Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 104

TL: KSD

Although I had a childhood with little connection to movies, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any movies that influenced my life.

Of course, I didn’t see them in theaters, but rather they were movies shown by a teacher during my primary school days.

Typically, after the final exams and before the holidays, didn’t the school somewhat turn into a cinema?

Among the films that passed by then, there was one particularly memorable work,

it was about a chef from Paris, France, whose skills were hard to believe were human.

A single line encapsulating the theme running through that movie made me remember that work forever.

Anyone can cook.

Then the same must apply to novels too.

So, I gladly responded,

“Of course!”

“Re-really…? Thank you!”

This aspiring novelist with beige hair reminded me of my childhood in some way.

Her lack of confidence, doubting whether she dared to write a novel, was just like that.

But as the movie from my childhood showed, although not everyone can become a great artist, great artists can come from anywhere.

Just like everyone else in the world, I gladly reached out my hand to this girl who possessed the qualities of a fine novelist.

“Welcome to the Popular Culture Arts Study Club.”

“Po, Popular Cul, what…?”

“It’s a club located next to the teacher’s office on the 4th floor of Building B. We all come together to write novels and study other forms of popular culture. I’ll teach you how to write novels during our club times.”

I drafted this bewildered-looking Assei into the Popular Culture Arts Club. (TL: Assei is a slang used in Korean navy for new recurits)

It might be seen as a kind of cat-rescue. In an age like the end of this century, where the extinction of the arts department is looming close, all those aspiring novelists wandering the streets must be protected hastily like little kittens.

“Ah, anyway, thank you!”

The girl with beige hair seemed a bit flustered but awkwardly accepted to join the club and then went back to school.

Watching her back, I could already see her locked away in a room, writing and facing countless rejections from competitions.

However, novelists must grow strong. I decided to teach her how to survive by throwing her into a battle royale like a writing contest. When was the next writing contest again…

“Hmm…”

As I was counting the days, Kim Byul looked at me with a peculiar gaze and sharply poked my forearm with her fingernail.

“Hey.”

“What.”

“Do you… even know her name?”

I embraced Kim Byul with a compassionate gaze, like a benevolent being.

“Kim sunbae. The name isn’t important.”

“No, that’s not what I…”

What’s more important than a name is what’s in here.

I quietly smiled and placed my hand over my heart.

“If the passion for novels is here, that’s… enough.”

Kim Byul was about to say something but then closed her mouth.

Apparently, she was naturally overwhelmed by my wisdom.

EP 7–Isomer

When the weather made it undeniably fall, rather than leaving you confused whether it was summer or autumn, the first filming for <Let’s Become a Novelist!> finally began.

When I entered the broadcast studio, I saw the faces of the cast members I had met a few weeks ago during the pre-meeting.

“Hello.”

“Ah, our Author Moon has arrived?”

PD Shim Yeon-ho also welcomed me with exaggerated gestures. He seemed to be hiding it, but I could see his tension.

After exchanging greetings with the main writer, who had dark circles under his eyes, I sat in the corner of the studio waiting for the shooting to start.

“Hey! Author Moon!”

“Hello.”

“Ah, In-seop? Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Yes, hello.”

“Hoho, it’s been a while, Author Mun. After meeting Author Moon last time, I read all your books belatedly… You really wrote amazing works. Ah- I admire you.”

“Not at all. Thank you for reading my humble writings. In fact, I’ve always admired you while watching the works you appeared in.”

“Oh my, why are you making me blush!”

Sitting in the corner of the studio, I exchanged greetings with the passing cast members when, from a distance, an idol entering the entrance smiled broadly and waved at me.

“……?”

I was momentarily flustered by the overly friendly greeting, but considering that charm is part of an idol’s job, I let it slide.

Waving back felt a bit much, and since we were almost strangers, I opted for a light nod, but something strange about the idol’s face gave me a sense of déjà vu.

It seemed somewhat familiar…

“Ah.”

