The clear trend in the cultural scene these days is "reverse-running." Songs released years ago climb back onto music charts, and books published decades ago rise on bestseller lists. Representative examples are the girl group RESCENE's song "Love Attack" and novelist Yang Gui-ja's novel "Contradiction."
RESCENE is the hottest girl group these days. "Love Attack," which they released in August 2024, recently entered the top 10 on major domestic music charts. This was thanks to a viral video on a YouTube channel in which one member shouts "Geoje yaho (hello)." In the video, leader Wonhee, a native of Geoje, tells Japanese member Minami, who is wearing "gyaru" (the Japanese pronunciation of "girl") makeup, "If you go to Geoje looking like this, the citizens of Geoje will really scold you," to which Minami fires back, "Geoje yaho." "Geoje yaho" emerged as the top meme (online viral content) of the first half of this year. People went wild over the group's pure and quirky charm, which led to the song's reverse-running.
The reverse-running of "Contradiction" is a mystery and a miracle-like event in the publishing industry. Published in 1998, "Contradiction" rose to fourth place on Kyobo Book Centre's first-half overall bestseller list this year, 28 years later. "Contradiction" also ranked 10th in Yes24's book sales tally for January through May. Yes24 named reverse-running as the key keyword of this year's book market. "Contradiction," which received a good response at the time of its publication, has been getting renewed attention through word of mouth since 2020.
An interesting fact is that the reverse-running of this content is being led by people in their 20s and 30s. According to Yes24, the proportion of buyers in their 20s and 30s among purchasers of "Contradiction" from January to May this year reached 41 percent. In her author's note, Yang wrote, "I began this novel wanting to offer some words of comfort to those who have lost courage and given up, but this life tangled in contradictions remains difficult only." This offers a glimpse into why the younger generation has picked up a book published nearly 30 years ago.
People in their 20s and 30s also sent enthusiastic cheers to the challenges and efforts of members of girl groups from small agencies. While idols from major agencies traveled the global stage and received the spotlight, fans went wild as they projected themselves onto members from regional areas who speak dialects and quietly press forward toward their dreams. A scene of RESCENE performing on an elementary school playground in the past also became a hot topic online.
People in their 20s and 30s live carrying anxiety about the future. Unlike the generation before them, this generation in particular is not accustomed to "quick success." Those in their 40s and 50s were able to enter society through large-scale open recruitment right after graduating from college. By contrast, those in their 20s and 30s suffer from severe job shortages due to the economic downturn and reduced corporate hiring. Also, unlike those in their 40s and 50s who could buy a home by saving up bank loans and their salaries, many in their 20s and 30s have given up on the dream of owning a home due to skyrocketing housing prices and tightened lending regulations. While 20 years ago a median-income household in Seoul could buy a home by saving without spending a penny for six to seven years, now they must save for 14 years.
In short, those in their 20s and 30s are a generation for whom employment, marriage, and wealth-building are all delayed. Our society takes speed as the measure of success. At school, in companies, and in society, you are recognized as a successful person only by getting one step ahead of others. Foul play and trickery are sometimes mobilized to rise more quickly. But it is not easy for those who fall behind once in the competition to seize a chance to turn things around. This is because the rules and standards of competition are structured to favor the established. Young people feel that the ladder of growth has been cut off amid an imbalance of opportunity. This is also why they react especially sensitively to issues of "fairness."
In this situation, the fact that people in their 20s and 30s are wild about reverse-running may be a desperate expression of hope that falling behind once does not mean becoming a loser forever. We are obsessed with speed in the cultural content market as well. We hastily judge the fate of a work by the number of viewers on a film's opening day, the sales on a new book's first day, or the chart ranking on the first day a song is released. But as "Contradiction" and RESCENE have shown, success is not only about quick success. Even after years or decades, good content ultimately has its value recognized. Slow success is not a coincidence but the result of steady accumulation. In the end, what moves people's hearts is not speed but authenticity. Rather than feeling anxious about being later than others, I cheer for the reverse-running of young people who move toward their dreams at their own pace.
