382 The Crow Never Dies 3 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”What do you mean?”
”Wol Kang is an amazing writer. From I've heard, he wasn't as attached to his own writing as his fans were. Besides, you're doing a very exciting thing,” San Jung said, patting Juho on the shoulder and adding, ”I guess it's blessing AND a curse. Kind of like signing a contract with the devil.”
Just like she had said, Wol tended to be notoriously free-spirited.
”As an author, I think it's worth signing your life away,” San Jung said. Although her black clothes made the room feel mournful, there was life in the way she talked about death. Death tended to take on completely different meanings depending on whether it was described by a living or dead person.
Breathing in, Juho smiled and replied, ”Worth it indeed.”
As the reporter's laughter echoed through the room, San Jung rose from her seat in order to prepare for the interview, which was about to start soon. Before leaving the room, she said to Juho, ”Don't do anything extreme, though.”
At which, Juho shrugged.
---
”So, you were eating with people from Dong Baek Publishing?”
”Yes.”
The reporter nodded, writing down every word that came out Juho's mouth, which would eventually turn into sentences. Juho stared intently at the reporter's busy hands typing rapidly on the keyboard of his laptop. Yun Seo had previously told Juho that she had helped Wol write while he had been on his deathbed. 'What did she feel back then? Did she write like this reporter?' Juho wondered. Then, Wol Kang's voice echoed in his ears: ”Do you think you have what it takes?” All of a sudden, Juho couldn't remember how he had depicted death in his own writing, which made him question if his understanding of death was nothing but a hollow shell.
”Mr. Woo?”
”Yes?”
”So, what happened with that man at the restaurant?”
Seeing Nabi sigh, Juho sat up and focused on the interview.
”The folks from Dong Baek were very professional in the way they handled the situation.”
”Was that your first time coming across someone who actively disliked you?”
”Sure, I guess so.”
”You must have been pretty flabbergasted by the situation. BUT, from what I heard, you handled the situation calmly and without getting physical.”
”I would have gotten in big trouble if I had acted differently. That man was older than me.”
”I heard he was drunk?”
”Yes. Seeing as how he was completely intoxicated in broad daylight, I assumed he was celebrating something.”
Nodding, the reporter asked, ”So, did that incident affect your view of the project you're currently working on in any way? Did it motivate you to do even better to prove the man at the restaurant wrong?”
”No. Not really. I'm just trying as hard as I can like I always have,” Juho replied, bringing up the first thought that came to him.
Then, sitting up on his chair, the reporter brought up the subject that he had been wanting to talk about all along, ”So, you're picking up where Mr. Kang left off in his last book, right?”
”Yes, which is a tremendous honor.”
”You see, I happen to be a big Wol Kang fan. I can confidently say that nobody could possibly hate his writing. He was an incredible author.”
”I agree.”
”On that note, what do you think of Wol Kang?”
After a brief pause, Juho replied, ”Not only is he an exceptional author, but he's also one of my role models. I would've loved to meet him if he was still around.”
”You're still in the process of writing, right?”
”Yes, I am.”
”What's the progress on that? Did you find yourself getting stuck at any point?”
”I'm always hesitating on something.”
Then, with a brief chuckle, the reporter asked, ”You're known for being a fast writer, but it seems like you're taking your time with this particular project. Would you agree?”
”I'm not gonna lie. It turned out to be a lot harder than I originally thought. I never had to finish writing another author's book, let alone Mr. Kang's.”
”So, it's a daunting challenge even for Yun Woo,” the reporter said, his nostrils flaring. He seemed to be in a good mood. ”I can only imagine how pressured you feel.”
”Yes, very.”
”Do you think there's a chance that you won't finish? Say you just stop in the middle? Authors tend to write over a number of years when they're not under contractual deadlines.”
”I'm sure it's not entirely impossible.”
”You'd fall under a lot of criticism.”
”Well, if I can't do it, then I can't do it.” As the reporter opened his mouth to speak, Juho beat him to it, saying, ”But, that hasn't happened to me to this day.”
”Indeed. OK, why don't we talk about Hyun Do Lim a little bit?”
From then on, the reporter raved on and on about Yun Seo, Hyun Do, and Wol for nearly thirty minutes. As Nabi signaled to him that his time was almost up, the reporter reluctantly said, ”OK, this is the last question of the day.”
Trying not to appear exhausted, Juho nodded.
”If you found yourself in the same situation as Wol Kang, what do you think you'd do?”
”What do you mean?”
”What if you found yourself in crisis all of a sudden, while you're writing?”
Juho looked around by reflex. Every staff member there was looking at him. Clenching his lips tightly, Juho replied, ”I'd pour everything I have left into my writing.”
”So, you're saying that you'd finish it no matter what?”
Whatever he might be writing at the time, leaving an unfinished story behind was something Juho refused to do.
”Death can wait.”
As the interview came to an end, applause echoed from the staff. Juho rose from the seat. Since he had already expressed that he wasn't going to be at the dinner, Juho was able to leave without much trouble. Later, while he was waiting for Nabi, the reporter came looking for the young author. Although Juho tried to look away, the reporter was quick to catch on. Getting uncomfortably close to Juho, the reporter asked, ”So, how are things coming along?”
”What exactly?”
Studying Juho's face, the reporter asked, ”You didn't just start writing, did you?”
”You're very persistent, you know that?”