50 Chapter 50 - The First Encounter (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
At Juho's ambivalence, Seo Kwang asked as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard, ”What? Why? Who were the judges? Which competition were you part of again? You of all people though? You?”
”Hey, man. There's no need to be so nosy.”
”Well, it's just that… of all people…”
Sun Hwa glared at him, and Juho explained while Seo Kwang still wore a puzzled look on his face, ”I just didn't have enough time.”
Then, he put the spoonful of food in his mouth. For some reason, nobody was talking. He picked up a piece of kimchi from the tray and brought it to his mouth. 'Crunch. Crunch.' There was nothing but the sound of chewing for a while.
”Huh?”
Juho looked around at the prolonged silence. Sun Hwa was there with a slightly awkward look while Seo Kwang was still murmuring.
'Aha!'
Then, he understood the situation.
”I'm fine. Really. I did get something good out of it.”
”OK…”
For some reason, the response was still lukewarm.
'I can't think of a way to explain this. I'll just leave 'em be for now,' he thought as he chewed his food.
---
The next morning, he found a black plastic bag full of snacks on top of his desk. When he picked it up, he found a comic book underneath.
”The heroic story of a protagonist who overcomes the trials of his past.”
That's what was written on the back of the book. He started reading it, and it was actually not bad.
Soon, Seo Kwang arrived. Instead of a bag full of something, he had brought a bag full of questions, and Juho answered them light-heartedly, saying, ”It's fine. I wrote the rest at home. I wasn't even interested in the award anyway.”
At that, Seo Kwang's eyes lit up, ”Let me read it!”
”I don't know where I put it.”
”I'll find it. When are you free today? Can I come over?”
”Uh, no. Not for a while.”
'I have ideas for my next book in my room. If he sees it, he might find out that I'm Yun Woo. This guy's quick when it comes to reading and writing.”
He added as Seo Kwang was still in shock, ”I'll bring it to you later.”
”You promise?”
”Yep.”
After comforting Seo Kwang, he smiled as he looked at the comic book and the bag full of snacks. His friends were unstoppable.
”I should share this with the rest of the club members.”
Having read through the comic book between classes, he had a lively conversation about it with Sun Hwa. He had to spend significantly more time listening to her, but nevertheless, it was a fun time.
”I'm home.”
”Hey, I'm actually on my way out, so you'll have to eat dinner on your own. Don't forget the fruit!”
”OK. Be safe.”
When he got home, Juho changed out of his school uniform and sat himself in front of his desk with a cup of water. There were untidy stacks of paper to the side.
He was somewhat afraid to reach for them. 'This is going to be hard to read. It's going to be all over the place.' A composition written in the midst of an intense emotional experience was usually difficult to read later.
Still, he had to choose. He had to pick out bits and pieces to knit it into a story. He had to reach for a lump of clay that barely held its shape. He had to cut and trip to make something out of it, whether it was a person or an animal.
He leaned against the backrest and slowly relaxed his body, trying to replay the events in his head.
'There was a mother and her child. Daughter? Son? I can't know yet.' A doll without any facial features came to mind. It was wearing a name tag that read 'mom.' Juho approached her.
'The mother loses her grip on the stroller. The stroller rushes down the steep hill.' When he saw that, he became curious about the expression on her face, so he turned around and looked at her.
The woman without eyes, nose or mouth looked around as she recognized him staring at her.
He tried to talk to her.
”Aren't you going to go after the stroller?”
The doll didn't respond.
”Your baby is in there.”
She still didn't respond. Only, her stomach was slightly bloated. She was breathing in.
”Your child is in danger.”
The cloth on the doll puffed up. Air was trying to escape.
”Your baby might die.”
”Ah.”
The doll suddenly had a mouth but still no eyes or nose. Her dry lips moved about with her red tongue, ”Ah. Ah.”
”Look, the stroller fell.”
”Ah.”
”Can you hear the wailing?”
The mouth that opened was now splitting sideways. ”Ee. Ee.” The wind blew through the gap. ”Ah. Ee,” that was all she had said so far.
”Can you enunciate so that I can hear you better?”
”Ah. Ee.”
”Speak louder. Move your mouth more.”
”Ee. Ee. Ee.”
”She sounds like a broken cassette player,” he murmured in frustration.
Although her mouth was the only feature on her face, she still couldn't say anything. Juho was growing impatient and anxious at the eerie sight. He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He couldn't afford to overthink things.
”I'll wait here, so tell me.”
”Ah. Eu. Ee,” she moaned with her long, thin lips.