Novelist Running Through Time

TL: KSD

I learned about Gu Yubin's acceptance into a prestigious university in the Popular Culture and Arts Research Club room.

Anyway, that Popular Something Club has been quite useful.

Originally, it was a hastily formed club for bullied Gu Yuna, but now it has become an indispensable space in Baekhak Arts Middle School life.

Especially in winter, when you lie on the couch with the heater turned up, you naturally fall asleep.

I was half-awake, using a blanket as a quilt, when Gu Yuna quietly approached me.

"What are you doing?"

"Just lying down because I'm sleepy."

"Get up. I'm bored."

Oops. If Miss Gu Yuna is bored, I must get up. Rubbing my eyes, I gathered the blanket and sat up.

Gu Yuna gently sat in the empty spot on the sofa that was created when I got up.

I asked with a puzzled expression.

"Weren't you studying with Hyo-min?"

"Got tired of it."

"She wouldn't have let you go……."

Knowing Min Hyo-min's personality, she wouldn't have let her favorite doll escape.

When I asked that, Gu Yuna pointed somewhere with her finger.

Min Hyo-min was lying on the floor, clutching her side and trembling.

It seemed she had fallen victim to Gu Yuna's lethal move.

While Min Hyo-min, foaming at the mouth, was trying to calm her twisted eight meridians, Min Hyo-chan was comforting her. But seeing how he naturally pickpocketed her wallet in the process, they really are biological siblings.

"Hmm……. I guess it was about time for her to get hit by Yuna."

I lightly caught Gu Yuna's finger, which was coming sharply towards my side.

No need to even look. I've already fully understood Gu Yuna's fighting patterns.

Using the skill of 'softness overcomes hardness', I gently twisted Gu Yuna's elbow and then released it.

Then, Gu Yuna made a small 'tsk' sound and settled down.

See, why does the world call such a gentle child violent?

It's really incomprehensible.

"Hmmm……."

As I absentmindedly observed Gu Yuna, her face seemed to fleetingly resemble someone I know.

Yes. It was the face of the current Gu Yubin.

Although I was accustomed to the mature appearance of Gu Yuna right after returning to the past, now this youthful appearance seemed more familiar.

How does this little child grow up like that, really…….

Thinking that, I suddenly remembered Gu Yubin.

Recently, while writing Isomer, I've been visiting Yuna's house often, and every time, she was holed up in her room writing.

She had given up on the college entrance exam.

Worried that she might not be able to go to a prestigious university like before, I carefully asked Gu Yuna about it, and the answer was quite surprising.

"Unnie? She's not taking the college exam?"

"What?! Is she not planning on going to college at all?"

"No. She have already been accepted."

"……?"

EP 8–Dark Adaptation

Gu Yubin, who had closed the door to concentrate on writing walking the path of the Asura, actually broke that 'closure' quite often.

Since she had to go to school every day, she had to come out of her room, come out for dinner, sometimes come out to sneak chocolates from the fridge when she craved sweets, and come out to use Gu Yuna as a cuddle doll when she missed her, she came out of her room.

The most important fact here is that Gu Yubin continued to attend school.

And she only studied at school.

It could be called a 'fake madness' distinguishing her from a certain mentally deranged Moon, who would skip school all the time claiming to be writing.

"This, this, what in the world……!"

Moon In was furious upon hearing the news.

If one has become a writer, one should dedicate one's life to writing honorably. How could one resort to such corrupt sorcery?

Diligently and steadily managing school grades without private education, focusing only on textbooks……. Just hearing it made him feel disoriented.

Does college put food on the table? Do novels put food on the table?

Of course, college feeds you better than writing, but still, shouldn't a novelist have a hungry spirit!

"This is sorcery!"

Gu Yubin literally resorted for the "early admission" instead of the regular college entrance exam.

It's a type of admission based on school grades rather than the standardized test scores.

And if you think about it, Gu Yubin threw away only the third-year high school exams but carried out the rest of the school life diligently.

