Corina (2024)

[bunniefuu]

We define transportation

as the series of processes,

meant to move

and communicate.

Moving from point A

to point B.

Point of origin

and destination.

This story is set in Mexico,

in the city of Guadalajara,

an industrial macro-region

that, in the year 2000,

will have a population

of up to 5 million people.

Five million people manage to move

within a finite geographical area,

in adjacent directions,

often opposite,

at risk of k*lling

each other trying.

This thought haunted her.

How do five million people

walk around,

knowing they could die

on any corner?

Corina suffers from what science

has classified as agoraphobia.

An inexplicable fear

stopping her from crossing,

the small threshold

she's locked herself behind.

Her whole universe is limited

to the Americana neighborhood.

Specifically between

Prisciliano Snchez St. to the north,

Libertad St. to the south,

and Venezuela and Argentina St.,

to the east and west,

respectively.

Only four streets that have

everything she might need.

Her house,

Fer's grocery store,

and the newspaper

she works at.

She might not go out into

the world, but she can picture it.

Her book collection works

as a portal,

to other worlds, landscapes,

and realities.

Especially those by

author Xareni Silverman.

Goodbye, Rene.

Good morning, sweetie.

Morning.

Our Father, I call on Your name

to protect Corina, and I ask You...

Wait a second.

Here it is.

Let me fix you a plate.

No, thanks.

There you go.

Facing the outside world

for the first time,

is usually the tensest moment

of her day.

One, two, three, four...

Corina Rojas was born

twenty-eight years ago,

the daughter of a librarian

and a writer.

Her childhood went by

just like everyone else's.

A christening, her first steps,

pre-school, birthdays.

Birthday parties, eight birthdays.

Regular, conventional birthdays.

Twenty-five, twenty-six,

twenty-seven, twenty-eight,

twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one,

thirty-two, thirty-three,

thirty-four, thirty-five,

thirty-six...

Later things got... a bit tragic.

Forty-two, forty-three,

forty-four, forty-five, forty-six,

forty-seven, forty-eight,

forty-nine, fifty,

fifty-one, fifty-two,

fifty-three...

fifty-six, fifty-seven,

fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty,

sixty-one, sixty-two...

Rene never really liked

leaving her home.

And she panicked

after her husband's death,

we can't blame her,

she did the best she could

with what she had and knew.

But fear, just like water,

always ends up seeping in,

and in Rene's case,

it became a flood.

No one really knows

how Rene's world,

shrank into the four walls

of her own home.

Conditioned by her mother's reality,

Corina's world slowly

shrank as well.

One block to the north,

one block to the south,

so Rene wouldn't

lose sight of her.

Her curiosity towards

the world,

was satisfied by the books

her father left for her.

Sixty-three, sixty-four,

sixty-five, sixty-six,

sixty-seven, sixty-eight,

sixty-nine...

FOR SALE

GROCERY STORE

FRUIT SALADS

SANDWICHES

Hello, Corina.

The usual?

The problem with establishing

a routine, is developing,

a natural distaste

towards change.

Corina?

What can I get you today?

Carlos!

We're just branching out,

Corina.

I bought the shop next door.

We did.

We did.

This is Carlos,

he's my cousin,

he's my new partner,

he just got back from the US.

He's a bricklayer.

I'm a construction worker, Fernanda.

He's a bricklayer, and he's getting

used to the store.

If you ever come by and I'm

in the back or went out,

Carlos has a great memory.

Corina always drinks

a medium black coffee,

whole milk, with two packets

of brown sugar.

Got it.

Are you alright, Corina?

We'll finish renovating soon.

Carlos is a really nice guy,

he's kind of noisy,

but he's a nice guy.

We'll get used to this,

you'll see.

Medium black coffee,

whole milk,

with two packets of sugar.

Brown sugar.

Very brown sugar.

"..."

Excuse me?

"..."

"..."

Rene wants a chai tea.

OK, I'll be right over.

Bye!

