Turning Point
April 24th
That day had finally arrived.
The first day of the mandatory sex relations policy in South Korea.
Policy name: Bright Future.
They said the government had given the policy a name that the entire nation could easily understand, but it still sounded ridiculous no matter how you looked at it.
Even though the government rushed it that much, it was only the fifth in the world.
Really, they must have suffered so much behind the scenes.
What kind of country is China, the first one to do it...
I was drafted into the army and fought in the war, but I can't know what kind of country that is.
Well, it's a bit different from us, but they're already doing it.
Thanks to that, there's even public opinion that we should do it quickly, and it seems Japan is going to do it soon.
As soon as the neighboring country starts, our domestic public opinion that was hesitating also changed.
Wow.
It wasn't like nothing happened during that time, and the protests they said they would do actually happened.
Of course, the people who participated in the protests were all added to our secret blacklist.
We have to filter out the people who need to be filtered.
There were a few small-scale terrorist incidents, but thanks to the self-armed security forces composed of veterans, they were resolved without a hitch.
Calling them terrorists is stretching it; the highest level was just molotov cocktails.
There were no incidents like the old terrorist videos where they brought anti-tank weapons and smashed them, so everything was resolved well.
Having gone through such a tumultuous three weeks, I'm now at the Han River.
Even though the mandatory sex relations policy, Bright Future, started after it was passed that women choose and men refuse,
To alleviate the anxiety the citizens have, the government is extending the time for the first batch from one day to one week,
And filming the appearance of men and women getting to know each other and broadcasting it like a variety show before the great change.
So, the entire Han River Park is now blocked and controlled by military personnel,
So that there isn't even a single ant in the Han River Park except for the men, the filming team, and the participating women.
And I'm now getting made up and receiving coordinated clothes to wear, waiting at the picnic area in the Han River Park near Banpo Bridge in my designated area.
Even when I was in college, I only watched from afar at the Han River picnic, but now I'm here doing it.
Anyway, they made me do this.
They made me do it.
Others seem to be on dates and say it's good, but I'm not particularly drawn to that.
I'm already famous as the Flower of Korea Man, and there are so many bad comments on posts related to me, and now it's filming.
It's terrifying.
At the picnic area, with the filming team, in the morning sunlight, drinking canned coffee, it's insanely awkward.
"Excuse me? Director? Writer?"
"Yes! I'm Bae Su-jin, the writer!"
"Ah... Yes, yes. Writer Bae Su-jin. How long do I have to wait?"
Not the army, why are you like this.
And please stop with those expectant eyes.
I'm going to die!
"It's 8:30 AM now, and the regular shooting starts at 9:00, so everyone together."
"Please wait until then, and after the shooting starts, think of it as 'it's a normal date' and act accordingly!"
Five people?
Do you think that's normal, writer-nim?
"Ah... Yes, I understand."
I'm going crazy.
I remember thinking it out beforehand and setting my mindset.
I didn't know it would be like "Excited 5-person date nationwide broadcast~❤ Live...!"
Ugh.
Do you remember what this hyung said?
It's just as this hyung said.
Our statue will do exactly as instructed.
You know, right?
We believe our Flower of Korea Man statue will do well.
This hyung is a bit upset!
Ugh.
There's none, you dog.
I was a man in the middle, a man in the end, an engineering college guy, military service, war tree.
Golden spoon bastard.
Insa bastard.
I really want to smash this guy's head with a beer bottle once in a while.
I'm really going crazy.
9:10 before. Please prepare!
Time passed so quickly.
I'm going crazy.
"The ladies will be entering~."
"Hello~!"
"I'm Jeong Sujin."
"I'm Song Hanna!"
"I'm Kang Hye-in."
"I received the name Iolivia."
"I'm Park Yujin."
I was looking at my smartphone and didn't see them approaching, but they came over and bowed to me together.
They all had the same pose, so they must have received some directing instructions.
I didn't receive any.
"Yes. Hello. I'm Park Seonghun, who will be on a date with all of you for the next week starting today."
"Please take care."
I had already memorized their faces and names from the list I received last week.
I just accepted them after confirming they weren't on the blacklist, wondering how it would turn out.
"Then where should we go, writer-nim?"
"There's no fixed place, so go wherever you want!"
"Ah, I see? Then where should we go?"
"The Na-an Hotel is good~ Bed or something?"
