As morning arrived the next day, people from international and private relief organizations began flocking to the site. Geon and Chae-eun, seeing the workers transporting various equipment and relief supplies, rolled up their sleeves and began to help. Yeongseok, too, was so engrossed in helping that he forgot about the camera filming them.
Journalists from around the world, capturing this scene, heard an American producer shout upon spotting Geon,
"Is that K? That's K, right?"
American journalists, following the producer's cue, turned all their cameras towards Geon. The Geon in the camera was not the well-dressed, always stylish K who appeared at concert venues. Instead, he was covered in dust and sweat, his face filled with the dirt of hard work. The American camera directors, taking the initiative, began filming this version of K, and the footage was broadcast live in the United States.
Many Americans were moved by the sight of Geon, unlike other celebrities who wore makeup and paid attention to cameras even while participating in relief activities, working hard in a way indistinguishable from the locals. Even the news anchor broadcasting the footage was lost for words at the sight of Geon. A female anchor, upon seeing Geon comforting a crying baby and ending up crying himself, burst into tears as well.
While monitoring these scenes, a representative from UNICEF sought out Geon, who was resting in a tent. Geon, who had been lying down catching his breath, was startled by the call and stepped out of the tent.
"K? Is K here?"
"Yes, I'm K."
"Pleased to meet you, K. I'm Kevin Dizzler, the head of UNICEF's Nepal rescue operations."
As Kevin reached out for a handshake, Geon reciprocated and said,
"You're from UNICEF? I've always admired the work you do in disaster situations."
Kevin smiled warmly and brushed off the dust from Geon's clothes.
"When you're working on a rescue, you have to pay attention to your own cleanliness. It's inevitable while working, but make sure to wash up when you're resting. If you fall ill, you'll become a burden rather than helping others."
Geon awkwardly smiled, watching Kevin brush off the dust.
"Ah, yes. I'll keep that in mind. But what brings you here..."
Kevin pulled out a pamphlet from his bag and said,
"You're aware that your actions are being broadcast on the news, right? K is currently the center of attention in the United States, China, and Korea. We're an international relief organization planning to air a fundraising broadcast on TV, and I came to ask if you'd be willing to help."
Geon took the pamphlet and asked,
"A fundraising broadcast?"
"Yes, you might have seen them on TV before. The most common ones are those calling for regular support for African children. In situations like this, we also air temporary fundraising broadcasts."
"Ah, I've seen those. Ads that show the dire situation of children and ask for help, right?"
"Exactly. Our organization has branches in each country, and we get help from famous people in those countries for our activities. We produce advertisements with footage of their work. Both individual and corporate donations come in, but the small amounts from a large number of individuals really make a difference."
"I don't mind doing the ad shoot, but...will I be able to help as much as you expect?"
Kevin laughed, crossing his arms,
"Right now, only journalists and disaster response workers are in Nepal. No celebrities or public figures have come in for volunteer work yet because safety hasn't been confirmed. Many wish to come and help immediately, but they need permission from their organizations or companies. The only known public figure here is K. Ah, and Ryu Chae-eun, but she's not globally known, so excluding her."
Geon looked at the site with a slightly worried expression. He could still see people frantically searching for their buried families.
"I've realized just how small and powerless I am. I'm not sure if I can be of any help."
Kevin leaned forward, trying to persuade him,
"You're already doing a lot, and everyone knows it. Could you possibly help us a little more?"
"I'm willing to help; I just worry I might not be able to provide the assistance you're expecting."
"I've seen and heard about what you've done here. I can assure you, there's no one better suited to convey the situation on the ground than you."
After looking at Kevin for a moment, Geon handed back the pamphlet and asked,
"Is a filming team ready for the ad?"
Kevin nodded as he took back the pamphlet,
"They're on their way. They can't land in Nepal directly, so they'll fly to India and drive from there. It'll take a few days."
"Sigh.. Okay, but I'm currently appearing in a broadcast back in Korea, so I need permission from the director. I'll need to take some time off."
"I understand. Discuss it internally and let us know your decision. Our base camp is about 50 meters to the right, marked by our flag. Feel free to visit us anytime."
"Alright, Kevin. I'll get back to you soon."
"Thank you. I'm looking forward to it."
After Kevin left, Geon, having rested a bit more, headed back to the site. The villagers had temporarily relocated to a school about 2km away from the village, so the site was filled only with workers and rescue personnel. After professional equipment had been brought in, there wasn't much left for Geon to do at the site, so he took two boxes of relief supplies that the relief organizations were carrying to the school.
