Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 137



Only Noblemtl

137. 『About T: Prom』 (4)

As the serialization of ‘About T’ progressed, all kinds of rumors began to spread within Central City Value High School.

‘It’s clear that the new writer is a third-year student.’

‘No. I’m a teacher.’

‘Huh? Aren’t you the school security guard?’

‘Actually, it could be a squirrel in the school.’

‘Did you take some drugs somewhere?’

Starting with relatively reasonable opinions, to ridiculous jokes thrown in just for fun.

Among the students who read the ‘About T’ series, there were all sorts of stories, and if there was one thing they all had in common, it was that ‘the new author was someone who had been attending this school for a relatively long time.’

The rumors continued to spread and gradually changed. Then, someone who liked to attract attention came out and shouted, “I am God!” But since there was no way to prove it, everyone dismissed it as nonsense.

As I listened to such rumors from the sidelines, I began to think that everyone was just enjoying the rumors. It was like some kind of gossip.

Rather than really wanting to find out the true identity of God, wouldn’t it be fun just to be able to say, “There is a God among us!” and enjoy it?

Then Malcolm from the American Football Club looked at me and snickered, saying, ‘Oh, there’s a god who’s doing well there too! He’s a bit of a different god though!’

But the kids laughed it off, saying, ‘There’s no way that’s true!’

······What the heck. Why on earth am I not even a candidate? Surprisingly, it hit the nail on the head.

To the question that suddenly occurred to me, Mr. Doofy Kingston answered with a serious expression.

“Because it’s such an unrealistic story.”

“Uh, why?”

“She has been the top student for three years and has even dated ‘Queen’ Alexa, who every student admires. She doesn’t stop there, she even writes novels under the pen name ‘SEEN’. If there really is such a person, I’m sure she secretly thinks that heaven cannot forgive her.”

“······.”

I was speechless for a moment.

The reason I was able to do that was more due to heaven’s help (return) than my own ability, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that part.

Doofy chuckled at my reaction and thrust out an object shaped like a Storm Trooper from Star Wars.

We were currently playing Star Wars Chess.

Chess where each piece is replaced with a character from Star Wars. The rules are simple, but the battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire is fierce. And, as expected from a true cowboy, Doofy is a chess expert.

As I was thinking about how to respond to that move, Doopi continued speaking.

“Isn’t that okay?”

“hmm?”

“Alexa and I, Jiwoo, know who you are.”

“That’s true. That’s enough for me. The problem comes from somewhere else. The scalp.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. Can I ask what the problem is?”

“First of all······ There are more guys who volunteer to be ‘SEEN’ than you might think.”

I moved Princess Leia, who was playing the role of King, aside to escape the evil plot hatched by the Sith Lord Doofy, and continued speaking.

“Most of it is probably a joke. I know that much. But I think that if someone really tries to fool someone by pretending to be ‘SEEN’, it could be dangerous.”

“Are you asking for something, like teaching me the next part of the novel?”

“Well, that’s something like that. I don’t think it’s completely impossible, but what do you think?”

“I agree. There might be someone with malicious intent somewhere. Like the dark side of the Force.”

It was a fantastic metaphor, perfectly suited to the current situation.

“First of all, to prevent that, and there’s another reason too.”

I continued my explanation while moving the Luke Skywalker artifact.

In fact, I really don’t understand why students are causing such a fuss over the current ‘identity of SEEN’.

However, a writer is someone who brings down the ‘unknown’, combines it with his own world, and comes to his own conclusion, and I concluded that this situation came from the attitude of many people who are crazy about ‘gossip’.

An issue that never existed before, blooming at the end of one’s school years.

The students added their own flesh to it, and I reached the point where I could blow my nose without even touching it. Even if I just stayed still, the value of the god’s name increased automatically.

The problem was that once I graduated from school, it would naturally disappear.

“Because there is no drama.”

Since no one knows for sure who the new writer is, wouldn’t it be weird if they just talked about it among themselves, or if they went somewhere and said, “There was a rumor going around that the new writer went to my high school.”

“I thought that if I revealed my identity in a situation where the kids’ curiosity was dramatically heightened, it would be a good memory, and in the future, when they have nothing to say, there would be a greater chance that they would bring up my story. Then, wouldn’t there be a fan base that would tell me my story even if nothing happened?”

“Oh, that’s a very reasonable thought for a ‘writer’.”

Doopy nodded, understanding what I said, and asked a question.

“So when and where do you plan to reveal that? How will you prove that you are a writer?”

When I heard that, I smiled and answered.

“Of course, I prepared everything.”

