Novelist Running Through Time-Chapter 166

TL: KSD

「A spaceship is also a ship, and the crew are sailors.

And sailors are susceptible to superstition.

This is not because some cosmic law has turned the profession of ‘sailor’ into super-cowards but rather because it reflects the mental vulnerability shared by those confined in an isolated space, unsure of when they might face death.

Therefore, superstition still plagues sailors.

The variety of ghost stories is as vast as the infinite expanse of this universe.

There are tales of space stations somewhere in the galaxy that eat people, or of a giant squid as large as a planet…

Or…

“KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

Even a navigator using a protractor to plot a course.

“That…! That, that, that bastard…!!!”

A voice filled with shock echoed through the bridge. The owner of the trembling finger was Judy Capston, the leader of the ‘vigilantes’, known for her signature tank top and shotgun.

The same Judy Capston who rallied industrial workers during the riots, took over an armory, and blew off the heads of looters, was now trembling like a frightened child who had seen a monster under their bed.

The fact that something had drawn a girly scream from the famously fearless Judy suggested it was no ordinary threat. People hurriedly gathered on the bridge in alarm.

“What the fuck! What’s going on?”

“Captain Judy! We’re coming!”

“Pah! I knew it, something had to go wrong on this damn spaceship…”

A couple of gunmen woken from sleep, several of Judy Capston’s gang members, Patrick the technician who had been tinkering with the engine near the bridge, and various others.

Given that the spaceship had recently been a living hell, even the passengers grabbed guns and rushed to confront the unknown threat.

“Captain! Are you okay?”

“What’s this? You look fine?”

However, the ‘cosmic horror’ awaiting them on the bridge was not the kind that could be resisted with mere firearms…

Judy Capston, who had collapsed to the floor like a newborn deer, pointed to the source of all evil as the others stared at her in confusion.

It was a young navigator boy scratching his head with an awkward smile.

“That guy? Why?”

Judy Capston responded, her voice trembling with terror.

“That crazy bastard was plotting a course with a protractor!”

“Oh fuck-”

It didn’t take long for the bridge to fill with girly screams from bearded, muscular middle-aged men.

And it took quite a long time for the boy to explain to the pioneers of the interstellar era, who had forgotten their history, that there was no fundamental difference between what he was doing and the work of state-of-the-art navigation equipment.

This was generally how their navigation went.」

EP 10 – Starry Sky

Human imagination is not infinite. The brain has a fixed capacity. This is a psychological defense mechanism to prevent cognitive overload.

This is why people go mad when they encounter cosmic horror, something that transcends the bounds of human imagination.

When something beyond human understanding is forcibly crammed into the mind, the brain breaks down in an instant.

A prime example would be Korean publishers who witnessed the Japanese publishing industry.

– Koreans don’t read books… A difference in cultural maturity…

– Koreans don’t read books… They’re like beasts…

– The revival of the Great Japanese Empire… That’s the only salvation for the publishing industry…

After facing an unspeakable something, these unfortunate publishers went mad, trembling as they muttered incomprehensible words to themselves.

As these pitiable souls attest, the scale of Japan’s publishing industry compared to Korea’s is truly at the level of cosmic horror.

And yet, the American publishing industry is even larger than Japan’s.

And the CEO of one of America’s major publishing corporations came all the way to Korea for business.

Who made this happen? None other than the parachute-appointed CEO.

How did the employees of Baekhak Publishing react to this?

– KYAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

– Baekhak Publishing is invincible, and CEO Baek is a god!

– Seeing the baekseolgi rice cakes served as snacks today makes me realize once again how incredible CEO Baek Seol’s foresight is… (TL Note: Beakseol literally means snow white)

And so, Baek Seol became a walking messiah.

In truth, Baek Seol, who hadn’t even graduated from Seoul National University but rather some obscure countryside university in England, had no chance of earning the support of her employees.

Why does one go to university? To build connections. There’s a reason why the cookie-cutter K-elites start with Seoul National University and then move on to get an MBA from Harvard. In fact, if you skip Seoul National and only go to Harvard, you might just be treated like some foreigner with a big nose.

And when it came to Baekhak Publishing, a company firmly entrenched in a culture of prestigious school elitism, it was even worse. To the academic cartel, both Lim Yang-wook, who came from a no-name university, and Baek Seol, an Oxford graduate, were considered equally unremarkable.

– Baek Seol? That person… isn’t she just a parachute hire?

– How long are we supposed to treat someone who almost won the International Booker Prize as some kind of genius translator?

– Isn’t she going to start pulling some nonsense, insisting we call her by her English name just because she graduated from a British university?

Even her intimidating appearance (enhanced by a full face of makeup) was soon revealed as shallow. In the end, the only real strength of this bumbling parachute hire was her so-called cuteness.