At the school, Chae-eun was seen bustling around the makeshift beds laid out in the outdoor playground, assisting the injured. Doctors and nurses dispatched by international relief organizations mainly asked Chae-eun to move items that required a lot of moving around, so she was continuously on the move, delivering medical gauze, bandages, and the like. Yeongseok, who had been watching Chae-eun's efforts alongside a filming cameraman, saw Geon approaching and said,
"Ah, you're back? Did you get some rest?"
After setting down the relief supplies he had been carrying and wiping off his sweat, Geon responded,
"Yeah, just a bit. It's been hectic."
Chae-eun, having laid out on the mats among the injured, was darting between them, providing assistance wherever needed. The relief organization's doctors and nurses had quickly come to rely on her for transporting lengthy items, so she was constantly on the move. Seeing her dedication, the cameraman continued to capture her efforts while Yeongseok, arms crossed, remarked on Geon's arrival,
"You've done well. Managed to get some rest?"
Geon, who had just brought in more relief supplies, put them down and mopped his brow,
"Yeah, I grabbed a little downtime. It's non-stop here."
The scene was bustling with activity; the schoolyard had turned into a makeshift hospital where Chae-eun was actively helping, and Geon was bringing in essential supplies. The cooperation between the international relief workers and the dedication of individuals like Geon and Chae-eun showcased the global effort to assist Nepal in its time of need. Despite the exhaustion and the overwhelming scale of the disaster, the spirit of helping and healing was palpable among everyone involved.
"Yes, I took a short rest in the tent. But, brother, UNICEF asked us to film a fundraising advertisement. Can I do it?"
"Why are you asking me? I'm not the president of your company."
"Because we're in the middle of shooting. We need to take time out for this."
"Fine, there won't be any duplicates since we've already got plenty of footage of you working. You're asking because you want to do it, right?"
"I am a bit worried, actually. I'm not sure if I can be of any help."
"Hasn't your thought that you want to help if it's something beneficial not changed?"
"Of course, brother."
"Then go ahead, even 10 won more is helpful."
"Really?"
"Go and help Ms. Chae-eun. She's been working non-stop today, not even resting for 5 minutes. She keeps moving because she can't just watch and listen to the people groaning in pain. She's going to collapse at this rate."
Geon nodded and rushed to Chae-eun. Despite his offer to help so she could rest, Chae-eun kept working until late in the evening and returned to the tent, where she fell asleep without even washing up, exhausted. Geon then immediately went to UNICEF's base camp to find Kevin. Kevin was delighted to see Geon and invited him into the tent.
"You've come quickly, Kay."
"Yes. Dragging it out doesn't do any good; the sooner the funds are gathered, the more we can help the homeless."
"That's a good attitude. It seems you've decided to do it after hearing you talk?"
"Yes, I'd like to help if I can. What should I do?"
"The shooting is already over 80% done. We've captured plenty of footage of Kay without any omissions."
"Really? So, there's nothing specific I need to do?"
"There is. We'll shoot more of you working. There's no particular intention behind the shooting, just think of it like the cameras that have been following Kay around, and occasionally answer any questions we throw at you."
"Ah, I see."
"Yes, then let's start right away."
"Please, I ask for your cooperation."
After leaving the base camp, Geon immediately went to the filming team's camp, took out the J 200, and stepped outside. Despite not being sure how much help he could offer, the sight of a girl clutching a broken tree branch and crying over the destroyed landscape hardened Geon's resolve. Sitting on a large rock outside the base camp's tent, he took in the devastated view of Gorkha village before closing his eyes and focusing.
**
In Korea, Shihwa couldn't take her eyes off the news every day. The sight of her brother always covered in dust and dirty floodwater was distressing, and her worry grew day by day. The local scenes from Nepal aired on the news were horrific, and the plight of the unfortunate people was continuously shown, but for Shihwa in Korea, it was just a cause for distress, not something she could truly feel. Her only concern was for Geon. Sighing in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon, Shihwa grumbled.
"Ah, it must be really hot there, right? And I heard it gets incredibly cold at night. I wonder if my brother might catch a cold.."
Yeongha sat down on the floor with a plate of sliced melon she had brought.
"Do you not see what's happening? People are losing their limbs and dying every day, and you're worried about a cold?"
Shihwa puffed her cheeks and rolled her eyes.
"Who doesn't know that? But they're all strangers to me. I'm more worried about my brother catching a cold. It's been days already."
"Goodness, you really are a fool for your brother. Eat this instead."
Shihwa took a bite of the melon Yeongha offered her with a fork and said.
"Anyway, it's too kind of him to think he can be of any help in such a dangerous place. It would be more helpful to just leave it to the aid organizations and donate a lot of money when fundraising. Tsk."
Yeongha pointed at the TV and said.
"It looks like the fundraising broadcast is about to start. I see the UNICEF logo."
