The Great Storyteller

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

“Mr. Woo.”

Upon reuniting with Nabi, Jang Mi, and Dong Baek in the hotel lobby, Juho greeted each person. There were also other publishing agents, who were accompanying them, there.

“It sure feels different with you around, Mr. Woo,” Nabi said, nodding, and Juho chuckled awkwardly. She had been to the award ceremonies that Coin had attended as Juho’s representative. The interior of the hotel was decorated mostly in gold, including the walls, furniture, and the fabrics, which gave it a luxurious look.

“It’s already getting crowded around here.”

“Of course!”

“That’s crazy,” Juho said, looking around. Then, Coin sneered at him, saying, “Mind blown?”

“Yep. It’s my first time here. I’m sure it’s a feeling that you’ve long forgotten.”

“You make it sound like I’ve been around too long.”

“Whoever said anything like that?”

Juho kept looking around the hotel. Isabella was already interacting with other people, which included Nabi. They seemed to be introducing each other to other people.

“Well, I’m gonna go relax,” Coin said out of nowhere, walking off on his own. His professional acquaintances, who were attending the ceremony with him, followed the author.

Standing in his place, Juho asked Jang Mi, who was standing next to him, “Can I go up to my room too?”

“Sure, but you might as well try talking to a person or two while you’re here. It’ll be a good experience.”

After staring at an elevator, which was already on its way up, Juho turned around upon hearing Nabi, who was talking to a group of people, calling for him.

“Ah! Mr. Woo!” somebody said, greeting the young author gladly. Every single person in the group was a department manager or in higher within their respective companies. As Juho approached, Isabella stepped aside to let Juho through. Everyone looked at him with friendly eyes.

“I loved your new book! It was superb!”

Juho thanked them.

“How do you feel?” a person standing next to Nabi asked. The long eyeglass chain stood out quite a bit.

“How do I feel?” Juho asked, looking at the man’s chain, which moved with him.

“This is your first time at an award ceremony, isn’t it?”

“Oh, right. I’m still getting used to it.”

“Is that so? It didn’t seem like it! Have you been to Chicago before?”

“No, this is also my first time in Chicago.”

“You know, Mr. Woo, I stayed up all night last night because I was that nervous,” the man said, impressed.

“How come?” Juho asked.

“Why? Because this is the ceremony for the Nebula Award, of course! It’s the moment of truth, if you will. It’s one of the largest, most prominent literary awards in the world. Personally, I’m looking forward to a book getting the recognition it deserves, so I always attend these ceremonies with a thumping heart.”

Juho nodded haphazardly, pretending to understand him.

“Besides, there’s something special about this year’s ceremony,” the man with glasses said with a big smile, his eyes fixed on one particular person.

“The showdown between you and Coin is finally happening!”

At the mention of the showdown, everyone else chimed in, as if they had been waiting for someone to bring it up first.

“It’s the highlight of the ceremony, really.”

“I heard the Authors’ Association found themselves in a sticky situation. They are quite conscious of the press, after all.”

“I’ve been so curious as to who will win! Whoever it is, I’m ready to applaud them at a moment’s notice,” somebody, who introduced himself as a former editor, said, adding that the author he had worked with in the past was not a high-ranking official in the Authors’ Association.

“I saw you two walk into the lobby together. Did you guys come together?”

“Yes, we did.”

“If I were in your shoes, I would be much too scared to be in the same car as him.”

“Are you ready to win?”

Juho remembered Coin, who had walked off to his hotel room. It was very Coin-like not to give Juho a single warning ahead of time. Feeling people’s gazes, Juho replied, “What about you guys?” avoiding answering a difficult question by replying with another question.

“Who do you think has more potential to win?” Juho asked, assuming that they had already placed bets by that point. “You all seem to have sharp eyes. So, who do you think will win?”

“We’re not in a position to make that guess, really.”

“But you’ve read both of our books, haven’t you?”

As they shook their heads, Juho added light-heartedly, “That’s exactly how I’m feeling.”

“I see. That gives us an idea.”

They broke out into laughter, lightening the atmosphere.

“You should consider working with us next time, Mr. Woo,” a balding man said, reaching his hand to the young author for a handshake. Juho saw the high-end watch on the man’s wrist.

“I’d love to, as long I get the opportunity,” Juho replied politely. At which point, the man laughed out loud as if having heard a good joke. His demeanor exuded confidence.

“I’m sure finding an opportunity is rarely a challenge for you, Mr. Woo. You are the Great Storyteller, after all.”

After staring intently at his watch, Juho replied, “You have a point there. Then, I’ll contact you when I feel like it.”

At that moment, Nabi subtly plugged herself into the conversation by asking, “You worked with Mr. Kings at one point, right?”

“Yes. Several times, in fact,” the man replied, proceeding to list the different products from his company, as well as the company’s philosophy on books. From his description alone, the company sounded as though there were no other publishing companies in the world that could stand up to it. Wondering where the man’s confidence came from, Juho darted back and forth between the man’s large forehead and his luxurious watch. At that moment…

“Mr. Woo?”

Dong Baek called for the young author.

“Would you excuse me?” Juho said to the group of people he had been talking to. After staring intently at the man with the luxurious watch, Juho said, “It was a pleasure talking to you, sir.”

“Likewise. I sincerely hope we run into each other again.”

“Should we run into each other again in the hotel, don’t hesitate to talk to me,” Juho said and turned around without hesitation, following Dong Baek down the hallway.