Thus, Gu Yubin easily passed the first round with her school grades, eloquence, appearance, social skills, and award records, and succeeded in having the minimum required score for the college entrance exam, eventually getting into a prestigious university.

"Oh my gosh……."

After hearing the whole story from Gu Yuna, Moon In was now more terrified than angry.

"A monster……!"

Gu Yubin is not human.

A human can't repeat a year-long routine of studying at school, writing at home, going to bed early, and waking up early.

That's closer to a monster or a machine mimicking a human. Even in the meantime, Gu Yubin consistently worked out!

Moon In asked in a trembling voice.

"Y-Yuna…… could you tell me again?"

Gu Yuna recited Gu Yubin's daily routine once more.

"Wake up at 6 AM. Jog to school at 7. Study at school. Jog back home. Shower and first writing session. Dinner and second writing session. Sleep at midnight."

Moon In couldn't even scream in horror.

He lost consciousness because it far exceeded the limit of fear that the human brain could accept.

But Moon In, in some sense, is also slightly beyond a normal human. If there's a math demon in science, there's a literature demon in humanities.

And Moon In, who likes literature and has experienced death once, was a true literature demon. Unlike fake ones claiming to be demons with a red devil theme, he was genuine.

Therefore, Moon In revived lightly with a single word from Gu Yuna.

"Oh, unnie has also finished her novel."

"You should have said that first!"

* * *

What happened in the past, or the future timeline, that should be called a previous life is still confusing. But most things happen again unless prevented.

Of course, the flow sometimes changed, like how Author Eisaku Siedehara failed to win the Booker International Prize, but most events followed the natural order.

Therefore, the appearance of a black limousine in front of Gu Hak-jun's house around this time was also in the natural order.

Min Chae-won's business began to expand in earnest, and money started flowing abundantly.

"You have a driver now?"

"Yeah. We got a chauffeur. Mom wants me to ride it to school, but it feels too nouveau riche."

"It means your mother is that excited too."

"……Is that so?"

Anyway, that wasn't the important thing right now.

We had something urgent to check, so we hurried our steps.

Min Chae-won greeted us at the entrance, but honestly, I hardly noticed her.

"Oh my, In-seop, you came to visit again? Shall I give you a ride home in the limousine-"

"No, it's okay. Hello. Excuse us."

"Mom. The entrance is narrow, so please step aside a bit."

"Okay……"

Leaving behind a slightly sullen-looking Mrs. Min Chae-won, we hurried to Gu Yubin's room.

No, to be precise, I hurried to Gu Yubin's room, and Gu Yuna followed me expressionlessly.

Since I roughly knew the layout of the house, I quickly reached Gu Yubin's door and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock. The door opened.

"Yuna, what brings you to knock- Eek!"

For a moment, it seemed like I saw Gu Yubin in a yellow furry character pajama.

But as always, the flow of time is mysterious, and that reality was manipulated under everyone's tacit agreement.

The hastily closed door reopened shortly after, as if nothing had happened.

Gu Yubin, in a sophisticated casual outfit, calmly greeted us.

"Oh? In-seop, you're here? What's up?"

"I came to congratulate you for finishing your student years safely."

"Really? Thanks! Come on in, guys."

I chose a chair and sat down in Gu Yubin's room, which was larger than the four-person room at the New Light Spring Orphanage.

On the opposite side of the room, I saw Gu Yubin holding Gu Yuna's tiny head like a sandwich.

"Yuna…? Why didn't you tell me we had guests coming…?"

"Oh, right."

Gu Yubin made Gu Yuna stand facing the wall. Since her sister told her to, Gu Yuna just stood there facing the wall. She probably didn't even realize that this was supposed to be a punishment.

Since she would eventually move around as she pleased once she got bored, as usual, I stopped worrying about Gu Yuna and focused on my conversation with Gu Yubin.

