The Great Storyteller

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

As the interview came to an end, the photographer, who had been taking pictures throughout the interview, approached the young author and asked him to pose in various ways, most involved him sitting naturally. In order to create different scenes, the photographer moved the boxes around or angled them in different ways.

“You seem to be used to doing this, Mr. Woo,” the photographer said.

“Is that right?”

“I don’t even have to ask you to loosen up or anything.”

Most people tended to tense up in front of a camera, and when they were stiff, the picture was bound to turn out awkward no matter what clothes they were wearing or where they were. Being aware of that already, Juho was trying to appear as relaxed as possible.

“I’ve been photographed often,” Juho said playfully, and the photographer chuckled as if he understood where the young author was coming from. From then on. They took tens of more photos around the house. After inspecting through the photos thoroughly, the photographer finally ended the session, and the crew briefly applauded for an unknown reason.

“Would you mind taking one more?” the photographer said as he came into the frame of the camera. As the young author gave him permission to do so, a number of other staff members also pulled into the frame.

“I loved your book, Mr. Woo.”

“I’m a big fan.”

The staff members said in turn, and Juho expressed his gratitude by shaking the hand of each and everyone of them.

“You did great Mr. Woo.”

A voice said in Korean, giving the young author the illusion that he hadn’t heard the language in a while. It was coming from Nabi.

“I understand why Mr. Park was so nervous,” she said, and Juho looked at the editor, who was talking to the interviewer in the distance to invite the crew to an after party.

“You think so?”

“Oh, yes. Your answers were putting us on our toes.”

“I don’t think I said anything problematic, did I?”

“Not really, aside from that bomb that you dropped knowingly.”

“It’s all true though,” Juho said with a shrug.

“Exactly,” Nabi said. People were just starting to view the young author in a positive light. At the end of the day, Yun Woo was also human, an ordinary human rather than an alien or a wonder of the world. The moment one realized that, Yun Woo’s accomplishments would shine all the more.

“That was a great interview, Mr. Woo,” Nabi said with a satisfied smile, and after looking at her face for a brief moment, Juho asked, “What do you think people will think of me?”

Once the interview was published and distributed throughout the world, Yun Woo fans would be sharing that knowledge, his answers, with the young author. When that happened, what would people think of him?

“Don’t worry, Mr. Woo. People will still think of you as an excellent writer. Besides, you shared a lot about the new novel in this interview.”

Although it was coming from a good place, it wasn’t exactly the answer Juho was hoping to hear. In other words, her answer could also mean that the young author was yet to have obtained what he wanted. Then, stretching his arms up to the ceiling, Juho asked, “What should I write about next?”

“Are you thinking about writing another book, Mr. Woo? But we just got done with the interview!” Nabi said, chuckling, and Juho, too, chuckled quietly as he enjoyed the subtle responses from those around him.

Upon returning to the States, the filming crew got to work without delay. While organizing the transcription of the interview, they also edited the videos. The photos that would end up in the magazine also needed to be chosen carefully and under strict guidelines, especially the one that would serve as the cover photo of that issue. Meanwhile, by the time the interviewer finished putting together the first portion of the interview, he received a call from an unwelcome individual.

“How was the interview?”

It was his recently wed coworker, who had cried out about the red hat in a fit of alcohol-fueled despair. After receiving his coworker’s call, the interviewer went downstairs, to the cafe near the office. Needless to say, the coworker was asking about the recent interview with Yun Woo.

“It was good,” the interviewer said clearly, looking at his coworker, who was in his T-shirt instead of a tuxedo.

“I know you wanted to come along.”

“I was hoping I could take advantage of my connections,” the coworker said.

“It’s never that simple.”

Aside from the filming crew and their acquaintances, there were countless other people who wanted to meet the young author. On top of that, an interview was not a spectacle. When the interviewer expressed that, the coworker blurted out irritably, “Which is exactly why I didn’t tag along!”

“And you came to me instead. What is it that you want?”

“… You know what I want,” the coworker said, staring intently at the interviewer without saying a word. At that, the interviewer threw both of his hands in the air. “I wanted to ask you to arrange a meeting with Yun Woo for me,” the coworker said

“Then, book a flight to Korea.”

