Launch Something! by Bae Myung-hoon is a new science fiction novel that follows the escapades of the lovable group of misfits who make up Korea’s Space Force. Following the appearance of a second sun resembling Pac-Man, the team is tasked with launching… something. Fighting bureaucracy and office politics, the Space Force does its best to save the planet from climate change. For its December issue, The Granite Tower spoke to author Bae Myung-hoon about the inspiration behind the novel, its themes, and what message he hopes readers will take from it.

GT: What inspired you to write this novel?

Bae Myung-hoon: My wife was a fan of an idol singer who went to the military and was part of the Army Marching Band. There was an event called the Jinhae Naval Base Festival, and we went together to see his performance. All of the honor guards and military bands from the different branches of the military performed on the training grounds, which made me wonder what a Space Force honorary guard performance would look like, and that’s the inspiration for this story. I also know the peculiar atmosphere of the military as well, especially the Air Force, which is not as strict as other branches; in fact, it’s almost like a regular office. I imagined the Space Force to be even more relaxed than that. Also, whenever people write science fiction, they usually rely on foreign agencies, such as NASA, which always irked me because it felt like I was intruding into someone else’s office building. I felt more comfortable creating a fictional Korean organization of our own, which lead to this.

GT: There are many themes and messages in the novel. Which would you say is most important for readers to pick up on?

Bae: You see a lot of stories where the protagonist saves Earth from mortal danger, but rarely is that protagonist Korean. I personally find sci-fi to be an imperialistic genre because nations with a strong presence in the genre typically have a history of global influence. Sci-fi stories from those countries tend to also include scenes where the characters from said country get a free pass to go to any country or region in the world and make decisions on the entire Earth’s behalf. Thankfully, South Korea doesn’t have as strong of an imperialistic legacy, but it is a drawback when writing sci-fi. As such, a story about a Space Force written by an American author will be quite different from one written by a Korean author. How would a Korean be able to take center stage in the universe without becoming an imperialist? I think that’s an interesting theme to keep in mind when reading.

GT: What impact did you want to make with this novel and its English translation?

Bae: First of all, I wanted to add one more fun story to the world. Literature tends to be dark and somber, but I tend to write light-heartedly, while a lot of other writers write from a pained perspective. There’s also the fact that readers seem to find fun novels a bit too playful and childish. It’s hard to come across authors that write with a cheerful voice. You may think you’ve read a few, but there are dozens of depressing stories in comparison. There are themes that suit a heavy, gloomy, and agonized style of writing, and there are themes that can only be delivered in a snappy, light-hearted, and humorous way.

Bae himself observes that art can be difficult to access, which is the reason behind his more approachable writing style. He mentions that each reader is unique, and thus an author can never write a novel that will be suitable for everyone. Instead, Bae focuses on writing the stories he wants to write, making Launch Something! an enjoyable read for anyone, whether they are a seasoned sci-fi fan or a brand-new reader.

Book information

Title: Launch Something!

Author: Bae Myung-hoon

Publisher: Honford Star

Publication Year: 2022

Pages: 359