Is that her?

Yeah.

I see.

Is the lunch meat any good?

That's not for you.

WELCOME TO THE BEST DAY

OF YOUR LIFE

Good morning, Rene!

Busy morning?

Well...

not really, Rene.

There you go.

A chai tea, and this week's

groceries.

God bless you.

Be careful out there.

I will, Rene.

Bye.

Bye.

Corina doesn't work

for a big paper,

but at the Book Publishing

department of a big paper.

For the love of God, Corina,

if you're not going to work

upstairs, check your messages.

Hurry up!

Lili's looking for you.

No, we're out on the 25th,

that's a Friday.

We'll have a press conference,

and it will be available here,

in Guadalajara.

Distribution starts on the 25th,

but it's a rollout by region.

Jalisco gets them

on the 25th and the 26th,

the Central Zone gets it next,

Monday 27th at the latest.

Well, honey, you could've

just asked,

but it's not my problem

you're just assuming things...

I'm glad it sells, but we can't

before the 27th.

The author is a mystery, honey,

she barely responds to our emails.

Here's what we can do,

if you pay for shipping,

I can ship 200 units to you, by plane

on the morning of the 25th.

You'd be selling them

by 5 o'clock.

Deal, let me transfer you

to Sandrita,

she'll take your order.

Yeah. Bye, ciao.

Kisses, bye.

Is Rodrigo here yet, hun?

He's not picking up.

Tell him I need to see him

down here ASAP.

Take those guys' order,

from Chile.

They'll pay for shipping,

by plane. Yes, Lili.

I really need to see Rodrigo, hun.

I'm on it, Liliana.

Don't sit,

I've got six seconds for you,

are you finished?

I don't have time to read it,

give it to Sandrita, she'll take it to Print.

I'll give you the next one

for editing,

I'll definitely read this one,

can you have it by Friday?

Are you sure?

That's tomorrow.

It's Duel of the Mighty Titans.

I think... yeah.

One second please.

I really need Rodrigo, hun.

He's here, Lili.

I'm right here,

where's the fire?

There's no ending.

What are you talking about?

Resonance.

Resonance, the book?

Yes, the book called Resonance.

She just sent us the latest draft

and the ending doesn't work,

it's pretentious,

philosophical, snobbish,

tragic, gory, relentless,

her readers will hate it,

it goes against,

what she's been building

throughout the series, it's suicide.

The character commits suicide?

For us, it would be suicide to publish it.

We need to find her. We've been

sending emails, she won't respond.

She's under contract,

she's expected to deliver

a manuscript,

to the satisfaction of

her publishers, end of story.

You tell her that, see if the wind

carries your message to her town,

and if it does, tell her

to go f*ck herself for me.

Let me see it. You have

your own copy, where is it?

Where's Rodrigo's copy, hun?

On his desk, Lili.

I told you.

I told you, she says.

Lili.

I have Silverman on the phone.

Give it to me.

Xareni.

It's Felipa, I see,

how are you?

Yeah, always a pleasure.

Well, just as I mentioned

in my last email...

Did she get the email?

She did?

Great... I see.

I understand that.

Does she even know

who her readers are?

She said that?

No matter how many f*ck

she gives, she's under contract,

and she's expected

to fulfill it.

In that case, I don't give

a f*ck either.

She's got until Monday,

10:00 AM.

And she better leave

the main character alone,

we've got two books left.

She hung up.

Liliana, I've got a meeting

with the board today. I know.

They're looking for any excuse

to shut down your department.

I know, what can I say?

You read it, you have a copy,

maybe I'm overreacting.

You're still here?

Get out, sweetie.

Thank you, Corina, always

a pleasure chatting with you.

She's not reading it?

She's too busy.

Cheer up, girl.

Ready for your next

assignment?

That'd be...

Duel of the Mighty Titans, I think.

It's down in Design,

go for it.

Gorgeous.

Hi there.

Hey.

I'm here for the CD.

She's here for the CD.

