6
## Chapter 6
### The Boy Who Was Sleeping Beside Me?
Chae Unggi, the head of the Creative Writing Department.
Unlike the practical writing instructors, he wasn't an active author.
But he had held his position as department head for over ten years.
During that time, he had evaluated countless entrance and transfer examinations for the Creative Writing Department.
As a result, his eye for judging literary works had become every bit as sharp as that of professional writers.
And even in his opinion...
'The poem this student, Jeong Yunseong, wrote is on an entirely different level.'
Chae Unggi recalled the poem submitted by the student sitting before him.
He had only read it a few times.
Yet it had left such a deep impression that he had practically memorized it.
Blue Marble
— Jeong Yunseong
Game Start
Every finger was pointing outside the house.
I merely rolled the dice inside my home,
yet men in suits stormed in,
placing stickers all over the walls.
Loud background music echoed through the house.
To play the game,
we had to keep moving.
Every time the dice were rolled,
our family moved in droves,
from one motel to another.
The tolls in Seoul were too expensive.
Even moving itself cost money.
Instead of rolling the dice,
I chose to go to the deserted island.
Because if I didn't leave,
I wouldn't have to pay.
A landmark stood before City Hall,
and people applauded.
Double Toll Event.
Children were playing land-grabbing games in the alleyways.
One more round!
One more round!
Our family staggered forward,
avoiding the shadows.
Our pockets held nothing but dice,
instead of coins.
We had to keep moving.
The game never ends.
The defining feature of Blue Marble...
was that every turn required you to move according to the dice.
And whenever you landed on someone else's property, you had to pay a toll.
'But he compares that to a family thrown out of their home because they had no money.'
Chae Unggi himself had played Blue Marble.
Whenever he played with friends, it had always been a fun, cheerful game.
But the moment he read this poem...
Blue Marble suddenly felt terrifying.
'Did a first-year high school student really write this?'
While evaluating this year's submissions...
He had realized just how much the students had struggled with the topic.
Many of them had awkwardly forced their ideas to fit Blue Marble.
Others had produced works with inconsistent themes and weak structure.
Contrary to Jo Minyeong's expectations, most of the submissions had fallen well below standard.
'Except this one.'
It stood out like a crane among chickens.
The problem was...
The gap in quality was simply overwhelming.
Not only Jo Minyeong, the poetry instructor,
but even the novel instructors had been stunned.
In the end...
They all reached the same conclusion.
It was simply too good to have been written by a first-year high school student.
'Jeong Yunseong... and he doesn't even have any previous achievements before applying for our transfer exam.'
If someone possessed this level of talent,
they should have already won writing contests or literary competitions.
At the very least, they should have participated in school contests.
But no matter how hard they searched,
there had been no award-winning student named Jeong Yunseong.
'The chances of a genius like this suddenly appearing out of nowhere are incredibly slim.'
That was why Chae Unggi had wanted to meet Yunseong today.
“To be honest with me... would you?”
Chae Unggi asked carefully.
“I'm personally very curious about how you came to write this poem.”
If Yunseong had truly written it himself...
There was no reason not to admit him.
Even if it had been the regular entrance examination instead of a transfer exam,
he would have been accepted unanimously.
Still...
There were reasons to be suspicious.
Even if it wasn't outright plagiarism...
Someone he knew, or perhaps an academy instructor, could have written it for him.
'Cases like that aren't uncommon.'
Nine out of every ten aspiring writers aimed for Goyoung Arts High School.
There were even academies dedicated solely to preparing students for its entrance exams.
People would do almost anything to pass.
Through years of experience,
Chae Unggi had learned to identify works that were simply too good for ordinary students.
Whenever he found one,
he held interviews like this to verify their authenticity.
'Because if they didn't write it themselves, inconsistencies always appear during conversation.'
Those students all behaved the same way.
Their stories became inconsistent.
The longer they talked,
the more anxious they grew.
Like someone hiding a guilty secret.
But...
“First of all, thank you for thinking so highly of my poem.”
Yunseong still showed no trace of agitation.
Then he continued.
“I think it's because I actually experienced those things myself.”
“Hm?”
In a calm voice,
he began telling his story.
“When I was little, we were evicted because we couldn't pay our rent. My father's fried chicken restaurant went
bankrupt. Debt seizure notices started appearing throughout our home, and eventually we ended up moving from one motel
to another.”
Yunseong's eyes drifted into empty space,
as though recalling a distant past.
It was far too painful an experience for someone who wasn't even an adult yet.
And something most people would never willingly share.
Yet Yunseong spoke openly,
without hiding anything.
“That was when I realized... leaving your home costs money. Then, the moment I saw Blue Marble as the exam topic, those
memories came flooding back. Whenever you step onto someone else's property in Blue Marble, you have to pay a toll,
right? The image connected instantly.”
Before he knew it,
the conversation Chae Unggi had intended to lead...
had become one where he was completely absorbed in Yunseong's story.
“Ah...”
A sympathetic sigh escaped his lips without him realizing it.
