Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 235



Only Noblemtl

235.

The Koreatown tour was a really fun time.

I also enjoyed the conversation with God, and it was a great time to experience the Korean culture in ‘Mother’ firsthand rather than just reading about it in a book.

When I returned home and read the book on Korean indigenous religions that I had requested Warner Brothers to purchase, my head was filled with all kinds of images.

Tim Burton didn’t mind the feeling.

He was a creator of sequential images, and so he always needed visual material.

But sometimes, when I had a lot of ideas in my head but no image to match, I would get another feeling. It was similar to the feeling I got in my throat when I was munching on a dry cracker for breakfast.

I wanted more milk to smooth it out.

Even before the contract was signed, Tim Burton was looking for all the materials he needed for the project.

First, I started with the materials I had brought home, then I locked myself in the library for about a week, and even when I went to the studio, I just kept looking through the materials.

In this way, he began sketching out his own images one by one, handling work related to film production, and writing the storyboard for ‘Mother’ with the help of screenwriter Warren Scaran.

And whenever I got stuck or a bold idea came to me, I contacted God.

He is usually at university, so even if you try to contact him, he is often not at his desk or cannot answer right away, so you have to leave a message and wait for a reply.

At such times, Tim Burton would shake his legs like someone suffering from separation anxiety and continue to mull over the ideas that were flooding his mind until the phone rang.

And finally the phone rang.

Tim Burton started this story out of nowhere.

“What if the color of the clothes that Suzy wears gradually gets darker?”

The color tends to become more murky as the number increases. At first, they wear clothes that are close to white, but as they gradually become closer to ‘Mother’, they start wearing black clothes.

On the other hand, ‘Mother’ wears colorful clothes, which is proof that she accepts her religious teachings without any question.

[Interesting. Unlike her mother, Soo-ji’s clothes are dyed black. Is this an expression of the five cardinal colors of her religion mixing together to become her own?]

“Yes, yes, that’s right.”

The exchange with God was not just a simple confirmation of historical accuracy, but also a place where Tim Burton could share the ideas that came to his mind in a truly advisory role.

Tim Burton happily worked with Shindo, who asked him to call him anytime, telling him about the countless images in his mind.

‘Tim Burton’s Mother’ was originally planned to be made into a screen adaptation of only Part 1 of the original work. This was because the original work was already highly complete as a Part 1, and at the same time, depending on the box office performance of the work, there was hope for a sequel.

That’s why the team focused on drawing Suzy and Mother in Part 1. At the same time, they focused on expressing a world in which they could live and breathe.

Sometimes, Shin would visit Warner Brothers headquarters to check the sketches and talk with Tim Burton about the Mother script for a long time before returning. It was rare for the original author to work so passionately, so everyone at Warner Brothers thought well of him.

Plus, the casual remarks he made here and there perked up the ears of Tim Burton and Warren Scarren, the screenwriter who was also present at the meeting.

Is it because he is the original author? Or is it because he needs to have this much brilliance to win both the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award at such a young age?

Even though it was not his field, his comments were sharp.

“How about this? There’s a scene where Soo-ji is walking around the house alone, trembling with fear. There, Mother’s image is briefly shown. She screams in shock, but it’s actually her own reflection in the glass. That scene will make the suspense that runs through the entire story stronger.”

It was definitely an interesting suggestion because it created anxiety in the audience that Mother might appear through the fact that ‘Suzy screamed.’

In fact, God only spoke while recalling an image of some shocking scene that was memorable while watching various movies in the distant future, but it became a great inspiration to the workers of this era.

‘What a great friend you are.’

Warren nodded, taking note of the idea.

Tim Burton, a director with his own strong style, also thought it was an interesting idea.

What I found even more wonderful was that God’s idea was not just a list of images in his head, but contained his own thoughts.

“And wouldn’t that suggest that Soo-ji herself is turning into a mother-like figure?”

“Certainly, the horror elements will be enhanced and the directing will be good as well.”

“Writer, your idea is no joke. Are you studying film as a minor?”

“No, no. I was just subtly conveying my thoughts······.”

“I think you have talent.”

“I’m embarrassed. I just expressed my opinion, so if you think it’s nothing special, please ignore it.”

