Chapter 10: The Genius’s Secret

“I completely understand. Even I’m often surprised when I look at my son.”

It wasn’t just empty words. Father truly was often surprised.  

The reactions of the others were only natural.  

“No way, I never thought your son would be a writer.”  
“That’s quite a revelation…”

At those words, Father burst out laughing heartily.  

He nodded vigorously, even cracking his knuckles.  

He was clearly savoring the moment.  

The praise from his son must have made him truly happy.  

“May I ask you a question, Writer? I’m really curious and can’t hold it in.”  

Taegwon Lee, at eighty years old, spoke with polite honorifics toward me.  

At that moment, all eyes in the room shifted to me.  

I realized why even those leaning toward Father’s side had been looking at me all along.  

I could understand that feeling; it wasn’t something hard to grasp.  

It made me feel quietly proud.  

It was indeed surprising enough to cause such reactions.  

“Please, feel comfortable.”  

I smiled softly and looked at Taegwon Lee.  

“May I ask when you started studying economics?”  

As expected, that was the question.  

It was natural to wonder—after all, I was just a middle school student.  

Even I thought it was extraordinary for someone my age to write novels about economics and finance.  

Others would be even more shocked.  

Of course, my knowledge was very superficial, but even at this age, that level was quite remarkable.  

“Haha, my son? Studying finance and economics? He doesn’t know about that stuff.”  

Father answered first.  

He had only just learned my pen name today.  

He hardly used a computer and had never read my writing himself.  

It was perfectly natural for him to say such things.  

I hesitated, wondering how to respond.  

*“It’s been about two years. I was visiting a friend’s house, and they had books on finance and economics, so I just flipped through them. They were interesting, so I started reading more from then on.”*  

One year was too short, and three years didn’t make sense given my age, so I said I’d studied for about two years.  

Of course, that was an unbelievable story, but it was the best answer I could give at the time.  

“Heh, adults find those topics difficult, yet you studied them? That’s truly impressive.”  

Taegwon Lee expressed pure admiration.  

On the other hand, Chief Oh Josen wore a quietly self-critical expression.  

Then.  

“W-What? You studied that stuff?”  

Father was just as surprised.  

For the first time, he realized what his son had been writing about.  

“Yes. The novel I’m currently writing is about economics, management, and finance. I wanted to try writing about it, so I’ve been studying a bit since then.”  

By this point, it was just a lie.  

But I had no choice.  

This was also the best answer I could give at the moment.  

Somehow, I had ended up playing the role of a genius.  

Father was speechless, his mouth unable to close.  

He had told me before to look at Korean history books, but I never even glanced at them.  

I wouldn’t even look at four-character idioms or English words.  

That I was holding an economics book was unimaginable.  

“So, you studied for two years and wrote like this?”  

I didn’t want to be misunderstood as a genius, but at this point, I couldn’t help it.  

Since I was back, to handle things smoothly going forward, having the reputation of a genius was far better than being ordinary.  

The room fell silent.  

Only my younger sibling sat quietly, moving their eyes around without understanding what was being said.  

“Oppa, is that really impressive?”  

Then, quietly into my ear, they whispered.  

“No, it’s not. Everyone knows that when they grow up.”  

I gently ruffled their hair and smiled softly.  

That eased the tension building in my chest.  

“I’d rather not talk about this anymore. It feels like I’m being interrogated. Let’s move on to the contract talk.”  

After a moment, breaking the tension, we moved on to the main topic.  

Anything beyond the contract was irrelevant.  

I didn’t want to drag this topic any further.  

I had nothing more to say, nor did I need to.  

“Ahem, sorry about that. Here is the contract.”  

Taegwon Lee, realizing his own mistake, shook off the awkwardness and placed the contract on the table.  

I picked it up and carefully read through it with Father.  

“It’s not much different from what I know.”  

It was basically similar to an e-book contract.  

Only the revenue share ratio and some conditions differed slightly.  

“Is the contract term fixed at five years?”  

Mother asked cautiously.  

“Yes, it is.”  

“The percentage is 6%, and the base print run is 5,000 copies per volume.”  

“That’s correct. Printing will be in units of 5,000 copies. We plan to publish volumes 1 and 2 together as a single print edition.”  

So, 10,000 copies would be printed, and after deducting the 3.3% withholding tax, the revenue would be about four million won.  

Hearing these details, my parents looked surprised once again.  

Though I had mentioned similar things a few days ago, hearing it directly from the person in charge made it feel much more real.  

“From now on, the plan is to publish one volume each month. So, I’m asking, how many manuscripts do you have saved?”  

The atmosphere became tense.  

I sensed expectation in their faces.  

“Not giving you everything, but I’ll tell you roughly.”  

Showing your abilities is good, but revealing everything is foolish.  

“I have about two and a half volumes ready.”  

By next month, two to three more volumes would be added, but no one knew how things would go from here.  

For now, keeping it to that amount was best.  

Taking advantage without revealing everything was how one survives in today’s world.  

“Since you’re still a student, can you really manage one volume per month?”  

