Novelist Running Through Time

Chapter 91

TL: KSD

People who arent interested in fishing might not know this, but there are various types of fishing rods.

In other words, by looking at the fishing rod, you can roughly guess where theyre going.

Are you going to the rocky shore?

Oh! How did you know!

Bae Seong-wons eyes sparkled. Perhaps because hes an actor, his expressions were exceptionally vivid. Ive often felt the same from Kim Byul; it must be an occupational hazard.

Anyway, its not just the fishing rods that have something to say. The hooks, spinning reels, sinkers, floats, and even the knots all clearly communicate where youre headed to fish.

Are you setting up for black porgy?

!

A meaningful exchange of glances continued between Bae Seong-won and me. We could each guess the extent of the others experience. A chuckle came out from both of us at the same time without knowing who started first.

This, this Having such a distinguished guest, I ought to show you something, right?

Bae Seong-won wiped under his nose and turned around without another word.

Follow me. Ill show you something good.

Uh-huh!

The determination in the back of the man spoke volumes.

Today, he will catch a porgy.

Although it was my first time meeting Bae Seong-won, his gear radiated sincere intent towards catching a porgy.

Believing in that sincerity, I followed behind Bae Seong-won.

What, whats this. What are you talking about.

Kim Byul, who had been flustered and bustling about, also followed us.

Today, her ignorance was just pitiful.

Would Kim Byul understand the desire cherished in the hearts of all fishermen towards catching a porgy?

If she didnt, no matter how keenly she observed the fishing, it would be only half a half-baked experience.

Poor Kim Byul, not knowing the elegance of a porgy

But its okay.

The moment she faces a porgy writhing like fierce waves upon reaching the surface, a precious flame will surely kindle in Kim Byuls heart as well.

Perhaps.

EP 6-The Show Must Go On

Damn, its strange today.

.

No, guys. Im usually really good at fishing.

Its a disaster.

Porgies and all, everythings gone to hell.

Bae Seong-won failed at fishing for a whole 5 hours. With two spectators in tow, only managing to catch minnows, the mans ambition to catch a porgy shrank pitifully.

Not only Bae Seong-won but also Kim Byul, who had been uncomfortably crouching on the rocky shore for 5 hours, was half out of her soul.

Her hair was disheveled by the sea breeze, and her eyes lacked focus. Her energy to fill the audio by chattering nonstop seems to have run out after 2 hours.

If even we, who were just quietly watching, became a mess like this, how much more would it have been for the staff holding heavy cameras? They put down the cameras long ago and ran away.

Anyway, appearing on a variety show only to screw up on the first day means the footage will naturally be entirely cut. Bae Seong-won blew not only the fish but also our screen time.

Realizing this, Bae Seong-won sweated profusely and laughed.

Uh guys? Maybe you should go back and rest?

.

I feel so bad

Kim Byul, who had been attempting to communicate with aliens with her glazed eyes, snapped back to reality upon hearing Bae Seong-wons troubled voice. Focus returned to her eyes.

Ah, no! It was fun! Fishing!

R-really?

It was an obviously flattering remark, but perhaps that was the consolation Bae Seong-won needed most at that moment. His complexion brightened slightly.

And that gentle heart was enough to move me slightly.

Ah well I tried my best to hide my true skills

Can I change the setup for a moment?

What?

I naturally took Bae Seong-wons fishing rod from him. At this point, its right to give up on the porgy or whatever.

Bae Seong-won, robbed of his fishing rod, and Kim Byul, startled by the sudden situation, stared at me blankly.

But my gaze was directed toward the vast horizon.

Unbeknownst to us, time had passed, and evening sunset was setting.

The rolling waves were shimmering with the crimson sunlight.

It was a landscape youd immediately want to capture in a painting, but we, tired from fishing, didnt even have a moment to take in the beautiful sunset.

And I was no exception.

Right now, the fishing was a disaster, so what did the sunset or anything else matter?

My finger pointed at the beautiful evening glow.

Look at that, everyone.

Ah, um Its beautiful.

The sun is setting.

?

Its about time for nocturnal fish to start their activities.

!!!

Its well-known that Sleeping Dragon Zhuge Liang, the brain of the Three Kingdoms Syndicate in ancient China, famously changed the direction of the wind during a battle against a rival using a form of magic.

But that was because he read astronomy and geography to predict the winds direction, not because he performed some special magic to make the wind blow.

Similarly, if one deeply understands timing and nature, one can perform seemingly magical feats.

So, what time is it now?

Its August.

And August is the season for mackerel.

The monsoon whirls into the sea, warm currents rush into the South Sea, the breeding season for mackerel begins, and if things go well, one can witness the miracle of catching as much fish as water.

Mackerel might be somewhat unfamiliar to Koreans, but in Japan, its popular enough to be called a national fish. Its delicious to eat as sashimi and also delicious grilled with salt.