The CD...

Duel of the Mighty Titans.

Corina, we're planning

a small get-together,

with people

from the department.

You have to come,

it's like, six blocks away.

And please bring your mom,

we'd love to meet her.

You're so mean.

Authors are the cornerstone

of literature.

But there are levels to

the social scale of writers.

And Corina has been relegated

to the lowest tier.

Because of her quiet,

introspective personality,

her bosses have never

trusted her very much.

Hey.

Lili says she really

needs that by Friday.

That's tomorrow.

Tomorrow's Friday.

They hired her in Publishing,

out of respect,

to the memory of her father,

who used to work at the paper,

and placed her in the most harmless

department there is.

Style correction for pulp erotica.

I love that one.

The bedroom one, right?

I really like the lighting.

Yeah, me too.

I feel like it's what it needs.

Guys, here's the...

Jorge doesn't love it though.

Why not?

You know how he is.

But it's perfect.

Ever since she moved

to that town,

it's practically impossible

to reach her.

Yeah, last time we saw her

here was like, ten years ago.

As soon as possible, ma'am,

because this is an urgent matter.

Tomorrow?

Excellent, thanks.

One more thing, Ms. Daz,

let's not tell anyone

from the board about this.

Five, six, seven, eight,

nine, ten, eleven...

You go see the supplier,

I'll lock up tonight.

Sure, that's why I have

the truck. Look, it's Corina.

Going home, Corina?

We're getting some pork rind tostadas,

should I get some for you guys?

Well, see you.

Not even for tostadas? Damn.

She won't leave the block.

How can you turn down tostadas?

Pork rind tostadas, no less.

Certainty and stability as opposed

to improvisation and what's new.

What's safe as opposed

to what's yet to be known.

For Corina, rituals and consistency,

signify being in control,

over the different elements

of her systematic life.

Hello, sweetie.

Hi.

Everything alright?

Sure thing, sweetie.

I was about to turn it on,

I swear.

We've got the microwave

though, I thought.

They both do

the same thing.

And microwaves are safer.

But microwave quesadillas

make no sense.

How was your day?

Good.

Quite good?

Very good.

The Design guys congratulated me

on my latest pulp erotica.

We're really good friends.

Corina is also the style corrector

of her own reality.

I'm glad they liked it.

Yeah.

Lili read it

and she really liked it.

She does that a lot.

That's great.

How's Lili?

She's great.

We talked so much today.

She does it all the time.

That's nice.

Yeah, we're both worried Silverman

won't deliver her book in time.

You don't say.

The ending is not ready yet.

You don't say.

Yeah, and...

I had to write her

quite a lengthy email,

she responded right away

and we talked about...

creative freedom,

and authorial integrity,

and how hard it is to insert

your creative will,

into the factors of this market

of comformity and compliance,

to the needs

of a mass audience,

and therefore, to the capitalist

intentions of a publishing house.

That's nice, sweetie.

DUEL OF MIGHTY TITANS

A UNIQUE ROMANCE

BY ALEJANDRO GUERR--

Corina loves happy endings.

Here it is.

Is this the new one?

They should let you

write novels,

after everything you've

written for them.

And I bet your pulp books

sell pretty good.

Everybody likes love stories.

Yeah.

I wonder why they don't.

Stories about passion and lust...

And wild sex...

Rene!

If they let you write novels,

you wouldn't have to go to the office,

you'd be able to work from here,

from home.

Good night, sweetheart.

Good night, Rene.

You want some breakfast?

Good morning, Rene.

Good morning,

can I fix you a plate?

No, thanks.

Rene?

I loved it.

One, two, three,

four, five...

That very first coffee in the morning

is of vital importance.

Hello, Corina.

The usual?

Can you hand me

that hammer?

Please.

Corina?

Can you hand me

the hammer?

And two packets

of brown sugar.

There you go.

Thanks.

Bye, Corina.

If Ms. Liliana already told you

to wait until the 27th,

then you have to wait

until the 27th.

