chapter - 7

 Mystery novels that rely on a twist-reveal structure are particularly vulnerable to spoilers. 

Especially if they are famous works, as it's human nature to want to carelessly spill the beans about influential stories. 

In that regard, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was a novel that fulfilled both of these conditions.

"Hey! I haven't read it yet, and you're already spoiling the ending?! How can you call yourself a human being?!"

"Hah! It's your fault for not reading it! You should've lined up in front of the bookstore from dawn, like I did!"

"This jerk?! It's a duel!"

"Fine! To die in a duel without having read 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'... you won't rest in peace even in heaven!"

"Let's see who dies!"

This was an extreme example, but similar events were happening all over the empire. 

There was even an instance where a bookstore created a flyer to promote the arrival of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde":

"Learn the terrifying story of how Dr. Jekyll became the monstrous criminal Hyde! Now at Hans' Bookstore!"

This was truly a horrifying spoiler. It was a disaster born out of a lack of understanding of the mystery genre.

And, having witnessed all of this through the window, I...

"Boss."

"Yes?"

"Given the situation, let's host a fanfiction contest."

"...What?"

We decided to ride the wave of spoilers.

. . .

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is especially vulnerable to spoilers. 

Even recalling memories from my past life, it was clear that the fact "Jekyll" and "Hyde" were the same person was so well-known that many people didn't even realize it was the twist of a mystery novel.

"Isn't the capital in an uproar over spoilers right now?"

"Yes..."

Despite that, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" remains a classic.

The reason is simple.

"Since it's come to this, let's see who can spoil the best."

"What?"

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a masterpiece that stands as a classic even with just its 'resolution.'

The novel is a pioneer of dual personality literature. The conflict between the 'good personality' represented by Jekyll and the 'evil personality' represented by Hyde has inspired many writers and remains an immortal classic.

In my previous life in Korea, the musical "Jekyll and Hyde" was also popular, known for the song "This Is The Moment."

"While 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' is an interesting work, its brevity is somewhat disappointing. The resolution, especially through 'Dr. Lanyon's Narrative' and 'Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case,' is particularly so."

"It's a shame that such a great work is over so quickly."

"Right? So, let's give readers a chance to relieve that disappointment."

Fanfiction based on "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" focuses on Dr. Jekyll's anguish and human aspects.

In that case, it becomes a gothic novel rather than a mystery.

Elements of gothic fiction—religious ethics, romance, mysticism—are easy for people in this world to understand and accept. The seeds for gothic fiction were already well sown.

So, what I intended to do was simple.

"We're going to hold a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' fanfiction contest. Let people tell the story of Jekyll as they see fit, in any format they like."

The goal was to nurture 'gothic fiction' writers through a "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" fanfiction contest!

"If we find good writers, we could even sign them with our publishing house, right?"

"Writer...! Thank you for thinking so highly of our publishing house!"

"So, don't betray me and run off alone like last time."

"Hah... I'm sorry..."

The fanfiction contest had additional benefits beyond that.

Copyright law had only recently passed through parliament. If the law wasn't properly enforced during this transition period, it risked becoming obsolete.

But we couldn't just throw all the plagiarizing writers in jail.

So, we would give existing writers a chance. An opportunity to freely use the original work to create their own. If they still chose to break the law despite this opportunity, we could punish them as much as we wanted.

"So, Boss."

"Yes!"

"Please prepare well for the fanfiction contest. Since it's unprecedented, there's a lot to consider... Can I trust you?"

"Yes! I will prepare with my bones ground and my body shattered!"

"You don't need to go that far..."

. . .

"There are only a limited amount of details in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.' Hyde's incidents are described sporadically, and reactions, testimonies, and confessions dominate the narrative."

"The hidden parts have to be filled in with imagination."

"Didn't Jekyll have a lover? Even though he says Hyde was created from a stone, wouldn't Jekyll seem more wooden and boring to a woman? Though I do like the idea of someone vulnerable to temptation."

