Novelist Running Through Time

“…You wish to adopt Moon In-seop?”

“Yes, that’s right. The child who appeared on TV recently. He looked so smart!”

The couple spoke kindly, but Teacher Bang Jeong-ah narrowed her eyes.

Adoption is a taboo in Korean society.

It’s partly due to the Eastern tradition of valuing the continuation of the family line, but also because relatives may turn their backs, complaining about giving away the family fortune to a complete stranger.

Moreover, there’s ridicule for raising a ‘dark-haired beast’ only for them to leave in search of their bloodline eventually, and for foolishly nurturing someone else’s child instead of taking care of oneself.

Despite all these societal views.

Those who choose adoption have their special reasons.

It could be a couple unable to have children due to medical reasons, deciding to share their love with the world.

Or it could be those filled with religious or humanistic philanthropy, determined to care for a marginalized child.

However.

There are admittedly a few who seek adoption for exploitative labor, sexual exploitation, or for government subsidies for having multiple children.

Hence, staff at orphanages are meticulous and suspicious when reviewing potential adoptive parents.

Bang Jeong-ah, a childcare teacher at New Light Spring Orphanage, was particularly experienced in such suspicions.

Her suspicion towards prospective adoptive parents was as strong as her love for the children.

“Ah… I see…”

After the broadcast became a topic, dozens of people came wanting to adopt Moon In-seop. And their expressions were all strikingly similar.

Today too, their true intentions were blatantly obvious. They were different from those who genuinely wanted to adopt.

The couple in front of her wasn’t showing a face filled with nervousness, anxiety, and anticipation, beating with an excited heart at the prospect of meeting a new child…

“Can we meet him soon?”

Their faces looked like someone who had just found a gold bar.

So, suppressing her desire to cry, Bang Jeong-ah showed a friendly service smile.

“I’m sorry. Moon In-seop himself does not wish to be adopted…”

“Can he do that?”

Bang Jeong-ah interpreted their question as, ‘We’re offering to adopt a child, and you dare to refuse?’

Instead of countering with ‘Is it reasonable for you to want a child for money, not love?’, she said,

“How about considering adopting another child?”

Which meant, ‘You can’t do that, can you? Then leave.’

Fortunately, most adults have the intelligence to understand such non-verbal expressions and the morality to feel ashamed when their ugly intentions are exposed.

So the couple awkwardly smiled and replied,

“…We’ll look into it more and come back.”

“Sure. Hehe.”

Bang Jeong-ah bid them farewell with a forced smile till the end. It’s wrong for an orphanage staff to treat potential adoptive parents poorly. It’s the least respect due to the many who genuinely raise children with love.

Only after they left did Bang Jeong-ah sigh deeply with a gloomy expression.

“Phew.”

What is this?

How about another child?

We’ll look into it more and come back?

Is this something to be said in a supermarket or an orphanage?

Such situations always make her question her profession.

At least these people were relatively decent. Bang Jeong-ah pressed her furrowed brows with her hand, recalling the abuses she had heard over the past few days.

– Why won’t you let me adopt him! I’m saying I’ll take him and raise him! Are you doing this because you want the donations he gets? What kind of law is this!

– Just let me meet him once! Seeing my face might convince him! I’m sure of it! Wouldn’t he want me as a parent after seeing me?

All sorts of people had come to the orphanage causing trouble.

According to them, they were overwhelmed with the desire to protect after watching the broadcast, but their bloodshot eyes blatantly revealed that their real motive was ‘money’.

“Sigh.”

I often read on the internet about child actors or elderly people who made a lot of money from movies or documentaries, and then fell into ruin due to criminals swarming them.

But I never thought that would be our orphanage’s story.

Will it get better over time?

With that thought, Bang Jeong-ah greeted the next visitor.

As expected, it was another person wanting to meet Moon In-seop.

Interestingly, it wasn’t a couple but a middle-aged man alone. Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t unusual. The law had changed recently, allowing single individuals to adopt, and there were many singles who wanted a genius for the sake of money.

But it was concerning that he had come alone, knowing how it might look to others, indicating he might be desperately serious, perhaps dangerously so.

Bang Jeong-ah exchanged brief greetings and tried to send the visitor away with the same routine.

“I’m sorry. Moon In-seop himself does not wish to be adopted…”

“Oh. I didn’t come for adoption.”

“What? Oh, I’m sorry…”

The middle-aged man smiled gently, covering for Bang Jeong-ah’s mistake.

“It’s okay. But it seems there are so many people wanting to adopt, enough for you to mistakenly think so. It’s really something.”

“Hahaha.”

“In my view, that child has already grown enough to be independent. So, I came to propose a slightly different type of support.”

The middle-aged man took out a business card from his pocket.