I can't do anything

about that.

My supervisor?

That would be Ms. Liliana.

I'll gladly put her on the phone,

one moment please.

Stay right there,

I'll be right back.

Sorry, I was on a call,

how are you, ma'am?

I'm good, thanks.

Well, I've read the manuscript,

and in short, it's true,

that ending is a mess.

And not just the ending,

she changed her style completely.

Her tone is now harsh,

and gritty.

We've been trying to reach her

since yesterday, but...

The probability of her changing

the ending is next to zero. Why?

Lili, I won't change

a single comma,

this had always been

my plan for the series.

Sincerely, Xareni Silverman.

We'd like to know the risks,

of publishing the book

as it is right now.

Knowing that people won't like it.

Do we know that though?

It's not a bad book, it's just different.

You read it, Liliana.

Does it even make sense

next to Fracture or Sunrise?

Once I finished it, while I was

re-reading the final chapters,

just so I could relive its delicate

but persistent beauty,

I realized 'Fracture' is also a book

about hope.

A feminine story

of such a large soul,

the whole world fits inside of it,

that was about Sunrise.

Yet another luminous success,

in which the triumph of good,

is not only feasible

but absolutely inevitable.

Could you say something like that

about what we just read?

The national and international press

will... Eat us alive.

The readers will start a fire

to burn their copies,

of Resonance.

If people don't like it,

it takes a toll on the company.

In plain Spanish, please.

The paper has been subsidizing

the Publishing department for years.

I know. I can't keep defending

your department,

if the numbers keep

dropping.

The whole department?

Everyone in Narrative.

Until we see some numbers,

we won't know how hard

it will hit you,

but if it ends up

being a total failure,

we would have to transfer some

of your employees to other areas,

but not everyone, Lili.

I'm sorry to question how

you run things around here but,

why are we reading

the ending just now?

That's how she's always

delivered her work.

Why? Because it's Silverman.

So she can screw us.

She's had a spotless record

until now,

I guess that's why

we've tolerated her so far.

It's a famous writer's trick,

the closer you get

to the deadline,

the notes are less thorough,

there are less changes.

They think editors are a bunch

of frustrated writers,

who mess with their narrative,

or change their style,

but all we want

is for their books to sell,

and we've never changed

a comma of any of her books.

Then again, she had never

had her protagonist flayed before.

She... fries her?

Flays her.

She flayed Martirio?

How about that?

The things she's put

her through,

Christ suffered less

on the cross,

than Martirio

in the last ten pages.

There's still an out for us.

What is it?

Silverman's got

great legal insurance.

We're not suing her,

she's a genius.

She's supposed to write

two more books for us,

we can't end

our relationship with her.

Did you clearly inform her

of the new deadline?

Monday, 10:00 AM.

Did you inform her in writing?

No, over the phone.

I talked to Felipa,

her assistant.

That's better, actually.

Were there any witnesses?

Rodrigo was here.

No, Rodrigo won't do.

How are you holding up?

There are two kinds

of people in this world:

those who can't let

a missing tilde go,

and those who can.

The word periodo [period] is,

like many others,

a bi-stressed word,

which means,

it can have two kinds

of prosodic stress, both correct,

not to be confused

with diacritical words,

which change their meaning,

based on whether or not

they carry a tilde.

Once the red pencil

stains the paper,

it's impossible to stop.

Just like blood, when w*r

has been unleashed.

This period is used

incorrectly.

This dash hinders

the musicality of the phrase.

A semicolon?

Who uses it for something

other than copulative constructions?

And when you least expect it,

you've reached the ending,

and the protagonist indeed dies

a resounding death.

Or is it possible

to change the ending?

Can a red pencil

bring back the dead?

You're the only one

left, miss.

It's Friday.

I'm locking up in five!

It's possible, it's always

possible.

Seventeen, eighteen,

nineteen, twenty,

twenty-one, twenty-two,

twenty-three, twenty-four,

twenty-five, twenty-six,

twenty-seven, twenty-eight...