But to be labeled popular, it has to be affordable.

And being affordable means its caught in large quantities. Naturally, its also abundantly caught in the Korean peninsula, next to Japan. Those whove dabbled in Animal Crossing would know.

In short, my judgment is that if we aim for a dramatic comeback, we need to target mackerel meticulously.

I immediately sprang into action.

Fortunately, the gear was not a problem. Krill is an effective bait for mackerel, and the No. 2 black porgy hook works for both mackerel and Japanese horse mackerel.

But there might be a better way.

Bae Actor~nim, do you have a sabiki rig?

Uh Oh? Yes, I do!

A sabiki rig is a line with multiple hooks. Its optimized for targeting mackerel that live in schools.

With nimble fingers, I threaded the head of a krill shrimp onto the sabiki rigs hook. Maybe it was because my hands were small, but the task was easy.

After swiftly changing the setup, its important to choose the right spot. Its not just about where to cast, but how deep you cast is also crucial.

Large mackerel live deep down, and smaller ones roam around a depth of 5 meters.

Since were aiming to catch several at once, I cast the rig relatively close to the surface.

Now, its up to the heavens.

.

.

.

How much time had passed? I didnt check my phone, so I cant say exactly, but a bite came around the time the evening sunset completely disappeared beyond the horizon.

Nows the time!

Ooh!

My strength was lacking, but it didnt matter. Fishing is done with the waist.

I pulled the fishing rod with a sleek technique.

What surfaced was

A small mackerel.

Just one?

Kim Byul seemed slightly disappointed, but Bae Seong-won and I looked at each other with eyes full of excitement.

Mackerel move in schools.

I smiled broadly and gripped a bunch of krill in my fist.

Then, I scattered the bait on the water surface.

The countless krill shrimps dispersed by the waves, slowly sinking.

Theres no need to wait anymore.

The fishing was already over. I passed the fishing rod to Bae Seong-won with a sense of relief.

A bite comes right away.

The fishing rod bent significantly more than when the single fish had bitten earlier.

Oh, oh! Here it comes!

Three mackerel, entangled in the sabiki rig, leaped above the water surface simultaneously.

Kim Byuls eyes widened in astonishment, and Bae Seong-won burst into laughter, shouting.

Its a big catch!

***

The fish are duplicating!

Alright, alright, I got it.

The fish are literally duplicating!

Ah, I get it, Seong-won hyung.

Bae Seong-wons testimony time didnt stop throughout the dinner. After all, fish duplication could be considered a traditional method of demonstrating supernatural powers.

We caught a total of 17 mackerel, and also brought back one each of kawahagi, false kelpfish, and dusky stingfish.

The rest was for the adults. Half of the mackerel became sashimi, and the other half was grilled with salt. The kawahagi, false kelpfish, and dusky stingfish went into the spicy stew.

Thanks to that, the dinner table atmosphere was almost festive.

The actress, trying mackerel sashimi for the first time, was so surprised that she shivered.

Is mackerel this delicious?!

Though we didnt drink, Bae Seong-won, excited as if he was drunk, approached the staff with a beautifully prepared plate of sashimi.

Director~nim! Would you like to try a piece?

The camera director with a bushy beard shyly nodded.

Bae Seong-won smiled brightly.

But I dont want to?

After teasing the camera director for a while, Bae Seong-won finally dipped a fresh piece of mackerel sashimi in soy sauce and fed it to him.

The members, who had been teased by the staff all afternoon, savored the special meal with a smug smile.

Yes! Staff members, enjoy your ham and instant rice~

Well eat the freshly caught mackerel that you cant eat in Seoul!

PD Park Young-tae eventually accepted the cruel reality that the mini-game for groceries was lost.

PD Park Young-tae, ending his denial, tried to negotiate shamelessly.

Uh, everyone?

Yes?

Dont you need rice to mix into the spicy stew?

We dont need it.

PD Park Young-tae and the <Peaceful Uninhabited Island> members bickered for a while before agreeing to exchange some of the sashimi and instant rice.

Of course, once the cameras were off, they didnt fuss too much and shared fairly. The staff got to taste a bit of the delicacy, and the members took as much instant rice and various side dishes as they wanted without measuring. After all, the chili powder and green onions used to make the spicy stew were provided by the staff. It wasnt such a strict variety show.

By the end of the meal, the spicy stew had thickened into a sort of porridge, and Kim Byul, though initially squeamish about its appearance, ended up enjoying it.

After dinner, the six cast members gathered in the yard to warm themselves by the fire and chat.

Today, I saw a mother squirrel and her baby in the mountains.

Ah, really?

So cute!

But for me, the mackerel was the cutest.

Ah, stop it, Seong-won hyung!

Hahaha!

When several celebrities gather, it naturally turns into a talk show.

