Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 233



Only Noblemtl

There is a saying:

‘Pain is the fuel for creation.’

It is a dangerous maxim that, if misinterpreted, can turn all artists into masochists…

At least, I agree to some extent. (I’m sure Russian writers who scribbled pencils on crumpled paper in Siberian concentration camps would agree fervently.)

This ‘theory of pain’ was the foundation of my literature.

It’s only now, after all this time, that I can think about it, but if I hadn’t been bullied so badly in school, I wouldn’t have been able to immerse myself in literature so much.

Because I wasn’t that great of a person.

He probably compromised with the world and studied in a foreign country with low tuition. And he probably struggled with math and couldn’t get into a good university.

But the fist that pierced my temple, the laughter that dug into my ears, and the social contempt that I could not escape, inevitably made me hold a pen in my hand.

Through the most difficult times, I wrote.

It was to vent the sadness in my heart, to escape from the painful reality, and to find the minimum happiness that was allowed to me.

This is not ‘why I decided to write’.

To be precise, it can be said that this is a story about ‘the reason I was able to continue writing.’

Art is the highest level of suffering that humans can experience, but at the same time, it is also an escape from suffering.

And that······

“That’s just the way the world is.”

Kim Byeol-do seemed to be no exception.

EP 14 – The Future

It rained.

Rain poured down from the dark sky.

It wasn’t the kind of rain that was forcibly sprinkled from a water sprinkler to film a rainy scene, but rather a sudden downpour that seemed to come from some kind of harmony in the sky.

But the PD who had been urging people to film the rainy scene, saying that it was a good opportunity, was no longer smiling.

The staff who used to frown at the PD’s urging and carry raincoats and umbrellas to protect the filming equipment that cost more than their annual salary no longer frowned.

Instead, they seem to be possessed by something,

I was staring blankly somewhere.

And in the midst of that intense whirlwind of gazes-

-There was Kim Byeol.

“That’s just the way the world is.”

“······”

“You can see up from below, but you can’t see down from above.”

Dropping her umbrella on the steps, Kim Byeol sang sadly under the pouring rain.

People couldn’t even tell if tears were flowing from her eyes or not.

Because the heavy rain was washing everything away.

“Have you ever looked at poor people?”

“······”

“The old lady who was collecting waste paper outside, did she eat, where did she live, did she have a family, was she in good health, and… what was her name?

Have you ever wondered:

“······”

“I don’t think so. It’s okay. I’m like that too.”

“you······”

Kim Byeol smiled weakly and raised her hand slightly.

But the other actor couldn’t bring himself to continue his lines.

Because even in that small gesture, there was a certain power.

“So, let me ask you just one thing.”

The PD must have felt that power as well, because he didn’t stop Kim Byeol even though the script was going awry in real time.

And Kim Byeol lived up to those expectations perfectly.

“There’s a woman who works under you. Has she eaten? Where does she live? Does she have a family? Is she in good health? And… What is her name?

Have you ever wondered:

“······”

The male actor who was dealing with Kim Byeol muttered three words with a blank expression, struggling with the flow of the lines.

“Jeong······ Hyein.”

Then Kim Byeol, no, Jeong Hyein laughed.

Gently arching the corners of your eyes-

“Yes, that’s right.”

-In the pouring rain.

I laughed through my tears.

“That’s you···”

“······”

“It’s the name of the daughter of the person I killed 10 years ago.”

* * *

If this were a drama, the screen would have frozen with a strong OST and a preview of the next episode would have followed.

And viewers who were shocked by the shocking twist must have been so excited that they would pat each other on the shoulder and set the Internet on fire. There were even a few lines of advertisements in the subtitles.

But this was not a drama, this was reality.

So this is how the scene ended.

“Cut- okay-!!!”

The PD shouted ‘Okay’ so loudly that it sounded like ‘again’.

That means you were that excited.

It wasn’t just PD PD who was excited, all the staff members who had finished filming had bright expressions on their faces.

I was among the crowd of staff and was able to hear their murmur more clearly.

“Wow······Kim Byeol’s form has completely improved?”

“A famous scene has appeared.”

“Since when have you been acting so well?”

“It seems like only yesterday that he was wearing a bunny headband and promoting strawberry milk······”

“What was that just the other day, you idiot?”

“10 years have passed in the blink of an eye… 10 years have passed and I haven’t even gotten married… ”

“Ah, ah······”

Although there were some strange noises mixed in, the praise for Kim Byeol continued.

And in the meantime.

The main character who captured everyone’s attention in an instant.

Kim Byeol was staring blankly at the sky while getting rained on.

“Hey, Byeol-ah, aren’t you cold?”

“Yes, it’s okay.”

“If you keep doing this, you’ll catch a cold, hurry up and take an umbrella······”

The male actor who was playing Kim Byeol’s counterpart smiled kindly and held an umbrella over Kim Byeol.

However, Kim Byeol refused the umbrella, and when she rolled around in the mud, she took out her own prop umbrella.

“are you okay.”

