Novelist Running Through Time
Chapter 172

TL: KSD

In recent years, the South Korean publishing industry has undergone significant changes.

The industry, which had been plunging endlessly underground as if unaware of Hades’ terror, miraculously rebounded. The graphs formed a V-shape, and industry professionals proudly struck V-poses with their fingers.

The driving force behind this transformation was unmistakable.

The novelist, Moon In…

-or rather, the one who unearthed him, Lim Yang-wook.

At least, that was how industry professionals saw it.

Art belongs to the realm of the author, but business is the domain of the editor. While Moon In may have produced masterpieces, it was Lim Yang-wook who revitalized the industry. This was a fact acknowledged by both fans and critics alike.

Thus, given that Lim Yang-wook had once been buried in an underground parking lot only to rise again in a dazzling resurrection that saved the industry, he should have long since been elevated to the status of a second coming of Christ.

But reality was grim. In both the literary world and the publishing industry, Lim Yang-wook was still regarded as either a heretical blasphemer or a deceitful rogue monk.

This wasn’t solely because of his legendary controversy of simultaneously purchasing sixteen literary awards, effectively making all literary magazines nationwide suffer a crushing defeat. (Though that was partly true.)

The decisive reason why Lim Yang-wook was treated as an practitioner dabbling in devious dark arts was…

…because Lim Yang-wook actually practiced sinister dark arts.

-It’s dark arts! That bastard is using dark arts!

Dark arts is a deviation from the righteous path. It is neither proper nor upright—it is devious. And there was, undeniably, a touch of the devious in Lim Yang-wook’s business model.

What exactly is “publishing management”?

To put it simply, it is the transformation of authors into celebrities.

Since the industry was on the brink of collapse due to people’s declining interest in books, the idea was to turn authors into celebrities, cultivate a fandom, and sell books through that fandom, a business strategy.

The importance of such “aggressive business expansion” is evident if one considers a certain girl group that became school idols to save their school from shutting down.

However, there was one fundamental problem with this approach.

If “authors” become “celebrities”…

Then “novels” become “merchandise”.

People no longer buy books for the literature within them; they buy them simply because they were written by an author they like.

This isn’t illegal, but when publishing companies actively encourage it, it becomes an issue. Because in that process, literature dies, leaving only the merchandise behind.

In other words, in the name of survival, “artworks” were being degraded into “souvenirs”. No wonder people called it dark arts.

Thus, the loudest critics of Lim Yang-wook were neither those who envied nor sought to suppress him but rather those who were genuinely concerned about the survival of South Korean literature.

-Baekhak Publishing’s recent moves have gone one step beyond the American-style agency model. They now aim to mass-produce authors like an entertainment company manufacturing idols…

-A chaebol conglomerate with market dominance featuring its own affiliated authors on its own broadcasting channels and publishing through its own subsidiaries is less an example of creative management and more an act of ‘domination’ through capital. In that sense, the South Korean literary world is currently under ‘invasion’…

Such criticisms that can be roughly summarized as ‘the way of the martial world has fallen to the ground’ didn’t resonate much with the general public.

However, for those who firmly believed in preserving the purity of South Korean literature, who valued the “literary world” of artists over the “publishing industry” of businessmen, and who had enough experience to understand what a chaebol conglomerate was capable of when it truly set its mind to something…

These arguments were highly persuasive.

And the South Korean literary world was a closed-off web, intricately woven together by the deep networks of these veteran figures.

As long as Lim Yang-wook continued his black magic of sacrificing “artistic value” to summon “commercial success”, and as long as Baekhak Publishing, a corporate giant, kept expanding its “publishing management” business to exert even greater influence over individual authors…

Lim Yang-wook would never gain recognition from those dedicated to preserving the independence of the South Korean literary world.

But if one were to flip that statement around,

It also meant that in the U.S., where such concerns over literary independence were nonexistent…

None of this mattered in the slightest.

EP 10 – Starry Sky

In a country where anyone can self-publish a book simply by signing up for an online shopping site, criticism like “If authors rely on fandom marketing, the overall artistic quality of the industry may decline” is as nonsensical.

You could also call it dogs grazing on grass.

Capitalism thrives on abundance.

The more money, the better. The bigger the industry, the better. The greater the popularity, the better.

Concerns over the excessive de-authority of novelists only hold weight in places like South Korea, where writers have historically held significant political influence.

Therefore, Lim Yang-wook’s business strategy of leveraging fandom marketing, the pinnacle of 21st-century cultural commerce, worked exceptionally well in the U.S. After all, even politicians there engage in fandom marketing, so that says it all.

In fact, witnessing the unexpected success in the U.S. even led some veteran figures in South Korea to change their minds. As Confucius once said, “Show and prove.”

– For the literature of [Korea] to rise and challenge the great nation… Am I dreaming? I can close my eyes with no regrets now!

– Lim Yang-wook…! How could that heretical devil achieve such a feat…!

