Translated by: ShawnSuh Edited by: SootyOwl Turning down Juhos offer to see her out until they had reached a major street, Mideum left Juhos house in a hurry . When Juhos mother heard Mideums explanation as to why she had to leave in such a hurry, she let the author go willingly and quietly . Of course, Mideum didnt forget to say goodbye to Juhos mother on her way out, and the shout of joy that echoed in the alleyways sounded undoubtably like her voice . After Mideum left, Juho began to organize his room, picking up the sheets of paper scattered about and organizing them in their proper order . It was a rather time consuming task . As he placed them in a box, he closed the lid . Then, he placed a hefty book on top of each of the stacks of papers, making the stacks towering over him even taller than before . Thats one interesting acquaintance you have, his mother said while handing him the cup of tea that would have belonged to Mideum, who had left much earlier than expected . Are all writers like that? I doubt it . I saw it on TV earlier today . Is it true that Arthur Conan Doyle had a thing for spiritualism? I cant say whether he had a thing for it or not, but he did want the ability to communicate with spirits . He liked fairies too, apparently . Well, he did believe a photo that ended up being a hoax . Doyles lecture on spiritualism had brought him a great deal of ridicule from the ma.s.ses, and while he even wrote a book inspired by a photo of two young girls surrounded by fairies, his achievements before that were far too impressive for the book to receive the same amount of attention . By the time Juho was on his second cup of tea, his phone began to ring . Did you get results? Dae Soo asked as soon as he answered the phone . Realizing that she was asking about the bet, Juho answered with a smile, Yes . So? Who won? Juho heard some commotion in the background . It was Seo Joongs voice . She just went home to write . Which means? Congratulations! Yes! Uhm, hold Ahn for me, will ya? The victory went to Dae Soo, who had faith that her friend would turn up . --- Congratulations! Bo Suks cheerful exclamation echoed throughout the science room, and the other five club members stared in her direction simultaneously . Then, she went on to pull out and pop the party popper that normally came with the birthday cakes from bakeries . The lone popping noise echoed throughout the room, and the paper debris from the popper fell on top of Seo Kw.a.n.gs head . Congratulations, Baron! Bo Suk exclaimed once again . While Baron managed to keep a straight face for the most part, Juho caught the corner of his mouth twitching . Then, he, too, joined in clapping and celebrating the juniors recent achievement at the compet.i.tion Baron had taken part in . Baron had finished the art compet.i.tion in third place, and Juho decided to overlook the irony of the first awardee in the club being an artist . After celebrating boisterously for some time, Bom murmured, My result is coming out next week . I wonder if I will be able to measure up to Baron . There was a mixture of anxiety and antic.i.p.ation in her eyes . Then, Sun Hwa patted her back forcefully, saying, Im sure you did fine . Dont worry . I sure hope so . Gosh, Im nervous . Ill have the party popper ready! As if burdened by Bo Suks words, Bom smiled awkwardly and hunched forward, and Sun Hwa gave her another good pat on the back . Then, Seo Kw.a.n.g chimed in with his finely decorated head, I know, right? If only SOMEBODY didnt get disqualified from their award, Bom wouldnt have had to take on so much burden . Sorry about that, but from what I hear, somebody didnt even get close to winning . Is that right? We both came back empty-handed, you know! Seo Kw.a.n.g shouted annoyedly . However, instead of listening to him, Juho decided to turn to Bo Suk to ask, Well, how about you? Have you decided on the contest you want to compete in? Uh… not yet, she said timidly . Theres no rush, Juho answered . And after some brief hesitation, Bo Suk opened her mouth to say, Im thinking about competing in the same contest you were in last year . You mean The Youth Literary Essay Contest? Yes . Aside from being it being where Juho first met Joon Soo, it was also the very contest where he first competed with Sung Pil . After a brief time thinking, Juho said, Well, its not the shabbiest of compet.i.tions . Just be mindful of the s.p.a.ce . You wont get a whole lot of it . Can you tell me more? Theres not much else . Still . Giving into Bo Suk begging, Juho told her what he remembered, from directions to and a description of the place, to the essay topics and the optional lecture after the contest, adding that it would be worthwhile as long as it was being delivered by Joon s...o...b..ng . Bo Suk listened to him intently from beginning to end . So, do you still want to take part in it? Yes . I think I can do it . A few days later, Bo Suk competed in the preliminary round and received a text informing her that she had been eliminated . Although she felt depressed for a little while, she regained her hope with the encouragements of the veteran club members . Then, the party poppers went off yet again with the news of Bom receiving first place in her compet.i.tion . While the entire club was in high spirits, there were no more winners from then on . And just like that, time pa.s.sed, and the school went on break . Although the club members were sad that they had to part ways, n.o.body expressed a desire to give up writing . --- Do you wanna come over to my office? The bus shook Juhos body while he thought back on Dae Soos words . He was on his way to Dae Soos office . Mideum had been busy writing since visiting Juhos house, and Juho was spending his break working on short stories . Whose office? Dae Soo chuckled as if the answer was obvious . My office . Dae Soo Nas . A sudden invitation . Lets play some board games! she suggested out of nowhere . In the office? Its my office, so I get to do whatever the heck I want