Novelist Running Through Time

A man in a white suit was released from the detention center, rubbing his wrists which were tightly bound by handcuffs.

A balding man in a suit approached him and bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.

‘He definitely looks like a gangster…’

The watching police officers thought this to themselves, but they were wrong.

The balding man in the suit was none other than Lim Yang-wook, an editor from Baekhak Publishing.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”

The man in the white suit was also not a gangster.

He was Baek Seung-won, the CEO of Baekhak Entertainment.

He was a (distant) relative and a conglomerate heir of the immense Baekhak Group.

“Ah, I’m going crazy. This is so embarrassing.”

Baek Seung-won grumbled as he fiddled with his stinging wrist. The handcuffs had been so tight that they left red marks on his skin.

His pride was also hurt. There’s a class to crime, after all. If it were a case involving billions, going to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office would be one thing, but being detained in a local police station for an attempted child abduction was a disgrace unbefitting of a conglomerate heir.

CEO Baek Seung-won glared at Lim Yang-wook and Moon In-seop with displeasure.

“So, Team Leader Lim, he’s not just an ordinary kid as you assured.”

“I’m sorry…”

Both apologized in unison. But the mental scars of the (distant) conglomerate heir, who had been detained in a detention center for the first time in his life, were not easily healed.

How fiercely the kid had resisted! Moon In-seop’s sharp tongue had played a major role in the police immediately locking him up without hearing any further explanations.

This had provoked Baek Seung-won’s temper.

“Did your parents teach you well? Told you not to follow strangers? But, kid, there’s a limit to everything, how could you immediately accuse someone of being a kidnapper?”

But the reactions of the boy and Lim Yang-wook were strange.

The moment he mentioned parents, both flinched simultaneously.

Moon In-seop glanced at Lim Yang-wook.

The look meant, ‘Didn’t you tell him?’

Lim Yang-wook avoided Moon In-seop’s gaze.

Meaning, ‘I thought you knew, of course.’

Eventually, Lim Yang-wook took the lead and carefully started speaking.

“CEO~nim. The truth is, In-seop is…”

EP 2- Other

CEO Baek Seung-won may be a bit prickly, overly sensitive, suspicious, and a workaholic who neglects his family, but he falls within the normal range of adult men.

Realizing he made a big mistake in his words, he quickly apologized, worried he might have deeply hurt the child.

“I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking, don’t take it too seriously… No, I apologize. I misspoke.”

“No, it’s I who should apologize. I think I must have startled you a lot. I’m sorry.”

Moon In-seop graciously accepted his apology.

‘Hmm…?’

Baek Seung-won was a person sensitive in work, aesthetics, and everyday life.

Baekhak Entertainment employees often felt the impulse to shut the CEO’s mouth when he overinterpreted their words and felt uncomfortable, but this time, it turned out to be an advantage.

His keen senses allowed him to guess from Moon In-seop’s manner of speaking that the boy possessed an intellect not typical for his age.

At this moment, the possibility that Lim Yang-wook’s bold claims were true seemed much higher.

Pleased, CEO Baek Seung-won smiled broadly and patted Moon In-seop on the shoulder.

“Hahaha! There, there. You’re really not just an ordinary kid, are you? You came up with such clever words on the spot…”

Still harboring a slight grudge, CEO Baek Seung-won brought up the recent incident.

Of course, he had explained to the police that he was not a kidnapper, but Moon In-seop had insisted Baek Seung-won was a gangster responsible for a ‘fake uncle’ service.

How sophisticated his logic was, was proven by the fact that the police believed the words of a sixth-grader and detained Baek Seung-won.

Then the boy flinched again.

Baek Seung-won, confused, wondered what kind of verbal mistake he had made this time.

Lim Yang-wook, too, looked bewilderedly at Moon In-seop, not understanding why he was acting this way.

The boy cautiously opened his mouth.

“Actually, that story wasn’t made up…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it happened like this…”

The story began with the mischief of three primary school students.

* * *

When all the stories had concluded.

“So, you were actually feeling threatened for your safety?”

Lim Yang-wook, who knew of the boy’s unfortunate circumstances but hadn’t realized the extent, was greatly shocked, and so were the police officers who had gathered around to listen to the story.

And then, CEO Baek Seung-won cried.

“CEO~nim…!”

“Ah, just a moment. Damn it. Something got in my eye…”

While it’s true that men tend to tear up more easily during andropause, what saddened him the most was the attitude of the boy known as Author Moon.