“I’m sorry for the late introduction. I am Gu Hak-jun, a ist. I teach writing at a university.”

EP 2 – Other

I looked up at the person who handed me the suspicious business card.

“Who did you say you are?”

An adult with a gaunt look and an old suit, displaying an incongruously angelic smile.

“I am the CEO of SSH Publishing-”

No need to listen to the end.

“So, you’re the CEO. How many employees do you have?”

“Hmm?”

“How many? Four, three, two…”

“Ha, just one!”

“Including yourself?”

“Yes…”

“Goodbye then.”

As I ran toward the orphanage’s main gate with my schoolbag, I heard the suspicious man’s voice chasing after me.

“Hey, kid! Wait! Hear about the royalty rate! I’ll make you a lot of money! Baekhak, that corporation, is deceiving you now! Sign with me and become incredibly wealthy!”

The shady publishing CEO, unknown to me, was caught by Ma Ki-hoon at the orphanage gate.

“Hey. Mister.”

“What! You brat, let go of me!”

Ma Ki-hoon held his shoulder and made eye contact for about 5 seconds.

“My apologies.”

He bowed politely, as if manners were forcibly instilled in him. What was that? Hypnosis?

Ma Ki-hoon, who performed a miracle of repentance on the sinner with the grip of his hand and the murderous intent in his eyes, trudged towards me.

“What is this nonsense every time you go to and from school?”

“Exactly.”

“Today it’s some shitty CEO, and who was it yesterday?”

“A YouTuber.”

“Right. A tow truck. And the day before?”

“An internet newspaper journalist.”

“Trash media?”

“That’s a bit of a dangerous remark…”

“What’s dangerous is your situation, getting caught by weird adults every time you go to and from school.”

My trips to and from school have become really tiring lately. Not to mention the local people recognizing me, all sorts of strange people keep clinging to me.

Especially on the way home from school, people trying to use me to make money keep taking me to cafes, sitting me down, and trying to talk earnestly.

Of course, asking me to stamp a contract is the inevitable next step.

Attending school was already so exhausting, so imagine what school life must be like. Ma Ki-hoon happened to ask about it.

“How’s school these days?”

“It’s kind of awkward.”

“Sucks?”

“Pretty much.”

If I were getting along well with my peers, laughing and playing, it might be different. But I was the outcast of not just my class, but the entire school.

Who would want to be friends with someone who appeared on a broadcast showing such bizarre behavior?

Of course, a very few down-to-earth kids did show me kindness and suggested sharing hobbies, but it turned out their hobby was Minecraft, so there was no way I could really connect with them.

“Maybe it’s better not to go to school. The principal and Teacher Bang begged me to at least give it a try, but when I did…”

“At your age, skipping school. You truly embody the spirit of New Light Spring Orphanage.”

“I have absolutely no intention of becoming a bully.”

After all the bullying I’d endured, how could I become like those who tormented me?

In the same vein, I found Ma Ki-hoon’s habit of wearing shortened trousers slightly annoying.

“Why do bullies wear shortened pants?”

“That’s because… it’s cool.”

“I don’t get it…”

At least the bullies at our orphanage didn’t extort money from other kids, which was somewhat relieving.

In reality, they couldn’t even if they wanted to. Usually, fights among kids turn into adult conflicts, but fights involving orphanage kids often result in parents lodging complaints with the facility. Naturally, they always lose.

Yet, some kids, consumed by their inner demons, would run away and escape the orphanage’s control, walking down a dark path.

And Ma Ki-hoon was somewhere between light and darkness. He was a knight of darkness, guarding New Light Spring Orphanage while looking towards the light…

But I hoped he would return to the path of light.

That’s why I brought up the pants thing, but instead, Ma Ki-hoon pointed out my fashion.

“Aren’t you hot?”

“What?”

“The weather’s getting warmer, why are you still wrapping yourself in a blanket?”

“Oh. This?”

It’s a long-standing habit. When I’m cold, instead of turning up the heating, I wrap myself in a blanket.

When I lived in the high school dorm, I couldn’t afford a padded jacket, and even if I saved money to buy one, it would just get stolen. So, during the cold winter, I would just wear a blanket over my uniform. Plus, if I got beaten up while wrapped in a blanket, I wouldn’t have to wash my uniform as often and it hurt less.

Even when I started living alone, I couldn’t afford the heating bill, so I kept using a blanket. Now, just having a blanket around gives me a sense of security. It’s like an object that protects me from the cold.

Explaining all these feelings would make me seem like a needy child, so I evaded the topic.

“There’s no reason for fashion. You just wear it.”

“Hmm. I respect most fashion choices, but a guy wrapping himself in a blanket seems a bit like a high school girl, doesn’t it?”

