Novelist Running Through Time
Chapter 54

TL: KSD

Characters in a novel have their roles.

Protagonist, supporter, antagonist, etc.

Especially in highly developed stories, the structure becomes similar to a sophisticated machine. Characters, settings, and narratives work together like gears meshing together. Tick-tock.

However, when it’s adapted into a movie, the story changes. Movies are shot by people, not machines, and people, unlike machines, have variances between parts.

Meaning, there can be differences in capability between the gears.

Especially actors must bring the characters from the script to life in reality. Naturally, not all actors possess the same level of skill. There are good actors and bad actors.

Therefore, in the movie and drama industry, it’s common for a character’s screentime to increase or decrease depending on the actor’s ability.

“Now, Kim Byul ssi, you understand this much, right?”

Therefore, it wasn’t strange that Kim Byul’s role, ‘Traitor’s Daughter’, survived longer in the movie than in the original novel, continuing the story after showcasing an exceptional performance in the audition and main filming.

The ‘Traitor’s Daughter’, barely spared by the mercy of the ‘Protagonist’, was honing her knife, filled with vengeance, waiting for the day to lodge a bullet in the protagonist’s heart.

And finally, after a long pursuit, she catches up to the protagonist.

Facing the protagonist, who was against the Imperial Japanese Kwantung Army, a musket fires, driven by an indelible grudge from the past!

“We’ll need to shoot a gun action scene.”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

“On a horse?”

“Not necessarily, but it would make for a better picture if you did.”

Kim Byul’s fanhood for Director So Tae-woong was almost at the level of faith. And that fanhood turned into hatred the moment she saw a horse nuzzling up with a ‘hehehe’ sound.

Kim Byul stepped back a few steps from Director So Tae-woong, pretending to avoid the horse that was flicking its tongue.

Director So Tae-woong looked at Kim Byul impassively. She awkwardly smiled, avoiding his gaze.

“Ah, ahaha, I’ve never learned horseback riding….”

“Didn’t you learn it when you appeared in ‘King Dongmyeong’? Director Kim said so. Said you rode well, thought you were from Goguryeo.”

“…And, I’m not confident in action scenes-”

“Heh. I remember our Kim actress showed good action in ‘Lady of the Blade’, ‘Miss Moonlight’, even though those were minor roles.”

It was a moment of pride that her childhood idol had watched movies she had minor roles in, but Kim Byul could only forcibly curl the corners of her mouth.

Kim Byul looked around with trembling eyes. A vast plain covered in white snow stretched endlessly.

“……”

This was Manchuria.

And it was winter.

Whish-!

In the midst of a cold whirlwind blowing fiercely, Kim Byul tried her best to resist.

“Can I really do this, Director~nim?”

It meant ‘I really can’t do this.’

“You can do it. I guarantee it.”

‘It’s like, actors talk too much. This is a shooting site. If told to do it, just do it.’ That was what it meant.

Since that was the fact, Kim Byul internally shed tears as she climbed onto the horse with a gun in hand.

And she calmed the horse by skillfully stroking its mane. What you learn when you’re young sticks with you.

Ehehe-!

The horse, having met its proper owner, neighed excitedly, and Director So Tae-woong also smiled contentedly, thinking he had judged the person correctly.

Surrounded by the applause of the staff, Kim Byul smiled as if she had given up on something and thought to herself today as well.

‘I want to quit acting’

EP 5-A Love Story

-Save me

-This is hell

-Horse dung. Horse dung everywhere.

I received a strange message from Kim Byul, but since I had to go through airport procedures, I put my phone away.

Then, Gu Yu-na peeked out from beside her.

“Byul unnie?”

“Yeah.”

“What did she say?”

“She said the shooting is going well.”

“…Hmph. She didn’t even come to the graduation ceremony.”

People who don’t know Gu Yu-na well might misunderstand and think that Gu Yu-na hates Kim Byul, but in reality, it meant ‘I was worried because Kim Byul was missing school, but I’m glad she’s doing well.’

As an expert in ‘Gu Yu-na Linguistics’ and ‘Gu Yu-na Behavioral Psychology,’ I understood the true meaning of her words and moved on, but it seems Professor Gu Hak-jun doesn’t really understand his own daughter.

“Sigh! Yu-na, even if a school subae isn’t here, you should speak respectfully.”

“…Hmph.”

Gu Yu-na glared at her dad and then hid behind me with a hmph.

Professor Gu Hak-jun looked deflated and hurt.

