Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 121

TL: KSD

An airport is a boundary line.

The passage to another world is always crowded with people. The anticipation of those departing and the relief of those returning create the airport’s unique, strange excitement.

And since emotions are contagious, the moment you step into the airport, that strange excitement spreads. Suddenly, everything seems unfamiliar.

Families hurrying with their luggage, flight attendants and pilots in distinctive uniforms catching everyone’s attention, foreigners with different skin colors…

While being mesmerized by such scenes, Lim Yang-wook tapped my shoulder, urging me to hurry.

“Hey, we’ll be late, let’s go.”

But seeing the smile on his face, it was clear that he, too, was captivated by the airport’s magic.

“You’ve been smiling non-stop since earlier. Being at the airport makes you excited, doesn’t it?”

“No, it’s because money is being duplicated as we speak.”

Correction. Lim Yang-wook seemed happy because of a money duplication bug in the Japanese publishing industry.

Lim Yang-wook’s happiness from his fat wallet turned into kindness towards Ma Ki-hoon.

“Hey, Intern Ma. No, Employee Ma!”

“Yes, Department head!”

“How’s the car? Good to drive?”

“It’s great!”

“Drive carefully. That car is better than mine.”

“Yes! I’ll keep that in mind!”

Ma Ki-hoon, eager to take his girlfriend to her university in the company car, responded earnestly.

I found the situation comical and quietly smiled, then hastened my steps towards customs, pretending to know nothing.

“Author-nim, shall I help you?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Kim Ga-ryung, the deputy manager who Lim Yang-wook praised as <a perfect man except for his lack of loyalty>, offered to help me, but I swiftly completed the procedures without his assistance.

The airport staff watched me with pleased expressions, making me feel like I’d won first place in a children’s essay contest.

After checking in my luggage, I arrived at the crowded departure hall. Journalists were everywhere. Reporters with cameras surrounded the departure area.

Next to them were excited fans, ready to rush out at any moment, but they were already being blocked by bodyguards.

By the way, it wasn’t because of me.

“Benivis!”

“Kyaaaaaa-!”

“Please look over here-!”

It was because of Min Hyo-min and the other four members.

EP 8 – Dark Adaptation

There was a fascinating coincidence on this Tokyo book-selling business trip: Baekhak Entertainment’s new generation’s flagship girl group ‘Benivis’ was also active in Japan.

We weren’t on the same flight, but we were departing on the same day.

Even though I didn’t know Benivis, I knew Min Hyo-min, so I thought about saying hello, but seeing her at the airport, it didn’t seem like the right moment.

Baekhak Arts Middle School’s Min Hyo-min.

The Pop Culture Arts Research Club’s Min Hyo-min.

The Min Hyo-min who clung to Gu Yu-na as a comfort doll and, after getting poked in the side, fell to the classroom floor, trembling like a caterpillar.

That Min Hyo-min and <Benivis Min Hyo-min> were completely different people.

“Hello! Everyone!”

Even from a distance, Min Hyo-min continued her fan service as if it were nothing, amidst the crowd that seemed to drain my energy.

Like the star of the stage.

She lightly ignored the fatherly journalists shouting for her to look at the camera and maintained her composure.

Even as excited fans lunged towards her, she gracefully kept her pace.

It looked like an intricate skill.

Thus, Min Hyo-min and her group made their way through the crowd and left the departure hall. Watching her back, I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“Amazing…”

But that was premature admiration.

The real admiration should have come after arriving in Japan.

At Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, I faced an enormous crowd filling the vast airport.

“My goodness…”

I realized that when so many people murmur in small voices, it sounds like a huge roar in front of you.

Lim Yang-wook, equally flustered, hurriedly grabbed an airport staff member to ask about the situation. After the conversation, he relayed the information to me.

“The Benivis members have already left the airport. These people are just dispersing now. Thankfully.”

“It’s really incredible how many people are here…”

Each and every one of these countless people was a being with their own life. But even thinking this, it was hard to truly grasp the reality.

It felt like looking at the vast universe filled with innumerable galaxies. It was beyond what my brain could comprehend.

What exactly brought so many people to this place? I already knew what that force was.

