Translated by: ShawnSuh Edited by: SootyOwl How is it that not a single author turned up at the afterparty!? Nam Kyung asked dumbfoundedly as they reunited at his office a few days after the event . Letting out a small yawn, Juho said to him, That happens . It was only five people . I dont think thats a big enough number to ruin a party . It got kind of awkward, but I suppose youre right . Although the editor still seemed to be quite busy, he didnt seem nearly as busy as he had been before the event . Then, he led the young author to the same ol conference room . Hey! Its Yun Woo! Silver Rings said, stating the obvious . Thankfully, all five authors were in the conference room that time, reuniting for the first time since the event . For some reason, there were a handful who seemed to find the young authors presence unwelcoming . Howve you been? Not too great, the student abroad said, curling his lip . However, he didnt seem like he was being sarcastic . I heard n.o.body went to the after party? It just kind of happened . Did you have a prior engagement? Yeah, somethin like that . Everyone seemed to be avoiding Juhos questions, and Juho didnt try to pry the answers out of them, either . Instead, he asked the student abroad, I thought you guys would come visit me in the waiting room . I couldve, but I just didnt have anything to say in particular . How so? Juho asked . Because you have no regard for us whatsoever, the student abroad replied, unfolding his arms . At which, Sung Pil moved his eyebrows at Juho as if saying, What did I tell you? People could tell us how good your books are and how curious they are about you all day long, but at the end of the day, their reading experience doesnt come even remotely close to what we feel after reading your writing . You dont know that . What did you feel? See? You dont understand . You never will, the student abroad said, closing his lips . He was fully aware that Yun Woo wouldnt be moved by his writing, let alone get excited . As for me, Im just gonna stick to my fis.h.i.+ng pond, the fis.h.i.+ng pond owner said as if hed never write again, chuckling . At that moment, a familiar voice came out of nowhere, saying, Ah, good! Everyones here . It was the director of the editing department, who had come into the conference room with a cheerful look about her . The same group of people who had gathered before the event had come together once more . The exhibition was a ma.s.sive success, and its all thanks to each and every one of you in this room . Youve all done a wonderful job . At her compliment, some waved their hand in denial, while others nodded in agreement . Meanwhile, Juho listened to her intently and waited for what she was about to say . Did you see the article? Yes, I have . You guys are well liked by the public . Im hearing a lot of good things . Juho had already been aware of that . Although the word had started spreading mostly due to its a.s.sociation with the name Yun Woo, the event had ended on a high note . It helped that our expectations were so low, the student abroad said with a cold smile on his face . Then, his gaze fixed on Juho like an arrow and said, The David-against-Goliath fight has a tradition for being popular . David usually wins though, Silver Rings interjected quietly . At which, the expression on the student abroads face started growing noticeably darker . But it was Yun Woo we were up against . Not some giant, the fis.h.i.+ng pond owner said, waving his hand in denial . However, the words that came out of the directors mouth put an abrupt stop to that movement . Where did you hear that David won? At which point, everyone fixed their eyes on her . Wait, whats that supposed to mean? My understanding was that everyone here was hoping to get their books published, the director said . And we still are . Yes, we are, Sung Pil said in his heavy voice . Would anybody like to take a guess as to why I brought you all here? she asked, still wearing the same cheerful smile on her face . At that, Juho started to catch on to her slowly . Is somebody getting their book published? Thats right . Its obviously Yun Woo, Sung Pil said, and other authors agreed . However, the director tilted her head and replied, If that were true, then I wouldnt have dragged on like this, would I? Then, what is it? Are you saying that theres somebody here who did a better job than Yun Woo? As the ambition started creeping into the hearts of the authors, the director said, We decided to put everyones ma.n.u.scripts into one single compilation . Of course, Juho thought, looking at his editor, who seemed to already be aware of the news . The positive reviews and responses of readers . Remarkable performances of the authors . There were readers out there who wanted to see their ma.n.u.scripts get made into books, which meant that their ma.n.u.scripts had met the standards that needed to be met before they got made into books . Turning a well-written piece into a book was the primary responsibility of a publis.h.i.