Before that, the completion of ‘About T: Prom’ took priority.

***

Julia Chandler said there’s one really interesting point about ‘About T: Prom’.

“Do you know what that is, Simon?”

“Well, um, it’s a bit lonely, isn’t it?”

“That’s exactly your answer.”

“Was that correct?!”

“It wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but I liked it.”

Julia nodded and took a sip of her cappuccino.

After-hours, cafe near the Los Angeles Times.

The two people who met to have a work-related conversation, before getting into the main story, first exchanged their thoughts on ‘About T: Prom’, which is still moving forward steadily even after reaching the halfway point of its 15-episode series.

‘Lonely’.

After hearing Simon’s sentiment, Julia nodded, understanding its meaning.

Part 3 of the ‘About T’ series, which is themed around ‘prom’, which can be said to be the culmination of school days.

What readers of the novel were most looking forward to was ‘how Tony and Alice will go to prom together’, and the new writer also focused on that part as he developed the story.

But even in the midst of all this, the new writer continued to hint that the end was approaching.

Starting with the fact that they plan to go to different universities, the descriptions in the novel, and the lines each character utters.

In particular, May’s line, “I wish I could have become close with you a little sooner,” felt like a point that touched on the loneliness that this novel was trying to convey.

And because of those elements, it has different characteristics from existing novels.

Julia described it as an ‘interesting point’ and explained:

“It’s very slow.”

“What is it? The plot?”

“Yes. It’s different from the style that the new writer has shown so far.”

Julia’s idea of ​​a ‘new writer doing a newspaper serial’ was one who reduced unnecessary descriptions when writing and wrote sentences as cleanly as possible.

By focusing on the development of the story and showing the story at a fast pace, it actively created impact by utilizing elements such as plot twists, and these aspects were loved by readers.

“It makes me wonder what level he has reached as a genre writer. I never imagined that I would give such an evaluation to a writer who hasn’t even graduated from high school yet.”

“Oh, I agree. It definitely has a nice, easy-to-read, comfortable flavor.”

“But it’s definitely not light. This writer is good at controlling the tempo.”

In particular, the part where this characteristic was clearly revealed was episode 6, where Tony mentally prepares himself to propose to Alice.

After painstakingly detailing the short dinner session of just over an hour, the author finally cuts off the story exquisitely in the final scene of the promposal, driving readers crazy.

“Oh, that’s right!”

Simon smiled brightly and shouted as he recalled that memory.

“I really felt that the writer was going too far at that time!”

Tony sorted out his thoughts as he recalled parts 1 and 2 and the time he spent with Alice in between.

The boy finally took on the face of a man and took a picture of Alice, who was lost in the night view outside the window, with a disposable camera that he had hidden away. When Alice turned around in surprise at the sound, he said this.

“‘We decided to make memories together. Will you let me do the same at Prom?’”

“Ugh, this is crazy!”

“······I’m dying, dying, dying.”

“Wasn’t it really good?!”

“Yeah, it was good.”

Julia also agreed, watching Simon shouting excitedly. She had never expected that he would propose to her through a ‘camera’.

In the following episode 7, Tony proposed to Alice by handing her a Polaroid photo of the ‘Prom?’ card he had prepared.

After hearing that, Alice hesitated for a moment and then got up, saying she was going to the bathroom.

A situation that could have easily become awkward.

But Alice, who had been to the bathroom, made up her mind and asked Tony.

“Why me?”

Tony speaks his mind in front of her in an awkward but sincere manner.

Alice also honestly expressed her thoughts in response, and the two shared an emotional exchange that went beyond simply proposing and accepting.

A heartbreaking story of a boy and girl’s love that unfolds throughout an entire episode.

After reading it, Julia realized that these two characters definitely had some similarities.

Everyone had a strong curiosity about their own inner self, and to that extent, they knew how to see into the inner self of others.

And in episode 8, Tony said.

“I like you, Alice.”

Alice’s face turned red and she couldn’t answer, so she just nodded.

The best answer a timid and shy girl could give.

Tony was so taken aback by the adorable sight that he made the mistake of tipping $100 on the bill that was left on the table. He probably would have just paid and left if Alice hadn’t stopped him.

I left the store and it was dark night.

Tony took Alice home and went back home, completely excited, just like in the famous scene from the musical movie ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. Then he yelled at his father, who was upset, asking why he was making noise.

“’Yes, yes! I love you too, Dad!’ That felt so good.”

“No matter how he felt about himself, he told his father that he loved him, even though he could only express it in a suffocating and repressive way. It was a really great scene. Even the part where his father became a little stiff at the end. He must have broken down because he wasn’t used to that kind of thing.”

