Novelist Running Through Time
Chapter 161

TL: KSD

At the large publishing house ‘Collins Press’ in Los Angeles, USA, Lim Yang-wook, who had taken on the task of bowing and scraping excessively, received two pieces of news from Korea.

One was good news, and the other was bad news.

The good news was that Moon In, that bastard, had finally ventured into the realm of science fiction.

The bad news was that Moon In, that bastard, had once again postponed his trip to the U.S.

“Damn it, Ssi”

Fortunately, Lim Yang-wook’s complaints didn’t go beyond ‘Ssi’, not because foreigners had learned the term ‘Ssibal’ due to the influence of K-dramas. (TL Note: Ssbal means ‘Fuck’ in Korean)

The reason was that standing before Lim Yang-wook’s eyes was someone far more terrifying and troublesome than <The Genius Author Who Never Listens>….

Its name is <The CEO Who Never Listens>.

– Yes, yes…

This rogue, who insisted on coming to the U.S. despite being told not to, and kept gulping down whiskey despite being told to stop, was now spinning her eyes wildly in a drunken stup-

That rogue was none other than Baek Seol.

This foolish rogue wasn’t just any rogue, she was the infamous ‘chaebol family rogue’, which meant you couldn’t just beat her up recklessly.

Sure, she had plenty on her plate back at Baekhak Publishing, and she might have missed the whiskey she used to drink during her studies in the U.K., but wasn’t she supposed to exercise some moderation at a business meeting?

The problem was, the business partner on the other side didn’t think the same way.

-CEO! Th-that… I mean, that’s… that’s the thing?!

– Yes… yes…

– I’m so exhausted I can’t live like this aaaaanymore! Waaahh…

– Me too, me too…

The idiot clinging to Baek Seol and crying her eyes out was Rachel Surface, an editor at Collins Press.

She was the person in charge of overseeing Baekhak Publishing’s U.S. business ventures.

She was also the person to whom Lim Yang-wook had to bow and scrape, apologizing profusely for not being able to bring Moon In to the U.S.

But the person who was supposed to receive an apology was now drunk, clinging to the CEO of their company, and refusing to let go.

And the CEO was drunkenly hugging the editor from the partner company, rambling in English while they continued their drunken tirade.

Lim Yang-wook found it impossible to believe that the grand dream of Baekhak Publishing’s expansion into the U.S. hinged on these two idiots.

“Ah…”

Everything went black before Lim Yang-wook’s eyes!

EP 10 – Starry Sky

The freshman, Gu Yubin, naturally became the class representative.

If someone like Moon Someone or Gu Someone, who were personality-wrecked individuals barely lucky enough not to get ostracized, heard this, they might ask how that could possibly be natural. But for Gu Yubin, a born superior human, everything simply flowed naturally. After all, she was a monster who could write a novel that would turn the Korean literary world upside down, while simultaneously studying for the national college entrance exam, all without neglecting regular sleep and exercise.

Thus, it took less than a month for all the fools who had been captivated by Gu Yubin’s beauty and engaged in disgraceful behavior, and all the idiots who, out of jealousy for her achievements, had behaved disgracefully, to be socially subdued.

The selection of the class representative was merely a ceremonial victory lap. The department had already fallen into Gu Yubin’s hands long before she was elected class representative.

However, Gu Yubin wasn’t pleased at all.

She had already risen so high that she couldn’t feel any sense of superiority over such things. To Gu Yubin, literature was like a ladder. There was still a long way to climb, and she wasn’t in a position to celebrate just because she had dominated a bunch of undergraduates who hadn’t even made their literary debut.

‘How utterly insignificant…’

In truth, Gu Yubin had her own expectations for university life. One of them was to finally part ways with the idiots who had plagued her life.

She had thought that once she entered university, she could leave behind those inferior beings who lacked will, made no effort, wasted their time playing around, and, when others succeeded, felt jealous and lashed out.

Wasn’t the university she was attending one of the top three prestigious schools in Korea? She had hoped to build relationships with people on her level.

But what Gu Yubin encountered after passing through the university gates were nothing more than rookies whose greatest life achievement was simply getting accepted into the school, and fools who acted self-important because they were a year or two older and thought that was the peak of their lives.

And it wasn’t as if they were particularly good at writing. Sure, there were a few promising talents, but for someone like Gu Yubin, who had aimed for someone like Gu Hak-jun since childhood, none of them were impressive.

Honestly…

They were not on her level.

“Sigh…”

The peers Gu Yubin encountered at university were focused on learning to write diligently, hoping to make their literary debut someday.

Gu Yubin had already debuted and swept up countless awards.