As Shihwa turned her head towards the TV with a piece of melon in her mouth, the screen, displaying the UNICEF logo in white against a black background, appeared. The black screen faded out to reveal what seemed to be satellite footage. The peaceful Himalayas in the background and the tranquil hillside village looked very serene. As night fell and deep peace engulfed the village, the footage began to shake. Screams were heard, and villagers started running out of their homes.
It took less than a minute for the houses in the
mountain village to collapse completely. For a minute, the TV showed unfiltered damages of the earthquake. As Shihwa watched, a piece of melon dropped from her mouth. After the earthquake, a cloud of dust rose into the sky. From within the now invisible village, the cries of children erupted.
The screen then shifted to the urgency of the rescue site. A Nepalese man with amputated legs was carried away in pain, and the tears of children who lost their mothers began to appear. A young man carrying a heavily bleeding woman on his back was running down from the village, crying. The woman on the young man's back seemed to have lost consciousness. As the young man who was far away came closer,
The tear-streaked young man shouted.
"Here! This lady was trapped under a rock!"
Yeongha stood up abruptly from watching the TV. Shihwa dropped the fork she was holding and, with trembling hands, pointed at the TV and said.
"Is that... brother, mom?"
In the screen, Geon was not the Geon that Shihwa knew. His face, smeared with tears and his eyes filled with urgency as he moved an injured person to an ambulance, resembled that of someone who had lost their family. The scene shifted, revealing a man wailing as he rummaged through the rubble. The man, who had been digging through a particular spot, suddenly sat down with a thump and cried out. Among the debris that looked like a house, a hand with a ring on it was visible. The man sat there, crying sorrowfully.
The screen faded to black, and the distant sound of a guitar began to play, overlaid with the melancholic cry of the guitar and a flute sound that Shihwa and Yeongha had never heard before. The flute's music, evoking the serene clouds of the Himalayas, merged with the sad guitar, transforming into a profoundly sorrowful melody.
The scene changed again to a cute girl with large, tear-stained cheeks and big eyes looking into the camera. The girl stared at the camera with sad eyes without blinking, and a soft voice resonated behind her appearance.
The name of staying deep in happiness is despair
Our dyed poison of despair
The voice, presumed to be a man's, was hoarse and cracked, as if he had been singing after crying all day. It stirred Shihwa's heart because it felt like the voice of the man who had found his wife in the rubble.
The scene switched to a woman, cradling a deceased baby wrapped in a swaddle, shaking its hand as if trying to wake it, and looking around with a tear-stained face for someone to help.
Hello? Goodbye...
A small word that I do not want to say falls on my feet without power
Yeongha started sobbing. The heartbreaking plight of the people and the music that spoke of them plunged Yeongha into an abyss of unbearable emotions. Shihwa, too, was glaring at the TV, pressing her reddened eyes with both hands.
The scene switched again, showing nurses and doctors with blood on their faces, moving the injured against the backdrop of a school. Doctors, devoid of time to wipe away the sweat, performed surgery outdoors without hospitals or medical equipment, their faces weary.
When your last is rising from the night you are in
Despair ties endless sighs to this land
The scene changed again to Geon's face, covered in dust, with a vacant look in his eyes as he sat in front of the base camp, staring at the distant mountains. The dust mingled with the tracks of his tears, adding a mystical atmosphere as his gaze met the snowy mountains afar.
clear spring sprang up in the land that was destroyed by the quake
The camera panned away from Geon sitting on the cliff to reveal the village of Gorkha behind him, devastated by the earthquake. The screen gradually zoomed out until the clouds concealed the view, fading to white before black text appeared.
clear spring sprang up in the land that was destroyed by the quake
The screen turned black again, switching to an interview where Geon, looking exhausted and resting his head powerlessly against the wall, spoke without looking up.
"God said that giving us despair is not to kill us but to bring forth new life among us. Please let the children know that the only refuge from despair is not giving up on the world."
Geon left these words before his head drooped as if he had fallen asleep. The screen faded out to a black background with UNICEF's logo in white letters.
"For donations. UNICEF homepage"
After lingering on UNICEF's logo, the screen returned to the emergency disaster news broadcast. Yeongha turned to Shihwa with tears, and Shihwa began to cry as if the sky had fallen.
"Waaaaah!!! Brother~~~"
Shihwa ran into the room crying. Yeongha, wiping her tears with a tissue, saw Shihwa putting on her shoes as she came back out crying. Yeongha asked her.
"Where are you going?"
Shihwa, holding her bankbook, said while swinging it.
"I'm going to send all the money Brother sent me, Waaaaah"
Yeongha slapped the floor with her hand and shouted.
"It's Sunday today, get a hold of yourself!"
Shihwa stopped crying, looked at the calendar, then ran back into her room, crying again.
