264 The Reason That Author Never Won 5 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
Feeling the dry air in the set, Juho opened his water bottle and drank from it, thinking, 'Good thing I ate that bento. I would've been hungry by now.”
”All right. We've asked our viewers what we should ask you,” the host said, adding that the staff had actually gone out to the busy streets to interview the fans while accepting requests on the website.
”We were reminded of just how curious your fans were about you and your books.”
While Juho felt concerned on one hand, he looked forward to it on the other. Then, without hesitation, the host revealed the first question.
”Are you really afraid of birds or do you actually like them?”
It was a question which the young author had heard many times.
”I used to get that question a lot,” Juho said, feeling relieved by the familiar question.
”Did you now? Well, how are you with birds? Are you afraid of them or do you like them?”
”It's hard to say. As you probably noticed from my writing, I'm kind of ambivalent toward birds, and my feelings tend to take on different shapes. It never stays in one uniform shape. I find them cute and adorable on one hand, but I can't stand them on the other,” Juho said, being mindful not to limit the significance behind the portrayals of birds in his books.
”The next question is about the film adaptation of 'Trace of a Bird.' Are you close with Myung Joo Mu? What was one scene from the movie that stood out to you the most?”
'Movie,' Juho thought to himself as he organized his thoughts. The answer was quite simple, especially regarding the actor.
”First of all, it's hard to say that we're close. We haven't seen each other all that much.”
”His congratulations to your recent victory over the Nebula Award were quite the sensation at one point. Are you aware of this?”
”Yes. I found that out through articles.”
”Yet, you two aren't close?”
”I'm just a fan,” Juho said in order to make time for the next answer. Since it never occurred to him to give specific scenes a ranking, he needed time to decide which scene from the movie had stood out the most to him.
”I think the ending is the first thing that comes to my mind.”
It was the scene where the bird flew up to the sky as the dark background became gradually brighter for the first time in the entire movie. The striking visuals and soundtrack made for a gratifying experience. Meanwhile, as the young author answered with ease, the host came back with yet another question.
”What do you like most about your books”
”Oh, my books?”
”Yes, about the books you've written up to this point. I don't wanna be redundant by saying this, but you've written some top-notch novels. Were there any scenes in particular that you enjoyed writing?”
”Uh…”
It was the trickiest question by far.
”Is this a tricky question to answer?” the host asked, and after a long silence, the young author barely managed to speak up, ”... No. They were all mediocre at best.”
Then, observing the young author, Pyung Jin asked, ”You don't seem to like your own works.”
”I'm always looking for ways to improve as an author.”
”That's surprising. Don't you get a lot of compliments from the people around you?”
”Thankfully. I think that's why I'm so hard on myself.”
”How intriguing.”
Contrary to their perception, it was far from it. Unlike what they had thought, Juho was an ordinary person on the inside, which was why they were finding the young author's answer intriguing. Juho simply smiled.
”I think the brother was the scene stealer of the movie. His character had some weight to it, even in the original novel as well. What was your take on Myung Joo Mu's portrayal of the character?”
”He had some trouble understanding the character while they were filming, so I told him my thought process from when I came to create the character for the novel. It didn't take long at all for him to accept and embrace my explanation. I, personally, was relieved that Myung Joo Mu was cast for the role.”
Although Juho knew nothing about acting, from the point of view of the creator of the original, Juho considered Myung Joo a great actor. Then, as the young author thought, 'That should do,' another unexpected question came his way, ”Who are some of your favorite celebrities or musicians?”
His ideal type of woman would be determined by how he answered that question. Meanwhile, the critic asked light-heartedly, ”There are a bunch of celebrities who are popular among teens. Don't you talk about them with friends?”
At that, Juho thought about his immediate friends. From a bookworm to a comic book buff, an avid gamer, and nuts and bolts fanatic, there existed a whole array of interests among the young author's friends, but not a single one was into celebrities. Influenced by the previous question, Myung Joo Mu was the only name that lingered in Juho's head.
”You see, I spend most of my time writing and I don't get to watch a whole lot of TV. I'm afraid there aren't that many celebrities or musicians I know.”
”Not even one?”
Realizing that they weren't going to let up anytime soon, Juho thought of an answer to weave himself out of that situation. At that moment, a certain individual came to mind.
”If I were to choose one, I do have a favorite singer.”
A look of interest appeared on the host's and the critic's faces. They had to be expecting somebody popular, and Juho's answer was bound to disappoint them. However, Juho pressed on.
”She performs at this park that I go to frequently. She always hums wordless melodies and goes about her way.”
As expected, an ambiguous look appeared on the host's and the critic's faces. Nevertheless, the young author continues, ”I like her songs the most. She told me once that she'd write lyrics for her songs one day, which means that wordless humming won't be around much longer. There are times when I get impatient waiting for her to write her lyrics, and I find myself itching to hear her sing.”
”What's her name?” the critic asked.