Chapter 62 – Who are You? (1)
Translator: – – Editor: – –
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
'Clunk.'
The bus rattled, and Juho woke up from the sudden impact.
'Yawn.'
He was on his way to the publishing district for a lunch meeting with Nam Kyung at the same restaurant from last meeting and looked around the bus to see how many more stops were left.
'Two more.'
He thought of Seo Kwang as he looked out of the window at the scenery zooming past. The night after he had indulged in pizza with Juho, he had asked his parents to send him to a private institute to learn English. His parents willingly accepted his request. Not many parents would stop their child from wanting to study more.
Since then, he had changed. Instead of reading books, he occupied himself with memorizing English words. What didn't change was that he still wasn't paying attention in class. In terms of writing, he worked even harder to improve his skill.
After the school essay contest, he had been gradually distancing himself from writing. He had struggled to finish his composition and spent even less time thinking. His skill had been solid from the sheer amount of reading he had accustomed himself to, but had wrestled with creative writing and hadn't bothered to overcome his weakness.
However, he had been fully aware that the cause of his weakness was in himself and had asked Juho to write sincerely, saying that he wanted to read what Juho wrote. So, Juho had written with all of his heart. As a result, Seo Kwang had lost interest in writing.
Now, he began to write again, just like he had before. No, he was working even harder.
The reason he had picked up his pen had been simple. He simply had found a purpose, a new purpose to write.
Juho thought of the day when he shared that purpose with him in person. They had been on their way to the science room together.
"Hey," he called for Juho, who had been walking ahead. Juho stopped and looked back.
"Yeah?"
Seo Kwang looked up at his eyes from where he stood and said determinedly, "I'm going to be translator."
It had been his resolution and desire. A freshman in high school, he had finally found something that he wanted to do after his breakthrough after the Ginger incident.
He had decided to commit his life to translating until the day he couldn't work anymore. He wanted to be a translator who enabled people to have access to more books.
Juho looked down from where he stood and saw that Seo Kwang had never been so determined before.
"So, you go ahead and be a writer."
"Why?" Juho asked after a brief moment of silence.
"Your writing tends to move people. Look at how I turned out."
"Isn't that because of your first love?"
Ads by Pubfuture
"OK, now you're pouring salt on an open wound," he said sternly. Then, he stopped Juho as he tried to walk away. "You should be a writer. I want you to. It's not like you want to do anything else."
"Well... I'm not sure. It's not like I can be a novelist just because I don't have anything I want to do, you know?"
"So, you're not going to be a writer?" he asked.
"I didn't say that."
He was already a writer. He had already made his debut and had his book released. However, that hadn't been his end goal. There were limits to being a novelist, and Juho didn't want his life to be under such restrictions.
He slowly opened his mouth and proclaimed, rewarding Seo Kwang for sharing his future goal honestly, "I want to be great."
"What?"
"It might sound somewhat childish and exaggerated, but that's the kind of thing I want."
For a while, Seo Kwang seemed dumbfounded.
"Well, then be a great writer. A great storyteller," he said with a smile.
"Haha. What makes you so desperate for me to become a writer?" Juho asked as he laughed at the sound of the word he had become so familiar with.
"It's so that I can translate your books. That's my goal," Seo Kwang answered.
"That's kind of silly."
"What did you say?"
"We should get going. We're running late."
"I said what did you... Hey, hey!"
'We ended up being late, and Mr. Moon looked daggers at us,' Juho reminisced as he stared out the window. The bus started moving again toward the next stop.
From that point on, Seo Kwang would change even more. It was not about whether or not he was going to be successful. There was a world of difference between someone with a goal and someone without one.
It hadn't been that long since he had started learning English, but Juho was certain that he was going to pick it up quickly. After all, Seo Kwang's skills with language were quite impressive.
He imagined Seo Kwang as a translator. It suited him quite well. 'What would it be like if he actually translated my books?' he thought. The books translated by Seo Kwang would reach all over the world. People who spoke other languages would laugh and cry as they read what he had translated.
However, it would be a while until that could happen.
As Juho looked up after organizing his thoughts, he rushed to press the stop button.
"Damn it! I missed my stop."
When he finally got out of the bus, he appeared in front of a publishing company. The restaurant had been long gone. The good news was that there was still time until their meeting, so he wouldn't have to worry about making Nam Kyung wait.
He was left with no choice, but to let Nam Kyung know.
'I'll meet you in front of your office,' Juho wrote in his text.
Ads by Pubfuture
At that moment, Nam Kyung was hearing about a strange man who had appeared in front of the office and hadn't even been aware of his phone vibrating on his desk.
Meanwhile, Juho made his way toward Nam Kyung's publishing company. There were cars parked here and there in the streets.
