Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 148



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The Novelist Who Leapt Through Time Episode 148

At first glance, the change of government at Baekhak Library appears to be a story of justice served by Baekseol, a magical girl who signed a contract with the magic cat Lim Yangwook, and defeats the demon king Kim Sangguk.

However, that is an excessive first-person perspective.

Victims, third parties, and even allies define this incident this way.

‘Coup d’etat’.

It was a coup that even brought in the power of foreign powers.

Baekseol borrowed the power of the headquarters’ strategic planning office to drive out the indigenous forces and usurp the throne.

It was called ‘Silla’.

It’s a hex! That guy uses hexes!

The organizational strength of any group comes from camaraderie. Those who betray that passionate comradeship, such as fools, fraudsters, sectarians, and whistle-blowers, can never be forgiven.

Under this solemn absolute proposition, no excuses work. From the moment Baekseol brought foreign powers into the family fight, he was already a traitor to Baekhak Library.

Even Silla, which was called the Tang Dynasty and unified the three kingdoms, has been harassed for over a thousand years. How can it be even more so for Baekseol?

This isn’t even entirely wrong. The ‘results’ that Lim Yang-wook worked hard to create are in fact just a justification. The actual swordsman who turned President Kim Sang-guk, who has been rooted at Baekhak Bookstore for decades, into a half-asshole, is President Baek Do-hyun, head of the human resources support team in the strategic planning office at the headquarters.

Just as he acted as if he was Baek Seol’s protector at Baek Seol’s inauguration ceremony as president, Baek Do-hyeon did not particularly hide his intention to take control of Baek Hak Bookstore with Baek Seol at the forefront.

The reason why Baek Seol became the owner of Baji was not only because of his lack of experience.

No one wants a leader who is loyal to a foreign power rather than the organization. This is a principle that never changes. Because there is a rice bowl hanging on it.

“hmm… … .”

Therefore, Baek Seol’s initial actions in office had to be extremely careful, meticulous, and at the same time unconventional.

Political Animal by Baekhak Bookstore.

A political beast, or just a beast.

Team leader Kim Ka-ryung couldn’t have been unaware of this context.

EP 9 – Sound

Click click. Click click. Team leader Kim Ga-ryung hasn’t had a good time with things these days. He often surfs the web during work hours. The four letters written in the search bar represented his feelings.

Job Korea.

It means that you want to destroy the company.

“It’s not good… … .”

After Baekseol’s inauguration as president, the publishing management department is in a festive mood. It was demoted to a department instead of the headquarters and turned into a strange in-house venture, but since the president is on our side, we are bursting with fireworks and saying that we have achieved the final victory.

Kar-ryung Kim is not the same type as those idiots.

He sensed the downfall of Manager Yang Yang-jun, the crown prince of the publishing business division, earlier than anyone else, and wisely stabbed himself in the back, no, he moved the department.

This is the result of foresight that no one can match. Yang Yang-jun absolutely did not betray Assistant Manager Kim by always swarming him and hitting him on the head with a piece of paper.

In any case, in the opinion of Political Animal and Kim Ka-ryung, President Baek Seol’s position was never stable.

This is because she is not the main stream of Baekhak Library.

The mainstream of Baekhak Library was actually Sang-guk Kim.

President Kim Sang-guk is not a leader who rose to the position of president through personal charisma or heroic feats. He was not an ugly evildoer, but a person who represented the interests of all of Baekhak Library.

So, if we have to be honest, it is not Kim Sang-guk but the entire company that is corrupt.

In other words, Baekhak Library is Kim Sang-guk Land, filled with post-Kim Sang-guk and mini-Kim Sang-guk, from employees to executives. Team leader Kim Ka-ryung, who is from the Publication Planning Department, knows this very well.

Therefore, this unprecedented situation in which an unknown outsider invades and usurps the throne through foreign power is a very unstable and dangerous event.

The reason why President Baek Seol was able to enter the president’s office unscathed amidst this chaos is as follows.

Because of his young age, he was not wary of the directors, had a history of being nominated for the Booker International Prize that employees could not take lightly, and, most importantly, had ‘blood legitimacy’.

Without those things, Baek Seol would have been treated as invisible among executives. Or, teasing the foolish boss becomes the most popular game at Baekhak Bookstore.

Sadly, in the eyes of Team Leader Kim Ka-ryung, such a future seemed to be approaching at every moment.

Actually, it turned out to be funny… .

If I stayed still, I would have gone at least half way… .

Whenever I smoke on the rooftop, I always see people making noise.

At first, there was a hint of secrecy, but gradually the employees looked down on the boss.

It is a sign of ruin.

‘Should I change sides now…? .’

The first thing Baek Seol did as soon as he became president was to invest in a movie with company money without consulting others.

