Free Web Novel* * *
“Let’s go already...”
This was Gimhae Airport. Wang Haoyu, waiting for the limousine bus, looked like his soul had half left his body.
Meiling and her friends were once again replaying the music video—who even knew how many times it had been now.
“Uuuugh—.”
Exactly at 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Wang Haoyu had memorized the entire timeline of Shim Juhwan’s new music video. Because every time that scene came on, they all made that exact sound.
He spoke to his mother, who was covering her mouth beside him.
“Can you tell them it’s time to go already?”
“Mmm...”
“If you’re adults, act like it. Both of you.”
Even Meiling’s mother and Wang Haoyu’s mother, who had come along as guardians, were busy replaying the music video.
The heat of <The Great Garland> hadn’t died down at all. If anything, it felt like it was only just beginning.
“Uuuugh...”
Of course, that sound wasn’t coming only from Meiling and the mothers.
“Alright, it’s time for the bus! Shall we go?”
Everyone at Gimhae Airport was making the same sound. Those with pear blossom keychains hanging from their phones all shared the same purpose.
“<The Great Garland> tour! It officially starts now!”
That’s right. A pilgrimage for fans.
Even after the drama ended, the craze hadn’t cooled.
If anything, people kept rewatching it over and over, squeezing out every last drop, and the K-TV audience was only growing more and more intense.
Everyone had memorized every single line.
[JIN HAE]
“Hurry, hurry, get on!”
The destination sign on the bus gleamed brightly.
Wang Haoyu was holding two heavy Olive0 shopping bags in both hands—things he had bought like a madman the moment he got off the plane.
For the record, none of it was actually his. It was all cosmetics bought by Meiling, her friends, and even the mothers. ƒreewebɳovel.com
To say you love someone,
means you’ll buy the same tint they use.
Everyone here had their lips stained with the Yeon Huijae tint that Dok Gogyeol had revealed on Intube.
“Come on, student, you should get on too!”
Since Meiling’s mother had already boarded the bus in excitement without even checking if he had gotten on, the guide ended up taking care of him instead. Wang Haoyu trudged up the bus steps.
“Uuuugh...”
The groaning continued. Because inside the bus, <Huijae> was playing.
“Oh my, starting from episode one!”
“Haha, I’ve got a good sense, right?”
Even the monitors inside the bus were replaying <The Great Garland> from episode one.
Wang Haoyu glanced at Meiling, who was watching a new Intube video.
INTUBE
[Sim Ju Hwan how MV Behind Story ⎢Han Yeoreum, Myeong Jeha] 7:25
Views 38,754
— “Since this is my first time doing romance... I’m very nervous. But thanks to our romance senior giving me a lot of advice, haha... Even if I’m a bit clumsy, please watch kindly.”
Korean that Wang Haoyu couldn’t understand filled the screen.
But Meiling, who had studied Korean like a madwoman on her own, seemed to understand everything. Even from behind, her cheeks were lifted high with a huge smile.
‘The only thing I know is SENIOR.’
Then suddenly, Wang Haoyu realized something.
‘...Huh?’
At some point, he could understand it too.
‘I definitely wasn’t that interested before?’
He quickly raised his head and looked at the screen, unconsciously muttering,
“Liberation... happened...”
— “Liberation happened!”
“Mom... it really happened.”
— “Mom, it really happened. I thought we’d have to live like this forever.”
On the screen, Jinhae from <The Great Garland> was filled with Joseon people running with flags.
Wang Haoyu stared blankly, mumbling Korean phrases that popped randomly into his head.
“I... thank you. What’s your name. In the world, someone who doesn’t even know their own name. You’re pretty, very much. Enjoy your meal. I am a Joseon person. Do you only know polite speech? Polite speech? I find honorifics difficult. Are you crazy. Have a safe trip. But then... much, much later? I miss you. I want to go. I am quite brave. It’s hard to walk, right. I am big? Not heavy at all. Let’s come again someday...”
Through endless repetition of <The Great Garland>, Wang Haoyu realized that he himself had reached the point of being able to listen to and speak Korean.
Shocked, he glanced out the window—and saw a massive billboard.
[Welcome to Jinhae, a beautiful city where culture and nature coexist]
At last, he had arrived at that place.
* * *
Korea in February was still a land that had to battle harsh cold.
“Ah... it’s so warm...”
But people’s hearts were in spring.
“Hehe... that’s right...”
“Ah... so warm...”
To be precise, the merchants of Jinhae Market and local business owners didn’t even feel the cold anymore.
The mayor of Jinhae gazed out the window with deep emotion.
If you had to pick the most prosperous time in Jinhae, it would undoubtedly be spring—the season of cherry blossoms during the Gunhang Festival, when 2.7 million visitors came.
The festival alone created an economic impact of 76.6 billion won.
But now, Jinhae had become a filming location for <The Great Garland>.
Typically, filming locations of hit dramas or movies bring about a 10% economic boost.
Most places consider 5–15% growth in the first year to be a good result.
But...
“Who would’ve thought it’d be this much...”
Tourist locations near Seoul always had an advantage. Transportation was essential for travel.
But this was Jinhae.
It took five hours by car from Seoul. Even by train, you had to get off at Masan and then take another car.
Even flying meant landing at Gimhae Airport and then driving another hour.
It was not convenient.
That’s why Jinhae had always longed for foreign tourists.
NEVER BLOG
[10 travel spots from <The Great Garland>]
[I tried the “Yeon Huijae imitation” wall photo!]
[My solo Jinhae Great Garland tour review]
But now, Jinhae had become a pilgrimage site for foreign tourists—no less than Busan, which it used to envy.
All thanks to <The Great Garland>.
People from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore came all the way just to take a 인증 shot at the “Yeon Huijae wall.”
The benefits of <The Great Garland> even extended to Jeju Island.
The hotel where Gi Taeseok’s success and reunion were depicted became a famous spot, but Jinhae—where their entire story unfolded—couldn’t be beaten.
Even on weekdays, there were foreign tour groups. On weekends, it felt like double.
In just one year, overseas visitors had increased by 150,000.
“NetHolics needs to hurry up and come in too.”
“If that happens, won’t Jinhae beat Myeongdong?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Even though it had only been exported within Asia, the effect was enormous. Instead of dismantling the set, Jinhae City purchased it.
As a result, photo zones and new shops popped up everywhere.
Jinhae had once been famous for cherry blossoms, but now pear blossoms were starting to take over.
“I still have nightmares about the ending of episode one sometimes...”
Even when the “Joseon scum” ending had caused a massive controversy, no one had expected the momentum to last this long.
The mayor sincerely hoped that Han Yeoreum would expand overseas as soon as possible.
* * *
Manager Ma leaned back with a crooked neck pillow, watching the news.
— “The Korean drama <The Great Garland>, which has successfully expanded into the Asian market, is ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ now driving a surge of tourism in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province. As foreign tourists flock to the filming locations, the entire region is buzzing. We now connect to reporter Minji on site.”
It was news about <The Great Garland>.