He checked his phone as he walked, but Nam Kyung hadn't responded yet. 'Maybe he's busy. I'm sure he'll still come out on time,' he thought to himself.
"Look, it's a fox!"
"I like bunnies more."
There was a family with children in the distance. A young boy and a girl each had a picture book in their hands. That must have been what the kids were talking about.
"No running! You'll fall and hurt yourselves!"
The kids were excited beyond control. They seemed like they couldn't be still. Juho heard their laughter from where he was and thought the sight of the little girl following after her brother was quite adorable.
He watched for a bit, but continued on after he remembered he had plans with Nam Kyung. His office was right around the corner, so there was no way that they would miss each other.
"'Scuse me."
'I should give him a call when I'm in front of the building.'
"Hey."
'Since I'm already here, maybe I should suggest going somewhere nearby. I'm sure he'll know a place.'
"Hello? 'Scuse me!"
Juho looked back to see who was shouting. Somebody must have been calling for him.
The first thing that had caught his eyes were a pair of old jeans worn by a man. He was somewhat chubby and seemed to be around in his forties.
"Me?"
"Yes, young man. Thanks for stopping," the man answered with a husky voice. For some reason, the formality in his speech didn't quite match his appearance.
"Where are you headed to, young man?"
"A publishing company," Juho answered somewhat suspiciously.
"What business do you have there?"
He didn't sound like he was criticizing. He was genuinely asking for his reason for going there.
'Who is this person? Is this a survey? Is he going to ask if I'm interested in enlightenment or buying something from him?' Contrary to his speculations, the man brought up neither of those things. Juho had wondered if he was a reporter, but he didn't seem to have a camera on him. 'Is he an employee for the publishing company? He doesn't seem like it...' he thought.
"Which publishing company were you headed to?" Seeing how Juho remained quiet, he rephrased his question.
"Zelkova Publishing Company, right over there," Juho said as he pointed at a building.
The man turned his head toward the direction Juho had pointed, and then turned back to look at him again. Juho was confused.
"If you don't mind me asking, who are you, ahjussi?" he asked as he stared back.
(TL's note: ahjussi means 'mister' in Korean, usually referring to an older man.)
His eyes sparkled. He seemed like he was certain of something. 'What's he so certain of?'
"I'm the director that you turned down," he answered brusquely before Juho even had time to think.
'Uh, oh!' His brain spun faster than usual.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about. Now, if you don't mind, I have a place to..."
"Mr. Yun Woo."
"Haha! Yep, you hear that name everywhere nowadays," he gave a nonsense answer as he slowly stepped back. He couldn't decide whether he should run or try to strike a conversation with him.
'What's a director doing in front of a publishing company? Is he here to see me? Then, I should probably try to talk to him at least...' He contemplated. He studied the director's face to see if he had come to express his resentment towards being turned down, but rather than anger, there was nothing but certainty. He seemed certain that Juho was Yun Woo.
'How did he know? It's not like it's written on my face,' Juho thought.
"You were looking at that family over there just now, right?" the director asked as a way to keep Juho from running away. "An average high school student wouldn't look at a family like that. Not just high school students, but people in general. They would walk right past them because they're busy surviving. Unless they work in a field like the one you and I work in, they wouldn't bother. You're an author, am I right?" he explained his reason for thinking Juho to be Yun Woo.
The field, he must have meant a field of work that required an individual to make detailed observations in a regular basis. Regardless of field, there were occupations like that. One of them was being a writer. Being a director was probably similar. He had to have been observing Juho to reach his conclusion.
Juho stopped in his tracks. He had really come looking for Yun Woo. 'What are the odds?'
So, he had decided to talk to the director.
"What are the odds?" Juho admitted to the director's speculation.
"It was bound to happen. I've been coming here every morning to meet you," he said with a smile.
"Every morning?"
"Yes, right here. Whether it rained or snowed."
'How touching,' Juho thought.
At once, he continued as he set aside his jokes, "I apologize if I startled you. It's not pleasant to have a visitor when you had already turned him down before. But give me just a little bit of your time. I brought the scenario."
His coarse hands moved about in the air. His exaggerated movements were telling Juho that he was nervous.
"I'd really like to make your book into a movie, Mr. Woo. I've read it at least twenty times. I must do this," he said determinedly.
The fact that he had been waiting for him day in and day out had already been impressive. However, what really left an impression was the intense passion in his eyes. There was desperation behind them. It wasn't something Juho saw everyday.
"Well then, should we discuss more over tea?"
"That sounds great!" the director answered with a bright smile.
At that moment, Juho saw Nam Kyung in the distance. He was running and shouting something.
"Speak of the devil! There comes the editor. We should all go together. Huh... he looks like he's in a rush. I wonder what's going on."
