The Market Festival's Mysterious Nunim
Market-style reporter "Hello, bringing the world to you! This is Na-eun Park, reporter for Daily Forum News." Na-eun Park, dressed far more casually than one would expect from a news reporter, bows her head toward the camera with a cheerful smile. Daily Forum isn't your typical stiff, formal news outlet; it's what they call infotainment, blending light entertainment into the information delivery process. True to that style, Na-eun Park continues her report with a playful grin plastered across her face the entire time.
"I'm standing in the market square right now. This place has a pretty unique layout, doesn't it?" At her words, the camera bobs up and down in agreement. That alone makes the lighter tone compared to regular news broadcasts obvious.
"Haha, even the camera director agrees. This spot is divided into sections like a big supermarket. You can smell something delicious wafting over from behind me." Na-eun Park takes a step to the side to frame the food section for the camera and gestures with her palm.
"I heard a festival is happening here today, so I rushed right over. Let's chat with some of the citizens." "Cut!" The moment the director calls cut, Na-eun Park's bright on-camera expression melts away. "Whew. It's hot. So hot. Isn't it autumn? What's with this weather?"
"This is basically summer. We're working, so save the complaining for later and go get those interviews." Na-eun Park, who had been fanning herself with her hand, puffs out her cheeks in a strange expression as if offended by the camera director's blunt remark. The director lets out a sigh at the reporter who seems to be mimicking him mockingly. 'It's nice that she's cheerful, but sometimes I just want to give her a good smack on the head.' Because Na-eun Park was so popular thanks to her bright and lively charm, the director could only swallow his frustration in silence.
"There's someone working over there." After getting a nod from the camera director, Na-eun Park approaches a laborer busy at work in the square. "Hello, sir. I'm from Daily Forum News. Would you be able to do a quick interview?"
"Huh?" The laborer, wiping away the sweat dripping down his face, turns at the voice behind him and looks at Na-eun Park. "If you help with the interview, we'll give you a small gift certificate as well." "Oh, sure. That's fine. Will my face be on the news?" "Haha, yes. You'll be on screen, sir." "Alright, alright. That's fine."
Once the laborer agrees, Na-eun Park waves the camera director over. He quickly approaches, sets up the shot, and prepares to film. "Hello! This is Na-eun Park from Daily Forum News. Sir, what kind of work are you doing here today?" "I'm the guy setting up the stage you see over there. They said some singer's coming to perform tonight."
The laborer, who looks quite old, points at the stage he's been working on. "Ah, you must be working hard in this heat." "They said the performer was having a tough time, so they doubled my pay. That gives me plenty of energy." "You mean they set the amount at twice the usual rate?" "That's right. On top of that, they put up a tent so I can rest when it's hot, brought me cold drinks, and even gave me a good meal. You don't find places like this often."
Despite the sweltering weather that would normally make anyone frown, the laborer offers Na-eun Park a bright smile. "Sounds like a great place to work." "Of course. I want to finish up quick so I can enjoy the festival myself." The camera director gestures to Na-eun Park that they have enough and to wrap it up. "I see. Thank you for the interview. Here's the gift certificate I mentioned earlier." "Oh, thank you. I've got work to do, so I'll be going." "Ah! By any chance, do you know who the employer is?"
"The employer?" The laborer, putting his gloves back on after setting them aside, nods as if remembering something. "They called him the Bangjang." "The Bangjang?" "Yeah. That's what they kept saying—Bangjang, Bangjang." After answering Na-eun Park, the laborer turns and heads straight back to work without looking back. Watching him go, Na-eun Park shoots the camera director a puzzled look. "What's a Bangjang?"
The camera director shrugs at her question. "Maybe it's like in that drama I watched recently. Prisons have multiple rooms, right? I heard the unspoken leader of each room is called the Bangjang." "What?" At the director's joking tone, an image forms in Na-eun Park's mind: a man in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, covered in tattoos, with a thick gold chain around his neck and a clutch bag in his hand. "Nah, no way." "At least we got one interview. We've secured a bit of footage." "We need a few more." "Let's rest for a bit first."
Na-eun Park nods, needing to fix her makeup that had been ruined by the heat. —Click, click. "Haaah—it's so hot." Smoke drifts from the cigarette the camera director habitually lights. "By the way, didn't they say the organizer is someone who does internet broadcasts?" "They probably just helped out a little. How could an internet streamer pull off a festival this size?" "You think so?" "Whew—getting this many people moving at once isn't something an ordinary person can do. You should know that well since you're working at a company right now." "That's true."
Even in a department of only about ten people, opinions never align and it's always chaos. Just as the camera director said, moving this many people without a dedicated team would be impossible for a single individual. Na-eun Park had even heard the absurd rumor that the organizer planned everything in the morning and started the festival in the afternoon. "Hey!" While they were talking, a sharp voice suddenly rings out, making both Na-eun Park, who was fixing her makeup, and the camera director, who was smoking, turn their heads at the same time.