These days, all idols look so similar that it’s hard to recognize them.

I remember this friend being about my age, but with makeup, they’ve crafted a look that appears to be in the early twenties, making it even more confusing.

That’s probably what the strange feeling was about.

With the complicated thoughts I had about the entertainment industry lately, looking at this girl group idol made me feel somewhat uneasy.

People like talented individuals. The younger the genius, the more they are admired.

But why, after praising their youth, do they make them look older with makeup?

Idolism? Sexualism? Capitalism?

Maybe it’s all of the above.

As I was lost in thought looking at the idol, a somewhat chilling voice came from beside me.

“Do you perhaps like idols?”

“Ah.”

A miniature weapon of mental destruction with long hair was staring at me with pitch-black eyes.

It was Gu Yu-na, who came to the broadcasting station with me. I hurried to cover up like a husband caught in an affair.

“Ah, no, literature always comes first for me…!”

“Is that so?”

Actually, there was no need to make excuses to this extent, but I panicked because of my past relationship with Yu-na.

What brought me back to my senses was a call from PD Shim Yeon-ho.

“Ah, ah, we’re starting the recording!”

* * *

The variety Show, <Let’s Become a Novelist!>, was a major project prepared by Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting’s variety department.

It was a ‘project variety’ show.

A project that turns cast members into novelists!

In other words, the end of this variety show would be when each cast member completes writing their own novel.

However, the ‘big hit’ of BMB’s variety department wasn’t in the concept.

The budget that the department head had squeezed out from the production chief after much negotiation was spent elsewhere.

It was spent on ‘appearance fees’.

“Hello! I’m Jeong Jeong-il, a man who loves books.”

An actor who has been the main character in ten-million viewer movies three times.

“Hello? This is Lee Yang-i….”

“Why do you seem so low on energy?”

“Because my wife threatened to kick me out unless I showed up…”

A comedian everyone knows.

“Hello. It’s been a while since I’ve appeared on a variety show. I’m actor Park Young-sam.”

A veteran actor with a career spanning 58 years.

On top of this lineup, they had also called an S-class MC. If the department head hadn’t stopped PD Shim Yeon-ho, saying “You crazy bastard, you’re going to go bankrupt at this rate, please stop,” they would have called Yoo Jae-seok too.

Compared to this dazzling lineup, the appearance fee for a popular girl group member was relatively low.

“Ah, hello! I’m Benivis’s cutest maknae Min Hyo-min! Even if you say it backward, it’s still Min Hyo-min! Please take good care of me!”

“So it’s Mi-nyo Mi-nyo Min?”

“Min Hyo Min Hyo Min Hyo Min Hyo Min Hyo Min Hyo Min Hyo Min Hyo…”

“Ah, ahhh…!”

But there was one member they managed to hire for an overwhelmingly cheap price.

Surprisingly, this person was the key member of this variety show.

At the signal from the PD, the front door of the classroom-style studio opened, and Moon In-seop, dressed in a brown modernized hanbok and holding a 30 cm plastic ruler, entered.

“Hello, I’m novelist Moon In-seop. I write under the pen name Moon In. Please take care of me.”

Watching Moon In-seop bow politely at the lectern, the main writer nervously chewed his nails.

“Can he really teach writing well? Being good at writing and teaching are different things…”

“It’s okay. If he can’t manage, just have him read from the script.”

Contrary to the main writer’s expectations, PD Shim Yeon-ho didn’t really expect literary teachings from Moon In-seop.

What PD Shim saw was the image of Moon In-seop.

At the current moment, Moon In-seop might not be the best novelist in Korea, but he was the most famous.

So, his mere presence was enough. Any deficiencies could be supplemented by the script.

However, what they hadn’t anticipated was that Moon In-seop was a disciple of Korea’s top literary professor.

“Before we start the class, I would like to address a prejudice you might have about novels,”

Moon In-seop said without hesitation,

plagiarizing a lesson from the memory of Professor Gu Hak-jun.

