The Great Storyteller

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

“There’s the ocean,” Juho said, looking out into the ocean in the distance. Then, after dropping the author off at a certain stop, the bus went on its way. Because the bus had been very small, the ride there had been quite the bumpy one. Remembering the look on the driver’s face as he got off the bus, Juho plunked down on his luggage.

“It’s like I’m going to boot camp or something.”

If it had been boot camp, it would have been a very remarkable one given that it was at Hyun Do Lim’s residence. Juho thought back to the conversation he had had with Hyun Do. The young author had been quite flabbergasted by Hyun Do’s unexpected offer.

“You can always come with me to my place, or come at your own pace, and I can meet you elsewhere. If you choose to come alone, that is. What’s it gonna be?” Hyun Do had asked, and Juho had answered without hesitation, “If you could give me your address…”

“Not a problem.”

Following the GPS on his phone, Juho made his way toward the destination through the dirt road. The grains of sand were getting in the author’s shoes somehow. Then, walking past a construction zone, a neighborhood grocery market came into view as he turned to the right. It had a sign that read: “Lodging.” There was a pile of steamed corn in front of the store, of which Juho bought a bag. All the surrounding buildings seemed to have glossy walls, which meant they were either newly built or renovated. There was also a resort nearby. Walking past everything, Juho went into an alleyway that brought him closer to the mountains that were facing the ocean.

(TL’s Note: In Korea, it’s common for ordinary stores to provide lodging on the side for the travelers/visitors in rural areas further away from the cities.)

“Is it here?”

Standing in place, Juho stared at the GPS in confusion as it gave him an ambiguous direction. Still feeling unsure, Juho walked toward another alleyway surrounded by stone walls. Then, when a thick bamboo forest appeared on the other side of the walls, Juho felt the air cool down. Sniffing the damp and grassy scent in the air, Juho walked through shadows of the bamboo trees. At the end of the trail was a house, which made Juho certain that he had come to the right place. As he walked across a small front yard, the door opened.

“Hello.”

It was Hyun Do, whose hair was almost entirely white by that point.

“Hello, Mr. Lim,” Juho replied, looking up at the author’s white hair.

“Did you get the corn from the grocery store?” Hyun Do asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They looked good, so I thought I should pick some up on the way,” Juho said, almost as if making an excuse for his behavior.

“You could’ve had some on the way.”

“I bought enough for us to share.”

“Well, come on in,” Hyun Do said in a serene voice.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Dragging his luggage, Juho went into the house, which was quite tidy. On the other hand…

“Very neutral looking, Mr. Lim.”

… The entire house was gray, from the wallpapers to the door, the shelves, and furniture. Including the refrigerator, which made Juho’s red hat stand out even more. Taking off his hat slowly, Juho followed Hyun Do.

“You’ll be on the second floor.”

The second floor didn’t look any different. Then, as Juho was looking around the rooms, he was enticed by a certain picture in a heavily-decorated golden frame.

“I see that you have a painting of the moon.”

“Yun Seo gave it to me. She thought the place looked too bleak,” Hyun Do said, leaning against the door frame. Then, as Juho placed his luggage to one side, Hyun Do said “It must have been a long trip, so get some rest if you want. Should you feel so inclined to find a book you wanna read downstairs, feel free.”

Although Juho was started to feel tired, it wasn’t enough to keep him from moving around, so he followed Hyun Do downstairs. When Hyun Do pointed to a door, the young author opened it, and a study filled with books appeared in front of him.

‘Seo Kwang would have wept with joy.’

“How many books are there?”

“I never counted them myself, but I’d guess around two thousand?”

“I don’t know. It looks like a lot more than that.”

“There’s another room where I keep older books. So, if you’re interested, feel free to look around. Of course, I wouldn’t imagine you having trouble reading any of them.”

“Will do, Mr. Lim.”