Yes?

Nothing.

You didn't come downstairs.

Here.

Thanks.

That one looks long...

Is it a novel?

Yes.

Is it yours?

It's Silverman's.

Lili wants me to work

on the ending,

she says it's terrible.

Seriously?

Rene...

Do you think cowards could get

moments of courage?

Coward's a pretty strong word.

How do you call someone

who lacks courage then?

Someone who lives in fear.

Fear is a natural reaction,

it's about survival.

More or less.

But once it becomes permanent,

or one's lifestyle,

that's when it takes over

and turns people into cowards.

Prudence is a virtue of the wise.

It could become excessive though,

what about having...

too much prudence?

Or excessive caution.

I would rather people call me

a living coward, than a brave corpse.

I wasn't talking about you.

You're talking about yourself.

I'm talking about a character,

a fictional one,

who hasn't dared to do much

throughout their history, and finally,

they have to take a risk.

But doing so goes against all logic

that's been built around them.

If a cowardly character

has a single moment of courage,

it means they were never

a coward but,

someone brave, patiently waiting

for the right moment.

You think so?

I think we are so much more,

than the language we use

to describe ourselves.

What would need to happen

for this hypothetical character,

to get out

of their comfort zone?

When did comfort become

such a bad word?

I'm doing just fine.

You know how hard it was

for me to do fine? I know.

I'm sure someone would think

I'm a cowardly character,

but you know what?

That's OK.

I don't think you're

a cowardly character.

Let your character do

whatever it is they have to do.

Don't judge them too harshly,

no matter what choice they make.

Corina couldn't stop. She kept

reading and correcting,

mostly out of the momentum

caused by an inescapable question.

How to give such a tragic story

a happy ending?

Almost finished?

Almost.

May I?

That's nice,

the thing about the neutral

paradise and the roots.

Is that a metaphor?

It's an allegory.

A long string of metaphors.

They're in every inch

of the book.

RESONANCE BY X. SILVERMAN

EDITORIAL CORRECTION BY CORINA ROJAS

Some days, everything seems

to go our way,

everything falls into place

and we get to feel alright,

we get to feel important,

and needed.

IT'S THE BEST THING

I'VE EVER READ

Hello.

OK.

Medium black coffee, whole milk,

and two packets of brown sugar.

What's wrong?

No news on Silverman.

Nothing yet?

Nothing.

Tiny actions can change

the course of history.

Tiny accidents.

Tiny mistakes.

Good morning, Rodrigo.

Morning.

Any news on Silverman?

None.

We need to know what

we're going to do next.

Nothing yet?

Nothing.

Any phone calls?

Nothing.

Any emails?

Nothing.

This just came in, Lili.

It's from Silverman.

You were right, Liliana, my book

was missing a couple of commas,

I profoundly apologize,

how unprofessional of me,

I can't wait to see those

first printed copies.

Hi, Rene.

Good morning, sweetheart.

How's it going?

Sorry to ask you this, honey,

but it's a matter

of life and death.

Could you take this to the paper?

Corina left it here.

And it's so important.

Of course.

Yeah.

Thanks.

Morning.

Who's this for?

Corina Rojas, I guess.

Send Corina in.

Sure thing, Lili.

Corinita?

Corina!

Lili's looking for you.

Can we talk for a moment,

sweetheart?

Hello?

It's quite simple.

Last week you were

standing there,

and you listened

while we made a call.

Remember?

You listened to us asking

Silverman, through Felipa,

to deliver an appropriate ending

by Monday, 10:00 AM.

I just need you to testify,

in case we go to trial.

Corina,

I need you to help us

with this,

you won't affect her,

we're just trying,

to pressure her into

fulfilling her contract.

It's very important.

Think of all the readers,

just like you,

who would be disappointed.

We're a team... aren't we?

She's gone mute!

Do you understand what

Liliana's asking from you?

I have to go to the restroom.

Lili.

