Chapter 64

Chapter 64

TL: KSD

The Korean publishing industry is doomed.

Its all because of Netflix.

If we refine this statement to make it sound more sophisticated, it can be said that the old media has been driven out by the new media.

In an era where all kinds of stimulating visual content, including dramas and movies, are distributed through smartphones, it is indeed difficult for printed texts to survive.

However, interpreting the downfall of the Korean publishing industry, or rather the medium of books, solely from a financial perspective as Publishing houses went bankrupt because of Netflix! is a mistake.

After all

Authors have always been poor!

Its not like a poor person becomes ultra-poor by getting robbed. This is a truth that anyone who can do math would agree with!

Originally, authors were not respected because they earned a lot of money.

In other words, the decline of literature did not occur because it was robbed of money by thugs like movies, dramas, Netflix, and YouTube.

What the so-called new media has stolen from literature is something far more important than money.

That is the invisible.

Some call it image,

Some call it authority,

And some call it influence.

But whatever the nature of that thing, it was the greatest asset of literature.

Now, literature can no longer be vaguely admired by those who are unaware of it, nor can its mere name excite the blood of the youth and lead the agenda of the next generation.

That role has now been taken over by idol groups that drive crowds in American stadiums wild, dance singers whose 7-second dance videos are imitated by the entire nation, and film directors who make the public cry out for joy whenever they sweep international film festivals.

The invisible power.

Soft power.

Or, in another term, soft authority.

Baekhak Entertainment, and by extension, Baekhak Media Group, was a conglomerate structured to create soft power, exchange it for capital, and then use that capital to generate even more soft power.

Naturally, Baekhak Group headquarters had analysts who closely monitored the trends of such soft power.

And they discovered a phenomenon that was swimming upstream against the strong current of the times.

Moon In.

The novelist, a representative of old media, had returned to the mainstream of the cultural industry.

Those who pride themselves on understanding the flow of modern culture were shocked by the meteoric rise of Moon In as a rising star.

It was as if time was flowing backward, with the old pushing out the new.

This is no ordinary matter.

A top-tier elite analyst who was born to a executive director of Baekhak Finance, completed all his education in the USA, crowned it with a Harvard MBA, and successfully entrenched himself in the corporate strategy department of a major Korean conglomerate through direct lineage and networking within Baekhak bloodlines, advised seriously and politely.

Of course, it wasnt through books that Author Moon first made a name for himself but through broadcasting and extrinsic issues. However, having been nominated for the Booker International Prize, its difficult to view him simply as a celebrity. Particularly noteworthy is that heavyweights like Gu Hak-jun, Park Chang-woon, and others are making efforts to integrate this young man into the mainstream literary world, which means that the Author Moon has already been recognized for his potential to increase the entire industrys pie

No, no.

The deputy director of the strategic planning office interrupted.

Put it in simple terms.

The value of Author Moon as a human resource has reached a level where it can be directly controlled by our company. Just considering the promotional effect that Baekhak Group has gained from a pure Booker International Prize nomination, we cant afford to let him drift between Baekhak Publishing and Baekhak Entertainment due to internal competition.

Subsequently, a plan was proposed to invest funds to rewrite history, claiming that Baekhak saved the tragic young man, and then to use advertising expenses to improve the groups image.

At the same time, plans for lobbying to increase the chances of winning the Booker International Prize, plans to resolve the subtle conflicts between Baekhak Publishing and Baekhak Entertainment, and so on were proposed.

And all of them were rejected at the deputy director level.

They were deemed not important enough to be directly handled by the headquarters strategic planning office.

Hey. Instead of rolling around a kid who writes well to make money, why dont you look into the financial side of things? The scale is completely different. Do you have too much free time these days?

Still, from the perspective of soft power

Thats just a bunch of has-been writers patting each other on the back and loafing around. Isnt it too small? Even though we are fundamentally a media group, cant you see its losing its flavor? The chairman also said to focus on finance. The Booker Prize, even that is actually just a local thing where the British talk among themselves-

Oh, whats this? The translator is the honorary vice chairmans granddaughter.

Ironically, the reason why the headquarters paid attention to Moon In was not because of soft power but simply because of power.

EP 5-A Love Story

Ma Ki-hoon is attending a regular high school. Although his neighborhood is notorious, the school itself is not. Its just average.

That means the administration is haphazard. The system is computerized, but ultimately, humans do the inputting.

Ma Ki-hoon, a skilled dictator ruling New Light Spring Orphanage for a long time, used his political acumen to melt his homeroom teacher.

Thanks to that, he was able to leave school early around the fourth period, take a bus to the neighborhood where Moon In-seops studio was, finish cleaning the studio, prepare a simple meal, go out to meet Moon In-seop coming back from school, feed the kid, and then leave for the gym around 6 PM before returning to the orphanagea neat routine was established.

