Novelist Running Through Time

Professor Gu Hak-jun.

My mentor.

“If you want, you can audit classes at the university where I work. Of course, my classes are free, and I’ll make sure you can attend other professors’ classes without much trouble.”

He was essentially a good person. His humble dignity and morality stemmed from his intelligence. He was much wiser than someone like me.

Thus, upon hearing his words, I settled things amicably with the lover I had been with for 6 years and secluded myself in my room, cutting off from the world and myself.

I then buried myself in the world of writing and agonized for a long time.

What did Professor Gu Hak-jun think of me?

“In my opinion, you don’t seem to need financial support. You’ve almost sold out the first edition of 50,000 copies, right? From my experience, you should receive a little less than 100 million won. I haven’t seen your contract, so the exact amount might be different, but if the company is paying you too little, feel free to contact me. Anyway, now you don’t have to worry about tuition fees while attending middle school, high school, and university! Congratulations!”

Did he consider me his favorite student?

Or did he see me as a parasitic orphan trying to cling to a wealthy family?

In my long contemplation, the answer to this question often changed. Generally, when I was sober, it was the former; when I was drunk, the latter.

What was the real reason Gu Hak-jun pushed me away?

Was it to prevent two young people from heading down a difficult path as a cultured intellectual,

Or as a father, did he make a tough decision to prevent his daughter from suffering a lifetime of poverty and contempt due to a rash mistake made in her youth?

These two guesses eventually disappeared into an eternal maze. Not long after, Professor Gu Hak-jun passed away in a traffic accident.

At the funeral of my mentor, I lingered for a while, then, seeing the swollen-eyed face of my former lover from a distance, I fled like someone guilty.

That was the end of our connection.

“But child, it would be a huge waste for you to just attend a nearby humanities school and receive a regular education. I’m not saying that regular schools are bad or inferior. It’s just that a special child like you needs that ‘plus alpha’. I’m not sure if you’ll need my recommendation, but I’ll write one for Baekhak Arts Middle School. I know the teachers there very well, and if you go to that school, everyone will like you. And after school, how about learning writing from famous ists? My friends also want to see you.”

But within the strange flow of time,

I traveled back in time to the past.

The dead regained life,

And severed connections were reformed in a new way.

But what about me?

What am I?

Is the 22 years of unhappy life Moon In-seop experienced in my memory my ‘past’ or ‘previous life’? Is the 12-year-old genius author Moon In an extension or a reset of my life?

How should I view Gu Hak-jun? With resentment? Longing? Regret? Joy? Sorrow? Guilt?

I don’t know.

Really, I don’t know anything.

I felt as if I had returned to the times when I sat alone in a dark, cold room, enduring loneliness.

It was very cold.

EP 2-Other

The boy was wrapped in a blanket.

Just that made Gu Hak-jun have a very good first impression of the boy. His second daughter always walked around wrapped in a blanket too.

To be exact, it wasn’t the blanket she liked, but the character on it. So much so that she would even cover herself with the character blanket in summer, always getting scolded by her mother.

By chance, the blanket Moon In-seop was using had a character his daughter liked. A yellow furry creature called Ryan or Choonsik.

(TL: Ryan/Choonsik)

Could it be that even a genius likes fluffy animal characters appropriate for his age? Surprisingly cute, it gave him a human touch.

Gu Hak-jun, being a master of conversational skills, took note of this common interest, preparing to use it as a joke to build a closer relationship with the boy whenever the opportunity arose.

However.

It seemed the reason Moon In-seop wrapped himself in a blanket was different from that of his daughter.

“…Child, are you alright?”

Gu Hak-jun stopped explaining his offer of support. The boy was trembling under the blanket.

His eyes lacked focus. At a glance, his state resembled a panic attack or shivering from the cold.

“In-seop, what’s wrong?”

Bang Jeong-ah half-rose from the living room sofa and gently wrapped her trembling hands around Moon In-seop’s shoulders.

“…Ah.”