“Is she already in her rebellious phase…?”

“That’s not it.”

I kindly explained Gu Yu-na’s true feelings to cheer up the disheartened Professor Gu Hak-jun.

“Yu-na was actually expressing her concern for Kim subae in her own way, but she’s upset because she thinks her dad isn’t understanding her feelings and is scolding her instead- Ow!”

Gu Yu-na pinched my side and ran away. She ran towards the airport convenience store, so there seemed no need to chase her down. She’ll probably come back after buying a strawberry milk.

Professor Gu Hak-jun watched us with a smile.

“It seems you’re doing well.”

Professor Gu Hak-jun now uses casual speech with me, like old times. No, to me, it feels like old times.

So, I felt a bit tense whenever I was around Professor Gu Hak-jun, but he comfortably sat next to me and casually placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Yu-na… she was bullied at the beginning of her transfer, wasn’t she?”

“It felt a bit like mutual bullying, but she was too straightforward and didn’t blend well with her peers. Now, everyone knows that Yu-na may speak harshly, but she’s a kind friend. So, you don’t have to worry too much, Professor.”

“How can I not worry? But I heard she’s adapting well, thanks to you taking good care of her. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. She reminded me of myself when I was younger, so I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.”

“Ha, it’s really like talking to an adult…”

The comment struck a chord, but Professor Gu Hak-jun quickly changed the subject as if he had just said it in passing.

“Brooklyn, huh? A good place. Our Author Moon, the setting for this work is America, right?”

“Yes.”

“That passion to actually go to America because it appears in the novel… I really want to commend you. I wish my students would learn from this. If they showed such passion, I’d personally pay for their plane tickets if I had to…”

I knew this was no idle talk, as I, who had attended college with the money provided by Professor Gu Hak-jun, understood it best.

“I wish I could have bought Moon-Kun’s plane ticket as well…”

“No, Professor. It’s really okay.”

“Author Moon became too rich too quickly, so I can’t really hold any leverage over him. Hahaha!”

Professor Gu Hak-jun might have said it in passing, but I froze at the mention of one word.

‘Moon-Kun.’

I had heard that title again.

Sigh. How did I end up getting close to Professor Gu Hak-jun again?

Am I a person with no self-esteem? Why do I feel a sense of security while wagging my tail around the professor who once pushed me away? Is it because I once regarded him as a father figure, and now I’m seeking a parental substitute?

“Hmm.”

I had a moment of internal turmoil, but upon further thought, I realized that in this life, getting close to Professor Gu Hak-jun was due to his bizarre form of stalking.

The image of Professor Gu Hak-jun wearing rubber gloves and making kimchi at the orphanage flashed through my mind.

It seems that getting close to him again wasn’t my fault after all.

Having neatly rationalized it to myself, the rest of the group, who had arrived late at the airport bench we were sitting on, approached us.

“Dad~”

Gu Yu-bin was the first to run over and wave at Professor Gu Hak-jun.

Not only her graceful appearance but also her very trendy winter fashion drew the attention of people passing through the airport lobby.

Ironically, for the first time, I thought that Gu Yu-bin seemed more like Gu Yu-bin than Gu Yu-na.

Yu-na has no sense of fashion, so she can’t dress like that!

Even if someone tries to forcibly dress her in fashionable clothes, she stubbornly only wears hoodies and jumpers with (yellow furry creature characters) she likes.

“Hello to Author Moon as well~”

“Long time no see. Congratulations on your high school graduation.”

“I’m in my third year of high school now? You didn’t know that? Geez!”

Because Gu Yu-bin seemed less like Gu Yu-na today, I was able to retort to her rude cheek-pinching greeting with a chilly response.

“Why do you pinch people’s faces every time you see them?”

“Because it’s squishy…”

“That’s a psycho thought.”

“What?!”

While I was bickering with Gu Yu-bin, someone who had finished greeting Gu Hak-jun walked towards me.

I saw her.

The businesswoman wearing a black suit, clicking her heels, and wearing dark lipstick.

“Hoo.”

Yes.

I knew this moment would come eventually.

I faced Gu Yu-na’s mother, tense with anticipation.

The woman from 10 years ago still carried the charisma befitting the head of a corporation.

“……”

I gathered my courage to meet her eyes.

The eyes that once looked down on me with contempt and disdain were now, due to the height difference, literally looking down at me.

Eventually, Mrs. Min Chae-won, Gu Yu-na’s mother, spoke.

