The purpose of Baekhak Publishing’s book-selling expedition was simple and clear.
Since the Japanese animated film ‘Guitar’ was sweeping through theaters, they intended to hitch a ride and make some sweet money from it.
In short, it was about making money.
Making money would lead to promotion, making money would bring bonuses, and making money could make Baek Seol the CEO of Baekhak Publishing.
However, suddenly hearing about Moon In’s secret heritage left everyone in shock. The book-selling expedition was here to make money, not to fight.
So, if this were to be likened to a war, this was an ambush that no one could have predicted.
Therefore, much like in a war, once the commander acted calm, the chaos quickly subsided.
This was a stark contrast to the image he showed in front of Eisaku Siedehara, but the fact is, the cold Tokyo man is icy to others but warm to his own author.
While he showed an angelic face in front of Siedehara, Iwamoto was nothing short of a devil, a brute, and a demon to his subordinates. You could say he was a sort of Lucifer kind of figure.
“What the hell happened! What did you do to cause this mess!”
The subordinate, looking dejected and cowering, muttered to himself, ‘Fucking bastard…’
Meanwhile, Yohei Iwamoto quickly grasped the whole situation with his agile mind.
However, the situation itself was incredibly frustrating.
I mean, what kind of major media grabs onto YouTube fake news and makes a fuss about it?
Of course, Japan is indeed a country of longstanding conspiracies and scandals. This is especially true in the entertainment industry. Adultery and dogeza (prostration) apologies are beautiful traditions of the Japanese entertainment world.
But that’s only fun when it’s happening to the neighbors. When it’s your house on fire, it’s a different story altogether.
Especially since Yohei Iwamoto had put a tremendous amount of effort into selling the novel ‘Guitar’.
Although it began with the unexpected success of the animated film ‘Guitar’, and his rivalry with Baekhak Publishing’s Baek Seol fueled his motivation, Iwamoto was genuinely dedicated to selling ‘Guitar’.
As a senior editor and translator at Kyosensha, he had done everything possible: promotions, translations, commercials, marketing, binding, and so on…
Though he might not know much about parenting, he certainly wouldn’t have done this much for a child of his own.
And everyone at the company knew it.
But if the sales of ‘Guitar’ plummeted?
Iwamoto’s career would be in jeopardy too.
Excuses about bad luck wouldn’t fly. Iwamoto had already suffered a political blow from the failure to win the Booker International Prize. Another failure here might really get him exiled from Tokyo to the Tsushima branch.
So, there’s no room for rumors in his publishing business.
Yohei Iwamoto roared in frustration.
“What is Baekhak! What is Baekhak Publishing doing right now?!”
“Uh, there’s still no official comment from them-”
“Why isn’t there any news when they should be clarifying as quickly as possible! Go check directly at the hotel if you have to!”
While the subordinate, who inherited the spirit of a ninja, dashed to the hotel, Iwamoto chewed his nails nervously, thinking of a way to handle this crisis.
Responding by the book? That’s not the answer. Those spreading conspiracy theories aren’t doing it out of ignorance. They’re doing it because it’s entertaining.
Try bringing a certificate proving Moon In is a pure Korean. It would only become a new laughingstock. So desperate to prove he’s not Japanese, they would say.
Iwamoto sensed the familiar scent of ‘ijime’ (bullying) wafting through this incident.
In the Japanese entertainment industry, bullying is also a form of entertainment. How many shows are there where idols laugh and joke around as they handle earthworms?
It’s the same here. This is bullying directed at Moon In. A punishment for daring to gain fame in Japan as a Korean. A public backlash for competing with Siedehara for the Booker International Prize as a mere Korean kid… An indiscriminate attack on an unpopular celebrity…
How can he navigate through this?
What about the film? How’s the film doing? If the author’s scandal shakes the film’s success, it’s no longer just a problem for Hitokawa Group but a major issue involving the film distributor as well…
Iwamoto snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of a subordinate’s voice.
The subordinate was holding out a smartphone with a trembling hand.
“Th-the official statement from Baekhak Publishing…”
Iwamoto practically snatched the phone.
And as soon as he saw the screen, he frowned.
He couldn’t understand it from the first sentence.
– We cannot disclose details about Author Moon In’s family history due to privacy concerns.
And there was no further explanation.
Iwamoto’s mind went blank.
What are they trying to do here?
If it’s true, say it’s true. If it’s not, say it’s not. They should clearly state…
Iwamoto’s brain, his career on the line, spun furiously.
And soon, he deduced the answer.
These Koreans… are they pretending the rumor is true?
The moment they started ‘pretending it’s true’, Iwamoto realized the rumor was completely false. This was a lie and a scam targeting all of Japan.
A cheap plot that even a low-quality light novel would avoid, trying to get people to buy into the idea that
Yohei Iwamoto, as a Japanese, found this utterly unacceptable.
Of course, he had to break through this vile lie and reveal the truth…
Yohei Iwamoto slowly closed his eyes.
When he did, he saw the proud Hinomaru flag fluttering in the blue sky.
The white flag with the red dot waved high like the sun.
Yohei Iwamoto slowly lowered that flag, carefully folded it, and hid it somewhere in his heart.
And he raised the flag composed of the Taegeuk symbol and the four trigrams in its place…
For a moment, the proud Taegeukgi fluttered in Yohei Iwamoto’s heart.
Clenching his fists in self-reproach, Iwamoto couldn’t help but envision Lim Yang-wook’s kindly smiling face before his eyes.
“Just this once, I’ll cooperate-!”