Novelist Running Through Time

Chapter 132

TL: KSD

The sudden success of the animated film ‘Guitar’ was truly an unexpected event.

However, the fame of the original author, Moon In, was even more unpredictable.

Who would have guessed that the rumor <Korea’s Genius Literary Boy is Actually Japanese!?> would set Japan abuzz?

Of course, the rumors about Moon In being Korean or Japanese were nothing more than cheap jokes mentioned in light-hearted drinking parties.

If it weren’t for the unique variety show atmosphere of Japanese broadcasting, this issue would never have made the news. In Korean terms, it would be more suitable as a morning show topic rather than a news item.

But even though the rumors were playful, the effect was not.

There are no jokes in business.

The rumor that Moon In might be a Korean of Japanese descent is not a fact. However, the fact that this news was broadcasted is a fact.

This cheap joke-like rumor caught the interest of the Japanese, spread through the internet, YouTube, and new media, and behind it lies the undeniable truth that there are major publishing companies from both Korea and Japan involved.

As a result, the noise marketing surrounding Moon In and ‘Guitar’ captured all of Japan’s attention, even if just for a brief moment.

It wasn’t a case where some unprepared amateur got lucky one day; two giant publishing companies put all their effort into it, so that ‘buzz’ directly translated into money.

Books were printed non-stop at the printing presses, bookstores were crowded with people, and numerous trucks loaded with books roamed the country.

In this way, ‘Guitar’ became the most commercially successful novel in recent years.

And,

the Publishing Management Department also prospered alongside.

EP 8 – Dark Adaptation

“Of course! It’s all thanks to Director Baek Seol.”

Kim Ga-ryung, an deputy manager at the Publishing Management Department, is a Steam game enthusiast, a lover of Japanese light novels, an art history major from Seoul National University, a cat lover, and a dirty traitor who moved from the Publishing Planning Department to the Publishing Management Department after contributing to Lim Yang-wook’s crackdown on Yang Sung-jun.

Moreover, when Lim Yang-wook was demoted, Deputy Kim Ga-ryung was quick to cut ties, making his burning loyalty now proof that the prosperity of the Publishing Management Department was unquestionable.

“To overcome the dark period of the publishing industry, she actively promoted media mix, devised a new business model of transforming novelists into celebrities, and opened the era of global business through active partnerships with Japanese publishers… Write the press release roughly like this. The details can be well handled by the PR team, right?”

The reason for the success of the Publishing Management Department? There is only one.

Under the noble leadership of Baekhak lineage, there is nothing but victory and more victory.

However, there was a heretic who doubted this evident truth, Team Leader Lee Eun-bi of the Baekhak Publishing House PR Marketing Team.

“Sunbae, is it really okay to write it like this? It seems a bit different from the truth…”

“What?”

“I heard rumors that there was a minor mistake when contracting the copyright…”

“Tut-tut. Don’t you know that the Director’s failures are intentional?”

“Huh? W-what…?”

Deputy Kim Ga-ryung, standing behind, put his hand on Team Leader Lee Eun-bi’s shoulder.

Then, with a menacing expression, he whispered in her ear.

“Why does Comrade Lee Eun-bi doubt the artistic leadership of Baekhak lineage? Are you perhaps a spy planted by Kyobo Bookstore or Youngpoong Bookstore?”

“I’m, I’m sorry! Comrade!”

“I’ll be watching you.”

Other employees, watching the two’s antics, grumbled internally, thinking those bastards really believe their office romance hasn’t been caught.

Anyway, while Deputy Kim Ga-ryung was at the forefront of crushing the despicable and vile scheming of factional elements, the beloved Director Baek Seol couldn’t help but sigh.

“Haa… Is his condition that bad?”

From the moment she was promoted to director, Baek Seol’s company life became ‘very hard’. Even parachute appointments come with their own set of duties.

For a woman in her late twenties to join the grandfathers on the board for golf sessions consumed more mental energy than expected.

