Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 102

TL: KSD

In an era where people who flaunt real estate like apartments as their social class are criticized, but in fact, ‘real estate’ was originally a class indicator.

As one can tell by looking back at human history, if you receive land from your parents, you are a noble; if you receive a country, you are royalty.

In this way, space can be an indicator of a person’s or organization’s status.

In that sense, Lim Yang-wook, who used to use an underground parking lot storage as an office before moving to the grand office on the third floor of Baekhak Publishing’s main building, has indeed experienced a miraculous social climb.

“Hurry and contact the distribution center to check. If we mess this up, we might have to deliver it by forklift…… Ah, what do we do then? The contract is already done!”

“Yes, this is Yun Ji-young, assistant manager at the Baekhak Publishing Management Public Relations team. Yes, speak. Yes. Yes. The Baekhak Publishing Gwanghwamun branch? That would be us…….”

“So what Author Gu Hak-jun means is to leave the lectures to those who usually handle them and only entrust us with managing secondary IP like film adaptations. Then we must do it! Showing something first can change their minds…… Ah, we need to draft a new contract first……”

Dozens of suit-wearing employees moved like cogs in the vast office of the Publishing Management Headquarters.

 

It was a scene that could pass for the core division of a major corporation, fit enough for an office drama.

 

However, despite appearing fine on the surface, the inner workings of the Publishing Management Headquarters had its fair share of squeaks.

It was, after all, essentially no different from just one department of Publishing Management, and the employees were a mix of drifters from Baekhak Entertainment and spies from Baekhak Publishing, showing significant differences in expertise.

If it weren’t for the noble lineage of Director Baek Seol, a globally recognized, nominated translator of the Supreme Royal Intellect Oxford Booker International Prize, the department would have been wrecked long ago.

This ragtag department was making a remarkable impact in the publishing industry for the third quarter…

“Department Head! The Publishing Planning Department is looking for Author Moon again……”

“Stop talking bullshit.”

Of course, it was thanks to Department Head Lim Yang-wook.

EP 7–Isomer

“Hmmm…”

Department Head Lim Yang-wook had already led the collaboration between Baekhak Publishing & Baekhak Entertainment. Through the notorious mishmash department known as the ‘Publishing Management Task Force Team.’

(Yes, that’s the team that went kaboom because the responsible author touched something he shouldn’t have)

Strictly speaking, this was Lim Yang-wook’s second time commanding a mishmash department. And as everyone knows, one does better on the second try. You can see it just by looking at web novels.

Even this was Lim Yang-wook’s second round at Baekhak Publishing, wasn’t it?

“It feels like I’m coasting through life……”

Of course, if you ask certain Author Moon, who is living his second life, he might not agree, but anyway, Lim Yang-wook’s second round at Baekhak Publishing was going smoothly.

Especially since he had become much stronger, to the point of losing hair, during the two-year seclusion training in the underground dungeon of Baekhak Entertainment.

Handling the Publishing Management Headquarters was literally a one-punch task for Department Head Lim Yang-wook.

“The show must go on, proceed with its fourth print run!”

“Yes, sir!”

Watching the departing back of the deputy head Kim Ga-ryung, who saluted with samurai-like precision, Lim Yang-wook sighed.

“Phew.”

But that sigh contained not only fatigue but also satisfaction, as it meant money was being printed.

Author Moon’s new work, ‘The Show Must Go On.’

It had just been published and was already on its fourth print run, selling like hotcakes. The effort of slamming TV ads, while being called crazy by the Publishing Planning Department, was worth it.

However, seeing those who had initially called it a waste of advertising expenses now trying to get a piece of the pie was infuriating. But what can you do? If you borrow money, you share the profits.

Company life was not easy. There are too many bastards in the company. Anything you try to do, they obstruct, nitpick, and try to get a spoon in…….

But fighting with those guys and fiercely persevering through life, Lim Yang-wook felt his vigor returning.

The canned coffee he drank in the hallway tasted unusually sweet today.

“Keuuuugh…!”

Yes.

This was where company employee Lim Yang-wook was meant to be.

Indeed, Lim Yang-wook’s heyday was when he was at the fiercely competitive Baekhak Publishing. Returning to this fierce battlefield, he felt as if he was entering his second heyday.

As he was enjoying his second round of an easy life, having returned to his original world with a cheat author,

But the routine was broken.

“In-seop, what are you talking about?!”