God made it clear that his thoughts might not be forced into anything.

I didn’t necessarily have to adopt this idea. I was just intrigued by the experience I gained from watching Tim Burton make ‘Mother’ here.

God also drew much inspiration from his attitude.

The team tried to create works with a unique aesthetic sense, but they did not want it to be the right answer. The reason he thought like that was because he knew that what he wanted to show was absolutely not ‘normal’.

However, it is undeniable that his unique aesthetic sense, which naturally comes out, has become a charm and captivated people.

‘That’s interesting.’

After a meeting that lasted for a while, Shin packed his bags and got up from his seat.

“Thank you for your hard work today. I ask for your continued support.”

“If it’s okay with you, would you like to have dinner together?”

“Oh, thank you very much for your kind words, but······.”

God smiled gently and declined Warren’s offer on behalf of the team.

“I have something to do and I need to get home today.”

“Ah, if that’s so.”

The situation ended smoothly thanks to American culture’s emphasis on family and personal life.

After exchanging greetings and leaving the studio conference room, Shin immediately drove his car from the underground parking lot and headed out onto the road.

***

An evening where the sun is slowly beginning to set.

I was quite tired because I had to drive from Stanford early in the morning to get there on time.

But I had to go back quickly because I had an appointment to meet someone at home.

I turned on the radio and continued driving, trying to fight off the drowsiness.

Then, all of a sudden, I realized I had taken the wrong turn. I must have been going the wrong way for quite some time, because I was already on the road leading out of Los Angeles.

‘It’s definitely a bit inconvenient without a navigation system.’

If this were a future where navigation was widespread, we would have been taught to recalculate our route as soon as we took a wrong turn.

But this too was a kind of pleasure that could be felt in this era.

Yeah, because 1986 was a pretty laid-back time overall.

‘The navigation system doesn’t tell you if you’re taking the wrong route by talking to you in a mechanical voice.’

That’s why a slow and deliberate approach with a broader perspective was needed.

The gears of the times turned much more leisurely than the future, where SNS and all sorts of other evil things were overflowing. There was some overtime work, but it wasn’t like the future, where overtime was done every day. This was probably because the speed of work itself was generally slower.

And maybe that’s why.

“ha.”

Even though I know it sounds like a full stomach when I think about it, I still have a hard time adjusting to these things sometimes.

The consciousness in my head has returned from the future. It is observing this ‘retro-ness’ of the past with pleasure, and sometimes awkwardly.

A leisurely setting sun. The fresh air streaming in through the wide-open windows. Palm trees stretching out tall and running along the road. And even a retro pop song playing on the radio.

In fact, to be called ‘retro’ in this day and age, you have to go back almost to the 60s. Back then, it was almost like, you know, a time when President Lincoln might have been alive.

But in these times, the novel I wrote depicts a ‘future’ that no one knows about.

Both the style and the story have traces of the future.

Because my novel was my story.

I tried to adapt it to the sensibilities of the time, but I think that part of it has a unique charm and is popular with people these days.

Yes, if there is a loneliness that others do not understand, the biggest reason is that I have returned from the future.

I was an orphan of time, wandering between the future and the past without being able to find the right answer.

And it probably will be that way forever.

Unlike the leisurely atmosphere of the times, it feels like you are feeling unnecessarily anxious because of the urgency to get home quickly.

“uh.”

Something might come to mind… I think?

A man living in the past.

And the future.

······Then how do we express this future? Should we go back to science fiction?

I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea if it was a short story, but I wanted to express it in a slightly different way.

Wouldn’t it be okay not to put all the keywords ‘future’ and ‘past’ into one character?

After much deliberation, I arrived at the garage next to my house.

I kept mumbling the words future, past, and present as I unlocked the front door with my key and went up the stairs.

Mumbling, the thoughts in my head continued to sink deeper like screws, and as I knocked on the door out of habit because it was closed, I heard someone telling me to come in, so I unconsciously turned the handle.

There were two people standing inside.

“Hehehe, come in.”

“Jiwoo. That’s not the way you speak. It’s okay if you speak a little more lightly.”

“Oh, is that so? Then what should I do?”

“Just take it easy. Take it easy.”

