The Great Storyteller

Chapter 62 – Who are You? (1)

Translator: – – Editor: – –

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

‘Clunk.’

The bus rattled, and Juho woke up from the sudden impact.

‘Yawn.’

He was on his way to the publishing district for a lunch meeting with Nam Kyung at the same restaurant from last meeting and looked around the bus to see how many more stops were left.

‘Two more.’

He thought of Seo Kwang as he looked out of the window at the scenery zooming past. The night after he had indulged in pizza with Juho, he had asked his parents to send him to a private institute to learn English. His parents willingly accepted his request. Not many parents would stop their child from wanting to study more.

Since then, he had changed. Instead of reading books, he occupied himself with memorizing English words. What didn’t change was that he still wasn’t paying attention in class. In terms of writing, he worked even harder to improve his skill.

After the school essay contest, he had been gradually distancing himself from writing. He had struggled to finish his composition and spent even less time thinking. His skill had been solid from the sheer amount of reading he had accustomed himself to, but had wrestled with creative writing and hadn’t bothered to overcome his weakness.

However, he had been fully aware that the cause of his weakness was in himself and had asked Juho to write sincerely, saying that he wanted to read what Juho wrote. So, Juho had written with all of his heart. As a result, Seo Kwang had lost interest in writing.

Now, he began to write again, just like he had before. No, he was working even harder.

The reason he had picked up his pen had been simple. He simply had found a purpose, a new purpose to write.

Juho thought of the day when he shared that purpose with him in person. They had been on their way to the science room together.

“Hey,” he called for Juho, who had been walking ahead. Juho stopped and looked back.

“Yeah?”

Seo Kwang looked up at his eyes from where he stood and said determinedly, “I’m going to be translator.”

It had been his resolution and desire. A freshman in high school, he had finally found something that he wanted to do after his breakthrough after the Ginger incident.

He had decided to commit his life to translating until the day he couldn’t work anymore. He wanted to be a translator who enabled people to have access to more books.

Juho looked down from where he stood and saw that Seo Kwang had never been so determined before.

“So, you go ahead and be a writer.”

“Why?” Juho asked after a brief moment of silence.

“Your writing tends to move people. Look at how I turned out.”

“Isn’t that because of your first love?”

“OK, now you’re pouring salt on an open wound,” he said sternly. Then, he stopped Juho as he tried to walk away. “You should be a writer. I want you to. It’s not like you want to do anything else.”

“Well… I’m not sure. It’s not like I can be a novelist just because I don’t have anything I want to do, you know?”

“So, you’re not going to be a writer?” he asked.

“I didn’t say that.”

He was already a writer. He had already made his debut and had his book released. However, that hadn’t been his end goal. There were limits to being a novelist, and Juho didn’t want his life to be under such restrictions.

He slowly opened his mouth and proclaimed, rewarding Seo Kwang for sharing his future goal honestly, “I want to be great.”

“What?”

“It might sound somewhat childish and exaggerated, but that’s the kind of thing I want.”

For a while, Seo Kwang seemed dumbfounded.

“Well, then be a great writer. A great storyteller,” he said with a smile.

“Haha. What makes you so desperate for me to become a writer?” Juho asked as he laughed at the sound of the word he had become so familiar with.

“It’s so that I can translate your books. That’s my goal,” Seo Kwang answered.

“That’s kind of silly.”

“What did you say?”

“We should get going. We’re running late.”

“I said what did you… Hey, hey!”

‘We ended up being late, and Mr. Moon looked daggers at us,’ Juho reminisced as he stared out the window. The bus started moving again toward the next stop.

From that point on, Seo Kwang would change even more. It was not about whether or not he was going to be successful. There was a world of difference between someone with a goal and someone without one.

It hadn’t been that long since he had started learning English, but Juho was certain that he was going to pick it up quickly. After all, Seo Kwang’s skills with language were quite impressive.

He imagined Seo Kwang as a translator. It suited him quite well. ‘What would it be like if he actually translated my books?’ he thought. The books translated by Seo Kwang would reach all over the world. People who spoke other languages would laugh and cry as they read what he had translated.

However, it would be a while until that could happen.

As Juho looked up after organizing his thoughts, he rushed to press the stop button.

“Damn it! I missed my stop.”

When he finally got out of the bus, he appeared in front of a publishing company. The restaurant had been long gone. The good news was that there was still time until their meeting, so he wouldn’t have to worry about making Nam Kyung wait.

He was left with no choice, but to let Nam Kyung know.

‘I’ll meet you in front of your office,’ Juho wrote in his text.

At that moment, Nam Kyung was hearing about a strange man who had appeared in front of the office and hadn’t even been aware of his phone vibrating on his desk.

Meanwhile, Juho made his way toward Nam Kyung’s publishing company. There were cars parked here and there in the streets.

He checked his phone as he walked, but Nam Kyung hadn’t responded yet. ‘Maybe he’s busy. I’m sure he’ll still come out on time,’ he thought to himself.

“Look, it’s a fox!”

“I like bunnies more.”

