Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 91

TL: KSD

People who aren’t interested in fishing might not know this, but there are various types of fishing rods.

In other words, by looking at the fishing rod, you can roughly guess where they’re going.

“Are you going to the rocky shore?”

“Oh! How did you know!”

Bae Seong-won’s eyes sparkled. Perhaps because he’s an actor, his expressions were exceptionally vivid. I’ve often felt the same from Kim Byul; it must be an occupational hazard.

Anyway, it’s not just the fishing rods that have something to say. The hooks, spinning reels, sinkers, floats, and even the knots all clearly communicate where you’re headed to fish.

“Are you setting up for black porgy?”

“……!”

A meaningful exchange of glances continued between Bae Seong-won and me. We could each guess the extent of the other’s experience. A chuckle came out from both of us at the same time without knowing who started first.

“This, this…… Having such a distinguished guest, I ought to show you something, right?”

Bae Seong-won wiped under his nose and turned around without another word.

“Follow me. I’ll show you something good.”

“Uh-huh!”

The determination in the back of the man spoke volumes.

Today, he will catch a porgy.

Although it was my first time meeting Bae Seong-won, his gear radiated sincere intent towards catching a porgy.

Believing in that sincerity, I followed behind Bae Seong-won.

“What, what’s this. What are you talking about…….”

Kim Byul, who had been flustered and bustling about, also followed us.

Today, her ‘ignorance’ was just pitiful.

Would Kim Byul understand the desire cherished in the hearts of all fishermen towards catching a porgy?

If she didn’t, no matter how keenly she observed the fishing, it would be only half a half-baked experience.

Poor Kim Byul, not knowing the elegance of a porgy……

But it’s okay.

The moment she faces a porgy writhing like fierce waves upon reaching the surface, a precious flame will surely kindle in Kim Byul’s heart as well.

Perhaps.

EP 6-The Show Must Go On

“Damn, it’s strange today…….”

“…….”

“No, guys. I’m usually really good at fishing…….”

It’s a disaster.

Porgies and all, everything’s gone to hell.

Bae Seong-won failed at fishing for a whole 5 hours. With two spectators in tow, only managing to catch minnows, the man’s ambition to catch a porgy shrank pitifully.

Not only Bae Seong-won but also Kim Byul, who had been uncomfortably crouching on the rocky shore for 5 hours, was half out of her soul.

Her hair was disheveled by the sea breeze, and her eyes lacked focus. Her energy to fill the audio by chattering nonstop seems to have run out after 2 hours.

If even we, who were just quietly watching, became a mess like this, how much more would it have been for the staff holding heavy cameras? They put down the cameras long ago and ran away.

Anyway, appearing on a variety show only to screw up on the first day means the footage will naturally be entirely cut. Bae Seong-won blew not only the fish but also our screen time.

Realizing this, Bae Seong-won sweated profusely and laughed.

“Uh…… guys? Maybe you should go back and rest?”

“…….”

“I feel so bad…”

Kim Byul, who had been attempting to communicate with aliens with her glazed eyes, snapped back to reality upon hearing Bae Seong-won’s troubled voice. Focus returned to her eyes.

“Ah, no! It was fun! Fishing!”

“R-really…?”

It was an obviously flattering remark, but perhaps that was the consolation Bae Seong-won needed most at that moment. His complexion brightened slightly.

And that gentle heart was enough to move me slightly.

Ah well…… I tried my best to hide my true skills……

“Can I change the setup for a moment?”

“What?”

I naturally took Bae Seong-won’s fishing rod from him. At this point, it’s right to give up on the porgy or whatever.

Bae Seong-won, robbed of his fishing rod, and Kim Byul, startled by the sudden situation, stared at me blankly.

But my gaze was directed toward the vast horizon.

Unbeknownst to us, time had passed, and evening sunset was setting.

The rolling waves were shimmering with the crimson sunlight.

It was a landscape you’d immediately want to capture in a painting, but we, tired from fishing, didn’t even have a moment to take in the beautiful sunset.

And I was no exception.

Right now, the fishing was a disaster, so what did the sunset or anything else matter?

My finger pointed at the beautiful evening glow.

“Look at that, everyone.”

“Ah, um… It’s beautiful.”

“The sun is setting.”

“……?”

“It’s about time for nocturnal fish to start their activities.”

“……!!!”

It’s well-known that ‘Sleeping Dragon’ Zhuge Liang, the brain of the Three Kingdoms Syndicate in ancient China, famously changed the direction of the wind during a battle against a rival using a form of magic.

But that was because he read astronomy and geography to predict the wind’s direction, not because he performed some special magic to make the wind blow.

Similarly, if one deeply understands timing and nature, one can perform seemingly magical feats.

So, what time is it now?

It’s August.

And August is the season for mackerel.

The monsoon whirls into the sea, warm currents rush into the South Sea, the breeding season for mackerel begins, and if things go well, one can witness the miracle of catching as much fish as water.

