Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 164

Unfinished Manuscript (2)

* * *

The Book of Jushin.

In the past, there was a great empire called Jushin, which prospered alone and enjoyed absolute wealth and glory.

Its scale was truly enormous, with endless territories stretching from the land of frost giants in the north to just before the great forest in the south.

However, at some point, the empire began to decline due to invading foreign forces.

The emperor suffered from madness, the nobles were blinded by desire, and those with swords plundered the helpless commoners.

And there, a wanderer set foot.

A dark cloak… a tattered cloak, and a dark sword at his side.

This is the initial setup of ‘The Book of Jushin.’

The great empire of Jushin in the scenario isn’t just another version of Joseon [Korean dynasty], but uniquely depicted as a land where East and West are mixed.

The emperor’s family has had blonde hair for generations. In other bloodlines, peculiarities appeared in hair color, such as white or red hair, and the sheer scale of the work overwhelmed the reader.

Centered around the protagonist, the ‘Wanderer,’ the mad emperor and princess, numerous nobles and ministers, and uniquely characterized supporting characters come alive in the grand drama.

If the previously filmed ‘God’ was an action-packed spectacle moving through cities around the world, this story is truly a grand fantasy epic.

“The Book of Jushin? The title sounds familiar…”

Yoonbal25 muttered while looking through the novel. Gun asked a fellow writer in the industry.

“Does the title ring a bell?”

“It sounds familiar. It’s so old that I’m a bit hazy, but I definitely remember seeing it a long time ago.”

“The ending is missing, though.”

“Pardon?”

Gun took out the last page of ‘The Book of Jushin’ and handed it over.

“I don’t know if it’s a novel or a synopsis, but the version I received didn’t have an ending.”

There were so many scenarios received from Yong Ryu-baek, and the volume of ‘The Book of Jushin’ itself was so long that he had only finished reading it this morning at dawn.

It was a short while later that Yoonbal25, who was searching for something on his phone, shouted.

“Ah, this!”

“What did you find, Writer?”

“I know this work. It’s a book that was published when I was young, but I know that the writer suddenly went into hiding midway, got a lot of flak, and it was discontinued.”

“I knew it… it was a published work!”

Park Sun also turned on his tablet PC and hurriedly started searching. Wrinkles formed on Yoonbal25’s forehead.

“…But why is this in manuscript form? Only a few volumes came out, and why is the volume so large?”

Silence fell because no one knew. Did the writer have health problems, or did they stop writing for some reason?

Title: When will The Book of Jushin be republished, damn it

Content: It’s not a typical mass-produced work ㅇㅇ The fantasy setting, scale, and character design were all amazing ㅡㅡ The writer ran away.

The material Park Sun found wasn’t much different from Yoonbal25’s memory.

Already 6 or 7 years ago, community posts were mainly about when the 6th volume of ‘The Book of Jushin’ would come out, or whether the writer was dead.

Yoonbal25, who was reading through the content, exclaimed.

“Since the books were coming out when I was in elementary school… wow, it’s been almost twenty years already. If it were our market, they would have been cursed and buried, but they wrote the story so well that there are still people looking for it.”

Gun looked down again at the cover that read ‘The Book of Jushin.’ The color was a bit faded, and the paper looked old, but it didn’t look like it was twenty years old.

Why would Yong Ryu-baek hand over such a novel, even a work that had been half-adapted into a scenario?

Park Sun, who had been deep in thought, offered an opinion.

“Well, shouldn’t we think that there’s a reason he gave it to us? It’s not a novel, but a scenario. Actually, maybe Writer Yong wrote The Book of Jushin himself…”

Yoonbal25 shook his head.

“That’s not likely. Yong-ong [affectionate nickname for Yong Ryu-baek] doesn’t write things like this, and he’s never stopped writing a work midway. His style is to finish whatever he starts.”

“Then it’s someone he knows, but I’m really curious. Hyung [older brother/male friend], you were more interested in this than the other works, right?”

“Yeah, there’s no need to look at the rest. We have to do this for the next project.”

When he first opened The Book of Jushin, a clear breeze swept down his spine.

Even though there were no cameras or other equipment in front of him, the old atmosphere came back just by reading the script.

Yoonbal25, who heard Gun’s words, also agreed.

“If Hyung says that much, then we have to do it even if we have to turn the publishing house upside down. That… the lightning rod that tingles when you see a great work has reacted again.”

“It’s not quite a lightning rod.”

“Hey, everyone who knows, knows. You said that you can tell just by looking at the script once whether it will fail or succeed.”

‘And you said that about my novel too.’ Yoonbal25 ended the conversation with self-praise, grinning.

‘…So, is that why he asked me to choose a work?’

These days, fellow actors were somehow bringing scripts to him, and it seemed that the story from when he was going to auditions had been distorted and spread.

Gun got up from his seat.

“I’ll go make a phone call for a moment.”

*

Yong Ryu-baek answered the phone quickly.

When he told the whole story, starting with ‘The Book of Jushin,’ the novelist let out a deep sigh as if he expected it.

-As expected, it’s that friend’s work. I included it with a hopeful heart, but I wonder if I did something unnecessary.

“Do you know the writer?”

-He was a junior [younger colleague/student] I was once close to. We met in a department club, and he was already writing his own book from that time. I still remember when he brought the manuscript, asking if I could take a look, saying he would make something amazing.

Yong Ryu-baek paused for a moment. The sound of small birds chirping could be heard faintly from across the phone, as if he were out in the main hall.

-He was a guy with tremendous talent as a writer. Of course, he had techniques that didn’t quite match his age, but the grandeur of the narrative was on a completely different level. It was the first time I was overwhelmed after reading an amateur’s writing that hadn’t even been published.