The seniors she met in her department, on the other hand, were resigned to the difficulty of becoming novelists and instead focused on getting good grades, stacking up credentials through double majors, and finding stable jobs to at least make money.

Gu Yubin’s mother was a semi-chaebol.

Level comparison complete.

University life… had become so dull that it made her want to die of boredom.

Naturally, her thoughts turned to Moon In.

The genius acknowledged by Gu Yubin.

How should she put it? Someone on a much higher level. A monster who existed far above her on the ladder of literature.

No one she met at university had deeper thoughts than Moon In, nor did they possess greater literary sophistication.

If she told others this, they’d think she was strange, but honestly, every time she saw Moon In, it felt like meeting an older mentor.

(That’s right.)

Indeed, the only person Gu Yubin could truly recognize as a ‘friend’ was still Moon In.

Not a ‘follower’ she could control and manipulate as she pleased, but someone with whom she could share an equal, meaningful relationship.

In truth, there had been times when she felt slightly intimidated by Moon In’s superior level and had experienced moments of inferiority. But now that she had succeeded as a novelist herself, she felt a newfound confidence.

She even felt like she was on a similar wavelength as Moon In now. Naturally, she felt a sense of camaraderie and mutual understanding.

Anyway… how much must Moon In have suffered from the mismatch with peers of his own age?

(He didn’t.)

He must have been unable to sleep properly, enduring the jealousy and gossip of those around him who lacked ability or effort.

(He slept just fine.)

Surely, Moon In must also need a peer on his level. Someone like herself. If she occasionally contacted him to discuss novels, he would certainly appreciate it.

(He wouldn’t.)

Gu Yubin internally concluded that university life was unnecessary and returned home. She had just begun to grow accustomed to being driven around by her chauffeur, so even stepping out of the car parked in the courtyard felt natural now.

And the moment she opened the front door and walked in, Gu Yubin realized that there was one less thing she needed to bother with: contacting Moon In.

Because Moon In was already at her house.

“Why are you adding romance to that? I seriously don’t get it…”

“It’s a necessary element.”

“Yuna, this isn’t your usual style. Why are you acting like there’s a flower garden in your head…?”

“Just do as I say. This time, you’re the student.”

When she saw the two of them, Gu Yubin dropped her bag with a thud.

The Moon In she had so admired…

Was learning literature from her younger sister.

* * *

“So, you’re saying you’re working on a new work?”

As she looked at the two of them nodding in unison, Gu Yubin’s emotions grew complicated. This was because Moon In, who must have been Gu Yu-na’s mentor, had somehow become her pupil instead.

And this completely clashed with Gu Yubin’s view of societal norms. Her view was rooted in universal and worldly values. According to those values, a writer who had been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize shouldn’t be taking lessons from a middle school third-grader amateur.

Such an arrangement undermined worldly hierarchies and, worse, demeaned the status of Moon In, the novelist Gu Yubin so admired.

She also questioned whether this reversed dynamic of teaching would yield any meaningful results.

“Well, let’s eat first. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Gu Hak-jun had yet to return home from university, and Min Chae-won, as always, was away on an overseas business trip. Acting as the temporary host of the household, Gu Yubin ordered a meal from a nearby steak restaurant to serve her guests. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to cook, but by now, she could afford such luxuries even out of her own pocket.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“You really spent some money, unnie.”

Gu Yubin listened to Gu Yuna’s twisted expression of gratitude with one ear and let it flow out the other, carefully choosing her words in the meantime.

She maintained a moderately social tone, easing the atmosphere with casual conversation, and at the right moment, she injected her question.

“How on earth did it come to this, with Yuna teaching literature…?”

“You wouldn’t get it, unnie, even if I told you.”

Neither the questioner, Gu Yubin, nor the respondent, Moon In, paid any attention to Gu Yuna’s local-broadcast-style commentary.

As one grows accustomed to Gu Yuna as a person, or rather, as an existence, the people who survive around her naturally learn to ignore her words when necessary.

After all, when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you…

Thus, Moon In provided Gu Yubin with a precise and detailed explanation of the current situation.

“Yuna says that the way I write is completely messed up. She says I need to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch.”

“…?”

A question mark visibly popped up above Gu Yubin’s head. She glanced at Gu Yuna, who nodded confidently as if to say that was absolutely correct. Her younger sister seemed crazier than usual today.

It was odd enough for Gu Yuna to spout such nonsense so boldly, but it was just as strange for Moon In to accept it so naturally.

If Gu Yuna started saying weird things, the natural response should be to ignore her and move on, so why was Moon In taking it all seriously?

