Chapter 77 – Smooth Sail ###
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
A group of people stood in a circle inside the meeting room, each wearing a serious look. In the center, were the four designs that were candidates for the book cover of Yun Woo's next book.
"Not these two."
The choices were narrowed down. The two remaining designs were in contrast of one another even in their overall color scheme. Blood and ash. On the left, there was a glossy cover with a white cloth waving in the red background. On the right, there was a matte cover with an empty chair and a bird on a gray background. The design on the left evoked the image of the mother, the protagonist, whereas the design on the right signified the overall tone of the book. Zelkova had received many praises for their book designs. Rightfully so, both were equally beautiful.
"Shall we?"
It was a meeting to determine the cover design for Yun Woo's next book. Everyone looked serious. In that tense atmosphere, the editor-in-chief broke the ice, "I think I like the one on the left. It matches the mother. The red and white really stand out too."
Having been thinking the same, Nam Kyung nodded quietly, but at that moment, Mr. Seo said, "I'm voting for the one of the right. The strongest emotion I felt while reading this book was regret. It had a bitter aftertaste. As long as the cover has the name 'Yun Woo' on it, I don't think it would be a bad idea to go with a calmer design. The illustration is at the center too, so it gives balance."
Nam Kyung nodded once again. Mr. Seo had a good point. Nothing promoted the book more than the name 'Yun Woo.' Yet, books had always benefited from promotion, and the design on the left definitely stood out. Nam Kyung contemplated his options. He wanted to use both if possible.
"I prefer the left one," said Ms. Song. "The mother is the protagonist. I like that it implies her unfortunate demise. Besides, it really jumps out."
"Right," the editor-in-chief agreed.
'I guess we're leaning towards the left,' Nam Kyung thought. At that moment, Mr. Maeng raised his hand as if he had an objection to make.
"I prefer the one on the right. Like what Mr. Seo said, I think the name of the author and the fact that it's Yun Woo's next book would be enough to catch people's attention. Besides, this design is closer to the book's overall feel – sad and calm."
Ms. Song quickly made an argument back, "It's true, but the mother is the protagonist. From that point of view, I think the left stays more true to the book."
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It was a tight debate, and everyone glared at the two designs on the table.
"I think the book embodies enough loneliness. Assuming that the purpose of the cover is to lead the readers into its loneliness, then I think the left one is a better choice."
Mr. Seo objected, "We can't disregard the fact that the cover serves the purpose of representing the book as a whole."
"Isn't the white cloth already representative of the book? I think we should focus on the mother."
"The characters are important too, but we can't set aside the emotions either."
"Who said anything about setting anything aside? It's just as potent as the emotions. At the same time, it really sticks out."
"But the name Yun Woo would already be eye-catching."
"We can't make it too plain just because his name is on it either."
"It may not be as stimulating, but I wouldn't say that it's necessarily plain."
Everyone discussed passionately. It was a familiar sight. Nam Kyung turned his eyes away from the people to look at the two designs. There was a bird on one of them.
A bird. Much like the first book, a bird appeared in "The Sound of Wailing' as well. Its significance would be up to the reader's interpretation. To Nam Kyung, it signified the hope that the protagonist had once held onto. A pair of wings born from her hope of meeting her baby. A pair of wings big enough to embrace both of her children. A pair of wings that she couldn't have. Those were his interpretations. Like the editor-in-chief, Nam Kyung, too, had wanted the image of the protagonist to be reflected on the cover. After all, she was rather charming.
'Wouldn't that bird be reminiscent of the mother?' he thought.
"In my humble opinion," Nam Kyung opened his mouth amid the commotion, and everyone stopped talking.
"Right, let's hear your opinion. You're the editor of the book," Mr. Seo said as he gestured to Nam Kyung.
"I think the bird would be better suited," Nam Kyung said in the somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere. The editor-in-chief listened intently.
"I interpreted the bird to be the representation of the mother. Even if it's not accurate, it would make sense to anybody who had read the book."
"That is true. I interpreted it as motherly love," said Ms. Song. The editor-in-chief nodded quietly. Having read the book himself, it made sense to him. The bird portrayed not only the mother, but also her loneliness.
"Well then, should we go with the bird?" he asked after a brief silence. There were no further objections, and the meeting finally came to an end. Nam Kyung walked out of the meeting room and headed toward the lounge. He was exhausted. As he reached for a bag of green tea, Mr. Maeng approached and asked, "Could you take a look at the sales report for all bookstores?"
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"Leave it on my desk. I'll look at it later," Nam Kyung answered with a yawn.
"Busy, huh?" Mr. Maeng asked, looking in his direction.
"This is what it's like to be Yun Woo's editor."
