Translated by: ShawnSuh Edited by: SootyOwl Myung Joo Mu was an actor whose success had come after many years of obscurity . He had become increasingly popular after his role as the brother in the movie Trace of a Bird . You did great, Mr . Mu! Thank you . After a guerilla interview, the actor exchanged thank yous with the interviewer at a restaurant in Hongdae . On his way to the restaurant, Myung Joo had a number of impromptu fan events . Although he still felt awkward on one hand, he recognized that having fans was something to be grateful for . There were still a crowd outside the restaurant waiting for him to come out . His daily life was now filled with unthinkable occurrences, and strangely, he was starting to have a hard time remembering how life as a no-name actor used to be . He was in a place where he was able to reminisce about his difficult past with a smile on his face . It couldnt possibly be a bad change . As he stepped out of the restaurant, the crowd of fans screamed at the sight of him, and the actor waved before getting into his car . While the manager started driving, Myung Joo closed his eyes after looking out the window at his fans rus.h.i.+ng past it . Tired? A little bit . That was a lot of fun! I think youll look great behind the screen . Myung Joo felt relieved almost instantly upon hearing the encouraging remarks from his manager . No matter how many times he went through it, the actor still had a hard time getting used to the the hectic schedule . Ma.s.saging this shoulders, he realized just how tense he was through the interview . After rotating his neck a few times, he reached for a book next to him, t.i.tled An Insect Leaves No Trace . Written by Yun Woo, it was the book that the actor had been reading repeatedly . However, no matter how many times he read it, it was just as good as the first time . To him, Yun Woo was a great author, and the memory of their first encounter still remained fully intact in his mind . Despite being significantly younger than him, Yun Woo had had a mature vibe about him . I wonder if thats what happens to writers . Myung Joo thought to himself despite knowing full well that that was merely an unfounded a.s.sumption . That book again? His manager asked, as if tired of seeing the actor reading the same book . What? Its a good book . Im tellin you, Myung Joo . Youre obsessed . Then, as the car turned to the left, their bodies leaned toward the same direction . Well, I guess its understandable, the manager said . Myung Joos life had turned around because of Yun Woos book . That was what a lot of people thought anyway . Nevertheless, the actor had no intention of denying it . Yun Woos writing had a profound and deep impact in his life, even outside of his acting career . Considering how big of a fan you are, the manager added . I do like him a lot, but that has nothing to do with why I read his books . Whats that supposed to mean? It means I read them because theyre good books, Myung Joo told his manager . In the actors mind, Yun Woo and Trace of a Bird werent on equal footing . Strictly speaking, what had really impacted his life had been the book rather than the author . In other words, he had always had the choice to stop after reading Trace of a Bird . However, every single book by the young author was a gem, each and every one of them impressive in its own way, which really made the actor look forward to the young authors new book . Really? Does that mean you dont like the author himself all that much? Of course not, Im a fan! So, if I were to summarize, you just like everything about him . All Im saying is that Im not reading his books just because I like him . All right . OK, the manager said as he stopped the car at a red light . Whats Yun Woo like in person? the manager asked . Although Myung Joo had heard that question more times than he could count, the fact that the question was coming from his manager, who didnt have even a remote interest in literature, made it feel like he was hearing it for the first time . It was highly likely that the manager didnt know who Seo Joong Ahn and Dong Gil Uhm were, although he might have heard of Joon s...o...b..ng since he had been growing increasingly famous in the media . Rather than literature, the managers interests were something completely unrelated . He was incredibly knowledgeable about tools and civil engineering . On top of that, he was an excellent manager . Why do you ask? Myung Joo asked . To which, the manager answered nonchalantly, Well, its just that I hear about him everywhere these days . Yun Woo this, Yun Woo that . Now, people are raving about his short stories coming out . People tend to ask me a lot of questions about celebrities as soon as they find out what I do, and do you know about whom the second most commonly asked question is? Yun Woo . So, I