214 The Password Is 0108 4 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”We have some new members in the club. Put your hands together for them,” Mr. Moon said, and the club members all applauded simultaneously, the crisp sound reverberating throughout the science room. Waiting patiently for the applause to die down, the teacher opened his mouth and said, ”Needless to say, we're going to be writing, but should you have anything else in mind, don't hesitate to come and find me in the staffroom.”
”Yes, Mr. Moon,” the club members answered in a dry tone, as if they had no intention of actually visiting him in the staffroom.
”This year, four of our members are juniors, and as most of you may have seen from the recent graduate that the juniors most likely won't be able to partic.i.p.ate in club activities due to exams, SAT preparations, and figuring out their career paths.”
There was no way around it.
”Building student records, SAT preparations, interviews, self-introductions, activity records, etc. There will be all sorts of tasks waiting for you.”
”Agh! I hate my life!” Seo Kw.a.n.g murmured, and from his deeply sincere expression, the club members all empathized with him.
Then, with a serious expression on his face, Mr. Moon added, ”You can't afford to get distracted. Otherwise, you'll end up regretting not having worked hard enough later, when you can now. You're facing the situation of having to sacrifice your present as an investment for your future.”
At that, Juho stared intently at Mr. Moon. Although he was still distinctively blunt, those words felt odd coming from him. Then, the teacher sat on his comfortable chair and crossed his legs.
”Instead, you have my permission to come and write when you need to. If anybody gives you a hard time for writing, stand against them and keep writing.”
”... What?”
That statement made Juho relieved on the inside. That was the Mr. Moon he was used to. Despite the club members locking eyes with each other in confusion, the teacher maintained a straight face. There was nothing about his appearance that would make one think that he was joking.
”Writing is an acceptable form of distraction. The way I see it, some of the most painful regrets are in wondering: 'Why didn't I write more before?' Compared to that pain, your regrets as a junior in high school are nothing.”
”... I thought he was giving the juniors advice?” Bo Suk let out. However, Mr. Moon couldn't be more serious.
”Yes, I am giving advice. To be more accurate, advice none of you asked for. Call it the self-gratification of wanting you all to turn out OK in the future. I want you all to be better writers.”
”...”
Just like he had said, n.o.body had asked for the advice. He had taken the initiative to bring it up himself and expressed his sincere wish that his students would stick around in the club and write, regardless of their grades. Needless to say, he was a teacher at that school.
”I wanted to be a novelist.”
As Mr. Moon went even further and started talking about himself, Seo Kw.a.n.g chuckled silently. That was what Mr. Moon was like. Although being hopelessly lost from the advice they had just heard a moment ago, the club members took interest in his story.
”I had talent too, but in the end, it didn't work out, so I fell behind everyone else.”
When he finally failed and gave up, everyone else around him had already been doing something with their lives. Mr. Moon was left all alone, with nothing in his possession.
”But now, as you can see, I've become one impressive teacher. Does that mean this will last for the rest of my life? No way. I'm tired of teaching. It's just not for me. I'm sure I'll either get fired or quit, and eventually look for another work. Better yet, I'll be even older by that point. The thought of it alone just makes me shudder,” the teacher said, letting out a heavy sigh.
”The situation I'm in is no different from the one you guys are in currently.”
By that point, everyone had a noticeably different look on their faces.
”So, that's why I formed the Literature Club: to get away from the loathsome worries of life. I wanted to laugh while reading your awkward pieces of writing. I wanted to eat fried chicken at school and pieces of dried squid, all under the excuse of leading the Literature Club. I wanted to be lazy and relax, knowing that there was always going to be tomorrow. So, you guys have my permission to do the same. Your parents and teachers might not approve, but I'm willing to let it slide.”
With that, the teacher finished his speech, and the room sank into silence. Then, Juho cautiously looked around and observed his clubmates. While everyone had different looks on their faces, they all knew that they wouldn't have to worry about ruining their lives by following Mr. Moon's advice. Then, he rose from his chair, and said, ”With that, we'll take some time to introduce ourselves today.”
Some wind blew and ventilated the room. With the exception of the twins and Bo Suk, the rest of the club members exploded into a clamor at those words.
”We're not doing it too, are we?”
”Of course, you are.”
”We've been talking about ourselves all day while advertising for the club!”
”Then, I guess you just gotta write it out.”
”Oh, c'mon!”
”If you don't feel like writing, you can always come up to the front and introduce yourself in front of everyone.”
”... I'll just write.”
Everyone was tired of talking in front of a crowd. Therefore, Seo Kw.a.n.g picked up his pen quietly. Then, looking at the twins, Mr. Moon gave them a choice on how they could go about introducing themselves. Bom was already up and ready to get the sheets of ma.n.u.script paper for them.
After locking eyes with each other, the twins answered, ”We'll come up to the front.”
”Huh.”
They were the first members to choose to introduce themselves in front of everyone else, and taken aback, the club members stared at the twins. Meanwhile, Mr. Moon sat back down on his comfortable chair and pushed himself away from the podium with his feet, making a rattling noise as the wheels of the chair turned.
”Who wants to go first?”
”Me,” Gong Il raised her hand, and Gong Pal didn't make any objections. Then, Gong Il went up to the front without a delay, and putting her hands together in a polite manner, she opened her mouth to start her introduction, ”h.e.l.lo, My name is Gong Il Kong. I'm a freshman from Cla.s.sroom 2.”
After locking eyes with each other, the club members applauded awkwardly. Although Gong Il herself looked just as awkward, she kept on in a calm, composed manner.
”A lot of people ask me about my name.”
”Yeah, I was about to ask, myself,” Seo Kw.a.n.g murmured quietly.
”I have a twin brother who was born one minute ahead of me. Needless to say, we're twins, born on the same day, on the eighteenth of that month. From what my parents told me, my father conveniently had the last name 'Kong,' which is how they came to name us. ”
”Her parents have a sense of humor,” Seo Kw.a.n.g muttered, looking somewhat disappointed.