“Sigh. That’s what happened. Well…”

Lim Yang-wook might be misunderstood as a life-easy editor who exploits young minor authors by putting them on TV show, but in fact, he too had a routine.

It was exactly <Broadcast-Publish-Broadcast-Publish>.

Lim Yang-wook didn’t want to exploit Moon only in front of cameras. If Moon performed on broadcasts, there also had to be time to sell books and collect payments.

And now was the time for collection. The manpower responsible for Moon had been assigned to the publishing tasks for ‘The Show Must Go On’.

So, suddenly hearing that Moon wanted to go on a variety show wasn’t exactly welcome news.

“How on earth did that happen? That kid who used to avoid broadcasts suddenly wants to go on a variety show…”

“…Seriously, tt’s not a lie, so listen to me.”

“Is it?”

It took Lim Yang-wook a considerable amount of time to accept the fact that Gu Yu-na, wearing a log-shaped costume, had headbutted the head of a Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting variety show PD.

* * *

However, not everyone was as flexible and expansive in their thinking as Lim Yang-wook.

“Bullshit. You crazy bastard.”

The BMB variety show department head threw a wad of Kleenex that he had rolled up at PD Shim Yeon-ho.

The innocent wad of tissue thumped against PD Shim Yeon-ho’s head and fell to the ground.

The story of going to school out of the blue to kidnap Author Moon who had refused casting, chasing after the fleeing author in a pursuit, and successfully casting the author as a sort of retribution after a middle school girl wearing a log shaped costume popped out like a deer and headbutted PD Shim Yeon-ho was a story that only a crazy person would believe.

PD Shim Yeon-ho corrected his expression.

“…I just persuaded passionately.”

“Yes. Good job.”

By now, the conflict between the government threatening to cut down the broadcast station with a sword and the Baekhak Group was gradually being resolved.

Whether they sent boxes of apologies to the ruling party members or found some leverage, the headquarters had safely managed the risk caused by the former owner in the coffin.

The unprecedented apocalypse situation, <Cancellation of Comprehensive Channel Reapproval>, had been preemptively prevented, as already communicated to the senior officials of Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting.

But it was confirmed that the atmosphere and prestige of the broadcasting station would be unstable for at least a few months to come.

If the variety show department could make a big hit now, they could become heroes.

And so, two men who wanted to become heroes.

The variety show department head and PD Shim Yeon-ho looked at each other.

“…Are you ready, Shim PD?”

“Of course, Department Head~nim.”

The director slid over a document proving that the budget for the upcoming variety show was approved, and gave PD Shim Yeon-ho a smile.

“Let’s make a real movie this time.”

“But it’s a variety show.”

* * *

The format of the variety show, <Let’s Become a Novelist!>, was unprecedented, befitting the planning of Shim Yeon-ho, the (black) magician, trickster, chihuahua of the department head, and one who does not fear writing apologies of the BMB variety department.

Making famous celebrities who have lived lives completely unrelated to novels write their own novels!

‘Let’s Become a Novelist!’ was a project to literally turn the cast into novelists, as the title suggests.

“But doesn’t this title overlap with a famous novel serialization site in Japan…?”(TL: https://syosetu.com/)

“So what?”

The variety show writer shut his mouth in the face of PD Shim Yeon-ho’s madness.

Shim Yeon-ho demonstrated his resolute intention to simply write up a apology letter if any plagiarism controversy were to arise, so the scriptwriter could now focus on other matters.

That was none other than casting the cast members.

“Ah, this is giving me a headache…”

He had written in the proposal that celebrities, who knew nothing about novels, would seriously learn about literature and create a moving story by writing a masterpiece at the end, but that was not the reality.

From the start, they needed to bring in people who were somewhat capable of writing.

Who has the time to teach them one by one in front of the camera?

Of course, they would actually teach literature, but they needed to cast people who could quickly absorb the lessons and be ready to appear on the broadcast, so later they wouldn’t need to hire ghostwriters.

“Hmm…”

Since he hadn’t simply won the title of main writer by playing Go-Stop, a few celebrities with literary talents immediately came to mind.

An elderly actor famous for being a bookworm, a middle-aged comedian whose wife is an author, a famous celebrity who does everything when he’s asked, and…

“Ah, Gu Yubin would be perfect…”

A celebrity famous as a novelist and entertainer.

“PD-nim, is it really impossible to cast Gu Yubin?”

