373 An Elusive Moon 4 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”I'm sorry?” Juho asked, caught off guard by Hyun Do's remark.
”You didn't really want to go in the water, did you?” Hyun Do asked.
”...”
”When I saw you dropping the clams in your hands to jump in that water, you reminded me of Wol. I remember him doing just that.”
Blinking awkwardly, Juho stared at Hyun Do.
”That's why I suggested it to you.”
Then, the sound of fireworks rang in the distance and a musty whiff of gunpowder followed. As Juho remained silent, Hyun Do made the suggestion once again, ”Give it a try,” just like when they had been at the beach. Resisting the urge to say yes, Juho gathered his breath and said, ”Frankly, I want to say yes. As soon as I started reading that book, I felt that I needed to finish it.”
However, the young author hadn't acted on his impulse.
”... But, something told me that it isn't that simple.”
”Well, if that's what you think, then so be it. So, have you made up your mind?”
”Yes, I have,” Juho said, brushing his hair up. There were no certainties. His mind was still in disarray, even when he opened his mouth speak. Nevertheless, the young author forced himself to give the answer.
”I'll do it.”
”Your reason being?”
”Because I want to.”
Hyun Do chuckled at the young author's rather unremarkable answer. The next day, Hyun Do packed his bag and made his way to Seoul for the first time in a long time. Looking at the road filled with cars, Juho walked with Hyun Do, who whispered to him, ”You might wanna look forward when you walk.”
”They're selling steamed corn over there,” Juho said, looking toward an old lady who was setting up her cart. Remaining unfazed, Hyun Do went ahead. When Juho walked past the old lady, he realized that the pile of steaming corn smelled somewhat different from the one in front of the grocery store near Hyun Do's house.
”I'm getting nervous.”
”About?”
”You know, Mr. Lim.”
After Hyun Do had promised the young author that he would show Juho the handwritten manuscript of the white book, Juho headed to Hyun Do's office in Seoul in order to receive the manuscript from him. Although Juho was carrying a large bag along, the thought of seeing Wol's handwritten manuscript made Juho forget all about the inconvenience of having to drag it around.
”You might not wanna get your hopes up.”
”How can I not?”
As Hyun Do walked with his hands behind his back, Juho asked while following him quietly, ”Can I really go there, though?”
”Do you not want the manuscript?”
”Oh, no. It's nothing like that.”
Juho remembered Hyun Do's phone call with his editor prior to coming up to Seoul. They had made plans, which meant that the young author would most likely run into the editor if he were to go with Hyun Do.
”I hope I'm not intruding on anyone,” Juho said.
”You're not. Besides, you won't be staying for that long.”
”That is true.”
”It'll be fine. My editor wants to meet you too.”
”Is that right?”
Hyun Do's editor was the editor-in-chief of one of Zelkova's competitors. Juho still remembered the disappointed look on Nam Kyung's face after losing a contract to a competing company. For the time being, as Hyun Do calmly led Juho through the building, Juho followed him without question.
”Is it here?”
The office looked quite different from his residence at the beach. However, the atmosphere was nearly identical: achromatic. At that moment...
”Pleasure to meet you!”
… A voice greeted the young author as Juho stepped into the office. When he looked toward the voice greeting him, he saw a man sporting a peculiar-looking mustache. As the editor handed the young author a business card, Juho glanced at it and put it in his pocket. With a big smile on his face, the editor said, ”I've tried to get a hold of you a number of times, even when I didn't know what you looked like.”
”Yes, I remember turning down all manuscript requests back then,” Juho said. He still recalled being bombarded with manuscript requests when he had just debuted as an author. Of course, he had had various reasons to turn them all down.
”It was like going through a breakup,” the editor said.
”Come grab a seat, you two.”
It wasn't until Hyun Do offered the two a sit that Juho was able to set his luggage aside. Puzzled by the luggage, the editor asked, ”Are you coming back from a trip?”
”Yes,” Juho said, trying to be deliberate with his words.
Then, the editor said in a friendly manner, ”You must like to travel! I was in Siberia, getting a train tour of the place. It was amazing!”
”You don't say?”
”Where did you go, Mr. Woo?”
Juho looked toward Hyun Do as though seeking advice on how to answer that question. However, Hyun Do looked at the young author as though it didn't matter.
”I stayed with Mr. Lim for a little while,” Juho said hesitantly.
”...”
Juho noticed the editor's mustache changing shape.
”You mean at Mr. Lim's residence?” the editor asked.
”Yes…?” Juho said, hoping that they were thinking of the same place. Then, looking betrayed, the editor called out to Hyun Do, ”Mr. Lim! I thought you didn't take visitors?”
”I can't concentrate when you're around.”
”I told you! I make a great assistant!”
”I don't need an assistant.”
As Juho chuckled quietly, the editor asked as his eyes sparkled with interest, ”What made you go all the way there, Mr. Woo?”
”Just because.”
”Just because?”
”That's right,” Juho said confidently, and the editor rubbed his mustache, puzzled. He didn't seem to buy the young author's answer entirely.
”Seeing as you even took luggage, you seem to have stayed with Mr. Lim for quite a while.”
”I wrote a book while I was there.”
”May I ask what it is about?”
”So, I saw this crow when I went to the beach with Mr. Lim.”
Then, Juho proceeded to give the editor a brief summary of the story, and the editor listened intently to the young author, maintaining a straight face throughout. Every time he nodded, Juho was able to imagine what he would looked like when reading a manuscript.