Chuckling quietly, Hyun Do turned around and walked away. Juho looked at the books that were filling every corner of the room until Hyun Do called for him for tea. Then, deciding to share the moment with his friend, Juho took a picture of the room and sent it to Seo Kwang, who, as expected, nearly lost his mind upon seeing it. After writing a short reply to him, Juho put the phone back into his pocket. Then, seeing one of his own books on the shelf, Juho smiled.

“Is this where you write?” Juho asked, sitting at the living room with Hyun Do.

“Only when I need to focus,” Hyun Do said, shaking his head. There was an astringent taste to the tea he had brought out, which meant the tea leaves had been brewed with incredibly hot water for an extended period of time. Nevertheless, Juho remained unaffected by it, respecting Hyun Do’s personal taste. When Hyun Do asked him about Juho’s preference in tea, Juho replied, “This is fine as is.”

“So… What do you want me to do?” Juho asked cautiously. Looking away from the window, Hyun Do replied, “Just stick around.”

“Really? That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

As Juho swirled his teacup, the liquid within it also moved.

“Am I the real-life counterpart of the pupil in your new work-in-progress?”

“I don’t find you reliable enough for such a big role.”

At that, Juho scratched the back of his neck, feeling slightly awkward.

“Then, are you the teacher in the novel?” Juho asked, redirecting his question.

“I don’t think I’m fit for that role either.”

“I think you are.”

“He’s worse than an animal. I don’t consider myself that terrible of a person.”

The story was about a teacher whose status fell below that of an animal and their student who was dignified and respectable. Juho tilted his head. It all sounded too familiar.

“Is this going to be similar to ‘The Full Moon?’”

After some thought, Hyun Do replied, “No, it’s going to be different. I don’t think it’ll be that cold and cruel.”

There was certainty in his voice, which told Juho that he had a certain image in mind. Suppressing the excitement welling up from within, Juho asked, “So, how do you go about writing?”

“Nothing special. I just write.”

“There are some authors who act out their stories as they write.”

“That’s not for me,” Hyun Do said, looking toward Juho and adding, “Though, there are authors similar to you. Rare, but they’re definitely out there.”

There were plenty of authors who described their writing process as seeing ghosts or fantasies, having dreams, or hearing phantom voices. Remembering the painting he had seen in one of the rooms upstairs, Juho asked, “What was Mr. Kang’s writing process like?”

At that, Hyun Do’s hair moved ever so slightly as he answered, “He wrote almost as if forcing his feelings into his writing. I can’t help but chuckle whenever I hear people calling him a genius.”

Then, Hyun Do rose from his seat, gesturing for Juho to remain seated as the young author stood up with him.

(TL’s Note: In Korea, it’s common etiquette for younger people to stand when an elderly stands.)

“Aren’t you hungry? I have to treat my guest.”

“How can I help?”

“Forget it. Go look around the area or something.”

Hyun Do’s reply was closer to rejection than a decline. At which point, Juho let up without question, feeling somewhat like he was being driven out of the house. It was completely different from visiting either Yun Seo’s or San Jung’s house. As Hyun Do had suggested to him, Juho meandered around the area. Upon returning to the house, Juho noticed an appetizing smell in the air. When he went into the kitchen, Hyun Do said without turning back, “You’re back just in time.”

Feeling proud, Juho set up the table as Hyun Do finished making the fish stew.

“You’re a great cook, Mr. Lim.”

“It’s an essential skill to have when you live alone, don’t you think?”

The stew was quite delectable, which made Juho eat faster than normal inadvertently. Then, noticing that Hyun Do was eating calmly and unhurriedly, Juho slowed down to his pace. When he came out to the living room after doing the dishes, the Sun had already gone down. It was starting to get late to do anything. As Juho was wandering around the study, Hyun Do said, “I go to bed at ten.”

Juho checked the time. There wasn’t much time left.

“If you get hungry at night, feel free to eat what’s in the refrigerator.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you wanna write, I have plenty of manuscript paper, so feel free to ask.”

