Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 169



Only Noblemtl

169.

Jesus Christ.

It was an exclamation we often use in our daily lives.

It is mainly said when something absurd or unpleasant has happened.

Devout Christians tended not to use the name of God in vain, in keeping with the third commandment of the Ten Commandments, but those who were not so devout often did.

As a result, devout people didn’t even use ‘Oh my god’ very often. That’s how exclamations like ‘OMG’, ‘Oh my gosh’, and ‘Jiminy Cricket’ were born, but that’s not the important issue here.

Anyway, the ‘hero’ that I would like to select as the topic for this assignment is ‘Jesus’, who is no exaggeration in saying that he is one of the most important figures in the history of mankind.

As you can see from my explanation so far, I wasn’t a very devout person.

You could say I’m a ‘fan’ of Jesus, but that’s about it.

The reactions of the two people who heard my brief explanation were as follows.

“Phuhat!”

Rebecca burst into laughter, her expectations met.

“······.”

John said a short prayer.

Unfortunately, there was one devout believer among the team members.

‘I guess we’ll start by persuading them.’

Thinking that way, I took a sip of my coffee and opened my mouth.

“what do you think about it?”

“Not bad. No, rather good. He is certainly a hero that many people aspire to be.”

“Yes. His life is a benchmark for many. I think he is a great thinker.”

“thinker······?!”

John was startled.

Rebecca tilted her head.

“What’s the problem?”

This guy has no sense.

“No, uh. Um. Keep going.”

“I was just asking just in case”

I stepped in to ensure smooth communication between the two.

“Which of you feels uncomfortable with the idea of ​​Jesus Christ being the subject of this assignment?”

“Not me.”

“······.”

“zone?”

“Oh, it’s okay! It’s just homework!”

“Are you a devout person? Be honest and don’t worry about what others think.”

“······Pray every day.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that.”

“I held my hands together and prayed in bed because it might not be you.”

“······.”

What is this consideration?

Is this a devout Christian?

“I’m from a Korean church. It’s okay, so take it easy from now on. Oh, and I’m not trying to blaspheme.”

Could it be that even the act of choosing the subject of an assignment is blasphemous to some?

I don’t know.

“Do you both know the work called ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’?”

“Oh, that was famous.”

John smiled bitterly.

Rebecca’s eyes sparkled as if she understood what I was saying.

“This is crazy. This is awesome. Seriously.”

‘Jesus christ superstar’.

An industry problem piece that premiered on Broadway in 1971. Heresy and revolution.

This work depicts the last seven days of Jesus’ life before he was crucified and died. It was an extremely groundbreaking setting, not only for the present but also for the future. In particular, the more I delved into the era at the time of its premiere, the more I wondered how such a work could have been put on stage.

The work depicts Jesus as a contemporary superstar and his followers as hippies.

So Jesus and those around him sing rock.

Showing his suffering as a human being, not as the son of God.

Even in the end, Jesus does not rise again.

“A perfect reinterpretation of the heroic tale.”

“Now, just a moment.”

John Smith stepped forward, as if he could no longer bear it.

“So, God, is that what you’re saying? That Jesus is a hero?”

“That’s right. He fits the description of a hero perfectly. Someone who has extraordinary strength and talent, has accomplished great feats, and is greatly respected and admired. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true, but. Hmm.”

“And ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ showed the human side of the hero. In the ‘previous works’, it mainly dealt with how valuable and sacred the sacrifice was.”

“······.”

“The Bible is a work of art. That’s an interesting idea.”

“······I can’t object.”

John Smith was finally convinced.

If you take away all the ‘sacred meaning’ attached to the book known as the Bible, it is simply the world’s best-selling book, and Jesus Christ is its greatest hero.

And the work that was released to the world after reinterpreting it in a groundbreaking way is······.

“It’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.”

“I don’t think any other opinions are necessary.”

Rebecca Wong’s complexion brightened, perhaps because she likes to be unconventional.

