Chapter 163

The thoughts came out raw, unable to filter through. But it was a statement that warranted it, since Park Chan-wook admitted to committing plagiarism himself. It hit me hard, something I thought I would feel unfair about.

“Have you read my novel?”

“I haven’t read it.”

“Then what about the novel caught in the plagiarism controversy?”

“…I haven’t read it.”

“You would know if you read it. It is plagiarism.”

“No, you crazy bastard. Why are you admitting to it instead of making excuses?”

Is this really strange for me? Isn’t it a common reaction to make a mistake or to justify something?

“You really did commit plagiarism?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, but yes, I did.”

Not on purpose? So are you saying it just happened that you plagiarized?

“Is that what it is? You forgot about it and wrote it out? That kind of development?”

“No, I recognized it clearly.”

“What the hell, do you think that’s something to be proud of? No, you’re saying you didn’t do it on purpose, right? That doesn’t make sense!”

“I think it does. And you’d better watch your language. You know I’m not the kind of person to just sit back and take it.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

This was not something that could be easily accepted. If he were a writer, a creator. I knew Park Chan-wook was a bit of a hothead, but I was more enraged on this topic. No, I had to be angry.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Everyone, calm down. Chan-wook, you too, just hold back. Seol-guk, please refrain from swearing.”

Even Han-bom didn’t casually call me by a strange name. The atmosphere was that cold and elusive. Park Chan-wook, upon hearing Han-bom, first pointed a finger at me and spoke.

“No, you’re just talking bullshit.”

“Park Chan-wook, I told you not to curse.”

It seemed to be the first time I saw Han-bom with such a serious expression. Han-bom spoke to Park Chan-wook with an unfamiliar coldness. However, it appeared that Park Chan-wook had lost his cool in response to Han-bom’s cold demeanor.

“Sure, it’s wrong that I plagiarized. It’s wrong, but I have no intention of denying it. A misunderstanding? No, it’s not a misunderstanding! Everyone does it!”

“You crazy bastard.”

Everyone does it. I still didn’t understand the meaning of that. I couldn’t grasp it. Yet, I could not hold back the curses from my mouth. The laughter from a moment ago had completely vanished, and there was no longer any leisure or reason between us.

“Aren’t you ashamed?”

Honestly, I shouldn’t have said something like that without knowing fully. I should have listened a bit more before speaking.

Park Chan-wook was undeniably ashamed. He had to be ashamed. And he was ashamed. That shame, and the admission, suggested that he had to reveal his own shame, not hide it.

It wasn’t my fault, yet I ended up making a wrong choice.

Just like Park Chan-wook did.

“Are you not ashamed at all?”

“What?”

“Isn’t it shameful to plunder your life and sell it?”

The sentence didn’t finish.

A slap, like something out of an animation, echoed in the room. But the result was not at all cheerful.

It wasn’t me.

Han-bom had slapped Park Chan-wook with all her strength.

“Get out of my house, Park Chan-wook.”

For a moment, Park Chan-wook, who was bewildered and couldn’t grasp the situation, soon realized the meaning of his own words, of which even I couldn’t understand clearly, and lowered his head.

The heat that had threatened to explode faded away, leaving Park Chan-wook with a blank expression.

“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

And he left Han-bom’s house, having only offered an apology.

I should have been furious at this point. Should I have even shed a tear? At the very least, it should have been me, not Han-bom, who slapped Park Chan-wook. However, because Han-bom acted first, I couldn’t express this rightful anger, and it settled deep within me along with Park Chan-wook’s heat.

It felt as if everything had stopped; as I stood motionless, Han-bom approached and hugged me. I wasn’t a child, but I just let it happen.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. So… don’t cry.”

Was I crying? No, I wasn’t. There were no tears in my eyes. Nonetheless, Han-bom kept saying those words to me. Don’t cry, please don’t shed tears.

“I’m not crying.”

“But when someone says not to cry, it makes you want to cry even more.”

It was true. A few tears welled up.

But I couldn’t shed tears. These tears were to be saved for a later time.

Just a moment ago, the atmosphere had been pleasant, yet now I couldn’t understand how it had turned so drastically. Was I alone in thinking that everything was fine? Perhaps I had been ignoring Park Chan-wook’s stress, thinking I felt good about the situation?

Was the strange admission of plagiarism the result of some pressure piling up?

…Han-bom had not especially invited me over today. My visit was merely impulsive, a moment when I wanted to show off.

“Did I intrude too much between you two?”

“It’s not your fault, Seol-guk. It’s all Chan-wook’s fault.”

“Can you explain what Park Chan-wook said?”

“…Yes, I can.”

Han-bom wore a bittersweet smile, unusual for her.

“Before talking about plagiarism, I want to make a brief excuse. I’m not defending him. What Chan-wook said was cowardly and disgusting, words that are absolutely unforgivable. If you don’t want to hear the excuse, I won’t say it. It’s up to you to decide, Seol-guk.”

“…I’ll listen.”

“Thank you. You’re so kind.”

Han-bom took my hand and led me to the couch where we usually sat together to play games. She sat me next to her and began to speak in a voice as gentle as telling a fairy tale to a child.

“I’m saying this without permission, but Chan-wook didn’t ask for permission to say those things either, so it’s okay to speak a little.”

That meant this story was something Park Chan-wook wanted to hide.

“Is it really alright?”

