldn’t obediently listen to me.

“What would a kid who knows nothing about dramas know!”

“Don’t regret it later, just do it when I tell you to.”

“Hmph! I don’t want to. It’s my decision, isn’t it?”

“Well, I’m telling you to do it.”

“Then at least give me a reason!”

“…It’s the universe’s energy—”

As we were arguing about whether or not to take on the drama project, someone poked my shoulder repeatedly.

Turning around, I saw a young girl with beige-colored hair looking down at me. She had a youthful appearance.

Then, the somewhat familiar-looking girl spoke up.

“Are you… Author Moon In-seop?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“You… go to Baekhak Arts Middle School… right?”

I nodded at her awkwardly formal language.

The unnamed girl smiled shyly and made a small V-sign with her two fingers.

“You’re in the Creative Writing department… second year…?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I’m also in the second year…”

“Yes?”

“In the Dance department, second year…”

“Ah, I see.”

“So… is it okay to speak informally with you…?”

Not fully understanding the situation, I nodded, and the girl awkwardly joined our table.

At that moment, I glanced at Kim Byul to gauge her reaction. Kim Byul was smiling at the girl benignly, like a Gilt-bronze Maitreya in Meditation.

Don’t be fooled by the Buddha-like smile. Kim Byul is a bit of an old fogy, even if she pretends not to be. That look means ‘let’s see if you greet me properly’.

“Hello, sunbae!”

Fortunately, the girl was quick to react to Kim Byul’s expression, and with a start, she bowed 90 degrees, narrowly escaping the subtle wrath of old fogy Kim Byul.

“Sunbae, may I sit here too?”

“Oh, sit down, sit down. No need to ask for permission. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank youuu…”

However, I was still clueless. Who was this girl, and why did she suddenly come looking for me?

Luckily, I soon found out the answer.

“Could you teach me how to write novels?!”

“Um.”

She was an applicant for transferring to the creative writing department.

*****

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