Mackerel might be somewhat unfamiliar to Koreans, but in Japan, it’s popular enough to be called a national fish. It’s delicious to eat as sashimi and also delicious grilled with salt.

But to be labeled “popular,” it has to be affordable.

And being affordable means it’s caught in large quantities. Naturally, it’s also abundantly caught in the Korean peninsula, next to Japan. Those who’ve dabbled in Animal Crossing would know.

In short, my judgment is that if we aim for a dramatic comeback, we need to target mackerel meticulously.

I immediately sprang into action.

Fortunately, the gear was not a problem. Krill is an effective bait for mackerel, and the No. 2 black porgy hook works for both mackerel and Japanese horse mackerel.

But there might be a better way.

“Bae Actor~nim, do you have a sabiki rig?”

“Uh… Oh? Yes, I do!”

A sabiki rig is a line with multiple hooks. It’s optimized for targeting mackerel that live in schools.

With nimble fingers, I threaded the head of a krill shrimp onto the sabiki rig’s hook. Maybe it was because my hands were small, but the task was easy.

After swiftly changing the setup, it’s important to choose the right spot. It’s not just about where to cast, but how deep you cast is also crucial.

Large mackerel live deep down, and smaller ones roam around a depth of 5 meters.

Since we’re aiming to catch several at once, I cast the rig relatively close to the surface.

Now, it’s up to the heavens.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

How much time had passed? I didn’t check my phone, so I can’t say exactly, but a bite came around the time the evening sunset completely disappeared beyond the horizon.

“Now’s the time…!”

“Ooh…!”

My strength was lacking, but it didn’t matter. Fishing is done with the waist.

I pulled the fishing rod with a sleek technique.

What surfaced was…

A small mackerel.

“Just one…?”

Kim Byul seemed slightly disappointed, but Bae Seong-won and I looked at each other with eyes full of excitement.

Mackerel move in schools.

I smiled broadly and gripped a bunch of krill in my fist.

Then, I scattered the bait on the water surface.

The countless krill shrimps dispersed by the waves, slowly sinking.

There’s no need to wait anymore.

The fishing was already over. I passed the fishing rod to Bae Seong-won with a sense of relief.

A bite comes right away.

The fishing rod bent significantly more than when the single fish had bitten earlier.

“Oh, oh…! Here it comes!”

Three mackerel, entangled in the sabiki rig, leaped above the water surface simultaneously.

Kim Byul’s eyes widened in astonishment, and Bae Seong-won burst into laughter, shouting.

“It’s a big catch!”

***

“The fish are duplicating!”

“Alright, alright, I got it.”

“The fish are literally duplicating!”

“Ah, I get it, Seong-won hyung.”

Bae Seong-won’s testimony time didn’t stop throughout the dinner. After all, ‘fish duplication’ could be considered a traditional method of demonstrating supernatural powers.

We caught a total of 17 mackerel, and also brought back one each of kawahagi, false kelpfish, and dusky stingfish.

The rest was for the adults. Half of the mackerel became sashimi, and the other half was grilled with salt. The kawahagi, false kelpfish, and dusky stingfish went into the spicy stew.

Thanks to that, the dinner table atmosphere was almost festive.

The actress, trying mackerel sashimi for the first time, was so surprised that she shivered.

“Is mackerel this delicious…?!”

Though we didn’t drink, Bae Seong-won, excited as if he was drunk, approached the staff with a beautifully prepared plate of sashimi.

“Director~nim! Would you like to try a piece?”

The camera director with a bushy beard shyly nodded.

Bae Seong-won smiled brightly.

“But I don’t want to?”

After teasing the camera director for a while, Bae Seong-won finally dipped a fresh piece of mackerel sashimi in soy sauce and fed it to him.

The members, who had been teased by the staff all afternoon, savored the special meal with a smug smile.

“Yes! Staff members, enjoy your ham and instant rice~”

“We’ll eat the freshly caught mackerel that you can’t eat in Seoul!”

PD Park Young-tae eventually accepted the cruel reality that the mini-game for groceries was lost.

PD Park Young-tae, ending his denial, tried to negotiate shamelessly.

“Uh, everyone…?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you need rice to mix into the spicy stew?”

“We don’t need it.”

PD Park Young-tae and the <Peaceful Uninhabited Island> members bickered for a while before agreeing to exchange some of the sashimi and instant rice.

Of course, once the cameras were off, they didn’t fuss too much and shared fairly. The staff got to taste a bit of the delicacy, and the members took as much instant rice and various side dishes as they wanted without measuring. After all, the chili powder and green onions used to make the spicy stew were provided by the staff. It wasn’t such a strict variety show.

By the end of the meal, the spicy stew had thickened into a sort of porridge, and Kim Byul, though initially squeamish about its appearance, ended up enjoying it.

After dinner, the six cast members gathered in the yard to warm themselves by the fire and chat.

“Today, I saw a mother squirrel and her baby in the mountains.”

“Ah, really?”

“So cute!”

“But for me, the mackerel was the cutest.”

“Ah, stop it, Seong-won hyung!”

