Chapter 22: Other

Chapter 22: Other

The mornings at Baekhak Entertainment are chaotic.

Its not because the employees are particularly lively. After all, a person who has just arrived at work is biologically indistinguishable from rice cakes, green onion kimchi, utterly exhausted, or zombies. (TL: If you dont understand the part about the rice cake and green onion kimchi, its the authors way of comparing office life as repetitive and lacking uniqueness. )

The noise in the mornings at Baekhak Entertainment is due to the crowd of people swarming around the building entrance.

Fandoms and entertainment reporters camp out from early morning, creating noise whenever a celebrity enters or leaves the building.

This has become so routine that the employees sitting in the lobby caf, sipping their morning coffee, have started a small game of guessing who the visitor is based solely on the sounds coming from the entrance.

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Today, as the commotion at the entrance erupted, the employees in the caf chuckled and chatted in small groups.

The decibel level is quite high; could it be a superstar?

Hey, Deputy Manager~nim. Dont you know that idol fandoms are always intense? If they see their favorite, they scream without caring about anything else.

No, no. It sounds more like the voices of reporters asking questions than young people. Maybe its a top actor? Who was going into production recently

Well, since I didnt hear Oppaah-, it seems like it might be a woman?

It could be a young man.

The age doesnt matter for the title oppa. Its all about the face.

?

The employees around the table mentioned various celebrities names, even betting small amounts on their coffee bills.

But then, isnt the noise getting louder?

The bustling murmur grew louder and nearer until it was evident inside the lobby.

Why? Did the fandom break through the entrance?

Again? What are the security guards doing?

Ah, seriously. Cant even enjoy coffee in peace in the morning.

Idol fandoms breaching the entrance and invading the building is a serious incident. Fans excited to meet celebrities can act impulsively and unpredictably.

They might hide in bathrooms and then sneak out to explore Baekhak Entertainment, or they might enact a spy infiltration mission to meet their favorite actor, or deliver a gift box containing a dead mouse (one month post-mortem) to an idol they dislike, or seek bloody revenge on a producer who messed up their favorite girl groups management

Having experienced such incidents, the employees of Baekhak Entertainment promptly began to evacuate in an orderly manner upon seeing signs of a fandom invasion on the first floor.

However, when they emerged from the lobby caf, there was no sign of an idol fandom having invaded the first floor.

Instead, the employees of Baekhak Entertainment themselves had transformed into a fandom, surrounding someone.

There!

Just one picture!

So cute!

The employees from the caf frowned.

What? How disgraceful. Getting excited over seeing a celebrity in an entertainment agency? And they call themselves proud employees of Baekhak Entertainment?

Lets go see for ourselves.

Sure.

And what the employees who arrived at the scene finally witnessed was:

The most controversial figure at present.

A character unlike any other in the Korean entertainment industry.

Baekhak Entertainments top earner for the first half of the year.

And the youngest genius author.

Its Moon In!

Hes so tiny.

Is that young kid really Author Moon? I really enjoyed his book.

Hey! Let me take a picture too!

Author Moon In had visited Baekhak Entertainment.

EP 2 OTHER

The first time I visited Baekhak Entertainment, I was stopped at the entrance, but the second time, I was stopped even before I could enter.

It wasnt the security guards who stopped me, but the reporters.

Are you really Author Moon In?

Yes.

What do you think about the recent school violence controversy that was exposed online?

Ive been hit, but I never hit anyone.

Is it true that youve written 16 novels?

Yes.

What are your future plans?

Go home, write, and sleep, I guess.

Not that, I mean like additional TV appearances-

Maybe? Not really sure?

I wonder how long I was surrounded by reporters.

Fortunately, the security guards who had blocked me last time instead pulled me out from the crowd of reporters this time and guided me into the Baekhak Entertainment building.

But as soon as I entered the huge lobby, which I had only glimpsed before, adults who caught sight of my face widened their eyes in surprise and surrounded me like zombies.

Can I take a picture here?

Author-nim! I was deeply moved by your book!

So small.

Is it him? Really? That kid?

Oh my, such baby skin!

Wow. Such a young kid wrote a book, seriously?

Who is this kid?

Could I possibly ask for an autograph here?

Hey, kid. Do you know VMT? Theyre a boy group. Maybe you could do a YouTube channel together-

Hey, Team Leader Kim, dont do business here.

I cried while reading your book.

I was so overwhelmed that I almost lost my senses.

Just then, someone dispersed the crowd and issued a stern warning.

Look here, folks. Dont you have better things to do this early in the morning?

In a white suit and black sunglasses, it was CEO Baek Seung-won.

From upstairs, I saw the lobby has been noisy for almost 5 minutes, so I came down, and what do I see? Crowding around a child, what are you all doing?

However, not many people paid attention to CEO Baek Seung-wons words.

Most employees awkwardly avoided his gaze and fled as soon as he approached.

