229 Santa Claus And Translation 4 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”Yun Woo, the first Asian Nebula Winner, Making a Comeback with a New Book!”
”Pre-orders Deluge All Across Europe. Fans React Online.”
”Yun Woo Showcases His Literature Piece. The New, International Bestseller.”
”Never Heard of a Korean Novel? This Author Will Change Your Mind. Yun Woo, the Hottest Author from the East.”
”A Closer Look at Yun Woo's 'Sublimation' and His Incredible Language Skills. What's All the Fuss About?”
”'Sublimation,' Yun Woo's Most Controversial Piece Yet. Senior Editor's Interview Draws Ma.s.sive Attention: 'Through This New Piece, We Will Get to Know the Author a Little Better. Yet, Find Him All the More Mysterious.'”
”Yun Woo Takes Part in Translating His New Novel, 'Sublimation!' Why?”
”Yun Woo's Translator-in-Charge Struggles to Make Progress with the Controversial Ending of 'Sublimation,' Forcing Yun Woo to Step In. An Author Translating His Own Novel?”
”'Sublimation' Said To Be Exported to About Forty-Five Countries. Yun Woo Only Taking Part in English and French Translations. A Closer Look.”
”The Polarizing Views of the Critics. What's the Big Deal? The Secret Ident.i.ty of the Author We're All Dying to Know: Yun Woo! Who Is He? Where Is He? Is He Even Real? The Young Author in the Spotlight, Rewriting History.”
”From the Cover Design to Translation. Most Hands-On Piece of the Author Yet!”
”The Antic.i.p.ation Toward Yun Woo's New Novel, 'Sublimation,' According to Kelley Coin.”
---
In a well-ventilated area, Susan, Kelley Coin's Mother, was at the dining table, immersed in a book. Widely known for its author having contributed to its designing process, the black cover stood out even when in contrast with the tablecloth with exotic patterns. Taking after the original design of the cover, Fernand had made minimal changes to the appearance of the book. In her seat, Susan gently brushed her hand down the book, which was Yun Woo's most hands-on work yet.
”Yet, the mystery grows,” she murmured, opening the book for the second time. Then, taking a lighter that was rolling around the table, she lit the cigarette in her mouth with it. Reading 'Sublimation' made her crave for a cigarette for some reason.
Taking a deep drag off her cigarette, she breathed out a thick cloud of smoke into the air. Then, savoring the unusually-pleasant bitterness of the smoke lingering in her mouth, Susan continued reading. The book was easy to read, and Sanders' translations were always trustworthy.
Shortly after, Susan remembered what was on the 'About the Translator' section at the very end of the book. Taylor Sanders, one of the most talented translators around, had confessed that he hadn't been confident in his original translation, forcing him to travel all the way to South Korea in order to meet with the author. Then, after a long, in-person conversation with the young author shrouded in mystery, Sanders finally managed to bring back an answer. Yun Woo had agreed to lend a hand.
Then, flipping through the pages, Susan opened the book to the ending. Who started the fire? Who wors.h.i.+pped it? Who was afraid of it? All the characters were at odds with each other, and the tension was at its maximum. Then, everything simply fell apart. Just like Yun Woo's ident.i.ty, it wasn't clear exactly when things began to disintegrate. The author had retrieved the ident.i.ties of each and every character in the novel without anybody knowing, leaving the readers clueless. Finding the culprit was no longer the priority. All the events and conflicts leading up to that point of the novel allowed the readers to be able to indulge in the precarious pleasure, and the fact that a young author was unfolding it all in such a cruel manner was rather quite astonis.h.i.+ng. The cleaner the mirror, the clearer it reflected the world. The novel showed how the numerous rumors that surrounded the author reflected on him, as if he was saying to the readers: 'You don't know a thing.'
At that moment, a sharp, shattering sound broke the silence. It sounded like somebody had flung an object against the wall with ill-intent. Nevertheless, remembering her son, who was writing upstairs, Susan flipped to the next page unfazed. Coin had acquired and read the book much sooner than his mother, and the shattering sound had become increasingly more common since then. 'Better to let all that anger out somehow rather than keeping it in. I can always replace the things he breaks,' she thought.
With that, she took a deep drag off her cigarette once again. The deity of fire was foolish, and its wors.h.i.+ppers should have done a better job at keeping it safe. They should have hidden it out of other people's sight, even at the cost of losing their clothes to the burning fire of their deity. Upon acquiring fire, humanity evolved at an exponential rate, and some believed that it was the most humanly-way to live. They believed the time they were currently living in, after the industrial revolution, was the very essence of humanity. However, who were the most distant from their origins? Were people so arrogant as to be proud of the reality they had created, widening the gap between wealthy and poor, taking nature for granted, and knowing nothing but conquering what was around them? Reading 'Sublimation' brought doubt to the hearts of its readers, and made them reflect on the history built by humans up to that point. In it, they found sin, as well as cowardly attempts to look away from it. At the same time, there was hope for humanity to move forward. At that moment…
”Better do something about that cigarette ash,” a voice said to Susan. It was Coin.
”You done breaking stuff?”
”We're not gonna have enough cups for a little while,” he said, placing the pieces of shattered mugs into the sink. He had been collecting them on top of the stacks of ma.n.u.script paper in his room. A sharp sound came from the kitchen, and there were simply too many pieces with a handle on it to think that they were all from the same mug. He had to have brought down even the pieces that had been laying around in his room from his previous fits of rage. Then, glancing over at the book in his mother's hand, the author's face scrunched up.
”This is a great book,” Susan said, as if trying to rub it in. However, Coin maintained the crabby look on his face.
”I love the the cover design, and the translation is top-notch, too. That Yun Woo is one talented person.”