Translated by: ShawnSuh Edited by: SootyOwl I told you back then . Forget your seasonings! If youre not planning on giving me a stroke, just go watch it! Speak of the devil . I just bought a ticket, so Ill be watching it very soon, Mr . Ju . . Is that so? You shouldve told me earlier, Sang Young said as he coughed awkwardly . There wasnt any time to tell you, Juho said as Sang Young cooled down . Pretending not to hear Juho, Sang Young added, Good to hear that you bought a ticket already . Give me a call after you watch it . Id like to hear you say, I was so touched . Youre the best director in this country . There will never be another movie like it in my entire life . OK? With tears and all, he said confidently . You sound confident . It came naturally as I heard the reviews from all around . That makes sense . All of my friends loved it, as well as other authors I keep in touch with . . Is that so? Sang Young said as he coughed yet again . It sounded rather pleasant . For the first time in a long time, I really enjoyed the filming process . Its weird considering how much risk I took on for this movie . Thats good to hear . The movie seems to be doing great too . It made the-most-pre-ordered-movie list . Id be lying if I denied that Im on cloud nine . Im seeing numbers that Ill never be able to see again in my directing career . On the other hand, I cant help but feel like theres a loose end somewhere . I dont want to be known as a person who talks the talk without walking the walk . I already bought a ticket, I told you . Right . Well, dont even bother with the popcorn . Itll only distract you . And make sure not to drink too much water so you dont have to make trips to the bathroom! he emphasized repeatedly . Be safe now . Even if you were to die today, death could wait until after the movie . Youre the best . --- Juho went to the theater . Although he got lost briefly on his way, he managed to arrive in time for the movie . Resisting the potent popcorn smell in the air tempting him, he made his way into the theater empty-handed . Third row from the top toward the middle . The seat he had reserved was left unoccupied . Despite the late night showing on a weekday, there were still people in the theater . Couples, friends, or people alone . The screen shone brightly, revealing the relations.h.i.+ps between the members of the audience . Although it was deep into the night, there were people of all ages and genders who had come to watch the movie . The advertis.e.m.e.nts started playing on the screen, showing the faces of popular boy/girl bands or actors and actresses in the most recent TV dramas . They were dieting, drinking a beverage, or being physically affectionate toward each other . The time flew by, and Juho heard the conversations around him . As he stared blankly at the screen, the lights turned off, and the theater was engulfed in darkness . His surroundings disappeared, leaving only the screen present . Feeling somewhat constrained, Juho rubbed his hands together, and after the announcement explaining the fire exit locations, the screen transitioned . With that, the movie began to play . A majestic music filled the theater . Ohh…! Juho let out by reflex as Yun appeared on screen . The music blended with the scene where he was running in the dark . There were sounds and sound effects that were not directly portrayed in the book . The view changed from Yuns eyes, to his hair dripping with sweat, to his feet as they moved busily back and forth . Juho felt the letters and words he had written rising up to the surface of his mind . Yun ran as the drops of sweat trickled down from his forehead into his mouth . They were salty and unpleasant, the narration dictated, and the actors voice echoed in the theater . It was dangerous to run in the dark . . because the runner wouldnt be able to see ahead . There was nothing in Yuns way as he ran, not even a street light . However, he swiftly ran through that street . What appeared to be a superpower was actually his experience . He knew exactly where to expect the insects chirping and where he needed to watch his steps . I was finally able to run . He ran as he listened to the insects chirping, jumping over humps with ease . It was dark out, and the screen was filled with it, leaving only his eyes visible . It was the same darkness Juho had had in mind when he had written the book, and he felt excitement welling up from within . Yun made his way back to his resting place before sunrise . Then, after closing the curtains, he laid himself on the blanket and went to sleep alone . Thats when everything around him started to come alive . The movie seemed to have shortened a scene that spanned about twenty pages in the book . He fell asleep and dreamed . It was a scene that indicated that his very resting place was the place where he lived in perpetual darkness, putting him in a state of near-death . While there were certainly parts that were removed and changed from the original, the movie was quite good, and it immersed the author . Despite the darkness, there were distinct colors . Juho immediately understood what Bom had told him . The movie portrayed darkness in various, carefully considered shades . Some scenes were slightly brighter, whereas others were slightly darker . At the same time, there were also scenes that were quite dark, sometimes pitch black . The intensity of it changed according to what was taking place in the scene . Darkness wasnt the only thing that stood out . The light that shone through the curtains accentuated the overall color scheme, and the feathers fluttered about the room beautifully . It was visually striking, and the fact that it was a movie made by Sang Youngs coa.r.s.e hands stirred up Juhos interest . Yun, a pleasant, yet familiar voice said . It was the brother . Hey . Howve you been? Why are you here? The brothers continued in their crossed conversation, with visible fear on Yuns face and a suspicious smile on the brothers . Because of Juhos recollection of the actors dull appearance, it was hard for him to imagine how the actor would portray the character . Are you afraid? the brother asked… Yeah . … and Yun answered . He was exposing his weakness to his brother