The boy, who had been drifting in the past, returned to the present. Moon In-seop reassured Bang Jeong-ah and Gu Hak-jun, who were looking at him with concern.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. I just felt a momentary tightness in my chest and my heart constricting. Actually, on my way to and from school these days, a few scammers have been trying to take me to secluded places.”

“…Are you really alright?”

“I’m not exactly fine, but what can I do? It’s not the first time that people are trying to take advantage of a kid who made a lot of money on TV.”

Hearing the sharp words of Author Moon, Gu Hak-jun felt a bit stunned, but also sensed his last doubts fading.

He hadn’t directly confirmed whether the child was a genius, but at least the broadcast didn’t seem staged.

“Well… Child, it’s good that you’ve made up your mind, but living in such an environment seems a bit risky. What do you think about living in the dormitory at Baekhak Arts Middle School?”

Gu Hak-jun made this suggestion and then nodded to Bang Jeong-ah, saying, “It’s not a criticism of the orphanage, but it’s difficult for public care facilities to protect each and every child,” seeking her understanding.

And Bang Jeong-ah, overwhelmed that a renowned university professor was nodding to someone like her who hadn’t even graduated from college, waved her hand saying it was alright, making a fuss.

While this was nothing unusual in the context of Korea’s social class system, for some reason, Moon In-seop found it slightly distasteful.

After all, in terms of caring for others, Bang Jeong-ah was far more sincere than Gu Hak-jun.

So, Moon In-seop intended to say this.

“First, I would like to express my gratitude, Professor Gu Hak-jun. I am truly impressed with your intention to nurture future talents as a leading figure in the Korean literary world, coming here to take care of a novice author like me.

However, I am afraid that accepting your sponsorship offer would change my daily life too drastically. The teachers and friends at New Light Spring Orphanage are like family to me.

Leaving them behind to suddenly enter a boarding school is somewhat burdensome. Similarly, if I accept this sponsorship and become practically your student, starting literary activities, it would mean more social activities. But I don’t think I am mature enough as an author yet, and being young, I foresee many difficulties in such activities.

I am really sorry to respond like this after you’ve come so far, and I hope that someday we can meet again under better circumstances.

Thank you.”

But as he looked at Gu Hak-jun to say this,

The moment their eyes met,

Moon In-seop felt something welling up inside him.

So, the words that came out of the boy’s mouth were completely unexpected.

“So, Professor, you are willing to sponsor me just for my talent, without really knowing who I am.”

“Uh… It’s not exactly like that… No, actually, you’re right.”

“Professor. Then what would you do if one day my talent disappeared?”

Gu Hak-jun was at a loss for words. The boy had hit the nail on the head.

Gu Hak-jun came to see Moon In-seop not to take care of a child, but to nurture a newcomer in the literary world.

To him, the boy said:

“Right now, before your eyes, is not a freshman just entering university, but a sixth-grader in elementary school. You suggested that this child leave the orphanage and enter a dormitory, offering to provide tuition, educational environment, and connections, and promising to protect me from the harshness of the world.

You say it’s sponsorship, not adoption, but from my perspective, this is closer to adoption. Aren’t you almost proposing to raise me?

But if the reason is not love, but talent, it will be a big problem later.”

Gu Hak-jun, startled, tried to deny it, but eventually nodded, as Moon In-seop’s words seemed to see right through his heart.

“You want to take me fishing, invite me to your house for dinner, introduce me to your children, sit with me alone in a room for hours talking about writing, and proudly introduce me as your student in front of your acquaintances, right?”

“…!!!”

The boy chillingly hit the nail on the head regarding Gu Hak-jun’s true intentions.

Gu Hak-jun felt as if his dark desires were being exposed in the light of day.

It would have been different if it were just the two of them in the living room, but the presence of the childcare teacher, Bang Jeong-ah, doubled his embarrassment.

However, his admiration for the boy grew.

After all, where did this boy’s insight come from?

Was this truly a talent given by heaven!

Yet, as Gu Hak-jun’s fondness increased, the boy looked at him with cold eyes.

“Really. How shallow.”

“Child, child! Oh, it’s a misunderstanding! I, I really didn’t come with that intention!”