Especially since this was a preliminary step to ousting the current CEO of Baekhak Publishing, and that individual occasionally showed up, making it even more taxing.

While familiarizing herself with the duties of a director, meeting her uncle’s friends, and learning about the political dynamics at Baekhak Group headquarters, sighs naturally increased.

Lim Yang-wook’s report added another sigh to the mix.

“Really… is In-seop’s condition that bad?”

* * *

The two schools run by the Baekhak Arts Foundation are adjacent to each other. And since Baekhak Arts Middle School students mostly advance to Baekhak Arts High School, for them, advancing simply means moving to the neighboring school.

But does that mean the graduation ceremony can be passed over lightly? On graduation day, Baekhak Arts Middle School was filled with parents who came from all directions.

A flower stall was set up in front of the school gate, and the parking lot was full of foreign cars. This is because mainly wealthy families teach their children the arts.

“Hmm…”

Looking at the dazzling foreign cars stirred complicated feelings. The label ‘non-arts high school graduate’, which once clung to me like a tag, was finally removed.

Should this be a moment of joy or embarrassment?

Should I rejoice in entering the inner circle of the art world, or feel ashamed for joining the perpetuation of an artistic class inherited through school ties and financial power?

As these thoughts continued, I shook my head to dispel the worries.

Anyway, since my condition wasn’t good, negative things caught my eye first.

Should I be having such thoughts on this joyous day?

Children celebrating graduation, the gentle fragrance of flowers, parents’ smiles as they looked at their children, a shining moment of youth…

Putting these aside to mutter about ‘the inheritance of an artistic class through school ties and financial power’ could be considered a disease.

However, this disease is incurable.

It’s because I couldn’t sympathize with their joy.

Wealthy fortune, harmonious family, these were things never given to me from the start…

So, the color of the world seen through my eyes was bound to be black.

I’m writing with such a twisted heart full of these feelings.

To show the whole world the way I see the world…

“Hehe…”

Oh no, I almost turned evil for a moment.

Suppressing the dark dragon stirring inside me, I wandered around the graduation ceremony venue.

Fortunately, in the noisy crowd, no one approached me.

Well, at the brightest moment, only the most beloved people catch your eye.

I safely arrived at my destination.

The person with pink hair was easy to spot.

“Congratulations on your graduation, Min… Hyo-chan sunbae.”

Min Hyo-chan, holding the diploma, looked at me in surprise, then smiled.

“What? You finally remembered my name?”

“It got pretty confusing when there suddenly were two Mins in the clubroom.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll quickly disappear so our great author won’t be inconvenienced. Tsk!”

Min Hyo-min, who was near Min Hyo-chan, approached with curious eyes.

Min Hyo-min asked.

“Min-whatever? What does that mean?”

“Little sister. From now on, that’s your name.”

“What the f-”

Fortunately, Min Hyo-min noticed my gaze and refrained from saying ‘fuck’. As expected of a top idol’s self-restraint.

Min Hyo-min awkwardly rolled her eyes, then brightened up when she spotted Gu Yu-na behind me and ran over.

I smiled for a moment watching this cheerful sibling pair.

Eventually, after briefly greeting Min Hyo-chan and Min Hyo-min’s parents and turning down their offer to treat me to a meal, I returned to my studio.

Being alone in the quiet studio after the noisy graduation ceremony made the presence of the serene silence feel all the more striking.

However, the warmth from the graduation ceremony lingered in my heart, brightening my mood.

It made me reflect on how I had grown close to the pink-haired idol who played Chinese otaku games in the corner of the clubroom, and I felt a bit regretful that I wouldn’t see that sight this year.

Come to think of it, if I advance to Baekhak Arts High School next year, I’ll meet Min Hyo-chan again, and I’ll also get to see Kim Byul at school after a long time. It seems like it will be quite an enjoyable time.

That thought lifted my spirits.

“……”

But that’s not how it should be.

What I need now is darkness.

