Chapter 14
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 14: Theatrical Adaptation
There are cases like that.
Where the star, who is the actual party involved, is fine, but the fans get offended, enraged, and cause a fuss.
The current situation was exactly that.
No matter what the critics said, Noel let it in one ear and out the other, and even went so far as to proudly scrap them to make a trophy.
She was engaging in the eccentricity of making a collection of critiques from those who harshly criticized her and her work.
Noel was relaxed and nonchalant as if the harsh reviews were some kind of award.
Being a commercial author to the bone, as long as the work sold well, the evaluations didn't matter.
After all, it was a work that benchmarked Makjang dramas that people watch while cursing.
Even though she had to be mindful of the Princess, getting this much favorable reception was already a huge satisfaction.
But that was strictly Noel’s standard.
From the perspective of fans who loved 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」, it wasn't like that at all.
Every single harsh review felt like it was gouging out the fans' hearts.
Especially comments like 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 is not a true love story, or Author Homer should just go write fairy tales. Every time they heard 「The Promise of the Spring Breeze」 cited as a counterexample, claiming it captured true love, they felt their blood rushing backwards.
“Does this person even have eyes? Is their head a decoration? How dare they compare 「The Promise of the Spring Breeze」…!”
“What is this…? 「The Promise of the Spring Breeze」 is a good text too, but! It’s not to the extent that one would say 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 isn't a romance novel compared to it. How can they utter such reckless remarks?”
Just a few months ago, before knowing 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」, these young ladies had praised 「The Promise of the Spring Breeze」 as the love story representing this era. Those same people suddenly turned around and were cursing 「The Promise of the Spring Breeze」. At first, since 「The Promise of the Spring Breeze」 was also a good novel, they had no intention of cursing it. But since critics kept dragging it in to bash 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」, antipathy naturally arose.
As a result, fans picked up their pens with one heart and mind and sent fan letters to Author Homer.
Please prove them wrong.
Please write a heartbreaking love story that will turn 「The Promise of the Spring Breeze」 into ‘trash’.
Please prove that Author Homer didn't write a strange novel because she doesn't know love.
Faced with this terrifying ‘Write a letter to express your request’ attack, Noel had no choice but to respond with tears of emotion.
Leaving everything else aside,
“Noel, the honor of the Grace family is at stake here. Show those senseless scribblers what you’re made of.”
Because of the strong recommendation of Viscountess Natalie, she had to pick up her pen.
Among those offended was her mother, a hidden fan.
『Our daughter can do it, right?』
Although asking like that outwardly, how could she defy her mother’s gaze that seemed to say “Do it”?
Noel nodded, abandoned her plan to slack off after 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 and flee to the Academy, and went back into writing.
‘If I leave it like this… I’m scared the fans who went berserk might terrorize the critics.’
Having such worries, Noel eventually resolved that to patch things up before they got bigger, the only way was to silence those who kept fanning the flames out of an inferiority complex.
For that, as per the fans’ request, Noel decided to write a pure love story without adultery or spicy stuff this time.
However,
“I wonder if they know what Tear-jerker (Choe-ru-gye) means.”
Old habits die hard; this time too, she intended to extract dopamine copiously in a different sense.
That was the Tear-jerker genre.
What is a Tear-jerker?
In this place where such a term isn't established, they wouldn't understand even if told directly.
If one had to find a substitute, maybe Shinpa (Melodrama)?
But even that doesn't fully capture the meaning of Tear-jerker.
Simply put, you can think of a Tear-jerker as a work determined to make the viewer cry.
A work that inevitably extracts tears at the level of injecting tear gas directly into the tear ducts—that is exactly a Tear-jerker.
Making them cry boo-hoo with tragic developments, or making them cry sob-sob with touching direction.
Whatever the method, existing to make people cry was what a Tear-jerker was, which is different in design from a story that just happens to be sad while writing.
She intended to actively introduce Industrial Tear Gas Techniques.
It meant she resolved to write a text that would assault the reader’s tear ducts until they cried.
There are two reasons why Noel pulled out the Tear-jerker card when there are many other things.
One is because she felt like crying herself, so she wanted to make the readers cry instead.
The other reason is,
‘Tears equal Emotion. I’ll use the psychology of people mistaking crying for a masterpiece.’
She intended to exploit the psychology of thinking “I cried, so this must be a masterpiece.”
When watching a good work, there are cases where one cries from being moved.
Then… what about a work that intentionally makes you cry?
Crying and being a masterpiece are separate things, but people often confuse this.
Because they cried, because their emotions fluctuated, they often think it’s a masterpiece.
It’s a method often used in the Shinpa genre, and it was overused to the point where the expression ‘Industrial Tear Gas’ became established.
If excessive, it can cause a backlash and resentment, but this place is different.
In this place where such a concept isn't even established yet, Noel’s scheme is bound to work well.
Unlike her original plan, Noel started writing filled with dissatisfaction about this situation where she had to pick up the pen unintentionally again.