"Waaaaah!! I'm going to check the website~~"
The aftermath of Geon's broadcast was enormous. The first to move were ordinary people who had seen the advertisement. Regardless of the amount, the number of people sending their spare money gradually increased. As individuals began to move, so did corporations, and then nations. The United States, Russia, and China were the first to move, offering full support at the national level. Especially, the President of the United States burst into tears while watching Ge
on's advertisement with reporters at a press conference.
Many celebrities moved to ride the trend, but many also came with sincere hearts to volunteer. Although there were celebrities who complained of hardship and lost their initial intentions, most people sincerely hoped to help. A month later, over 100,000 volunteers had gathered at the reconstruction site of the Gorkha village in Nepal.
From individuals coming with the simple desire to help, to corporations prominently displaying their brand advertisements, everyone's assistance was undoubtedly reaching the locals. Many people visited Geon, who was staying at the base camp, just to thank him. A grandmother who held Geon's hand for a long time and looked at him tenderly before leaving, and a man who brought Korean food, claiming to be a Korean tourist, were among them. Geon gratefully accepted everyone's help.
Yeongseok captured these people on camera with a warm smile, but his expression soured at the whispered words of an AD.
"What? Why is that guy here?"
"It's almost election time for the National Assembly, he must have come to make an impression."
"Ah, he should have just made a charitable donation to a homeless person near his house, why did he have to come all the way here, ah"
Stressed, Yeongseok lit a cigarette. Watching him puff away, the AD whispered softly.
"He's coming."
Yeongseok hurriedly snuffed out his cigarette at the sight of a middle-aged man with half his hair gone, wearing a bright fluorescent vest with "New Freedom Country Party" written in large letters, smiling broadly with a group of young men in suits and sunglasses surrounding him as if to escort him. The man extended his hand to Yeongseok with a big laugh.
"Hahaha, you're going through a lot of trouble in a foreign land. I am Jo Byung-guk of the New Freedom Country Party."
Yeongseok shook his hand awkwardly, smiling.
"Yes, what brings you all the way here, Congressman?"
"Haha, what do you mean! Our country's young people are suffering like this, and we, who live off the nation's taxes, must naturally come and see! Hehe, where's Kay?"
"He's Korean, so you should call him Mr. Geon Kim, Congressman. Kay is what foreigners call him."
"Heheh, calling him Kay makes it easier for foreigners to recognize him, and it'll help with the fundraising, right?"
"Ah... Yes... He's inside the tent."
"Haha, then I'll go see Kay, ahem."
As Jo Byung-guk waited at the entrance of the tent, Yeongseok watched him go inside, then turned to Jo Byung-guk when he looked back at him. Jo Byung-guk asked with a questioning look.
"Aren't you filming?"
"Excuse me? What do you mean?"
"Aren't you here to film for the broadcast, Mr. PD?"
"Oh, yes, but I'm filming a variety show, not news."
"Hehe, even better, isn't it? A congressman appearing on a variety show. Young voters will love it, haha. Let's go in."
Yeongseok rubbed his face with his hand and quietly instructed the AD.
"Just... bring a camera and pretend to film..."
The AD nodded and picked up the camera himself. Jo Byung-guk, who had no idea that an AD, not a cameraman, had entered, opened the tent door and called for Kay with a big smile. After talking with Geon for more than 10 minutes, Jo Byung-guk left the tent with a pleased expression. He looked around for Yeongseok, but Yeongseok was hiding behind the tent, puffing on a cigarette. Slightly upset that Yeongseok did not wait for him, Jo Byung-guk coughed and disappeared, allowing Yeongseok to emerge.
"Rotten pig."
Yeongseok cursed as he extinguished his cigarette, and Geon and the AD came out of the tent. Yeongseok saw Geon smiling and asked.
"Why are you out? You haven't rested much, have you?"
"I'm fine now. It was hard because of the blisters on my feet, but after I burst the last one moving rocks, it doesn't hurt anymore after applying medicine and bandaging it."
Yeongseok looked Geon up and down, then pointed in the direction where Jo Byung-guk had disappeared.
"Did you just talk to that congressman and come out? Why are you smiling? Weren't you upset?"
The AD chimed in from the side.
"Yeah, even though we were filming, his secretaries were taking so many photos... I saw them posting on SNS even before they left the tent."
Geon looked at Yeongseok and the AD alternately, smiling.
"Whatever the reason, it's not important to me. What's important to me is how
much they brought. I'm not a keyboard warrior sitting in front of a PC in Korea. Judging their intentions doesn't help me at all. As long as they lend a hand, even a small one, and contribute even a little to the fundraising, I'm just grateful. Because it's turning into food for the children starving right in front of my eyes."
Yeongseok clicked his tongue and said.
"This guy is becoming a saint, not just an adult, as he gets older, huh?"