This young boy showed no sign of sorrow despite the reality he faced, as if he had resigned himself to a life already lived to the full. (That’s right)

But contrary to his emotions, his reasoning was sharp.

His instincts as the CEO of an entertainment agency told him.

This will sell – he thought.

Of course, the boy being a genius author was important, but the most marketable aspect was his ‘youth’.

People are fascinated by young geniuses. Not because they are geniuses, but because they are young.

That was the trend.

If a child dances, sings, or even just toddles around, it sells.

Just as people who are fed up with life find solace in cute cat videos (speaking of CEO Baek Seung-won himself), when the world is a mess, productions featuring children gain higher viewership ratings.

Having made his decision, CEO Baek Seung-won spoke.

“Listen, Team Leader Lim. No, I mean, Department head Lim.”

“Yes?”

“You said something about making a TV show, right?”

CEO Baek Seung-won’s wallet opened.

“How much do you need?”

* * *

No matter how much controversy it stirred in the literary world, compared to the overall public opinion, it was merely a tempest in a teapot.

People don’t read books, and there are many things in the world more interesting than that.

Major overseas accidents, political scandals, marriages and divorces of famous celebrities, global success of K-dramas, arrest of major criminals, rising prices, and so on…

Such significant events were creating waves in the sea that is the world, while the Korean literary world was just a small teacup in comparison.

But on the flip side.

There was a storm brewing in that teacup.

[I read a real -like after a long time. I’m thankful to Author Moon.]

└If you enjoyed it, why disparage other s?

└The level of a fan of an author who bought literary awards with money tsk tsk

└The company bought them, not the author. What would a minor know?

└Are there actually people who believe he’s a minor??

[Breaking News: Critic Oh Min-sang Publicly Attacks Author Moon]

└This seems too forced after reading it?

└Since he blew the whistle on the debut fee issue, he seems distasteful. They would have kept on with their literary award business forever if he hadn’t exposed it.

└Did people really not know about the debut fees?

└The book was good though

[With the pen name ‘Mun In’ and the way he exposed the debut fee issue, I think it’s not just one person. Seems like 16 authors collectively criticizing the Korean literary world.]

└The writing style and atmosphere seem too similar for that

└Oh, there’s some logic to this

[This year’s Annual Spring Literary Contest is really a mess]

└Bought all 16 volumes. Love them.

└The book is good. But I wonder if we really need to buy a book by an author who caused such a controversy.

└What controversy? He must have known it would come out if he paid debut fees for sixteen literary awards. It’s performance art.

└Everything is art these days

The issue wasn’t just overflowing on the internet. In reality too, Author Moon captured the attention of everyone in the industry.

The printing press that printed Moon’s book was bombarded with questions, and the minor literary magazines that awarded him were thrown into chaos.

Numerous authors and critics reviewed Moon’s s and heatedly debated the purchase of 16 literary awards and the culture of debut fees.

When the publishing business division head and the publishing planning division head of Baekhak Publishing threw their full effort into the case, other major publishing houses also paid unprecedented attention to this earthquake-like incident in the literary world.

The most controversial point, of course, was this:

‘A minor.’

The fact that the protagonist who caused this giant wave in the industry was a minor.

The fact that an author who had written 16 s was a minor.

There was not a single person who was not shocked by this fact.

People reacted in their own ways to this shock: with admiration, doubt, denial, excitement, praise, critique, or indifference…

Even more so because Author Moon and his publishing company had not released any follow-up responses, the progression of this issue was truly like a chaotic storm.

Only Baekhak Publishing continued with its strong offensive, drawing more negative reactions than positive ones.

Then, one day.

Suddenly, a suspicious theory began to circulate.

This conspiracy theory, posted in various forms on the internet, was as follows:

– The Baekhak Group planned a project to create a star author, and this incident is the result of that project.

– The aim was to attract attention through all kinds of noise marketing, using a faceless minor author to garner popularity and sell books.

– Inspired by the recent trend of virtual YouTubers and faceless singers in Japan hitting it big, this is typical of what big corporations attempt with the fourth industrial revolution or whatever they call it, like augmented reality in the metaverse. Soon, there will definitely be a virtual YouTuber version.

– But here’s the problem. The minor author doesn’t actually exist. Only the concept of a minor author exists…

This conspiracy theory provided a clear answer to the confused people, injecting the thought of ‘That makes sense!’

