Chapter 38: The Interview

[1. What was the background behind writing a novel dealing with the economic trends of that time?

Was there any particular reason you chose the economy of the 2000s as the subject of your novel?

How do you view the foundations of Korea’s economic growth? Furthermore, how do you foresee future economic growth?

In your view, what is the most significant structural change in Korea’s current economy?

Which industrial sector do you think will be the most noteworthy over the next five years?

Compared to back then, how do you see the differences in Korea’s investment culture?

What trend do you think individual investors should be most wary of?]

The moment I received the questionnaire, I thought, ‘I just need to answer, right?’

But as I read each question carefully, I realized this wasn’t something I could treat lightly.

Every line carried weight.

“...... Man, this is tough.”

At my desk, I spread out the printed questionnaire and studied it closely.

It was just one A4 page, but it felt heavier than a stack of novels.

Amazing how a few words could shake someone up so easily.

“I almost brushed it off too lightly. Good thing I looked through it again.”

They say Hangul is harder than English.

Now that I’ve reread and analyzed everything, I’m glad I did.

Let’s start from question one.

‘The background behind writing a novel about the economic trends of that time.’

I decided to keep the answer simple.

Because it’s fun.

Nothing else came to mind.

And it wasn’t a lie.

I found chaebol novels fun. I read dozens of them.

Over and over, until I could recite the plots.

That immersion helped me write my own stories.

If I hadn’t found them interesting, I never would’ve written about chaebols at all.

Watching how money moves, how policy shifts, how people react — it was fascinating.

I opened a notebook and started jotting notes.

Question two. ‘A special reason for choosing the 2000s economy as the subject of your novel.’

They must mean the late ’90s to early 2000s.

Post-IMF, when Korea’s economy was filled with both chaos and change.

Restructuring, foreign capital, new industries.

In that confusion, the future was born.

It was the turning point that shaped Korea’s modern economy.

If not for those years, the market might never have grown this much.

Because of the pain back then, we were able to rebuild stronger.

[It was such an attractive period because it was both Korea’s pain and its turning point. I wondered, what if things unfolded like in the novel I wrote? That’s why I decided to focus on that era.]

Reading it back, that sounded clean enough.

Now, question three.

‘The foundations of Korea’s economic growth and prospects for future growth.’

The main ideas are ‘foundations’ and ‘prospects.’

Foundations: export-driven manufacturing, human capital, education.

Prospects: technology and information industries.

I wrote,

[Growth foundation: manufacturing-centered, high export ratio, rising education level, restructuring after the foreign exchange crisis.]

[Prospects: IT, semiconductors, mobile communications, and internet-based industries are expected to grow.]

Putting it into words,

“The Korean economy has grown around manufacturing — cars, ships, electronics. But now, it’s shifting to information and communication technology, especially internet-based industries. That’s the turning point I focused on.”

That worked well for question three.

Next question.

No chance of sleeping early tonight.

Clutching my head, I kept searching for answers and filled page after page.

At one point, I almost regretted agreeing to appear on TV.

Ah, stress.

“......”

A long sigh escaped me.

The day of the recording arrived.

“Son, when did you come up with such answers?”

“I couldn’t sleep Friday or Saturday, just thinking about them.”

Last night, Mom played the interviewer and tested me.

I answered everything from memory, flawlessly.

【Son, your test scores are ordinary, so why are your answers so good? There was no need to test you, was there?!】

Mom and Dad stared in awe.

Now they called me an ‘economic genius.’

If only they knew how hard those two days were.

“You did well. Just do like yesterday and today will be fine.”

Dad, holding Da-hye’s hand, smiled proudly.

His eyes were full of trust.

“Yes, thank you. I’ll do my best not to get nervous.”

Maybe because I’d prepared so much, I felt calm.

“Oh?! Dad, Mom. The publisher’s car is here.”

A van with hazard lights appeared down the street.

“Hello. Author, ma’am, sir. I’m here to pick you up.”

Section Chief Oh got out and bowed.

His face looked brighter than usual.

“Thank you for coming all the way. You must be tired, please take this.”

Mom offered a box of Bacchus drinks.

“Oh, that’s all right. You should keep it.”

But Mom insisted.

“No, please take it. It makes us feel better to do at least this much.”

“...... Ha, haha. Then I’ll gratefully accept it. Thank you.”

He set it on the passenger seat.

‘He really is a good person. That whole contract mess must’ve been company pressure.’

I couldn’t picture him as the calculating type.

“Da-hye, thank Section Chief Oh and get in.”

“Thank you for giving us a ride.”

“Thank you for giving us a ride......”

We got into the back seats. Mom and Dad sat in the middle.

“Haha, I’ll make sure you get to the station safely. Let’s go.”

He shifted gears and pulled out of the alley toward Yeouido.

After about an hour, the car stopped at the broadcasting station gate.

I looked up at the familiar logo.

That’s when it hit me — I was really going to be on TV.

“We’ve arrived.”

Section Chief Oh turned and smiled.

“Da-hye, wake up. We’re here.”

She stirred and groaned.

“...... We’re here?”

“Yeah, let’s get out.”

Still queasy, she climbed out slowly.

“Wow, it’s really the TV station.”

She stared at the big ‘KBS’ logo in awe.

“Is it that amazing?”

“Yeah! I’m going to brag to my friends tomorrow.”

Her eyes sparkled.

“Da-hye, when you brag, you have to pay the bragging fee.”

“Bragging fee? What’s that?”

“When someone keeps boasting, how do you feel?”

“Um... jealous.”

“Right. And if it keeps going?”

“I’d feel bad.”

“That’s why. Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, people might start disliking you.”

“Um...”

“You wouldn’t like that, right?”

“Yeah.”

I patted her head.

“That’s why you pay a bragging fee — make the listener feel good too. Praise them, ask about them. That’s the fee.”

“So if I brag, I should praise my friends too?”

“Exactly. Then everyone feels good.”

“I’ll definitely pay the bragging fee.”

She nodded seriously.

“Hello, this is the KBS Economic and Culture Department. Are you the author, Unreal Oppa?”

A man approached my dad.

Dad laughed.

“Haha, no. The author is my son, over there.”

The man turned to me.

“...... Eh?!!”

His eyes widened.

He took a step closer.

“Are you really the author, Unreal Oppa?!”

“Yes, I’m Unreal Oppa.”

I nodded.

He froze, speechless.

“......”

His face was a picture of disbelief.

I smiled.

Looking at him, any tension I’d felt vanished.

To the man staring in shock, I wanted to say one thing, sincerely.

Thank you, ‘Berry march’.