Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 115



Only Krnovel

EP 5 – Love Story

Winter is cold. I don’t go outside when it’s cold. If people don’t gather, there’s rarely an event. Therefore, Min Hyo-chan had nothing to do.

As the youngest member of the newly debuted boy group Rapid Boys, Min Hyo-chan enjoyed the feeling of being a celebrity by touring several college festivals during the fall.

And in winter, the season when all events were canceled, Min Hyo-chan felt as if he had returned to his trainee days.

“I’m bored…”

Of course, there are many idols who have various schedules even in winter. But that’s because people find them.

However, Min Hyo-chan’s group was not at a level where people gathered to see them, but at a level where they had to go to a place where people gathered, dance, sing, and make their name known.

For this reason, all work was cut off, and Min Hyo-chan’s daily routine became an endless hell of going to school – leaving school – lessons – going to school – leaving school – lessons.

Someone hit Min Hyo-chan on the back of the head. It’s obvious even without looking who it is. He is a leader.

“Ah, Lee Soo!”

“Hyochan, you bastard, you don’t even dye your hair because it’s the off-season? “You said the pink hair is the main body and what’s underneath is the decoration?”

The leader of Rapid Boys sat down next to Min Hyo-chan, who was spread out in the lesson room.

Min Hyo-chan told him to go away because he smelled like sweat, but the leader is not the type of person to care about such things.

“Hyochan. “Did you see that?”

“what.”

“Love story.”

Min Hyo-chan pretended to know with an obnoxiously proud expression on his face.

“Ah, Inseop’s book?”

“Look at this guy, is the writer your friend?”

“You’re my friend.”

“They make me come pretending to be friendly. So did you see it? “Didn’t you see it?”

Min Hyo-chan answered confidently.

Heroes don’t study!

“I didn’t see it.”

The leader looked at Min Hyo-chan with a meaningful smile.

“Come and see.”

“I don’t really read books…”

“You say you’re a friend of a literary writer? “Are you pretending to be my friend without even reading the book?”

“But…! “That bastard didn’t even buy our album!”

The leader smiled brightly, picked up a slipper that was rolling on the floor like a knife, and thrust it at Min Hyo-chan’s neck.

“Come and see.”

“yes.”

So, as the weekend approached, Min Hyo-chan finally stopped by the bookstore.

The fact that the Korean publishing industry has declined so much can be seen in the fact that young people these days can barely set foot in a bookstore unless someone threatens them with a knife.

“Oh oh···”

Min Hyo-chan stopped by the bookstore for the first time in a while, and an exclamation flowed from his mouth.

In his memory, bookstores had an old-fashioned, old-fashioned image, but when he came to the bookstore, it was very large, sophisticated, and had an old-fashioned feel.

The moment I entered the entrance, a sweet scent tickled my nose. It may be because of the perfume displayed at the fancy stationery stand.

As many people do, Min Hyo-chan came to buy books and walked as if fascinated to the fancy stationery stand, where he picked up a cute cat cushion and three strange ballpoint pens.

Min Hyo-chan, who had been subjected to a human brainwashing device carefully designed by the evil interior designers of Baekhak Bookstore’s book distribution headquarters, came to his senses belatedly and went in search of books.

It was easy to find. Because it was already on the bestseller section.

“Oh oh···”

The first ‘Oh’ was an ‘Oh’ filled with exclamation.

When you see a book by an author you know displayed in a place where everyone looks up to you, it’s natural to feel proud, even though it’s not your job.

“Oh oh···”

The second ‘Oh’ was slightly lower in pitch than the first ‘Oh’. If the first ‘Oh’ is a Major Key, the second ‘Oh’ is a Minor Key.

The song ‘Oh’ contained his sorrow over the fact that his younger brother was commercially successful, but he was left wandering around without work.

However, as someone who has worked in the entertainment industry, I always keep small feelings of inferiority in my mind.

Min Hyo-chan had a talent for not immersing himself in negative emotions for too long and coming out of them quickly.

“Is this it?”

The book was pink. But there are different types of pink. When I dyed my hair pink, I consulted with my stylist and listened to a lecture about color.

Of course I forgot everything.

They say that so-and-so pink is a luxurious pink, and so-and-so pink is a cheap pink, but anyway, the cover of this book ‘Love Story’ was a luxurious pink.

There was a painting that looked like modern art in the middle of the cover, and the title, ‘Love Story’, was written in a neat font without any spaces.

Fortunately, there is no vinyl, so I think I can read it right away.

Min Hyo-chan headed to the reading space in the corner of the bookstore.

There were comfortable chairs, desks, and bean bags.

And all the book lovers crowded there were holding pink books in their hands.

It is the same book that Min Hyo-chan is holding.

‘It’s really popular…’

But their expressions are all different.

‘what?’

A woman who looked like an office worker was reading a book with a love-struck expression. The hand that turns the pages one by one is careful, as if hoping that this beautiful story will never end.

