223 Embellished 1 (1/2)

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Juho walked up a long hill. Although the incline looked quite steep from afar, in reality, it wasn't as bad as it looked. However, if one were to turn back, they would be greeted with an intimidatingly steep incline once more. Looking at the gra.s.s growing out of the cracks of the buildings around him and from the ground, Juho made his way up the hill he had climbed a number of times already. Then, a beast cried out in the distance.

”I'm sorry, Mrs. Baek.”

Juho heard a thin voice speaking near Yun Seo's house. Then, at the sight of a man with both of his hands full of things lowering his head, Juho stopped in his tracks. In front of the man, was Yun Seo.

”You take care of yourself.”

”Yes, ma'am.”

Although Yun Seo calmly accepted the man's goodbye, it was undeniable that she, of the two of them, was the one in pain. Her neck and shoulders looked quite tense, as if desperately holding something back. It wasn't clear whether it was anger or tears she was holding back. Then, as the man turned around with a clear look of guilt on his face, Juho locked eyes with him and saw reluctance in his gaze. However, it wasn't long before the man looked away, and Juho let him through. The man had the look of a person bidding farewell.

”h.e.l.lo, Mrs. Baek.”

”Good to see you, Juho,” she said, greeting him just as calmly as when she had said goodbye to the man.

”Who was that?”

”A former pupil of mine.”

A former pupil. It implied that the man was no longer her pupil. After brief contemplation, Juho decided to ask no further, and looking at him, Yun Seo put on the same, welcoming smile she always wore. However, something made it feel out of place, like she was glad to be in the situation she was in.

”Go ahead and take a seat. It'll only be a minute.”

”Yes, ma'am.”

The reason Juho was visiting her house was a gathering at Madame Song's restaurant. To be precise, they were gathering to celebrate Juho winning the Nebula Award.

Then, coming back out shortly, Yun Seo said in a relaxed tone of voice, ”Hyun Do says he's almost at the restaurant.”

”... We better hurry, then.”

In the end, the only person in a hurry was Juho.

---

”Madame Song seemed to be in a good mood, too,” Yun Seo said. According to her, she had visited the restaurant after her novel had been published, and because of that, the two weren't as delighted to see each other as they would have usually been. Still, it was obvious that they were very close friends. She enjoyed her favorite pork dish, and like an author who had earned her sabbatical, Yun Seo also enjoyed a gla.s.s of wine without guilt.

”How are you feeling?” she asked, carelessly.

”Good,” Juho answered briefly, mirroring Yun Seo's brief question. Nevertheless, it was an honest answer. Winning one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world was an accomplishment in and of itself, and there was no reason not to feel good.

”I can tell! You definitely look better.”

”Really?”

”Yes, you look good.”

Contrary to Yun Seo's a.s.sumption, Juho was looking better because he had been getting more sleep lately. Since he wasn't working on anything in particular, there were fewer nights where he stayed up, unable to put his pen down.

”Congratulations.”

”You helped tremendously, Mrs. Baek. Thank you.”

”Oh, I barely did anything to help,” Yun Seo said, waving her hands in denial, but Juho was genuinely grateful for her. There was a reason he looked up to her as his teacher, and she had definitely played a big part in making the life Juho was leading in the present possible.

”This is the person you should be grateful to,” she said, spreading her hands and pointing to the seat next to her. As Juho's eyes followed the direction to where her hand was pointing, he saw a gentleman with only half of his hair grey.

”I'm the one who barely did anything. It's not like we see each other often, either,” Hyun Do said, with a calm, peaceful expression on his face. Just like he had mentioned in his speech, Hyun Do was the person who had directly influenced Juho to write 'Language of G.o.d.' As the young author thanked him, the literary great simply gestured with his hand, urging him to keep eating.

”Did you find a good spot for your trophy?” she asked, and Juho remembered the trophy rolling around his room.

”Yes, it's on top of a pile of ma.n.u.scripts.”

”Huh! What kind of ma.n.u.script?”

”Just some things I've been working on here and there. I use them as scratch paper. The trophy's got some weight to it, so it's perfect to keep the stack in place.”

Just like Juho had said, the trophy was being put to good use by keeping his stacks of paper from flying off the desk. Then, chuckling quietly, Yun Seo said, ”That sounds like a good spot, all right. It's better than collecting dust elsewhere.”

The meal with Yun Seo and Hyun Do was as warm and smooth as it could be. Amid the calm atmosphere, Juho was able to release some of his pent up excitement.

There were still people chanting Yun Woo's name, and more people kept searching for that name on the internet. Meanwhile, new articles kept turning up on regular basis, talking about the significance of the award Yun Woo had received, how big of a challenge it was to obtain, how great of an author he was for achieving just that, and how the world viewed the young author and his works. Along with the colorful adjectives, the articles were multiplying, each backed up by as little as a single statement made by a relevant expert. The fans were going wild, calling their favorite, young genius a hero. There was even a time that Juho read somebody's comment on the internet saying that he had brought them a breath of fresh air while they lived in a world filled with suffocating uncertainties. Many were comforted by the confident statement he had made through Coin at the award ceremony.

It was all too familiar to him. He had heard the acclamations of his fans and had received their affection in the past. However, when he had come out with a new book, those same fans who had cheered for the young author had all turned their backs on him, without hesitation. With that experience in mind, Juho reminded himself that he couldn't afford to slip back into alcoholism.

”Would you like more to drink?” Yun Seo asked, and seeing as though his cup was empty, Juho nodded willingly. Once the cup was filled, Yun Seo changed the subject, ”Six people quit this month alone.”

At that, Hyun Do turned his head to look her, and Juho remembered seeing one of her former pupils on his way out before coming to the restaurant.

”Since last month, twenty people started doubting their enrollment, and they're still contemplating. Every single one of them is unemployed now, having quit their corporate jobs to pursue their pa.s.sion before all this.”

”Why? Do they not want to be taught by you?”

”No. They are saying that they can't possibly write a piece like 'Sublimation.'”

As he drank slowly, Juho said, ”Isn't that natural?”