NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 77



Only Krnovel

Paperman (6)

At this point, newspaper serial novels were not particularly special or original.

From the time when newspapers first appeared in Joseon, serialized novels in newspapers have appeared here and there, and they have been quite popular each time.

Just a few years ago, the work of Lee Gwang-su, a master of pro-Japanese literature, was very popular.

That is, serial novels in newspapers in this era have a positive effect on newspaper sales.

“What do you think? Want to give it a try?”

“So are you telling me to serialize a novel in the Chosun Ilbo?”

“yes.”

Hyun Jin-geon, a social affairs reporter and novelist, seemed slightly lost in thought.

“Even if you say this so suddenly… … .”

“Is it hard?”

“To be honest… … . It’s hard. Inspiration for creation isn’t something that just comes out like a magic wand.”

“If I give you more money?”

When we brought up the topic of money, Mr. Hyun’s face crumpled like an unknown 1,000 won bill rolling around on the flowerbed, and he spoke in an even more agitated voice.

“Money is not the problem. There are people in this world who think that money can solve anything, but this is not something that can be solved just by having money.”

“Um… … . You’re saying that money can’t solve it… … ?”

“Yes! Creation is a noble act of making something new that never existed before. But does it make sense to do something like that quickly for just a few pennies?”

“… … .”

Kuroda closed his eyes and mouth.

Are you saying this because you have nothing to say?

Of course, there were things like that, but this was not so much that I was speechless as that I was literally speechless.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone say they hate money.’

If you try to reward someone with money by thinking that they have something better than money and acting accordingly, it will only have the opposite effect. So, you need to reward this person with something else instead of money.

“Suddenly, this question occurred to me.”

“Question?”

“Yeah, that’s the question.”

When Kuroda opened his eyes again and started talking nonsense, Hyun asked him with an expression as if asking what he meant.

“What questions do you have?”

“As I listen to you speak like this, I have a very small and personal question: which literary figure is of a higher standard, Joseon or Japan?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“It’s true, which writer is better, Joseon or Japan? Honestly, aren’t you a little curious?”

At Kuroda’s words, Mr. Hyun snorted as if he was taken aback.

“Of course, the literature of the Joseon people, who boast a history and tradition of half a millennium, is deeper, and the skills of their writers are also more outstanding.”

“It is no different in that its history is long, and its works are quite popular in Joseon and China, so isn’t its depth also proven?”

“her!”

Mr. Hyun’s voice became more harsh than before.

It seems that the right answer was to touch his pride as a writer rather than money.

He had a strong resentment towards the Japanese Empire that invaded Joseon, so he could not help but get angry when they compared Joseon literature with Japanese literature.

“What do you think, are you interested?”

However, like a well-educated person, Mr. Hyun did not get angry or lose his temper and cause a fuss.

Rather, it seemed like he was the type of person who would become more calm the more angry he got, and he spoke to me in a much calmer voice than before.

“I am also interested in that point, but I don’t think this is the place to talk about it. The reason I came to see you in the first place was to apologize for my past mistakes.”

“A mistake? Oh, that’s what you mean?”

Kuroda waved his hand as if to say that it was okay.

“I was angry at the time because I got hit with a rock, but I’ve long since forgotten all about it now.”

“Thank you for saying so… … .”

“Rather than that, I thought about it for a while and decided to hold a contest under the pretext of seeking serialized novels to be serialized in the newspaper.”

“… … A contest?”

“Yes! A contest! If we’re going to do it, we shouldn’t just do it in Joseon, but we should advertise it extensively all the way to the mainland so that the writers there will also show interest.”

“… … .”

When I was still a baby chick.

The senior in charge of me told me that if I was going to do something, I had to do it in a grand way so that everyone in the world would know about it.

He said that if we do this, when things get worse, our enemies will panic and won’t be able to respond properly.

That’s why I tried to expand the board a bit.

‘If you’re going to advertise anyway, wouldn’t people be more interested if you advertise all the way to the mainland rather than just in Joseon?’

It’s called a contest, but it’s actually a direct confrontation between the Korean and Japanese literary worlds.

The Korea-Japan match was an event that aroused great interest in both Korea and Japan, both then and now, so I will try to take advantage of that.

What happens if Korea loses?

Of course, that won’t happen.

‘Even if we advertise in Japan, it is unlikely that famous writers will submit their works to a colonial newspaper… … In the end, it will be second- or third-rate writers who are struggling to make ends meet who will hold onto the doorknob.’

On the other hand, under the slogan “Let’s defeat the Japanese!”, people whose names you may have heard at least once in your Korean language textbook will come together.

If that’s the case, then the result is obvious.

‘Is it really okay?’

In an age where there is a lack of things to do or enjoy, these major issues are perfect for capturing people’s attention.

Moreover, in a time of chaos, with a bomb exploding at Jongno Police Station and pro-Japanese collaborators dying one after another, if we were to hold such a contest, the Government-General would not likely strongly object.

Rather, he might even promote it on my behalf throughout Japan, telling people about the greatness of the Empire of Japan.

Well, even if things go wrong and the Governor-General later intervenes and changes the award results, if you just sneakily leak the circumstances surrounding the Governor-General’s intervention, the reporters below will come after the Governor-General like a pack of dogs.

No matter how things turn out, I won’t suffer any great loss, and instead, the result will be that Koreans will unite around the Chosun Ilbo.

“It’s a joint Korea-Japan contest… … .”