However, the young man with headphones around his neck is clenching his teeth and bulging his eyes out as if they are about to pop out. ‘profit···! ‘Eeeeeek…!’ It screams and screams. He seems like a crazy person.

On the other hand, there are people who shed tears while reading this book. A middle-aged man who looked like a very dignified man was crying while reading a book. He was sniffling, blowing his nose with a handkerchief as if he were the only one in the bookstore, because by that age he would live and die by respect.

‘What kind of book is this…’

Min Hyo-chan became a little afraid.

What kind of book was this that made people read it like that?

However, the band attached to the book only says this.

“hmm···”

what. It’s a very common love story, right?

Min Hyo-chan felt relieved, took up one of the bean bag sofas, and started reading.

* * *

“Did you have to do that to feel relieved?”

There is about a week of school attendance between winter break and spring break. Only then does the school year come to an end.

Yuna and I are entering our second year of middle school, and Byeol Kim is graduating from Baekhak Arts Middle School.

No matter how much I skipped school, I couldn’t make it to Kimbyeol’s graduation ceremony.

So, when I went to school for the first time in a while, Min…

min···

min···

What was it?

A pink-haired senior whose name I can’t remember because I haven’t seen him in a month grabbed me by the collar.

“Did you feel relieved having to destroy the first part like that? 이 개새끼야!”

“You’re destroying it. I went all the way to America to write part 1. That’s an important part. “Because it is a moment that highlights the moment when love falls apart.”

“Then it’s true that it was destroyed!”

Min Hyo-chan grabbed my collar and shook me, causing me to shake helplessly like a deflated balloon doll.

“Get out of the way.”

“Aaaah!”

In the end, only after Gu Yuna pinched Min Hyo-chan’s side was I able to escape from her grasp.

Gu Yuna stared at me with an expressionless expression.

“Do you have anything to say?”

“Not really.”

“Did you enjoy the book?”

“huh.”

“Can you give me your review?”

“I don’t have anything in particular.”

Gu Yuna praised my book and said there was nothing to point out, then turned around and headed toward the auditorium.

I followed Gu Yuna to the auditorium with a happy heart.

Senior Min, who followed me late, put his hand on my shoulder and made a fuss, saying it was just a joke and that he enjoyed the book.

What was waiting for us when we arrived at the auditorium were students and parents waiting for the graduation ceremony, and Kim Byeol, who was mixed among them.

“hi. Guys. long time no see.”

Guy Yuna and Dodo ran to hug Kim Byeol.

However, as soon as Kim Byeol was happy and stroked Gu Yuna’s head, she quickly ran away, telling her not to touch her head.

I said hello to Kim Byeol, who was looking at Gu Yuna with a dumbfounded expression.

“It’s been a while, senior Kim. Did you finish filming well?”

“okay. “Now filming is over and we’re in the editing stage.”

I could slightly feel the calluses in Kim Byul’s hand as she shook my hand.

If you look closely at Kim Byeol’s face, it looks slightly burnt.

“I guess you had a hard time coming back from Manchuria?”

“······iced coffee.”

Kim Byeol lowered her voice and began to pray. She began to feel a sense of determination in her eyes.

Then, before my eyes, a female warrior roaming the snowy field on horseback appeared.

“I learned the laws of the grassland…”

“Wh-what rule?”

“I mean, I don’t know if you’re doing well. Probably walking freely in the fields. We’ll never meet again. But it’s okay. Someday, we will all return to the sky and meet again as the flesh and blood of eagles…”

It was questionable whether these were words that would come out of the mouth of a middle school girl (soon to be a high school girl). It seems like the smoke has lost some of its color.

Eventually, Kim Byeol caught Gu Yuna like a nimble hunter and hugged her, and Gu Yuna was unable to overcome Kim Byul’s more evolved strength and calmly became a love doll and sat on Kim Byeol’s lap.

“Where is senior Min going?”

“I’m still here. The second year students are on the first floor of the auditorium. “First-year students are on the second floor of the auditorium, so you can go up there.”

“thank you. see you later.”

After saying hello to senior Min and taking Gu Yuna away from Kim Byeol and going up to the second floor of the auditorium, Moon Chang and the kids were gathered in groups of twos and threes preparing to watch the graduation ceremony.

Moon Chang and the kids saw me and tried to come over, but there was someone running up the stairs one step ahead of them.

“Oh my, our writer has arrived!”

Park Chang-woon, a senior novelist who teaches middle school as a hobby.

He was wearing brown modified hanbok and was rushing towards me with his white beard waving.

As soon as I made eye contact with the person who longed for me with wide open eyes, I couldn’t overcome the madness and just threw the manger away and ran away.

* * *

‘Love Story’ swept the industry as soon as it was published.

Marketing disguised as a romance novel was effective.

To be precise, I am not fooling myself into thinking that this book is just a romance novel.

The marketing was based on the fact that ‘this book appears to be a romance novel, but there is a twist that it is not.’