“I don’t know, they say it’s absolutely impossible.”

“That’s too bad…”

As the main writer was smacking his lips in regret, PD Shim Yeon-ho said,

“Gu Yubin is Gu Yu-na’s sister, you know.”

“Oh, really?! Then the visuals would be really good, right?”

“No, we still can’t cast Gu Yubin.”

Knowing that Shim Yeon-ho had recruited Moon while being hit by a middle school girl wearing a log-shaped costume, the main writer couldn’t understand why this devil was giving up on Gu Yubin so cleanly.

But even a devil has his last bit of conscience.

“…Gu Yubin is a senior in high school right now.”

“Ah, the college entrance exam…”

Anyone Korean would understand. Disturbing a high school senior before the college entrance exam means you are not a human.

Thus, PD Shim Yeon-ho and the main writer did not cross the minimum line of human decency, unaware that Gu Yubin herself had already transformed into a monster who had forsaken humanity…

Meanwhile, the moment the production team for <Let’s Become a Novelist!> started casting, rumors of a major planned variety show at BMB spread rapidly throughout the entertainment industry.

The reaction was, of course, ‘shock’.

-They’re gambling there?!

Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting, beaten half to death by the government, was planning a major variety show as if to directly confront this crisis.

Naturally, the variety show would receive a push from the broadcasting station, and as if to prove it, the news that PD Shim Yeon-ho, well-known as the right-hand man of the variety department head, was holding the reins made industry insiders gulp.

However, there was one ‘insider’ who didn’t have to just stand by and swallow his saliva…

“Hello?”

「Hello, is this Shim Yeon-ho PD?」

“Yes. What is it?”

「It’s my first time contacting you. I’m Baek Seung-won, CEO of Baekhak Entertainment.」

“Ah.”

「Hello?」

“Helloooooooooooooo, CEO~nim!”

At that moment, the monster who held all of Baekhak Group’s celebrities in his grip sneakily approached and poked PD Shim Yeon-ho in the ribs, effortlessly capturing him.

Thus, CEO Baek Seung-won smoothly inserted a celebrity using his – <Hello-Congratulations-Let’s have a meal-Oh, this friend I brought here…> skill.

For PD Shim Yeon-ho, it would have been better if he had just asked, <Eh, can I fit one of our kids in?> It would have saved some time since there was no way to refuse anyway.

With a monster controlling everyone from actors to singers, life is really tough for these weak PDs.

“Shit, the headquarters should have crushed Baekhak Entertainment this time…”

Grumbling, PD Shim Yeon-ho’s eyes widened as he looked at the resume of the member forced into the show by CEO Baek Seung-won.

“What?! Min Hyo-min from Benivis?!”

“Do you know who that is, PD-nim?”

“I don’t know, how should I know.”

Being a broadcast station PD doesn’t mean you know all the celebrities. In fact, Shim Yeon-ho had no connection with music broadcasting either.

“And these days, all girl groups look so similar that I can’t tell them apart…”

“…Do you really not know?”

“I’m not sure. I think I’ve heard of Benivis… Why? Do you know them, Writer Kim?”

“Ah, no, I don’t, PD-nim…”

The main writer, who is a 2nd generation member of Benivis’ fan club <Bunny Bunny> and owns a limited edition rabbit ear headband, had to hold back from tearfully explaining how Benivis is one of the top 3 latest girl groups and how cute our Hyo-min is.

Thus, the small parachute that Baek Seung-won launched, Min Hyo-min’s resume with the phrase ‘currently enrolled at Baekhak Arts Middle School,’ was lightly erased from the minds of the PD and the writer.

* * *

Although Ma Gi-hun is highly regarded as a heroic figure of New Light Spring Orphanage, but in fact, acts of heroism often occur in the shadows.

What do they say? The government can’t touch everything?

There are too many places in the world that the reach of public authority does not extend to. Orphanages are a prime example.

In a world where righteousness and justice stand clear, no one needs to wield weapons. Thus, those who enforce justice through force are inevitably seen as extreme.

Therefore, Ma Ki-hoon, a being like a complete Lucifer with both light and shadow aspects, was not only a lofty knight-errant but also a professional ruffian well-versed in the ‘dark deeds’ like cigarette smuggling and school fights.

Thanks to this, Ma Ki-hoon was able to perform magic at a public school bound by ‘education laws’, where he didn’t attend school due to a showdown with the homeroom teacher, but his attendance was still recognized.