Contrary to Juho, the director seemed to have an idea. "He must have heard about a strange man lingering around his office. I sensed that the employees there have been looking at me suspiciously for the last several days," he said nonchalantly.
Soon, Nam Kyung stopped as he gasped for air. He took turns looking at Juho and then the director.
"Why are you here? I've heard about a strange... Mr. Ju?! What are you doing here?!"
Sang Young Ju, that was his name.
Who are You? (2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
"I was told that he's here to meet me," Juho said to Nam Kyung as he struggled to understand the situation.
'Did you tell him who you are?' he asked with his eyes, and Juho nodded lightly.
At that, Nam Kyung's face lightened up. He had been hoping for a film adaptation and to work with Sang Young. Though it had been a bit sudden, the situation wasn't entirely undesirable.
As Nam Kyung and Sang Young greeted each other, Juho remembered what he had heard about Sang Young in the past. 'A baby bird,' that had been the description, 'a baby bird that was about to soar up to the sky.' Juho looked at him.
With his untidy beard, curly hair, and dusty jeans, his appearance was far from that of a baby bird.
"Now, should we go inside? We have a meeting room in the office."
"Sounds good. I was just about to think that it was hopeless when you turned me down without hesitation."
"You came a long way. The least we can do is treat you to a cup of tea," Juho said with a smile.
"Well then, I guess the only thing left to do is to convince you."
"My real name is Juho Woo. Please call me Juho."
"I'm Sang Young Ju. As long as you don't call me ahjussi, I'm OK with just about anything."
He must not have liked the sound of it when Juho had first called him that.
His reasoning was understandable. However, he was no more or less than an ahjussi to Juho at the moment. After all, Juho was a high school student. Still, after a quick thought, he said, "Yes, Mr. Ju."
'That should do it,' he thought. Sang Young seemed much more satisfied.
The three sat across from each other, and Juho carefully studied Sang Young from his place. He was someone who had come looking for Yun Woo without knowing whether or not he'd be able to meet him.
"I've gotta confess. Whenever I had time, I lingered around your office to meet Mr. Woo, but I'm not up to no good or anything."
Nam Kyung nodded and promised to explain things to his coworkers.
Sang Young's husky voice gave off a very strong impression. It sounded like it had been worn out from overuse. At once, Juho felt the desire for success in that husky voice.
After he had finished talking to Nam Kyung, he turned to Juho.
Ads by Pubfuture
"You really are a student."
"Haha."
Sang Young, too, had been studying Juho. He may have had a young face, but it was apparent that he was an author. Sang Young had already seen Juho's eyes as he carefully studied someone. They were the eyes of an author.
To meet Juho, he had decided to camp out in front of Nam Kyung's publishing company. Because Yun Woo was an alias, he didn't even know how to get a hold of him. Whenever a student walked past him, he stopped them to ask, "Are you Yun Woo?"
After dozens of failures, Sang Young was finally able to meet him.
Finally, he grabbed hold of the opportunity. Suppressing his urgency and anxiety, he focused on the prey before his eyes.
"So, how is it having success at such a young age?" he asked as if he were taunting Juho. Perhaps, he was testing him.
However, there was no jealousy in his question. In other words, no matter what Juho said in response, Sang Young wasn't going to perverse it into malice or jealousy. For that reason, Juho decided to give him an honest answer.
"Not so great."
"How so? I'd be on cloud nine if I were in your shoes."
Of course, Juho didn't get the impression that Sang Young was mocking. 'I like this guy,' he thought.
"Success is a good thing," Juho added.
"Then, what's the issue?"
"Me. I'm the issue."
Success, money and fame were not bad in and of themselves. Being known and seen by others was a good thing. The issue was with oneself. Nobody was big enough to bear such burdens. It hindered their sight and kept them from watching their steps.
"Success more than one can manage. It's much worse than failure. Although it's not about giving itself, it almost feels like you've been given something just so it can be taken away."
In the end, he had fallen and scraped his knees. He had dropped everything within his embrace. His burden had been so big that it would've taken ages just to pick up the things that had fallen on the ground. He had to stretch and improve his endurance.
"I see," Sang Young answered. "I think I can almost understand how you were able to write a book like that."
With that, he reached into his jacket to take something out. It was the scenario, and he placed it onto the glass table. 'Working Title: The Trace of a Bird.'
"While you were turning down all of the offers from various directors, including myself, I've been working on this. Please, take a look."
Juho looked quietly at the scenario.
"Did you write this personally?" he asked.
Ads by Pubfuture
"No, we have a writer, who is also my wife."
Now it made sense to Juho as to how Sang Young had been able to recognize him.
"She's gorgeous. Would you like to see a picture?"
Seeing his apparent devotion to his wife, Juho respectfully declined. He asked Sang Young instead of picking up and reading the scenario, "You said that you've read my book at least twenty times, correct?"