“Uh··· Huh? Yeah······”

“I’ll use the umbrella.”

Unlike ‘Guyuna Linguistics’, which seeks to find human goodness in seemingly evil language.

‘Kim Byeol’s Linguistics’ had to find human malice in seemingly good language.

In that context, what Kim Byeol said earlier, “I’ll use the umbrella,” can be seen as, “Since when did you start worrying about me so much and acting all fussy? I’ll take care of what’s mine.”

In fact, the male actor who was dealing with Kim Byeol had been openly expressing his displeasure at Kim Byeol’s replacement of the male lead, saying that it was against convention.

However, why is he, who was hostile to Kim Byeol, anxious because he cannot give her an umbrella?

To explain it in web novel grammar, this could be said to be the psychology of an A-class hunter who is faced with a situation where a B-class hunter he disliked suddenly awakens as an S-class hunter.

If you replace the word ‘hunter’ here with ‘actor’, it becomes reality, not web novel grammar.

To be honest, I can’t recognize the acting.

It means that you can’t tell which acting is good and which acting is bad.

But among actors, it was possible.

Is there a special sense that experts share?

In front of that ‘sense’, the Cannes Best Actress Award and the Nabal Award are of no use. It means that if your acting is lacking, you won’t be treated well, whether it’s Cannes or anything else.

And Kim Byeol, although she is not a bad actress, she may be able to receive the ‘cuteness’ of the veteran actors, but she does not seem to be at a level to receive ‘recognition’.

I guessed the level of Kim Byeol not through her acting, but through the way she was treated by her fellow actors.

likewise.

I received a lot from my fellow actors, Kim Byeol…

Through the so-called ‘respect’ change, we could guess the level of improvement in Kim Byeol’s acting ability.

Kim Byul’s acting skills, which suddenly rose to prominence, were at a level that stood out even among established actors.

The reaction of the male actor who was just ‘nagged’ by Kim Byeol proves my judgment.

“Ha, haha, hahaha… But you have to be careful not to catch a cold or you’ll be in big trouble. Our Kim Star is the center of the drama.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

“While we’re on the subject, let me ask you one thing. Jung Hye-in used to be a bit of a vicious character, but she changed into a sad character. Then, in the office scene, I think we should try to match her in a different way······”

As the drama’s key actors began to respect Kim Byeol, the witch hunt that had been pouring down on her also disappeared.

In the end, the controversy that arose from the fact that the male lead was replaced was suppressed by acting skills.

The pouring gazes of doubt also changed into gazes of admiration.

The question, “Is that Khan···?” has been replaced with the exclamation, “Is that Khan···!”

Kim Byeol, who had ascended to the throne as a true ‘Khan’, approached me with brisk strides, showing off his royal bearing.

And then he snatched away the fluffy blanket I was wearing, like skinning a prey.

“blanket.”

“oh-”

“Borrow.”

It’s not like, ‘Can I borrow it?’

It’s not like I’ll ‘borrow’ it.

It’s ‘borrowed’.

It’s not like I’m asking if I can borrow a blanket.

I’m not even asking for permission to borrow a blanket.

A sentence filled with the conviction that ‘your blanket is already mine’.

– Hey, Seopseop. Do you like the blanket?

– I’m borrowing it~

– Oh, you said you’d borrow it for a bit and then return it? You don’t trust me?

“Ugh, ugh······”

I felt traumatized by the thought of someone stealing my blanket, and I trembled in front of Khan’s brutality.

But, regardless of whether the poor victim of school violence (in her previous life) was shivering next to her or not, Kim Byeol silently muttered while wiping her damp hair and face with the blanket.

“let’s go.”

Magihoon, who was behind me, answered first.

“yes.”

Magi Hoon held an umbrella for Kim Byeol like a bodyguard and guided her out of the filming set.

And Kim Byeol didn’t greet the staff with a friendly smile like she did a while ago.

“······”

However, the staff did not seem offended by Kim Byeol’s suddenly cold attitude, but rather seemed to admire her.

Kim Byeol walked out into the rain-filled world under a black umbrella, as if she no longer cared about any of those reactions.

And I quietly watched those scenes, tried to ignore my complicated feelings, and followed behind Kim Byeol.

It was a day with heavy rain.

* * *

The rain showed no sign of stopping, hitting the windshield and being swept away by the wipers.

Where on earth did it come from and where did it flow to, falling into this cruel world and being torn to pieces?

However, only a lowly writer like me can empathize with the fate of mere water droplets, and Ma Ki-hoon, who is behind the wheel, seems to be merely annoyed by the water droplets that block his view.

“Oh my… Driving in the rain is dangerous…”

When I sat in the passenger seat and glanced around the back seat, I saw Kim Byeol leaning her head against the shaking car window and looking out at the rainy world with a strange look in her eyes.

But in this car, I was the only one who could see the outside world, because while Kim Byeol’s eyes were looking outside, her mind was not looking outside, but inside her own heart.

To put it simply,

Kim Byeol became introverted after falling out with her mother.

It’s like becoming a different person.

