Chapter 141
The eyes of the orchestra members turned red when they saw Soo-hyun sobbing while hugging the elephant on the screen.
No one knew why Soo-hyun was there, but they were speechless at the sight of Soo-hyun playing a soothing song for the elephant, which was smaller than the African elephant, and then apologizing.
A very long silence.
The screen that had been showing Soo-hyun crying for several minutes slowly faded out, and the voice of a female voice actress was heard.
[He says.]
The screen changed and we saw Soo-hyun sitting on the sofa with swollen eyes and slumped shoulders.
"The one who taught me said, 'Teaching a child not to step on an insect is a lesson for both the child and the insect.' What have we done to Toto?"
Sadness lingered in the eyes that once held a dazzling smile.
"Another person said, 'Our worst sin is not hatred, but indifference.' I have been indifferent until now. I realized it too late. You must have realized it now. I hope that from now on we can live together without committing the worst sin."
The screen changed and the brutal Phajaan ritual was shown again. At the same time, the sad voice of a female voice actress was heard.
Any animal, once it has acquired clear social instincts, acquires a moral sense or conscience as it develops its intelligence. The same is true for humans. We have made life lose its justification to achieve its purpose of obedience, and we still do. The status and morality of a nation can be judged by its treatment of animals. The weaker the animal, the more it must be protected from human cruelty.
The face of Toto, blinking and closing his eyes as he listened to the music on the screen, became blurred.
[We bring you the last words of the young South Korean pianist Nam Soo-hyun, commonly known as SOL.]
The screen turned black and a static, whining sound was heard, similar to a real recorded voice.
Although he was not visible, it seemed as if the young man was hugging the dead Toto and crying and screaming.
"I'm sorry, Toto."
Just as black people were not created for white people,
Just as woman was not created for man,
You were not created for humans either.
In the light of my dim perception,
They call you a fool because you cannot speak,
I did not realize how much pride and conceit there was.
The noise disappeared and the song of a sad woman was heard.
The owl in the cage looks at the sky with its red chest full of anger.
The elephant we killed for fun is dying badly.
I hope you are at peace in heaven.
The screen turned black, signaling the end of episode 1. The children with red eyes stared at the screen.
"Mr. Lee… Mr. Lee…"
"This damn dog…"
The children complained. They were all in a state of anger and sadness. The friends who saw some children quickly take out their phones watched what they were doing.
Everyone was activating their social media, tagging the title of Soo-hyun's documentary, adding numerous hashtags, and leaving comments opposing the abuse of elephants. Other friends who were watching also began to do the same.
Young-eun, who had been quietly watching the children, took out her cell phone with a serious look in her eyes.
New York City, Brooklyn, USA.
The Life of Acinonyx jubatus, which began to be officially broadcast a few days ago, had been a hot topic since its first episode.
Due to the unpopular nature of documentaries, the viewership was less than 1%, but as people from all walks of life began to spread the news through social media, the program quickly became the number 1 VOD sales volume for HUO Broadcasting Station, becoming a nuclear warhead for IP TV.
CP Alan, who had achieved success not only in the series 'The Emperor's Game', but also in documentaries, received congratulations from the director at a luxury restaurant.
"Haha, that's Alan! I never imagined you would come up with something like that for an episode of a documentary about the ecology of cheetahs!"
"I didn't do anything. It was all Joe's work, so please give him the credit."
"Of course. I'll give the documentary team a generous bonus this time."
"I bet they're happy. The documentary team only knows the word 'bonus' as such."
"Haha, I was very careless. And this guy too. I'll be more careful in the future, so don't embarrass me."
Alan wiped his mouth and laughed. The director, who was eating, kept looking at his cell phone and talking.
"Oh, this time a Hollywood actor joined us. He's also mourning the death of Toto. Oh? Even a congressman joined. Hahaha."
The director seemed very pleased with the ripple effect of the show's response, as he did not let go of his cell phone at any time. Then he looked at Alan, who was eating, and said.
"Just blowing it up once is not enough, right?"
Alan continued to eat, smiling silently. Then, director Dan spoke.
"What do we do now? Should we do a talk show and invite that boy? Nam… Soo… Hyeon? That name is difficult. Let's just call him SOL. How can we not invite that boy?"
Alan, who was eating, stared at the director, carefully put down his fork and knife, and said,
"Director."
"Hmm?"
"To strike another blow, you have to strike a fatal blow at the exact spot."
"Of course. And then I'm asking you how?"
"SOL is an item that generates quite a bit of buzz, from his appearance to his skills. But, you know, what the world is interested in right now is the abuse of elephants, not SOL."
"Mmm…"
"But we can't ignore the power that SOL possesses."
