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ch 2# I Want to Go to an Arts High School
Late at night.
At the dining table of an ordinary household.
Glug, glug.
The sound of soju being poured echoed through the room.
The side dishes consisted of nothing more than a bag of chips from the convenience store and a bowl of instant ramen
they had just cooked.
A modest drinking table.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
The husband and wife, seated across from each other, clinked their soju glasses.
Then they downed them in one go.
The bitter taste of the liquor naturally drew out a satisfied sigh.
Slurp.
Crunch, crunch.
For a while, only the sounds of sipping ramen broth and chewing chips filled the silence.
Then—
“Honey.”
His wife, Lee Sukhee, spoke with difficulty.
“Our Yunseong... don't you think he's been acting strange lately?”
Jeong Juntae slowly rolled his soju glass between his fingers.
Then he nodded.
“Yeah. I've been thinking the same thing.”
The reason the couple was sharing drinks tonight...
Was their son, Jeong Yunseong.
Had he suddenly become delinquent?
Started rebelling because of puberty?
If it had been something like that, they would've tried talking to their son instead of talking to each other.
They wouldn't be drinking because of it.
The reason they found themselves sitting here with soju tonight...
Was because—
“Our Yunseong suddenly started writing.”
“...I noticed too.”
Their son had begun writing.
“You've never seen him like this before, have you?”
“Never. He's always liked reading books, but he's never written anything.”
Their son, Jeong Yunseong.
Ever since he was little, Yunseong had been incredibly introverted.
Whenever unfamiliar adults came over, he'd shyly hide behind his parents.
Whenever they checked on him during his alone time, they'd find him quietly reading a book without anyone telling him
to.
“Do you know how proud that made me?”
“Yeah. I really thought our Yunseong would grow up to become someone great... someone who'd lead this country.”
“They say kids who like books are rare these days.”
“When I hear other parents talk, all their kids do is watch videos online. First it's Baby Shark, then they become
obsessed with cartoons. But Yunseong only ever read books.”
Every parent is the same.
The moment their child is even slightly different from everyone else, they start wondering—
Could my child actually be a genius?
But as time passes...
They gradually accept that their child is perfectly ordinary.
And because they're ordinary...
They simply hope they'll study hard, get a good job, and live a life with fewer hardships.
Jeong Juntae and Lee Sukhee were no different.
At least until recently.
Until they discovered their son furiously pounding away at his keyboard.
“Yunseong suddenly changed. Now whenever he comes home, all he does is write.”
“I know. He used to hang out with friends and go to PC cafés sometimes.”
“Do you think something happened with his classmates?”
“I asked the school. They said everything's perfectly fine.”
“Then what is it? And the way he talks lately feels strange too. That quiet kid suddenly seems... wild.”
“He's not angry at us or anything. But one day I heard him grumbling in his room. When I checked on him, he was
muttering all kinds of strange things while writing.”
“Like what?”
“I couldn't hear clearly. Something about the Nobel Prize... Tolstoy... things like that.”
And it wasn't just a day or two.
It had continued for several weeks.
As parents, they couldn't help but worry after seeing such a sudden change.
But what worried them most was—
“Writing...”
“...Can someone even make a living writing these days?”
Their son's future.
Jeong Juntae worked as a delivery driver.
Lee Sukhee cleaned buildings before dawn.
They barely managed to make ends meet.
And now, during the critical first year of high school...
If their son wanted to become a writer...
Should they support his dream as parents?
Or stop him because reality was too harsh?
“If I were more capable, I wouldn't even have to worry about this.”
“Don't say that. You've worked hard all your life. If anything, it's my fault. I should've been born the youngest
daughter of a chaebol family.”
“That isn't something you can achieve through hard work.”
“Exactly. We were both just unlucky.”
It was the first time they'd ever seen their son devote himself so completely to something.
Of course they wanted to support him.
They wanted to help him.
But reality wasn't so kind.
That was why they had ended up drinking soju together late into the night.
“If only we knew he had talent... I'd want to trust him without hesitation.”
Jeong Juntae let out a deep sigh.
“Let's be honest. Have you ever actually written anything before?”
At Lee Sukhee's question, he shook his head.