It was Shifu and Sodapop.

“······.”

Hey, when did I enter the Kung-Fury world?

The idea of ​​a piece that had been floating around in my head suddenly died down like a vampire in the morning sunlight without even screaming.

I froze for a moment with my eyes wide open when I saw Jiwoo wearing the same Chinese gi as Shifu in ‘Kung-fury’ and Alexa, no, Alexa, next to him, wearing the blue and mint outfit that Sodapop wore during ‘Final Battle’.

Alexa suddenly blushes in embarrassment at the sight of me like that.

“What, what is it? If you saw it, say something······.”

“······.”

“Oh, can I go out for a moment?”

Jiwoo, who had noticed from the side, asked. I shook my head.

“No. I don’t want to get shot.”

“Yeah, I will do that.”

Jiwoo moves aside slightly.

“What, what is it! God! Say something quickly?! Hey, what do you think? Does it suit you well?”

“······.”

Hey, what if we just take a spin around there?

This is something I had briefly noticed at the beach last time, but Alexa looked quite skinny when she wore clothes. Her body itself was very small and thin, but apart from that, as expected······ No, if I were to describe her any further and look closely, I felt like a shotgun would be pointed at her somewhere, so I avoided eye contact.

“Well, it suits you well. Very much.”

“Really?! As expected, your scalp skills are the best!”

“That’s right! Brother Shin! I wish you could wear clothes like me soon!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The upcoming Halloween party.

We usually don’t go to these events, but this time, at Dupi Kingston’s strong suggestion, we all decided to wear Kung Fury costumes and go to the Kittens Comic Book Store.

That’s because every Halloween, all kinds of nerds would gather there and throw a huge party.

So I agreed without thinking much about it, but I didn’t expect this to be the result.

Alexa, thrilled by my compliments, held out her hand and snapped her fingers just like in the comics.

“Pop☆ Pop☆”

“······.”

“Why, why? Is it weird?”

“······I’ll go buy some carbon dioxide······!!”

“God, where are you going?!”

I’m going crazy.

It’s crazy.

I think I’m going crazy.

Wow, I never thought that just by making a pop pop and striking a pose, my heart would race this much.

“Brother, you should see mine too!”

I turned around in a hurry to leave, but soon came to my senses and returned to the room.

Then Jiwoo, who was giggling, stroked his beard just like Shifu and threw a punch.

“One inch punch!”

“Wow, so cute. I said Jiwoo is the best.”

“······Somehow, Shin Oppa’s reactions are so cute, like a daughter’s, but he feels like a father who is absent-minded somewhere.”

Both statements were correct.

Jiwoo is my daughter, and my mind is completely focused on Alexa.

“Pop☆ Pop☆”

“······Carbon dioxide!!”

“Oh, I won’t stop you this time.”

It didn’t matter to me this time because I really intended to buy it.

······No, let’s calm our hearts a little more.

Alexa, who wears the clothes of characters in my works and even imitates them, and Jiwoo.

I would like to take photos or videos of both and keep them for the rest of my life.

“Ah, really······ Why is it so cute?”

Even as I muttered the embarrassing words I couldn’t bring myself to say in front of the two of them after leaving the house, I still felt that Alexa’s image was clearly in front of me.

I also liked Sodapop’s blue sunglasses that framed her big eyes, and, well, I liked the spandex material that definitely hugged her figure, following the original costume design.

‘But, is it okay to let other people see this?’

No. No. If Alexa herself says it’s okay, then I can’t say anything. She wants to play around in her Sodapop costume. Instead of a shotgun, I’ll just practice kung fu to gouge out the eyes of men who look at her with contempt.

As I was trying to calm my heart in that way, I noticed Dorian approaching from afar.

“Oh, scalp.”

It was the appearance of a hero who spared no effort in creating a costume for the memories of the four of us.

Following my guidance, the Dorian parked smoothly in front of the house.

And I couldn’t help but tilt my head when I saw the being that descended from it.

“Over there, that······.”

There was a person standing there whom I had never seen before.

No, to be exact, he is someone I know.

“Are you that hero?”

Star Chaser laughs silently at my words.

That’s how four heroes, no, three heroes and one kung fu master came together.