One way or another, the subject matter of anti-war is something that people like. Even when people know there is a twist, they like it.

Love is the same. Love appears in almost all content, but it is the subject matter that is still a hit.

So, no matter how much movie enthusiasts cry out and plead, ‘Please don’t promote a movie with a twist as having a twist’ or ‘Please don’t put romance in a movie that’s already finished,’ it is of no use.

Of course, this kind of marketing doesn’t just happen.

“Manager Lim! This is not it! “How can you spend this much money on marketing just one book!”

“Uh huh, I’m doing this because I’m confident I can earn more than that.”

“But still, this is an unreasonable amount!”

“Write it. “If you are truly dissatisfied, we will arrange a meeting with our staff.”

“is it so! “If you’re going to grow the business to this size, you need to discuss it with us!”

“Deputy Baek Seol? “Please come here for a moment.”

“When I think about it again, it seems like a budget that can be executed at the discretion of the sales department.”

Through smooth communication and consultation between departments, Lim Yang-wook attracted and invested a huge marketing budget.

However, initial sales did not increase significantly.

If book sales were to increase by increasing marketing costs, people would have already heard that the Korean publishing industry is doomed.

Korean literature is already supported by a small number of readers, and among those small number of readers, people with similar tastes are already buying books by writers.

So it’s like wasting money on advertising to people who are already going to buy the product.

When questions about Lim Yang-wook’s abilities began to be raised within Baekhak Entertainment, Lim Yang-wook began making money and manipulating public opinion.

「Spoiler) When going from Part 1 to Part 2 of Love Story, did I feel like I was the only one who got hit on the head with a hammer??」

└ Hahahahahahahaha Yanadu?

└ It wasn’t just me who suffered.

└ 222

└ 3333333

“I recommended ‘Love Story’ to my close friend. Of course, with romance ^^”

└ You evil devil

└ I can’t be the only one who gets hit lol.

└ Books like this should not exist. But if it exists, I shouldn’t be the only one who sees it.

“Isn’t it a masterpiece love story? But why are there so many people swearing at me? Am I strange?”

└ That’s what everyone is doing, so don’t worry, teacher.

└ Ah, I see. I was surprised.. ^^

└ When a famous YouTuber reviews a book, he recommends it with a comical nuance, so many people follow him… ㅇㅇ

└ TikTok and Shorts have already been taken over… Please stop showing them.

└ Do you still see things like that??

“If the ending had been a little less touching, the writer would have been buried already.”

└ Reason: Because I would have buried it

└ The policeman is here.

└ When I went from part 1 to part 2, I also wanted to stalk the author, but when I searched for it, it turned out to be a complete joke. I endured it because it was cute.

└ ?

└ ????

└ -The snout of hell-

Although we have arrived in a world where public opinion is fragmented, the overall mainstream trend still exists, albeit weakly.

And trends are led by the younger generation in one way or another, and the direction of the younger generation is determined by the Internet.

Yang-Wook Lim attempted an unconventional marketing strategy by entrusting book advertisements to YouTubers who had never reviewed books in their lives, and worked part-time on video platforms and community sites.

Finally, I succeeded in building the image of a love story called ‘I thought it was an ordinary romance novel, but it was actually a novel with a twist.’

At that moment the game was over.

Now, people enjoyed recommending this book as a game, like spinning a bomb, and whenever such an act spread, the love story was steadily exposed to the public.

Eventually, ‘Love Story’ made its way into the news.

Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting, which received advertising fees, opened fire.

[Next news. A novel that has recently become a hot topic, especially among the younger generation…]

The news does not advertise books carelessly. Because time is a resource.

News is basically a medium that delivers information, and the thoughts of many people change depending on how that information is delivered.

That’s why a piece of news can destroy a business, give strength to an election, or kill or save a person.

It is a tremendous waste of resources to waste a portion of the news, which has such enormous power, on book advertisements. Unfortunately, books were not a culture, hobby, or medium with much value.

When a book is advertised in the news, it is when a major writer with influence comparable to that of a company publishes a new work, and the company that supports the major publisher pays the same amount of money.

Or maybe the novel itself becomes newsworthy information.

Here, Lim Yang-wook artificially created the latter situation. The trend of a novel spreading mainly among the younger generation. It feels like news.

Based on this situation, Lim Yang-wook visited Baekhak Culture Broadcasting, and fortunately, Moonin was a member of Baekhak Entertainment and a regular performer on the BMB entertainment station.

The writer’s news, which gathered these various evidences and narrowly passed the newsroom, succeeded in promoting the book ‘Love Story’ to the public in front of the TV.

Finally, its existence was made known not only to the younger generation, but to all generations.

After that it’s simple.

From here on, it was standard.

Yangwook Lim posted ‘Love Story’ advertisements on all major search platforms.

As is usually the case when a popular author’s book is published.

However, the impact of advertising after this build-up was on a different level.

Soon, a huge wave swept over public opinion.