Novelist Running Through Time

In the season when buds spring and the flowers of literature bloom, the Annual Spring Literary Contest was unexpectedly disrupted by a crazy bald man who boasted of winning an unprecedented 16 literary awards simultaneously.

The public’s reaction to this situation, where it was almost certain that these 16 awards were bought with money, could be categorized into three stages.

Of course, all were criticisms.

But there were levels to these criticisms.

First, Stage 1: The Uninformed.

[He bought literary awards with money? Isn’t that illegal?]

[That’s typical of the Korean literary world, what else…]

Such disgrace was not uncommon in the Korean literary circles.

For most people, this incident was just that and nothing more.

They neither cared more about it nor wanted to. The controversy, while loud within the literary circles, barely made a ripple in the wider public opinion.

However, those who knew about the practice of “debut fees” reacted differently.

Stage 2: The Somewhat Informed.

[He’s blatantly exposing it? What a despicable person!]

[Doesn’t he think about others’ dignity? Tsk!]

The practice of debut fees was an open secret. It hadn’t been a problem before because this ‘practice’ wasn’t considered a crime per se.

Firstly, there were no visible victims.

Those who wanted to buy the title of a published author and cash-strapped literary magazines benefited from each other; it wasn’t a structure where one side harbored grievances.

Of course, many frowned upon this custom, seeing it as unfair to those who genuinely wanted to become authors through legitimate means…

But since those who bought their way into major literary circles were not respected, there was no need to make it an issue.

The majors kept their lofty dignity, and the minors barely managed to make ends meet…

That was the structure.

That’s why they were even more furious.

Was it necessary to expose it in such a manner, causing inconvenience to many? What about the dignity of the literary magazines that had been selling awards and the authors who paid the debut fees to continue their community activities?

This was the view of most writers and industry insiders. Even those who usually despised the practice of debut fees felt the same. It’s a rule that only family can criticize family, not outsiders.

But a very few thought deeper.

Stage 3: The Well-Informed.

Needless to say, the anger at Stage 3 was incomparable to that of Stages 1 and 2.

“Lim Yang-wook, this bastard… must have made a fortune.”

Yang Sung-jun, the head of Baekhak Publishing’s Planning Department, was at Stage 3.

EP 2 – Other

These days, life at the company felt precious to Department Head Yang Sung-jun.

It felt like a test of endurance.

The reason was, of course, the 16 books published by Lim Yang-wook.

Just looking at the books, one could guess how much money Lim Yang-wook had made. There were no shortcuts taken in cover, paper, design, or finishing.

Of course, the price of the books was a bit high.

But what did that matter?

Readers don’t buy books based on their price.

Books are a unique product.

They don’t sell more because they’re cheap, nor do they sell less because they’re expensive. This fact had been proven over the past decades by numerous publishers, often with tears of blood.

The books readers buy are those they ‘want to own.’

The content of the book is a secondary consideration. If they really want to read, they can go to a library. There’s no need to buy it.

People buy books for reasons like:

It would look pretty on the bookshelf,

Written by a favorite author,

Having bought the previous series, they can’t skip the next,

It’s currently trending,

The cover is beautiful,

Simply put, because they want to own it.

That’s why they buy books.

And in the eyes of Department Head Yang Sung-jun (albeit begrudgingly), these books had all the elements that made them desirable to own.

Starting with the design, which was enough to invoke the desire to collect.

Just the text printed against a background color.

That was the entirety of the design.

But calling this ‘simple’ would be a disservice to any editor’s qualifications. This was ‘minimalism’.

Of course, Lim Yang-wook, that guy, probably made the book look like this because he was out of money, but a few minor details elevated this simplicity to minimalism. It made one think that ‘God is in the details’.

Each book had a sophisticated and premium color symbolizing its mood. This color was used as the background, with the title’s letters in a color that symbolized the core theme.

The titles were all in a neat and simple font. This was true for all 16 volumes. So, even when put together, they did not feel out of place.

This meant the following:

The 16 books were essentially a set.

The placement of the titles was precisely the same, and the small symbol attached to the side of each book was identical, giving a sense of design stability when the 16 volumes were placed side by side.

Therefore, it was not uncommon for a person to buy all 16 volumes. And even if not to that extent, it was rare for someone to buy just one. They often bought three or four at a time.

It was a design intended to be like this from the start.