By bringing together pretty young individuals, training them for years, assembling the best composers and producers to create songs, dressing them in the most beautiful clothes, and launching music videos with massive capital, the dance and song can cross borders and gather this many people.

That is the power of culture.

But what exactly is culture?

This countless crowd gathered to see, from afar, those who are young, beautiful, dancing, singing, and unreachable in their lives. What drives this?

It must be the obsession with beauty.

Indeed, humans revere beauty.

So, what is that beauty? Is it merely the external appearance shown in the media? Or is there something shimmering beyond that?

Does the fandom follow the idol’s exterior or interior? Then what is the difference between exterior and interior? Is exceptional choreography closer to exterior or interior?

What kind of beauty exists in certain body movements? Is the value of dance in acrobatics or expression? If dance is more than just seduction, why don’t we get excited about the dance of someone ugly and fat?

A fat dancer?

Suddenly, an inspiration strikes. A dancer who dedicated their life to dance. A dancer who believes there is something more than sexual allure in dance. But the public, seeing the exterior, ignores him.

I came up with a decent concept, but my internal editor suddenly pointed out. Isn’t it just a message that the interior is more important than the exterior? It’s overused. It’s cliché.

It was a valid point.

Thus, a novel idea started to bloom and then withered. This happens often. But such ideas accumulate and eventually become a novel. So, one must not stop thinking.

But suddenly, a voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Moon-chan-!”

What? Moon-chan? Who’s that?

It was too obvious to ask.

Those who shouted ‘Moon-chan’ were clearly staring at me.

With extremely excited faces at that.

“No way…”

As I turned my head towards them, the group gathered on one side of the airport all smiled brightly.

“Waaaaaah-!”

I awkwardly waved back at the people waving at me. The cheers grew louder.

Camera shutters clicked, and cheers mixed with Japanese poured over me in a language I couldn’t understand.

Although they seemed like a small handful compared to the Benivis fandom that filled the airport, they were clearly cheering for me.

And.

The Benivis fandom, who were about to leave the airport, thought Benivis had returned upon hearing the cheers, and headed this way. An immense crowd rushed over in an instant.

Haneda Airport was once again paralyzed.

***

When a celebrity visits, the airport security team is on high alert to maintain order. If the fandom rushes in and someone gets trampled, it would be a disaster.

However, since this happens fairly often, it wasn’t considered an extreme emergency, and thus Haneda Airport’s security team managed Benivis’s arrival in a reasonably smooth manner.

Of course, no one anticipated a second wave.

Due to a minor misunderstanding, the group that gave Haneda Airport’s security team a taste of hell hurriedly exited the airport. Lim Yang-wook sighed with relief, sweating.

“That was close…! Is everyone okay?”

Everyone seemed fine, except for author Moon In.

Lim Yang-wook shook the dazed author Moon In’s shoulder.

“Hey! What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did you get hit somewhere?!”

“No, no…”

Author Moon In mumbled, turning his head slightly.

“It’s just… it’s a bit surprising to have fans abroad.”

“…What?”

“There are people who came to the airport just to see me. It’s kind of overwhelming…”

What’s with this guy? Lim Yang-wook was dumbfounded.

Since when did author Moon In not have a fandom?

Author Moon In has fervent fans all over the world, especially in Korea.

But he refused fan signing events himself.

He never shows up at offline events.

The location of his studio is strictly hidden.

So, when fans visit the orphanage, he avoids them.

When fans gather in front of the school, he doesn’t attend classes.

This is almost at the level of fan hatred.

And now what? He’s amazed to meet fans?

Lim Yang-wook held back the urge to smack him with superhuman patience. If it weren’t for the fact that the animated movie ‘Guitar’ was sweeping Japan, author Moon In’s head would’ve had a bump.

But unlike Lim Yang-wook, who is petty, the true knight-errant of this era, Ma Ki-hoon, who is compassionate to the weak and fearless before the strong, could not tolerate injustice.

“Bullshit. You’re amazed to see fans after running away from them like a plague?”

“Hey. Running away? I was just overwhelmed by the excessive attention…”

“That’s because you’re always holed up at home. You need to get out and exercise. I’ll kindly teach you how, okay?”

