Became an American Retro Novelist

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< Hard-boiled >
247.
As November slowly passed, Shin returned to college to finish the remaining semester, and Alexa also returned to her daily life.
But Alexa Flair was in a daze the whole time.
Even though it had been over a week since ‘that incident’.
After that, for some reason, I felt a little uncomfortable.
Still, I wanted to keep seeing you. I felt like I always wanted to be with you.
What on earth is this feeling?
Just standing in front of the other person, no, just imagining the other person alone made my heart beat faster. Whenever I recalled the night I spent with God, my face turned bright red, no matter where or when.
The moment when I was in her arms, unconscious, not even knowing what I was saying, and then I got back in, and the process continued until morning.
‘eww.’
Alexa recalled the events of that day again and felt suffocated.
“······Lexa.”
“Umm······.”
“Alexa!”
“······Huh?! Yes!”
Alexa suddenly stands up from her seat as her mind, which had been wandering around Stanford for a moment, comes back to its original place.
It was a movie set.
“Shall we go eat?”
“Oh, yes.”
It’s already lunch time.
Alexa, who had been waiting in an old trailer, stood up when she heard her fellow actor, Kelly Brooks, who had come out to greet her.
As I put on my outerwear and went out, Callie tilted her head and asked a question.
“What, did you even read the script?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. I’m so focused today.”
“I’m sorry. Concentrating is a good thing.”
Callie, who was about five years older than Alexa, was the actress who played the antagonist of Alexa, the main character, in the movie they were filming together.
Alexa, who has a much longer career, was initially worried about whether she would be able to do well in a villain role rather than a lead role, but in the end, her worries were unfounded.
Callie Brooks took care of Alexa, saying, “She’s like a cute little sister born from my father’s affair.” And with that one black joke, Alexa realized that Callie was a generous person who didn’t really care about trivial things.
Of course, that’s why she’s survived so well in Hollywood, where all kinds of infighting is rampant, but Alexa hasn’t figured that out yet. But that’s why Callie takes care of her.
‘School Nanny’ is currently filming with the aim of releasing it in the spring of next year.
It was a low-budget family comedy with a decent plot. The story was about a high school student who wanted to go on a vacation with her friends, so she took on several babysitting jobs and suffered through many hardships, but ended up bonding with the children and eventually solving various problems that arose from their perspective.
Due to the nature of the film, there were many child actors and a lot of filming with them, but movies and reality are different.
It was Alexa who often hung out with Callie, who usually played the role of a rich high school student who bullies kids.
The filming of the movie went smoothly.
There were no major issues, except for the control of the child actors, and since most of the staff were veterans in the film industry, things went smoothly without any setbacks. Since the goal of the film was to quickly shoot and release it on a low budget, everyone just overlooked the minor issues.
However, because of that situation, Alexa tried even harder to act. Although the atmosphere on set was usually okay, Alexa thoroughly prepared for her acting. She didn’t want to be criticized for her acting when the movie was finished.
‘good.’
Alexa, reminded of that fact again, clenched her fists slightly and resolved to focus on acting.
Just then, Callie, who was looking at her like that, asked.
“What’s going on these days?”
“yes?”
“For some reason, your expression keeps changing in a strange way.”
“······Ah, nothing happened.”
Alexa takes the lead by answering natural questions without even realizing it.
Kelly, who was watching the scene from behind, smiled cutely.
***
As I entered my third year, college life became much quieter than my first and second years.
I guess it’s because everyone is preparing for internship programs or graduation. In addition, each class has become more advanced, so the level of assignments and exams has become much higher than before.
Moreover, since the dormitory had changed to a single room and I no longer lived with John Smith like before, I had a lot more time to quietly focus on my schoolwork and write.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one. From what I heard, everyone else was busy in one way or another.
John Smith and Rebecca Wong were up all night studying and writing manuscripts, while Kate Moore seemed to be preparing for an internship program.
But even in such a situation, everyone at the Pulp Fiction Club never missed a meeting and showed up without fail. That’s why I was always motivated to keep up with the schedule.
And there was one more thing there that gave me strength.
An unforgettable date with Alexa a while ago.
Those memories, filled with affection and joy, made me smile whenever I felt a little tired and helped me focus on the situation in front of me again.