“Ugh······.”

“The ninth episode that followed was also great. It went from Alice’s perspective to describing what she thinks about Tony and the moment when she was growing from a girl to a woman. And then right after that, I liked how she was talking to Hannah and May and describing the psychology and behavior of a female student going to prom.”

“In episodes 10 and 11, we showed how the men and women prepare for prom, and the long-awaited day has finally arrived. So, what happens now?”

“It’s a bit hard to say unless you’re the person involved······.”

“It’ll be done soon!”

Simon protested.

Julia snickered at those words and said no until he signed the contract, handing him the documents as if trying to bring his mind back to reality after being lost in the romance shown in ‘About T’.

“Shall we move on to work-related topics?”

“That’s too much, Julia.”

“Let’s sign and then talk.”

“Okay······. What exactly did you say I would be responsible for?”

“I would like you to take charge of the single volume adaptation of ‘About T’.”

“I’m fine with it, but what’s wrong? This is usually your senior’s specialty.”

Having worked in the industry for nearly a decade, Julia had a wide range of connections across a wide range of industries, making her a much better fit than Simon when it came to turning the About T series into a single volume.

But Julia didn’t take on the task herself and instead passed it on to Simon.

The reason was simple.

“I think I need to pay more attention to the drama. It seems like the writer is nervous about many things, perhaps because it’s his first dramatization.”

“Isn’t California Pictures a pretty good company? I remember they did a great job with the dramatization of ‘Clean Eyes’ last time.”

“That’s true. But there’s a chance. ······Besides, I wanted to make some connections in the broadcasting industry while I’m at it. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Aha, okay. But can I ask you one thing instead?”

“Anything except lending me money.”

Julia, smiling and talking leisurely.

Of course, that wasn’t the case.

“Please introduce me to a publisher that would be willing to produce a single volume edition.”

“If it’s the price of connections, I should be the one receiving the money.”

“Hey, why are you doing that? Our goal is to make good works by good writers better.”

Julia burst into laughter in front of Simon, who had grown into a smart, socially savvy person and was even able to joke around lightly.

***

Tony and Alice entered the prom hall holding hands.

The moment they saw that sight, the students inside the party were shocked. No one would have guessed that the starting quarterback of the school’s most popular football team, Anthony Miles, had chosen Alice Riley, a nerd and outcast, as his prom partner.

No matter how unexpectedly friendly they had been, and how Alice had been a bit active during Homecoming Day, the fact that the two had become a prom couple was a completely different matter.

Episode 12 of ‘About T: Prom’, serialized on July 4, 1984.

From the very beginning, there was a scene that made every woman living in California’s heart race. Those who couldn’t help but be absorbed in Alice couldn’t hide their joy at seeing Alice being envied and envied by many people at the same time.

‘This part is so good that I can read it over and over again.’

After school, in the broadcasting room.

As she read the novel, Kate Moore pushed up her glasses with both palms.

As she had identified herself with Alice through the fact that she wore glasses and through various descriptions in the work, she couldn’t help but smile happily.

The broadcasting club had retired long ago, but she wanted to finish on a high note, so she ignored her juniors’ advice that she could rest now and was waiting for the student council meeting they were participating in to end.

In fact, I didn’t really have any friends to meet at school unless I was in the broadcasting club, and since I was done with the entrance exams, I had nothing to do, so I pretended to read the newspaper and reread the ‘About T’ series published in the Los Angeles Times.

‘It’s really good.’

When I recalled that the person who wrote this was Shin Han, my rival(?), I felt a bit strange, but I forgot that fact for a moment when I was so immersed in the novel.

Kate was also able to briefly forget about her own prom, which had been marred by the events of the day, as she re-read the process of Tony and Alice eating and dancing.

I wonder how many times I read it like that, and before I knew it, my juniors had returned after finishing the meeting.

“Oh, you’ve had a hard time.”

“Oh, you haven’t left yet?”

“Huh? You said you’d let me know the results of the meeting. How did it go? Who’s going to conduct the graduation ceremony tour this time?”

Today’s meeting, which included the student council, broadcasting club, and teachers, was scheduled to finalize the graduation ceremony order. And Kate, who thought she had been working hard at school, secretly hoped that she would be given the final farewell speech to her juniors.

And after hearing her question, the juniors slowly avoided eye contact.

Kate, who heard the result, smiled as if nothing had happened and answered.

“I see. Yeah, that kid will do well.”

She answers with a calm demeanor.

But in my heart, the following cry echoed hollowly.

‘SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNN-!!’

Of course, no one knew that fact.

끝

(137)