– Is that so…? The back waters of the Yangtze, no, the Han River are pushing forward the front waters……

Fundamentally, South Koreans have a tendency to feel good when Korean content succeeds in the U.S. Don’t ask why. Explaining it would require starting from the Japanese occupation period.

Thus, within the grand scheme of Lim Yang-wook, Yohei Iwamoto, and Rachel Surface’s “card rotation” strategy, the most effective move was, in fact, boasting about their success in the U.S. to South Korea.

So, Lim Yang-wook pushed even harder with aggressive promotions, and even Collins Press, astonished by how effective fandom marketing turned out to be, poured in money like mad, seizing the moment.

However…

Just as there were problems that arose because they were in South Korea, there were also problems that arose because they were in the U.S.

And the root of that trouble was this

Aggressive business are…

‘Aggressive.’

* * *

The Lim Yang-wook–Yohei Iwamoto–Rachel Surface alliance was effectively an alliance between Baekhak Publishing, Kyosensha, and Collins Press. With the combined strength of these three companies, they formed a Triad.

Among this fearsome Triad, the biggest thug was Collins Press. However, that didn’t necessarily mean Collins Press held more power than the other two.

The reason for that lay in territory.

Baekhak Publishing was essentially a nationwide mafia that monopolized the South Korean publishing industry. Kyosensha, while not technically the sole ruling yakuza syndicate of Japan, had its two main competitors absorbed under a single conglomerate, the Hitokawa Group. So, while it appeared to be a three-way battle, in reality, they were all under the same umbrella.

Unlike these national-level gangsters, who effectively controlled entire countries as their exclusive turf, Collins Press was, unfortunately, just a California-based gang.

Of course, since the U.S. is a land flowing with milk and honey, even that was enough for Collins Press to far exceed Baekhak Publishing and Kyosensha in market capitalization. However, from a political standpoint, this put them at a significant disadvantage.

That disadvantage was the presence of competitors.

Unlike Baekhak Publishing and Kyosensha, who could monopolize all opportunities and resources in their respective countries, Collins Press could not do the same.

One only needs to look at web novels to understand the implications of this power dynamic. A story with one regressor is completely different from a story with multiple regressors.

The mere possibility of another player interfering is a huge problem.

And Collins Press had been far too brazen.

It wasn’t just Harper Simon, the CEO of Simon Publisher, who thought so.

“What the fuck (These fucking bastards have no goddamn business ethics…)”

Aggressive promotion is, by nature, aggressive. Meaning, someone ends up on the receiving end of that aggression.

In this case, Collins Press wasn’t just targeting Simon Publisher—they were practically attacking every competitor in the industry.

They were swallowing up an entire quarter’s worth of publishing industry headlines in ways never seen before!

“Holy shit (What the fuck are these bastards even doing? No, seriously, how the hell does it make sense for a fucking middle schooler to be a bestselling author? At least make your lies believable, you fucking pricks…)”

Harper Simon, feeling his insides rot, took out a cigarette and lit it up.

His Black secretary spoke up with concern.

“Sir, the situation is getting really serious…”

“……”

Watching the smoke slowly spread across the office ceiling, Harper Simon finally made up his mind. His eyes shone with resolve as he spoke.

“Ok (Alright. These fucking bastards need to be dealt with).”

* * *

War had broken out.

Led by Simon Publisher, the “Coalition of Companies Who Hate Collins Press” set out to prove that Collins Press wasn’t the only one who knew how to manipulate public opinion.

To sabotage Collins Press’s business, which relied heavily on social media to target younger generations, they brought a rather well-known (puppet) author onto a broadcast.

Then, without warning, they took a Chinese cleaver and hacked off its hand, declaring it should quit the business.

– As you all know, ‘A Starry Sky’ is a book that gained popularity not for its content but because its two authors are children. I’ve read it myself. But after finishing it, I had to ask—are those two kids really the authors? Here’s my reasoning…

Like most slander, if you stitch together half-truths and suspicions just right, you can make it sound plausible.

And in the end, whether the claims were true or not didn’t actually matter.

Because the public is always looking for someone they can attack just to relieve their boredom.

– I knew it. Another scam?

– These ugly Koreans scammed with cryptocurrency, then with superconductors, and now they’re scamming with novels too? How are they any different from the Chinks?

– I told you, it makes no sense for kids to be writing novels.

– Holy shit, we need to save these poor kids from those bastards. Why are Koreans so obsessed with exploiting children? Look at K-pop—it’s the same! Instead of playing outside, they lock them up and force them to practice all day…

– Why did they even let Kim Jong-un’s spies into the country in the first place?

– ?

Once the mob starts throwing stones, the reason for the attack stops mattering.

People who don’t want to admit they were wrong will keep fanning the flames of criticism no matter what.

Thus, no matter how much Collins Press tried to explain itself, it couldn’t fully erase the wave of backlash.

After all, hate is a much more entertaining emotion than tolerance.

