Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 180



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180.

“Puhaa······. I won’t do it. I won’t do it. Damn it. Fuck.”

Remy, who was sitting in the armchair, put down the book he was holding with a long sigh.

It was none other than ‘Country of Losers’.

After hearing Simon say, “Let’s read the book and talk about it again,” I started reading out of curiosity, wondering, “What kind of novel is this?” However, the act of reading turned out to be a boring and tiring process.

Remy Martin did not enjoy art.

However, he was only interested in the humans who created such products.

And the humans who created it were also seen as nothing more than commodities.

A commodity that is priced and for which someone shows a demand.

Even conceptual relationships like love and friendship ultimately become easier to understand when we think of humans as commodities.

The same was true of art. The art he thought of was a ‘brand’. In today’s society, where symbolization and conceptualization according to the economy are clearly established, Remi thought that art had lost its existing value.

‘I’m talking about the power to move people and overwhelm them.’

As a child, Remi went to see Michelangelo Buonarroti’s ‘Pieta’ in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The emotion he felt at that time was definitely ‘overwhelming’. Remi was overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion when he saw the works of a Renaissance artist.

And it quickly cooled down.

After all, isn’t ‘Pieta’ just a product?

Based on the most famous story ever created by a company called Christian, this is a product created by a man named Michelangelo who made full use of his skills.

And it has continued to this day, with all sorts of magazines, newspapers, and artists praising it, elevating its value to its peak.

Perhaps he was moved in the moment because he saw it and knew the fact.

Artists, critics, those involved in and dependent on the industry, and many who enjoy it all set high prices for the commodity called art, claiming that it has an invisible value.

So perhaps art is nothing more than a marketing tactic added to the reproduction of a specific technique. Everyone gives some meaning to the act, so it feels special.

That was exactly the thought that was in young Remy Martin’s head.

The same goes for Broadway musicals.

They talk about doing some great ‘art’, but modern Broadway is actually nothing more than a tourist attraction. In the same vein, the film industry, represented by Hollywood, is not much different.

Remy ultimately believed that both stars and works were nothing more than products created through marketing.

But even among the arts, there is the outdated ‘novel’.

‘It’s become funny.’

There were two main reasons why Remy was so willing to bet hundreds of dollars on God’s novel.

The fact that Shin’s work was beginning to explode in popularity in California at the time, and that he was a young up-and-coming talent.

So Remy decided to bet on the author, God, rather than on the work of God.

I had a feeling that he would become great one day, and if I connected with him, there was a high chance that good things would happen to me sooner or later.

Then, I got into a competition with that damn Lo-Tam, and I didn’t want to lose either.

But now I just feel awkward.

I just want to buy a product, but you’re demanding an understanding of art.

‘What should I do with this?’

At that moment, I was lost in thought with the book closed.

Ring ring …

The phone rang loudly.

“Honey! Answer the phone!”

Remy, who had shouted loudly, sighed when there was no response and got up and went into the living room. Then he saw his wife lying on the sofa massaging her cucumber.

“What the······.”

A woman waving her hand and signaling for someone to take it as she mutters something.

Remy answered the phone with a frown.

“hello.”

[Is this Mr. Remy Martin’s house?]

“That’s right, but who is it?”

[You’re going too far, sir. Have you forgotten my voice?]

This peculiar, arrogant tone······.

“Are you a newbie? It’s been a while.”

[How have you been?]

“I didn’t know the writer would call me directly about work-related issues. ······Well, that’s just how you are.”

[I usually leave it to Simon, but I wanted to ask about the CEO’s philosophy after a long time.]

“Really? What do you want to ask?”

[Have you read the book?]

“Yes, I read it all. The part where Lincoln was wiping out his enemies with a Thompson submachine gun in the Civil War and then shouted, ‘Follow me,’ and then he advanced was the most moving.”

[······Oh, well. If you didn’t read it, then there’s nothing I can do. I thought that’s what the boss would do.]

“I can read to some extent, but I only use it to count dollars.”

[Usually we express it as reading numbers.]

Shin who nonchalantly accepts Remy’s black joke.

As the mood lightened with some light small talk, Remy, who had been lost in thought until just now, suddenly wanted to ask about it.

“What do you think art is?”