John Smith, on the other hand, had a slightly different opinion.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to focus too much on the unconventional.”

“Why is that? The original announcement was supposed to stand out.”

“I thought everyone would be focused on that side.”

“John. Do you have any other opinions?”

“Oh, I brought it anyway.”

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if it would be fun to combine spaghetti westerns with chivalric literature.”

“Huh?”

It seemed like a more interesting topic than I expected.

“John. Tell me more.”

In response to my question, John passionately explained the idea he had prepared, and then Rebecca appropriately unraveled what she had been thinking.

We spent some time like college students, sharing our thoughts at the cafe.

······Well, in the end, it was my idea that was adopted.

***

We decided to do the final assignment for the ‘Novel Criticism Theory II’ class together.

First of all, data collection took priority.

Our team started going around the school together on weekends, collecting all kinds of material related to the rock opera, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’

Rebecca Wong, who initially volunteered for the team simply because she was curious about God, found that as the work progressed, she found many aspects of God that resonated with her, especially in the sense that it breaks down traditional values ​​and attempts to find its own answers to the world’s problems.

There was a movie called ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ made in 1973.

They saved it and gathered together at the clubhouse to watch it, and through the conversation at that time, Rebecca felt even more certain.

‘It fits.’

The first scene from the movie that aired in 1973.

In the desert, men and women of all races got off the bus and changed their clothes. They were hippie college students.

Yes, this film was a ‘play within a play’. And through that structure, it gained several advantages, such as the fact that it was okay even if the historical accuracy was slightly lacking, and that it was free from racial issues.

Rebecca said with a smirk.

“Judas is black, Mary is Asian. Who would have thought that?”

“Jesus Christ embraces everyone. Regardless of race. Well, I like that intention. Since we can definitely get past the problem of authenticity, I think there is an advantage in not getting too immersed in this work. After all, this movie is a creative work.”

“Based on reality.”

“It’s a reality that no one knows who wrote a long time ago.”

“Hasn’t it been historically proven that Jesus existed?”

Rebecca, who had been talking to God while watching the video, turned her head with a pouty look in her eyes.

God shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“You can’t know if all that is true or not. Haven’t you read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?”

“······Do you know the Map of the Three Kingdoms?”

A smile spread across Rebecca’s lips when she heard the title, ‘Romance of Three Kingdoms.’

I never thought I would meet a friend interested in Oriental literature in a place like this.

“Love and romance. I know both.”

“That’s amazing. You even distinguish between romance and romance? ······Oh, I see. God, you’re trying to point out that the life story of Jesus that we know now could be a ‘romance’?”

“This is not limited to the Bible, but also to other cases. Who can guarantee that all the history we know is true? The history of the distant past is only a guess based on documents written by people at that time.”

“History is written by the victors. That saying suddenly comes to mind.”

Rebecca nodded and went back to watching the movie.

Inside a dark clubhouse room.

A cheap VCR and a small CRT television.

I brought a bag of popcorn, but the three of them didn’t really touch it because they were each focused on the movie for their own reasons.

John clasped his hands together and trembled, Shin stroked his chin, pondering how to interpret the piece, and Rebecca glanced at Shin with a curious expression, occasionally throwing out interesting topics.

Then this story came up again.

“God, I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“When I talk to you, I get the feeling that you’re very thoughtful.”

“······Thank you for that.”

“But when I look at your work, it’s not like that.”

It was such strong wording that if someone heard it, they would think, ‘Are they trying to start a fight?’

In other words, it was in line with the saying that God’s work has no depth.

God turned his head slightly to look at Rebecca Wong sitting next to him, and from her serious face he could tell that the words were not a fight but genuine curiosity.

“I’m not saying it’s not fun. But why do you write such works?”

“Genre novels? Come to think of it, you weren’t interested in that at all?”