– The Booker Prize selection process has already verified everything. Moon In wasn’t some suspicious newcomer—he had been an established novelist in Korea for years. These accusations are not only baseless but also seem deliberately malicious…

– Boo! Lies!

As the controversy over “Are those kids really the actual authors?” spread like wildfire, the Triad convened in secret.

Well, not literally. Plane tickets aren’t something you can casually buy on a salaried employee’s paycheck, so they met through a video conference.

Through the monitor screen, Lim Yang-wook looked at Yohei Iwamoto and Rachel Surface and made a firm declaration.

“We’re activating Contingency Plan C.”

Lim Yang-wook wasn’t an idiot. Neither was Yohei Iwamoto, nor Rachel Surface. They had already anticipated this scenario.

Rachel Surface, in particular, had predicted with absolute accuracy that if Collins Press started doing too well, Simon Publisher would be the first to lose its mind over it.

After all, they were both part of the Big Five publishing houses in the English-speaking world.

– Simon Publisher is based in New York. Now, you might think, ‘In an era where books are sold online, does location really matter?’ But while money and books may not be bound by geography, people are. And in the U.S., the center of power is the East Coast, with New York at its heart. Which means, when it comes to manpower, Simon Publisher has the upper hand.

“Still, we can’t back down now. Let’s proceed with the plan.”

– Phew… this is nerve-wracking.

Logically speaking, if you say, “A child wrote this novel! Amazing, right?” the natural response would be, “Really?”

That much was predictable.

What they couldn’t predict in advance was whether that “Really?” would be asked with genuine curiosity or outright skepticism.

And right now, a considerable faction had taken the stance of, “Cut the bullshit, you scam artists!” and was spewing pure rage.

Faced with this, Lim Yang-wook chose the strongest and most aggressive countermeasure they had prepared in advance.

A counterattack.

* * *

Rachel Surface of Collins Press took charge of the frontlines as a field commander, while Lim Yang-wook accompanied the authors, responding to situations in real-time.

And on the other side of the Pacific, Yohei Iwamoto… cheered them on with all his heart.

Through this intense collaboration, Lim Yang-wook amplified the scale of the controversy, positioning Moon In and Gu Yu-na as innocent victims being subjected to malicious attacks.

Since they really were innocent, it wasn’t exactly a difficult task.

Meanwhile, Rachel Surface worked to find critical evidence proving that Simon Publisher had orchestrated the smear campaign. At the same time, she prepared for a decisive counterattack.

Naturally, that counterattack would be proving that Moon In and Gu Yu-na were indeed the real authors of ‘A Starry Sky’.

And the most effective way to dispel doubts? A credible endorsement.

To achieve this, Collins Press brought in a heavyweight figure.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Jamie Schneider. Just call me Jamie. Oh, have you kids ever heard my name before?”

Jamie Schneider.

A TV show host, entertainer, film actor, voice actor, and journalist—essentially, a face that most Americans would recognize and immediately associate with his name.

But to the two kids from across the Pacific?

Just some guy.

Seeing the two children shaking their heads, Jamie Schneider shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant, thinking he should become more famous.

“Alright, then. Let’s get started with the interview.”

Collins Press did not put Moon In and Gu Yu-na on Jamie Schneider’s Live TV show.

Rachel Surface knew that Moon In had the mouth of a devil. And she wasn’t the kind of person to stake her business on coincidence and improvisation.

Thus, their interview with Jamie Schneider was a pre-recorded session, allowing for post-production editing.

Standing in a corner of the set with her arms crossed, Rachel Surface gnawed on her nails but couldn’t suppress a grin.

‘Good… Everything is perfectly set.’

In truth, Collins Press hadn’t arranged for Jamie Schneider.

Rachel Surface had called in a personal favor.

Which meant that, to make this interview happen, she had incurred a significant, invisible debt—and if it failed, that debt would become a complete loss.

Thus, the level of preparation matched the immense pressure Rachel Surface was under.

She had drilled it into Lim Yang-wook, Moon In, and Gu Yu-na not to act unpredictably and had painstakingly coordinated the interview questions with Jamie Schneider in advance.

The hardest part?

Convincing Jamie Schneider that these kids were truly the authors and that he wasn’t being used in a fraud.

Since that had been successfully accomplished, all that was left was to let him do his job.

“Phew…”

Just in case, she had even replaced the interpreter with someone she had personally bought off, rather than Baek Seol.

Rachel Surface let out a quiet sigh of relief.

However.

There were two things she had failed to account for.

First, after watching this long, drawn-out war in the publishing industry, Gu Yu-na’s madness had reached its breaking point.

Second, Gu Yu-na could speak English.

– Why aren’t we talking about the novel itself?

Gu Yu-na’s fluent English cut through the air.

And at that moment,

Rachel Surface lost control of the situation.

**

TL Note: Neotarx 666 loved reading your review on NovelUpdates. As for the current schedule, I am posting regularly every other day.

*****

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