“I’m not looking to get lost in a country so far away from home, thank you very much.”

“What were you expecting from me?” the interviewer asked.

“Simple. Show me the transcript of the interview.”

The coworker was quite predictable in his answers. Leaning back on to the backrest of his seat, the interviewer said, “Then, go to the bookstore. Oh, wait! It’s not out yet. I guess you gotta wait til it comes out.”

“C’mon now. We’re friends, aren’t we?” the coworker said.

“I’ll just take a quick peek right here, right now, and you’ll get it right back. You won’t even have to worry about the thing leaking. C’mon. We’re coworkers, for goodness sake! I have no intention of becoming a paparazzo, either. Remember when I gave you some information about Yun Woo’s upcoming novel? I even told you about the scandals, from what I remember.”

“That’s different. You don’t think you’re the first person to ask for the transcript, do you?”

“That… I figured as much. I know what kind of situation you’re in. But you know what? I have a special edge.”

“And remind me what makes you so special again?” the interviewer asked with a mocking smile.

“I made a promise with Yun Woo.”

Despite having understood the first time, the interviewer asked, “What promise?”

“That we’d meet again.”

“Well, you got what you asked for. It’s been quite a while since Yun Woo revealed himself.”

“That’s not what I meant. I said it as an implication that we’d meet in person.”

“I said this once and I’ll say it again: book a flight.”

“Like I said, I don’t wanna get lost there.”

From then on, the conversation went around in circles, and in the end, the coworker let up.

“All right. Fine. You don’t even have to show me the whole thing. Just one page then.”

“If I were you, I’d just wait. I’ll send a copy over your direction when it’s released.”

“C’mon, even just one question?”

The two were longtime friends, and frankly, showing the transcript wouldn’t have caused any issues. The coworker had no reason to leak such important information unless he was prepared to be ostracized by the industry. On top of that, the interviewer had an agreement with the young author. Finding a common theme during an after party was quite normal, and needless to say, there had been talks of the recently-wed coworker. The interviewer recalled expressing concern about this to the young author.

“What if he asks me to show him the transcript?”

“Show him,” Yun Woo had said. The young author was also coming from a place of wanting to see how people would respond to the interview. Then, hiding the fact that he had already made up his mind, the interviewer asked his coworker, “I don’t know, man. You become somewhat of a blabbermouth when you’re drunk.”

“I’ll quit. Cold-turkey.”

“And how are you gonna prove that?”

“Seriously? We’re both surrounded by reporters and journalists. You don’t think you’ll hear about it?” the coworker said, emphasizing that the case of the red hat had been special. “All right. I drank to get drunk back then. Besides, what I heard wasn’t some third-hand information, either, don’t you think? I had access to some pretty exclusive information, but what did I do? I chose to limit myself to talking about the red hat instead. I can think for myself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived in this industry.”

“And what if it gets out? What are you gonna do then?”

“I’ll hand everything over to you. My house, car, everything.”

“Didn’t you just get married?”

“That’s how confident I am.”

Then, after a brief pause, the interviewer brought up his negotiable limit.

“A third of the interview.”

“Can we round that up to half, by any chance?” the coworker said.

“On second thought…”

“All right! OK… Do you think you can throw in a photo on top of that?”

The interviewer shook his head. He understood the limit of which he would be able to salvage the situation if things took a turn for the worst. With that, the interviewer invited his recently-wed coworker to his house that same evening, and as soon as he stepped into the house, the coworker asked for the data from the interviewer. At which point, the interviewer handed it over to him. After taking the data, which the interviewer had prepared in advance, the coworker sat on the couch with his jacket still on and started reading through the content. It took about ten minutes to read through an entire page, and the interviewer noticed his coworker’s hand shaking ever so slightly every time he flipped to the next page. He was clearly wanting the experience to last longer, and the fact that he was repeating Yun Woo’s answers over and over was proof of that.

“… All right. I’m done,” the coworker said and the interviewer snatched the transcript out of his hands without hesitation, taking it to the sink and lighting it up of fire. It wasn’t long until the fire started by a cheap lighter burned every inch of those pages. As the interviewer leaned against the sink, the air sank into silence, leaving only the subtle scent of burning paper and ink.