But originally, if a parachute soldier takes down an armed spy, from that moment on they become a special forces unit.

“But this isn’t just taking down an armed spy – it’s like bringing back Kim Il-sung’s head.” (TL Note: Former North Korean dictator)

“That analogy is way too outdated.”

“Shut up, you…”

Lim Yang-wook and Moon In looked down from the second-floor railing of Baekhak Publishing, observing the lobby below, which was bursting with excitement and joy.

Michael Collins, the CEO of Collins Press, was being treated like a state guest. freewebnøvel_com

Among the perfectly aligned suits bowing at a precise 90-degree angle, there wasn’t a single employee.

They were all executives.

Even a former National Assembly member, who had never actually shown up to work despite holding an director’s title, made an appearance.

Meanwhile, the actual employees, like kids watching a royal procession, stood on tiptoes, craning their necks from afar, stealing glances at the face of the important guest.

And Michael Collins, true to being an American who is cheerful and friendly everywhere, smiled brightly as he shook hands with people.

“It’s a pleasure to meet someone who has made such meaningful contributions to the American publishing industry… he says.”

“Really? Haha! Please tell him I’m also very glad to meet him.”

On the other hand, Michael Collins, who was colder and more ruthless than anyone else, a true economic animal, considered all of this ceremonial nonsense trivial.

‘These people can’t even speak English and are wasting my time with an interpreter…’

But Collins knew that maintaining a good image through these formalities, even in front of useless people, had its benefits.

Even if he avoided astronomical amounts in taxes, the simple act of visiting environmental organizations and children’s charities for photo ops could make prosecutors and police hesitate to wield their knives against him.

In the same way, all the formalities at Baekhak Publishing served as a kind of build-up for Michael Collins to achieve his goal.

To flaunt his influence and make it easier to persuade his target,

To plant a positive image in the target’s mind,

To establish his presence with the target…

It was all part of a carefully aimed process.

Thus, Michael Collins gave lectures at Baekhak Publishing, went on tours, made donations, and shared meals, all while spending his time as planned.

And then, he pulled the trigger toward his target.

Naturally, that “target” was none other than Moon In.

* * *

“Ah- Nice to meet you.”

The first place where Michael Collins spoke words laced with genuine sincerity was none other than the sofa in the reception area of Baekhak Publishing’s CEO office.

The interpreter was Baek Seol, a world-class translator who shone as a nominee for the International Booker Prize. Across from her sat the long-awaited genius boy.

Michael Collins sized up the boy, wrapped in a blanket, from head to toe.

“Hmm…”

A calm demeanor, unassuming hair, eyes shadowed by fatigue.

And eyes that didn’t belong to a child.

The boy, now face-to-face, appeared smaller than he had on screen, yet also more mature than he had seemed on screen.

Most striking of all, he wasn’t nervous in the slightest.

His casual manner of sipping coffee in the presence of the CEO of an American corporate publishing giant left a deep impression.

Whether it was because he placed no value on worldly matters or simply because he was ignorant of them was a question that Michael Collins intended to explore from this point forward.

In any case, Michael Collins slightly lowered the possibility that this boy’s reputation might be an inflated fabrication.

And then, with a gentlemanly smile, he spoke.

“Did you know that I decided to come to Korea because of you, Author Moon?”

“Ah… I didn’t know that.”

“Well, then I’ll take my time explaining it to you from the beginning! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Michael Collins from Collins Press.”

“I’m Moon In-seop, a novelist. I write under the pen name Moon In.”

“Ah… So the pen name Moon In comes from your actual name? What does Moon In mean in Korean?”

Michael Collins already knew what “Moon In” meant in Korean and the nuances of the term. He had read a report his secretary had prepared beforehand.

That’s why he brought it up first, thinking it could make for a decent conversation starter. And naturally, he began to close the distance between himself and Moon In.

Ask questions – express amazement.

Ask questions – show empathy.

Ask questions – agree.

The astute businessman of the American publishing industry skillfully steered the conversation with systematic communication.

The unsocial boy, on the other hand, only responded with ‘answers’, ‘gratitude’ and ‘humility’ throughout. And because Michael Collins deliberately encouraged such passive responses, the conversation naturally arrived at a specific point.

Michael Collins’ strategic target point was ‘Starry Sky’.

“Starry Sky….. Personally, I’m not particularly fond of György Lukács, being a socialist and all, but this line of his is worth remembering. ‘In an age when civilization has driven out the unknown, where should the traveler who follows the starlight go?’ It’s a profoundly literary proposition, don’t you think? It’s quite striking. So, when I came across a book that developed this proposition into a science fiction novel…”

For the first time, Michael Collins’ words carried genuine sincerity.