What do you need, Corinita?

They're pretty busy.

Could you tell them

I'm willing to help?

It seems like they won't

need you, but I'll tell them.

I even got all made up,

and I walked out into the street,

I really did.

You would've been

so proud of me.

I went back inside when

the garbage truck drove by.

But I figured out a way

to send it to you.

You worked so hard

all weekend,

only to leave it at home.

They're going to fire you

if you don't snap out of it, hun.

I can't always be

taking care of you.

Anyway, no harm done.

I love you.

I'll make you some rice

for dinner.

In the microwave,

but it'll be good.

I can't believe it.

She changed the ending.

She changed the whole thing.

And she saved Martirio.

Did she though?

But why did she send us

that sh*t about the commas?

What a complex author.

She's a genius.

She's a m*therf*cking

son of a b*tch,

who's going to end up

giving me a stroke,

but she's a genius.

It's the best book

in the series.

For sure. We should send her

a bottle, or some flowers.

Give me that.

That b*tch.

Not now, Corina, please. I need

to tell them that's my ending.

Lili told me she's going to read

your work this time.

Heads up, everybody.

I don't know who you prayed to

this weekend, but it worked.

Code red,

this is not a drill.

Turn those presses on,

get everything ready,

we gotta be printing

by 5 o'clock.

We're three days behind,

we gotta catch up.

Thanks, everyone.

Call home and tell them

you won't make it to dinner,

this is the biggest week

of the year,

0 to 60 in three hours.

I trust you, guys.

Let's do it.

You heard her,

0 to 60, you functionally

illiterate people.

Being a person whose world lies

within less than 8 square miles,

it's understandable she's never

had to use any maps,

and has only read

about them.

Corina had to conduct

strenuous research,

on coordinates, streets,

roads, and bus stops.

How to go from point A

to point B.

Point of origin, and destination.

Corina?

Where were you going?

I already told you,

I must find Silverman.

Don't make me call Liliana

and find out the truth.

Why do you ask me, if you're

not going to believe me?

Because you haven't left

the block in years, that's why.

There had been no need.

And there's no need now.

What could be so important

Liliana can't manage?

Liliana doesn't know about it.

I'm going to call her...

No one can know I'm going.

I made a mistake.

A big one.

I have to fix it.

You're not leaving

this house.

Period.

I don't write for Liliana.

I don't write for

the publishing house.

Everything you've read was written

by others, I changed the names.

I'm just a style corrector,

that's all I do.

I've got a suitcase full of

manuscripts I put my name on.

Liliana never asked me

to change Silverman's ending.

That manuscript should've

never left this house,

but you gave it to them,

now they think it's Silverman's.

I have to fix that.

I still don't want you

to go out.

I don't care if you lie,

but please don't go out.

Are you OK?

She needs our help, Carlos.

She needs help in general,

from you, from me,

she doesn't have

any other friends?

C'mon, you owe me.

What's that supposed to mean?

I don't like taking the truck

out on the road.

C'mon, I'll owe you one.

Carlos will take you.

You're in good hands.

Giddy up then, let's do this.

I know how to get to

the second toll booth,

but we're gonna have

to ask around,

'cause I couldn't find

the address they gave you.

Alright.

Hold on, stop.

Shall we?

You want me to go back?

When you leave your house,

what do you do

that helps?

I take a deep breath

and I count my steps.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four...

Four.

Five.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Hold on, I'm on it.

Do you need anything?

Just some air, it will pass.

Lie down for a moment,

it will help.

Everything alright?

The sky.

Are you ready?

You can't see this

in the city.

Who are we going to see

anyway?

Xareni Silverman.

Xareni Silverman?

The Xareni Silverman? Yeah.

I've never read her books,

but Fernanda loves her.

Do you like her?

A lot.

Is she any good?

She's the best.

I had never seen a cow before.

I almost had a heart attack.

The street should be around here,

we should ask anyway.

Let's ask her.

Excuse me, do you know

the way to El Cedro Street?

