Translated by: ShawnSuh Edited by: SootyOwl Catching on to Juho glancing over his shoulder, the interviewer naturally followed the young authors eyes to the stacks of boxes and ma.n.u.script paper . There was simply too much for anyone to steal, and even if they were to go missing, that wouldnt invalidate the fact that Yun Woo would have actually written the number of ma.n.u.scripts that would have been stolen . Yun Woo had something that could never be stolen in his possession . After looking at the awe-inspiring sight of cardboard boxes and ma.n.u.script paper, the interviewer moved on to ask a question, So, would it be safe to a.s.sume that your method of fighting fear is consistent with your prolific writing? Writing really was an emotional outlet for Juho, but did that mean that there was a correlation between his way of releasing his emotions and his prolific writing? Hard to say . What comes out of me as a byproduct of my emotions tends to be… well, overly emotional, so I keep it all at home, as you can see . The stories are so sloppy that I almost feel sick when reading them . But in terms of training my endurance for writing, it seems like it did help in some way . Then, after pausing briefly to collect his thoughts, the interviewer asked shortly after, So, what about fear? Your fear enables you to write prolifically, doesnt it? It does help, but I never publish a book as if Im being chased by my own fears . I see . Several of Yun Woos books were still in the bestsellers rankings of the bookstores across the country . There was a lot in common between publis.h.i.+ng multiple books within a short period of time and sprinting . No matter where one was, the scenery grew fuzzy and blurry when they were sprinting . Then, as the interviewer was about to move on to the next question, the young author said, I guess it is true in a sense that the surroundings become a lot less visible when sprinting . Hearing the young authors answer, a troubled look appeared on the interviewers face . At the same time, he seemed delighted by it . I gotta be honest with you, Mr . Woo . Youre impossible to read . You think so? We need more people like you to interview . Unfortunately, Juho had no intention of partic.i.p.ating in another interview . Then, taking the notes in his hands, the interviewer flipped them to the next page . OK . Now, why dont we talk about the results of the awards? You were the first winner from Asia to win two of the four most prestigious literary awards for science fiction . You were staying at Kelley Coins house in the States when the winners were being announced, right? Yes, thats right, Juho said . The magazine had also visited Coins residence at one point, and at the brief mention of the place, the interviewer played along immediately, saying, Its a beautiful house . I agree . The park nearby is really nice, too . Then, after talking about Coins residence for a little while, the interviewer got right to the point . How did it feel when you found out that you had gotten the award? I was happy . Theres no mistake that the award was a tremendous honor . At the same time, I think it felt more like the award came to me as my work grew out of control rather than from me earning it . Grew out of control? Yes . All I did to win the award was to write . Thats it . Its nothing new to an author . The interviewer nodded, indicating that he understood where Juho was getting at . Did you ever regret not being able to attend the ceremonies? Not really . At the end of the day, Im the one who chose not to . More than saying that I was unable to attend them, itd be more accurate to say that I didnt . I see . It appears to me that youre not all that crazy about winning awards . Youve set a record by being the youngest winner of the Nebula AND the Hugo, and I think Language of G.o.d was definitely worth that much . How did you feel when you found out that you were the youngest winner of those awards? I didnt feel anything in particular . Did you ever think that you were moving up too fast? That thought was no longer in Juhos mind because of the sheer number of years he had lived up to that point . Theres a saying that goes, Its never too late, which makes me wonder if theres even a point in distinguis.h.i.+ng when somethings too early or too late . You dont think that your journey leading up to the award was all that short, do you? Do you think winning awards was ever a goal of mine? the young author asked, and quickly recognizing the error in his interpretation of Juhos answer, the interviewer rephrased his question, As you mentioned earlier, it seems like you define success a little different from most people . Did you not want to win awards? I did start developing an appet.i.te for it when I was nominated, but it wasnt even on my mind before that . Did you not know about the awards at all? I knew they were around . Were you not expecting that to be nominated? Thats probably a better way to put it, Juho said, and the interviewer asked with narrowed eyes, Is there something you want more than awards? After a brief pause, the young author asked, What made you think that? I just dont feel any sense of accomplishment in your answers whatsoever . At that, Juho chuckled quietly . Just as the interviewer had said, it wasnt the awards that Juho was after . It had never been them from the get-go . I still have a ways to go as a writer, and there are still mountains to climb for me . Its too early for me to indulge in my accomplishments . Arent you proud of yourself whenever you see the trophy? Although, I dont see it anywhere in the house, the interviewer said looking around the house . In a place completely void of furniture, chairs, posters, or anything baseball related, it didnt make sense for there to be trophies . Then, remembering where the trophies were, Juho said, They should be in boxes somewhere . Im not really sure which ones, though . It was bound to come out eventually, and Juho had a vague memory of having packed them together with his clothes . Meanwhile, noticing the young authors lack of interest in the whereabouts of the awards, the interviewer asked, OK, I get that winning awards isnt really a priority for you, but you seem almost careless about them . Do you really know just how prestigious those awards are, Mr . Woo? Theyre priceless in the literary world . Because Juho was well aware of the value and significance of the awards, he shook his head . You dont think that I went out of my way to write a speech for ceremonies of awards I dont even know the names of just so that Coin could read them on my behalf, do you? Like I said, I was happy to win those awards . What else can I do? As the young author finished speaking, he noticed the interviewer glancing over his shoulder . Although it was a quick movement, Juho had caught him nonetheless . The interviewer