[Something that a stupid human has arbitrarily given meaning to.]

“Poohahahaha! You think the same as me!”

[But that’s where the meaning comes from.]

“······Hmm.”

One of Remy’s eyebrows rose at Shin’s addition.

Meaning arises because humans give it meaning.

Remy thought it was meaningless.

But God said the opposite, that’s why it has meaning.

The different conclusions from the same proposition shook Remi’s rigid mind a little. This must be because the person who proposed it was a god whose fame as a writer could not be denied even at a young age.

[I think that CEOs who are having such concerns will find my article interesting.]

“Are you calling to make a sale just now?”

[No. I have something else to say.]

“······hmm?”

[Please step back just this once, and I will come back to you with good business.]

“If you want to make me back off, you have to give me a good reason?”

[A second part of this novel is coming out. I will give you the distribution rights for the second part.]

“Part 2······?”

[This is a fact known only to those involved. Please keep it a secret.]

“What if I refuse here?”

[Well, I guess I’ll have to contact Vice President Piper, who will be distributing Part 1?]

A young man who naturally conveys his decisions, Shin.

After hearing that answer, Remy thought that it was not easy and just chuckled.

“Okay. I’ll do whatever suits your idea.”

[Thank you. ······Oh, I really meant it when I said you’d enjoy the novel. You should definitely read it.]

And then the phone suddenly disconnects.

“under.”

Laughing in disbelief, Remy put the phone down and returned to the study.

‘What on earth are you thinking?’

He put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and sat lost in thought.

Instead of saying let’s talk about it again when Part 2 comes out, you’re just tentatively confirming that you’ll hand over the distribution rights for Part 2?

God’s thoughts were hard to understand, and Remy could only furrow his brows and smoke his cigarette, wondering what on earth he was thinking.

Then, beyond the smoke, the words God had spoken quietly came to mind.

Art has meaning because humans have given it meaning.

‘That’s true.’

Remy’s gaze fell on the ‘Country of Losers’ placed on the desk.

***

As I began writing Part 2 of ‘Country of Losers’, I made up my mind.

‘Part 1 will be distributed by Archibald Pfeiffer, and Part 2 will go to Remy Martin.’

The reason I decided to do so was because I knew to some extent what would happen in the future.

‘Because noir will start to move in earnest within at least 3 years.’

King of the East, Noir Publishing.

A huge company specializing in genre fiction that has expanded across the United States and even overseas.

They aggressively expanded by merging numerous publishing companies, and in the process, they did not hesitate to do things that were sometimes close to illegal. In front of them, who had achieved such a monopoly, the power of individual writers was bound to be weakened.

‘Well, even in those times, successful writers made a lot of money.’

In fact, it was not possible to completely dismiss them as evil.

It was undeniable that Noir Publishing had unified and standardized the genre fiction industry, and had raised the market itself to a higher level. Thanks to them, writers were able to have a concrete conversation about which novels were selling better, and they were paid a reasonable amount of money without being ripped off.

‘The problem is that the ratio has dropped significantly.’

It all happened as noir publishing became the industry standard.

To sum it up, it was simple.

As noir publishing took over the industry, it stabilized and developed further, but it also caused the industry to lose some of its former ‘romanticism’.

······, said an older industry insider I knew at the time.

And the place where I signed a contract for ‘Dead Man’s Heaven’ in my previous life was Noir Publishing.

I wanted to throw a stone into that flow.

‘If I come back this time, there will be a better choice.’

Not for the industry as a whole.

However, I wish the writers were given more options to choose from.

They expand their business in their own way, and I stand up to them and push my ideas through.

To write what I want to write and get respected results.

That was it.

‘So, I guess I’ll have to work with Archibald for now.’

What are your thoughts on distribution proposals, and how far can my work be spread through which hubs?

And is there any connection to Noir Publishing? If not, when will Archibald Pfeiffer get into full-fledged contact with them?

After that, the second part is left to Remi to find some balance and see what Archibald’s intentions are.

So, I wanted to prevent Guns and Sword Magazine from suddenly turning to noir like in the previous life, without even the practitioners knowing about it.

‘Because it is a publishing company with sufficiently good capabilities.’

Anyway, things were progressing as expected.