‘Cheer up.’
It was just past midnight.
I was checking out the movie script from Tim Burton.
The completed scenario for ‘Mother: Movie’, which reflects several small ideas I had.
Even though I only read the text, I could already imagine how the movie would go. If you add Tim Burton’s signature fantastic imagination to this, it would be a truly wonderful work.
‘I don’t think I have anything more to comment on.’
I put the script aside, thinking I should call tomorrow, and checked the rest of my schedule.
‘I’ve finished all my homework and I’ve finished checking the manuscript.’
So now there’s only one thing left.
It was the manuscript for the new work, ‘Nightmare of Bitters’.
After turning on the word processor that was installed in the dormitory every semester, I checked the screen while it was booting up and took out the manuscript that was stuck in a corner of the desk.
The initial manuscript that was written and printed in advance, the completely organized plan after discussions with Julia, and the plot.
As I reread them one by one, I rekindled the spark of emotions I had previously thought about. So, after lightly organizing my emotions, I sat down in front of the word processor and rhythmically tapped away at the keyboard.
The writing of the novel began again with the scene where Jack and the girl meet.
Leona.
The girl, who seemed to be in her mid-teens at most, came to Jack with a cheeky face.
Jack, who was usually active at night and slept most of the day, did not welcome the sudden visitor. However, Leona looked at Jack, who was standing there with a blunt face, and said, “Someone is trying to kill me. Please help me.” Jack responded with a blank face. “Go to the police station. This is not a daycare.” Then she slammed the door shut.
That was their first meeting.
‘This is truly the worst meeting between two people.’
I ended up chuckling.
And just like me back then, and even more so, like me in my previous life, Jack Bitters was a half-adult who lived his life with his emotions suppressed. To the point where I thought it was almost a mental illness.
The only time he smiled was when he punched and broke the nose of an arrogant criminal who was acting cocky and not even aware of the situation.
Jack quits his job as a police officer and becomes a problem solver in the slums, living day by day.
He had never been the type to get along well with people around him, and now he almost always maintained a cynical attitude towards those around him. The only people he kept in regular contact with and was able to open up to were Dominic, the broker who arranged his work, and James, his former detective colleague.
He made and drank an Old Fashioned every night before going to bed.
Forget about fancy garnishes like cherries or oranges, and just pour the alcohol straight down your throat.
It was almost an act of trying to disinfect the pain of the soul.
『I started working as a problem solver to get revenge for my wife and the child I was carrying. However, as time passed and I experienced many things, I felt my emotions becoming duller and my desire for revenge also fading away. This was the result of being able to ignore the many deaths and people screaming in pain.
Now, I was continuing to do this out of a sense of duty. I was going through a dark tunnel with no end in sight, just because I ‘had to do it.’
Today, I left the apartment after the sun had set for work. I ignored the little boy crouching by the side door and headed to Dominic’s house to get some work done as usual. Dominic, who lived in a shabby apartment inside the slums, was trusted by many as an informant and a street vendor.
“Jack, how are you feeling?”
“It’s nothing.”
The guy was worried because he got hurt while chasing a drug dealer yesterday. He said it was nothing and asked indifferently.
“What’s happening today?”
“Hey, hey, buddy. How about taking a break for a day or so?”
“I’ll take care of my own body. Don’t worry about it.”
“Damn, you’re so cold-hearted. You’ve known me for years and you don’t care? ······Well, I know your temper so well that I’ve left out some things that would suit you. You’re really amazing. Jack Bitters, a former detective, is now the untouchable ‘Fixer’ around here.”
“Enough talking. What’s going on?”
“You know that old lady Margaret who lives on South East Street? She says there have been a lot of drug dealers coming near her house lately. I wish you would take care of it.”
“What about the maintenance?”
“How could Grandma Margaret have any money? I pay for everything.”
“If you pay that much money, what will you eat and live on?”
“That old lady has a house. She doesn’t have a family.”
Dominic chuckled. He nodded silently and turned around. Then he stopped and said.
“There’s a white girl in front of our apartment. She looks to be in her mid-teens.”
“Where is the whore?”
“He came looking for me. He hasn’t come home yet.”