“Damn it…”

It was impressive, considering it was meticulously crafted by someone who knew the industry inside out, even if that person was detestable.

Of course, no matter how good the design, if the content was crap or if people didn’t even know the book existed, it would all be in vain…

Somehow, Lim Yang-wook had discovered a monster of a newcomer and succeeded in marketing in the most shocking way.

Chewing over this fact, Yang Sung-jun, the department head, often felt the same intense emotion he had felt two years ago, before Lim Yang-wook’s demotion.

It was ‘jealousy’.

“If this is the outcome for a one-person publishing house… Damn it!”

Jealousy is an emotion that can make a person as obsessed with someone as love does. So, Yang Sung-jun thoroughly investigated Lim Yang-wook’s actions, like someone rummaging through their ex’s Instagram. Which printing company he used, which warehouse he rented, how well the books were selling.

Although he couldn’t find the reclusive author, Yang Sung-jun already had a rough idea of Lim Yang-wook’s business trajectory.

A thousand copies.

Not long after publication, already a thousand copies had been sold. This meant that selling 2,000 copies would soon be a breeze.

Selling 2,000 copies meant a decent number of people had bought them from bookstores across the country, and the stores would likely place more orders and prominently display the books.

Then they would sell even more.

“Damn! Damn! Damn!”

Yang Sung-jun knew this industry all too well.

Therefore, he could clearly see the income Lim Yang-wook would make from these books, and more importantly, such performance would surely attract other publishers to woo him.

In other words, Lim Yang-wook had made a comeback.

A glamorous one.

Every time he thought about having to face that guy again in the industry, Department Head Yang Sung-jun felt his guts twist in disgust.

“Hey! Assistant Kim! Did you get the critic?”

“Yes, yes! I’ve asked Critic Oh Min-sang to write in as critical a tone as possible.”

“Good. Tell them to stop liking such worthless books!”

So, Yang Sung-jun’s sabotage was focused on making Lim Yang-wook sell as few books as possible.

Hiring critics to pour out negative reviews, spreading rumors through internet news, inciting that Lim Yang-wook’s exposé of the debut fee practice was an insult to the entire Korean literary world…

Still, his jealousy didn’t cool down easily, so Yang Sung-jun continued his investigations to the end.

And then, a shocking fact emerged.

“Oh! Fifty thousand copies?!”

It was the fact that Lim Yang-wook had stockpiled 50,000 copies of the book.

This meant Lim Yang-wook had bet all his assets on this venture, maybe even incurred debts.

Even the usually composed Kim Sang-guk, the chief director, muttered upon hearing this.

“A real madman…”

It seemed Chief Director Kim Sang-guk had made up his mind firmly.

“This guy, we can’t just let him be. He’ll keep blabbering about how he sold all 50,000 copies by ranting about the debut fee issue. If this goes on and he ends up on current affairs programs, it’ll be a disgrace to the whole industry. I have to talk to the people at Baekhak Daily and Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting to shut him up.”

Baekhak is a giant media group.

They own newspapers and broadcasting stations. That’s why Baekhak Publishing can threaten small internet news companies. The publishing and newspaper industries are inseparably linked.

Naturally, if someone like Lim Yang-wook, a mere individual, is targeted with intent, he can be instantly discredited. In this sense, the chief director’s decision was textbook.

But Yang Sung-jun, the department head, felt a chill.

Did Lim Yang-wook really not know this would happen?

Did he, without any backup plan, bring things to this point?

His concern soon proved to be well-founded.

“What in the world is this…!”

* * *

“…A minor?”

Professor Gu Hak-jun asked Lim Yang-wook,

And the mysterious author, this question.

[Why didn’t you submit your good writing to the Annual Spring Literary Contest?]

Interpreted, this question means:

[Why didn’t you choose the proper path of the Annual Spring Literary Contest, but instead opted for a shortcut by buying 16 literary awards and attempting noise marketing?]

To that, Lim Yang-wook answered:

The author is a minor.

This answer wasn’t quite relevant to the first question but provided an excellent response to the more nuanced second question.

Using noise marketing to garner attention and then revealing the author’s young age to become the center of controversy –

Isn’t that the implication?

“Huh, really…”

In a way, Professor Gu Hak-jun felt that his review had been used for another round of noise marketing, but he wasn’t particularly displeased by this.

Of course, until recently, he had been very displeased.

The literary world always purifies itself.