Immediately after publishing with Hardboiled Publishing, the novel gained attention with the issue of being sold out, along with the reputation it had steadily built up over the years, and many people in California became aware of this novel. With the enormous advertising effect on its back, sales went smoothly, and now many people had purchased ‘Country of Losers’.

After that, based on the radio broadcast of California Nights, articles and reviews were published in large and small local newspapers and media to help people read my novel, and through these, many people in California read ‘Country of Losers’.

It seemed that the Stanford University Creative Writing Department, including the professors and students, were very excited.

‘But it can’t end here.’

Expanding into other states to sell more books.

Now it’s time to really make your name known across America.

Of course, it was unknown whether I would be able to achieve that feat. However, since I had achieved this level of success in California, I had a small sense of anticipation in a corner of my heart that I could expect something to some extent.

‘It’s a joint class and all, there are still many mountains to overcome.’

I thought I could somehow get through it.

And the same goes for the completion of Part 2, which I have just started writing.

***

The first scene of the movie, The Godfather, begins like this.

In the darkness, a single light shines and beneath it stands a bearded undertaker, Bonesara, confessing.

‘I believe in America.’

The tragedy of John Smith, who spoke first when the joint meeting began, could hardly be compared to it.

“The pastor I have followed since I was young told me this.”

‘Remember, John. No matter what trials and tribulations you may face, it is all God’s will.’

“And I read this novel and understood what that meant! A highly advanced artificial intelligence cleverly creates suffering so that humans can achieve happiness while respecting their free will! And on a global scale! What on earth should we call such a being······! I can’t even bring myself to talk about it!”

As the first-year creative writing students listened to his passionate speech, a word that John could not bring himself to say came to mind.

God.

Other than that, I couldn’t clearly explain what John meant by ‘The book’.

Yes, the thing in the work was like a god created by humans themselves.

With that wonderful sentence in her head, Rebecca raised her hand and opened her mouth without paying any attention to her surroundings.

“A god created by humans themselves.”

“that’s right!”

“Right!”

“What a great expression!”

Those who saw a good work and shared their ecstasy about it howled in agreement.

As such, ‘Country of Losers’ provided a refreshing shock to both Moon Chang and the students present.

It was the same for everyone, regardless of whether or not they usually read genre literature.

Although science fiction novels have never been covered in previous classes, even if we set that aside, for those who have basic knowledge and the ability to read, this novel showed the power to accept the evaluation that a reporter put his own opinion into in a magazine.

[The best masterpiece of science fiction novels published in the past 10 years.]

Rebecca Wong, who was shocked after reading ‘Country of Losers’ and looked for other people’s reactions, also thought that it was a good enough novel, putting aside a bit of defeatism.

I couldn’t help but understand why God had previously told me to read this work in response to a question I had posed about genre fiction.

“The world presented in this novel has a lot of implications. It seems as if it is trying to say this: The smarter people become, the more unhappy they become. ······Several characters come to mind. People who become overly smart compared to others and end up living unhappy lives.”

“I agree. And I would add, it feels like this. Isn’t the reason we live our lives to find our own happiness? But that happiness may be an illusion. Isn’t happiness always there, like a bluebird?”

“Perhaps all the things we endure and strive for in the name of pursuing the value of happiness are all illusions? The more we acquire a better job, more knowledge, more money, and more fame, the higher the threshold for happiness becomes. Just as humanity, which was given a better future through ‘The Book’, ended up falling into the shackles of misfortune.”

There was a passionate exchange of opinions about a novel.

As these people gathered at Stanford to pursue high-level literature, it was a scene of frenzy comparable to a religious gathering.

While everyone was raising their hands haphazardly to say something, Rebecca, who had finished most of what she wanted to say, turned to Shin, who was acting as the moderator.

He was biting his lips, his face red, and his fists clenched, as if he was touched by the praise he deserved.

······Of course, from Rebecca’s perspective, it was impossible to dare assume that she was doing it simply out of embarrassment.

Anyway, through this novel, she had two thoughts.

God is a writer who can write really great novels just as he imagined.

But why is he still writing genre novels like ‘About T’?

Rebecca, who had a personality that could never hold back on being curious, had already made up her mind about one thing.

‘I want to try writing genre fiction too.’