Only a few department heads and deputy managers, who couldnt escape because they were high-ranking enough for CEO Baek Seung-won to match their names, faces, and positions, were caught and lectured.

But when they returned to their departments, they would probably exaggerate CEO Baek Seung-wons lecture a hundredfold, a thousandfold to their subordinates, so in the end, didnt he get his message across to everyone?

While I was thinking about this, CEO Baek Seung-won, having sent the employees back to their workplaces, reached out for a handshake with a sly smile.

Hey, Author Moon. Long time no see. Youve become a complete superstar since I last saw you.

Its all thanks to you, CEO.

Hahaha! Look at you, even knowing how to socialize. All grown up. What brings you to our company? Looking for the publishing department?

Yes. Do you know where the Publishing Management Department is?

Its on the 12th floor.

Thank you.

Sure.

CEO Baek Seung-won waved his hand in response to my thanks and then strode off somewhere.

Is the 12th floor considered decent in a 15-story building? Anyway, it must be much better than the underground parking lot.

Riding the transparent elevator to the 12th floor, I could see downtown Seoul clearly.

Nice.

Although the person next to me gave me a strange look, I safely arrived at the 12th floor and set out to find the Publishing Management Department.

Lets see. Heres Management Team 2, heres the storage room, heres the Business Support Team, and here is.

Found it.

Excuse me-

As soon as I entered the office of the Publishing Management Department, the employees were startled and looked at me. It was somewhat fascinating to me that all these people were involved in work related to me.

After looking around the office for a moment,

Thankfully, I saw a familiar face.

Editor Baek.

Oh my! Author Moon-nim!

Baek Seol, who was chatting with someone near the utility room, was surprised and approached me. Her spiky hair was neatly arranged, making her look quite different.

What brings you here, Author-nim? You didnt even contact us!

Im sorry for showing up unannounced.

Its not about receiving an apology, I would have come to meet you if you had informed us! Surely, you didnt come by subway?

I took a taxi. Recently, there are a lot of suspicious people targeting me.

Oh dear.

And thats probably because of someone whos now trying to escape the office hiding their face with a file folder.

Startled!

Lim Yang-wook, who was trying to sneak out of the office with his face hidden behind a file folder, froze on the spot.

Stop right there.

Ah, In-seop-ah.

Chief-nim.

I looked up at Lim Yang-wook with a cold gaze.

Cold sweat trickled down Lim Yang-wooks smooth scalp.

What exactly is going on here?

I, I can explain everything.

Why are critics and literary elders fighting over me?

* * *

The whole story of the incident was as follows.

He seems to write quite profound and sincere novels

Young in age, but a literary figure with considerable depth.

How could such a young talent emerge from under the tutelage of such a rude and ignorant person?

For decades, the Korean literary world, which had preserved the countrys bright traditions amidst the tumultuous history, was being pushed back by OTT from the West and web novels leading with sensationalism.

Finally, after decades, a true talent capable of standing against foreign influences had emerged in the orthodox literary world.

Initially flustered and angry, the elders of the literary world soon developed a different desire.

If I could teach that child my martial arts, no, my literary skills?

However, hesitant to change their stance too obviously in front of others, they did not openly speak up. Just then, a master of a prestigious literary school, Mr. Gu, stepped forward among his peers.

This childs talent is real.

Mr. Gu, in his youth, had roamed the world as a knight-errant, making the Korean literary world known even in distant lands of the West. His reputation was so esteemed that he was often mentioned as a potential leader of the literary world.

Now, this highly respected figure admitted to being humbled by a mere child not even of age?

That Moon In recognized the inner demon of my heart just from reading one of my books. They say a truly talented person can understand ten things from one. Then what should we call that child?

A genius

Exactly. A true talent bestowed by heaven. I stake my name on that guarantee.

The literary world is a place where people dedicate their lives to upholding the meaning behind their names.

When someone so renowned stakes their name, who would dare question it?

Then suddenly, a bizarre letter arrived from Baekhak.

It was nothing other than a proposal to make Author Moon In the public enemy of the literary world.

* * *

So now famous critics and novelists are having a keyboard war on the internet because of me?

Thats whats happening

This is insane.

A complete mess.

As I frowned and covered my face with my hands, Lim Yang-wook, unable to hide his regret, hesitantly spoke to me.

Uh, sorry. The controversy on the internet must be hard on you. I didnt expect things to turn out like this. Ill try to sort it out as quickly as possible.

How do you plan to do that?

The more successful we are, the more disadvantages someone in Baekhak Publishing faces. Right now, that person is marked by the higher-ups of the group. They have a lot of bad karma, so theyll be kicked out soon.

What kind of bad karma?

They buried me in the underground parking lot.

Oh dear.

What am I even talking about to you.

Lim Yang-wook seemed a bit embarrassed that he had to bring up such sordid matters to me.

I diverted the topic of conversation for his sake.

