[….author?]
"Yes, Mr. Simon."
[You've finished the manuscript? From episode 1 to 25, all of it?]
"That's right."
[You didn't have it pre-written, did you?]
"No, I've been writing instead of studying during class at school these past few days."
I laughed wearily as I massaged my stiff hands.
From episode 1 to 25, 500 words per episode, a total of 25 episodes.
It was a considerable amount to have written in just two days, but it flowed smoothly as planned.
Moreover, having reverted to the age of sixteen, I realized once again that youth was indeed best. Even just sitting and eating broccoli, my brain was buzzing.
[Oh, could you possibly send it right away?]
"If you give me the fax number, I'll send it tomorrow."
[Yes, yes, I'll let you know right away. Wow, you really are amazing.]
"Is that so?"
[Of course! I never imagined you could finish the entire series so quickly! I feel bad I couldn't be of more help. Did you have any difficulties while writing?]
"What's there to worry about? Just write as planned."
[But sometimes a better direction might occur to you...…]
"Not really."
Of course, that was expected.
In this work, I focused on only one thing.
With a young mind and a single clear goal, the volume itself was not much compared to my future as an author. There was no reason to get stuck.
However, Simon, not knowing this aspect, could only be amazed.
"Shall we move on to the next topic?"
[Ah, let's do that. Since you've finished the manuscript, I must ask this before moving on. What pen name do you plan to use?]
"I've already thought of one."
I gave Simon a slight smile and taught him the spelling clearly.
S, E, E, N.
SEEN.
['Sin', that's it.]
"That's right."
[A personal question, but does it have any meaning?]
"I'll tell you about that once I become a bit more famous."
[Ha ha! Excellent! I'm sure you will be!]
Simon burst out laughing, and we proceeded with the preparations for the serial publication of the novel.
[By the way, are you able to read our newspaper now?]
"Just a moment."
I got up from my seat and returned with a newspaper from the stand.
Using an analogue home phone made it slightly inconvenient to do other things while on the phone, and with that in mind, I flipped to the page where the novel section was located in the culture section.
"I'm looking at the novel page now."
[Can you see our work there?]
"Yes, yes."
The novels of Torrance New Media were serialized every other day. Today's publications include the horror genre 'Death's Grasp', the mystery genre 'The Lamp', the detective genre 'The Last One Out', and finally the adventure genre 'Golden Quest'.
Naturally, I had read all of them, and both 'Golden Quest' and 'Death's Grasp' had particularly thrilling developments as they neared their ends.
[You see the logo next to the title, right?]
"Yes, I see it."
Next to 'Death's Grasp' was a logo of a long, withered claw; next to 'The Lamp' was a small gas lamp; next to 'The Last One Out' was a half-open door; and next to 'Golden Quest' was a chest filled with gold coins.
['Mother' will also need a logo like that.]
"That makes sense."
[We can't cover the entire cover page due to space constraints, but the logo is still a great way to show the colour of the work. If you think of a concept that suits 'Mother' and call us back, a member of our design team will draw it and send you a sample by fax.]
"I do have an idea in mind."
[Already?]
"Ah, yes."
[Are you sure this is your first serial publication?]
"Of course. I'm just a high school student; where would I have had the chance to publish serially?"
I said with a bright smile.
If you decide to tell a lie, you might as well make it big.
Knowing in advance that even the 'external aspects' of the serial needed to be decided, I had already planned how to proceed. As a genre novelist with considerable experience, I felt good not having to worry too much about various issues.
[Please keep it within the usual legal limits, and since complex patterns can be difficult to print, a simple and small but recognizable image would be preferable. ...… Now that we talk about it, a concept comes to mind. How about a cross for the logo of 'Mother'?]
"I was thinking of a profile view of a woman with her face covered by a veil. It could capture the final appearance of the protagonist, Suzy, and resonate with the theme of religious zealotry mentioned in the title."
[Oh, I think the concept is really cool, but I'm a bit worried about the size. The logo size is 10×10, and I'm not sure if the design team can create a recognizable and good image from the concept you described. But I will still ask them to try.]
"Thank you."
The conversation went smoothly.
And finally, we discussed the serial publication dates.
['Death's Grasp' will end its serialization at the end of October, so how about starting then?]
"That sounds good to me."
It was perfect timing.
The presidential election was around the same time, and the circulation of Torrance New Media was expected to soar afterwards.
"Is it okay if I specify the exact date?"
[It is possible, but I would like you to make adjustments according to the feedback I provide.]
"I will stay up all night if necessary. There's a specific date I want to start the serialization."
[When is that?]
"November 6th."
[November・・・・・・?]
"Would it be difficult to leave a slot open in the serialization section?"
[No, that's not an issue. We always prepare a few one-off stories just in case. But I really must ask the reason for this.]
"It just seems like a 'good day' to present my novel to the readers."
The day after the presidential election, when Reagan began to place the Republican flag in the White House.
It seemed best to start the serialization right then.
***
After ending the call.
'Why specifically November 6th?'
Simon thought it seemed like an important day, but when he tried to think about it, he couldn't quite connect the dots. He decided to leave work, clear his mind, and spend the evening reading novels.
The next morning, groggy, he arrived at the office, brewed some coffee, and attended the morning briefing. With the upcoming presidential election, even the culture section had to explain in detail to the subscribers how spectacular the movies featuring Ronald Reagan were.
'I don't like it.'
Simon, who disliked the use of novels and culture for political purposes, muttered complaints as he attended the morning meeting with the editor and the president.
The president, who technically had no reason to attend, had recently been appearing frequently, perhaps due to the election, to motivate the journalists.
Like this.