The reason people point fingers at the literary world, labeling it a place where the powerful commit sexual harassment, is because these incidents were exposed.

And it was the literary world itself that exposed them.

People call the literary world tainted with ghostwriting and plagiarism because these issues were exposed.

Again, it was the literary world itself that exposed them.

Similarly, the reason why the practice of debut fees is such an open secret that even laypeople know about it –

– is because the literary world has always been critical of itself.

The literary world Professor Gu Hak-jun belonged to was hard to see as a single organization. The term ‘literary world’ was just a way to collectively refer to the society of numerous literary and artistic individuals.

They were conservative yet progressive, solemn yet free, traditional yet reformative.

Because they were not one entity.

They did not hesitate to criticize each other and themselves, and ultimately criticized society to make the world a better place.

The idea of ‘literary power’ is somewhat laughable.

When are they mocked as powerless, backless ists, and when do they suddenly appear as evil villains of ‘literary power’ when it’s convenient?

From the perspective of Professor Gu Hak-jun, who held this view, Lim Yang-wook’s noise marketing was a truly deplorable act, devoid of humanity.

The practice of debut fees persists because it’s the lifeline for minor literary magazines. Without it, most small and medium-sized literary magazines would go out of business.

As distasteful as the debut fee practice might be, should we cut off others’ means of livelihood?

Everyone has their circumstances and situations to consider.

If we measure others only by our standards without considering theirs, we only end up hurting each other.

But to hurt others just to sell a few books? He thought of them as heartless people.

However.

“If the author is a minor, then there’s no helping it…”

If it’s marketing to showcase a genius author to the world,

Then it can be tolerated. Being used for that is acceptable.

The emergence of a genius author melted Professor Gu Hak-jun’s heart.

At first, he was flustered and troubled. In today’s youths language, it might be expressed as an “Oops!”

However, the thought that a minor could write such literature had his heart fluttering with excitement.

Naturally, his perspective on the entire incident changed 180 degrees.

Buying one literary award might be a shortcut, but purchasing 16 is art. What really distinguishes good writing? Since when did literary awards become the standard for judging the quality of literature?

Perhaps Lim Yang-wook decided to become a villain himself to ring the alarm in this world?

Or maybe, this sprightly idea came from the young genius author. Challenging established authority is the privilege of the young.

But it’s important not to confuse ambition with arrogance. That’s something to be taught gradually. He wouldn’t spare any effort to ensure this talent blossomed correctly.

He absolutely couldn’t let them become a drama writer, movie scriptwriter, or a broadcast writer. How many talented individuals had dropped out or changed their course under bleak prospects? This time, he wouldn’t let it slip away.

What would this child look like? Perhaps wearing a high school uniform. A boy? Or a girl?

Preferably, it would be a girl. She could become good friends with his daughter. But a boy would be fine too. He could teach him fishing and take him along.

“Hahaha…”

In Gu Hak-jun’s mind, the poor minor literary magazine folks were already forgotten.

Those literary award peddlers? They’re used to being criticized daily, so what difference would one more time make? No matter how many times they are told to stop, they continue, so why bother now.

“Ah, right.”

He shouldn’t be doing this now.

Gu Hak-jun picked up his phone and began writing another article.

* * *

[…The interesting part is that those who are most outraged by the recent events, calling it an insult to the literary power, were once the ones most vehemently denying the existence of such power in the literary world.

There is no power in literature. The bad habits of the established powers, like kicking away the ladder, are being dismantled, and this dismantlement is happening through the power of the literary world itself. Therefore, there is no power in literature. There are only people. This has been my argument all along.

However, looking at the current situation, I find myself having to retract my statement. Buying one literary award is an individual’s issue, but purchasing sixteen is a systemic problem. Yet, we remain silent about those who buy one award but criticize those who buy sixteen. Why is that? What drives us to criticize them? I would like to call that the power of literature. If not the organized pressure of those who want to protect this system, then what else can we call it?

This book, which won sixteen literary awards, is asking us. It asks if we have even read it. Pushing awards and the literary world aside, it urges us to read it first. Hence, I have decided to return to the essence of being a literary person: to read. How this book will be interpreted in each individual’s life, I leave to the readers.]

Professor Gu Hak-jun decided to focus on the arrival of a precious newcomer in the literary world, moving away from noise marketing.

He also posted his opinion that if someone could buy sixteen literary awards at once, it’s not just an individual issue but a problem with the system that allows it.