The iconic phrase of Professor Gu Hak-jun, known for shattering the novice minds of creative writing freshmen, transcended time and descended here.

“You don’t need to write well.”

* * *

When Moon In-seop declared that “you don’t need to write well to be a good novelist,” nobody seemed to believe him.

It was like looking at the foolish beings who can’t believe in what they can’t see.

Moon In-seop, pitying the unbelievers, asked them,

“Do you know ‘Crime and Punishment’?”

A variety show studio is different from a university lecture hall. The biggest difference is that the participants actually respond to the teacher’s questions.

People answered.

“Yes-”

“Is it a masterpiece?”

“Yes-”

“Has anyone read it?”

“……”

A comedian with a novelist wife bravely raised his hand alone.

“Have you read ‘Crime and Punishment’?”

“Yes. I read it during the days I was dating my wife to impress her…”

Laughter passed momentarily.

Then Moon In-seop asked again.

“Was it easy to read?”

“Um…”

The conclusion was obvious.

“No?”

Moon In-seop smiled contentedly, as if he had been waiting for that answer.

“Right.”

Moon In-seop, possessed by the spirit of Gu Hak-jun, slowly walked to the front of the classroom, mimicking the professor’s distinctive walk and gestures.

“Look at Russian novels. They are very difficult to read. First off, the names are very long, and you have to memorize all the nicknames attached to those names.

And because the sentence structures get jumbled during translation, it’s very difficult for readers accustomed to Korean to read comfortably.”

Moon In-seop clapped.

Clap.

“Yet, ‘Crime and Punishment’ is a masterpiece. And everyone knows that. Why is that?”

“……”

“Because there’s something more important than the sentences.”

Suddenly, people stopped responding to each of Moon In-seop’s questions.

“I think it’s the message.”

The young professor had smoothly taken control of the studio atmosphere.

Moon In-seop shrugged his shoulders lightly, lightening the mood.

“Of course, it would be nice if the sentences were easy to read. It’s comfortable for readers, so it generally sells well.

The production team probably wants that too. By the end of this variety show, wouldn’t they bundle the books you’ve written and sell them?

Isn’t it the trend these days on broadcasts to make something and then sell it after the show ends? Just like ‘Hangout with Yoo’ made it a bit fun-”

From behind the assistant director who was frantically making an ‘X’ sign with her hands, the main writer sighed deeply.

“We’ll need to edit that out.”

“Huh? I was just going to beep it out and leave it in?”

“…Are you really serious?!”

While PD Shim Yeon-ho and the main writer bickered, Moon In-seop’s teachings continued uninterrupted.

“But that’s not us, right? Did you all gather here with the intention of selling books?”

“No!”

“That’s right. I know you gathered here to reflect on your lives and write a novel.

You came here to ponder what story to tell the world and to discover your own literature.

Isn’t that right?”

“Yes!”

“That’s why I strive to help you create novels that, even if they don’t sell a single copy when placed in bookstores, you can look back on with pride and satisfaction years from now without feeling ashamed. I sincerely hope that you will find your own literature in my class.

That’s all.”

As soon as Moon In-seop confidently set down the microphone, applause and cheers erupted.

The sermons that Moon In-seop was forced to listen to every week since his childhood made him (forcibly) a good speaker.

Adding Professor Gu Hak-jun’s expertise, and not to mention the audience prepared to enthuse for broadcast content, it was no surprise that the variety studio transformed into a sort of Easter revival meeting in an instant.

“Amen!”

“We believe!”

“Glo-ry glory- hallelu-jah!”

Watching the cauldron of enthusiasm ignited by Moon In-seop and fueled by a comedian participant, PD Shim Yeon-ho smiled contentedly and wiped his nose bridge with his finger.

“This… will really stir up a storm.”

The next shooting day, when Moon In-seop gathered Gu Hak-jun, Park Chang-woon, and Seo Woon-pil all at the same time, it was indeed another kind of storm.

*****

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