Chapter 1: Cliches Cause Stomach Aches!

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Do Jangmi (18) was a loner.  She was an awkward human being - but she wasn’t always. People speak about transformations from ugly ducklings into swans, right? For her, it was definitely the opposite. Do Jangmi, niece of genius writer Song Jaekyun, had never lacked anything. She had always been treated well by her family. Inside Do Jangmi’s small world, there was no nosy aunts or cheating uncles.

 

There weren’t any bratty cousins or money-hungry relatives either. Despite the fact that her mother’s oldest brother was slightly famous, it didn’t change anything about their family dynamic. Everybody loved eachother, and everybody wanted the best for each other.

 

Do Jangmi took this for granted. She assumed everybody had families like that. So wrapped up in her own head, she didn’t stop to think about other people’s circumstances at all. Of course, she would love to stand and proclaim that she didn’t mean any harm. 

 

But the harm was done. And once it happened, class 2-A’s vultures didn’t waste a second in spreading the gossip around.

“Guys, did you hear? That girl, Do Jangmi, embarrassed an orphan and even stole her award!”

It spread like wildfire. It was ridiculous. Jangmi came to school that day and was treated like the dirt underneath everyone’s shoes. Their stares felt like boulders, their snickers were even worse. Jangmi realized much later that it was never really about her. Not a single person asked her if the rumor was true. They just assumed.

 

Thus, six months of cruel bullying commenced - with nobody lifting a finger.

 

And Jangmi, who used to be bright and chatty, changed dramatically. It was as if the joy was sucked out of her. Eventually, being unable to take it anymore, her mother removed her from that school and enrolled her into a neighboring one. This time, it didn’t matter if everyone had heard about the incident. Jangmi made sure to be home-schooled this time around.

 

The only time she showed her face in school was to take exams or help teachers in order to compensate for her lacking club activity.

 

Jangmi felt bad for deceiving her parents, sure. They were good people, and were under the impression that the bullying made her develop a fear of people. It would be a lie to say it didn’t affect her at all - but she wasn’t nearly as wounded as her parents thought. They were just worried about her, so she asserted that she wanted to be home-schooled, they gave in.

 

Jangmi knew she was running away in a sense. She knew she was being cowardly. She knew that in some capacity, by not fighting back, she was letting Jeong Bobae and Kang Seokjin win.

 

But at that point, she decided, there was nothing she could do. It was already decided.

 

After a long day of tutoring, the only thing that cheered her up again was a visit from Neon, her internet friend.

Jangmi smiled, and her mother saw. “What’s gotten you in such a good mood?” her mother asked, curious.

Jangmi remembered she was inside the kitchen and addressed her mother, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking of something Neon said the other day.”

“Neon? Ah, your little internet friend? Jangmi,” Her mother’s concern took over, “I’m glad you have someone to talk to, but can’t it be a girl your age? This Neon fellow, we don’t know if it’s someone suspicious.”

Even if her mother’s words made sense, it wasn’t easy for Jangmi to hear.

“Mom, who would put time out their day just to chat for hours with me? It has to be genuine or that person loves to waste time.”

Her mother gave her a tired look and laughed.

“Alright, alright. I’ll trust your judgement. You kids know more about that kind of thing anyway.”

At that moment, Father looked up from his afternoon tea, “Your mother just worries for you. After what happened...well, it's hard not to worry.” It was obvious that his words were meant to be soothing, but for Jangmi, who flinched, they reminded her that she was someone to be worried about.

A weak link.

Ashamed at herself for thinking like this, she excused herself and left the table.

It was time to chat with Neon again.

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Turning on the computer was becoming her favorite pastime. It was something she couldn’t do a lot. Her mother, Do Youngmin (39), had a habit of turning off the internet in the house. She used to be less anxious, but ever since the neighboring ladies showed a few horror stories of teenagers online, her mother decided to restrict her internet time. Most of the time, Jangmi felt like she was living in the dark ages. But she knew her mother’s strictness came out of love. So she didn’t mind much.

 

Her fingers danced on the keyboard. She could see that Neon had been online for a while.

 

‘Hello Neon! How are you?’ she started.

‘You type like an old man’, came the reply. Neon was quite rude.

Neon was a strange fellow. That person was always definitely older than her - Jangmi could tell. Jangmi especially appreciated the way they waited for her to talk. To be honest, she didn’t know why Neon even spoke to her. She was able to unload on Neon, but why would Neon think of Jangmi as a beneficial connection? It was a question that made Jangmi’s stomach ache. Ignoring these feelings, she responded to Neon, and soon they were joking like normal.

An hour into this, Neon proposed a deal.

‘You know how I hate my job, right?’

‘Yeah, it sounds terrible.’ Neon was a supervisor at a prestigious company. Instead of being happy at their sucess, Neon frequently talked about the horrors of working there. Jangmi listened now and then, and understood that Neon had an online persona and an offline persona. It was tough for Neon to don their offline persona and dole out orders on their employees, who all thought they were unnecessarily tough. Neon confessed how hard being a supervisor at the top was for them.