“Yes, I can.”  

Publishing one volume per week was possible, but that was a secret.  

A writer’s business secrets are always kept confidential.  

“Haha, maybe I’ve just found a true gem. Please sign right here.”  

Taegwon Lee handed me a pen and pointed to the signature line on the contract.  

I carefully wrote my familiar name once again.  

“Yoo Seunghyun.”  

I cautiously inscribed the pen name I had used before onto the contract.  

“From now on, this office’s Chief Oh Josen will be your agent.”  

Taegwon Lee pointed to the man who had come with him.  

“Please take good care of each other.”  

Chief Oh Josen bowed his head and greeted us.  

“I also look forward to working with you.”  

And so, at the young age of sixteen, I signed a formal contract with trust and officially debuted as a writer.  

“Well, let’s eat. Let me know if anything’s lacking.”  

With the contract concluded, the heavy atmosphere lifted.  

Listening to the pleasant voice of Taegwon Lee, we began our meal.  

Bulgogi, japchae, pumpkin pancakes, vegetables...  

The table was abundantly filled with lovingly prepared dishes.  

“Dahye, eat a lot.”  

“Oppa, hehe.”  

Dahye smiled brightly as she spoke. She must have been delighted after waiting so long without eating.  

Still as cute and lovely as ever, my younger sibling was with me.  

Thus, we enjoyed a luxurious meal filled with laughter after a long time.  

***

“Phew, still a long way to go.”  

Having finished all the manuscripts up to volume two, maybe it was time to take a short break?  

“No, we can’t rest now. Especially at times like this, we need to work even harder.”  

Success isn’t a destination easily reached.  

Holding onto my resolve not to lose focus, I moved my hands again.  

Tap, tap, tap.  

The sound of the keyboard echoed without pause as Korean letters quickly filled the screen.  

‘’ The End  

At a monstrous speed, I finished today’s target amount.  

“Now, let’s really rest.”  

I stretched my neck once and headed to the living room.  

“Mom, where’s Dahye?”  

Stepping into the living room, I couldn’t see my younger sibling.  

I wondered if she was in the bathroom, but the light was off.  

The sun was setting slowly, the clock showing six in the evening.  

“Arin took a call and went out for a bit.”  

I heard Mother’s voice from the bedroom.  

“I’ll go pick Dahye up.”  

The evening street where I sat down.  

No matter how close the distance, night is a dangerous time for a young girl.  

Even just recalling 2023, incidents and accidents happened nonstop during the day.  

In 1999, it was no less dangerous, possibly worse.  

Kidnapping cases had recently been reported.  

“I’m going out now? That’s good. Seunghyun, can you buy some tofu on your way back?”  

Mother handed me a thousand-won bill with a teasing smile.  

“I’ll pay myself.”  

I was now someone who earned money.  

Soon, I was expected to earn more than Mother and Father.  

From now on, I wanted to be a help to my family.  

Finally, I had the ability to support my parents.  

*Tsk, you’re already planning to waste money just because you earned some? That’s my little joy. Don’t stop me, okay?*  

Mother teased as she pushed the bill back toward me.  

“I’ll take care of that joy of yours. I’m going now!”  

I smiled, returned the thousand won to Mother’s hand, and stepped outside.  

“When will you grow up like that?”  

I heard Mother’s voice down the street.  

***

When Seunghyun turned twenty-one, he was born in February 1985.  

Seunghyun was born small and weak.  

He often got sick and was raised on medicine daily.  

“This child will grow up well if the parents raise him properly.”  

One day at the temple, the head monk gave us his saju (four pillars of destiny).  

He said that the child’s physiognomy, palm lines, and saju all indicated he would grow up well if properly supported.  

*But be careful. Beware of water. Always.*  

The monk emphasized repeatedly.  

Always be cautious of water.  

But we ignored that warning.  

Eventually, he went missing, swept away in a mountain stream, nearly drowned after being carried by waves at the beach, and suffered a serious accident from falling off a bridge.  

Not only that, he even had a fractured pelvis from a traffic accident.  

Our son had to endure major accidents throughout his childhood.  

We lived day to day with anxious hearts.  

Then, he entered middle school and grew up healthy.  

And one day—  

“I want to become a novelist.”  

Long before others his age, he decided on his life’s path and began running toward his dream.  

And truly, he became a novelist.  

*Seunghyun,*  

Though both parents worked, life was tight.  

Raising two children and managing the household was never easy.  

Education expenses, living costs, house loans.  

Money flew out without a moment’s rest.  

Amidst it all, Seunghyun was overcoming his fate on his own.  

Sorry for not doing better, and thankful for growing up well, my son.  

[Seunghyun’s mother, let’s quietly watch how our son grows.]  

Even my angry husband changed after seeing how our son had transformed.  

He started listening little by little, and slowly reached out his hand.  

To family, to children.  

“...Sorry and thank you, son.”  

I felt sorry for not being able to care properly.  

My son tightly held onto a thousand-won bill.  

I earn money and live happily, Episode 10  
Dreams full of light