and sank powerlessly, without resisting or running away . The camera showed his eyes shaking anxiously . In them, was a deep sadness . The movie worked up to its climax as the brother snapped the wings of the bird . The scene was filled with painful breathing and feathers fluttering about . He was calm . Without clenching his teeth or his veins bulging from anger, he quietly killed the bird . Then, he chucked its carca.s.s at Yun . It was fear, and the s.p.a.ce became filled with it . The screen showed Yuns eyes, filled with sadness . Suddenly, he felt anger welling up from within that gave him the urge to shout . At the sight, Juho also came to a sudden realization . So, this must have been what it was like for all you readers . Angry, emotional, he thought as he felt a tingling sensation in his hands . The screen showed that it was night time . With the dead bird in his hand, Yun went out to look for the woman, thinking that she would be able to bury his deep-seated fear along with the carca.s.s . The music played as Yun ran, but he wasnt on his usual trail . Suddenly, he stumbled on something unexpectedly and staggered, struggling to get back up . Holding his fear in his arms, he pushes on, his tears making him all the more pathetic and undesirable . Juho clenched his hands into fists as the darkness grew more intense, leaving only Yuns eyes visible . Yun stared intently on with his watery eyes at a shape made of light . With a shovel in her hand, the woman buried the bird for him willingly . The darkness lingered, and the movie approached its end as the screen became gradually brighter . Its OK now, Yun said as he stood alone in front of a tomb . There were countless carca.s.ses of animals buried under his feet . The darkness started to fade, and the sun rose to brighten the world . Juho frowned at the white light that shone brightly in the screen . There was a wind, and countless birds flew up to the sky . With that, the credit music played, and a quiet sobbing became audible . Please exit this way! Following the voice, the lights came on and illuminated the theater . The velvety covers on the chairs became visible . The door opened, and people rose from their seats simultaneously, heading down the stairs . It was a bit noisy . They were excited as the made their way out of the theater with leftover popcorn in their hands . Juho sat in the theater quietly until the credit finished rolling, and the music stopped . He felt the emotions linger within . It was just what he had been looking for . If what he was experiencing was equivalent to the effect that his book had on its readers, then… I guess Im not doing too badly…! … Juho would be content . On his way out, Juho immediately called Sang Young as he had promised previously . Did you watch it? Sang Young asked abruptly . Yes . How was it? After a brief time thinking, Juho gave his honest opinion, I was p.i.s.sed . . Huh? Sang Young asked in a fl.u.s.tered voice, and Juho added with a smile, I was p.i.s.sed or relieved where I should be . I felt something welling up from within at the end, but I soon felt proud . Sang Young remained silent at Juhos calm and seemingly humble opinion . I see . Just like that, Juho hung up and walked about the unfamiliar street . --- Trace of a Bird, most pre-ordered movie . Box Office Number One Trace of a Bird reaches 70,000 viewers . Will it reach the 100,000 mark? The Box-Office Hit! Number One! Critically acclaimed! Sang Young Jus approach to the original . The sensational stage greetings of Trace of a Bird actors . Mentions of Yun Woo? The author of the original, Yun Woo, responds to the movie . His advice? The movie was sooo good . The actor who played Yuns brother was amazing . I got chills when he killed the bird . Sang Young Ju might not be the most famous director, but he was always recognized for his visual presentation . I second that . I didnt know there were so many shades to darkness . I can really tell that they paid close attention to the props . I was touched when the birds flew away at the end . Whats with the article t.i.tles? It says nothing about Yun Woo . Actors and actress, please tell us more about Yun Woo . Were dying here! They dont know either, apparently . Actually, the director and Myung Joo Mu met with Yun Woo in person . Theres a rumor saying that the writer rewrote the brothers character entirely . They had to rewrite a character? How bad of a job did they do? The director prefers to keep it to himself . Im glad that its not reflecting badly on the original . I was anxious throughout the entire movie . It still feels like it falls short of the original . Its a b.u.mmer that it didnt have the same philosophical depth . I dont think its something that can be helped . Personally, I loved the movie . I watched the movie without reading the book, and I loved it! On my way to the bookstore now! Trace of a Bird is the current number one best seller . The movies proving to be a major boost . Sound of Wailing following as a close second . Yun Woo gets all the money even if there hadnt been a movie . Nope . Language of G.o.d is the second . I just saw it . Language of G.o.d is second . Love that book . Its a battle between Yun Woo and Won Yi! Pure literature vs . genre novel . Yun Woo wins . No compet.i.tion . Just came across something strange . Heres the link: As he saw the last comment, Juho stopped tapping on his phone . Something strange, huh… Juho clicked the link that took him to a long post that was obviously written by a Yun Woo fan . In summary, it stated… Language of G.o.d is a third-cla.s.s novel at best . Sound of Wailing got pushed down to third because of that no-name author, Won Yi Young . Genre novels are cheap and tasteless . At the prolonged criticism toward genre novels, Juho couldnt help but chuckle . Well, Yun Woo wrote that third-cla.s.s novel, buddy . According to the writers logic, Yun Woo would also be considered a third-cla.s.s author . Im sure he didnt know that when he wrote that post . The comment section was filled with people agreeing and disagreeing . It was a compet.i.tion between Yun Woo and Won Yi Young, each hurtling insults at the other author . Interesting, Juho said as he read through each of them .