However, the public opinion did not calm down easily.

Professor Gu Hak-jun, filled with a desire to collect talents, was content with the emergence of a new author, but others had their own perspectives.

And these perspectives clashed, heating up the internet.

[The author is a minor? That’s shocking. How can a young teenager write something like this?]

└Minor or not, it doesn’t matter. Buying 16 literary awards and shamelessly promoting it is breaking the rules. How ridiculous must the readers have looked to them to think of doing this?

└In the midst of widespread skepticism towards the literary establishment, it’s not right to exclude a work just because the author paid a debut fee. It is suspicious that a minor wrote this, though.

[The book is good.]

└What good does that do if the Annual Spring Literary Contest is ruined!!!

└If the book is good, what’s the problem?

[Whether the author is a minor or not, I’m just glad such a newcomer has emerged. Isn’t it legendary for a monster newbie to release 16 books at once, covering everything from SF to historical s?] (TL: SF = Sci-fi)

└Eh??? The writing was by a middle/high school student? The one I read?????

└Monster Rookie Appears ㄷㄷ (TL: ㄷㄷ is used to show trembling i.e. the commenter is trembling )

[Saw on the internet news that the editor originally quit their job due to sexual harassment issues. Seems fishy.]

└Again?

└A single letter reveals so much.

[How could a minor write this? It must be ghostwriting. Wouldn’t a company that bought over 10 literary awards and did noise marketing not lie about the author?]

└This is right

└I’m staying neutral for now

└Why are we talking about a car’s neutral gear here?

└?

The internet was swirling with all kinds of stories. Shock and doubt, friendliness and hostility were mixed together as numerous people added their comments.

By this time, as the controversy was being reproduced and becoming known in the mainstream opinion, not just within the literary circle, the scale of the debate was growing.

It was a perfect time for marketing.

With a little bit of massaging public opinion, one could create an issue just like a snowball rolling down a hill.

If it were a normal company, the PR or marketing team would have started skillfully dribbling the public opinion…

But Lim Yang-wook was not a normal company president.

How could it be a normal company when the president barely knew the name of his own company?

The controversy had already grown too big for Lim Yang-wook to handle alone.

He needed a proper organization. If he didn’t have one, he’d have to borrow it.

So, Lim Yang-wook was currently facing the CEO of Baekhak Entertainment.

“I would like the help of Baekhak Entertainment’s PR department.”

“Really?”

Baek Seung-won, the CEO of Baekhak Entertainment.

He glanced at Lim Yang-wook without much emotion.

CEO Baek Seung-won handed something to Lim Yang-wook.

“This is a letter our PR department sent to Baekhak Publishing.”

Lim Yang-wook read the email thoroughly.

In summary, the content was as follows:

[It’s me.

You fucking assholes.]

Only then did Lim Yang-wook realize that Baekhak Publishing’s attack could have been devastating for Baekhak Entertainment.

As sweat trickled down Lim Yang-wook’s smooth scalp.

Baek Seung-won smiled brightly.

“You think the government doesn’t know we’re skimming taxes? They do. But they let it slide because it’s not a problem. But because of you, it became an issue. So, I had to meet with some high-up officials. Barely managed to cover it up. Okay. Situation handled!”

Baek Seung-won finished speaking cleanly, crossed his legs, and leaned back in his chair.

Then, he looked at Lim Yang-wook expectantly, as if to see what he would respond with.

“So, how are you going to take responsibility for this?”

“……”

“You know your situation. You were demoted and barely holding onto your job. And then you cause a mess like this? Frankly, no matter how many books you sell, it doesn’t bring anything to our company. Instead, you made the company’s CEO bow his head to high officials. How will you take responsibility for this?”

“That’s…”

“Don’t even start about making money from selling books. We don’t need that pittance.”

“It’s not about that.”

Lim Yang-wook, trying to calm his slightly trembling hands and feet, proposed to the highest-ranking superior he had ever met.

“I’ve planned something that could be beneficial for the company.”

“You just asked me for help, didn’t you?”

“It’s something we can do only if you help.”

“Will it bring money to our company?”

“It will.”

“On what basis are you so confident about its success?”

Instead of answering right away, Lim Yang-wook just quietly smiled.

And thought to himself.

‘A genius.’

A talent bestowed by the heavens.

Lim Yang-wook believed in that.

“I’m thinking of making a broadcast.”