There was a family with children in the distance. A young boy and a girl each had a picture book in their hands. That must have been what the kids were talking about.

“No running! You’ll fall and hurt yourselves!”

The kids were excited beyond control. They seemed like they couldn’t be still. Juho heard their laughter from where he was and thought the sight of the little girl following after her brother was quite adorable.

He watched for a bit, but continued on after he remembered he had plans with Nam Kyung. His office was right around the corner, so there was no way that they would miss each other.

“‘Scuse me.”

‘I should give him a call when I’m in front of the building.’

“Hey.”

‘Since I’m already here, maybe I should suggest going somewhere nearby. I’m sure he’ll know a place.’

“Hello? ‘Scuse me!”

Juho looked back to see who was shouting. Somebody must have been calling for him.

The first thing that had caught his eyes were a pair of old jeans worn by a man. He was somewhat chubby and seemed to be around in his forties.

“Me?”

“Yes, young man. Thanks for stopping,” the man answered with a husky voice. For some reason, the formality in his speech didn’t quite match his appearance.

“Where are you headed to, young man?”

“A publishing company,” Juho answered somewhat suspiciously.

“What business do you have there?”

He didn’t sound like he was criticizing. He was genuinely asking for his reason for going there.

‘Who is this person? Is this a survey? Is he going to ask if I’m interested in enlightenment or buying something from him?’ Contrary to his speculations, the man brought up neither of those things. Juho had wondered if he was a reporter, but he didn’t seem to have a camera on him. ‘Is he an employee for the publishing company? He doesn’t seem like it…’ he thought.

“Which publishing company were you headed to?” Seeing how Juho remained quiet, he rephrased his question.

“Zelkova Publishing Company, right over there,” Juho said as he pointed at a building.

The man turned his head toward the direction Juho had pointed, and then turned back to look at him again. Juho was confused.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who are you, ahjussi?” he asked as he stared back.

(TL’s note: ahjussi means ‘mister’ in Korean, usually referring to an older man.)

His eyes sparkled. He seemed like he was certain of something. ‘What’s he so certain of?’

“I’m the director that you turned down,” he answered brusquely before Juho even had time to think.

‘Uh, oh!’ His brain spun faster than usual.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a place to…”

“Mr. Yun Woo.”

“Haha! Yep, you hear that name everywhere nowadays,” he gave a nonsense answer as he slowly stepped back. He couldn’t decide whether he should run or try to strike a conversation with him.

‘What’s a director doing in front of a publishing company? Is he here to see me? Then, I should probably try to talk to him at least…’ He contemplated. He studied the director’s face to see if he had come to express his resentment towards being turned down, but rather than anger, there was nothing but certainty. He seemed certain that Juho was Yun Woo.

‘How did he know? It’s not like it’s written on my face,’ Juho thought.

“You were looking at that family over there just now, right?” the director asked as a way to keep Juho from running away. “An average high school student wouldn’t look at a family like that. Not just high school students, but people in general. They would walk right past them because they’re busy surviving. Unless they work in a field like the one you and I work in, they wouldn’t bother. You’re an author, am I right?” he explained his reason for thinking Juho to be Yun Woo.

The field, he must have meant a field of work that required an individual to make detailed observations in a regular basis. Regardless of field, there were occupations like that. One of them was being a writer. Being a director was probably similar. He had to have been observing Juho to reach his conclusion.

Juho stopped in his tracks. He had really come looking for Yun Woo. ‘What are the odds?’

So, he had decided to talk to the director.

“What are the odds?” Juho admitted to the director’s speculation.

“It was bound to happen. I’ve been coming here every morning to meet you,” he said with a smile.

“Every morning?”

“Yes, right here. Whether it rained or snowed.”

‘How touching,’ Juho thought.

At once, he continued as he set aside his jokes, “I apologize if I startled you. It’s not pleasant to have a visitor when you had already turned him down before. But give me just a little bit of your time. I brought the scenario.”

His coarse hands moved about in the air. His exaggerated movements were telling Juho that he was nervous.

“I’d really like to make your book into a movie, Mr. Woo. I’ve read it at least twenty times. I must do this,” he said determinedly.

The fact that he had been waiting for him day in and day out had already been impressive. However, what really left an impression was the intense passion in his eyes. There was desperation behind them. It wasn’t something Juho saw everyday.

“Well then, should we discuss more over tea?”

“That sounds great!” the director answered with a bright smile.

At that moment, Juho saw Nam Kyung in the distance. He was running and shouting something.

“Speak of the devil! There comes the editor. We should all go together. Huh… he looks like he’s in a rush. I wonder what’s going on.”

Contrary to Juho, the director seemed to have an idea. “He must have heard about a strange man lingering around his office. I sensed that the employees there have been looking at me suspiciously for the last several days,” he said nonchalantly.

Soon, Nam Kyung stopped as he gasped for air. He took turns looking at Juho and then the director.

“Why are you here? I’ve heard about a strange… Mr. Ju?! What are you doing here?!”

Sang Young Ju, that was his name.