"Hey, don't just look at me and say it clearly."
"Turn SOL into a star and make him the image of HUO? Great. But the important thing is how you make him a star."
"Okay, is there a way?"
Alan said with a smile.
"We shouldn't touch SOL. Instead, we should silence him and generate more news about elephant abuse."
"Hmm? Then he'll be forgotten? As you know, in this world, if you lose your popularity, it's the end. Only when the time is right is a star born."
"So this is what I'm saying: As the news about elephant abuse becomes a global issue, people will start to wonder about SOL. That will be the perfect time."
The director, who was lost in thought, smiled brightly.
"I see. It's you, after all. I understand what you mean. Let's call the news center right away and have them broadcast news about animal abuse every day from today. Is it possible to recruit SOL?"
"Well, I guess we'll have to try."
"Where is he now?"
"I'm still in Ghana. But the vacation will be over soon and I'll be back in Austria. See you then."
"Okay, I'll give you full authority."
The director kept his promise.
From the next day, they immediately covered the news about elephant abuse through social media and commissioned American journalists in Thailand to capture footage of the scene of elephant abuse. Although the Thai government tried to stop it late, the video had already spread widely, so it was like closing the barn door after the horse had bolted.
The anti-abuse movement that had spread led to offline demonstrations, and people who had printed out pictures of Toto's last moments before he died were protesting by walking through the streets with signs. The Thai government, under pressure from public opinion, released the prime minister's speech.
We know that there is a global movement against elephant abuse. However, this is the livelihood of some Thais. It is not the responsibility of the government, which represents the people, to interfere in their livelihood, so we cannot intervene.
After the announcement of the Prime Minister's speech, the protests against elephant abuse turned into protests against elephant tourism. This was because the words of a famous actor on social media became a hot topic.
If the government can't, the people can. If we don't do elephant tourism, it will no longer have value as a livelihood. If we all work together, couldn't we achieve what the government of a country can't?
At airports around the world, pamphlets against elephant tourism were posted, and volunteers asked about travel countries and handed out pamphlets to travelers departing for Thailand or Southeast Asia. It was unclear how effective this would be, but the idea was to deter tourists from visiting the country after seeing even a brief glimpse of abuse on a plane.
And it worked wonders. Southeast Asian places that were famous for elephant tourism, including Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, became a fly in the ointment. In the end, they tried to change the situation by offering a tourist attraction that allowed people to take pictures with tigers, but some people said that luring tigers with ice in the hot summer was the same as abusing animals, and eventually they closed down one by one.
At that very moment, the clever move of HUO's Alan CP inflicted a fatal wound. All news sites owned by HUO simultaneously published opinions that Thailand's elephant tourism business was closing and that the remaining elephants should be sent to Africa. The people who saw the news took to the streets to protest, demanding immediate protection for the starving elephants.
Meanwhile, Soo-hyun and his group, who were stuck in a remote rural area of Ghana and were unaware of the situation, returned to Austria after a month and a half. Soo-hyun said goodbye to Abna before returning to the accommodation where Ji-ye was waiting for him.
"Abna, thanks to you, I had a very fulfilling vacation. Thank you."
Abna smiled, revealing her white teeth.
"What? You guys helped Dad, so I should be the one thanking you."
"See you at school after the vacation."
"Okay. Have a good last vacation and see you later."
After saying goodbye to Abna and walking through the airport lobby to go home, Jaehee felt something strange and looked around carefully. People carrying suitcases were seen looking at Soo-hyun over and over again. Junwoo also noticed and whispered to Jaehee.
"Isn't it a little strange?"
"Yes, the atmosphere is strange."
'I think Soo-hyun is looking. That boy has a striking appearance and attracts attention wherever he goes, but it's a little strange that everyone is looking at him like that.'
"I think so too."
Then the little girl grabbed her mother's hand, pointed at Soo-hyun, and shouted.
"SOL!!!"
'Huh? SOL? That's Soo-hyun's nickname. But it's a nickname that's only used in Warsaw, Poland. Is that boy Polish?'
The people watched him carefully. But no one approached easily and just stood and watched.
"What is this?"
Junwoo, who was walking quickly in the strange atmosphere, saw a tall, middle-aged white man approaching him. Junwoo reflexively blocked Soo-hyun's path and looked at him warily. The white man laughed as he saw Junwoo blocking his path as if he were protecting Soo-hyun, who was much bigger than him.
"Hello?"
Junwoo stared at the white man who was handing him a business card, then slowly read it and made a surprised expression.
"HUO CP??"
Alan said, holding out his hand towards Soo-hyun.
"Nice to meet you. As you may recall, I've known you for a long time. Would you mind talking to me for a moment?"