“I heard it was discontinued midway.”

-That’s right. There was a dispute with the publisher, and I know that it continued into a legal battle for several years.

With another sigh, Yong Ryu-baek told the following story.

Immediately after its publication, ‘The Book of Jushin’ didn’t enjoy great popularity.

Nevertheless, the publisher’s representative, who recognized its potential, set dozens of malicious clauses, and finally, when the novel was about to see the light, a problem erupted.

“No, how can that be? You should have joined the writers’ union and grabbed them by the collar to fight, but if you just put up with it, you won’t get anywhere!”

Yoonbal25, who had been listening with bated breath next to him, burst into anger.

Perhaps hearing the noise, Yong Ryu-baek continued in a bitter tone.

-At that time, things like writers’ rights and malicious clauses of publishers were not well known. It was already decades ago… it happened around the first generation of fantasy novels.

“You haven’t met him recently, have you?”

-No, it’s been quite a while since we lost contact. I heard from him a few times, but it’s been a long time since I met him directly.

Having heard Yong Ryu-baek’s story, the publishing world of the past seemed to be similar to the entertainment industry.

Chaining them up when their stock is not high and pulling them in when they are successful. It would have been even more so in the days when there were no protection laws for artists.

Gun asked the most important question.

“I heard that the novel is the original, but most of the Jushin manuscript has been changed to a scenario. Perhaps where you obtained this from…”

-Ah, I didn’t tell you that.

Yong Ryu-baek coughed a few times and replied.

-It must have been a few years ago. A quick delivery came to the publishing house I run, with no sender. Inside was that scenario and a letter.

“What did it say?”

-It just said sorry.

Silence flowed for a while. Park Sun and Yoonbal25, who were listening together next to him, and Yong Ryu-baek on the other side of the receiver, were silent.

‘There is hope. Since he is turning his novel into a scenario, there is a high probability that he has a sense of debt for the unfinished work.’

Gun thought for a moment. A promising novelist finally sees the light, but the malicious contract he made without knowing it grabs his ankle.

Eventually, he reaches a state where he can no longer write, and after disappearing, decades pass.

And watching the dazzlingly developed CG industry and OTT [Over-The-Top media service] market, he turns the unfinished manuscript into a scenario and sends it to his old senior and first reader…

“Hasn’t another manuscript come since then? The scenario didn’t have an ending either.”

-No. That was the end of it. However, I thought that talent was too precious, and it seemed to be the best fit for the work that the actor was looking for, so I couldn’t help but give it to you.

“I felt that way too. The role recommendation is probably the protagonist.”

-That’s right. I don’t know if he will appear, but if it is completed, a script will be born that will surely stand shoulder to shoulder with the great masters. Assuming that actor Park Gun takes on the role of the Wanderer.

With Yong Ryu-baek’s confident voice, the untimely journey to the past was concluded.

Before hanging up, Yong Ryu-baek passed on some essential information.

-His name is Kang Young-il, his pen name is 01. He graduated from the Department of Creative Writing at Gunseong University, and I know that he published a few short stories under a different pen name even after he stopped writing.

“I understand.”

-It’s presumptuous to say this, but… please take good care of him. If the actor hears the news that he is looking for his work, he may contact you.

It was quite a pitiful story, but the reaction of a fellow writer in the industry was cold. Yoonbal25, who had been frowning from the middle of the story, threw out a remark.

“He’s a useless human being, that human.”

“Pardon?”

“No, that’s right. A writer should take responsibility for their own novel. He doesn’t want to publish the book again, but he has the mind to turn it into a scenario and poke his senior? Doesn’t he have a bit of conscience?”

Park Sun asked cautiously.

“…Writer, you seem to have enjoyed The Book of Jushin too.”

“I cried while reading it. But I just hate writers who run away while writing. Novels, webtoons, everything.”

Yoonbal25, who had been smacking his lips, turned to this side.

“So, what are you going to do, Hyung?”

Gun answered simply.

“I have to find him.”

“You don’t even know if the work is finished?”

“Time doesn’t matter. I’m used to waiting.”

Yoonbal25, who glanced at him sideways, sighed deeply.

“That expression is out again.”

“You can’t stop our Hyung when he’s like that. You know that too, Writer.”

“Kang Young-il or Kang Nang-kong is in big trouble now, really.”

*

Roman Entertainment headquarters.

Inside the PR office, which he had visited after a long time, Team Leader Gongi-hyung had an expression that was somehow filled with emotion.

“I’m experiencing something like this after living for so long. An actor finds an unfinished manuscript left by an unfortunate writer… yeah, that’s romance.”

“I don’t know about romance, but the scenario was no joke, though? I only saw the beginning, but I thought it was an OTT blockbuster.”

A female employee in the PR office chimed in next to him. Before coming to the company, she had faxed a part of ‘The Book of Jushin’ in advance, so it seemed that she had skimmed through it once.

Gun briefed the information he had prepared.

“Still, there are some traces. I’ve contacted the publishing house that he used to work as an editor until a few years ago. Although the exchange has stopped now, if we investigate again from there…”

He stopped talking there and tilted his head. The eyes of Team Leader Gong and the PR team employees who were looking at him were strange.

“Why are you doing that?”

Team Leader Gong scratched his chin as if he was amused.

“Well, Actor Park. You don’t have to use such a cumbersome method. We can deploy people, but that’s when we really go to the end.”

“Then how…”

“How else? He’s the son of Cannes [referring to Gun’s fame and influence].”

A mischievous light appeared on the face of PR Team Leader Gongi-hyung.

“To match the level, we have to hand out flyers.”

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