"Hehe... well, good luck."
With a pack of instant coffee, Mr. Maeng left the lounge. Meanwhile, Nam Kyung sat on the bench to cool his head and organize his thoughts. He thought about what needed to be done in the future. 'Print shop, temporary binding, and check for misprints 'til the very end." The sound of an industrial printer lingered in his ears. Though it would have been ideal if books were made perfectly, there were always misprints. After all, the machine still had to be operated by a human. It wouldn't even be odd if something were to happen. That was why he was thought of by many to be ridiculous. From the kind of ink and paper to the book design and title, there were simply too many choices that needed to be made as an editor.
"I should go for a walk."
He walked out of his office and headed to the street. There were buildings, cars, people and pigeons around him. Although walking in the vicinity, nothing really caught his eyes. The walk wasn't very helpful to him. So, soon, he headed back to his office. As turned the corner, he saw the editor-in-chief on his smoke break.
The chief saw Nam Kyung and gestured for him to approach.
"How are things with the copies?"
"I even came out for a walk like Yun Woo, but I'm getting nothing," answered Nam Kyung, shaking his head. 'Good thing I'm an editor, not an author,' he thought.
"Well, hang in there. Try walking around some more."
"Being Yun Woo's editor is exhausting."
Coming up with a press release for Yun Woo wasn't easy. It couldn't be awkward. Nam Kyung didn't even think about writing like Yun Woo, but it still had to be on a respectable level. It had to suit his book.
As he flicked the ashes off of the cigarette, the editor-in-chief shared his impromptu idea, "Yun Woo, the handsome genius is back with his perilous tale. He will not disappoint."
"Eh... I don't know."
"You sound like you want to work overtime."
"The bestest of ideas, sir."
The editor-in-chief laughed with his hand in his pocket.
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"I don't expect anything as distinct as Mr. Woo's writing, but it'd be nice to have something with character still," he said in passing. Nam Kyung nodded as if he had been looking for the very same thing.
"That's why I pushed for a design that was more stimulating to the eyes. It's clear and powerful, like Mr. Woo's style."
"It's too late to look back now, unfortunately."
"Well, now that I think about it, the gray wouldn't have looked that bad. It reminds me of cigarette smoke," he said as he shook his hand. The cigarette followed its movement. At that moment, Nam Kyung's eyes fixated on the hand.
"The smoking scene was rather shocking."
"When I read it, I thought Mr. Woo was an adult for a moment."
The book portrayed the smoking mother in great detail. While it described the mother's appearance from the narrator's point of view, it also revealed the life she had been living. Her life resembled the smoke of a cigarette – stinging and in vain.
"Me too."
They looked back. Mr. Seo was just returning to the office. The dark circles underneath his eyes were telling of his busy schedule. Being in the sales department, he was busy with organizing advertisements and events, as well as visiting bookstores and interacting with his clients. Especially in the current season, his workload doubled the usual amount. Nam Kyung exchanged a nod with him in greeting. It was apparent how exhausted he was.
"That's how vivid it was. It almost sounded like a middle-aged man who had been smoking for the last decade," he added. He had a pack of cigarettes in his hand. Like how Mr. Seo had described, the scene was quite vivid as Yun Woo's style tended to be. For that reason, the mother's life came as a shock all the more.
"I wonder if there's a sentence that has to do with cigarettes," he muttered.
"Cigarettes?" Nam Kyung asked as he quickly lifted his chin, startling Mr.Seo. "Honestly, I've been having the same thought," he answered with a smile as he spread out two fingers.
"There's something about it that gives off a dangerous vibe, like cigarettes. There's an element of danger in this book. Once you get a taste for it, you can't stop it, even knowing that you're rotting from within."
'An element of danger.' Nam Kyung felt like he was onto something.
"I should head back now, enjoy your smoke."
"OK, I'll see you inside."
Mr. Seo casually headed back to his office, and Nam Kyung kept on thinking.
'Cigarette. Element of danger. What about something that sounds like a warning? 'Smoking may be harmful to your body. Would you still do it?' Something to that effect. Smokers don't stop even after reading a warning like that.' Nam Kyung took a branch and wrote a sentence on the dirt. He felt the editor-in-chief looking in his direction.
"Are you prepared for regrets?"
At that moment, he felt something heavy on his shoulder. It was the editor-in-chief putting his hand on Nam Kyung. They smiled at one another. Yun Woo's new book was smooth sailing.
*
"I can't sleep," Juho muttered as he sat up on his bed. He had been struggling to sleep because the release date was merely hours away. 'Tomorrow. After tonight, my next book will be out. It'll be out for all the world to see.' He felt worried but excited at the same time. A strange feeling entangled his body. Closing his eyes or taking deep breaths couldn't contain his excitement.
