Chapter 1

Genius Author

#1. Back to the Slums (1)

'The most talented at this moment.'

'The author who is making waves in today’s era.'

'A genius novelist reaching out to the world.'

'The writer who breathes life into words.'

These were all titles bestowed upon 'Yu Saebiok.'

- Mr. Yu, could you give us a hint about your next work?

- Of course. My next work will be...

Snap!

A man turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the sofa.

He was Yu Saebiok, the same person who was sitting in a soft-looking chair on TV, discussing his work with a reporter.

"..."

He turned off the TV and slowly stood up.

He walked through the luxurious living room and stopped in the middle of a dark corridor in front of a display cabinet.

Various trophies were displayed without a speck of dust.

Yu Saebiok sighed deeply as he looked at the numerous trophies.

"...So tiring."

Yu Saebiok's successful life had lifted him from the slums to a penthouse in the heart of Seoul.

However, he was now in his early forties, 41 years old.

'Lonely.'

He had gradually become overwhelmed by a deep sense of loneliness.

He had been obsessed with success, chasing it relentlessly, making choices and sacrifices at every turn.

He had always been alone, and that was why.

'Well, it's the path I chose, so I have no complaints.'

Today, the only thing that could comfort his loneliness was a solitary drink.

Yu Saebiok picked up his phone to check his messages, but among the many notifications, there was no sign of the contact he was hoping for.

"Not yet."

He had younger siblings he had lost touch with since childhood.

He remembered their names clearly.

'...Nara, Hee-chan, and Dal.'

They were the source of his recent feelings of powerlessness, guilt, and pain.

Only after achieving success did he realize what he had left behind. There, he found the family he had abandoned.

Saebiok wiped his dry face.

I was told this detective agency is very good at finding people, but it seems they are useless.

'I need to contact a few more places, I guess.'

Just as Yu Saebiok muttered and put down his phone, the phone rang.

Ring!

The sound of the phone breaking the silence.

He quickly answered it, knowing it must be from the detective agency.

"Hello?"

-We have located all the people you asked us to find, Mr. Yu Saebiok.

"Really, you found them?"

His heart sank and then raced.

Can I meet them now? Ask for forgiveness, and start over...

-Oh, um...

But there was hesitation in the voice on the other end of the line.

Yu Saebiok's lips went dry with a sudden sense of dread.

-It's something you should hear in person. Are you available tomorrow?

***

The next day.

Yu Saebiok stumbled down the stairs of the detective agency.

"..."

Though he said nothing, his expression was filled with despair.

He rubbed his aching forehead.

-You may not believe it, but all three are currently listed as deceased.

-What?

-They are listed as deceased. Were they the siblings you were looking for...?

He flipped the documents over in disbelief.

But their expressions did not change.

-Are you kidding me? What is this...! Did you do your investigation properly? Hey?!

Knowing how hard it was to accept, the detective agency staff tried to reassure him. In his frustration, he tore up all the documents before realizing this was reality.

Yu Saebiok shuffled through the torn pieces of paper scattered on the floor.

-Hee-chan passed away 15 years ago. He committed suicide due to financial difficulties.

-That's... that's not possible...

-Nara and Dal died in a gas explosion. They were living on welfare... and had no contact with Hee-chan.

The news that his scattered siblings were all gone.

Before he even reached the bottom of the stairs, Yu Saebiok stumbled and collapsed.

"..."

What's the point?

What's the point of such a successful life?

'I lived wrong.'

When he was young, he thought success was important.

He believed life had no meaning without success.

'So I abandoned everyone.'

Now he realized it was his biggest mistake.

"Dal... Hee-chan, Nara..."

His voice and thoughts could not reach those who were already gone.

Yu Saebiok, unable to stay sober, bought alcohol from a convenience store and drank his way home.

He heard the murmur of people, but it didn't bother him.

'I was wrong. Completely wrong.'

All he could see was deep despair and regret.

***

That night, the headache from drinking felt like his head was being split open.

Yu Saebiok lay sprawled on the sofa, not even trying to ease the pain.

"..."

He stared at the ceiling, slowly blinking.

He wanted to sleep forever. The feeling of being alone was unbearable.

'They're dead.'

All three?

Yu Saebiok took another drink.

He was now in a daze.

-Where are you going, brother?

Hee-chan's voice echoed in his mind.

'Yeah... back then.'

He didn't want to make excuses, but at the time, it seemed inevitable.

When their parents passed away, he was just a high school senior. He had three younger siblings to take care of.

So he worked hard.

In the cherry blossom season of March, Yu Saebiok took off his school uniform. He dropped out of school and focused on part-time jobs to support his siblings.

But there were limits.

One day, a voice whispered in his head.

'You need to run away.'

'Fuck, are you going to live like this forever?'

'Yeah. Abandon them, run away.'

The fear he had suppressed exploded that night.

Yu Saebiok left home in the dead of night.

'Leaving his siblings behind.'

He felt he couldn't handle it all.

He put on his sneakers and rushed to the door when Hee-chan, who had woken up, called out to him from the living room.

-Where are you going, brother?

That voice is so dear now.

"I was wrong... I was wrong..."

Yu Saebiok muttered.

His voice was hoarse from the alcohol and tears.

'If I had been a better person, I wouldn't have made that choice.'

He clenched his fists.