“Hahaha!”

When several celebrities gather, it naturally turns into a talk show.

But it wasn’t a talk show that tries to extract humor by making someone laugh; it was a genuine conversation where everyone shared what happened during the day.

There was something about it…

It had an old-fashioned charm and sincerity that you couldn’t find on a set or in a studio variety show.

Perhaps it was all orchestrated by PD Park Young-tae.

Gathering six busy celebrities, throwing them into the countryside, making them sweat to prepare their own meals, and capturing the moments of laughter shared among colleagues on camera was an art…

I sensed a certain aesthetics in this moment designed by PD Park Young-tae.

The art pursued by PD Park Young-tae as a variety show producer was not to be underestimated.

“Even though she seems prickly on the outside, Kim sunbae is always looking for friends.”

“Hey! Moon In-seop! Stop it alreadyyy!”

“Everyone, please become friends with Kim sunbae…”

“You, you, do you really want to die?!”

Thus, as everyone loosened up, Kim Byul’s privacy was slightly revealed, but it wasn’t particularly noteworthy. It was a fact, after all.

And so, the day’s activities came to an end.

The sun had fully set, and at the time when the nocturnal birds began to cry, the production crew, leaving only the minimum necessary observation cameras, withdrew.

Now was personal time.

But then, a PD came to me alone and casually started a conversation.

He was the right-hand man of PD Park Young-tae, with whom I had a brief conversation during the day.

“Excuse me, Author Moon? Do you perhaps need manuscript paper?”

“Ah…….”

In the dim night,

On a secluded island where the sound of mountain birds could be heard,

It seems they wanted to capture on camera the image of an author calmly writing on manuscript paper in the room.

But what can I do.

I’m in a slump.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no! I’m the one who should be sorry for bothering you. Please, take your rest, Writer-nim!”

“Yes.”

* * *

I couldn’t fall asleep easily that night.

It wasn’t because the bed was uncomfortable.

If we’re talking about discomfort, there’s nothing more uncomfortable than the four-person room at New Light Spring Orphanage and that damn high school dormitory.

The reason I couldn’t sleep was because of what happened earlier, when I refused the manuscript paper the PD offered.

I’m not the type to stop writing because I’m experiencing a slump. On the contrary, I often scribble something down to overcome the slump.

So, why did I refuse the manuscript paper just now?

Was I embarrassed to write in front of the camera?

That wasn’t it.

I calmly introspected.

As a result, I realized a new truth.

I was in agony.

It wasn’t the slump that was the problem.

Every time I realized that I was in a literary standstill due to the slump, I painfully felt the absence of someone who always clearly resolved my anguish.

I miss her biting criticism, her praise, her reviews, even her trivial greetings—someone I’ve tried to forget, someone I’ve cut off.

But now I can never meet her again.

Gu Yu-na has already disappeared beyond the reach of time.

It’s all the consequence of my choices.

Cutting off the relationship and running away, dying in agony after running away, drifting on the waves of time aimlessly—it’s all my karma.

“Haah…….”

My chest feels so tight that I can hardly breathe. My heart feels heavy, as if sinking down to my navel.

Feeling like I couldn’t endure it without putting some fresh air into my stifling chest, I carefully stepped outside the villa.

Passing through the yard where the sound of insects could be heard, I soon reached the sea.

I strolled along the beach, admiring the night sea with slow steps.

The black sea whispers and flutters with the sound of breathing.

It’s a crescent moon.

The gentle moonlight twinkled and shimmered on the surface of the water.

It was so beautiful that I inadvertently walked into the sea.

The sea was not as cold as I thought.

The waves tickling my ankles were warmer than expected.

Was it said that the sea is cooler during the day and warms up at night?

But what comes to mind now is not the half-baked knowledge learned during science classes at school, but the warmth felt in the last moments of a past life.

Death was not as painful as I thought.

Life was more painful.

Yet, what keeps a person clinging to life is the thread of connections.

Once that thread is cut, a person plunges into the water.

And never rises to the surface again.

Perhaps, my death was because I had cut that thread with my own hands.

My reflection on the waves sways with the water.

It flutters, as if it could crumble at any moment.

I am still below the surface.

Everything I hold dear is beyond the reach of time.

No matter how much popularity I gain, I only feel resentment for being ignored in my past life; no matter how much money I make, it feels like it could all disappear suddenly, leaving me anxious.

In this life gained as a bonus, I never felt alive.

Everything seems like smoke that will disappear the moment someone, who has placed me in the palm of their hand, flicks their finger.

Even when I write to feel alive, the people around me are just a crowd that praises me simply because they find me young.

Everything I cherished is left behind, beyond the reach of time.

Then, what is this current life…

“Hey. Is it fun to play in the water by yourself?”

Someone’s voice came from behind me.

Turning around, I saw Kim Byul standing on the beach.

Before I knew it, she had approached me, hands clasped behind her back, smirking playfully.

Under the gentle moonlight, she asked me.

“Do you have something on your mind?”

I slowly nodded my head.

*****

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