Chapter 32 (1/2)

Chapter 32 – What is Important

[ The Winner]

A Dumb Woman – Se Gunwoo

Tejin looked at the name Se Gunwoo.

It was definitely not an unfamiliar name, a name that just by looking at it, he s.h.i.+vered. He didn’t know that he would see that name on a Literary Contest that his son entered.

‘It’s not an uncommon name.’

Tejin got discomforted and turned away from the monitor. But then, he opened his eyes and touched the mouse.

‘Maybe his son used his father’s pen name.’

Se Gunwoo had a son. He was an old writer but after he made a huge mistake, he gave up writing and went up. His thoughts went over to this.

The news had all the contestant’s pictures.

Tejin looked at the Digital Literary Contest photo news and looked for Se Gunwoo’s name. He could find a person in their 20s, with his family and friends.

‘No, yeah, there’s no way.’

Now more comforted, Tejin had the thought to contact his son. When he called, Myunghoon answered quickly.

“Yes, father.”

“Good job.”

“…Yes?”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier. If you told me, then the entire family could have gone and congratulated you.”

“But it’s not the grand prize…”

“Come home early, eat dinner.”

“Yes.”

As he cut off, with a knock, Myungsuk came in. In his hands were samples from a SF writer that the company had planned.

“This is the samples that I told you in the morning.”

“Put in there. But did you know?”

“Yes? What did I know?”

“That Myunghoon entered the Digital Literary Contest or whatever.”

“No… I didn’t know.”

Myungsuk scratched his head and answered unconfidently. Tejin’s two eyes didn’t miss that.

“He won the runner up.”

“Runner up?”

“The name is Lonely Man of Seoul.”

“Ahah … yes.”

“You knew.”

Tejin’s two eyes glared.

Myungsuk, surprised, almost dropped the samples he was holding.

“I didn’t know that he was entering the Digital Literary Contest. But I knew that he was writing a story called Lonely Man of Seoul. He asked me to look over it, but I read it once.”

“Did you end it with just reading it?”

“Yes?”

“Is this something that Myunghoon written on his own.”

“Ye, yes. Father.”

“You’re sure?”

Tejin didn’t back away and asked again. Myungsuk fixed his gla.s.ses, coughed, and nodded his head.

“It was Myunghoon’s solo piece. He won runner up, we should congratulate him.”

“I get it, leave.”

Myungsuk left the office. Tejin was standing, looking out the window with a complicated expression.

…

“It’s cold.”

“That’s because you wore a t-s.h.i.+rt, you idiot.”

“I didn’t know it would be this cold. Here, I’ll take it,”

“It’s not heavy.”

“Just give it.”

Jaegun took the basket from Jaeyn’s hands. It held today’s dinner ingredients. Today’s main course was bossam.

“But maybe we bought too much meat.”

“We can eat it.”

It was one week since the ceremony.

Jaegun and Jaeyn were walking through the road, colored with autumn.

“Have you decided the cover?”

“Yeah, I told them a general outline. Since they are pros, they’ll get it done.”

“When’s the paper book coming out?”

“Maybe about a month?”

It was about the ‘A Dumb Woman.’

Only the grand winner from the contest could get their book into a paper book. All the others were only made for electronic books in the online market.

“You got your wish, brother. You wanted to make a book into a paper book that much.”

Jaegun grinned instead of answering.

There were reasons why he looked for paper books, even though they were costly most of the time. But was the writer’s dream. A touchable, openable paper book is more intimate than a figureless electronic book.

But there was a bigger reason.

He wanted to show to his dad, who was an old person.

His dad who was far from computers and phones.

Even now, his dad went to bookstores and bought paper books.

From that, he was dreaming of the day that he would find his son’s book in the new section and be moved.

“Wow, why did you buy so much meat? We’re only 4 people with your dad, who’s gonna eat this all?”

Myungja said the same thing when they went home. Jaegun answered as he put the basket down.

“You eat it today, you make other foods with it, you fry it, you make it into a stew and this will all disappear quickly.”

“But still, how much is this? You need to spend this where you need to…”

“Mom.”

Jaegun pushed his arm sleeves back and turned towards his mom.

“Don’t worry about money, your son got his place. This is only going shopping for food so why worry.”

“Ok, ok, wow, Acting strong because you won a grand prize. You’re gonna with the n.o.bel prize next year?”