'If I could go back.'

If he could go back!

'I wouldn't abandon my siblings again.'

With that thought, he lost consciousness.

His body and mind spun, guiding him to the depths of a dark abyss, a place where his remaining bleak life awaited.

***

"Where are you going, brother?"

It was Hee-chan's voice.

'A dream?'

But it was a voice he missed so much. Yu Saebiok turned around.

"!!!"

It was his younger self.

The small house, the dirty shoe rack. The place where they used to live together.

'...A dream.'

Even in a dream, the overwhelming regret and sadness flooded him.

Hee-chan, in his pajamas, spoke.

"Where are you going, brother?"

"..."

The voice was clear.

Yu Saebiok doubted his ears.

'This is too real to be a dream...'

All his senses were too vivid.

It was a scene he often wrote in his stories. A dramatic moment in a drama, novel, or movie where impossible luck shines on the protagonist.

"Hee-chan!"

Hee-chan's voice rang out.

Yu Saebiok's pupils dilated. This was real. Whatever it was, it was real.

Dreams and reality were not something he could confuse.

"Hee-chan...!"

"..."

"Hee-chan-!!!"

Tears streamed down the young Saebiok's face.

He threw the shoes he had secretly put on and the bag he was carrying, and reached out to hug his brother.

"Brother, I can't breathe..."

He caressed Hee-chan's round head with trembling hands.

Hee-chan, true to his quiet and calm nature, remained in Saebiok's embrace.

'You're alive.'

Hee-chan's embrace was warm.

Why, why did he try to run away from this embrace in the past?

Saebiok's shoulders shook.

'I can start over.'

Whatever it was, he had a chance.

A chance to set things right. Now he could say:

"Brother's not going anywhere."

Determined to correct the mistakes of his past, he shook his head vigorously. Hee-chan nodded quietly.

"Okay."

Saebiok suddenly burst into tears.

The sound caught the attention of the youngest, Dal, who appeared in front of the shoe rack in her pajamas.

"Uh, brother?"

"Dal!!!"

As the youngest was pulled by Saebiok, the second oldest, Nara, who seemed to have been up all night and stressed, rushed out of the room.

"Brother...? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong."

Nara was shocked as Saebiok shook his head.

"What? Brother, are you crying?"

"No. I'm not crying...!"

He wiped his tears, but they kept flowing.

In the past, he would have been annoyed at showing such a vulnerable side to his siblings, but now he didn't care.

'I can start over.'

That fact gave him immense determination.

***

The next morning at the breakfast table.

"Brother, how much did you cry last night?"

"No, not much."

"..."

Nara glanced at Saebiok's puffy eyes and then lowered her head.

Saebiok picked up his spoon. Yes, this moment, sitting around the small table and eating together.

'I missed this.'

It was annoying back then, but not now.

"People are so fickle..."

Saebiok muttered, shaking his head again. Nara and Hee-chan exchanged glances.

'Why is brother acting like this?'

'I don't know. It's weird.'

They started eating, picking at their food.

'...Oh.'

Now he understood why they were picking at their food. Saebiok looked at the table.

'There's nothing substantial for growing kids to eat.'

Just dried seaweed, eggs, and young radish kimchi.

Having lived a wealthy life, Saebiok's appetite was also affected.

'First, I need to feed them and send them to school.'

Then, I'll think about what to do next.

Saebiok smiled at Nara and Hee-chan.

"Hurry up and eat, then go to school."

A smile from the eldest that they hadn't seen in a long time.

Nara and Hee-chan felt a bit awkward.

***

After sending Nara and Hee-chan to school, Dal started whining.

After coaxing her and feeding her, it was already 11 AM.

"Dal, do you want to go out with brother?"

"Walk! Walk!"

He vaguely remembered that Dal liked to hold his hand and walk around the neighborhood.

'Dal used to sing well too.'

It was early autumn, and the weather was getting cooler. After dressing Dal carefully, he opened the metal gate and stepped outside.

'It's been a while since I've been in this neighborhood.'

Now that he was back, how should he live? First, he needed to earn money...

'To change tonight's dinner, a short-term part-time job would be best. Maybe delivery work.'

How long did he walk with Dal? As they left the slums, they came to a children's safety zone, an elementary school, and a street with rental apartments.

"Wow, a yellow bus!"

"Yellow bus?"

Saebiok followed Dal's finger.

"Yellow bus, huh?"

He saw children getting on a kindergarten bus, holding their mothers' hands.

'Dal was five at this time.'

Seeing Dal's sparkling eyes, Saebiok stopped and held her hand tightly.

Don't think about the immediate future.

'Why think about the immediate future?'

Knowing the future and coming back to the past, he now had the power to see further ahead.

So he needed to look further ahead.

Further ahead, to a way to earn a lot of money at once and escape this poverty together.

'There's only one way.'

Saebiok turned on his phone to check the year and date.

'2018...'

Perfect.

He had written various things in the past. Movie and drama scripts, literature, and fantasy. And...

'Web novels.'

The fastest way to stand out and earn money through writing.

Saebiok lifted Dal.

"Dal, I'll send you to kindergarten too."

Starting with web novels would work.

A confident smile appeared on Saebiok's face. The warm morning sunlight shone on Saebiok and Dal's backs as they walked through the slums.

Oh.