Chapter 127 – The Old Man in the Back Room (2)
“Who do you think will take the Grand Prize this time?”
“The Grand Prize?”
“Hmm…… well.”
At the question, everyone strokes their chins.
None of them seem to have a clear answer in mind.
Kim Jin-ho waved his hand and said,
“Ah, just speak comfortably. I’m only asking because I’m curious what everyone thinks.”
Then, one comic artist who had been cautiously reading the room carefully opened his mouth.
“Well, right now it’s about fifty-fifty. Both Brave King and Crow King are purely a matter of taste. I thought both were nearly perfect comics.”
“That’s true.”
“I actually cried after finishing Brave King.”
“Crow King’s art is insane.”
Perhaps because they were all people who genuinely loved comics, once the topic dropped, words poured out like a flood.
“Shin Pil-ho’s work was pretty good too.”
“Oh, right.”
“And…… that Han Yu-ra artist? She’s still a high school student, but her skills are no joke.”
“She’s a dark horse, a real dark horse. It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a strong lineup. It feels like all the comic artists are reaching their prime at once.”
“Ugh, it’s scary. Is this what a generational shift looks like?”
“Hahaha! You’re still young, my friend. You’ve still got a long way to go with your own works.”
While everyone was excitedly chatting,
A bitter expression rose on Kim Jin-ho’s deeply wrinkled face.
He lowered his head and stared at the cigarette ash burning away in his hand.
The bright red ember burned, spewing white smoke in all directions into the air…… and then the cigarette turned into gray ash.
‘The prime of a comic artist……’
His cloudy pupils shook violently as he watched it.
Beeeeep—
A ringing sound filled his ears, and the surrounding noise disappeared.
In its place……
- Comic artist Kim Jin-ho, please work with us for your next project!
- Come on, you can do two projects at the same time, right? We’ll really push you hard this time.
Other voices filled the space.
Then, a strange scent somehow mixed with the smell of cigarettes, ink, and briquette stoves slowly rose in his memory.
As he stood there blankly,
Pssss.
The long cigarette ash that had been hanging finally scattered into the air.
“Comic artist Kim?”
“…….”
“Comic artist Kim? Are you okay?”
“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. What is it?”
Kim Jin-ho was able to return to the present at the sound of someone calling him.
“So, what did you think of the works, Comic artist Kim?”
“What did I think, huh……”
Kim Jin-ho flicked the cigarette butt roughly into the ashtray and said,
“I enjoyed both of them. Personally, I think Crow King should take the Grand Prize.”
“Oh, really? Why?”
Everyone’s eyes widened as they asked.
‘That’s unexpected. I thought it wouldn’t suit his taste.’
‘Didn’t he usually not like that kind of work?’
Crow King had quite a few pedantic and maniacal elements.
Those appealed greatly to enthusiasts, but its weakness was that it had fewer parts that could be easily accepted by the general public compared to Brave King.
And the Kim Jin-ho that everyone knew had emphasized comics for the public throughout his life……
That was also his comic philosophy.
So hearing such words from him left everyone flustered.
Kim Jin-ho swallowed dryly and said,
“David’s work and Brave King are both good comics. But honestly…… when compared to Crow King, I don’t think there’s that much difference in level or class. Well, I think everyone here will agree on that part.”
“Ah, yes, that’s true.”
“It’s just a matter of personal taste……”
As everyone nodded, Kim Jin-ho widened his eyes and continued,
“Then, I believe we should choose based on which comic will be more helpful to the Korean comic industry.”
“Helpful…… to the comic industry?”
“David is a newcomer, while Shin Yo-seop has a long career. He’s the one who stubbornly stayed in one place and supported the declining Korean comic industry…… a friend who has made a great contribution. If a friend like him cannot win at such an important event, what will happen to the comic artists of the future? Even if the market is bad…… will there be comic artists who will burn themselves out to endure and come forward?”
“Hmm, that does make sense.”
“So I hope you all think about it carefully. For the sake of the future of Korean comics.”
Some nodded as if they sympathized, while others made bitter expressions as if they found it displeasing.
They all knew that his words carried a subtle pressure.
And their thoughts on the matter were naturally divided.
It was then.
“Ehey, that’s not right, Mr. Kim.”
“Huh?”