“What do you think? Are you interested?”

“… … .”

Before being a man of letters, Mr. Hyun was a young Joseon man.

I couldn’t even imagine how much resentment had built up in my heart as I was born and raised in a land that used to be Joseon but is now a colony.

And the same goes for other Koreans.

“The new boss is different from the previous Noda, in a good or bad way.”

There was bone in the words.

“Take it as a compliment.”

“I’m just a mere reporter, so I have to follow your wishes, sir.”

“yes.”

Mr. Hyun was a very articulate person.

For now, that is.

“Would it be okay if I go around telling my comrades about this? As you know, creation is something that requires a warm-up process.”

“Word of mouth! Very good, but only spread the word enough to make it impossible for anyone to hear about it later.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The die has been cast.

Now it’s time to wait for the results.

“Oh, boss.”

Hyun Jin-geon, who was greeting me and leaving, turned around again as if he remembered something and asked me.

“By the way, what happened to the former CEO? I wanted to say hello to him before he left office, but I haven’t been able to see him at all.”

“The former president? He’s already dead.”

I was a little taken aback by his words, which suddenly brought up the story of Song Byeong-jun who had died.

“Huh? President Namgoong Hoon passed away?”

“Namgoong Hoon? Oh, that guy?”

Come to think of it, I had forgotten about that person.

He is the person who, while working under Song Byeong-jun, made the Chosun Ilbo reporters write articles that directly confronted the Governor-General of Korea, turning the small newspaper Chosun Ilbo into a national star overnight.

I had never met him or received any information about him, so I didn’t know specifically what kind of person he was.

But I think the abilities he has demonstrated are very impressive as the president of a newspaper company.

‘Considering that he worked under Song Byeong-jun, who everyone points out, he seems to be a somewhat flexible person, you know… ‘

It seemed worth a visit.

If we can communicate well, I will put you in the CEO’s seat in my stead, use you as the face of this contest and my spokesperson, and have you take all the abuse on my behalf.

“I will send my regards on your behalf.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I thought of the talented human resources who would run the company on my behalf.

“… … For some reason, when the boss speaks like that with a smile, I feel a little scared.”

* * *

Namgoong Hoon.

He was the third president of the Chosun Ilbo and the person who brought the Chosun Ilbo, which was created during the Cultural Reign and was on the verge of becoming just another newspaper, to where it is today. However, he was an unfortunate person who became unemployed without prior notice after the death of the owner.

“Phew… … .”

I sat by the window of the well-ventilated love room, smoking a pipe and looking up at the sky.

There was no worry in the blue, clear sky.

“What should I do next?”

The clear summer sky was filled with the sound of cicadas chirping.

I was already feeling noisy, but cicadas were chirping all around, making my mind even more confused, and I couldn’t help but feel irritated.

But even when I called people to chase away the cicadas, in the end they just thought of me as doing my job, so everything seemed futile.

When I think about it that way, everything in the world just becomes annoying.

“What should I do now?”

He emptied his cigarette into the ashtray and collapsed on the floor.

I thought that by now he would be sitting in the president’s office, reviewing documents and carefully reading articles from various newspapers.

“Lord Noda, why did you leave so quickly?”

Lord Noda had been causing trouble like a child, scratching people’s nerves in many ways, but after he died, many things changed.

As soon as his father died, Lord Noda’s son didn’t know what to do and sold the company to someone else without saying anything to him.

Because of that, he was kicked out of the company without hearing anything and without even being able to pack his bags.

It was a truly vain ending, compared to the time when Lord Noda had brought him here, begging for his convenience and freedom when he was still Lord Song.

Thinking about it again made me feel angry.

“I didn’t know that my baby would have a baby!

He got angry and beat my head like a drum for no reason, but that only made my head hurt.

Lord Noda, who had already fallen dead, did not know his anger, and he will not know it in the future.

It was just so frustrating and unfair.

“I thought I’d be okay if I was bitten by a tiger as long as I didn’t lose my mind… … But who would have thought that the tiger would actually die!”

I vaguely knew that it wouldn’t end well, but I never thought it would end like this.

I, who had personally experienced the birth of the press in Joseon, from Hwangseong Sinbo to Chosun Ilbo, never thought that I would be treated this way by a mere human being.

“They’re like those damn guys… … .”

Namgung Hoon got up from his seat again and picked up his pipe.

No, I tried to catch it.

“?”

But the pipe was nowhere to be seen, and a dark-skinned man was sitting in the room of the minister.

He was holding his pipe in his hand.

“Who are you… …?”

“Well, who am I?”

“Judging from the polite way you speak, you don’t seem to be a robber or a thief… … .”

“Then I guess we don’t know each other.”

“… … ?”

The opponent broke Namgung Hoon’s pipe.

“You will live longer if you quit smoking.”

“Who are you to treat someone else’s pipe so carelessly?”

“Shouldn’t we just say that we will remain strangers forever? It would be more comfortable for both you and me that way.”

“… … .”

Namgoong Hoon recalled feelings he had long forgotten.

awe.

His opponent was the embodiment of his fears.

And there is only one person in Gyeongseong who can do that.

He was the one who stirred up a stir in Gyeongseong, spreading hope to Koreans and despair to the Japanese, and the kids in the market said, “If there is St. Nicholas in the West, there is this man in Joseon.”

“Oh, is this the ghost of Gyeongseong…?”

“That rustic name follows me around like a label.”

He came to find me.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 78