“And the fact that you have to move according to whatever number the dice shows... I thought that was poetic too. You
can't move where you want. You're forced to move. Just like my childhood.”
Yunseong had taken the mechanics of Blue Marble...
and connected them to the harsh poverty of his childhood.
“I... I see.”
Only moments ago,
Chae Unggi had looked at the boy with suspicion.
Now...
He simply felt sorry for him.
This wasn't cheap emotional manipulation.
'He exposed the darkest part of himself without holding anything back...
and transformed it into literature.'
What was poetry?
It was the art of expressing one's experiences...
and the emotions born from them...
through fresh, vivid language that avoided clichés.
Naturally,
the more personally an experience was lived,
the greater depth a poem could possess.
'And he's only a first-year high school student.'
An age when emotions were at their most sensitive.
An age when pride was strongest because of adolescence.
Most teenagers tried desperately to hide their weaknesses,
whether in front of friends or adults.
'Yet he revealed his most vulnerable self to someone he'd only just met today.'
There could only be one reason.
Because every part of that experience had already been poured into Blue Marble.
For a writer,
the most important quality was the shameless courage to expose their own experiences and emotions.
And Yunseong already possessed it.
'No one can fake something like this.'
There was no room for doubt.
This was genuine talent.
Of that,
Chae Unggi was completely certain.
“...I'm truly sorry.”
As that realization settled in,
Chae Unggi felt he had done something unforgivable to this student.
“I made you tell me something so personal.”
“It's fine.”
“I only had to because I wrote the poem too well.”
Yunseong answered without even smiling.
Chae Unggi couldn't tell whether he was joking or serious.
No matter how he looked at him,
this student was extraordinary.
At the very least,
he was nothing like an ordinary high school student.
'He doesn't get nervous...
but he doesn't pretend to be humble either.'
Now that his doubts had disappeared,
Chae Unggi's eyes shone with excitement.
'I have to bring him here.'
If this talent truly belonged to Jeong Yunseong...
Then even among the nation's most gifted students,
he would shine brighter than anyone.
“If you come to our department, I assume you'll major in poetry. I'm really looking forward to it.”
His expectations were even greater because Yunseong excelled in poetry.
However...
“No.”
“...No?”
“Yes. I like poetry, but I don't think I'll choose it as my major.”
Chae Unggi was left speechless.
His excitement plummeted instantly.
“W-Why? You're this good at writing poetry.”
Yunseong smiled.
“Actually...”
“I'm much better at writing novels.”
---
As expected,
Goyoung Arts High School's Creative Writing Department really was on another level.
They recognized the quality of my poem immediately.
'Then again... that poem wasn't exactly at the level of a transfer exam.'
A first-year high school student with no awards suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
Naturally, they'd find it suspicious.
That's probably why the department head came personally to sound me out.
'But now he's probably realized even more clearly...
that the poem truly came from me.'
Chae Unggi, was it?
There wasn't a single lie in what I'd told him.
When I was little,
our family really had been so poor that we lived from motel to motel.
And Blue Marble had genuinely been based on those memories.
'Though I never expected the exam topic to actually be Blue Marble.'
The other students must have panicked when they saw it.
Unless they'd regressed dozens of times like I had,
they couldn't possibly have written on every bizarre topic imaginable.
'Not that it's any of my concern.'
Anyway,
students at Goyoung Arts High School had to choose their specialization starting in their second year.
Poetry or novels.
'Obviously, I'm choosing novels.'
Looking back at everything I'd written throughout my previous regressions...
I'd written far more novels than poems.
After all,
my original dream had always been to become a novelist.
'More importantly, a large proportion of Nobel Prize in Literature winners have been novelists.'
Which meant...
The number of works I could continue producing was much greater if I focused on novels.
Still,
there was no need to abandon poetry entirely.
One of my previous lives had earned me the title of Asia's greatest poet.
Though admittedly...
It had taken three regressions to achieve that.
'A genius young novelist who also writes outstanding poetry.
That title is already mine for the taking.'
As I smiled to myself, imagining the future...
“Hey, Yunseong. What are you doing?”
“Why are you spacing out? Aren't you going home?”
Someone grabbed my shoulder and shook me.
When I came back to my senses,
I saw my friends standing there in school uniforms.
“I was just thinking.”
“Yeah, right. You were sleeping again, weren't you?”
“Seriously, why do you sleep all the time lately? You used to study pretty hard. Did you finally give up?”
“Exactly. Studying just isn't your thing. Come find another way to survive like the rest of us.”
Kim Juho.
Seo Gyeongsu.
I was sick of seeing those faces after countless regressions.
They were my closest friends in high school.
“Yeah. I don't think studying suits me.”
“That's the spirit.”
“To celebrate your enlightenment, internet café? Your big brother will carry you today.”
“Sounds good.”
“Let's go.”
“Hang on. Let me call my mom first.”
We walked out into the hallway together.
I slowed my pace,
watching the two of them from behind.
Then I spoke.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“I'm transferring schools.”
The two of them stopped walking.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“What did you do? Beat someone up?”