“Ma Ki-hoon-ssi. If you keep recommending the gym, the company might have to reconsider renewing your contract…”

“Sure, go ahead and fire me. Hye-jin already has a full scholarship-”

For socially disadvantaged children like orphans, tuition fees are covered by the state at any school. Because of this, orphans often face hatred. It’s a reverse discrimination issue.

However, ‘living’ requires more money than you’d think. Eating, wearing clothes, sleeping, living all require money. There are many reasons why a significant number of orphans don’t graduate from college. This is why Ma Ki-hoon works.

Both Moon In and Ma Ki-hoon knew this, but Moon In pretended not to know, saying, “Then I guess it can’t be helped…” and let it pass.

Seeing this, Ma Ki-hoon laughed heartily and threw his arm around Moon In’s shoulder. Moon In shrieked and ran away.

Watching this from a step behind, Lim Yang-wook observed the scene.

‘Hmm…’

Ma Ki-hoon could say things that Lim Yang-wook couldn’t. This added another use to Ma Ki-hoon. Lim Yang-wook’s cunning mind quickly spun.

The plan was called <Using Ma Ki-hoon to Get Moon In to Exercise>. Lim Yang-wook quietly and slyly smiled.

But that was a pleasure for the future. For now, there were tasks to be done today.

What Lim Yang-wook had to keep in mind was simple.

Author Moon In is popular.

And popularity translates to money.

No need for more complicated thoughts.

“Alright. Let’s go, everyone.”

Lim Yang-wook led the group, hastening their steps into the heart of Tokyo. The vast publishing industry, an ocean of countless books, awaited them.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Baekhak Publishing in downtown Seoul.

Left alone in the slightly desolate Publishing Management headquarters, Baek Seol was experiencing a peculiar emotion.

“Hmm…”

Loneliness and emptiness poked at Baek Seol’s empty side. The weight of the title of division head was too heavy for Baek Seol to bear alone.

Unfortunately, having completed all translation tasks, Baek Seol had nothing to do.

But a excellent employee must create work for themselves. So, Baek Seol decided to take on the arduous task of diligently standing pens upright on her desk.

Just as Baek Seol was engrossed in this pen-standing endeavor, the office door burst open.

“Division Head!”

“Eek!”

Startled, Baek Seol flinched just as she was about to stand a pen on the desk.

The pen plopped over with a thud, rolled, and dropped under the desk.

Fortunately, the employee, with the mystical power of the Baekhak lineage, instantly forgot the scene that had just passed.

“Division Head! There’s something you need to check immediately!”

“Kn… Knock… Please knock next time…”

“Sorry! But quickly…!”

Seeing the employee this urgent, Baek Seol also became urgent. She followed the employee out.

“What’s the matter?”

Soon. On the monitor shown by the employee, there was a shocking news article.

Each line felt like a hammer striking the back of Baek Seol’s head.

「[Exclusive] Famous Novelist Moon In-seop, Actually Half-Japanese?」

「Yoshimura Newspaper has released a shocking investigative report. It claims that novelist Moon In-seop (15)’s mother is a Japanese residing in Korea…」

Shock and fear spread through the office. The employees were bewildered and voiced their doubts.

“Is… Is this true?”

“The details about Author Moon In’s parents are confidential…”

“Shouldn’t we know that classified information?!”

“Who knows? Hurry up and tell us!”

Naturally, questions were also directed at Baek Seol.

“Division Head! Do you know…”

But Baek Seol didn’t know either.

Of course, Baek Seol was aware of the confidential information regarding Moon In’s parents. Names, addresses, occupations, etc…

But whether they were of Japanese descent or not, she didn’t know! How could she?

Eventually, having retreated to her office, Baek Seol hastily made a phone call. She needed to ask Lim Yang-wook.

Fortunately, the call connected quickly.

“H-How did this happen!”

[Ah, that? It’s not true.]

“What?”

[Yeah. In-seop said it’s not true.]

Baek Seol’s shocked heart finally calmed down. She almost collapsed as her legs gave way.

“Oh my… That’s a relief. Then, we should quickly draft a clarification and issue a statement through the PR team…”

But Lim Yang-wook interrupted her.

[Huh? Clarification?]

“What?”

[Why clarify?]

“What? It’s urgent, what do you mean…?”

Baek Seol froze.

And then she pondered deeply on what that meant.

“…!!!”

*****

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