Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 2



Only Krnovel

EP 1 – Cause of death

Prisoner, Moon In-seop.

Sentence, death penalty.

Execution method, lymph node cancer.

This is how I read the hospital diagnosis:

Lymph node cancer, which occurred at the age of 22, was closer to a ‘sentence’ than a ‘diagnosis’.

It felt like some gigantic, transcendent being was pointing at me and saying, ‘Your fate is determined.’

It’s not the first time I’ve felt that way.

Like when I realized that the kind woman who took great care of me as a child was not my mother but a daycare teacher.

When I found out that my parents, who I thought were dead, were getting divorced and that neither of them had claimed custody of me.

Like when I heard from the parents of the girl I loved, ‘You don’t fit in with our family.’

etc.

In this way, this world often throws unbearable trials at weak people like me.

“Life is…”

With that in mind, I returned to the LH rental house with a hospital diagnosis.

If there is one good thing about growing up in an orphanage, it is that it is advantageous for applying for youth rental housing.

The bad thing is that I was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer at the age of 22 and came home with no one to hug me.

“······I’m home.”

The house was quiet and dark as always.

Tick, I pressed the switch.

The house became brighter but still quiet.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that the well-lit house somehow felt dark. I don’t know if it’s because it’s night, because it’s winter, or because I have cancer.

I try talking to myself to chase away the silence.

“···iced coffee. life. life.”

As always, to save on heating costs, I draped a blanket over my shoulder instead of turning on the boiler.

And as always, I sat down in front of the manuscript to express my painful feelings through writing.

It’s an old habit of mine. Whenever the world bothers me, I calmly write down my feelings.

Then, that sadness escapes from my mind and settles down as refined language in the manuscript.

That’s how I got over my sadness.

But today, I can’t write anything.

Why?

The answer came quickly.

Now, it seems like the sadness in my heart has built up so much that I can’t express it in words.

The moment I realized that, tears suddenly flowed.

Tuk. Tuk.

I thought as I saw the tears falling down on the manuscript.

“What crime did I commit to end up like this?”

* * *

“What is the introduction to the novel like?”

“why? “What’s wrong?”

“It doesn’t match the trends these days at all.”

Baekseol, a new employee of Baekhak Entertainment’s Publication Management TF Team, put down the manuscript and poured out harsh criticism.

Perhaps because she is the eldest daughter of the group chairman’s younger brother’s second son, her words were a bit harsh on the topic of new employees.

“Even if you publish a novel that goes into the ground from the beginning, who will read it? Hing… My situation is so pitiful. “Most of these novels are Osamu Dazai knockoffs.”

On the other hand, Team Leader Lim Yang-wook leisurely picked up the manuscript she had discarded.

Then, he patted his smooth scalp with a handkerchief and wiped it away, smiling wryly.

“Well… I like this novel?”

“You can tell without even looking. Even though I have cancer, I reflect on my existence and past and face death with confidence… something like that? “It’s not a bad thing, but it’s a very common topic.”

“no. “Commit suicide.”

“yes?”

“But right before I commit suicide, I think about this. “I think the reason I committed suicide was not because I had cancer, but because of the bad guys who discriminated against me because I was an orphan.”

“Uh… um…”

“The reason I choose death instead of finding the courage to fight cancer is because I no longer have the will to live, and it seems like it’s not my fault that I lost the will to live, but the people who tormented me.”

“······.”

“So, I went out with a kitchen knife to seek revenge on a few enemies that immediately came to mind, and it happened to be Christmas Eve, and local evangelists were singing carols.”

“······So?”

“After hearing that carol, I don’t know exactly what caused it, but I thought it wasn’t right, so I quietly committed suicide. “That is the ending of this novel.”

“······.”

Baek Seol was silent for a long time.