started getting curious myself . Honestly, though, I dont understand how people can get into books like that . As the release date approached, the fans grew even more anxious . Their wish was finally coming true: a piece that contained traces of Yun Woos life . Myung Joo was also one of those fans . Part of him antic.i.p.ated a promotional interview, and although he pretended not to be excited, Myung Joo couldnt deny that just the thought of the new short stories put him in a better mood almost instantly . However, none of that would answer his managers question in any meaningful way . With that, he gave the same answer to the question he had heard one too many times, long tired of both . Besides, the fact that he was talking to his manager didnt really make a difference . If you wanna know about Yun Woo, it would be a lot quicker to read his books than to ask me . At that, the manager gave the actor a look as though he had heard some cliché moral lesson . No matter how stereotypical his manager found Myung Joos answer, however, the actor believed that reading Yun Woos books was the best way to know the young author . Similarly, Myung Joo believed that his manager would be able to understand why people were so enthusiastic about books once he experienced a book himself . In either case, the quickest and most efficient way to know about an author was to read their books . I dont think Ive ever read a book from cover to cover, the manager said, confessing the reason why he couldnt get into a book . But you watch movies for hours on end, Myung Joo said . Movies are entertaining though . The fancy sound effects to all the fancy action sequences and the enormous movie set . I can tell that youre into fancy things . Speaking of fancy, Yun Woo was one of the figures that shone the brightest in the literary world . Thankfully, he seemed like an author who would fall within the managers preferences . Considering the managers personality, it was very likely that he would buy every single Yun Woo book in print as soon as he discovered what it was like to read a book written by Yun Woo . If you have trouble getting through long books, then start with short stories . There are different kinds of books out there . River is probably Yun Woos most representative short story . It leaves you with a lasting impression . I think youll like it . You think so? River, huh? But Im into things that are really intense though . Short stories arent typically known for their depth, are they? At least thats my understanding of how theyre viewed anyway, the manager said, tilting his head as if still having trouble grasping everything . Youll find out after you read it, Myung Joo said . Seeing his manager repeating the t.i.tle of the short story to himself, the actor recognized that as a welcoming change and added, If youre into more intense things, then Sound of Wailing is also a good choice . Sound of Wailing? Although, in terms of immersiveness, you gotta go with Language of G.o.d . That ones way too long though, the manager said . He also knew about the series . After all, it was quite famous by that point . In a sense, River is more intense than Language of G.o.d . Great . They sell all of em in bookstores, right? Ill just lend em to you . You can come in for a minute, and Ill fetch them for you . Thatd be great! While he was at it, Myung Joo took his phone out in order to make sure that he was conveying accurate information to his manager . When was it that you met Yun Woo again? . Myung Joo? Although the managers voice lingered in the car, the actor was entirely occupied with the new information he had obtained . Theyre holding a signing event, Myung Joo said . With whom? You? Yun Woo . Whoa! Seriously? I didnt know authors held signing events! Unlike the manager, who spoke calmly, Myung Joo was struggling to suppress his excitement . It was a signing event in celebration of the new books release . In other words, it was an opportunity for fans to get Yun Woos autograph on the day of the short stories release . Yun Woo had auth.o.r.ed some of the most immersive books Myung Joo had ever come across . Although there had been times when he had wondered what the world would have looked like if Yun Woo hadnt been an author, he was fully aware of how meaningless it was to think about such a thing . Yun Woo was one of the actors absolute favorite authors . Checking his schedule, Myung Joo made sure that he was going to be available on the day of the signing . I have to be there, the actor thought to himself . Upon arrival, Myung Joo brought the books out to his manager as promised . Although the bundle turned out to be quite hefty, the actor was certain that his manager would be able to read every single one of the books . Then, as he was getting in the car, as usual, the manager said to the actor, You make sure