What specific negotiation Ma Ki-hoon had with his homeroom teacher is unknown. That belongs to the realms of the extreme.

“Phew… So if you keep trying to find out, you’ll get hurt.”

This was Ma Ki-hoon’s claim.

Of course, knowing the level of our neighborhood schools, the answer was clear to me.

“The moment you said you got a job, the teacher started crying and said she’d make an exception, right?”

“What, how did you know?!”

“The moment you succeeded in getting a job at that school, you were already in the top 1%.”

Orphanages are typically built in rundown underdeveloped neighborhoods. People from affluent areas prevent facilities like orphanages from entering their neighborhoods.

Thus, the schools that the children from orphanages attend are inevitably in neglected areas, and if Baekhak Arts Middle School was of genre youth school web drama, then the genre of schools in neighborhood is of webtoon about school gangsters.

Would there be any teacher who wouldn’t cry if the protagonist of such a delinquent webtoon said they had reformed and gotten a job?

Anyway, having legally, or rather, circumstantially, been able to skip school, Ma Ki-hoon could be said to have become more exemplary than someone like me who illegally skipped school.

Thanks to that, I managed to bring Ma Ki-hoon as my manager along to Baekhak Entertainment.

Facing the towering buildings once again stirred emotions.

“It’s been a while…”

It was my first visit to Baekhak Entertainment since being suddenly transferred to Baekhak Publishing one day.

And then, the meaning of this memorable space, the Baekhak Entertainment headquarters building, became clear.

This place was literally like a portal to another world, the isekai I first encountered.

I had never visited it in my previous life, but in this life, I had encountered many connections in this building.

One of those connections, the security guard, glanced at me and recognized me.

“Hey, long time no see? Author-nim?”

“Hello.”

The security guard, who often rescued me from the crowd, gently patted my head.

“I’ve been reading the book you gave as a gift. My kids love it too. But why haven’t I seen you around lately?”

“I went to Baekhak Publishing.”

“Oh, is that so? No wonder I haven’t seen you… So, it’s been a while since you’ve been to Entertainment?”

“Yes.”

“Great! Have a good time!”

This time I came to work, not to hang out, but thinking back, more than half of my visits to Baekhak Entertainment had been out of boredom and for fun, so I didn’t particularly clarify the misunderstanding.

The moment I entered the lobby, Ma Ki-hoon murmured.

“This place looks majestic every time I see it…”

The distinctive five-star hotel-like lobby of Baekhak Entertainment headquarters was imposing to those who entered.

I quietly smiled and shared a tidbit with Ma Ki-hoon.

“They designed it to resemble a hotel on purpose when they rebuilt the building.”

“Really?”

“They wanted the employees to feel comfortable at the company…”

“But does that actually work?”

“Would it work?”

There are many reasons why employees might not feel comfortable at their company, but a significant one, <the CEO who is often seen on the first floor>, caught my eye.

Baek Seung-won, the CEO who had proudly talked about designing the building to resemble a hotel, was also visible in the lobby today.

Dressed in a white suit and wearing black sunglasses, he was easy to spot from afar.

“Hello, CEO-nim.”

“…Huh? Author Moon?”

For Baek Seung-won, who commonly fawned over every celebrity he met, calling them geniuses was part of his routine.

Seeing me, he fell silent for a moment.

Just before I could ask him what was wrong, CEO Baek Seung-won quietly broke the silence with a smile.

“…Are you writing well?”

“Yes, well, so-so.”

“That’s good. Thank you for writing wonderful pieces.”

“…All of a sudden?”

I looked at CEO Baek Seung-won suspiciously, wondering if he was about to ask for something again.

Then, wiping away his subtle smile, Baek Seung-won laughed heartily as usual and slapped me on the back.

Slap!

“Ow.”

“What do you mean, all of a sudden… Isn’t there a variety show meeting today? Better hurry. It’s on the 6th floor.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m the CEO. I know everything… Go on!”

Pushed by CEO Baek Seung-won, I hurried into the elevator.

Even as the elevator doors closed, CEO Baek Seung-won was still waving at me with a cheerful smile.

I wasn’t sure why he was in such a good mood, but seeing that smile made me feel better too, and I found myself smiling a bit.

In the midst of an ordinary day, it was a briefly shining, luminous moment.

*****

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