Jeong Sujin was the one who said hotel with a drawn-out tone.
Long wave hairstyle, blue off-shoulder top.
White short pants and clutch bag with high-heeled shoes.
Her body was attractive enough to pull off the simple but charming combination, but the way she kept touching me felt like a fox.
"No? Not from noon!"
This woman was Song Hanna.
Brown bob haircut with a slightly long black flare skirt.
Ivory knit top with cardigan and crossbody bag.
Her neat style and gentle feeling left no room for preference.
"Rather than such impious behavior, wouldn't it be better to hear some good words from my all-good place? I'll tell you."
Iolivia.
When I first saw the name, I thought it was suspicious, but she was a church nun?
The six books next to her were the Bible?
This was getting messy.
"Rather than that. Park Seonghun. I want to talk about something else?"
"What story?"
"You have a problem because of all the bad reviews, right?"
"That I can solve for you. Come with me, it won't harm you."
....
This kind of nonsense-speaking woman was Kang Hye-in.
The unique look in the eyes of someone with strong convictions showing their certainty was probably tiring.
"What are you talking about? You can't monopolize me alone. Who... who do you think you are? How did I get selected!"
Park Yujin.
Her voice lacked confidence, but something desperate showed in her expression as if she was about to speak.
This woman probably wanted something from me too.
I had roughly expected it and prepared myself, but it was bitter.
Hah...
Even this type was tiring...
I'm screwed.
One was at the Han River Park suggesting bed right away with high heels, another was suggesting a trade, and another was a church nun.
No normal person among them.
Wait, is there one?
"The first one to become a mother is me! Even the hardships and trials of this chaotic world can be overcome with family!"
This was ridiculous.
Face had been checked in advance, and since they were filtered from the blacklist, they were all pretty.
This was my first time meeting a woman in a long time, so honestly, if it had been like before, I would have selected them to the point of turning around on the street.
But according to the profile, this wasn't something I disliked.
Why was this happening from the start.
They had been fighting among themselves for thirty minutes now, and the filming crew looked bewildered.
"Um... Seonghun-ssi?"
"... Yes."
"Seonghun-ssi is... quite famous, right?"
"That's right."
In the bad way.
"So, from our perspective too, we have to film because the citizens and high-ranking officials want Seonghun-ssi to appear a lot in this program, but if we keep doing this, it could be dangerous?"
"But?"
".... Can't we do something about it?"
"It should be possible?"
"It should be."
This was crap.
Still, somehow a bit of romance had slipped in without me noticing, and disappointment hurt inside.
So this was it.
Actually, I had thought about this situation.
But if I did it, bad reviews would definitely increase.
Should I?
Would increasing bad reviews be a reason not to do it?
........No?
Then let's do it.
"Writer Bae Su-jin."
"Yes?"
"How is the filming going?"
"Um..... The live broadcast in front temporarily went down, but now we're cutting and switching to another screen."
"Good. From now on, I'll handle it myself, so stay quiet."
"Yes! Please take care..."
I crumpled the can I had been holding for a while and threw it into the trash to redirect their gazes toward me.
"All of you, shut up."
Now it's quiet.
"Kang Hye-in, come out. Say the story I just told you right here."
"... It's a bit awkward here."
"Then get lost. Next, Jeong Sujin."
"Wait! Wait! I'll say it."
"Don't ask the same question twice to other people. Say it."
"As I said. Park Seonghun, you're receiving bad reviews from women because of your actions so far."
"But?"
"To solve that, the best way is to create an image of you being extremely good to your wife after marriage."
"So?"
"I'll do that for you. I can do it. If you see my career, you'll understand."
"In exchange, just give me a little of the money you receive as maintenance fee and a bit of help. Isn't that a good story for you too?"
This was ridiculous.
So this was what it was.
"No. That's my problem, and I'll handle it myself."
Without recognizing her own position, she tried to negotiate with me like an idiot.
There was no deal to be made with that.
"I don't care about your career or anything, so get lost. Writer-nim, I revoke your right to refuse Kang Hye-in."
"Eh... Eh? Yes? Yes! Understood. Please isolate everyone. Kang Hye-in-nim is disqualified."
There was some commotion, but the female security officers who had joined pulled Kang Hye-in away.
Her eyes were wary, her expression filled with fear, and her movements and words had lost all animation.
"Why? Does my appearance on screen look different?"