1 Chapter 1- Flowing river (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”How should I make a living?”
Just like any student would, Juho was worried about his path. Middle school was a stormy time in life. Grades were not a priority for him. At the same time, he had no desire to do anything with life. He was an average student without dreams or hopes, yet he still wanted to make a living somehow.
”How do I make a living?”
'Will I be able to take care of myself in the future if I become an adult, the father of a child, and then an old man?'
Juho thought there was no hope for him. If the future and the past began with the present, the answer was already clear. Losing sleep over his fear of the future only proved that answer.
The top-ranked student in his class had gotten the highest score in his class' exam yet again. A rebel with his tight uniform, he secretly worked a part-time job. Everybody was doing something, and they all looked cool.
Juho prayed every night before bed for the sun not to rise. After waking up, he would think about when the damn planet was going to end. Knowing that life would be a repetition of ambiguous days, he couldn't help but sigh.
Then, it appeared that he would escape from such monotonous daily life.
”Juho, this is huge!”
It was a precious weekend morning, and Juho had just answered the phone that had been ringing noisily. A man was on the other end of the call.
”What are you talking about?”
”Your books are selling like crazy! Your life is set now!”
”What?”
”Your award-winning novel is a hit! I knew it!”
Birds were chirping outside, and Juho's dirty scalp was itching like no other. Yet, the man on the phone was talking about the novel being a huge success.
'What in the world is going on?' Thought Juho.
”Hold on! The printing factory is calling. We'll talk again soon!”
'Beep.'
Even after the call, Juho slowly laid back on his bed with the phone in his hand.
”Must be a stupid dream.”
When we woke up, Juho found out that it had all been real.
He was an average Korean student, an average student who hated school, but still wanted to have money. He was a foolish student who would rather enjoy the present and procrastinate on things that he needed to do, at least until a few months back.
He realized that what he thought had been a dream was actually real and, after some time, he went to school.
The manuscript submission for the contest in July had been made into a book, and it was lying right in front of his eyes. Better yet, the book was selling like there was no tomorrow.
As Juho walked into a large bookstore, he noticed his book before many others. It wasn't because of his special affection towards his book, but because the copies were being displayed in the most noticeable spot, the bestseller corner.
ince he was young, Juho had a habit of reaching for his pen whenever something upset him. This habit eventually created a story that turned into a full-length novel.
Juho submitted his story to the contest without much thought. It wasn't because he aspired to be a novelist. He wasn't romantic enough to choose a career that didn't pay. He had done it on impulse and, perhaps, fear.
The book was basically Juho venting his anger. One could say that it captured the story of a youth despairing his aimlessness - not well off like a protagonist in a movie or a soap opera, not smart, not necessarily ugly, but not handsome enough to hold a candle to celebrities.
”I was exhilarated when I heard from the publishing company.”
For a while, Juho celebrated way too soon, but he quickly snapped out of it. The publisher was skeptical of whether the story would sell. Only a twisted or small number of sadistic perverts would get a kick out of another person venting his anger.
So, Juho decided to find a different path with the $50,000 he had gotten for the manuscript. He decided to find something that made it easier for him to make money.
'But how can this be?' Thought Juho.
The book was to be made into a TV show, a movie, and to be translated into seven different languages.
It was selling at an incredible rate, which meant that Juho was making an incredible amount of money.
'You really never know what's going to happen in life.' thought Juho.
Who would have thought a story written by an average-joe teenager would be so popular?
Juho saw people lined up at the counter to buy his book. It was an incredibly endearing sight. Life was good.
'Buzz.'
The phone was ringing in Juho's pocket.
”Hello.”
”Hey, Juho. I'm calling because of an interview.”
It was the editor. He was also the person who had been shouting over the phone in excitement about the success.
”Again?”
Ever since he became known, Juho was being pestered by reporters almost as much as a celebrity. He felt like a star at first, but nonetheless, it was overwhelming to deal with tens of reporters in a single day
”The Youngest Debutant in Literature is a popular title in many aspects. What do you want to do? We can turn them down if you're worn out. I understand that there's been a lot of interviews as of late.”
There was concern in his voice, and Juho took a moment and asked,
”What should I do?”
”I'm not sure. It's good to seize the opportunity at hand, but it's also good to back out when you can.”
”That's not very helpful.”
”All I'm saying is that you can never predict what follows after a choice. It's up to you.”
That was true. Who would have known that his impulse would bring him such fortune? No one would ever know other than an omnipotent god who might or might not exist somewhere.
After some consideration, Juho made up his mind after seeing people walking past him unable to recognize who he was.
'If I make myself known and become a celebrity author, I'd be able to make more money. It's not like I'm selling another person's book. I just have to suck it up even if it's hard.' thought Juho.
He saw the pile of books in front of him and the people who are buying them and was overwhelmed by a strong emotion.
”I'll do it.”
”Is that all right? Are you going to be OK?”
”Yes,” Juho reassured the editor as he questioned him repeatedly and walked out of the bookstore with confidence even though he fell several times looking back.
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