You see that street

over there?

Well, that's the only street

around here.

Who are you looking for?

Xareni Silverman.

Who?

Silverman?

She's a writer.

Oh, the teacher.

I guess.

Her house is at the end

of the street,

on the right side, not the left,

don't get them mixed up.

Alright, thanks.

Is she expecting you?

No.

Don't go empty-handed then.

I've only got dollars though.

That's alright, young man.

Here.

Excellent, have a nice day.

Are you ready?

Good afternoon, we're here to...

That's fine.

We're looking for Ms. Silverman.

We don't know her real name though.

Are you from the school board?

No, we're...

We need to talk to her.

She's not here.

And you're her...

Felipa, what do you need?

Do you know where we could

find her? It's kind of urgent.

The teacher is not

interested in visitors.

Thanks.

The teacher wasn't home.

I see, I'm sure she's already

on her way to school.

Where's that?

It's really far.

And it's hard to find.

Unless someone goes with you.

The teacher never gets

any visitors.

She's very strange.

She never comes to our parties.

She never throws

any Christmas parties,

or has people over

for coffee.

She goes from her house

to the school, and back again.

She teaches any classes?

Of course, she's a teacher.

She teaches many different things.

It's right over there.

What are you waiting for?

She's in there.

I'll wait for you here.

The Law of the Jungle forbids

every beast to eat Man.

Except under

one circumstance.

When they're k*lling to show

their children how to k*ll.

But they must do so outside

the hunting grounds of the pack.

There's a powerful reason

behind this.

Man-k*lling will definitely bring,

the arrival of other men,

carrying g*ns.

And then, everybody in

the jungle hurts and suffers.

Lety, darling,

that last sentence,

it's ugly, isn't it?

When you say it,

think of something sad.

Like when those powerful men

come to town and steal our water.

And then... And then,

everybody in the jungle,

hurts and suffers.

Great job.

Thanks for everything, teacher.

You shouldn't have, thank you.

Hello, um,

Ms. Silverman.

We're here from...

The publishing house.

How do you know?

Nobody calls me that,

nobody else knows

where I live,

and I know neither of you.

Was Liliana too busy

to come apologize herself?

No, ma'am, I'm here

on my own accord.

Of my own accord.

Call me Regina.

In six years, no one

from the office,

had bothered coming

all the way here,

so I'm assuming it must be

tremendously important.

Is there a place

where we can talk?

This is my stop.

There you go.

Thank you so much.

Tell your boyfriend

he might come in.

What?

Tell your boyfriend

he might come in.

Or did you come

all the way here,

just to see my version

of The Jungle Book?

We have things

to discuss, don't we?

We brought you

some cream bread.

It's a great day for

the cream bread market.

The book?

Yes.

You took it?

Yes.

And you took it

from the trash can?

And who threw it

in the trash can?

Of course.

Continue.

I started reading it and...

I couldn't put it down.

I'm used to correcting,

I'm an editor.

So I started to correct it.

They were pretty worried about

the ending back at the office,

and once I read it, so was I.

Your books have helped me

cope with the world,

does that make sense?

So the whole thing

became a challenge.

How to give a joyful twist

to such a tragic story.

It can be done,

it can always be done.

I changed some things,

but the essence is there,

I was respectful,

I respected your allegories,

your narrative structure...

Your narrative progression...

No, I get it.

You corrected my novel.

Well, the ending.

Because the ending is what

they're truly worried about.

Let me guess,

Martirio Goicochea lives,

and ends up,

fused in a true love's kiss.

She doesn't end up fused

in a true love's kiss, in fact,

she ends up alone,

but yes.

She lives.

My books must not be corrected.

I'm not saying your ending was bad,

it's very good.

So good, but...

Being pessimistic

is on trend, I think.

But you,

you're not usually pessimistic.

That's what's so different

about your writing.

It's important for people to...

On trend?

You think it's a trend?

You know what happened

to Lety, the girl from rehearsal?