But it wasnt a talk show that tries to extract humor by making someone laugh; it was a genuine conversation where everyone shared what happened during the day.

There was something about it

It had an old-fashioned charm and sincerity that you couldnt find on a set or in a studio variety show.

Perhaps it was all orchestrated by PD Park Young-tae.

Gathering six busy celebrities, throwing them into the countryside, making them sweat to prepare their own meals, and capturing the moments of laughter shared among colleagues on camera was an art

I sensed a certain aesthetics in this moment designed by PD Park Young-tae.

The art pursued by PD Park Young-tae as a variety show producer was not to be underestimated.

Even though she seems prickly on the outside, Kim sunbae is always looking for friends.

Hey! Moon In-seop! Stop it alreadyyy!

Everyone, please become friends with Kim sunbae

You, you, do you really want to die?!

Thus, as everyone loosened up, Kim Byuls privacy was slightly revealed, but it wasnt particularly noteworthy. It was a fact, after all.

And so, the days activities came to an end.

The sun had fully set, and at the time when the nocturnal birds began to cry, the production crew, leaving only the minimum necessary observation cameras, withdrew.

Now was personal time.

But then, a PD came to me alone and casually started a conversation.

He was the right-hand man of PD Park Young-tae, with whom I had a brief conversation during the day.

Excuse me, Author Moon? Do you perhaps need manuscript paper?

Ah.

In the dim night,

On a secluded island where the sound of mountain birds could be heard,

It seems they wanted to capture on camera the image of an author calmly writing on manuscript paper in the room.

But what can I do.

Im in a slump.

Im sorry.

Oh, no! Im the one who should be sorry for bothering you. Please, take your rest, Writer-nim!

Yes.

* * *

I couldnt fall asleep easily that night.

It wasnt because the bed was uncomfortable.

If were talking about discomfort, theres nothing more uncomfortable than the four-person room at New Light Spring Orphanage and that damn high school dormitory.

The reason I couldnt sleep was because of what happened earlier, when I refused the manuscript paper the PD offered.

Im not the type to stop writing because Im experiencing a slump. On the contrary, I often scribble something down to overcome the slump.

So, why did I refuse the manuscript paper just now?

Was I embarrassed to write in front of the camera?

That wasnt it.

I calmly introspected.

As a result, I realized a new truth.

I was in agony.

It wasnt the slump that was the problem.

Every time I realized that I was in a literary standstill due to the slump, I painfully felt the absence of someone who always clearly resolved my anguish.

I miss her biting criticism, her praise, her reviews, even her trivial greetingssomeone Ive tried to forget, someone Ive cut off.

But now I can never meet her again.

Gu Yu-na has already disappeared beyond the reach of time.

Its all the consequence of my choices.

Cutting off the relationship and running away, dying in agony after running away, drifting on the waves of time aimlesslyits all my karma.

Haah.

My chest feels so tight that I can hardly breathe. My heart feels heavy, as if sinking down to my navel.

Feeling like I couldnt endure it without putting some fresh air into my stifling chest, I carefully stepped outside the villa.

Passing through the yard where the sound of insects could be heard, I soon reached the sea.

I strolled along the beach, admiring the night sea with slow steps.

The black sea whispers and flutters with the sound of breathing.

Its a crescent moon.

The gentle moonlight twinkled and shimmered on the surface of the water.

It was so beautiful that I inadvertently walked into the sea.

The sea was not as cold as I thought.

The waves tickling my ankles were warmer than expected.

Was it said that the sea is cooler during the day and warms up at night?

But what comes to mind now is not the half-baked knowledge learned during science classes at school, but the warmth felt in the last moments of a past life.

Death was not as painful as I thought.

Life was more painful.

Yet, what keeps a person clinging to life is the thread of connections.

Once that thread is cut, a person plunges into the water.

And never rises to the surface again.

Perhaps, my death was because I had cut that thread with my own hands.

My reflection on the waves sways with the water.

It flutters, as if it could crumble at any moment.

I am still below the surface.

Everything I hold dear is beyond the reach of time.

No matter how much popularity I gain, I only feel resentment for being ignored in my past life; no matter how much money I make, it feels like it could all disappear suddenly, leaving me anxious.

In this life gained as a bonus, I never felt alive.

Everything seems like smoke that will disappear the moment someone, who has placed me in the palm of their hand, flicks their finger.

Even when I write to feel alive, the people around me are just a crowd that praises me simply because they find me young.

Everything I cherished is left behind, beyond the reach of time.

Then, what is this current life

Hey. Is it fun to play in the water by yourself?

Someones voice came from behind me.

Turning around, I saw Kim Byul standing on the beach.

Before I knew it, she had approached me, hands clasped behind her back, smirking playfully.

Under the gentle moonlight, she asked me.

Do you have something on your mind?

I slowly nodded my head.

*****

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