 

‘I decided to do something different.’ Jangmi’s eyes widened. ‘Of course, I don’t know if it will go well...but I’ve already gotten in touch with a friend’s acquaintance, who happens to be an editor at a publishing place. I decided to be brave and...go for it. I’m becoming an author!’

 

Neon’s excitement jumped out of the screen. It was clear; Neon’s change in jobs made them very happy.

 

To be honest, there wasn’t much that Jangmi knew about her friend. She didn’t know their exact age, or their gender. Jangmi wanted to congratulate Neon...but felt oddly put on the spot.

She typed, ‘Congratulations! Neon, I hope it goes well for you!’

‘Haha thanks, I really think this is the right decision. My family thinks I’m crazy, but I knew you would understand.’

Jangmi felt slightly bad. Neon believed in her, but...how can she co-sign when she didn’t even know if they were any good? If Neon failed...would it be her fault for fanning the flames?

‘Yeah, this is okay! Neon, you’re following your dreams,’ she continued, ‘Believe in yourself!’

This seemed to calm Neon, ‘Jangmi, I want to show you the work. My editor told me not to reveal anything, but you’re different. Please read this and tell me what you think.’

 

Jangmi spent that entire night reading the work. It was unfinished - Neon having only sent the first half of the novel. It was interesting, Jangmi noted.

It was an internet novel about a sympathetic protagonist. The guy is cynical and depressed due to the many struggles he endured in his past. He feels unloved and unseen by everyone, and he thinks it’s because of his upbringing.

 

He envies the rich, and decides to become an actor - but by the time he becomes a top actor, he dies and is sent back in time to relive his life. Due to staying home for a long period of time, Jangmi knew much about internet novels and was even a fan of several. But one trope she couldn’t stand was...’age regression’. Especially when the protagonist retains their memories.

 

Sure, it was all well and good in the beginning - the protagonist is an underdog, and whatever win they manage to get is not annoying in the least. In fact, whenever these characters do well, you’re left with a feeling of content - the hero defeating a bad guy, if you will. But the problem begins after that.

 

After a while, the protagonist makes use of their memories - not just for small things, no - they use their memories for evil purposes. To win the lottery, to date the most popular girl in school using information from the future, to expose villains in humiliating ways and take credit.

 

Jangmi wasn’t the kind of reader that would read a plot like that and think, ‘Good for the protagonist!’. No. To her, making use of privileged information like that was something anyone could do. The love, money, attention and prestige that characters attain like this wasn’t due to their abilities. It was due to a cheat-like skill. They didn’t deserve it, and watching some weak-minded uncool protagonist claim these riches and live an easy life afterwards pissed Jangmi off.

 

Her other gripe with these stories was the fact that they were so boring! There might be challenges put in place in the beginning of the novel, sure - but by some point, the novel becomes predictable and enters a specific routine. The protagonist becomes untouchable, their reputation is flawless, and you wonder why the novel is even continuing anymore.

 

Isn’t it over already?

 

And sadly, the Neon’s novel touched upon all these issues. It was a story where an adult protagonist had regressed into his childhood past. Without prompting, he decisively jumps back into the acting scene with his unmatched acting prowess, and stuns everybody. The most annoying part - he doesn’t even attempt to hide his abilities. Then, once his project airs, he reacts obliviously to his fame and fortune.

 

“Eh?”, he shouts. “Why are everybody looking at me like this?”

 

‘Why do you think!’ Jangmi wanted to shout into her phone. ‘Of course these industry professionals are gawking at a child actor understanding the nuances of the industry. And acting well to boot? They are definitely all jumping over eachother in order to secure you for a future project. The protagonist’s dense surprise made Jangmi want to hurl.

 

It was so cringe!

 

This pattern continued for the next 200 chapters. In them, the protagonist started a new project, encountered a new rival (usually an anti-fan, an obsessed fan, a miserly director eager to smear his name, etc.) The protagonist deals with them expertly, and some female is always around to see his actions and fawn over him. Of course, he looks away the moment she arrives, and doesn’t understand why she’s blushing.

Then he acts in his project, meets some trouble, learns some new acting trick, the project is unveiled, and he is given ridiculous amounts of fame and money.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

Jangmi almost banged her head into her nightstand when she reached the end of the first season, when the protagonist decided to go to America to break into the american acting scene. She wanted to scoff.

 

‘Umm, excuse me,’ she spat. ‘Aren’t you a child actor? In what universe can you just fly away to start an acting career overseas? Where’s your parents? And why are they allowing literal strangers to take you? Human trafficking is a thing, you know! Fearless parents!’

Just like that, Jangmi had spent the entire night reading Neon's work. An exhausted Jangmi noticed the light shining from her curtains and sighed. 

Jangmi didn’t know what to do. Morning had come, but she couldn’t open her computer in fear of encountering an excited Neon. How could she tell him the truth?

That his story was utterly terrible?

Jangmi’s fingers flitted across the keyboard, the words forming inside her mind. Then, she pressed enter.

She hoped this would be enough.