"Anyway, it's really impressive that you managed to achieve such good exam results despite focusing on writing all year."

"Haha, why are you being so flattering?"

Unlike a biological weapon like Gu Yuna, we were civilized people, so we exchanged friendly pleasantries before getting to the main topic.

However, the looks we exchanged were cold, as neither of us had the purpose of socializing.

In that subtle chill, we both realized that our greetings were insincere.

The important thing to us wasn't the college entrance exam scores.

Confirming that common understanding, I brought up the main topic.

"If possible… could I take a look at your novel?"

As soon as I spoke, the temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly.

It wasn't the chill of a cold mood, but the sharp coolness created by an ice-like tension. Just like a college entrance exam room…

"…I was just about to ask you to take a look at my novel, so this is perfect."

Gu Yubin did not back down.

She handed me the novel she had written over the past year.

It wasn't a manuscript she had handwritten. It was a bound book that had clearly gone through a printing press. A manuscript made to show someone.

The moment I received the manuscript, I froze for a moment.

And then, without realizing it, I smiled faintly.

The title was all too familiar.

「Student Serial Killer」

* * *

I read this book around my second year of high school. It was promoted as a controversial new work by the genius novelist Gu Yubin, who was famous both as a writer and a celebrity at the time.

It depicted the tense story within the delicate triangular structure of a teacher, who is both a protector and an oppressor, a student, who is both a rebel and a ward, and a parent, who can oppress both. The novel was praised for highlighting the realities of Korean education from a humanistic perspective.

But beyond all that, it was just insanely interesting.

I remember staying up all night reading it.

Gu Yubin interpreted the unique organization of a school with such an excellent writing style, and she vividly depicted the process of all the contradictions and tensions within it giving rise to a serial killer.

I won't deny that I, who had had some bitter experiences in school, found vicarious satisfaction in identifying with the protagonist who carried out a series of refreshing murders.

But now I could view the novel from a slightly different perspective.

Because back then, I read it as an admiring reader of Gu Yubin, but now I was reading it as an equal writer.

Reading the text not as a consumer but as a producer, I first thought that Gu Yubin was a very smart writer.

This novel represents everyone.

Which means it doesn't create enemies.

Students, teachers, parents…

All of them have their own circumstances, their own hardships, and their own mix of good and evil.

This resemblance to reality made the main storyline of the protagonist carrying out seemingly comical yet brutal serial murders blend in so well.

In other words, it combined realism, entertainment, and social criticism.

These three elements were all exceptionally well contained in the novel.

This couldn't be a mere coincidence. Everything from the beginning to the end of the novel was within Gu Yubin's calculations.

Writing a piece that garners critical acclaim while also not losing the fun… I had to acknowledge that Gu Yubin was a full-fledged professional novelist.

However, a question arose.

How was Gu Yubin able to write the novel 「Student Serial Killer」 in two different timelines?

Of course, the novel I read now isn't exactly the same as the one I read back then. There were slight changes, and even the protagonist's gender was different.

But the core of the story was the same.

From this, I could infer one fact: Gu Yubin had been conceptualizing this story for a very long time.

"It seems like a novel you've been planning for a very long time."

Gu Yubin was astonished.

"How did you know?!"

"I have my ways."

As expected.

In that case, the success of this novel wouldn't differ much from the past.

I smiled contentedly and assured Gu Yubin.

"This will definitely sell well."

"Oh…"

"It's that good of a story. I can guarantee it."

At that, Gu Yubin then froze.

I could imagine the efforts of the past year flashing through her mind.

As a novelist myself, I knew how lonely and painful that journey could be.

So, I pretended not to notice when she lowered her head and hid her face with her hair.

"…Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I have no interest in watching someone cry.

I coolly stood up, taking the clingy Gu Yuna with me as she asked, 'Is unnie crying?'

But, despite my attempt to be cool, my expectations were grandly off the mark.

It was because Gu Yubin's novel did far better than I had anticipated.

*****

😊