A bold voice came from behind.
Everyone quickly turned their heads in that direction.
“Ehey, cigarette smoke. I told you all to quit smoking. Seriously, it’s completely harmful and useless.”
Animation High’s president and comic artist Ma Dong-hyun waved his hand to disperse the cigarette smoke and walked toward them.
“……Ma Dong-hyun. It’s been a while.”
“Yes. It’s been five years.”
A bitter expression appeared on Kim Jin-ho’s face.
Ma Dong-hyun had been his assistant during the later years of his career.
His instincts told him that this kid getting involved was not a good thing.
- Teacher, if you do it this way, you’ll lose the readers’ trust.
- What do you know to be talking like that?
Just an assistant who was supposed to help with the work, yet he constantly gave feedback and argued about the comic every single day. A real pain in the ass.
That Ma Dong-hyun had become a popular comic artist and continued to thrive with active work ever since.
From the position of someone who had taught him, it was something that should be celebrated…… but Kim Jin-ho could not feel purely happy about it.
If he thought he had lost to someone like Dong-hyun, if he thought he was no longer needed…… then as a comic artist, it was over.
“So, what exactly is ‘not right’?”
“Ah, what you said earlier, teacher…… that because someone has made great contributions to the Korean comic industry, they should receive the award. I believe that logic is actually dangerous.”
“……Go on, speak.”
“Don’t you already know that the reason Korean comics declined in the first place…… wasn’t because someone failed to do their job?”
“Then what do you think was the cause?”
“I think it was the daebonso (rental shop script) system created by the rental bookstores, and the resulting decline in quality.”
Ma Dong-hyun spoke with firm conviction.
After the IMF crisis, a wave of self-employment swept through, and the so-called ‘daebonso system’ allowed publishers to sell a certain volume of comic books just by printing them.
Because the system rewarded quantity over quality to generate higher revenue, it inevitably led to the industrialization and factory-like production of Korean comics.
Meanwhile……
High-quality comics carefully selected from Japan flooded in, and relatively lower-quality Korean comics inevitably lost their competitiveness.
There could be countless reasons, but everyone present knew this was one of the most significant factors.
“In an industry that collapsed like that, now that quality works are finally starting to rise again, introducing other criteria into the evaluation…… I believe it is not right.”
“So, you’re saying Crow King shouldn’t receive the Grand Prize?”
“No, I never said that. If Shin Yo-seop is qualified and wins the Grand Prize, I will applaud and cheer for him. However……”
Ma Dong-hyun crossed his arms and said,
“There’s no need to bring in a different standard and stir up other people’s thoughts and judgments, is there?”
“…….”
Kim Jin-ho’s face hardened.
He searched for words to refute, but nothing came to mind.
Because what Ma Dong-hyun said was the correct argument.
“You’re still as arrogant as ever, thinking you’re the only smart one.”
“You’re the same as always, teacher.”
Just by meeting each other’s eyes, a strange tension flowed between the two.
At that moment, one of the center staff cleared his throat and, pretending to check his watch, said,
“Ahem, it’s about time we head inside.”
“Let’s go, everyone.”
“Ah, yes, let’s go in.”
The entire group entered the conference room and took their seats.
And when the door closed,
“Then, from now on…… we will begin the voting and discussion for selecting the Bucheon Comic Awards winners.”
Finally, the final discussion was beginning.
***
Friday of the second week of December.
The large hall on the first floor of the Bucheon Comic Center was bustling with event preparations.
Despite the chilly air typical of winter mornings, the hall felt warm from the energetic movements of the staff preparing for the event.
The venue was already half-decorated.
Silver and white balloons hung from the ceiling, and huge banners were installed on both sides of the stage.
The banners were densely filled with the theme of this year’s Bucheon Comic Awards and the names of the major comic artists attending.
Meanwhile,
‘Huuu…… they’re here.’
‘Please let me win at least something.’
The back seats were filled with comic artists, judges, officials, and their companions.
Some people were greeting each other, while others were taking deep breaths with nervous faces.
It was an event where the Presidential Award was given.
For a newcomer, winning it meant instantly becoming a star comic artist.
For veterans, it was a golden opportunity for self-validation.
Even if they pretended otherwise with their mouths, it would be strange if they weren’t interested.