It's better if you don't know.

The world is chock-full

of frivolity and indifference.

Transforming it is so uncomfortable

for most people,

they'd rather ignore that

their lifestyle harms others.

They don't care,

as long as the others,

are faceless beings,

far away, nameless,

from towns in the middle

of nowhere, with no access to water,

let alone access

to a condom.

Or a little bit of justice.

I wanted to know

what would happen,

if the others were

the protagonists,

of everyone's favorite novels.

From the moment I wrote

the first book,

I did so thinking

about that ending.

We must learn how to deal

with the discomfort,

of unhappy endings,

and to survive in them.

I'm not up for

a happy ending.

I'm not in the mood

for another happy ending.

There is something called

artistic integrity,

and that is the only thing

an author has in this world.

At least we tried.

I thought it would work.

What now?

I have to own up

to what I did.

I can't begin to imagine

the consequences of my mistake.

At least five thousand copies,

in the trash.

Assuming they haven't shipped

any of them yet.

Let's just see what happens.

We'll figure something out.

It will be alright,

you'll see.

Sure.

Thanks.

You're almost 400 kilometers

away from your home, by the way.

I know.

You need a ride somewhere?

I'm coming with you.

I need to talk to Liliana.

What's going on

at that publishing house,

that they have an intern tell

their best-selling author,

how to write?

No offense.

Let's get going then.

It's old, but it won't

leave us stranded.

I can't, I'll get carsick.

Do you get carsick?

Me?

I wouldn't expect the young man

to read and drive.

Read.

Don't get your hopes up,

I haven't changed my mind,

it's just...

mere literary curiosity.

'Who is that woman staring

at me?' Martirio wondered.

Incapable of seeing herself

in her own reflection.

A small town girl,

Manuel's daughter,

the one who would run and hide

even from the chickens.

Here she is now, a blank look

on her face, and blood on her clothes,

holding the g*n steadily,

tracing her own steps

back to the river,

where she would get rid

of the evidence.

That, of course, if something was

actually going through her mind.

Martirio Goicochea left

the station at 19:45 hours,

and at some point

during that train ride,

that name, and last name,

died for good.

Damn.

Did you write that last bit?

We made it.

That wasn't the worst thing

I've ever read.

Sandrita.

I'm here to talk to Liliana.

Keep one.

As a souvenir.

Regina.

Liliana.

Please explain.

Casteln Ediciones,

good afternoon.

Thank you for conceding,

the new ending is incredible.

Well, I think we need to talk.

Come with me.

Corina, Corina, Corina.

What you did should

get you sued, darling.

Stealing confidential material,

misappropriation of duties,

identity theft,

it's a long list,

terrible stuff.

However...

However!

These are not normal

circumstances.

All the ill*gal things you did,

resulted in... this.

What Liliana wants is,

to thank you, right?

Yeah... thanks.

I don't understand.

Regina agreed to keep

your version of the book.

We made a deal with her.

It wasn't cheap.

In exchange for her to accept

your version as hers,

and to promise not to sue

the publishing house.

However...

However!

This story cannot leave

this room,

which is why we need you

to sign these.

The company has agreed

to assign you,

a percentage of the sales

of the book.

This is an irrevocable contract,

and its commercial rights period

and validity extend for 99 years.

It's quite a generous offer,

under these circumstances.

Of course it includes an extensive

non-disclosure clause.

And severe penalties

for breaching it.

Are you firing me?

No, we're not, Corina.

Under normal circumstances...

These are not normal circumstances.

You co-wrote a book that's part

of a successful series.

You may keep your job,

as long as you sign these.

I don't want to be

a style corrector anymore.

I want to write.

Write-write?

I want to write-write.

Deal.

Have you been writing long?

For as long

as I can remember.

I'm curious to see what

you're going to write now.

Me too.

Beautiful, isn't it?

This city.

It's huge.

Have a nice day, Corina.

You too, Rodrigo.

See you on Monday.