He opened the window. There was no breeze. The sun was already down. There was no moon nor stars, and the sky was filled with nothing but a gaping darkness.Chapter 78 – A Unseen Scenery ###
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
'Am I anxious?' Juho asked himself. After having drowned in the river, "The Sound of Wailing" was a book that he had barely managed to write. Prior to that, his second book had been the beginning of his downfall. Now, he was revisiting that moment for the second time.
"This doesn't feel real." Juho tried to think out loud. None of it felt real. He felt no anxiety, restlessness, or even excitement. His right hand started to feel numb.
He looked up at the dark sky. As it swallowed everything whole, it seemed to have done the same with the sky. It was silent. No sound came out of Juho's tightly clenched lips, not even the sound of breathing.
It had been in an environment like that where he'd written his second book. Writing at night was not always the best choice. Darkness tended to hinder vision. Naturally, if there was nothing to be seen, one would find himself in high spirits. What felt like a masterpiece at one point became unveiled by the morning sun, revealing its true, pathetic nature. In some cases, it accompanied feelings of pain and misery. Yet, Juho had written at night, and school hadn't been his only reason for it. He had wanted to take advantage of its nature. Darkness hid everything, including the burdens from the past.
The dark of the night felt somewhat awkward without a pen in his hand. He lay on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. Sounds that were once distant started to make their way back. Things that were trapped within the dark slowly revealed themselves one by one. The clock's hand ticked away, and he heard someone approaching. It became more and more vivid as he closed his eyes. Everything in the room was making a sound.
'Caw! Caw!' Juho opened his eyes at the sound of crows. The bright morning sun was illuminating his room.
"Ugh," he grumbled. He had stayed up all night. "The book is here!"
The publishing company had sent Juho a fresh copy of his book. No one was home, so he reached into the mailbox and took out the book. There was a bird with a chair in a gray background on the cover. "The Sound of Wailing." The weight of the book in his hand had quite a presence. On the back, there was a testimonial from Dong Gil and an excerpt from the book. There was also a phrase written on the binding of the book that read 'Are you prepared for regrets?' It wasn't half bad. At that moment, his phone rang.
"Did you get your book?"
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It was Nam Kyung.
"Why, yes, I did."
"What do you think?" he asked.
Juho smiled quietly. From its weight to its thickness, everything felt just right. Even as he conversed with Nam Kyung, the book never left his hand. After the brief phone call, Juho made his way back into his room with his book. The room was just as messy as when he left it. It showed that no one had come in after him. He quietly stared at the scenery of his room as he stood by the door. His heart was racing. His hand slowly brushed downward from his mouth. 'I really am back.'
He realized that he was living through the time of his downfall once again. Slowly, he opened the book. It was rigid, but smooth at the same time. Putting his nose onto it, he inhaled deeply. The smell of ink helped him finally realize that it was all real. He had written a new book. His last attempt at writing a second book had led him to his downfall, but this time, he had written a completely different book. His heart was throbbing with excitement.
It was daytime, when everything revealed its true shape. The feelings that had been hiding in the dark slowly rose to surface one by one. 'It's this book. What I wrote after drowning in the river, it's all in here,' he thought as he brushed his hand across the book. It was real. He had done it. He had successfully written a second book. That alone brought him an enormous sense of relief, and he couldn't help but laugh.
He had finally finished it. Until he reached the finish line, he'd been wrestling with a lump of emotions. There had been nothing certain in that lump, and he had been repeatedly trimming it while occasionally setting it aside. He had stayed up night after night to see to its completion while meeting and remembering countless people, revisiting the emotions he had had with them. He had felt overwhelmed. "The Sound of Wailing." Gray background. A bird and an empty chair. Everything about it was new. It was his newly written story. It was proof. Even if the book didn't do well, it still wouldn't be the same failure he experienced before. He wasn't living through the same past. As he put his book on his desk, his sweaty palm attached itself to the cover of the book. The coolness in the air quickly filled the gap as the hand detached. He took a step back and looked at the papers and letters that filled the room along with his pens and books. Within the mass, the new book.
"The completion of a unseen scenery."
Juho laughed for a good while as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He was in a great mood. Looking at the finished product, a sense of relief overtook him. No other thoughts entered his mind amid the euphoria. He sat on his chair and leaned back on the backrest, staring intently at the book on his desk.
His face fell onto the desk. As he felt the texture of the cover, its coldness slowly dissipated. On the other hand, his red flushed, face grew colder.
Now was the time for evaluations. The time had come for him to hear what the readers and critics thought of and how they interpreted his hard work.