Watching Gu Hak-jun, who had once relentlessly pursued him in his past life, now desperately pleading, Moon In-seop felt an indescribable and somewhat guilty pleasure (though he wouldn’t admit it).

So, he finally brought up even Gu Hak-jun’s hidden weakness, stabbing him in the heart.

“Even while reading your representative work, ‘The Altruist’, I felt it a bit. You have a slight tendency of self-importance.”

“How, how did you know!!!”

“Did you think that as a famous ist, I would be honored to follow you upon your visit? What makes you think I should abandon my current environment and rely solely on you?”

Before long, Bang Jeong-ah, her face flushed red, covered her mouth, deeply engrossed in the (melodramatic) drama unfolding before her.

So, when Moon In-seop suddenly stood up, she felt a tinge of disappointment that this situation was coming to an end.

“I’m sorry to respond this way after your long journey, but it seems difficult for me to accept your sponsorship. Please return safely.”

With that, the boy left resolutely.

But Gu Hak-jun couldn’t let the boy go just like that.

To lose someone who could discern his deepest psychology from just one , Moon In-seop’s talent was beyond Gu Hak-jun’s imagination.

“Child! No, Moon! Just listen to me for a moment!”

However, despite Gu Hak-jun’s desperate call, the boy paused for a brief moment, giving him a fleeting look, and then resolutely walked out of the living room.

It was summer.

* * *

“Ki-hoon hyung, do you have a cigarette?”

“You want to die?”

I craved a cigarette that day.

Leaning against a tree in the orphanage yard, I looked up at the sky. I remember leaning against this tree and looking at the sky on the day I returned to the past.

White clouds drifted by, and the fresh sprouts on the branches swayed gently with every breeze.

Birds spread their wings and followed the wind, and the planet I stood on was also orbiting in its path.

Even though it’s natural for things to flow according to set rules, I found myself going against the flow of time.

What exactly is talent?

Why does it change the way people are treated so drastically?

I wasn’t even a real genius.

Just a ist who traveled back in time.

So, it wasn’t that people were fascinated by a genius; rather, they were excited by their social consensus to consider ‘this guy as a born genius.’

The world is in such a state.

The sudden wealth and fame only attracted scammers, not seeming particularly valuable. The happiness I truly wanted was left behind in the gaps of time.

The only thing that seemed to remain was writing.

“I should write…”

Writing on the manuscript paper seemed like it might somewhat untangle my complicated feelings.

It was then, as I was about to head to the study room.

Ding-

A message arrived. It was from Lim Yang-wook.

An ominous message.

So much so that I unconsciously read it aloud.

“Don’t be surprised by anything that happens from now on…?”

What does that mean?

The answer soon came rushing at me from all directions as people from the orphanage hurried to inform me.

“In-seop! On the internet…!”

“You’ve been accused of school violence!”

* * *

A post alleging that Moon In-seop, famous as a child prodigy ist, had committed school violence appeared on the internet.

It was based on records of a School Violence Committee meeting, claiming that Moon In-seop falsely accused three students, instigating them to be beaten by bullies from the same orphanage.

Naturally, public opinion did a 180-degree turn from before. A torrent of fierce criticism poured in. As always.

[What? Another school violence case?]

└I knew it would come to this.

└I had a feeling just by his face.

└I’m staying neutral for now.

└Neutral? LOL, he’s real trash.

This was nothing unusual. How many celebrities had fallen due to school violence revelations? I was just another name on the list.

“Originally, the plan was to bribe a couple of parents of the school violence victims and put them in front of the camera, but that would have made it too easy to find out that Yang Sung-jun was behind this. It would be a big problem inside the company if it became known that Baekhak Publishing was interfering with Baekhak Entertainment’s business.”

“So, it would have revealed that this school violence case was entirely fabricated?”

“Exactly. So, I did my best to prevent it.”

Lim Yang-wook smirked.

Publishing Planning Department’s Deputy Kim received that smile.

“Well done, Deputy Kim.”

“…No, I just followed your instructions.”

Deputy Kim repeated to Lim Yang-wook the same words he once said to Yang Sung-jun.