“Well, he trampled on someone else’s heart without permission. If he has hurt someone, he should be prepared to expose his own wounds.”

Could that be it? Still…

“I haven’t known Chan-wook for long. It’s been barely three years. I don’t know everything. However… Chan-wook originally wanted to go into the creative writing department.”

Park Chan-wook, at twenty-six this year, was not attending university.

“Normally, he would have continued to graduate school. However, because he didn’t want to, he gave it up and started writing right away.”

The novel Park Chan-wook had been reading, “Gargantua and Pantagruel,” was a representative curriculum for the creative writing department.

“What was the reason?”

“Because it was money he didn’t want.”

Park Chan-wook had a younger sister.

“Younger sister…?”

For some reason, just that name made me worried that some darkness I couldn’t even imagine would leak out. Fortunately, Han-bom’s next words indicated that she hadn’t died or anything.

“Yes, she’s currently living with our parents. Chan-wook left home on his own.”

There had been a conflict with his parents. Specifically, with his father.

“Do you know who Chan-wook’s father is?”

“Of course I don’t…”

“You might know. He’s a somewhat famous author. Park Sang-hwa.”

“Ah.”

I definitely recognized that name. He wasn’t particularly memorable. Had I just nodded while following Professor Seo around at some point before? I couldn’t remember him well, but I knew which books he had written.

“…No way?”

“Yes.”

The title of Park Sang-hwa’s novel was “Younger Sister.”

It was his debut work, and the only hit novel he had, a revenge thriller.

The protagonist’s intellectually disabled younger sister was raped and murdered.

Since the parents died too early, the protagonist became the head of the household at a young age, having to look after his sister.

He wasn’t just a kind and good older brother.

The protagonist loathed his sister, who ate away at his life, feeling frustrated every day. In some ways, it could be seen as close to abuse as the protagonist emotionally manipulated his sister. The already unstable sister felt weak and could not resist properly.

In some stories, in some realities, there may be older brothers who love and selflessly care for their younger siblings, even in such circumstances. But it couldn’t be forced upon all brothers.

After all, they too were just kids.

But even so, the protagonist did not abandon his sister. He worked to the point of blistering his hands and feet and took care of his sister’s meals, even at the expense of his own food. Whenever she fell ill, he would carry her on his back to the hospital, begging for her life, and even if the clothes were worn, he would get his sister the prettiest and best he could find.

He cared for her materially, making sure she could grow up without any inconvenience, unlike the emotional abuse.

To the protagonist, the sister was a tumor. A malignant tumor that he had to care for his entire life. Yet he couldn’t cut it out. Therefore, he loved the tumor. Because he couldn’t dispose of it. Thus, he hated it. Because he couldn’t abandon it.

One day, that sister left home on her own and was murdered.

Rape… murder.

The protagonist was already an adult. The sister had now reached adulthood. Yet the protagonist had too early become an adult, and the sister could never become a proper adult.

The child’s life vanished like a puff of smoke at the age of twenty.

A prime suspect, if not the perpetrator, was captured, but as a person of power, he tampered with the evidence and got away, leaving the protagonist powerless to do anything.

However, being an older brother, he… was left with revenge as the only option. That was all that remained.

His life was entirely defined by that malignant tumor.

“Of course, it’s not that dark of a story in reality.”

It wasn’t a work with value as a thriller. However, the protagonist’s desperate psychological portrayal drew the reader in strongly, allowing the novel to succeed. As far as I knew, there had even been talks of it being adapted into a movie, which fell apart for some reason.

“Chan-wook’s younger sister wasn’t severe, but she showed slight symptoms of autism. Chan-wook almost… loathed her.”

Looking at him now, it was hard to imagine that. He was hot-tempered, but I knew he was a good soul deep down.

“…Is that so?”

“It’s a painful story, but it’s not that terrible, so you don’t have to stress too much.”

“Still…”

“One day, Chan-wook noticed something strange about his sister’s condition. In summary, to skip some details, Chan-wook’s sister was bullied and sexually harassed at school.”

“…You said it wasn’t that severe, but that’s still a horrific story.”

I knew that pain.

“Sadly, yes. Anyway, what do you think Chan-wook did back then?”

“…Did he confront the bullies?”

“Just confronting them would have been good enough. Chan-wook found the bullies and nearly beat them to death with a baseball bat.”

I recalled the image of Park Chan-wook, trampling the drunken man with murderous intent. I found that vision frightening. Yet, I thought,

“I think he did the right thing.”

I had someone similar to a younger sister too. If Chaerin were subjected to the same things, how would I have acted? I didn’t know.

“I think so too.”

“…”

“You might have guessed, but Chan-wook has a mild anger management issue. He’s been receiving treatment and improved a lot, but it was worse back then.”

“What happened afterward?”

“It was still early in their childhood, and given what the other party had done, the case fizzled out. The siblings transferred schools, and fortunately, both of them received treatment afterward, and no major issues arose.”

Contrary to my expectations, no one died, and no gruesome thriller unfolded. That was a relief. But then…

“So… did Park Sang-hwa write his novel based on that story?”

“If it had been just that, it would have been fine.”

“Yes?”

Han-bom’s words hinted at much more.

“Chan-wook kept a diary at that time.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Park Sang-hwa’s novel ‘Younger Sister’ is based on his son, Park Chan-wook’s diary.”