“Or did someone beat you up?”
“Honestly, that sounds more believable.”
These idiots...
“Neither. I'm transferring to Goyoung Arts High School.”
Kim Juho and Seo Gyeongsu stared at each other.
Their expressions clearly said,
'What kind of nonsense is this idiot talking about?'
“Goyoung Arts High School? Isn't that where all the artistic geniuses go?”
“Quit making up such serious lies. I almost believed you.”
I shrugged.
“It's true.”
“If you don't want to believe me, that's your problem.”
Because I said it so casually,
instead of making a huge fuss,
they finally realized I wasn't joking.
“When are you leaving?”
“I don't know.”
“What do you mean you don't know?”
“It hasn't been decided yet. I took the exam, but the results aren't out.”
Well...
Considering the department head had personally come to meet me,
my acceptance was practically guaranteed.
But once the transfer was finalized,
I'd have to leave immediately.
That's why I wanted to tell them in advance.
“It'll be sudden...
but let's keep in touch.”
There had been times,
after countless regressions,
when I'd become completely broken.
Obsessed with winning the Nobel Prize,
I'd cut off every relationship I had.
Even then...
The only friends who never abandoned me were Kim Juho and Seo Gyeongsu.
In this life,
I wanted to take care of them too...
“You've completely lost it.”
“Jeong Yunseong's finally gone crazy. He's getting creative with his nonsense.”
“You're saying you're transferring before the results are even out?”
“You think Goyoung Arts High School is some kind of joke?”
These idiots.
I was trying to be serious.
“To me, it is.”
“What?”
“Before I leave, let your big brother give you some advice.”
I slung an arm around both of their shoulders.
“College isn't everything.”
“Enjoy life.”
“And resist time.”
“Just as the great Tolstoy once said.”
The two of them suddenly became very serious.
Maybe they were finally beginning to understand me.
“Let's take him to the infirmary.”
“The infirmary isn't enough. We need a psychiatric hospital.”
“Yunseong, what did you eat today?”
“Or do you just not want to go to the internet café? You could've just said so.”
These idiots.
They didn't even realize they were receiving advice from someone who had lived far longer than they could imagine.
“Jeong Yunseong isn't making any sense today.”
“Is this what they call a stream of consciousness?”
If words don't explain everything,
you're supposed to read between the lines.
Not dismiss everything as nonsense.
Bzzz—
My phone vibrated.
After pulling myself free from the two of them,
I answered.
“Hello?”
A few moments later,
I hung up and looked at Kim Juho and Seo Gyeongsu.
“It came.”
“What came?”
“Your mom wants you home?”
“The acceptance call.”
Only then did their eyes widen.
“What?!”
“What?!”
See?
That's what I was talking about.
Then again...
How could people who'd never experienced regression understand life?
---
Some time later.
The girls' restroom at Goyoung Arts High School.
“Haa...”
A deep breath echoed through the room.
It belonged to Lee Jueun.
“Today's finally the day.”
She looked at herself in the mirror.
It still didn't feel real.
She was actually wearing Goyoung Arts High School's uniform.
The memory of crying after failing the entrance exam was still vivid.
'Well done, sweetheart.'
'I knew our Jueun could do it.'
Thankfully,
she had passed the transfer examination.
At least her parents could hold their heads a little higher now.
But she couldn't fully enjoy her happiness.
'Don't ever become complacent, Jueun.'
'That's right. It may become even harder. Getting into Goyoung Arts High School is only the beginning.'
Just as her parents had said...
Surviving inside Goyoung Arts High School was far harder than getting admitted.
But Lee Jueun had to prove herself.
She was the daughter of Lee Seokhyo and Cha Miju.
“Come to think of it...
I wonder what happened to him.”
A certain face suddenly came to mind.
The boy who had been sleeping,
then finished writing and walked out after only one minute.
In truth...
She had passed the transfer exam partly because of him.
“Seeing him really helped calm me down.”
The moment she saw Blue Marble as the topic,
Lee Jueun had panicked.
Her mind had gone completely blank.
She had no idea what to write.
Then...
She witnessed the boy beside her finish in a single minute and leave.
'Even the boy who'd been sleeping wrote that easily.
Why can't I?'
She had no idea what he'd written.
But witnessing something so unbelievable...
Had strangely helped her regain her composure.
“He probably failed.”
Even though she hadn't liked his attitude...
She had still benefited from it.
If she ever happened to meet him again,
she thought she might at least thank him.
'And I'm curious about him.'
Why had he applied to Goyoung Arts High School's Creative Writing Department?
What had he possibly written in just one minute after seeing the topic Blue Marble?
There were so many questions she wanted to ask.
'Though... I'll probably never see him again.'
After straightening her uniform one last time,
Lee Jueun headed toward the Creative Writing Department office.
Suppressing her nervousness,
she carefully opened the door.
“Huh?”
Among the unfamiliar faces...
She saw someone she'd never expected to meet again.
“The boy who was sleeping beside me?”
And to her surprise...
He was wearing Goyoung Arts High School's school uniform.