+ng company . In which case, when a total of five incredibly well-written ma.n.u.scripts had been presented during the event, the publisher had all the more reason to publish them . Meanwhile, Juho looked at the fis.h.i.+ng pond owner, who seemed to be having a hard time believing the directors words . At which point, the young author said to him, Seems like you gotta keep writing . . It appears so . Noticing that the guilt that had once resided in his eyes had completely vanished, Juho made a mental note of that change in the fis.h.i.+ng pond owner . So, whats the order gonna be? the student abroad took the initiative to ask . At which, the director answered in a calm tone of voice, The same as the order you presented . There are some changes that I wanted to make to my ma.n.u.script . There will be a revision process, right? the fis.h.i.+ng pond owner asked in a rush, looking somewhat excited . Of course! It doesnt have to look exactly like it did during the presentation . Then, in the middle of the authors getting stoked about getting their stories published, she said to Sung Pil, Also, Ive been discussing with my department about arranging an interview with you . Is that OK? An interview? Yes . Its an interview thats typically held with one of the winners of the Rookie of the Year Award . I thought youd be the perfect fit for that since youre the winner of this years award . Although a rookie, Sung Pil definitely had potentials as an author, and now, he was about to publish his second story . However, his growth was only at the beginning since he would become a popular author in the future . If it werent for Yun Woo, Sung Pil wouldve received significantly more attention . As Sung Pil nodded in agreement in response to the director, Ms . Song, who was in charge of the interview, said to him, Well discuss it in more detail soon . Then, the director looked at Silver Rings and added, As for you, miss, itd be great if you could tell us the names of the songs you were playing in the background during your presentation . Why? Are you into heavy metal too? Its not for me, actually . Its for your editor-in-charge, who youll get to meet soon . Well probably bring it up in the compilation along with your picture . At that, she threw her fists up into the air, delighted . She loved music just as much as writing . A happy ending, Nam Kyung said, and Juho chuckled quietly . --- Winner of Zelkovas Rookie of the Year Award . Age: Twenty . First Unanimous Nomination Since Yun Woo . Remarkable Performance in the Presentation Segment in the Literary History Exhibition . A Rookie with a Prospect . These were some of the t.i.tles of the articles that turned up when one would search the name Sung Pil . Well take a quick break . Sure, Sung Pil said, nodding at the publishers staff member . They were in the stack room of the company, which was filled with books published by them . The view was quite different from the picture included in the transcription of Yun Woos interview in the magazine . Also, being the interviewee was a completely new experience . The rookie author took a sip of water . He had been answering questions about how he came to start writing and the submission he had made to the company during the contest . So far, the questions mostly revolved around his debut t.i.tle, Gingko Tree, which Sung Pil greatly appreciated and enjoyed as he got to explain the setting and the characters in depth . Although there werent that many questions, each and every one of them called for lengthier, more detailed answers . Then, after checking the camera, the interview resumed . Youre currently majoring in creative writing at a university, right? Did that contribute to your recent piece in any shape or form? Its hard to say . I was in still in high school when I first wrote Gingko Tree . My guess is that itll affect my future stories more than the current one, Sung Pil said . Nodding, Ms . Song moved on to the next question . Youre the same age as Yun Woo, correct? At the mention of his friend, Sung Pil nodded and said, Yes . And hes also one of our most representative authors . Recently, you two partic.i.p.ated in our exhibition event together . What do you think of him? It was a question Sung Pil had been antic.i.p.ating . He thought of the day of the fis.h.i.