With a sluggish movement, he reached for the power switch on his computer. Its mechanical whirring grew louder and louder. He hadn't noticed the sound before.
While he had his head down, the light from the screen shone onto his face. With a slight pain in his eyes, he moved his mouse and opened the internet browser. His eyes were met with a list of "most searched keywords."
'1. Yun Woo.'
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He moved his cursor onto it and clicked it. There weren't any reviews or columns on the book as of yet. It would take some time to read through an 800-page, full-length novel. The news of Yun Woo coming out with a new book had been enough to attract the attention of the masses. His heart pounded. While he had finished his book, things weren't quite over just yet.
'Caw!' a crow sounded from the outside.
—
"Let me help you with that."
Many people would line up to buy from a slew of books being sold at the bookstore. Often, they would choose a book based on plot, cover, an epilogue or testimonials, publishing company, or the name of the author. Bookstore were full of such people, and Juho was one of them. As a customer, all he had to do was to pick a book and pay. Yet, he didn't pick a book. The reason for his visit wasn't to buy a book. Trying not to look suspicious, he carefully approached the section where Yun Woo's books were being displayed.
"What's this book?"
"Oh, yeah! I've heard good things about it."
"I like the cover. It's pretty!"
"You need to read what's in it, you know."
There were sounds of people talking. Juho stood in a corner while pretending to look at the books on the shelf, keeping his ears open.
The display rack near the cashier was a spot that was particularly crowded. It was one of the first places that people saw as they walked in. There, 'The Sound of Wailing' was on display.
A woman picked up a copy from the rack. The book wobbled in her hands. Another lady beside her said, "That's Yun Woo's new book, right?"
"Yep. It came out so soon, too!"
"I guess people don't call him a genius for no reason."
She examined the book in her hand, its cover and binding, opening it for a brief moment before closing it again, then flipping it. She read the excerpt in the back of the book and turned her eyes to the testimonial from Dong Gil.
"This sounds interesting. It sounds like it's about a mother?"
"A mother huh? It kind of sounds predictable. Maybe it's about motherly love."
"Maybe... Wait, look at this," one of them said as she showed the cover to her friend. "Apparently it's going to make me regret. Maybe it's not entirely about motherly love."
"Pff. What if you don't?" her friend said as she picked up a copy for herself. After scanning through the book, she seemed to have decided to buy it.
"I'll just call the publishing company if I don't find myself regretting after reading it."
"What are you going to say?"
"I didn't regret. I'd like for you to tell me what Yun Woo looks like as reimbursement."
"Haha! I'd be pretty dumbfounded if I were them, but speaking of that, I am curious as to what he looks like."
The two headed straight to the cashier. Having overheard their conversation word for word, Juho felt the corners of his mouth turning up. He felt a sudden urge to walk up to them and say, 'this is what Yun Woo looks like.' As he watched the two women walk out of the bookstore with their books in hand, he imagined how things would turn out if he were to reveal his identity. 'Probably not wise,' he thought.
"So, this is the book I've been hearing so much about!"
That time, a middle-aged man and a woman who looked to be his wife approached the display rack. Juho got closer to them to listen to what they were saying. Again, he pretended to be looking at books, trying to look as natural as possible.
"Honey, do you know about this?" the wife asked.
"Oh, yeah! Yun Woo? That's our daughter's recent celebrity crush, isn't it? She's always talking about how handsome he is when she's never even met him in person," the husband said with apparent bitterness. On the other hand, the wife had a cheerful smile.
"Kids tend to be like that at that age. They tend to be led my emotions, and that's how they learn to see the unseen."
"Eh... I've read 'The Trace of a Bird' myself, and this kid is no good for our daughter. He's cowardly. He doesn't know how to face difficulties like a man. Our daughter would had a miserable marriage if she were to marry a guy like him."
"You make it sound like Yun Woo wants to marry our daughter. Haha!"
Juho smiled as he listened to their conversation. The father seemed to have assumed that the protagonist, Yun, was the direct translation of its creator's actual personality. As absurd as it was, he couldn't be the only reader who thought that way. One naturally tended to look for the author's personality in his writing.
After each picking up a copy, the two headed toward the cashier. Juho thought as he looked at them standing in line, 'What would they think of me after reading 'The Sound of Wailing?' Would they think of me as someone twisted and destructive like the mother, or a loner like the son? If neither, would they think of me as the clown who only knows how to mimic others?'
Regardless of how they thought of him, he didn't want to be viewed as an amateur author who wrote subpar books. For a brief time, he turned his eyes to the book in his hand, which he had been stroking for some time. It was the book that he still hadn't finished transcribing, "The Winter."