“This is when I bring out a bottle of something usually.”

“No need,” the coworker said with his head dropped. At that, in order to get some sort of response out of him, the interviewer asked, “Well, how was it catching up with Yun Woo?”

Without saying a word, the coworker brushed his hair back and leaned back on the sofa, revealing the look of thirst on his face.

“Now, I wanna read what comes after,” he let out, and the interviewer was left satisfied by his coworker’s desperate voice.

‘Interview With Yun Woo by the Largest Magazine in the States. Release Date Just Around the Corner!’

‘A Video on an Asian Website Draws Massive Attention. First Visit to Yun Woo’s Home. What Shocked the Crew?’

‘Yun Woo Speaks Up About His Writing Style. His First Discovery of His Potential!”

‘Yun Woo Proved His English Proficiency. The Interview Reported to Have Been Carried Out Entirely in English.’

‘The Words According to the Interview: “Yun Woo Knew Exactly Why We Were Visiting His Home.’”

‘Fans Growing Antsy for Yun Woo’s Answers. How Will He Surprise Us This Time?”

‘The Heat Goes On! The Fans’ New Addition to their Wishlists: Yun Woo’s Short Stories.’

‘Yun Woo’s Picture Said to Be On The Cover of the Magazine’s Most Recent Issue! The Young Author Comes Out of Hiding and Reveals Himself Confidently.’

‘Yun Woo’s Editor-In-Charge and Publishing Agent Reported to Have Been at the Scene of the Interview. Rumors Surrounding Unannounced Novels by the Young Author Unmentioned in the Interview.’

‘Interview Said to Include Mentions of Kelley Coin. The Upcoming Issue of the Magazine Draws Attention Across the Globe.’

‘”We Finally Met Him!” A Closer Look at Yun Woo’s Identity. “After This Interview, His Books Will Become Even More Interesting.”‘

“Anytime now!”

“I’m running to the bookstore on the day it comes out.”

“This will be the first magazine I ever buy. I just have to since it has Yun Woo’s interview in it.”

“I love the “Homes of Authors” series! You get to see the daily lives of authors from across the globe. Seeing their workspaces and imagining them writing is a whole ‘nother type of fun.”

“I really hope Yun Woo talks more about his books.”

“Me too.”

“I heard there’s going to be a lot of information about his books in the interview.”

“I heard he talks about his writing style, too. I’m super stoked about that. His writing style has to be the biggest mystery to a lot of people.”

“Is he finally bringing the ‘Sublimation’ secret to light? Was it really a book only he could write, though?”

“I can hear the critics rolling their eyes all the way from here.”

“This is why I HAVE TO buy this magazine.”

“I just saw the promotional video! I wonder what’s in those boxes in the background.”

“Probably his stuff? Heard they interviewed him while he was still moving into his new place.”

“Probably. The series is all about storming authors’ houses in their most natural settings.”

“Who packs their stuff like that though?”

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s his stuff, either. Although, he doesn’t seem to have a whole lot at home.”

“We’ll find out soon enough when the magazine comes out. I sure hope he brings up the short stories!”

“Is he really not gonna publish them? I wanna read the one he wrote alongside ‘Language of God.’”

“Zelkova! Get to work! People are dying here!”

“Their website is full of requests for Yun Woo’s short stories.”

“Huh! I better go join the party.”

“Seriously, why aren’t they publishing those short stories? They’ll fly off the shelves.”

“You don’t think Yun Woo writes just to make a living, do you?”

“Mr. Woo! Give it some thought! Do it for your fans!”

“I have a feeling that there are gonna be a lot of pictures of Yun Woo in the magazine’s upcoming issue.”

“I mean, yeah. He’s gonna be right there, on the cover.”

“I wonder what other secrets he’ll bring to light. I hope he talks about all the places he went to while he was anonymous.”

“I don’t know if anybody will believe me when I say this, but I met him at the book concert. He was there. We even talked.”

“You guessed it right. Not buying it.”

“I saw him too. He was walking his dog in front of my house.”

“I go to school with him.”

“I sat next to him at school.”

…