to get some good rest, all right? Dont even think about going anywhere . Will do . Myung Joo wasnt the type to lie or go out of his way to go somewhere he shouldnt . After seeing him out with a smile, the actor rushed into his house and started looking into the signing event on the internet . --- Pleasure to meet you, Mr . Woo . On the day of the signing, the branch manager of the store greeted the young author, reaching for a handshake, and Juho responded with a smile and a handshake . It was 8:00 a . m . , and the store wasnt opening for another hour and a half . Although the signing was planned to start after lunchtime, Juho had let his curiosity get the best of him and ended up arriving early . Due to the employees and store officials, the store wasnt entirely empty . Still, compared to his usual experience in bookstores, it was significantly quieter . The store was rather large, and because of that, the surroundings grew quieter as the young author went further into the store . His new books were already on the display racks next to the cas.h.i.+er counter, where it could be easily seen by the customers . So! How do you feel holding your first signing event? the manager asked . Although Juho didnt really have any thoughts about it, he gave a sincere answer, A little nervous, a little excited . You know, Ive seen countless signing events for authors up to this point, but Ive never been more excited about any of them than for today . I hope you warmed up your wrists, Mr . Woo, the manager said, warning the young author playfully . The signing was planned to last for several hours . Although it was bound to be physically demanding, it was also an opportunity for Juho to meet his readers . With that, the manager gave a tour of the store, particularly the sections that carried Juhos books . Unlike most books, which were organized by genre and the year they had been published, his books were all combined into one section . As the young author looked intently at the books, the manager started raving about the current trends of the publis.h.i.+ng industry, as if feeling awkward or itching to talk some more . From the most printed to the most popular genres, he seemed to be quite knowledgeable . Sir? An employee called to the manager . After which, he asked to be excused and walked away with them . Although listening to the manager had been quite entertaining, Juho wanted to explore every corner of the store while he was there . Then, after coming across a book with a certain t.i.tle, he picked it up from the shelf . It was a new book, and it had just been included in the stores inventory . Although Juho had received his copy from his publisher, coming across a fresh copy at a bookstore before it was even open made it a different experience . The t.i.tle, Alexandria, jumped out at the young author, especially with its gold-colored cover . Designed by Jung Eun Kong, the focus was on the aspect of abundance and prosperity . Juho thought back to the stacks of books next to the cas.h.i.+er counter . Seeing a stack of gold books was quite a sight to behold, even befitting the t.i.tle of the book somehow . With that, Juho walked toward the middle of the store, where the promotional banner with his face on it hung . It was the s.p.a.ce designated for the signing event . Feeling uncomfortable staring at his own face, Juho walked toward another spot, where domestic literature was being displayed . Following his instincts, Juho looked for The Full Moon and found three copies in the shelf, back to back . I wonder if this is what Seo Kw.a.n.gs bookshelf looks like, Juho wondered . Then, in order to see if there were other names he recognized, the young author started exploring other section in the store . Yun s...o...b..ek, Wol Kang, Kelley Coin, Seo Joong Ahn, Dong Gil Uhm, Dae Soo Na, Joon s...o...b..ng, Mideum Choo, and Geun Woo Yoo, whose books took a little longer to find than the others . It had been a while since Juho had been to a bookstore, and he was enjoying the peace and quiet to its full extent while it lasted . As he walked around the store, he ran into Nam Kyung, who was just coming out of a certain section . Then, looking as if he had been looking for Juho, the editor said, Did you get to look around? We better get going . You havent eaten yet, right? Nope, Juho said, realizing how hungry he was . Wouldve been nice to do a quick interview before the signing, Nam Kyung murmured as they were exiting the store, but Juho chose not to respond to it . When they were about to walk out of the gla.s.s door, they saw a group of twenty or so people on the other side, each with a book in hand . It was Language of G.o.d . There was only one reason for why there would be a crowd waiting in front of a bookstore at that hour . People are starting to line up already! Nam Kyung said, impressed .