“Will do, Mr. Lim. Have a good night.”

With that, Hyun Do turned around and went into his room. Left alone in the living room, Juho rubbed his arms, feeling slightly chilly. Then, after wandering around the living room for a little while, he also went to bed early.

“Where’d he go?”

Although it wasn’t all that late, Juho found the house empty when he woke up the next day. Then, as Juho was checking the refrigerator in the kitchen downstairs, he heard the sound of water coming from outside. It was Hyun Do washing his feet by the water faucet outside.

“Did you go fishing, Mr. Lim?”

Hyun Do nodded quietly. Looking at his belongings and noticing that there was nothing to contain the fish, Juho asked, “Did you not catch any?” Then, closing the faucet, Hyun Do said, “We had fish stew last night.”

“Did you let them go after catching them?”

“What makes you think that?”

“I didn’t see any tub for the fish or anything.”

It was likely that Hyun Do hadn’t gone fishing in order to catch fish. Instead of telling the truth, Hyun Do asked, “Would you like to go see the beach?”

“The ocean?” Juho asked inadvertently. At which, Hyun Do smiled and asked, “Do you not like

the water?”

“No, not necessarily,” Juho said confidently, as if ready to go at any given minute. Then, Hyun Do picked up all of his belongings and went inside, past the young author. Juho followed him quietly. There were large chunks of clouds in the sky.

“It’s crowded.”

Laughter sounded from the distance. There were already people playing in the water. Although it was nowhere near as hectic as during the vacation season, the colorful tubes floating in the water were quite eye-catching. Then, the wind blew, carrying the fishy smell of the ocean with it.

“Aren’t you going in?” Hyun Do asked. Staring out at the horizon, Juho replied, “I don’t know if I’m particularly in the mood.”

“Do you not know how to swim?”

“No. And you?”

“I’m pretty sure I do. If my body remembers it, that is.”

A seagull came into view. It was strolling through the beach umbrellas, away from the rest of its flock by the stone statue. Seeing as though the statue was covered in droppings, it had to be a popular spot for seagulls. Picking at its feathers, one of the seagulls observed the people enjoying their time at the beach. On the other hand, the lone seagull at the beach kept pecking at something and flapping its wings.

“Is that a crow?” Juho murmured at the sight of an unexpected bird.

“There’s something you don’t see every day,” Hyun Do said.

“It does look kind of strange next to the seagulls.”

Although the crow stood out like a sore thumb, the seagulls didn’t seem to mind its presence one bit. Juho stared at the lone seagull on the beach, which clearly wasn’t fond of the crow. After staring at the crow, which shamelessly stood its ground and refused to move, Juho looked away.

“Is this what your day is like usually?” Juho asked.

“I usually spend more time alone,” Hyun Do replied, snorting quietly. With a guest staying at his home, his day was bound to look different from usual. Realizing that Hyun Do wasn’t in the habit of inviting people over to his house, Juho chuckled quietly.

“Does anybody come over?” the young author asked curiously, expecting Yun Seo to be one of, if not the only person.

“Two people.”

“Who are they?”

“There’s Yun Seo.”

Juho nodded at Hyun Do’s answer. Then, Hyun Do brought up another name that caught Juho off guard.

“And Wol.”

Juho’s lips parted, and he remembered the exterior of Hyun Do’s residence.

“So, that place is older than it looks.”

“It was renovated at one point. It looks nothing like how it did before,” Hyun Do said. Then, stepping forward, he said, “Why don’t you go dip your feet in the water or something?”

Juho shook his head, looking away from the people playing in the water and saying, “I don’t even have a vest on me.”

“I can buy you one.”

“You don’t have to.”

Seeing as though Juho was refusing to go into the water, Hyun Do didn’t force the subject. As the wave came rushing toward the shore in the distance, breaking and foaming, Juho stared intently at the seaweed that had washed up the shore, washing back into the water as it got tossed around by the people walking on the shore.