The Great Storyteller

Chapter 61: Chapter 61 – HongSam’s Confession (3)

Translator: – – Editor: – –

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

“Let me go get a drink of water.”

“Again? You’ve gone several times already. Calm down.”

“No, I feel like my voice is going to crack. I can’t let that happen when we’re meeting for the first time.”

“If you don’t want to go to the bathroom in the middle of a conversation, wait.”

“I guess so. I’m going to go to the bathroom really quickly then.”

Juho was trying to calm Seo Kwang down. They were waiting for Ginger in front of a large bookstore in GwangHwaMun. After sending her an honest email, she had written back the following day. Unlike previously, it had been written in English that time. Juho translated it. Though she sounded flustered, she was understanding. Seo Kwang wrote that she didn’t have to see him if she didn’t feel comfortable doing so, but she didn’t cancel their plans.

“How do you think this will go?”

“I’m not sure,” Juho answered calmly.

“I’m sure this is the end,” Seo Kwang said.

“Maybe of the feelings?” Juho answered as he looked at him intently.

Seo Kwang ruffled his hair and looked up, “I’m going to make the most of it while it lasts.”

With that, he focused on keeping his spirits up. He tried to concentrate on being an average teenager who looked forward to meeting a girl, and Juho didn’t say anything else.

Without getting any explanation, the club members looked at him weird.

“Did you finally lose your mind?” Sun Hwa said.

“I do feel like I’m getting close. This is a beautiful world we’re living in.”

Sun Hwa was at loss for words. Instead, she tapped Juho on the arm.

“Don’t ask me,” he said.

“Don’t you write anything like ‘I won’t let a drop of water touch your hand,’”Mr. Moon said after reading Seo Kwang’s composition.

Unlike Juho, who was chuckling, Seo Kwang answered with a bright smile, “Yes, Mr. M!”

He was a brave fellow, that one.

“Do I need anything else? Should I have a book in my hand or something?”

“No, you’re fine the way you are.”

“Yeah? What about my hair? Should I go put on some wax?”

“No, you’re fine.”

He must have asked those things at least several hundred times. Seo Kwang had been frantically fixing his hair and making himself look tidier. Meanwhile, Juho patted his tense, rigid back.

“You’re doing fine. Just be yourself,” he said.

“That’s the hardest thing for me at the moment,” he answered as he wiped his sweaty palm on his pants. “I don’t think I’ve been this nervous about meeting someone. It wouldn’t be this bad even if I was meeting God Himself.”

“That’s not nice.”

“I don’t have a religion, but I feel like now would be a good time to find one,” he said, and Juho prayed that he wouldn’t make a mistake in front of Ginger.

“How’s my breath? I brushed my teeth three times. You want a whiff?”

“Yo, get that away from me,” Juho said as he pushed Seo Kwang away.

“Try taking a deep breath. You’re going to be exhausted before you even see her.”

“I’m fine. Unusually fine. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, but how is that I don’t even feel tired?”

‘Probably because you’re excited,’ Juho murmured internally.

It seemed like Juho would have to have the same conversation with his friend a couple hundred more times before Ginger arrived. He looked around as time approached. She had said that she’d be wearing a green cardigan, but he didn’t see anyone with one of those yet.

“Isn’t it fascinating?” Seo Kwang said with a calmer voice.

“What is?”

“That I fell in love with someone I haven’t even met? Writing is amazing. It transfers emotions just as they are. It’s different from speaking.”

Juho nodded quietly.

Writing really was amazing. It made a bookworm fall in love with a girl. Being as tactful a student as he was, Seo Kwang wrote to her with awkward English and attitude.

“I’m going to apologize when I see her. This time, in person.”

“I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”

“Then, I’ll confess. I’ll tell her that I still like her. Not as the twenty-five year old HongSam, but as the seventeen year old Seo Kwang,” he said with determination and added, “I’m sure she’ll say no, but at least it’ll be in person.”

Juho thought of her emails. There had been forgiveness in her reply. She hadn’t cancelled their plans and she had said that she understood him. Then, she had said jokingly at the end, ‘I guess now you need to address me formally.’

As a person who had a deep interest in Korean culture, she must have understood the significance in speaking with formality. There would be a distance between them as noona and dongsaeng – older ‘sister’ and younger ‘brother.’ Things would never go back to the way they were when they would talk to each other as people of the same age.

Seo Kwang and Juho both understood that as soon as they saw that sentence in the email. After all, Seo Kwang had tact. Yet, he insisted on coming out to meet her. To be rejected once again. To confess to her one more time.

“I’ll buy you fried chicken. Let me know when you’re done,” Juho said quietly.

Seo Kwang’s face puckered for the first time.

“No, thanks. I have a feeling I’d be haunted by bad memories if I have fried chicken again. I love fried chicken too much. While you’re at it, buy me pizza instead.”

Juho nodded, although he was slightly confused. ‘If that’s what you want.’

“Alright. Whatever it is, I’ll let you eat to your heart’s content. Good luck!” he said.