“No. The only thing I've ever written was love letters back when we were dating.”
“I knew it. That's why your letters never really moved me.”
“What? As if yours were any better. You kept writing the same things every time.”
“One thing's certain. Neither of us passed down any talent for writing.”
Sigh...
The couple's sighs only grew heavier.
Then—
Creak.
The bedroom door opened.
Their son, Jeong Yunseong, walked into the dining room.
“O-Oh, son.”
“You're still awake?”
Both parents flinched as though they'd been caught at a crime scene.
“Yes. I've been writing.”
Yunseong calmly answered as he walked toward the table.
“What is it? Hungry? Want some ramen or chips?”
“You should get to bed early if you're going to school tomorrow.”
But...
Yunseong didn't even glance at the food.
As if he had no interest whatsoever.
“Mother. Father.”
Instead...
He spoke to them with an extremely polite and respectful voice.
“Please let me transfer to an arts high school.”
“A-An arts high school?”
“Yes. I want to attend the Creative Writing Department.”
The moment they heard those words...
Jeong Juntae and Lee Sukhee felt their heads spin.
“So our fears finally came true...!”
Their son had truly decided to become a writer.
No...
It was even worse than they had feared.
They had expected he might someday say he wanted to become an author.
But never had they imagined he'd suddenly ask to transfer to an arts high school.
“You've been doing well at your current school. Why do you suddenly want to go to an arts high school?”
Lee Sukhee asked as calmly as she could.
“I want to study creative writing. I looked into it, and they accept transfer students through an entrance exam.”
Hearing such a well-prepared answer only made them feel more hopeless.
They had heard arts high schools were incredibly expensive.
Surely only wealthy families could afford them.
There might be financial aid programs...
But the burden would still be enormous.
We can't exactly start talking about money in front of a child who's chasing his dream...
Before either parent could think of what to say—
“I'll take care of the tuition and living expenses myself.”
Those words came out of Yunseong's mouth.
“Yourself?”
“You mean you'll get a part-time job?”
How could someone his age possibly earn that much money?
Their worries only deepened.
“No.”
Yunseong firmly shook his head.
Then he said—
“I'm going to earn money by writing.”
His voice was completely calm.
Yet that answer only made both parents suppress a smile.
As if it were the innocent confidence of a child who knew nothing.
“Yunseong... making money from writing isn't easy.”
“That's right. Your writing has to be interesting and good enough that people are willing to pay for it.”
The arts world was like that.
People only ever saw the successful one percent.
So everyone believed they could easily make money too.
Without realizing...
What the other ninety-nine percent endured.
Their son's innocence about reality...
It was both adorable and heartbreaking.
Then—
“Please take a look at this.”
Yunseong held out his phone.
The couple squinted at the screen.
“What is this?”
“Returning After 500 Years: A BJ's Story... What does that even mean?”
“It's the web novel I'm serializing.”
“A web novel?”
“It's currently ranked Number One on MoonStory's Free Bestseller list. It'll be going premium soon, and I'm already
talking with several publishing companies.”
Number One?
Premium serialization?
Publishing companies?
The terms were unfamiliar.
But they understood one thing.
It sounded incredible.
Then—
“I estimate I'll be making over ten million won a month.”
“T-Ten million?!”
Hearing an actual figure...
Both of them nearly fell out of their chairs.
Even combined, their monthly salaries didn't reach five million won.
Yet their first-year high school son was saying he'd earn over ten million a month.
It was impossible to believe.
“Y-You aren't being scammed, are you?”
“Exactly! How can someone earn ten million won a month just by writing?”
“If you're worried, come with me to the contract meetings. Since I'm still a minor, my legal guardians have to be there
anyway.”
Yunseong answered calmly.
He no longer looked like a teenager who had just started writing.
He looked like a veteran author with decades of experience.
“If you let me attend the arts high school, I'll take care of all the expenses myself. Tuition, living costs... I'll
even give you both a generous allowance.”
Their son wasn't naïve.
“I want to attend that school.”
He simply knew...
Better than anyone else...
That he belonged to the one percent who shined in the world of art.
*
Originally, I didn't start writing until I was in college.
My family had never been well off.
