Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 239



Only Noblemtl

“If things that are incomprehensible become the norm in a society, there is a reason for it.

For example, things like entertainment agencies mobilizing their entertainers for entertainment purposes.

There are of course several reasons for this.

One reason may be that the entertainment industry is largely consumed by dark money.

The broadcasting industry is characterized by a small number of powerful people wielding enormous vested interests, so lobbying directed at individuals rather than companies is also a strong force.

Another strong reason is that not only the entertainment industry but also the overall social atmosphere is tolerant of corruption, and there is an unspoken rule that ‘business’ must be done in a room salon.

But there is another, more important and core reason.

That’s right-

“Because it worked.”

EP 14 – The Future

“”You passed? Really?”

Kang Eun-chae found it hard to believe that she was going to appear in a TV drama.

It’s not that I haven’t appeared on TV, but it was all as a nameless extra.

Making her name known in the home theater world seemed like a lofty dream for her.

But that dream came true in an instant.

All I did was have a few drinks with the PDs.

“Yeah, the casting has been confirmed. It looks like PD Choi is quite fond of you.”

While Kang Eun-chae was unable to accept reality and tilted her head wondering, ‘Is this right?’

The president smiled leisurely and handed me the contract, as if it all felt so natural.

Even though the contract was in her hands, Kang Eun-chae couldn’t believe it.

The boss twisted the corners of his mouth in a mocking manner like a senior soldier mocking a clueless new recruit.

“Why? You don’t want to go on a drama?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

At the answer that was full of military discipline, the president smiled with satisfaction, took a drag on his cigarette, and lit it.

He sat haughtily on the leather chair and did not spare any scolding towards the noisy Kang Eun-chae.

“Since you didn’t even audition, you should be polite and polite to your seniors so that they won’t catch you. When you go to the filming set, Sang-cheol will foolishly teach you well, but don’t act arrogant and haughty just because you got a part in a drama. As the rice ripens, it bows its head. You should continue to be a celebrity for a long time. Okay?”

“all right!”

“Don’t forget that this is all thanks to the company, and what else······”

Whether Kang Eun-chae’s casting was thanks to the influence of the PDs she met at the bar that day, or the company’s sales force that moved their hearts, that wasn’t important.

Whatever it was, the important thing was that it ‘worked out’.

This world is controlled by the strong, and in order for the weak to succeed, they must not develop their own abilities, but rather catch the eye of the strong.

Kang Eun-chae, who realized that stark truth, became an adult little by little day by day.

“Hello! Senior! I am Kang Eun-chae from the 12th swimming troupe!”

I also actively appealed to my connections with the senior actors I met on set.

“Director, are you really tired? This isn’t a big deal······”

They also launched an aggressive gift campaign for the filming staff.

“I’m sorry! I’ll fix it!”

He approached his senior colleague, who was annoyed at the sight of him being a rookie and constantly making noises, and he actively bowed to him.

In this way, Kang Eun-chae gradually adapted to the unfamiliar life in the entertainment industry.

Day by day, I become an adult.

My heart was like a blank sheet of paper, but I started adding ink little by little······

Then one day, the ‘real darkness’ of this world came upon her.

* * *

“PD Choi asked me to do something for him.”

“······”

“Actually, I thought those people were pretty gentle. Huh? Strange? The rumors I know aren’t that sound? Usually, when you go to a room salon, isn’t it common to bribe someone? But these people don’t say anything strange? Are they kind? Are they nice? Well, I was mistaken.”

I didn’t answer.

So when she paused for a moment, there was only silence in the house.

Tick, tick, the sound of the clock hands turning resonates clearly in the silence.

Before we knew it, it was well past 2 AM.

But I don’t feel sleepy or tired.

Because I am a ‘novelist.’

Strictly speaking, a novelist is not a professional writer.

What novelists write is not words, but ‘stories’.

I am a person who is crazy about ‘stories’ and I am a fanatic who loves them so much that I even write them myself.

Even when it gets difficult to write a story, he runs onto the subway without any destination in mind, and while glancing at other passengers, he gets stimulated by imagining their stories, and he is such an eccentric that his lover even calls him a pervert.

How could someone like me be reluctant to listen to other people’s stories?

There is power in stories, and power comes from truth.

And since humans are animals that do not speak the truth as much as they think, this moment was a rare moment of appreciation that I cannot easily come across.

At some point, I became absorbed in her story, not out of a desire to mediate between Kim Byeol and her mother, but as if I were appreciating an extremely rare work of art in a museum or art gallery.

If I could, I would interrupt her every now and then and ask her all sorts of questions. (That’s what Guyuna would do. I swear.)

But the bit of sociality that Gu Hak-jun had instilled in me restrained me, so I remained silent the whole time and waited for her story to continue.

After a while, the woman who had been looking into the empty space at her past slowly continued her story······

“It was all a vicious method. They asked for sexual favors from actresses they had never met before, and when they refused, they approached them kindly and offered them all sorts of benefits first, so as not to give them a reason to expose them. That’s exactly what happened to me. I became popular after appearing in a drama, got a few small CFs, and became closer to my seniors and juniors in the theater company······”

“······”

“More than anything, the biggest thing was that I had already tasted success. I had something to lose. And since I had poured drinks and received money, I couldn’t even reveal it openly… Even if I had revealed it, who would believe that I had poured drinks once and been cast in a drama? Especially back then.”

“······”

“They cornered people like that and threatened them like this. If they didn’t listen, they would be buried in the industry. Who could possibly refuse such threats?”

* * *

“The mirror ball in the dark pub no longer shined. The lively trot tunes were no longer heard.

All that remains is the cold, bare face of this society.