At that moment, Seo Kwang saw a foreigner with brown hair walking toward him, wearing a green cardigan. ‘It has to be her,’ he thought as if he knew the face of his love. It was Ginger.

“I’m going to have myself the bestest day in my life,” he said as he took a step forward.

He was still nervous on the inside. Leaving his anxiety behind, Seo Kwang walked toward her. Juho watched them having a conversation from the distance. Seo Kwang was making exaggerated movements.

“First love.”

He let out a faint smile at the sound of those bittersweet words and thought about the excitement on Seo Kwang’s face. Then, he took a small notebook out from his pocket. In there, were a mother with her two children.

‘Love. She must have experienced it at some point in her life. There had to be a time when she had met her love for the first time.’ He felt the woman’s gloomy, aggressive appearance mellowing out a little bit.

It was a busy day at the publishing company. People worked while being surrounded by books. They read pages and pages of drafts while keeping in touch with the authors and deciding on the designs for the book covers. Amid the bustle of business, Nam Kyung was writing an email to the people who had shown interest in adapting Juho’s book into a movie.

It wasn’t uncommon for authors to turn down a movie adaptation offer. Every author had a reason for not wanting their book to be made into a movie. Juho was the same way. He’d made the decision because he’d had an opinion as an author.

As an editor, Nam Kyung’s job at that point was to respect the author’s opinion.

He looked through the inbox and the countless offers he had turned down. There were names of renowned studios and directors among them.

Sang Young Ju.

His hand suddenly stopped as he scrolled down the list. He had heard of that name from a movie preview show that aired every Sunday. In that week’s episode, they had introduced the directors.

Nam Kyung had paid little attention, even as the TV showed a climactic scene of one of Sang Young’s movies. He had never heard of his name or his movies before that.

However, although he’d never drawn millions of people to the audience or been invited to a film festival, his movies were simply gorgeous.

‘Why isn’t he known yet?’ It was Nam Kyung’s first question when he saw one of his movies.

‘It has to be time. It’s a matter of time before he spreads his wings as an director,’ he thought.

It was unfortunate that he had turned down such a talented director. He hadn’t realized it when he had written to the director, but the regret finally caught up to him.

“Maybe I should try bringing it up to Juho again,” he said and reached into his pocket to find his phone, but it was empty. ‘Where did I put my phone?’ he thought, looking through his messy desk. Because of that, he had completely missed out on the conversation between his coworkers.

“There’s a strange person outside.”

“A strange person?”

“I’m not sure, but apparently he’s just sitting still in front of the building.”

“Should we call the police?”

“I’m sure that security will take care of him.”

“I’m going to learn English,” Seo Kwang said as he shoved a slice of pizza into his mouth. He was completely incomprehensible, but Juho was able to understand somehow.

“Why?” Juho asked as he sipped on his Coke.

“I’ve made a promise.”

“What promise?” he asked as he chewed fiercely. The world might not have been such a beautiful place after all.

“That I’m really going to go visit her the year I turn twenty-five.”

“So, you two decided to stay friends?”

“Yeah! Friends! Friendzoned!” he said angrily as he chugged his Cola. He almost looked like he was drinking. “When I met her, she greeted me in Korean.” She had done so informally. “So, I greeted her back.” As agreed, he addressed her with formality. They had both been sincere in their promises.

He poked the cheese that had stretched out from the pizza and said, “So that’s why I’m going to learn English and let her know how I feel.”

“What?”

“‘Hi,’” he said with a mischievous smile. Like Ginger had done, he was planning on saying hello to her in her native tongue when he eventually turned twenty-five years old.

“That’s not exactly formal.”

“I know.”

“OK, then.”

There was no promise that he would actually be able to get in touch with her when he turned twenty-five. His heart might have changed by then. She might be seeing someone by then. Still, he had decided that he was going to learn English and visit her. There was nothing Juho could do but root for his friend.

“Where did you learn English?”

“I’m self-taught,” he answered with a shrug.

“You can do that?”

“I’m sure it depends on the person.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“Haha!”

For a while, Juho had to withstand criticism from Seo Kwang.

“One day, I’m going to surpass you,” he said with unexplainable determination. He must have been drunk from his Coke.

“You said you gave her a book, right? Which book was it?” Juho changed the subject as he brought his cup to his mouth.

“‘The Trace of a Bird.’”

Juho almost spat out his drink.

“Why?” he asked as he barely swallowed the drink in his mouth.

“Well, it’s a good book. And…”

“And?”

“She’s a fan… of Yun Woo…” he mumbled as if complaining.

“Do you want more food?” Juho asked. He felt sorry for him for some reason.

“You know what? I’ll take you up on that offer. Tonight, I’m going to EAT. I’ll pitch in, so let’s eat together.”

After ordering another round of pizza along with various sides, they ended up going home with boxes of leftovers. Of course, Juho paid for everything.

Seo Kwang’s first love came to its bittersweet end as he walked around the park to help with digestion. The following day, he immediately submitted his application to a contest.