It was a betrayal.

He betrayed Yang Sung-jun and sided with Lim Yang-wook.

His expression still not entirely bright, it seemed that Deputy Kim still felt uneasy about this fact.

Lim Yang-wook quickly caught on to this psychology and subtly encouraged Deputy Kim.

“Ah, Yang Sung-jun, that guy is really ruthless. How can someone send an elementary school student to their doom without a second thought, just for the sake of his company life?”

“Haha.”

“Tsk. He’s still the same, sending the entire Publishing Management Task Force to ruin. It’s just heartless of people from the same company.”

Lim Yang-wook was naturally gaslighting Deputy Kim.

“This is like. Falling into his own trap, isn’t it?”

“That’s, that’s right.”

“Don’t worry too much, Deputy Kim.”

Lim Yang-wook gently smiled and patted Deputy Kim’s shoulder.

“I’ll take care of everything.”

After soothing Deputy Kim and sending him away, Lim Yang-wook did not forget the fact that someone who had betrayed once could betray again.

Pretending to be weak.

No matter how much they pretend to be good, such people eventually cling to the stronger party, like bats. They know too well that the strong write history.

That was the realization Lim Yang-wook had after two years of commuting to the underground parking lot.

If you have power, you can justify the process. You have to win first.

Strike before being struck.

And so, he struck.

Lim Yang-wook instigated Deputy Kim to throw the bait of “Moon In-seop’s school violence” at Yang Sung-jun, and Yang, cornered to his limits, took the bait.

“It’s over.”

Yang Sung-jun wasn’t a good boss. In the end, someone who climbs by stepping on others is bound to get caught in their own karma. Lim Yang-wook briefly wondered if he might end up the same way, but then he organized his thoughts and decided to finish what needed to be done.

“Senior? Yes, it’s me. I think it’s time to release the details of the investigation.”

But there’s a saying that even if you know a thousand miles of water, you can’t know the heart of a person. Could it have been said for no reason?

The little ball that Yang Sung-jun shot into the air was rolling in a strange direction.

* * *

When public interest in Moon In-seop was at its peak, Yang Sung-jun triggered the controversy of school violence.

Then, as soon as Yang Sung-jun stirred up the controversy, Lim Yang-wook would immediately release a counter-article to label him as trash.

Simultaneously, he would reveal that Baekhak Publishing was attacking Baekhak Entertainment, leading to Yang Sung-jun’s downfall.

That was Lim Yang-wook’s plan.

However, Lim Yang-wook wasn’t an expert in public opinion wars, and his response was too swift, causing the fire to die down prematurely.

[What? It wasn’t true?]

└I knew this would happen

└I thought the rumor was suspicious

└I’m staying neutral for now

└Neutral? LOL, people like you are the ones who kill

However, the real controversy erupted from an unexpected place, with a phrase Yang Sung-jun mentioned while spreading the rumor acting as the fuse of the bomb.

[…100 million won?]

The public focused on the money.

[Moon the Author made 100 million won?]

[Hmm. A primary school student earning 100 million won? Is the book that good?]

[Making 100 million won with noise marketing. That’s a bit off]

Here, the fact that Moon the Author’s book won 16 literary awards at once became a problem. Were those awards bought with money?

Buying one might be a trick, but buying 16 doesn’t make it art. The reason Moon the Author was attacked was not because of practices like debut fees, but ultimately because of jealousy.

The logic that one shouldn’t profit from an unhealthy route to debut gained traction among the (jealous) people.

Yang Sung-jun, furious at the realization that he had nearly been played and killed by Lim Yang-wook, decided to make the most of the opportunity given to him.

“These damn bastards! Get in touch right now!”

Now was the chance.

It was time to show these young fools who mocked the literary world a proper lesson!

Yang Sung-jun made such an appeal, proposing to the entire literary world to bury Moon In-seop.

But isn’t there a saying that you can know a thousand miles of water but not the heart of a person?

Around that time, the elders of the literary world had a slightly different view of Moon In-seop.

-…Why would we lose a valuable talent in the Korean literary world?