I pulled out the dark things hidden deep in my heart.

– Hey, you fucking orphan bastard. Why do you always carry that fucking blanket around? To lessen the pain when you get hit?

– Moron, it must be true. Fucking hilarious…

– Huh? What are you looking at, you fucking bastard? Are you pissed?

– Hey, Seop-seop is pissed. So fucking scary, what should we do!

– I heard this bastard got a girlfriend? Don’t tell me that blanket is a gift from her?

– Let’s use it together, you son of a bitch. Hand it over. No, not the blanket, your…

“Hm.”

Good.

My heart was stained with darkness.

I was ready to write.

Why do humans torment other humans?

Why do they stab and kill, kill with complaints, kill with terrorism, kill with their tongues, and even kill by typing on a keyboard, knowing that only ruin awaits at the end?

The world is nothing but darkness, and we are walking through that darkness.

It was time to write about the second murder.

* * *

「The weight of the sin of killing a person was not as heavy as expected. Perhaps it was because a child had committed the murder.

Some say that since the bullied killed the bully, it was the fault of the society that allowed the bullying.

Thus, they defended how painful it would be for an innocent child who made a momentary mistake to suffer for a lifetime.

I do not think so.

My murder was not a mistake but a decision made by reason. Therefore, I am a beast that should not be forgiven.

But the world gave me the name ‘poor child’ despite my confession.

Thus, my time in the juvenile detention center was not long.

No, it wasn’t confinement, but a measure of protection.

It is a strange thing.

What are they protecting whom from?

Me from the world? The world from me?

Regardless of the outcome, those who defended me became famous, and the judge who sentenced me was recognized as a kind-hearted righteous man.

They are neither the ones who committed the crime nor the ones who suffered from it. They are just third parties who studied a bit better in their school days.

Yet, watching them arbitrarily evaluate, forgive, and gain honor from another’s crime was something I could not understand.

Anyway, I was thrown back into the world.

With the label of a criminal, amid looks of sympathy and disdain, wandering the world like Jean Valjean.

No one cared for me, looked after me, or gave me a job.

Ironically, it was thanks to the sibling of the one I killed that I managed to escape a life of wandering the streets.

The sibling of the one I killed sought me out, gave me money, provided me with shelter, and offered me a job. Thanks to them, I gained food, clothing, and a place to live.

He was like Jonathan helping David. He was someone who loved and assisted the family enemy.

“I have already forgiven this person. Isn’t it a sin committed during childhood? Jesus said to love your enemies, and this person is not even my enemy, so there is no reason to hate.”

The slight difference between him and Jonathan was that he bragged about this.

“As expected of our CEO.”

“I couldn’t even think of doing that. You are truly merciful…”

“Amen.”

I killed the son of the doctor who had murdered the bluebird. Upon hearing of their son’s death, the doctor and his wife were furious.

However, I did not receive the punishment fitting my crime, and the enraged doctor and his wife soon died from a broken heart.

Then, the younger brother inherited all the family’s wealth.

This is why he didn’t hate me.

He was grateful that I had removed the thorn in his side, so I thought once again that the human world was close to hell on earth.

But since I lived off Jonathan’s money, I bowed my head and offered false gratitude, thanking him for his forgiveness like a true weakling.

I endured being dragged around and displayed like a trophy by him because that was the reason for the money I received.

However, this was also a torment for me because the brother’s actions were essentially no different from those of his sibling.

The brother who killed the bluebird wanted to become someone above me by tormenting me, gaining the admiration of everyone.

The brother who bragged about forgiving the one who killed his sibling sought admiration by treating me well, elevating himself above me.

Why do humans want to trample on other humans to rise above them?

At times, I wept late into the night, yearning to escape this pain.

There was a glimmer of salvation that soothed my pain, and she was Jonathan’s younger sister.

“You disgust me.”

She entirely hated me.

That was the fitting price for my sin, so it was a welcome sentiment for me.

*****

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