368 An Authors Greed, And An Unexpected Offer 3 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”Where is he?”
Juho wandered around the quiet house. Hyun Do was nowhere to be found, even when he checked the study, or peeked his head out through the living room or the patio window. Then, seeing that the watering pot and the hose were wet, Juho walked out to the front yard and smelled the wet gra.s.s. However, Hyun Do was still nowhere to be found. He had to have gone out somewhere.
”He's really quiet.”
Coming back inside, Juho wandered around the kitchen for no apparent reason, left alone yet again. Then, he walked toward the innermost room on the first floor, slowly and cautiously. It was Hyun Do's writing s.p.a.ce. The door was cracked open slightly. Although the young author was tempted to go in, he simply couldn't dare to set foot in the room. Instead, he looked through the crack. Aside, were a floor chair, a large desk, a laptop, and well-organized research data. There was nothing in the room. It was so tidy that the desk almost looked lonely.
”Just like its owner,” Juho said, wondering if writing in a room like that would help an author focus more. Comparing it to his own writing s.p.a.ce, Juho tilted his head, thinking that it wouldn't be a bad idea to give it a try himself. There was definitely nothing distracting in the room. At that moment, something underneath the floor chair caught Juho's eyes.
”What's that?”
It was a sheet of paper. Squatting, Juho stretched out his neck as much as possible in order to get a better look at the writing on it. Upon reading it, Juho realized that it was a story about a teacher and their pupil. 'Is it the plot for the new book? Maybe it's an old idea that he decided not to use,' Juho thought. There were traces of Hyun Do having wrestled with his thoughts. Then, before Juho realized it, he leaned forward and reached for the sheet of paper under the floor chair. A dust particle floating around sparkled brightly with the sunlight.
”Is this…?” Juho let out, realizing why Hyun Do's description of his new work-in-progress had sounded so familiar. Backing away from the room, Juho rushed to the second floor, nearly tripping on his way.
”I've read that book!”
It was a story Juho had read in his past life as a homeless man, when he had wandered with nothing in his possession. After acquiring the book through desperate means, Juho had read it over and over again. Hyun Do had been just as competent as when the younger author had been on the rise. Hyun Do had never stopped writing. His books had never become stagnant. In fact, they had always been new and original, which had also made him one of the most respected authors in the literary world. The very book that had placed the literary great at the top was in front of Juho's eyes.
”Why now, though?”
The book wouldn't be released until much later, when Juho also was much older. 'Maybe this is when he starts writing it? Or did something change? Did Mr. Lim improve his writing even further somehow?' A wave of thoughts rushed into Juho's mind. Then, the young author looked at the painting in one of the rooms upstairs. Upon realizing that he could read the book once again, a smile grew on Juho's face. The fact that he could be part of the birth of such a legendary book blew Juho's mind. Then, hearing Hyun Do coming into the house, Juho straightened himself and went downstairs to greet him.
”You're back.”
Staring intently at Juho's face, he asked, ”Did something good happen?”
”Why do you ask?” Juho asked, playing coy. Raising an eyebrow, Hyun Do said, ”You're smiling.”
At which point, Juho decided to tell the truth, ”Well… Maybe,” smiling. Even while Hyun Do talked about the cloudy weather, Juho was in high spirits.
”Aren't you going to write? I've never seen you write,” Juho asked the next day.
”There's no rush,” Hyun Do replied.
”Right.”
Juho was well aware that not all authors wrote as fast as he did. Rubbing his hands together anxiously, Juho asked, ”Do you think I could borrow some ma.n.u.script paper, Mr. Lim?” itching to write. Hyun Do nodded affirmatively.
”Take as many as you'd like,” he said, pointing to a corner in his writing s.p.a.ce, where the stack of ma.n.u.script paper was being kept. Taking the sheet of ma.n.u.script paper at the very top, Juho hurried out of the room.
”Going somewhere?”
”I'm sorry?”
Hyun Do pointed in a certain direction. As Juho stared at Hyun Do's fingertip, he felt his back growing damp with cold sweat.
”You mean here?”
”Do you not want to?”
Juho didn't know what to say. He didn't really have a reason not to stay in the house either. He still remembered why he had come to Hyun Do's house in the first place. On the other hand, Hyun Do had a mischievous smile on his face. Juho glanced at the sheet of ma.n.u.script paper under the floor chair, which was still at the same place. 'I guess that's where it belongs,' Juho thought.
”I figured that it'd be more convenient for you.”
”Don't mind if I do,” Juho said, sitting on the floor chair. Since there was nothing on the desk, there was plenty of s.p.a.ce. Juho grabbed a pen. 'I didn't think I'd be writing in front of him,” Juho thought. He wasn't expecting that he'd be writing in the presence of the literary great before seeing his writing process.
”You don't mind me sticking around, do you?”
”Not at all,” Juho said. However, he was actually quite nervous. Wavering and unsure. After brus.h.i.+ng his hand down the ma.n.u.script paper, Juho said, ”Here goes nothing.”
”All right.”
Unlike his usual posture, Juho buried his head, almost as if diving into the paper. He moved his hand without thinking of a story to write. 'I have to think about this.' However, he couldn't stop his hand from moving for some reason. Hyun Do remained silent amid the sound of the friction between pen and paper reverberating through the room. For the first time, the silence felt heavy and uncomfortable to Juho. As Hyun Do watched every single word the young author was writing, Juho's hand started to grow ice cold. Idle thoughts started taking over his mind. By the time the young author had started to have a bad feeling, it was too late. In the end, for the first time in a long time, he had made a rookie mistake.
”Is it about a crow?” Hyun Do asked as Juho put the pen down and looked up.
”Yes,” Juho replied, feeling p.r.i.c.ked in the heart. The story was about the crow he had seen at the beach the day before, cawing frivolously. Believe it or not, crows were intelligent animals.
”Do you think you did well?”
Looking down at his writing, Juho replied, ”I think it's a failure.”
”Is that so?” Hyun Do asked calmly, which made it even more painful to hear.
Clasping his head, Juho let out, ”A crow turning into a squid? Seriously?”
It was completely incoherent, even in Juho's eyes. There was no substance or meaning. Juho observed the expression on Hyun Do's face, which seemed calm and unfazed. Despite having read Juho's ma.n.u.script, the literary great remained silent.
”I'm surprised that you're not saying anything.”
As Hyun Do gave him a puzzled look, Juho explained using an example he knew well, ”Mr. Moon would laugh, get mad at me, or beg me to do better.”
”I don't know if any of those things would help in this case.”
Juho looked at him, unsure of what he meant. At which point, Hyun Do opened his mouth and said, ”If I said that I didn't like it, would you change it?”
Juho rubbed the back of his neck, reluctant to do so. However, there was only one reason why he would make changes to his writing.