Chapter 36: Chapter 36 - A Dream Gone By (2/2)
”Yes, Mr. Moon.”
Juho looked at the people who had just come out of the train, and the people who were waiting for an incoming train. Women, men, children, adults, elderly, pregnant women, etc. The children were looking around the area. It was a station Juho had been to frequently. Yet, when he looked around consciously, it somehow felt fresh. At the club members' response, Mr. Moon nodded with satisfaction.
”People here have different starting points and destinations.”
Only the person who's on a journey knew where he was from and where he was going.
”Today, we're going to be writing in this environment. Don't just pa.s.s on a raw material because it's pa.s.sing by. You shouldn't capture too much either. Maybe one or two, to be appropriate.”
Juho stared at a man who was walking toward the station to wait for the train. He was wearing a stretched out T-s.h.i.+rt and a pair of sandals. He didn't seem to have a real job. Maybe. he didn't have a job at all. Among the raw materials pa.s.sing by, as described by Mr. Moon, this man should definitely be included.
”One thing. Only write up to the beginning of an occurrence.”
”Beginning?” Seo Kw.a.n.g asked.
”Yes,” Mr. Moon affirmed him and explained. ”A beginning is, as self-explanatory as it is, a start. You have to make the reader antic.i.p.ate something before you reveal the conflict.”
He emphasized the word 'antic.i.p.ate' as he spoke. A beginning, so to speak, was a stage before the plot unfolded. It was like throwing a small pebble into the calm water. A ripple created by the author revealed what happened. It might not be visible, but its existence was apparent.
”Don't think about reality too much today. Just make it happen. Boldness is the point. You're only writing up to the beginning, so you don't have to think about how the story ends. You just gotta make it happen.”
”Boldness, huh.”
”What comes to mind when you think of the word 'case?'”
”Murder.”
”That sounds more aggressive than bold, but good answer. The beginning of a murder case is the murder. You get my point? Think about where these busy people are headed, or where you want them to head to,” Mr. Moon added. ”Make the most out of this environment. Think of ways to surprise these exhausted adults with your creativity. Now, start writing.”
Juho looked at the people once again. A train had come in and poured out another wave of people. The expressions were all generally bland. There was weariness and fatigue behind the blank expressions.
'OK, think. What kind of bomb do I have to drop to change those faces?' he thought.
At that moment, he heard Sun Hwa's voice, ”Maybe I need to drop a bomb or something.”
It sounded like her.
”That doesn't sound bad.”
”Yeah? Should I just go for it?” Sun hwa responded to Juho with a smile.
At that rate, she was actually going to set up a bomb.
After hearing that, Bom said, ”I wish there were snow.”
”Snow? In this weather?”
”That would definitely be a case.”
Sun Hwa was surprised, and Juho accepted the idea. If she played her cards right, it had the potential for an interesting outcome.
”I feel like summer is approaching too fast. Do you think it's going to be weird?”
”Whatever you write, it's up to the author,” At her timid question, Juho answered and shrugged.
If she wanted to write something, all she had to do was write. With his att.i.tude in mind, Bom picked up her pen without hesitation.
Seo Kw.a.n.g had been inspired by Mr. Moon and decided to write about a murder case. Creating a story was not one of his strengths. How would things turn out this time? The subway station was quite chaotic. It would be hard to concentrate in an environment like that. It was noisy. It was crowded. An overwhelming number of people kept pouring out of the trains onto the station. At the same time, the trains were taking too many people from the station elsewhere.
Juho thought of the woman with the guitar. She always sang songs without words and she had told him that she'd keep on singing. He didn't know her because he had never read her lyrics. Suddenly, he felt that it wouldn't be strange for her to be among that sea of people. She was a bland person. Even in the midst of an alien invasion, she might make them stop to listen to her songs. It was imaginable, and she had seemed like a difficult person to surprise.
Unfortunately, n.o.body was actually like that. Everyone was afraid of something. Everyone looked dumbfounded when they were faced with unexpected circ.u.mstances. Juho wanted to portray such faces, just up to the beginning of a case, and it had worked well in his recent encounter with the woman.
'What kind of case should I face her with? What would she be afraid of?' he thought.
The moment she became afraid of something, she became a different person. She'd no longer be the woman with the guitar.
Now, he had to think of a case. Another train arrived at the station. Another wave of people poured out of it ruthlessly. The environment was already suffocating by it being underground, and it became worse with each incoming wave of people. Even after the train took a large number of people from the station, the place was still crowded.
Juho buckled down, and he felt Mr. Moon's burning gaze. For the moment, he picked up his pen. That day, he had a good feeling.
Chapter 36 - A Dream Gone By; The End