Chapter 59: Star Within Me

After signing a publication contract for ‘You Are the Star Within Me’ with Mideum Publishing, production began.

In the genre fiction world, I had been working under the special pen name ‘Unreal Oppa,’ but this time, I decided to use my real name for the contract.

The reason for using my real name was simple. This novel wasn’t a made-up story. Every sentence was truly my heart, a record of the life I had walked, and a work containing my feelings for my younger sibling.

I hadn’t expected Mideum to offer an 11% royalty rate, but with such favorable terms, I felt a surge of positive energy and was able to start anew.

In the spring of 2002, as I began my third year of high school, the hectic new semester brought me a string of special gifts. Starting with my own contract, even Daesik finally completed his target manuscript and debuted as a comic artist with the help of Pantheon Publishing.

The president of the publishing house even said, ‘This is really fun! You brought out the parts that were missing from the original and made them shine,’ predicting our success.

Thanks to that, Daesik became even busier, and the studio was filled with the constant sound of turning pages and alarms counting down to deadlines.

Meanwhile, at school, career counseling sessions began.

A counseling schedule was posted on the third-year classroom wall, and today was my turn.

“Yoo Seunghyun. Come, have a seat.”

I sat in the chair across from the teacher’s desk, and the teacher pulled out a document.

My report card and school records were there too.

“Hmm, your Korean grades have been consistently good, and your social studies are decent too. Math is… hmm. Do you have any career plans in mind?”

The teacher asked me about my career path.

“Yes. I want to be an investor.”

The teacher’s pen froze in midair.

His well-groomed eyebrows twitched.

“An investor?”

“Yes.”

“Why an investor?”

The teacher looked at me with a puzzled expression. It wasn’t the sort of answer you expected from an ordinary high school student, and he seemed quite bewildered.

“In a capitalist society, I thought there’s nothing as attractive as being an investor.”

My original dream is to be a writer, but when I got counseling in middle school, the teacher’s reaction wasn’t very positive, so I hid the fact that I was a writer and mentioned my side job as an investor.

“Seunghyun, do you know what being an investor is?”

“Yes, I know well. I’ve been studying investment consistently since middle school. I’m still doing it now. With my parents’ permission, I’ve even tried making direct investments.”

Mixing truth and lies just right, I convinced the teacher how serious I was about investing.

“My parents support my path as well, and they told me I don’t have to go to college.”

There’s not much for me to learn in college anyway. I’ve studied investing to exhaustion while writing, and I already possess more specialized knowledge than those who’ve just entered college to study investing.

On top of that, with knowledge of the future, there was no real need for further study.

The assets I owned now exceeded 40 billion won.

Starting with 30 million won and turning it into 4 billion in just a few years—who else could have done that?

I doubt even Warren Buffett managed such a feat.

“… Seunghyun, investing… is a really risky thing. I understand how you feel, but…”

As expected, the next words I’d been waiting for filled the counseling room. The teacher, just like any other adult, began to lecture me based solely on his own thoughts and the fact that he was older.

What adults say isn’t necessarily wrong, but that doesn’t make it the only answer.

That’s why, no matter what is said, one should never speak with absolute certainty.

However, the teacher, convinced that his view was right, kept bringing up college, insisting that I should go.

“Teacher, I respect your opinion. But I’ve already made my decision, and my parents have given their permission. As I see it, college is for those who truly want to go. Not for finding a job, or to join OT or MT, or because everyone goes, but for those who genuinely want to study and gain knowledge. If I, who have no interest in college, go anyway, it would only be a huge minus for me. It would just be a waste of time and money.”

“And if things go wrong as an investor? Then what? You need to graduate from college to have a safety net for your future.”

“I understand your concern, teacher. But I hope you won’t try to change the future I’ve chosen.”

I already had a profession and a strong financial background.

There was nothing that could be a real risk to me.

If any risk existed, it would be unwanted obstacles on the path I’ve chosen.

Like college.

I had no intention of wasting four years there.

“……”

The teacher’s lips clamped shut.

“So, I have no interest in taking the college entrance exam. I just hope you won’t use your own life experience and standards to block my decision. I’ve been steadily working toward the path I want for years now, and I’ve already achieved significant results.”

Recalling the steps I’d taken so far, I looked the teacher straight in the eye and delivered my sincere feelings.

“……”

The teacher, looking confused, said nothing.

“Teacher, sometimes the best counseling is respecting and supporting a student’s choices. I understand you’re worried about me, and I really appreciate that.”

Hoping the teacher wouldn’t be offended and wouldn’t try to steer me away from my path, I let my sincerity show.

“Mm, alright. Let’s finish the counseling here. You can go.”

In the end, the teacher said he wouldn’t push me anymore and concluded the session.