“I guess you could say I fell for it.”

But before that sincerity could be read by anyone, he concealed it behind a sociable smile.

“Haha, I’m sorry for reading a novel that hasn’t even been published yet. You see, when I heard that CEO Baek Seol personally translated something, my curiosity got the better of me. I used my position as her college senior to twist her arm a bit and managed to snag a copy. I didn’t expect to find such a treasure in it.”

“Ah… Thank you for seeing it in a positive light.”

“No, no, I should be thanking you! After all, you wrote such a wonderful piece!”

Michael Collins carefully selected his next sentence.

He had come all the way to Korea to hear the word “YES” in response to this very statement.

And everything leading up to this moment, every official event, every friendly expression, every conversational technique designed to evoke goodwill and indebtedness, had been building toward this.

Like a battle-hardened samurai drawing his sword, the veteran businessman unsheathed his words.

“I won’t mince words. Let me get straight to the point. Would you consider letting our company publish ‘Starry Sky’? Of course, only for the U.S. market. As for the Asian market, Baekhak Publishing should continue to handle it. In any case, as Baekhak Publishing’s reliable partner, we at Collins Press are fully prepared to become Author Moon In’s second friend!”

He deliberately held back from saying, “After all, the more friends, the better”, as it might reveal too much sincerity.

Collins Press’ true strategic goal was to bypass Baekhak Publishing and establish a direct relationship with Moon In.

Instead of signing a contract with “Baekhak Publishing’s Moon In”, the plan was to make Baekhak Publishing Moon In’s Asian partner, while Collins Press became his American partner.

Naturally, being the American partner would also mean becoming the British partner, and being the Anglo-American partner would inevitably lead to becoming the European partner.

Because that’s how the “Western world” works.

It was a natural flow of events.

And before long, the “second friend” would naturally transition into becoming the “first friend”.

‘It’s a perfect plan!’

While popularity might depend on the whims of the heavens, things were different when it came to a company like Collins Press. With sufficient capital, even the order of the universe could be twisted. That’s capitalism.

It wasn’t just that “a child is writing”, it was that “a child is writing well”. If you couldn’t turn such a weapon into an international star author, you didn’t deserve to hold the title of CEO.

Even that weak and unimpressive Oxford alum managed to make this boy into a star author in Japan, didn’t they?

Moon In was like a stock destined to hit its upper limit. If Moon In fell into his grasp, Michael Collins was confident he could sweep up both money and fame more easily than twisting a child’s wrist.

Still, the fact that he wasn’t planning to completely steal Moon In away, as per his initial plan, demonstrated Michael Collins’ magnanimity. Baekhak Publishing would remain Moon In’s partner in the Asian market going forward.

Of course, Baekhak Publishing already had complete dominance over Korea, and while the entry of American publishers into China was challenging, Collins Press could effortlessly take over Japan if they set their minds to it.

Thus, leaving the Asian market to Baekhak Publishing was indeed an act of goodwill toward his junior from Oxford.

Even Michael Collins, the “snake-tongued” professional swindler of the industry, was, for once, conducting business with sincerity.

“I’m sorry.”

“…!!!”

But then, he was rejected.

“That’s a proposal I can’t answer right now.”

The boy sitting before him had just said NO to Michael Collins, the most powerful figure in the publishing industry!

Michael Collins felt an overwhelming sense of frustration and failure, like countless final bosses who, in their dying breaths, cry out, “Me? Beaten by the likes of him?”

“The book isn’t finished yet.”

What’s worse, the reason Moon In gave was entirely incomprehensible. Michael Collins had already read the ending of Starry Sky. The book was already complete.

No matter how much he tried to hurry him, Moon In simply responded curtly, like an old man whittling a bat, as if to say, “No matter how much you rush raw rice, it won’t turn into cooked rice.”

“The book isn’t finished yet.”

* * *

Moon In didn’t live his life like some neurotic potter smashing imperfect ceramics, tearing up manuscript paper in a frenzy while screaming, “This isn’t it!”

On the contrary, Moon In thought that a novelist who shredded perfectly good manuscript paper while wailing was just a self-indulgent lunatic.

Why would anyone rip up perfectly fine manuscript paper? Clearly, it wasn’t the paper that was flawed, it was their writing skill.

To Moon In, who had once scraped together his meager allowance just to buy manuscript paper, wasting paper was unthinkable.

Thus, the delay in writing ‘Starry Sky’ wasn’t Moon In’s fault.

“This isn’t it!!!”

Rip- riiiip-

Moon In stared blankly at Gu Yu-na, who was screaming and tearing up manuscript paper in the clubroom.

*****

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