I didn’t know if it would go well, but I was upset.

This had a very negative impact on the entire Baekhak Bookstore. First of all, executives cleared their throats, saying that the scarecrow would not sit still and were in trouble, and from the employees’ point of view, there were suspicions that it was a sham, unlike the new president.

(That’s true)

Baekseol, who started his career in the parking lot of Baekhak Entertainment, unintentionally embraced the concept of mysticism. No one knows the new president’s image.

And that is now being decided.

Are you a genius tycoon translator with the glory of being nominated for Booker International?

Or is she the young lady from a drama who became the CEO through bloodshed?

As the harsh criticism of the movie ‘Sound’ became more intense, public opinion within the company tilted towards the latter, and Team Leader Kim Ka-ryung’s heart was also leaning towards the strong arms of the Vice President from the Book Distribution Headquarters, rather than Manager Lim Yang-wook’s mushy head… .

“Useup… .”

At the time, Team Leader Kim Kar-ryung was thinking about how to get the vice president in line.

‘The news’ arrived.

It is Cannes.

Team leader Kim Ga-ryung said at the department meeting the next day that he would ‘defend President Baekseol to the death’.

* * *

Cannes.

This place, also called Cannes, is a provincial city in southern France.

The reason why Koreans on the other side of the world know about this city is, of course, because of the film festival held in this city.

And the reason the Cannes Film Festival is special to Koreans is, of course, because of Bong Joon-ho.

iced coffee… Palme d’Or? Are you talking about this?

What about an Oscar? Among ‘local’ festivals, it’s pretty good.

Bong Joon-ho… He is God!

Winning the Palme d’Or for the movie ‘Parasite’ was a festival for the entire Republic of Korea. And in the film industry, it was a sacred anniversary comparable to the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The Holy Spirit came upon Saint Bong Joon-ho and created ‘Parasite’. How could everyone not praise and sing joyfully?

Thanks to that miracle, Korea, which was on the outskirts of the film industry, has reached the same level as the world powers, so it can only advance and advance toward world hegemony with the fortunes of Greater East Asia on its back.

There will only be glory in the future of the Korean film industry!

Of course, that hopeful future came to nothing with the coronavirus pandemic that erupted less than half a year later, but everyone misses the good times of La Belle Époque.

And as time goes by… .

The seats in the once-full movie theater became empty,

Parasite’s Palme d’Or statue was buried in the sand,

And no one cares about those things,

In an era where movies have become corny jokes… .

A film was called to Cannes.

People can no longer view ‘sound’ only as ‘sound’. ‘That work’, which symbolizes the most cinematic era in the Korean film industry, is flashing before my eyes.

Needless to say, it was the main topic that reporters covered until their fingers were on fire.

[The second ‘Parasite’… Is it born?]

[Breaking news, movie ‘Sori’ invited to competition section at Cannes Film Festival!]

[‘Golden Bear Award’ So Taewoong, now even ‘Golden Palm Award’?]

There is no Korean who passes by the term ‘second parasite’.

This is because Korean people have now developed a disease that causes their hearts to pound just by hearing ‘Hwang’ from ‘Palm Golden Award’. This is all because of super-spreader Bong Joon-ho.

There was another condition in this ‘Palm Golden Syndrome’, which was a sudden sharp increase in movie-viewing ability.

Sure enough, numerous people complained of illness.

I didn’t notice it in the movie theater, but I suddenly felt like I could see the director’s intention.

A clearly woven zombie witch, an alien, and a visually impaired person.

I couldn’t take my eyes off actor Kim Byeol’s outstanding performance.

People who criticized So Tae-woong as an old man suddenly began to worship him, and people who criticized writers as parasites attached to So Tae-woong praised him as a genius who wrote a ‘Parasite’ level screenplay.

In the 9 o’clock news, the invitation to the Cannes Film Festival competition section of the movie ‘Sori’ was reported as the main issue, and filmmakers prayed for the divine power of director So Tae-woong, who caused the second miracle, and Moon Chang and children from Baekhak Arts Middle School were cut. The corners of his mouth turned up at the sound of him rising.

However, there is one issue here.

How much influence did writers have on the movie ‘Sori’?

Is ‘Sound’ the work of So Taewoong or a writer?

Although controversy arose for a while, Koo Hak-jun’s column was rediscovered and attracted attention.

[…] ‘Sound’ is a story of adventurers exploring a dark world from a very personal, cognitive, and existential perspective. The writer has gained insight into the dark world through ‘dark adaptation’, and is then exploring how to advance into that dark world through footprints. Therefore, it is meaningless to discuss the contribution to film production, and the criticism leveled at the film is also excessive… .]

People hate the literary world, but they don’t hate Koo Hak-jun.