Lim Yang-wook, who acquired a human CCTV at a cheap price, was quite satisfied with Ma Ki-hoon, and Ma Ki-hoon was happy seeing his girlfriends college tuition piling up day by day.

Moreover, there were often luxuries that came with Moon In-seop being tossed around as a manager, which was one of the factors that increased Ma Ki-hoons job satisfaction.

But today, the luxury was too much.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Ma Ki-hoon learned that people could get stressed from suddenly receiving too good of a treatment.

First-class on a flight to the UK was a luxury too great for Ma Ki-hoon to enjoy.

Is, is, is this okay? Huh? In-seop, is it okay for me to be here too?

He shouldnt have looked up how much a first-class ticket costs. It feels like all the blood is draining from his body.

However, Moon In-seop seemed to be a person who could calmly enjoy such treatment, as he didnt respond much to Ma Ki-hoons question.

Ah Ive only seen Author Moon in photos, but seeing you in person, you really are kawaii.

Ka, kawaii?

Oh, Im sorry if that was rude. I heard that the word kawaii is popular in Korea these days

No, no, I know what it means. It means cute, right?

Yes, yes. If it were a private occasion, I would really like to ask for a photo, but its a pity I cant show a poor figure in front of others. Ha ha.

This time, Baek Seol asked,

By any chance, where is Author Shidehara? Now that weve met, I think we should at least greet him

Ah, Author Shidehara is taking a rest in his room, exhausted from his work.

Ah

Hopefully, it wont be difficult to greet him if the opportunity arises.

The Japanese translator said, smiling warmly.

Baek Seol thought the interaction was surprisingly friendly for a business confrontation and continued the conversation for a while.

And both parties ended their conversation without losing courtesy and parted ways.

Baek Seol, who had been tense throughout the conversation, breathed a sigh of relief as the Japanese group left.

Phew. They seem to be nicer than I thought.

Ah, yes.

Moon In-seop doesnt know Japanese. However, he is well-versed in Japanese literature. In fact, being rigorously trained under Gu Hak-jun makes one well-versed in all national literatures.

And knowing the literature of a country means understanding its culture.

Thanks to that, Moon In-seop had a basic-level Japanese translator in his head.

Hmm.

Ive only seen Author Moon in photos

-> I havent read your books

You are kawaii

-> Youre cute?

I would really like to ask for a photo, but I cant show a poor figure in front of others

-> You are our enemy, so associating with you in a public setting would be disgraceful, wouldnt it?

Moon In-seop shared his interpretation from the basic Japanese translator with Baek Seol, but she was skeptical, though she tried to deny it.

Aye, thats going a bit too far

Hmm. Is that so?

Everyone seems nicer than expected, maybe we can greet Author Shidehara if we meet again at the hotel? What do you think of Author Shidehara, Author Moon?

I generally have a positive view of anyone who writes well.

Baek Seol believed that a business confrontation could be resolved through personal interaction and ended the days meeting on a positive note.

The next day, Baek Seol found out that the Japanese group had moved to another hotel.

Even the hotel where Baek Seol was staying was considered one tier lower than the hotel the Japanese group had moved to.

Crack.

A fissure formed in Baek Seols humanity.

Baek Seol is fundamentally a warm and affectionate person. However, thats not because shes naturally kind-hearted, but because she has seen too many negative examples throughout her life.

The most notable negative example would be the former chairman who tried to manipulate Baek Seols life, but the decisive reason Baek Seol vowed to become a kind person was thanks to the experiences she had while studying abroad.

-Did you also pay to get into university?

-Really? But why didnt you go to college in your country?

-Hmm. You wanted to study in the UK. That makes sense. But it doesnt seem like the best season. How about taking a break? If you feel even a little guilty about your country being the start of COVID.

Sigh

Graduating from a university in the UK as an Asian was no easy feat.

And Baek Seols diploma was proof that she had triumphed in numerous bloody battles.

That eras Baek Seol was, even by her own admission, a formidable person.

However, after graduating and returning home to start working, she decided to shed her old personality and live kindly, erasing all traces of her past

It seemed, however, that she might need to revive her old self for a moment.

Baek Seol quietly inhaled and exhaled.

Ah

The air was nostalgic. The mix of smog and the fishy smell of the Thames was the air of London, blending perfectly.

Memories of dealing with unscrupulous racists by every means possible came flooding back.

Baek Seol closed her eyes for a moment.

And when Baek Seol opened her eyes again.

The usually slightly dopey, soft, and innocent look was gone.

A beast had awakened.

*****

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