What they see is a man in a black suit approaching them. What unsettles them even more than the black suit in this heat is his face, covered in scars and looking downright menacing. Black suit, face full of scars and tattoos, and that terrifying expression—together, they immediately bring certain people to mind. "U-um, us…?" "Yes, you two!" At Na-eun Park's words, the man in the black suit replies loudly. Thanks to that, Na-eun Park feels her suspicion turning into certainty. They're definitely his target.
The suited man keeps closing the distance. "D-director, what do we do? He really might be the Bangjang." Na-eun Park whispers to the camera director, who had already frozen stiff beside her. Meanwhile, the man in the black suit stops right in front of them. "Over there." "…Huh?" "Smoking is over there!" Following the suited man's finger pointing into the air, the flustered camera director shifts his gaze. There, clearly marked, is a designated smoking area.
"…Ah! Right, of course! The smoking area is over there. I'll put it out." "And what about you two?" the suited man asks the camera director, who is hurriedly extinguishing his cigarette. "Oh, well, we were looking for someone called the Bangjang…" "What?" The suited man, who had seemed surprisingly kind despite his appearance, suddenly narrows his eyes and reaches into his jacket. A silver object peeks out and glints in the sunlight.
"Eeeek!!" The camera director, still crouched from smoking, falls flat on his rear at the sight of the silver sashimi knife. "W-we're from the broadcast! The broadcast! We're here to promote the festival!" "Promote?" The camera director nods frantically and points at the camera with his hand. Seeing that, the suited man seems to accept the explanation and tucks the knife back into his jacket. "The lady went that way."
Following the suited man's finger, the two look in the indicated direction—the food section where Na-eun Park had first mentioned smelling something delicious. "Th-thank you." After the suited man gives a slight nod in response to the camera director's thanks and walks away, both of them finally let out sighs of relief once he's out of sight. "Director, he really was the Bangjang. What do we do now…?" "Haaah… What do you mean, what do we do? We work. You think earning someone else's money is easy?" "What?! You didn't see what he just pulled out?!" "…Probably the owner of a sashimi restaurant."
Na-eun Park's face, usually so bright and popular, crumples in dismay. Seeing that, the camera director turns his head away to avoid her gaze. For Na-eun Park, it feels like the reliable image of the director, who always scolded her but seemed trustworthy, is collapsing. "Wait, didn't that guy just call her 'Nunim'?" "Yeah. I heard it clearly too—he said Nunim." The tattooed man in shorts with the clutch bag and gold chain in Na-eun Park's mind transforms into a woman. "So the toughest person in prison is a woman? Are prisons co-ed these days?" "It's probably just a regular prison. Let's go where he pointed."
*** "Ah, that smells amazing." "Let's eat after we finish working." "Okay." As the two walk along, their eyes land on an old woman sitting on the ground. "Hello. I'm Na-eun Park, here to film a news segment." "Hm? News?" "Yes!" Na-eun Park opens the conversation naturally with her signature bright smile. "Would you be able to do a quick interview? We'll give you a small gift certificate if you do." "Go ahead and ask." "Thank you. Are you selling goods here?" "I'm selling greens. I used to sit on the ground, but our pretty young lady brought that over so I could work comfortably."
When Na-eun Park looks where the old woman points, she sees a portable stall. In front of it stands a young woman still carrying a hint of freshness, drawing something. "They even gave me the official stamp so I pay my taxes properly." "Oh! That's wonderful. Thank you for your time." "You're welcome." After handing the old woman the gift certificate, Na-eun Park asks just in case, "By any chance, do you know someone called Nunim?" "If it's the big guys' Nunim, that'd be our pretty young lady over there." "That girl is Nunim?"
Na-eun Park's head spins again. 'So the gang boss from prison turns out to be a young lady?' Na-eun Park feels like she's just watched an entire morning drama. Assuming the old woman must have misspoken and meant "granddaughter," Na-eun Park bows her head and approaches the stall. "Hello. I'm Na-eun Park from Daily Forum News. Would you be able to do a quick interview?" "Oh! Yes! My name is Haemalgeum!"
Haemalgeum, wearing an apron splattered with paint everywhere, introduces herself with a bright smile that matches her name. "What are you working on right now?" "I'm drawing." "Are you painting the stall?" "Yes!" Haemalgeum takes a step to the side to show the picture she's been working on. The stall is covered in cute little vegetable drawings. "Wow, that's lovely. Is this some kind of volunteer work?" "No. My sister said she'd pay my tuition if I draw well, so I'm doing it." "Ah, what kind of work does your sister do, by any chance…?" "Um… She's the Bangjang."
At Haemalgeum's bright, smiling reply, a cold sweat runs down the backs of both Na-eun Park and the camera director.