I believed studying was the only way to change my life.
But despite all my efforts...
I simply wasn't that intelligent.
That's why my college entrance exam scores were disappointing compared to the work I'd put in.
I always felt sorry for my parents.
They'd hoped someone in our family would end up in one of the prestigious professions.
But with my academic ability...
That was never going to happen.
Anyway...
While looking through universities I could apply to based on my scores...
I discovered that the only way I could get into a university in Seoul...
Was through the Creative Writing Department.
Honestly...
I planned to transfer into Business Administration after getting in.
But once I actually enrolled...
Writing became unbelievably enjoyable.
Creating new worlds.
New characters.
New stories.
I never should've discovered how much I loved it.
If I'd known it would lead me into this endless abyss of regression...
I would've simply gone to another university.
If regression has one advantage...
It's being able to meet my young parents again.
There was a time when simply looking at them made me cry.
Probably during my very first regression.
Seeing them young again...
Without gray hair or wrinkles...
Made me unbearably sad.
Thankfully...
Throughout all those countless regressions...
They never once died early.
At least until I turned forty...
They were always alive.
Mother always took good care of Father.
And Father always listened to Mother.
Anyway...
When I suddenly started writing nonstop after regressing...
It seems the pressure became so overwhelming that they ended up drinking together.
But no matter what choice I made...
They always supported me.
That was true in every single regression.
Sometimes I became a burden.
Sometimes I made them cry.
Because I was obsessed with nothing except winning the Nobel Prize.
This time...
I'm going to let them enjoy life properly.
Fortunately...
At this point in time...
Web novels allow writers to publish immediately and earn money directly from readers.
Though...
Things are going even better than I expected.
Right after regressing...
I began serializing a web novel on MoonStory.
The result—
Returning After 500 Years: A BJ's Story Broadcast
Author: HateRegression
Episodes: 35
Views: 1,513,144
Despite being a rookie author...
It was becoming an unprecedented sensation.
Well...
It had already been a massive hit in my previous life.
One ability I gained through endless regressions...
Was perfect recall.
Every sentence.
Every word.
Every letter I'd ever written.
This web novel was one of my previous works.
Trying to win the Nobel Prize with a web novel...
Looking back...
I was completely insane.
Over countless regressions...
I tried writing everything imaginable.
Commercial fiction.
Poetry.
Stage plays.
I even worked solely as a lyricist.
After all...
Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize despite not being a traditional novelist.
I thought that if I created something influential enough...
Something that transformed culture itself...
Maybe I could still win.
Turns out...
It was all pointless.
Sure, I made mountains of money.
But I still couldn't escape regression.
This life is different.
I don't care about the Nobel Prize anymore.
In my previous life...
Nothing mattered unless it led to that prize.
But now that I've half given up...
Having lots of money sounds pretty nice.
"The novel is insanely good."
"Lock the author in a room and feed him nothing but dumplings until he finishes writing."
"Let's crowdfund canned food for the author!"
"I support this."
"This misunderstanding trope is absolutely hilarious."
"The protagonist is telling the truth, but the viewers think it's just roleplay."
"Please upload more chapters..."
The readers' reactions were explosive.
Still...
Looking back at it now...
There were things I wished I'd written better.
Every author feels that way when rereading an old work.
Though...
Back then it couldn't be helped.
Web novels were serialized live.
There was never enough time for proper editing.
Some sentences were rough.
Some dialogue was awkward.
Certain developments relied a bit too heavily on convenience.
With proper revision...
It could become an even better novel.
But...
I'm not doing it.
It already became a huge success in my previous life.
Why bother changing something people already loved?
This time...
I've decided to enjoy life while writing as little as possible.
For over a hundred years of regression...
I never stopped writing.
Yet I still never won the Nobel Prize.
So this time...
I'll finally enjoy the wealth and comfort those works can bring me.
Money.
Fame.
I'm taking all of it.
And that journey begins...
At Gyoyeong Arts High School.
The nation's greatest arts high school.
“Author Jeong Yunseong, we're ready to depart.”
“Your father will personally escort our great author today.”
“...You really don't have to do that.”
For now...
My goal is simple.
To become the genius high school author everyone talks about.