“You hold such stereotypes, Ma hyung.”

“The Bible says those who wear women’s clothing shall be stoned to death.”

“That’s insane.”

Chatting such nonsense, we were on our way back to the orphanage dormitory.

“In-seop!”

Teacher Bang Jeong-ah called out to me. She smiled as if it was a good timing.

“You have a visitor!”

* * *

I was aware that there were many inquiries about adopting me.

Obviously, I was too old now to start serving someone as a parent, and I was suspicious of the intentions of those who suddenly wanted to adopt me at this stage, so I refused.

Principal Moon Chung-jae and Teacher Bang Jeong-ah thoroughly protected me from such people.

Still, there were times when I had to meet someone and play the role of a gracious host, usually when those people could potentially influence the orphanage.

Local politicians like mayors or city council members wanted to take photos with me, boasting about the genius from our neighborhood.

Catholic and Protestant high-ranking officials also wanted to flaunt that my talent blossomed thanks to their sponsorship.

In short, no one came for me.

This was the first time.

So, with a trembling heart, I headed to the reception room.

Teacher Bang Jeong-ah was excitedly making a fuss all the way there.

“I heard he’s a very famous ist! He can give you private lessons, and introduce you to various academies where you can learn to write! All for free!”

“So, what’s this person’s name?”

“It’s a secret! But you’ll probably recognize him by face, he’s that famous. I didn’t know him, but you’re so interested in literature, you’ll probably recognize him right away. Ah, I’m so excited!”

Such a fuss was unprecedented.

I wondered who could be so significant that I would recognize him just by face.

And her boast turned out to be true.

“So you’re In-seop! I’m so pleased to meet you, my boy!”

Professor Gu Hak-jun gripped my hand and shook it heartily. His habit of writing with a fountain pen seemed unchanged, as evidenced by the calluses on his hand.

Wait, no. This isn’t the past. His hand should naturally have calluses.

Then where am I? The future? The past?

For a moment, time became blurred, and I started to get confused about what time period I existed in.

As a result, the voices I heard in my memory were so vivid that I couldn’t distinguish whether they were imagination or reality.

– With a bit more refinement, you could be great. That’s what I see.

It was the second time someone had recognized my writing.

The first person who appreciated my writing was a girl my age, my old girlfriend. We met in the first year of middle school and grew up together. We always saw the world from the same perspective. So, it wasn’t reassuring when she appreciated my writing. Just because she was a bit odd didn’t mean she wouldn’t have strange tastes.

But Gu Hak-jun represented the Korean literary world.

He recognized my writing.

Even there, he got me into college, and when I nervously brought up the issue of money, he smoothly resolved that too.

He practically dragged me from the orphanage into the literary world, turning me into a ist.

He taught me how to refine my writing, how to transfer my imagination onto paper, and imbued in me all the literature humanity had accumulated.

Gu Hak-jun was my mentor.

And at the same time, he was also my lover’s father.

It was purely coincidental. I met both of them under completely different circumstances, yet the two people I cherished most were tied within the same boundary.

I felt a certain fate in that situation. I thought the world hadn’t abandoned me, that it had shown me a minimum of warmth.

So, perhaps he would be the one to believe in an unknown ist with no money and no parents?

But I was afraid of being rejected. So, I hid it. I couldn’t bring myself to speak, so I just accepted his kindness.

Around a year later, when he called me with a heavy expression, I thought, ‘Ah, he’s found out.’ I braced myself to be thrown into the harsh reality.

Yet, part of me hoped. I hoped he would acknowledge me, accept me as part of the family.

But Professor Gu Hak-jun was neither.

It wasn’t about acceptance or denial. Not about tolerance or anger.

He persuaded me.

He treated me respectfully as an individual.

“Author Moon… I regret having to say this, but this union seems very difficult from my perspective. You’re an adult, you know. Marriage is a union of families. If we were just a family of professors, maybe, but my wife and her family run a large business.

However.

At the very least… at the very least, I understand your circumstances and know your sincere character, so if my daughter and you are happy, I can support you.

But what about my wife? And my relatives? What about Yubin? They will never leave you alone. They will degrade your character with all kinds of words, insults, and threats, for decades. Can you endure that? And can my daughter endure that? Does a marriage obtained that way sound happy? What about the children from such a union?

Please… let it remain a poignant memory from your youth. It’s sad and regrettable, but everyone has an unfulfilled first love. And it’s by cherishing those memories that we can find new happiness.

In my view, that’s the way for you, my daughter, and me, who cares for you as a teacher, to ultimately find happiness.”

Professor Gu Hak-jun said this.

It was a thoroughly polite and gentlemanly statement.

There was no great villain obstructing our love.

It was just me, insignificant as I was.

*****

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