363 Yun Woos Translator 5 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
Sitting in the backmost seat of a moving bus, Seo Kw.a.n.g was preoccupied with talking on the phone. Although his phone was starting to get quite hot, he didn't mind it one bit.
”And then…”
”Hey.”
”What was that? You wanna read it too?”
Then, Seo Kw.a.n.g stopped talking all of a sudden as a loud sigh came from the receiver.
”You're really pus.h.i.+ng it.”
It was Sun Hwa, who seemed to have gotten home late from her part-time job. Her voice was starting to grow more and more tired and irritable. Initially, Seo Kw.a.n.g had called her to beg her to listen to him, saying that it was OK even if she were to fall asleep. However, upon reaching the one-hour mark, she found herself at her limit.
”What do you mean?” Seo Kw.a.n.g asked, playing coy.
”I said call Bom!”
”I mean... of course, I've tried that! She shut me down by saying that she was in the middle of writing. She was probably inspired by me,” Seo Kw.a.n.g said. However, before he had time to continue, Sun Hwa cut him off mid-sentence and said, ”Then, try Baron.”
”He's busy with a contest as well.”
”Then, Bo Suk.”
”She had too many questions.”
”What about the twins?”
”Eh, I don't know about that. I should be an example to them, especially before an interview.”
”So, you do have some self-respect.”
Unable to think of an answer, Seo Kw.a.n.g chuckled.
”Don't you have any friends?”
”You're the only one, friend.”
”I'm hanging up,” Sun Hwa said, hanging up after giving some haphazard encouragement. With the warm phone in his hand, Seo Kw.a.n.g looked out the window at the scenery rus.h.i.+ng past. As the bus drew near to his destination, Seo Kw.a.n.g pressed the stop b.u.t.ton and placed his hand on his chest, murmuring, ”It's OK. You got this. It's just an interview. All you gotta do is prove yourself. I can answer any question they throw at me. All the books I've read all these years have to count for something. Besides, we used to do this all the time back in the Literature Club with our self-introductions.”
Standing in front of Zelkova's building, Seo Kw.a.n.g took a deep breath, remembering how ecstatic he had been when he had pa.s.sed the first round while being reminded of how intimidating the second round was. Should he get eliminated, there would be no second chance.
”Well, I might as well enjoy myself while I'm here. Let's not get too nervous. I'm confident that I have what it takes as a translator. Though, this is an interview… Eh, how different could it be from the college admissions interview? All interviews are the same.”
At that moment, Seo Kw.a.n.g realized that he was talking a lot more than usual. At which point, he remembered what Juho had told him: ”You become more talkative when you're nervous, don't you?” Unfortunately, Juho had been right. Seo Kw.a.n.g was clearly nervous.
”Are you here for the interview?” an employee asked. At which point, Seo Kw.a.n.g stopped talking to himself and replied, ”Yes, I am.”
The employee pointed toward a stairway, adding that he'd find map printouts on the wall showing him where to go. At the end of a long hallway, was the waiting room, and there was a restroom nearby. Going into the restroom, Seo Kw.a.n.g washed his hands for no apparent reason before entering the waiting room. When he opened the door cautiously, he saw that there were a few people who had arrived before him. n.o.body said anything to each other. Then, as Seo Kw.a.n.g sat down, he heard somebody talking behind him. Two people seemed to know each other.
”I've never competed in a contest before.”
”It's pretty fun, actually.”
Judging from their conversation, one of them seemed to have experience competing. Trying to keep his legs from shaking, Seo Kw.a.n.g took out his phone. Although he didn't necessarily have anything to do or look at, he felt the need to help himself get through the uncomfortable silence. On the other hand, there were some contestants who seemed to be doing some research prior to the interview. While Seo Kw.a.n.g was moving his fingers idly, somebody sat next to him and greeted him.
”h.e.l.lo.”
Appearing to be around thirty, he smelled of cigarettes. After observing the man briefly, Seo Kw.a.n.g gave him a nod and said, ”h.e.l.lo.”
”So, you made it through the first round, huh?”
”That's right.”
”If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?”
”I'm twenty-four.”
”Wow, you're young!”
Seo Kw.a.n.g chuckled quietly. There was no use trying to appear and sound ambitious at that moment.
”Do you like Yun Woo?” the man asked. He seemed to be quite bored. He had to have found Seo Kw.a.n.g while looking for someone to talk to. In response, Seo Kw.a.n.g decided to welcome the situation to stave off his anxiety.
”I better, right? I mean, I might be translating for him,” Seo Kw.a.n.g said.
”That's a good answer.”
”Well, what about you?”
”Not as good of a question, though.”
At the man's seemingly provocative remark, Seo Kw.a.n.g suppressed his urge to not act on his emotions. After a brief pause, the man replied, ”No comment. Let's leave it at that.”
”I thought you said it wasn't as good a question?”
”Sure, but we gotta consider our surroundings too.”
Seo Kw.a.n.g couldn't make sense of what the man had meant. After thinking for some time, Seo Kw.a.n.g said, ”Are you, by any chance…”
”What was that?”
”... Nevermind.”
'There's no way that he wouldn't like Yun Woo when he's made it through the first round,' Seo Kw.a.n.g thought to himself, shaking his head.
”You must have done a pretty good job translating that sample.” the man said.
”I suppose that's why I'm here,” Seo Kw.a.n.g replied.
”Then, do you think you could tell me this one thing?”
”What is it?”
”Why would a fish have no gills?”
The man was asking for an interpretation, which was Seo Kw.a.n.g's specialty. However, just as Seo Kw.a.n.g opened his mouth to speak, the man raised his hand and interjected, ”That's because it's ambivalent,” answering his own question.
”It's an a.n.a.logy for describing a person who can't fit in anywhere. A fish without gills is bound to die sooner or later, and frankly, humans aren't all that different when they're alone. You see, Yun Woo tends to use characters like that a lot.”
”Sure.”
”Whenever I read a scene that reflects that though, I find myself becoming curious.”
Giving the man a disgruntled look, Seo Kw.a.n.g asked, ”About?”
”Where Yun Woo thinks he belongs. A young, anonymous genius author. A celebrity loved by the media. The Great Storyteller with a ma.s.sively successful career. Oh, let's not forget translator. Now, he's an adult. Yun Woo. Won Yi Young. Juho Woo. What do you think?” the man asked, waiting for Seo Kw.a.n.g's answer that time.
Looking into the distance, Seo Kw.a.n.g replied, ”I don't know what he sees.”