In the darkness, the arrogant eyes of the strong demanding the cowardice of the weak gleamed, and the silence that filled the room was permeated by the laughter of drunkards who were shouting loudly, drunk on pleasure and alcohol, somewhere in a pub.

Seo Eun-jin, who seemed infinitely high in the extreme, was nothing more than a weakling here. The senior who always told me to believe in myself lowered his head like a puppy with its tail tied, lowered his eyes, and folded his hands on his legs, which he had folded together politely.

“······”

However, Kang Eun-chae was no longer a fearful child.

Ironically, these people are what made her an adult.

My heart, which was like a blank sheet of paper, had now turned gray.

Kang Eun-chae smiled a crooked, mischievous smile that only a gray heart filled with the dust of the world could produce.

“mister”

“what?”

“Fuck me.”

* * *

“That’s really······ something I could only say because I’m an ignorant, clueless girl.”

“ah······.”

“As soon as I said that, the manager slapped me in the face and told me to kneel down and apologize right away… When I resisted with a swear, the manager grabbed me by the hair and dragged me out… I was also called in by the gangster boss, where I got slapped, hit with an ashtray, and punched in the face…”

“wow······”

“Of course, I got cut from the drama, and at work I was labeled a crazy bitch… Anyway, I guess you could say my career was half ruined. Ha… Seriously, I should have just held on a little longer back then…”

But there was a deep smile on her face as she said she regretted her remarks at that time.

Perhaps, it was the crooked smile that was revealed at that time.

“Anyway, I… didn’t know that one word would affect my entire acting career. But it did. Because the industry is so small, after I got on the PD’s bad side once, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack to get work.”

* * *

“Huh? No, you said that the casting was confirmed, right? Then why are you suddenly canceling it? It’s difficult if you notify us like that. No, you should at least tell us the reason…”

* * *

“PDs basically think of celebrities as tools, servants, and subordinates. They think of them as paints used to create their own works of art. And because that is true to some extent, no matter what the personality of the PD, director, or writer is, there is no way they don’t have arrogance in their hearts. That’s why I taught Byul to always bow down in front of the producers. I never hid my servility or flattery in front of Byul. That’s how you survive in this industry······”

* * *

“Boss! No matter how much I’m wrong, this isn’t right!”

“What the hell did this son of a bitch do to raise his voice? If you really don’t want to see the families living in Gangwon-do being swept up in a sea of ​​blood, then sign.”

“Then what on earth am I supposed to eat to live? Did I… Did I commit such a great sin? Did I commit a mortal sin? Really? Please don’t do this, please…”

* * *

“The same goes for entertainment agencies. Even though they’ve shed their gangster image now, the industry’s structure itself is a system that exploits people, so there’s no company in this industry that takes the side of celebrities. Even if there were, it’s hypocrisy. That’s why you should never trust an agency. You have to find someone who will take your side, not the company, and if there’s not one, you have to create one. That’s what I always told Byul. Because once you’re put into a slave contract, you end up devoting your money, health, and effort to the company for several years…”

* * *

“Your body is not well-managed. You’ve gained weight, and your mask is a bit tricky… Modeling might be hard, isn’t it?”

“Yes, you can diet whenever you want! Just tell me your schedule! I’ll make it happen!”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you time to prepare separately. There are so many models ready, so why bother using someone who is an actor? I believe you’ll understand. And your frame is a bit flawed. Beauty is something that is determined from birth. Tell the next person to come in.”

* * *

“The standards of beauty are also as ruthless as the public’s gaze. To be beautiful, you need training that is almost torture. If Byul-i thought it was oppression and abuse, it is truly regrettable and painful, but······ I still did my best. I always starved, ate, and exercised with Byul-i so that she would not suffer alone. I······ really······”

The one who brought her back to reality after having been talking about the past for a long time was, of course, her daughter.

As the topic of Kim Byeol came up, she came to her senses again.

No, it might be more appropriate to say that I lost my mind.

Her manner of speaking about the past was as intelligent and clear as in her younger days.

Because the way she talked about the present seemed as lonely and confused as the situation she was in.

“I······ How on earth did things turn out like this······”

“······”

“I don’t know······.”

It was hard to find any trace of the same coolness in her confused appearance.

The moment she stepped out of the category of ‘actress’, she became an ignorant fool.

“Did I… really abuse my daughter? Did I really do something so bad as the world points fingers at me, as those celebrity flyers are biting me over there?”

“······”

“It was all for Byul-i, whether I recruited a manager, taught her acting, or trained her at home······”

Eventually, tears began to flow slowly from the corner of her eyes.

Rather than sounding pitiful, the cries sounded like the desperation of someone who had lost everything.

I, too, was deeply immersed in her story, unlike when I first visited her, so I couldn’t help but feel uneasy watching her.

“······”

however.

My intuition as a novelist told me that there was a puzzle piece to this story that hadn’t been put together yet.

I asked her a question in a somewhat dry voice as she collapsed on the table and started sobbing.

“You have suffered so much that I cannot even begin to imagine. I am sorry.”

“······No. I. Ugly, ugly-”

“But why did you make your daughter walk that painful path?”

“······”

Towering-

Her sobbing stopped.

Her trembling figure froze like ice, and she slowly raised her head from where she was lying face down on the table.

“······”

Her expression, visible through her disheveled hair, was-

-It was a creepy expressionless face.

Her expression was hardened, and her tears had not yet dried. She looked like an evil spirit holding a terrible grudge.

The evil spirit slowly raised its head and stared at me.

And then there was silence for a long time.

“······It was a few years later.”

He confessed his resentment.

* * *

“Senior Seo Eun-jin died.”

“It was suicide.”