"Isn't there any news about Jimmy Carter, that he nailed his **** in the maid's board?!"
When he faced Jimmy Carter, the bald CEO who would wag his tail like a dog at him erupted in anger.
"Fine, be a lackey! That's the spirit! We need to win this election! Don't we need more evidence?! Don't you have any patriotism?! Think of Goldwater!!"
The CEO, who had no tact in his line of work, continued to provoke Jimmy Carter and appeal to the high-ranking members of the Republican Party. In fact, journalists, who thought that writing such articles, regardless of their content, would undermine the newspaper's credibility, simply endured this pain.
Meanwhile, Simon Carver kept thinking about that date. November 6th. November 6th.
Suddenly, it clicked. He connected the dots he had been thinking about before. Not the kid and the case. No, not that.
"Carver!!"
"Yes, yes?!"
"Why are you staring off into space again?! Come up with something killer!"
Hugo Irving shouted in place of the CEO. Usually, the target of such foolish talk meant to quell the CEO's anger, or rather, to redirect his arrows of wrath, but Simon was not the target today. Today, he connected November 6th with the presidential election. Thanks to the influence of a so-called divine novelist.
"Ah, should we add another printing contract?"
"Why?!"
"If Reagan is elected, our newspaper will surely sell more, right?"
This statement contained a profound, yet unnoticed, core idea that everyone was focusing on undermining the Democratic Party. A moment of silence hung in the air.
While Hugo Irving was unable to say anything, the CEO, his bald head shining, shouted, "That's it!! We needed such a killer idea!"
He smiled widely and left, leaving Hugo Irving red-faced. The journalist, who had been his bulletproof vest, unexpectedly came up with the best idea.
But Simon didn't notice and thought of the next thing.
'I wish the novel would arrive soon.'
He wanted to see "Mother," which was said to have been completed. Until lunchtime, he recalled the contents of the proposal in his mind.
"Mother" was a work that contained oriental horror.
The protagonist, Suzy, grows up in her mother's abuse and neglect. She lost her dog and never really had herself. Living as her religious mother dictates, she gave up everything, including her relationships with friends. One night, she begins to see inexplicable hallucinations.
Hallucinations of her dead dog coming back to life.
These hallucinations merge with reality.
And finally, the awaited moment arrived.
"Simon."
"Ah, Miss Brown."
"Your fax has arrived."
Simon looked down at the bundle of papers Miss Brown had tossed to him as if they were sacred scriptures. He then started to read 'Mother' frantically, feeling halfway as if he had become Suzy himself.
In horror novels, the intertwining of the world and psychological depiction is crucial. Thus, they are rated as novels that are easy to start but difficult to master.
However, Simon thought this:
The experience of reading a horror novel changes depending on where the reader is. Even the same novel read on a dark campsite at night feels more atmospheric.
But this novel was chilling even without such a setting.
It was more entertaining than he had anticipated.
In the proposal, the author stated that with this novel, he wanted to present the horror of the unknown world of the East while simultaneously introducing a character named Suzy to reveal that not everything is as it seems.
In genre fiction, such 'grand elements' are divided between editors and authors into 'necessary' and 'unnecessary.' Simon preferred to respect the author's vision over having a strong opinion himself, and in 'Mother,' he fully sensed the ambition of the new author.
As he continued to read, Simon naturally formed this thought:
"A prodigious youth."
A talent capable of leading an era had poured out his discrimination and resentment into this writing.
Such impressions naturally arose.
It showed a deep portrayal of Suzy's mother that was beyond simply saying she was insane. Her madness could not merely be described as strange; it was bizarre. Her purposes seemed apparent at one moment, only to change abruptly, and it was even questionable whether such purposes existed at all.
Episodes 10, 13, 14
As the novel progressed, Suzy went mad along with her mother.
But then, hope emerged for her. It was a boy from the same school, Kevin. Both coming from deprived homes, they quickly fell in love. Hardships came with him, but the boy and girl overcame them, growing to understand each other better, and decided to escape the village together.
Episodes 15, and 17, crossing over to episode 22
The mother conducted a ritual with Suzy that had some magical significance and told her to follow in her footsteps. Of course, Suzy refused. As the story progressed, the plot headed towards a catastrophe.
As Simon continued to read the novel, he recalled the content written in the proposal. Kevin was supposed to appear now, and rescue Suzy, and the two of them would flee from the mother and the religious institution.
'Yes, that's how it should be.'
Episode 23.
Kevin was stabbed to death by the mother's knife.
"What?"
An unexpected twist.
Simon's eyes widened in surprise.
Episode 24. The incident drove Suzy completely insane, and her mother attacked her.
Finally, the last episode, 25.
Suzy was entangled in an unknown ritual, screaming and writhing in pain.
[
…It felt like bugs were crawling up her body. Soon, it became a reality.
"No, it's a hallucination," Suzy muttered to herself. But her mother definitely picked up the bucket and threw its contents at her. Hundreds of centipedes climbed up her legs, tickling the insides of her thighs and scratching her belly button. They would probably move up further, caressing her cheeks and entering her mouth to devour her eyeballs. No, no. But why? Centipedes? So many centipedes? Were they ingredients from her mother's medicine? Why?
Suddenly, Suzy laughed brightly.
"Yes, yes. That's what it is."
People gathered flames sparked, and the 'Han-ja' on the altar flashed.
"Now I understand, Mother."
Suzy, holding the ritual dagger that drew blood from her wrist, stabbed her mother in the chest.]
After finishing 'Mother,' Simon opened his mouth, stunned.
"Why did Suzy…"
Kevin died, and Suzy killed her mother, transforming into a being just like her.
Simon, who had been following the content through the proposal, was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a while.