This is because the public perceives Koo Hak-jun as a ‘great man’ rather than a ‘novelist’.

Instead of respecting Koo Hak-jun’s literature, people respect his naturalization as a Korean citizen, so images were more important than logic when viewing this column.

In short, ‘If Koo Hak-jun said it, it would be like that.’

Therefore, during festivals to worship So Taewoong, people secretly placed pictures of the writer on the ancestral rite table.

However, the people who were actually being worshiped looked a bit uncomfortable, and among them, So Tae-woong said this with a serious expression.

“I think the Golden Bear is on par with or better than the Palme d’Or.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Mun-in, Kim Byeol, and the assistant director, who did not know who So Tae-woong’s right-hand man was, who were eating meat at the same table, subtly stiffened their faces.

However, So Taewoong continued his story seriously.

“Both the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival are among the world’s top three film festivals. Moreover, I won the Golden Bear award decades before Director Bong Joon-ho. Although it did not receive much attention due to the World Cup at the time… “I think their achievements are similar.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“But now that I’ve been invited to Cannes, wouldn’t I be one step ahead of director Bong Joon-ho?”

A cold silence hovered over the table.

Moonin glared at So Taewoong with disdain, and even So Taewoong’s faithful Chihuahua assistant director said, ‘Ah, this is a bit…’ ‘ He made an embarrassed expression that could be described as ‘.

Stifling silence.

Kim Byul was the first to abandon his conscience.

“Yeah, that’s right! Director So Tae-woong is now the best!”

The writer was impressed. You clearly said the other day, ‘I prefer director So Tae-woong’s work, but objectively speaking, director Bong Joon-ho is the top’, and then you change your words so shamelessly?

Indeed, learning was not something that just anyone could do.

Moonin tested Kim Byeol’s acting.

“Senior Kim. If casting comes to both Director So Tae-woong and Director Bong Joon-ho, who will it go to? One, two, three-”

“Of course, it’s director So Tae-woong!”

“Why do you stutter?”

“It’s not? “Did you chew your tongue?”

Kim Byeol’s countenance did not change even once and she lied calmly. Moonin once again realized that Kim Byeol was indeed a veteran actor who had mastered acting.

Byeol Kim now knows how to read the facial expressions of writers. It was clear what this obnoxious and arrogant junior was thinking. Enraged, Kim Byeol laughed and fought back.

“Then what are you going to do? “If director So Tae-woong and director Bong Joon-ho come to work on the script at the same time, who will you work with-”

“I will never write a movie script again. “It was so hard.”

Kim Byeol suddenly wanted to hit the top of the writer’s head with honey chestnuts. However, unlike the writer who is not afraid of reputation and slams the boycott declaration in So Tae-woong’s face, Kim Byeol is afraid of reputation.

In the end, people who have a lot to lose have to sacrifice themselves.

Kim Byeol smiled kindly and controlled her inner anger.

However, there is no way that this image could not be read by So Tae-woong, a film director in his early 50s.

So Taewoong looked at Munin and Kim Byeol cutely and smiled happily for the first time in a while.

And then I got to the point.

“So, I’m telling you not to be too concerned about awards.”

Of course, So Tae-woong, who always uses polite language, suddenly lost his mind and made crazy remarks such as ‘Bong Joon-ho is at my feet.’ From the beginning, the two people were close friends. Because the Korean film industry is narrow.

“I already have a Golden Bear. Even compared to the Palme d’Or, it is an award that is not particularly inferior. So, there is no need to be too disappointed or concerned even if there is no plaque.”

“ah… .”

“What did we say to each other when people were pointing fingers? Didn’t you say you were satisfied because you made a good movie? Same thing. “Let’s not be concerned about the world’s judgment and go with the mindset of enjoying the festival of filmmakers.”

As an adult before being a director, So Taewoong felt that he had a duty to take care of the two underage artists who were facing intense criticism and praise from the public.

Whether positive or negative, public attention affects the self. And a heart that is not strong enough breaks down too easily.

So Taewoong knew this very well through decades of industry experience.

So, it was advice mixed with a joke that I wasn’t good at… .

‘this. ‘You didn’t need my advice.’

Taewoong So smiled as he looked at the two young artists.

Moon-in is eating meat in a heartless manner, while Kim Byeol is looking at the future with determined eyes.

One had no interest in public attention, and the other seemed to have hardened his heart too early.

I feel sad, proud, and trustworthy.

How cruel and unfortunate would it be to accidentally slip and fall at the moment when the entire nation’s attention was gathered?

Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case, so Taewoong So continued talking with less worry.

“Okay then, I guess we should get ready to go to France. The date is… .”

May is when green plants are in full bloom.

Cannes was waiting for them.