By the way, the internet keeps talking about money, money, money. How much am I supposed to receive that its causing such a fuss?

Didnt you see the email I sent you?

No.

Lim Yang-wook glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then whispered to me quietly.

1.2 billion.

My mind went blank. My mouth dropped open.

Lim Yang-wook, finding my reaction amusing, continued with a smirk.

Authors usually get an average royalty of 10%. But youre getting 15%, a bit more. Your star power contributes a lot to the book sales.

But still, thats an enormous amount of money!

The e-books sold incredibly well. Its a record-breaking success.

Lim Yang-wook playfully poked me in the ribs.

Congratulations. Youre rich now.

I sat there in disbelief. This was more than all the wealth I had accumulated in my previous life.

And then it hit me.

What talent really is.

What public attention really means.

Why so many people are desperate to capture the publics interest and become obsessed with talent.

It all seemed to finally make sense to me.

But I didnt feel entirely good about it.

Thinking about how much suffering I had endured without this money, I couldnt be completely happy that it was now in my hands.

Could this really be considered money earned through my efforts?

No.

Excluding my autobiography, the other fifteen books had already been published in a time that might be my past life. (TL: autobiography = Cause of Death)

And back then, Executive Director Lim Yang-wook incurred only losses for the company, earning a barrage of curses. As a result, my novels were not individually published later on, but rather compiled into a single book with small print as a series of connected stories.

But one thing was clear,

Its the same writing.

The same writing, but the response is different.

This was revealing an all-too-stark truth.

That all the love and attention I was receiving now was somewhat illusory.

Professor Gu Hak-juns changed attitude, the frenzy people showed, its all a mirage.

At least, thats what I think.

Money earned with fake talent.

Then, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Excuse me, Chief.

Hmm?

How much will I receive next month?

Well, the second printing hasnt happened yet, so it wont be as much. But probably close to 10 million won? Now that I think about it, thats more than my salary. Damn.

What if we do this?

* * *

Critic Oh Min-sang hadnt slept well for several days.

He was torn between the instructions from Yang Sung-jun to attack Moon In and the orders from a respected industry senior not to.

However, there was only one option available to him. Once youre on the tigers back, you must hold on and not fall off.

If he hesitated now, he would be completely buried. He had already published numerous critiques attacking Moon In, and as long as Moon continued his writing career, those critiques would forever haunt him.

He couldnt change his stance.

Ironically, this was when Oh Min-sang, as a critic, was receiving the most attention. Those who envied and disliked Moon Ins success were rallying around him. And attention translates into money.

Changing his stance now would only make him the next target.

He had to keep moving forward.

He had made up his mind.

And that resolve was shaken that afternoon.

It was because Moon In announced he would make a statement to the press.

What is this about?

Oh Min-sang waited anxiously all day for the press conference at 4 PM.

At 4 PM, Moon In appeared in front of Baekhak Entertainments building.

Oh Min-sang watched the live broadcast on YouTube.

He had a very ominous premonition.

Moon In said on the screen:

Hello, I am the novelist Moon In.

The boy, bowing his head to the camera among adults, looked very small.

But his words were far from childish.

First, I would like to express my gratitude for the overwhelming love showered upon me. Thank you. Its all thanks to you that a helpless child from New Light Spring Orphanage could stand here as an author. Its all your doing.

Oh Min-sangs only encounter with Moon In had been through a special program aired on BMB. And there, Moon In-seop appeared as a precocious, world-weary child.

But now, speaking in a polite tone and neatly dressed, he truly seemed like an adult.

The difference in appearance and demeanor lent him an odd, almost mystical aura.

However, I find it difficult to accept being called a genius. I am not a genius. I was just born with an intellect roughly equivalent to an adults. I think by the time Im 20, Ill be no different from others.

Moon In continued with his inexplicable speech.

And as the talk progressed, Oh Min-sangs anxiety grew.

When receiving such undue attention, I sometimes wonder what talent really is. It seems somewhat unfair that an innate factor, beyond ones control, determines a persons acquired life.

Fortunately, thanks to Gods grace in bestowing me with talent, Ive achieved great success at a young age, but I doubt whether this is entirely due to my effort.

Oh Min-sang was probably the person most focused on this press conference. His life depended on it.

Thus, he could anticipate what was going to be said next.

Not that. Please, not that.

Moon In, of course, couldnt hear Oh Min-sang.

The boy continued at his own pace.

When I think about it, my upbringing at New Light Spring Orphanage, thanks to Director Moon Chung-jae and Teacher Bang Jeong-ah, and my brother Ki-hoon and numerous other brothers and sisters, made me who I am.

No, please. Stop it.

And the environment I grew up in was possible thanks to the warm-hearted sponsors who supported New Light Spring Orphanage.

Please, just stop.

So, Ive decided

The statement Oh Min-sang hoped would never be made was finally spoken.

I intend to donate the book sales revenue of 125 million won to child care facilities nationwide.

Ah.

*****

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