"...I'll leave that interpretation to you, Your Highness."

"How boring."

Just like the imperial prince who suddenly showed up at the publishing house.

The prince, disguised as a maid, sat on the sofa, swinging his legs like a naughty child while reading a book, occasionally sharing his thoughts on it.

"Is this Hyde character modeled after me?"

"No, it is not."

"Really? Feels like it."

Comparing the hideous and repulsive Hyde to the beautiful maid-faced prince...

Anyone would shake their head at such a notion, yet for some reason, I found myself slightly agreeing with him.

Hyde was Dr. Jekyll's 'pure soul manifest.'

Shedding his frustrating and hypocritical shell, Hyde was pure, unadulterated evil. Henry Jekyll saw Hyde as such a being.

And Prince Idris was a person who walked around with the image of his soul overlayed on his face like a fantasy.

"Since I've never seen Your Highness's real face, it's hard to say."

"It's not much different from now. It's that kind of magic."

"Is that so?"

"For example, this hair. I've grown it with great care. Want to touch it?"

"How could I dare touch the hair of someone so noble?"

"The maids touch it every day. Well, if you don't want to, never mind."

I couldn't fathom why he had come here.

Surely, he didn't just come to share his thoughts on a novel.

My mouth felt dry.

"Um, Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"May I ask why you've come here?"

"I want to participate in the contest too."

"Pardon...?"

"You said there's a fanfiction contest, right?"

How did he know that when it hadn't even been officially announced yet?

Is this the information power of the imperial family? It's a bit scary.

"Oh! I'm not asking for my work to be chosen as the winner or anything like that. I thought I might pick up some clues by talking to the author directly. Well, it wasn't very fun."

"Haha..."

"So, why are you hosting this contest? It doesn't seem like there's much to gain from it... Just a hobby?"

"I hope good writers will increase."

"Hmm?"

The prince squinted at me, resting his chin on one hand and lazily moving his fingers up and down.

His eyelashes were long. The way he looked at others made men feel like frogs in front of a snake.

No, how is he really a man?

"You don't deny it?"

"Hahaha..."

Is he really seeing through something?

In a world where magic and mysteries exist, it wouldn't be strange if a royal used telepathy.

I should be as careful as possible.

"You don't deny it?"

"Hahaha..."

. . .

As the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" fanfiction contest began, dozens of works poured into the publishing house daily.

Evaluating them all was a task.

I liked reading, so it wasn't much of a problem. It was rather enjoyable.

"There are more plays than I expected."

The contest format was free. Novels, epic poems, plays, even drawings were accepted. If drawings were selected, they would be included as illustrations in the next print edition.

But among them, there was something odd.

"Boss."

"Yes, Writer!"

"I think this fan letter was misclassified? It seems there's a gift included."

"No? Let me see."

Inside the envelope was a small glass bottle.

The boss checked the envelope and handed it back to me.

"It's definitely a contest entry. Maybe the writer included a separate gift for you? They’re probably all fans of yours."

"Maybe so."

Inside the glass bottle, a silvery liquid shimmered. This isn't mercury, is it?

I was too scared to open it carelessly, so I first examined the work.

The work inside the envelope was a manuscript mimicking Dr. Jekyll's confession from the novel.

[I've realized that our bodies are mere shells expressing some force and light that constitutes our souls.]

[And further, I succeeded in creating a potion that pulls down that noble force and instead produces a completely different body and appearance.]

Up to that point, it was no different from Jekyll's confession in the novel.

The change came afterward.

[In case of emergency, I have written the formula for the potion here. A potion that exposes every lethal aspect of a person....]

The letter contained a recipe for some kind of potion.

Ingredients, methods, required tools and equipment were detailed in the recipe. Although the contest format was free, this unexpected approach left me a bit flustered.

With a mix of half incredulity and half anticipation, I turned the page. The last page was a letter written by the participant under their own