It was a very basic confirmation, but he was curious about the director's perspective toward his work.
"Yes. I know it's redundant for me to say, but it left me with a deep impression, and that's what has brought me here," he said with a serious face.
"I'm curious as to what you felt."
"It's dark, and then it becomes bright," he answered after a brief thought.
Like his coarse hands, it was an answer that fit his appearance.
"That's very concise."
"Isn't it accurate though?"
Though he sounded like he was emphasizing the visual aspect more, he wasn't wrong. The story did really get brighter in the end.
"As soon as I thought of that, I decided to make it into a movie," he added calmly.
He thought about the very end of the book. It was the part where the protagonist Yun resolved to face his fears. Although he had been reading, there were vivid images in his head. It had almost felt more vivid than a movie.
Before he knew, Sang Young had become Yun in his mind, experiencing the situation firsthand. He had been moved deeply as he connected with his emotions. As evidence, he had shed tears for the first time in years.
"Yun comes to face the sun in the end. He finally faces what he had been giving up. It left me with a strong impression," he said as he quietly observed Yun Woo. His real name was Juho Woo. He had been sitting there quietly as Sang Young complimented the book left and right, which was very unusual for a high school student. He had wondered if Juho was simply used to compliments, but there was no trace of arrogance in his expression.
From the way he had spoken earlier to his attitude at present, something was different about him.
'I suppose that's how he was able to write such a book.' Sang Young was all the more determined.
"Do you know why I have been turning down directors who want to make my book into a movie?" Juho asked calmly.
Sang Young knew it by instinct.
'This is it.' His answer would determine the outcome, so he closed his eyes briefly. He was desperate to convince that young author. Then, he opened his eyes as he clenched his hands into fists.
"A book and movie are innately different, from their names to their characters. There's bound to be a reason why a novel is a novel. I believe that novels are different from movies," Juho continued as he stared at Sang Young's fists.
Sang Young nodded. It was true that the two were inherently different.
He had never been the type to be desperate. The moment he had become a movie director, he had believed that his dream had already come true. From then on, the priority was to live a life without failure. His normal self wouldn't have bothered to think about adapting a novel into a movie. He wouldn't have thought twice about camping out in front of a publishing company just to meet the author. However, that book was different. It urged him, and it took him that far.
"You're right. There have been countless failures," he answered,
Regardless of the country, film adaptations had always been prevalent in the film history. Like what Juho had said, it might have been that a novel shone the brightest when it stayed true to its original form. Yet, Sang Young wanted to make every bit of 'The Trace of a Bird' into a movie because he had seen its potential.
"I'm aware, yet I still wanted to make your book into a film."
Juho looked at him, silently asking for a reason.
"I've learned that there are things that I seek in your book."
"What would those be?"
"Drawing near."
"To whom?"
"A person."
'A person.'
He continued, "I had seen the same light as Yun in the book. We had overcome his darkness together. Then, I realized that I was connecting with him. I was communicating with him. I was so proud of Yun and myself. It almost felt like I had become Yun."
Juho nodded as he urged him, "Please, continue."
"I'm a simple man. What I found at the end was pleasure. There's no sophisticated philosophy or anything like that. I seek after the pleasure in my work. My desire is that more people are able to connect and communicate with one another through my movies. I'll do whatever it takes to maximize that effect. The best actors and actresses, scenario, soundtrack, background, camera, anything." He looked at Juho's direction and didn't avoid making eye contact.
He continued as he slammed his hand down on the scenario, "I want more people to watch my movies. Even just one more. I want the audience to be happy. I want them to feel the life in the characters on the screen. I want them to be drunk with pleasure as they walk out of the theater."
The scenario underneath his hand crumpled up slightly.
"In order to achieve that, I need your permission, Mr. Woo," he said with his eyes fixed on Juho.
Juho thought for a moment, 'Why did I go such a length? What is it that I want to hear from this starving man before my eyes? What is it that I want to see?'
What Sang Young had been after was emotion.
There were no words or pictures to an emotion. It had no regards for logic. The moment one exchanged it with another person, it immediately grew in size.
It was no exception for the characters in a book or behind a screen. They came alive the moment the shared their emotions. They communicated with the audience as they revealed their own. In the end, there was pleasure.
That mystical experience was more than enough to charm people. One fell in love with a movie or a book as soon as he had such an experience. Their feelings puffed up and left them desperate to love something or someone. That was what Sang Young wanted to share with his audience. He wanted to create that moment with his own hands.
'Then what is it that I want?' Juho already knew the answer.
"Can you make it even more vivid than my writing?"
"Huh?" he asked with a confused look.
"Can you beat my work?" Juho asked seriously.
He wanted Sang Young's movie to captivate people even more than what he had writte