* * *

“Would you like a peanut?”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

“Sure.”

Mrs. Min Chae-won, sitting in front of me, handed me a peanut and then turned back to start a conversation with Professor Gu Hak-jun.

I watched the back of Mrs. Min Chae-won’s head, and suddenly feeling a bit relaxed, I let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh…”

Well.

Of course.

Mrs. Min isn’t a psycho, and there’s no reason for her to be harsh to me, her daughter’s friend.

Considering how she found out her cherished youngest daughter was hanging out with a nobody novelist from an orphanage, the treatment now compared to then is worlds apart.

I looked at the back of Mrs. Min Chae-won’s head with mixed feelings. As a loving couple, every time she looked at Gu Hak-jun, her eyes softened into gentle curves.

And a voice from the past echoed in my ears.

-Gu Yu-na! What were you thinking, getting involved with this kid…

-What’s wrong with In-seop?

-Can’t you be quiet?! Don’t even mention that name in front of me.

Each time I recall it, each time I hear it, it feels like a pile of black ash accumulating in my heart.

I gulped down a glass of water provided by the stewardess, trying to clear my throat.

But the problem wasn’t in my stomach; it was in my heart, so it wasn’t very effective.

“Sigh.”

Life is hard.

Especially when I feel like I’m wandering alone in this twisted timeline, life seems so complicated and difficult.

Then, noticing that Ma Ki-hoon, who had been quiet next to me for a while, I decided to strike up a conversation.

“Hyung, why are you so quiet today?”

“Just… haven’t adapted yet.”

Ma Ki-hoon was looking at the seat in the business class he was sitting in with unfamiliar eyes.

I understand the emotions he’s feeling.

For orphans who used to fight over 50,000 won, the concept that a plane ticket can cost over 5 million won is hard to grasp.

Of course, they know it intellectually.

But knowing and accepting are two different things.

To realize that there are people who easily spend hundreds of thousands of won for a bit more comfort during just a dozen hours of flight,

And to see so many of them, and to sit among them, and to recognize oneself stiffly and awkwardly standing out among them….

Ultimately, it became vividly clear that I and they have been living in entirely different worlds from the start.

That’s the modern face of poverty.

Feeling complex emotions for Ma Ki-hoon, I offered a few words.

“Still, it’s a relief we’re traveling on the company’s dime, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“What shall we do once we arrive?” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“You’ll write, and I have to report to the company about how you’re doing.”

“Check and? ‘Report’?”

“What. Why. What.”

“The wild horse of New Light Spring Orphanage, Ma Ki-hoon, making a ‘report’ to someone?”

“Jeez.”

“You’ve already equipped the mindset of a working adult. What did you learn from the management headquarters?”

“Just, basic task handling? Report formats? And driving tips?”

“Driving? How can a high school sunbae drive?”

“Well, I got held back a year in middle school, so I can get my license this year.”

“Ah.”

Then, the plane engines started roaring to life.

Ma Ki-hoon and I pressed ourselves into our seats, becoming one with them.

Soon, the plane sprinting down the runway soared into the sky.

I saw white clouds beyond the window.

And I looked at the world, now miniature, below.

For the first time, the world seen from the sky was so beautiful that it was regrettable I only discovered this now.

* * *

England. London.

A fierce debate over a novel was taking place.

“No.”

“But… This is really a good novel!”

The senior editor sharply rebuked the junior.

“How can you bring a novel that hasn’t been translated? I can’t even read that novel!”

“We can get it translated!”

“Do you realize how nonsensical that sounds? Are we here as editors? We’re judges right now. Get a grip.”

Eventually, the junior dejectedly put the book down.

The senior, with a look of pity, consoled the junior.

“Yeah. But I do know you have an eye for good books. It’s probably a good book. Though I wouldn’t know.”

“It really is a good book…”

“But, was that book translated, did it have international recognition, was it adapted by Netflix into a media mix, or was the author even famous?”

“Sigh.”

“That’s just a fundamental failure to meet the basic requirements. If we’re going to give an award, there has to be at least some common ground. We can’t just give an award purely based on artistic merit. Don’t be too disappointed and just put it down.”

“Yes, senior.”

The junior dejectedly put the book down.

The book was titled ‘Guitar’, and this place was the Booker Foundation.

At this moment, ‘Guitar’ was eliminated in the first round of nominations for the ‘Booker Prize’, one of the world’s top three literary awards.

*****

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