“Yeah. Since I was young, I’ve mainly read and written about various classics and literature from around the world. Sometimes I’d go to the movies to kill time, but I never really felt any depth there.”

“Are you the type of person who values ​​depth when looking at something?”

“Right? I don’t necessarily think the message has to be strong, but I like works that delve deeply into human thoughts and emotions. I’ve mostly only seen works like that. So I don’t understand. I think you’re a writer who can write much deeper works than someone like me······.”

“Just a minute, Rebecca.”

God cut off the words.

“That is impossible to know. Humans are not wells, but oceans.”

“······.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened when she heard those words.

The depth of a human being is a word that encompasses breadth.

Understanding God’s words, she nodded obediently.

“······That’s right. I was a bit clumsy. Do you know that? That statement just now made me realize how incredibly deep and broad your thoughts are. You’re really amazing. You hit the jackpot.”

“thank you.”

“So what’s the reason? Why do you write such works?”

“well.”

God focused on the television.

“There is a saying that writers speak through their works.”

“yes.”

“Around the time final exams are over and vacation begins, one of my works will be published as a book.”

“Really? Is it the ‘About T’ series?”

“No, it’s completely new.”

“Hoo, what kind of work is it?”

“SF. I’ll stop here. And maybe······you’ll like the novel in two ways.”

“Can I ask what that is?”

“One is that it is a work of depth that you like.”

And the other thing is that it is a work that can provide an answer to the question you are currently having.

Rebecca felt a burning curiosity after hearing God’s answer.

And she thought that even the moment of waiting and imagining it could be fun, so she put down her curiosity about the work and smiled broadly.

“Okay. I’ll look forward to it.”

As the two people’s gazes crossed, a scream was heard from the side.

“Ah, ahhh! No! Jesusniiiiim-!!”

······It was the cry of John Smith, who had become overly immersed in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.

***

Preparing for my final exam with Rebecca Wong was much more enjoyable than I expected.

At first, I felt like he was a quiet person who only talked about what he wanted to say, but as the work progressed, I realized that we had a lot in common.

She was the type of person who tried to find the answers to all problems on her own, which was unusual for someone living in 1985. Her attitude of seriously approaching everything and pursuing academic pursuits with a composure that even upperclassmen find difficult to have was a great stimulus to me.

So, with the help of John Smith, who of course became our lubricant for our emotional immersion in religion and our tendency to become too analytical and critical, we finished our final paper on time.

Finally, it’s class time for the presentation.

After the previous teams finished their presentations under the watchful eyes of Professor Dupree, it was our turn.

A dark classroom with all the lights off.

At that time, there were no devices such as PowerPoint or beam projectors, but it was possible to create a large screen on the wall using a device called an ‘overhead projector’.

To put it simply, the device was a device that produced a documented transparent film to replace PPT, enlarged it with a lens, positioned it with a reflector, and projected pictures or text onto it in larger size.

Naturally, the film’s alterations were done manually, and Rebecca Wong was put in charge of the job.

And I, who had suggested the topic, naturally took on the role of presenter, and finally, John Smith took on the role of praying to Jesus for forgiveness.

I began my presentation slowly, receiving anticipation from everyone.

“The heroic tale we have chosen is none other than ‘Jesus Christ.’”

“······.”

“······.”

The classroom becomes quiet for a moment.

It was already quiet, but now not even a sound of breathing could be heard.

‘Well, that could be possible.’

Expanding a bit on what Kafka said, I spoke confidently as someone who believes that individual thought should be an axe that breaks the frozen sea in someone’s heart.

“And the work that reinterprets it is the rock opera ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’”

“for a moment······.”

At that very moment, Professor Dupree stopped me.

As I looked at him with a grin, he put his trembling hands between his jacket and took out a pair of huge concave lenses from inside and put them on.

It was something that had not been shown in previous presentations by other teams.

“Keep going, please.”

“yes.”

‘It worked.’

After realizing that fact, I continued my presentation without hesitation.

End

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