Then, people, happy with the fact that they alone knew the truth unlike others, spread this idea everywhere.

Simultaneously, this conspiracy theory seemed as if it was spread by an insider. It was suspiciously detailed and the vocabulary used gave off that impression.

If one thinks carefully, they could realize that this conspiracy theory itself was very intricately crafted to mislead people.

Thus, people like Kim Sang-guk, the head of Baekhak Publishing’s publishing business division, sensed that another organized force had intervened in this issue.

That was,

The Baekhak Entertainment Publishing Management Task Force Team.

No. It was the Publishing Management Department.

“How about that? Simple, right?”

Department head Lim Yang-wook couldn’t help but admire the skills of the marketing officer dispatched from Baekhak Entertainment’s PR department.

She and her well-coordinated team members easily manipulated internet public opinion.

While applauding her skills, Lim Yang-wook resolved to be more discerning about entertainment industry issues in the future.

“By framing it this way, the issue becomes focused. Is the author really a minor? Or not?”

“Then we’re definitely winning…”

“Just throw some bait in the dark, and then after a few days, circulate a press release to the online newspapers. It becomes an official issue in the light. Then the company can move on it.”

The marketing officer stood up from her computer, stretched lightly, and asked.

“But Department head Lim Yang-wook? Is it true that the author is really a minor?”

“That’s a secret.”

“Must be true then. Wow.”

“It’s a secret, I said.”

“Got it~ A secret~”

The marketing officer teased Lim Yang-wook almost playfully and then sauntered off to the break room.

Lim Yang-wook shook his head as he watched her leave.

The dignity of a department head was no joke.

No, wait. Technically a department head, but in reality, just a figurehead.

“Sigh.”

The Publishing Management Task Force Team was reorganized into the Publishing Management Department and formally absorbed into Baekhak Entertainment. Lim Yang-wook, who was the team leader, smoothly transitioned to being the department head.

However, Lim Yang-wook’s ‘venture company’, which had been registered as an in-house start-up, was also disbanded and absorbed into Baekhak Entertainment.

Fortunately, CEO Baek Seung-won decided to generously convert the publishing profits into incentives and stock options.

Lim Yang-wook often thought about the future he hadn’t chosen.

What if he had taken Author Moon and left Baekhak Entertainment to become independent?

All the books selling at this moment would have been connected to his profits.

Not to mention, if he had exclusively published all future books of the genius author Moon In-seop, he could have sat on an incomparable fortune.

However, he would have had to fight for his life against the two giants, Baekhak Entertainment and Baekhak Publishing, and somehow coax Moon In-seop to stay under his wing.

Lim Yang-wook had made his decision based on this consideration.

He didn’t have the confidence to offer more than what Baekhak Group could provide to Author Moon, and more than anything, he didn’t want to deceive a child for money. Plus, he doubted the kid would fall for his words.

But these were all just Lim Yang-wook’s regrets in his heart.

His real work lay in the present.

“Department head~nim. The staff are all ready. We’ve finalized things with the Content Business Division.”

“Department head~nim? The New Light Spring Orphanage wants to discuss filming and the director wants to meet you.”

“Department head~nim. There’s an issue with securing a channel for Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting. It seems like Baekhak Publishing is constantly protesting…”

What Lim Yang-wook gained by not going independent with Moon In-seop was all here.

Baekhak Entertainment was a versatile company with its own production, and a gathering place for the best experts in the media business.

Lim Yang-wook knew the capabilities of the Publishing Management Task Force Team during its heyday. With just Baekhak Entertainment, they could easily produce special broadcasts.

Then, he could show Author Moon to the world.

He could share the beauty he saw with everyone.

“Phew.”

Lim Yang-wook steadied his heart.

The calm before the storm.

Whether the small flutter he had started would end as a tempest in a teacup,

Or turn into a storm sweeping across the world, marking the rise of a genius,

Was entirely in his hands.

He staked everything on the filming tomorrow.

Only the outcome will tell the whole story.

* * *

“Life in the orphanage? There’s not much freedom. Things like belongings are often taken away. Especially during unannounced inspections of high school students, they seize condoms as if catching mice, but then treat you like a whore if you get pregnant and become a single mother. It’s a bit strange. But since that’s how the adults are, you just have to accept it, I guess.”

Lim Yang-wook’s vision went dark!