“Where are we going?” Juho asked.

Taking a deep breath, Dong Baek murmured, “I’m not sure if it’s because you were in the military or because you spent too much time around Coin…”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve become quite bold and unreserved, Mr. Woo.”

“I didn’t think I was out of line,” Juho said indifferently.

“Good to know that you were aware of your boundaries. I was on my toes the entire time.”

“You were waiting for the right time to call me, weren’t you?”

“You caught me.”

Dong Baek seemed to be under the impression that the young author had been about to get himself into some sort of trouble should he have kept talking to those people any longer. Nevertheless, Juho still appreciated Dong Baek for getting him out of the conversation.

“Would you excuse me?” Juho said, making his way up to his room. When he went over to Coin’s room, he discovered that Coin wasn’t there. Finding it boring to stay in his room and not do anything, Juho decided to go out for a walk around the hotel, which was when he ran into Coin.

“There you are! Isabella was looking for you,” Juho said. However, Coin remained silent, walking away from the hotel. After looking back and realizing that there was a camera aimed at them on the other side of the street, Juho followed him. Coin walked quite a distance away from the hotel before stopping at a kebab truck.

“One kebab,” Coin said.

Without saying anything, Juho observed him. ‘What’s he thinking getting a kebab before the ceremony?’

“What do you want?”

“… Uh, the basic.”

“What sauce?”

“Same as yours.”

In no time, the owner of the food truck whipped up two kebabs for the two authors and handed it to them. He was so fast that it was hard to tell whether he was making the food haphazardly or simply skillfully. Taking the kebab from the owner, Juho brought it up to his mouth inadvertently. The two authors ate quietly. Although the kebab was bland in the parts that didn’t have any sauce, it didn’t taste all that bad. When Juho looked in Coin’s direction, he thought he was quite skilled at eating kebabs, seeing as he hadn’t dropped anything. Leaning against a wall dazedly, Juho asked, “What do you think people will make of us eating kebabs on the street together?”

“That we’re hungry.”

“What about the reporters?”

“Who gives?” Coin replied.

Licking a piece of lettuce off his lip, Juho said, “Thanks for leaving me with strangers on my own. I had a great time getting to know them.”

“And I got plenty of rest.”

At that moment, the owner of the food truck locked up the truck and put up a sign that read: ‘Closed,’ leaving only Coin and Juho on the street.

“Do you like kebabs?”

“No.”

“Then, why come all the way here?” Juho asked.

“What kind of fancy reason do you need to get a kebab? Because I was hungry!”

At that moment…

“Is that Yun Woo?”

Juho heard a voice that didn’t belong to him. When Juho looked up, sensing trouble, he saw two men in suits, each with lanyards hanging from their necks.

“AND Kelley Coin?!”

“Good job attracting the reporters all on your own,” Coin said, blaming the young author and shoving what was left of the kebab into his mouth. However, having more than half of a kebab still uneaten, Juho stood in his place.

“Long time no see, Kelley.”

“Ditto,” Coin said, shaking hands with one of them.

“David. Pleasure to meet you,” one of the men with a lanyard said, adding the name of the company he worked for, one which Juho had also heard of. It was a press company that mostly handled heavier subjects, such as lawsuits and investigations. It made sense that they would know Coin.

“What brings you here?” Coin asked.

“Why, I’m here for the award ceremony, of course. I’m actually writing a book at the moment. Could you recommend me a publishing company?”

“How the hell should I know?”

Laughing cheerfully, David looked toward the young author and asked, “If I were to go to Korea, would you show me to a good publishing company, Mr. Woo?”

“Sure, as long as you get there.”

“The thing is, I’m not a linguistic genius like you, which would make things slightly more difficult on my end,” David said. Although it was their first time meeting, he seemed to be quite friendly in his attitude with Juho.

Biting into his kebab, Juho asked, “OK, let’s be honest. How did you know?”

“I don’t think I follow?”

“You know… ‘There is no right answer,'” Juho clarified.

“It was just a coincidence,” David said, smiling, which Juho found rather convincing.

“So, Yun Woo’s a coincidence. How clever.”

“Are you up to something fishy?” Coin asked, observing David intently. Waving his hands in denial, David said, “Oh, I wouldn’t dare get in between you two.”

However, staring intently and quietly at the reporter, Coin remained suspicious of David.

“I’m not here to cover the ceremony, so don’t you worry. ”

“Then, don’t let me get in your way,” Coin said bitterly, moving aside.

At which point, scratching his head, David said, “But now that I saw you two eating kebabs together, I don’t know if I can just go on my way as if I hadn’t seen anything. As far as I can tell, you two aren’t even that close. You guys do compare yourselves to each other, don’t you?”

“What are you trying to get at?”

“What I’m saying is that people who want to see you two competing against each other aren’t necessarily stupid. Which, I might add, makes them even scarier,” David said.

There was a set of emotions that were bound to come with comparing oneself to another.

“It’s not everyday that you have kebabs with someone you’re competing against. If you don’t mind, I’d like to know more about this mysterious relationship between you two,” David said.

With a blatant look of disdain, Coin pointed toward a certain direction with his chin and said, “Get lost.”

Despite the author’s hostile attitude, David shoved his hands into his pockets, whistling.

“Well, I’ll be enjoying my time here. As for the winner between you two, my sincere congratulations to you.”

Looking at David disappearing into the distance, Juho reminded himself to make sure to avoid getting interviewed by him in the future.