Gu Yubin’s brain, which had earned her a perfect 4.3 GPA in her first semester (out of a maximum of 4.3), completely froze. For the record, yes, it was a flawless 4.3.

Meanwhile, Gu Yuna, whose brain contents no one could ever hope to decipher, casually munched on her meat and dropped another bombshell.

“I told you, you wouldn’t get it.”

The moment Gu Yubin heard those words, she finally snapped out of her Gestaltzerfall-induced confusion.

A severe sense of crisis, one where she feared her intelligence might actually be inferior to her sister’s, had jolted her back to reality. If that were true, she would indeed be a disqualified human being.

Thus, Gu Yubin decided to refute the proposition that Moon In could learn literature from Gu Yuna. If she failed to do so, her ego might collapse, and she would be consumed by madness.

“…Isn’t this ridiculous?”

“What is?”

“You teaching Moon In, Yu-na.”

Gu Yubin gave an awkward smile. It was a calculated smile, a socially acceptable mask of friendliness.

“I mean… isn’t there a significant gap in skill levels?”

“Huh?”

“Well, Moon In, you’re a very famous novelist, and Yuna, you’re still at an age where you’re learning the basics of literature… haha.”

Gu Yubin left out the part where she wanted to say, This meaningless activity is no more than a glorified game of make-believe, and smoothed things over with a light laugh.

But in that small laugh was contained all the meaning she wished to convey. Such was the skill of an expert well-versed in people-poking conversations.

But regardless of right or wrong, no answer was needed.

Gu Yuna’s ‘power’ wasn’t in her words, it was in her fists.

Gu Yuna, in response to her sister’s ambiguous question, decided to offer the most definitive answer possible. That answer came in the form of the rib she held tightly in her hand.

Thankfully, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen, the rib flying through the air, striking Gu Yubin’s forehead, and Gu Yuna standing over her fallen sister, coldly muttering, Looks like you forgot how I handle things…

Had that occurred, Gu Yubin would have shivered uncontrollably, recalling the seven-year-old version of Gu Yuna, a child destined to embody heavenly wrath and untamed madness, reviving her traumatic memories in full force.

The person who prevented all of this catastrophe was, of course, the Gu Yuna trainer, Moon In. Moon In grabbed Gu Yuna’s wrist, which was clutching the rib, and barely managed to stop her.

“Stop! Ssup…! You can’t hit your sister!”

“Just once… let me hit her just once…”

“You won’t stop at just once!”

After narrowly restraining Gu Yuna, Moon In turned to Gu Yubin and gave a more measured response to her concerns.

Having escaped upstairs to avoid Gu Yuna’s wrath thanks to her years of experience, Gu Yubin cautiously returned to the dining table on the first floor, carefully gauging her younger sister’s mood.

Of course, her legs were ready to dash back to her room at any moment, but trusting Moon In, who had Gu Yuna pinned to the dining table with her arm twisted, Gu Yubin cautiously approached.

Moon In handed a stack of manuscript paper to Gu Yubin.

It was his response to her suspicion that <Gu Yuna cannot possibly teach Moon In>.

“This is something Yuna wrote. Take a look.”

“N-Now’s not really the time…”

“I’ll hold her off. Go to your room, lock the door, and read it. Hurry!”

“Thank you…!”

After receiving the manuscript from Moon In, Gu Yubin bolted to her room and locked the door.

As soon as the door locked, there was a loud thud followed by the sound of fingernails scraping against the door. However, having grown accustomed to living with Gu Yuna, Gu Yubin, like a seasoned zombie apocalypse survivor, ignored the noise and focused on the task at hand.

Time passed, how much, she wasn’t sure.

“……”

After finishing every page of Gu Yuna’s writing, Gu Yubin flung open the door.

Even though quite some time had passed, Gu Yu-na, who had been lying in ambush beside the door, tried to execute the Soul-Scattering Iron Claw on Gu Yubin’s side, but stopped abruptly at the following words.

“You. When did you start writing this?”

Gu Yuna immediately detected the acknowledgment in her sister’s words. She withdrew her murderous intent and casually dusted off her collar. With an indifferent tone, she replied.

“Took me a few months, I guess.”

“Exactly how many months?”

“Dunno. Probably less than half a year?”

Having abandoned her primary objective, ‘Assassinate Gu Yubin’, Gu Yuna marched off to the dining table on the first floor to pursue her secondary objective, ‘Nutrient Absorption’.

Left alone in the hallway, Gu Yubin watched her sister’s retreating back and let out a hollow laugh.

The stack of manuscript papers slipped from her limp fingers and fell to the floor with a soft thud.

“…Am I…”

Could it be that I’m less talented than my sister…?

*****

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