For the story, she decided to use a subject that could be called the standard of this genre: ‘Alzheimer’s’.
A story of a woman suffering from memory impairment and a man who falls in love with such a woman.
A man and woman overcoming worsening Alzheimer’s with love.
With the determination to make you cry no matter what, Noel paid homage to a movie that moved her deeply in her past life and added Shinpa drama clichés recklessly.
You still won’t cry? You still won’t? Then how about this?
I didn't know what you’d like so I brought everything.
With that feeling, Noel wrote down the text suppressing the feeling of anger wondering why things were flowing like this.
And honestly… she felt a bit offended as an author by the criticism.
For someone whose pride was having a wide genre spectrum, hearing things like “She writes stuff like that because she can’t write pure love stories” was scratching.
Since the board was set so she couldn't just ignore it and move on, she wrote pouring all her resentment.
‘Here, I should insert a scene where the heroine suffering from memory impairment mistakes the male lead for a guy she dated in the past.’
‘The heroine whose memory regresses to the past moment by moment. The male lead who embraces such a heroine with love. Pure love where he doesn't give up loving even when the heroine’s family advises giving up.’
‘Cry! Cry your eyes out, you things. Still, I’ll give you a happy ending at the last moment, so cry and cry again until you reach that ending!’
A little bit of sweet love.
A heap of hardship and adversity.
Noel distributed the episodes thinking about the correlation between ‘Sweet Potato’ (Frustration) and ‘Cider’ (Satisfaction/Relief).
All the sketches were drawn.
Now she just had to write according to the plot.
But… a problem arose.
No, is it right to call this a problem?
“Pardon? 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 as… a play?”
“Yes!”
The noble and wealthy ladies, unsatisfied with just reading the book and listening to recitations, caused an incident.
Noel, who was fiddling with the introduction—said to be the hardest part of writing a novel—felt bewildered hearing the news.
One Source Multi-Use (OSMU).
Something like the destiny of a successful IP happened.
Since she had already experienced her web novel being reborn as a webtoon, this wasn't unfamiliar, but it was surprising.
Not writing a script for a play from the start, but taking an already successful novel and reconstructing it into a play—unlike Earth, this was uncommon here.
There were cases of remaking classic masterpieces of great literary figures who left their names in history, or old and widely known folktales whose authors were unknown, into plays….
Novel is novel.
Script is script.
It was surprising words in an era where each other’s domains were strictly divided.
“Really, my novel as a play?”
It is especially special for a novel by a fresh rookie author, published not long ago, to be made into a play.
Feeling surprised, bewildered, and lacking a sense of reality, Noel just blinked. Seeing such a Noel, Princess Lydia rejoiced as if it were her own affair.
“Since so many people like it and requested it, it seems the theater troupe also took interest.”
To speak more accurately… it would be more accurate to say it happened because art in this era is dominated by the rich and nobles.
It happened as a result of the upper class, who read and were captivated by 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」, thinking it was a waste to end it with just reading.
If the Gap (Person in power) wants it, naturally it must be done.
Considering thanks to whom the theater troupe makes a living, it was a very natural thing, and responding to the flooding requests, a famous theater troupe in the capital stepped up for the theatrical adaptation of 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」. Noble young ladies sent petitions every day asking to make 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 into a play, and honestly, from the troupe’s perspective, this was a mouth-watering agenda. Making 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」, the talk of the town, into a play and putting it on stage?
Surely it would achieve tremendous box office success.
It meant it was an opportunity for both the troupe and the actors to rise to stardom even more than now.
A work that sells well—there is no reason for a troupe to refuse.
However, due to various interests, they were only gauging each other’s reactions and couldn't step forward readily, but eventually, a troupe that stepped forward boldly appeared.
At that fact, Noel couldn't help but think it was truly surprising.
Even though adapting 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」, a work where harsh criticism and favorable reviews from the existing literary circles coexisted, into a play would be a bit burdensome for a troupe. If the heat had cooled down, she wouldn't know, but to adapt 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 while it’s a hot potato like now?
It was true that whether it succeeded or failed, various troublesome problems would follow.
As a representative problem, playwrights who were pissed off thinking their domain was invaded might come out saying they wouldn't give scripts to the troupe that adapted 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 in the future.
They might have stepped forward boldly judging it was worth taking all those risks… but considering playwright power is quite strong in the theater scene, it is a bold move.
‘Not adapting a classic masterpiece or a folktale, but adapting a newly released book into a play… From a playwright’s perspective, it wouldn't be an ordinary blow to their pride…? Is there someone willing to do it even while being called a heretic of the literary circles?’
They have to adapt someone else’s work, not their own original script, and a work by a rookie author who just debuted at that.
She kept thinking of the playwrights who would be hurt by that fact.
“Just which troupe stepped forward?”
So, unable to hold back her curiosity, Noel asked.
To her, Princess Lydia answered with a bright smile.
“The Ashley Troupe.”
The moment she heard that answer, Noel realized.
She didn't need to worry about who the mastermind behind this unconventional theatrical adaptation was.