with it . Then, after going on for a good while about her board game collection, she added, Although, the games need three players . Huh? What Im saying is that theres going to be another player . You interested? Then, Juho realized the intention behind her sudden invitation . A member of our group, she added quietly . She was referring to the group of authors who got together over a meal from time to time . Adding that the day everyone in the group was finally getting together was just around the corner, Dae Soo asked Juho, If youre gonna meet them, you might as well know who youre meeting, right? There were only two people in Dae Soos group who Juho was yet to meet: San Jung Youn and another unknown author . Juho grew curious . Is it San Jung Youn? Hate to disappoint, but its the other one . Who? Choi . Unfortunately, Juho wasnt very familiar with the name . There were countless authors in Korea, and quite a few of them had the last name Choi . Would you tell me the persons full name? Wheres the fun in that? Does the person even know that Im coming? You know that Im all about playing fair . Choi doesnt know that youre coming, Dae Soo said cheerfully . Cmon, lets play! she said as if trying to convince a child, and as a current student, Juho couldnt help but give in . In the end, on his way to the bus stop, Juho bought a bag of apples from the same store Mideum had bought the box of fruit . Then, the bus arrived at the stop Dae Soo had told Juho previously . As he got off in a hurry, he saw that Dae Soo had come out to greet him, and they exchanged brief pleasantries . You didnt have to come out . I just thought I should come get you while I was out on a walk . What is all this stuff? You didnt have to bring anything! Its nothing . Ignoring Juhos refusal for help, Dae Soo s.n.a.t.c.hed the bag of apples from his hands and led the way with confidence . Juho followed her quietly . They were in a neighborhood he had never visited before . There were a number of corporate buildings with a number of people walking about in formal business attire, and Juho walked as he looked at everything attentively . Wheres your office? About fifteen minutes walking . Thats not too far . Right? Seo Joong, on the other hand, was throwing a hissy fit, complaining about how much he had to walk . It must have been a hot day . Im telling you, youre sharp . It wasnt all that difficult for Juho to imagine, and neither was the look of displeasure on Dong Gils face . I can almost see the look on Dong Gils face . That guy . He complains and judges Seo Joong every chance he gets, yet he still follows him around . Hes an oddball too . Maybe they influence each other in positive ways? Ones too lax while the other is too rigid . The way I see it, they both need more friends . Not only were they born in the same neighborhood, but they also went to the same schools . Not to mention, theyre in the same field . They only have each other as friends . Isnt that what you call a BFF? Do you see them as BFFs? Juho thought of the two authors who acknowledged each other while being clear about the things they disagreed on . They werent all that fond of each others books and they werent afraid to express themselves regarding that . Yes, quite so . Then, Dae Soo swung her arm with the bag of apples in her hand, making a big circle . I think so too . From then on, Juho and Dae Soo conversed light-heartedly until they arrived at her office, which was in a new building . Were here . Second floor . Following Dae Soo, who was leading the way, Juho went up the glossy stairs . Is the person in the office? Yep, but dont worry . Choi recognizes you as an author . Annnd, tda! Dae Soo said, adding a half-hearted sound effect . As they walked in, a s.p.a.cious office came into view, filled with books and with various photos on the walls . This is the conference room, and this is the kitchen, and here, is the studio . After she pointed out, waving her hands about half-heartedly, Juho followed her to the kitchen and saw somebody standing in there . Seeing how his head was tilted slightly back, he had to be looking at the cupboard, which was covered by all sorts of patterns . Tda! As another half-hearted sound effect sounded from Dae Soos mouth, the man turned around and locked eyes with Juho . Being a leading figure in romance novels, he was an author known for implementing elements of sci-fi and science into his works . His distinct style was shaped by his unique take on love, and it was growing rather popular . At the sudden encounter, Juho found himself at loss for words . It wasnt clear whether it was his long bangs or his sense of fas.h.i.+on, but the author looked much younger than his age . Before Juho even had time to greet him, his eyes went to the bag of apples in Dae Soos hand . Dae Soo, I dont take food from other people, even if you are the one offering . Whoever said anything about offering? Get your own . Im planning on eating my own lunch . I brought some fruit, too . Just as the author had said, there was a lunch box on the table . So, hes also part of the group, huh . The more Juho learned about Dae Soos group, the more intrigued he got . At the same time, Juho started to realize why there were such few people in the group . Who is this? He looks way too different to be your sibling . Cousin, maybe? Yun Woo . Yun Woo, who? Did you meet him on the way? THE Yun Woo . . The office grew silent, and the authors eyes fixated on Juho . After rolling his eyes around for a little while, Juho took the initiative to introduce himself . h.e.l.lo . Yun Woo . At the unexpected encounter, the author seemed to be at loss for words as well . For someone who refused to take food from other people, his eyes were rather intense . Then, he took a step closer and said, So, this is what you look like . Although Juho didnt mind his blatant fascination, Dae Soo slapped the author on his back . Only then, did he introduce himself properly and reached out for a handshake . h.e.l.lo, Sang Choi .