“When everyone studies the same things, chasing the same outcomes and common ground, life becomes nothing but copy and paste. Just because many people think the same way doesn’t mean it’s the answer.”

With a wish that our country’s education would change from being adult-centered to more student-centered and diverse, I returned to the classroom.

***

Around the time when the new freshmen, busy adjusting to school life in March, were settling in, ‘You Are the Star Within Me’ began appearing in major bookstores nationwide.

As part of a marketing strategy, the publisher placed the book in the most eye-catching spot at the front of the stores. The cover, sparkling like stars embroidered across the night sky, caught the attention of passersby.

[I said to my younger sibling: I am the universe that creates the world you’ll live in, and you are the star that shines within me.]

People paused as they walked by, picked up the book, and read the introduction on the back cover.

“These lines are so good.”

“I wish my older brother were like this. Such an unreal Oppa.”

“It makes me miss my little sibling I usually find annoying.”

Some thought of their own siblings, while others wondered what it would be like if the brother in the book were their real brother, envying the younger sibling inside the story.

“The introduction’s nice, but the author’s Yoo Seunghyun… never heard of them. Should I expect much?”

People hesitated over the unfamiliar author’s name.

“Wow, this book feels really warm. Didn’t expect much, but it draws you in right away.”

Then, a voice from somewhere caught everyone’s attention.

There, a high school student in uniform, whose roundness suited him, tore open the packaging and exclaimed in amazement as he checked the contents.

“It’s really immersive? Alright, I’ll trust you and buy it.”

Those who’d been debating whether to buy it trusted the boy’s words and moved to the checkout.

And so, ‘You Are the Star Within Me’ was recommended by word of mouth, planting a star in people’s hearts.

─ I was reading the book, not thinking much, but suddenly tears welled up in my eyes. Tears were falling, but I caught myself smiling.

Just from reading the contents, it was clear this was a novel based on the author’s own story.

It was a wonderful time to feel just how much the author loves, cherishes, and thinks of his younger sibling.

It made me think again about family and reflect on whether I’m doing well myself.

Rather than trying to teach or persuade anyone, this book is full of sincerity from the author, and I think that’s one of its biggest strengths.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

─ ‘You Are the Star Within Me’ wasn’t just another coming-of-age story. For some, it brought back forgotten memories of family; for others, it taught them to cherish the family still beside them.

The readers’ responses gradually spread online—to major bookstore communities, book blogs, and even recommendation corners of independent bookstores.

‘You Are the Star Within Me’ became a major topic among people.

Review posts filled with heartfelt emotion promoted ‘You Are the Star Within Me.’

Pictures of the book’s cover began popping up one by one.

─ This book is already sold outㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ.

A post like that appeared, fanning the flames of curiosity even more.

What kind of book could it be to sell out so quickly?

‘You Are the Star Within Me’ became a book everyone desperately sought after, while the star bloomed in bookstores and seeped into the hearts of its readers.

***

Not long after ‘You Are the Star Within Me’ hit bookstores, I received some news.

[Congratulations, author! All 3,000 copies have sold out, and a reprint of another 3,000 copies has been decided.]

A short email from Mideum Publishing became the trigger that unleashed all my emotions.

“What did I tell you! I said your book was good! I told you it would be a hit! Waaaaaah!”

Daesik, upon seeing the email, cheered louder than I did and grabbed me, jumping up and down.

Overwhelmed with joy, he shouted non-stop, unable even to catch his breath.

“Hey, calm down. The building’s going to collapse at this rate.”

“So what if it does? Yi Seong-gye collapsed a building in a dream and became king. You can do the same! Listen to your readers—become the king of writers!”

With Daesik’s ridiculous wordplay that didn’t lose for even a moment, I was left speechless.

“Sigh, what am I going to do with you. And… Daesik. I told you not to make a scene in bookstores. It was so embarrassing, I wanted to hide.”

It was just a short while ago. After buying ‘You Are the Star Within Me’ at a large bookstore, Daesik tore open the packaging right in the middle of the store and said out loud for all to hear:

【Wow, this book feels really warm. Didn’t expect much, but it draws you in right away.】

Embarrassed, I tried to pretend I didn’t know Daesik and kept my distance as much as possible.

Thanks to him, we gained a few readers, but it was not an experience I wanted to repeat.

“Hey, Seunghyun. Come here and look at this.”

After checking internet posts several times, Daesik suddenly got serious and called me over with a stern face.

“What is it, why so serious all of a sudden?”

Perplexed by his sudden grave expression, I checked the article Daesik was reading.

[Outselling the target work: ‘You Are the Star Within Me’ selected as This Month’s Bestseller.]

“Congrats, you punk!!”

Kyahaha.

Inside was astonishing news.

For a while, I just stared at the words on the screen.