“······so?”
“That’s right.”
I answered bluntly and left the apartment.
‘hmm.’
I wrote this part and then fell into thought for a moment.
‘Is this level okay?’
The flow and intention of the scene I just wrote was as follows.
It shows how Jack’s problem-solving work, described at the beginning of the novel, comes to fruition. The character’s personality is described through conversations between Jack, who is focused on his work without much concern for his own wounds, and Dominic, who is worried about him. Meanwhile, Dominic’s briefing explains how great a problem-solving Jack is, and tells us what Jack deals with and what requests he has.
Up until this point, the subsequent developments were just side effects to make the story stand out.
‘Dominic, who seems to have a good personality, creates a hard-boiled, ruthless and cold-blooded atmosphere by hinting that he intends to take over the house after Grandma Margaret dies. Jack informs Dominic that the girl is related to him, and subtly tells him not to mess with the people on the street.’
It was a part written with that intention, but since the explanation was more restrained than usual, I was a little worried about whether people would understand this part.
‘No matter what, it was written too dryly.’
That’s hardboiled style, though.
I crossed my arms and pondered.
“hmm.”
Jack clearly cares about the girl.
It was proof that there was still some humanity left inside him. Children are beings who must be protected at all times and places. However, it was also true that he thought his own work was the priority and that he could not completely trust the girl who suddenly appeared.
That is, the story was like this.
‘They think that if you ignore them for a bit, they’ll go to the police on their own.’
I added a few sentences to help flesh out that part.
So the completed novel was as follows.
“Dominic chuckled. He nodded silently and turned around. Then I looked back with my eyebrows furrowed and said.
“There’s a white girl in front of our apartment. She looks to be in her mid-teens.”
His voice was as blunt as usual, but the content of his words was completely different. Interest blossomed across Dominic’s face.
“Where is the whore?”
“They came looking for me. They didn’t let me into the house.”
“······So? You have a young prostitute in front of your apartment that you didn’t let into your house? She’ll be found dead tomorrow morning, her orifices literally torn to shreds.”
“If you leave it alone, it will return sooner or later.”
“Look, Jack. It costs money to hire me to do the work.”
“I was just informing you. As you told me, Grandma Margaret had a house.”
Their eyes crossed. Dominic nodded, as if he fully understood the situation.
“Yeah, yeah. Just remember that.”
Jack slowly turned around, looking at Dominic who was nodding.
“hmm.”
By inserting Grandma Margaret into the conversation, the hard-boiled atmosphere remains, and the explanation is natural. Readers will be able to read the relationship between Jack and Dominic, and even the subtext contained in this short scene.
I like it. I enjoyed it too.
‘This is more fun than I thought?’
Hardboiled was a work that essential to the description of the ‘shitty world’. And it was fun to depict the main character who solved it with a few words without any trouble.
When I first started writing in my previous life, I didn’t write very often because the pure hard-boiled style novels were out of the mainstream market. But I secretly felt like I had a good sense for this kind of thing.
“Hmm, hoo······.”
The sentence was short, but it made me think about it even more.
Certainly, because I write in a hard-boiled style, I feel like only what I want to convey remains in those restrained sentences.
The cruelty and ruthlessness that comes from the shittyness of the world. But that was merely a tool to complete the world I wanted to express through this novel.
I had previously apologized to Julia for using the expression ‘fucked up world’.
And the reason I chose that out of all the many, many words I could use to describe it is because the end of my past life, I felt, was so ‘shitty’.
People liked and thought evil deeds were cool, and good deeds were questioned for their intentions. They were only soaked in cheap dopamine, unable to pursue the values they truly needed in life, and lived in pain. In order to live in such a world, it was necessary to be ruthless and cold-hearted. And since I thought that was right, it was natural for me to become lonely and miserable.
But you know what?
There is only one way to overcome it.
It was something I personally experienced as I went through a new variation of the process called second life.
Constantly reflecting on one’s inner self while interacting with those around one.
‘Just as I did.’
So this article is written in hardboiled style, but in the first person.
The genre, story, and grammar I chose to describe my past life and the process through which it occurred.
I played around with the word processor trying to imagine the nightmare Jack Bitters would have felt.

Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 247

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