was able to find answers to his questions even without hearing them directly from the young author . Then, without asking if Juho was burdened or afraid to hear the news that he had won, the interviewer moved on, and Juho was able to tell just how experienced the interviewer was in interviewing authors in their homes . So, what IS your goal in life? Though it was a question that Juho had expected the interviewer to overlook, the fact that Juho found it easy showed just how deep his desire was to be great . A great storyteller . Meanwhile, the room sank into silence as the young author immersed himself in thought . Finally, Juho decided that now wasnt the right time to bring it up . Well, to get all my stuff sorted out, first of all . Especially the ma.n.u.scripts . Oh, right . That could be a goal, too . Its important to keep things organized, the interviewer said . Although he seemed caught off guard for a brief moment, he kept asking more questions, as if telling the young author that he wasnt going to let up that easily . Nevertheless, that didnt last long . All right . Well, I have a feeling that Id be making a fool of myself if I were to tell you my lifes goal is . I dont want your readers to think that Im begging them to buy my books just so that I can get there sooner . I wanna get there with my own ability . . After a brief pause, the interviewer raised his hand and let out a subtle chuckle, almost like a sigh . Perhaps, youre a lot more experienced with interviews than I realized . I didnt think youd turn down the question like that . An interviewee had the right to refuse to answer any question that they didnt feel comfortable answering . However, exercising that right was another challenge in and of itself, and that was especially true for those who lacked experience with interviews . The simple fact of refusing someone didnt come easy to a lot of people, and most interviewers didnt let up that easily . Knowing all that, Juho reminded himself that he had to be all the more emphatic in his answers, while still remaining polite . Leaving no room for questions, Juho led the interview so that it would be rude for the interviewer to ask about the subject . Although it was clear that the interviewer had a lot more questions about it that he wanted to ask, he got over it by moving on to the next portion of the interview . His impressive concentration helped Juho tremendously, enough to make the young author forget just how rigid and uncomfortable his chair was . My understanding is that there are some books that havent been exported yet . Is that right? Not all of Yun Woos books had been translated, which meant that they could be enjoyed only by those who knew Hangul . Yes, a short story called River . And I found out that you even won a literary award with that piece, the youngest winner in Korea . Its a privilege, really . Would you care to explain a little bit of it? At that, Juho gave the interviewer a brief summary of the story, which was about a person who was drowning to death . So, its about death, then? In simple terms, yes . Death was definitely one of the endings that you showcased in Language of G.o.d, and your att.i.tude toward death left quite the impression on me . Is River any similar to that? They were completely different stories . Not only were the dying people from different social standings and situations, but the setting was also entirely different . Id say River is a bit more personal, and it feels somewhat like a confession . As in, of your own? No, Im referring to the feel it carries . Seeing that the interviewer was expressing a strong interest, Juho decided to take a step back, Although, I dont know how much is known about the piece, so I dont know if I can even talk about it . Because the interviewer hadnt read the piece, it was inevitable that his questions would be shallow . Yet, he asked again, How is it like a confession? Have you experienced something similar to what happens to the protagonist? Actually, yes . I drowned once . Of course, the interviewer didnt buy it . I really hope somebody translates this, he said . Its a short story, Juho said with a shrug, and the interviewer approached the subject matter from a different angle . It might be entirely foreign to us, but it was incredibly popular here in Korea, right? So much so, that your fellow authors who partic.i.p.ated in putting the magazine together had a book concert . You never attended, of course . Juho hadnt publically attended the concert . At that moment, the young author hesitated, and the interviewer caught on immediately . Is there something youd like to add? Uh, maybe? Im all ears . Because the young author had been giving evasive answers, the interviewer asked upfront, and Juho came to a conclusion that now was the time to bring it up . It was a while ago, but I didnt attend the concert as an author . And what does that mean? It means I attended as an audience member . Wait! You mean you were there? the interviewer asked after catching on to what Juho was saying with a delay . Yes . I still remember my seat . A13 . . This will catch your readers by surprise, especially those who were sitting next to you . Please, do tell more, the interviewer said, and Juho brought up a certain member of the audience that came to mind . I remember saying h.e.l.lo to someone who had brought a camera to take pictures of Yun Woo . And did you two talk at all? No, not really . It was while we were waiting in line, so we didnt talk all that much . She was one of the people who had predicted that Yun Woo would be at the concert . Well, seems like she was right, the interviewer let out quietly, and Juho agreed . She showed me her camera, saying that she was ready to take pictures of Yun Woo the moment he appeared . I remember thinking, Well, now would be the time to press that shutter release b.u.t.ton . Haha! As the photographer behind the interviewer burst into laughter, the interviewer said, I sincerely hope she sees this interview . I hope so too . I really want to take a picture with her . They were planning to release the magazine containing the interview in Korea as well . Although there was no way to know whether or not she still remembered that day, Juho was now ready to take a picture with her . From then on, the interviewer asked about his writing process in great detail, such as habits and secret spots, and the young author answered each and every question with honesty . All right . Id like to talk about your most recent book for a little bit . He was referring to the book with the photo of him and Coin, which was one of the hottest topics among readers . An Insect Leaves No Trace, was it? Thats right . First edition, one-million copies! If that isnt impressive, I dont know what is . As the young author nodded affirmingly, a subtle smile appeared on the interviewers face .. .