In the middle of that,
“Is this the place?”
“Looks like it.”
Two people were looking around outside the hall.
Two students wearing school uniforms with coats over them.
It was Oh Dong-gyo and Kim Rok-hee.
But just as they were about to enter, a staff member blocked their way and said,
“Excuse me, do you have an invitation?”
“Uh, well…… we’re staff for comic artist David. We were told we could come too.”
“I’m sorry. You can only enter with an invitation.”
“Ughhhhh…… What should we do?”
“I’ll try calling.”
Just as Oh Dong-gyo was fumbling through his pockets,
“Here’s the invitation.”
“Huh?”
Kang Min-hyuk suddenly appeared from behind, smiling brightly as he handed the invitation to the staff member.
Behind him…… Mrs. Hong Mi-seon was also there.
“Mom, these are Dong-gyo and Rok-hee.”
“Oh, so you’re the friends who helped Min-hyuk. You’ve worked really hard, kids.”
“Ah, hello!”
“Ah, Min-hyuk’s mother!”
The two bowed their heads politely.
At that moment, the center staff member who had been checking the invitation asked again,
“Um, are you really comic artist David?”
When they turned their heads, the staff member blinked in surprise.
Min-hyuk tilted his head and asked back,
“Is there…… some problem?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. I just didn’t expect comic artist David to be…… so young.”
“Aren’t there two high school comic artists on the candidate list?”
He was referring to Han Yu-ra.
“That’s true, but having two high school comic artists as candidates…… Heh heh. You’re all amazing. I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thank you.”
As Min-hyuk bowed his head, Mrs. Hong Mi-seon gently pushed the kids’ shoulders and said,
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
“Ah, yes!”
Inside, more than half the seats were already filled with comic artists.
Nameplates were placed everywhere.
When Min-hyuk found his seat and sat down,
“Hey.”
A familiar voice came from a little distance away.
Han Yu-ra, who was already seated, raised her hand.
And next to her……
‘Artist Han Kyung-taek……?’
The famously ill-tempered Artist Han Kyung-taek was, for some reason, sitting right beside Yu-ra.
‘Well, maybe his mindset has changed.’
Huuu.
Min-hyuk sat down and took a deep breath.
‘So this is the Bucheon Comic Center.’
A place he had only seen in news articles every year.
Sitting here in person made his heart feel strangely tense.
In the meantime,
“Comic artist Min-hyuk, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, Comic artist Pil-ho! You’re here!”
This time, Shin Pil-ho approached and greeted him.
It had been almost half a year since they last saw each other.
Meeting in a place like this made his lips curl up in genuine delight.
And beside him,
“Hello, ma’am! It’s been so long.”
“Ah, Director! Wow, it really has been a long time.”
“Fighting today!”
Song Mi-hyeon and Go Gwang-jin were together.
It seemed they had all come as a group.
Shin Pil-ho clenched his fist tightly and said,
“Let’s do our best today. After it’s over, let’s talk for a bit.”
“Yes! Fighting!”
After that, Shin Pil-ho and the New Chance editors went around greeting other comic artists.
Besides them……
‘The lineup is no joke.’
He could see Ma Dong-hyun, the department head, and many other comic artists whose names Min-hyuk already knew, seated all around.
Just sitting among them made his chest feel grand and overwhelming.
And finally……
‘Comic artist Shin Yo-seop.’
A bit away from the main area.
Shin Yo-seop, seated with his assistants and Director Oh Han-cheol, met Min-hyuk’s eyes.
A momentary exchange of glances.
Yet, for some reason, a gentle smile rested on his face.
How to describe it……
Min-hyuk understood the meaning of that smile.
It was the expression of someone who had poured everything into this and would have no regrets about today’s outcome.
‘Please take care of it.’
‘I’m going to win.’
They didn’t speak, but the two completely understood what the other wanted to say just through their eyes.
By the time the hall was almost fully settled,
“Aa, aaah!”
The emcee stepped up onto the stage.
As the spotlight focused on the stage, the murmuring in the hall naturally quieted down.
“Hello everyone. Thank you to all who have come to attend the 2024 Bucheon Comic Awards ceremony.”
He took a short breath, then smiled brightly and said,
“Then, we will now begin the awards ceremony.”
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