+ng pond owners presentation . While he had been looking around the hall with his friend, they had run into some reporters . As soon as Yun Woo had left, they had started bombarding Sung Pil with questions, all of which had been about Yun Woo . It had been at that moment that Sung Pil realized why the event had been drawing so much attention . Yun Woo . At the same time, he also realized that the name itself tended to draw attention, both desirable and undesirable alike . As a rookie author, Sung Pil was in desperate need of exposure . Yun Woo is an author of ma.s.sive presence . When I was still dreaming of becoming an author, he had already become one . All that to say, he was a compet.i.tor who was not to be looked down upon . Did you two get to spend some time talking afterward? Yes, plenty, in fact . Is there a part of you that wants to be as popular as him? Yes, there is . In fact, that ambition was a big part of him . Sung Pil wanted his writing to be read by as many people as possible . As Ms . Song waited patiently for the rookie authors response, he replied, Thats it . Sung Pil wanted to determine the path to success himself . He had no intention of bragging about his friends.h.i.+p with Yun Woo . He was very well aware that he still had a lot of catching up to do before he reached his friends level, which was a humble realization that came to him for the first time since becoming friends with the young author . Sung Pils goal had been to become a professional author and win the Rookie of the Year Award in the end . He had genuinely believed that winning the award would put him on equal footing with Yun Woo, allowing him to compete with his friend as rivals . Although the truth couldnt be further away, Sung Pil didnt necessarily find it upsetting . Meanwhile, as Ms . Song moved on to the next question, the rookie author saw Nam Kyung standing behind her, staring at him intently . Since Yun Woo, youre the first nominee by unanimous decision . What did that feel like? I was stoked . At the same time, I was quite humbled after I read the evaluations . I was reminded that I still had a lot of growing to do . Since your presentation, your name has become one of the most searched names on the internet . The public seems to view your potential in a positive light . What did that feel like? Honestly, the ma.n.u.script I had prepared for the presentation was based on my personal experience . I have firsthand experience being ostracized at school and I know what its like to be left out and isolated, as well as the desperation of wanting to get out of it . When I turned those emotions into writing onstage, I saw people identifying with what I was writing, which was quite encouraging . There are quite a few reviews out there saying that they were encouraged by your writing . Im flattered . Ms . Song chuckled quietly at the rookie authors response . Then, just as Sung Pil thought that he had gotten away from questions about Yun Woo, another question about his author friend came up . At which point, Ms . Song asked deliberately, as if to confirm the response . Was it at the event that you saw Mr . Woo for the first time? . As an author, yes . Noticing Ms . Song tilting her head at his ambiguous answer, he explained quickly, Yun Woo was remarkable on that stage . So much so that I cant wait to stand by his side . This event was invaluable to me . It taught me so much about myself . The event had been a humbling experience for Sung Pil . It had revealed precisely the areas in which he fell short . On top of that, he had also come to realize that he had more writing to do before he could improve on those areas . Then, as the interview brought up last the question, asking about his future plan, Sung Pil paused briefly and replied, I want to be an author who can handle any burden that gets put on me . He wanted to be in a position where he wouldnt be taking advantage of his friends fame even after revealing their friends.h.i.+p to the public . With that, the interview came to an end, and the group of people who had been gathering in a tight cl.u.s.ter scattered throughout the room . Meanwhile, Nam Kyung stepped out of the room, bring his phone up to his ear . I think the interview will come out well! Ms . Song said, walking toward Sung Pil to talk to him . While they were talking, Nam Kyung came toward them after the phone call, looking unsettled . Whats the matter? Ms . Song asked . Meanwhile, Nam Kyung looked intently at the rookie author . Sung Pil . Yes? Did you and Mr . Woo know each other in high school? the editor asked, scratching his forehead . At that, the staff members who had been organizing the equipment also looked in their direction . Ms . Song, in particular, had the most peculiar look on her face . How did he know? Sung Pil thought to himself . However, realizing that the answer wasnt far away from him, he looked at the phone in the editors hand . At which point, Nam Kyung said, An articles turned up . . .