He became less talkative, spent more time thinking, less concerned with what others thought, and less likely to smile.

I don’t know if it was just a change of mood or if it was some kind of irreversible personality transformation.

perhaps···

Just maybe······

I have a feeling that this might be Kim Byeol’s true self.

Kim Byeol has always shown that her appearance and personality change depending on the work she is filming.

The ‘arrogance’, ‘pretentiousness’, and ‘lack of affection’ that I commonly found in her are not, strictly speaking, personality traits.

That’s just a reflexive reaction that stems from Kim Byeol’s self-esteem as a washed-up actor.

I realized this too late, but I think I didn’t know as much about what kind of person Kim Byeol was as I thought.

What kind of food does Kim Byeol like, what kind of music does she enjoy listening to, what are her hobbies, do she like dogs or cats, what does she do to relieve stress…

I don’t know.

So I don’t know how to comfort Kim Byeol.

As Kim Byeol’s daily manager······

“Tsk.”

Okay. Let’s stop playing manager.

Not as a daily manager or anything, but as a friend who had watched over that poor, hard-living girl since she was a child.

I was truly worried about Kim Byeol.

It’s a little embarrassing that I, a man in my mid-twenties, truly consider that kid a ‘friend’, but the human heart is inherently helpless, and the same goes for my own heart.

Who wouldn’t be concerned about a young child biting his mother’s wrist as if he thought he would suffocate to death if he didn’t run away right away?

But apart from that worry, I was wandering around, unable to find words to comfort Kim Byeol.

It was not because I lacked literary knowledge, but because I lacked ‘common sense.’

What does this mean?

“······”

The problem that Kim Byeol is experiencing is a ‘family’ problem.

And I don’t have a ‘home’.

How could I, who has no parents, worry about someone who fights with their parents?

At first glance, it sounded like a cheap, low-quality joke mixed with fluff, but when I was put in a situation that was actually worse than that joke, I thought I was going crazy.

What on earth should I say?

But still, you’re my mom, so let’s make up?

I don’t have a mother either, so are we comrades now?

I’ve lived without my parents before and it was better than I thought. I think you’ll be able to adapt soon too?

In just one year, you’ll be an adult and have a bank account full of money. Why worry about your mom? Just forget about it.

If you don’t want to regret it in 10 years, make up now?

“ha······”

Whatever advice I gave to Kim Byeol, it was without my enlightenment and therefore had no weight.

Just as you can’t say you know something you don’t know, you can’t give advice on a matter you don’t know as if you know it.

I didn’t want to add to the worries of someone who was already having a hard time by telling them empty stories…

So the only help I could give was something a little more practical than just words.

For example, it could be something like asking Lim Yang-wook to investigate the situation at Baekhak Entertainment.

– Isn’t this unusual?

– People who quit the company are pouring out.

– Work was half paralyzed.

– Hey, this company’s situation is out of the question.

Just then, a text message arrived from Lim Yang-wook.

I quietly took out my cell phone and sent a reply.

– What about the management headquarters?

– Is your company so bad that you can’t even afford to hire an actor?

– That big company?

Im Yang-wook’s reply, which came right back.

– I guess you don’t know because you haven’t worked at a big company.

– Just because it’s a big company doesn’t mean everything runs so rationally.

– (Photo of a Tibetan fox asking, “What are you wandering about, my son?”)

I didn’t accept Im Yang-wook’s joke and asked him.

– No, that doesn’t make sense.

– The entertainment agency didn’t send me a single manager.

Then Lim Yang-wook said.

– The situation is that serious.

– To the point where I can’t even add one more manpower.

– Because people are quitting their jobs.

At this point, I’m starting to become curious about Baekhak Entertainment rather than Kim Byeol.

– Why on earth is there such a fuss?!

Lim Yang-wook replied with an emoticon.

– (I don’t know)

Just as I was about to send an angry reply, another text message arrived.

– I don’t know the reason, but I know the culprit.

Lim Yang-wook pointed to one person as the mastermind behind all this.

– President Baek Seung-won.

– Other than that person, there is no one at Baekhak Entertainment who could cause an incident of this magnitude.

I shook my head to relieve my migraine.

– Why on earth is that person······

Just as I was about to continue talking with Im Yang-wook a little more.

I stopped talking when I heard a sound from next to me.

“What?!”

Magi Hoon, holding the steering wheel, was talking on the phone with one hand.

Talking on the phone while driving is against the law, but every manager would lose their job if they tried to enforce that law.

So, it seems that Magi Hoon also received a call from a new stylist this time······

“No, no, wait, can you say that again?”

The situation doesn’t look good.

“What is it?”

When I asked casually, Magi Hoon answered seriously.

“Hey Inseop, check the internet. Entertainment news.”

The moment I heard the words ‘entertainment news’, I had an ominous feeling.

And that premonition soon became reality.

“······ah.”

I ended up seeing a disgusting title that seemed to be proud of exclusively capturing the conflict between Kim Byeol and her mother and reporting it as ‘breaking news’.