Translated by: ShawnSuh Edited by: SootyOwl Juho nodded in agreement . Ive thought about that too . I wonder if hes actually busy . HongSam couldnt have run the blog with a daily job . If he had no time to read, then he would have nothing to write about either . Though Barons theory was the most realistic among the others, there were still things that needed explanation . h.e.l.l come back eventually . Wait, have you always been a fan of HongSam? Hes a big influence when Im buying a book, Baron said as he quietly looked at Juho . I know youre also looking for some sort of explanation . Haha! You got me . It was true . They had been learning more about each other as they spent more time together . It was a good thing that Baron had started taking more interest in lowercla.s.smen . To be honest, I got an eerie feeling from his latest post, Juho said with a smile . Eerie? His latest post as in… his review of One Room, right? Baron remembered heading straight to the bookstore after reading the review, and Juho nodded . What about it? I didnt notice anything different . Its just that… its odd . What is? Baron asked with a confused look on his face . HongSam is an honest person . You can tell if he liked the book or not from the length of the post . Hes also a fan of Seo Joong Ahn, and the book One Room is his first bestseller in five years . Its been getting a lot of good reviews and it actually is a good book . Im sure the book suited his taste . Yet, there was nothing different about his latest post . It was odd . As a frequent visitor of his blog, Juho had a gist of HongSams taste in books . If One Room hadnt suited his taste, he wouldnt have hesitated to express his disappointment in his post . Now that I think about it, youre right . I didnt get the impression that HongSam was excited about the book . Thats strange . Right? The two immersed themselves in thought . What would make him distance himself from reading? Here are your pancakes! With a loud voice, the old lady brought a large plate out to them . While Juho put his thoughts on hold to eat, he suddenly hesitated when he saw the food on the table . Maam, I believe we only ordered two . Its on the house . Youre from afar . Juho looked at Baron . There was another plate in front of him, and he calmly thanked the old lady . Thank you very much . You speak good Korean . Im sure you didnt get to eat well back home . Let me know if you need more . As if he had been used to the situation, he brushed off her kind-hearted discrimination . Juho had heard her mention something about a poor country, but Baron interjected before Juho had the opportunity to say anything, Im used to it . Besides, more for me . Thats not a good thing to lie to yourself about, Juho said as he stared intently at Baron . Baron smiled as if he had given in . Fine! You know what? I still dont like it . Happy? Now, since you are complaining, I can dig in without having to worry about shame . At that, they picked up their chopsticks together . --- Whats with you lately? Juho asked Seo Kw.a.n.g as he brought a spoonful of rice curry into his mouth . Huh? Seo Kw.a.n.g hadnt been himself as of late . So far, he hadnt been caught reading his book during cla.s.s, and lately, he had been getting in frequent trouble with the teacher even when he hadnt been reading in secret . Because he sat right behind him, Juho too had been called out several times for dozing off . Whenever there was time, Seo Kw.a.n.g quietly looked out the window and sat in a daze . Something must have happened . On top of that, he had been the only person who hadnt decided which compet.i.tion he was going to sign up for . Juho asked as he rubbed his tired eyes, Did somebody burn all of your books? I dont even want to think about that, so do me a favor and keep that thought to yourself . Then, what is it? Why have you been walking around like a zombie? Is there something going on at home? No, its nothing like that, he stalled . Did you get yourself into trouble? Nope . Do you need money? Ill take it gladly if you have some . Did you get heatstroke? My health is fine, he answered as he mashed the rice with his chopsticks . Maybe its something he cant talk about openly, Juho decided not to be nosy . Well, if you did something wrong, its usually best to just confess, he added as he continued eating his food . If he really had done something, it would have been best for him to come clean to the others around him . Did he steal something? Juho shook his head at the thought . Seo Kw.a.n.g didnt have the guts to do such a thing . Despite his character around others, he had a careful side to him that prioritized safety . Juho thought some more as he took another spoonful, First, HongSam, and now, its Seo Kw.a.n.g . Things have been weird lately . Then, he remembered the time when HongSam had presumed Yun Woo to be a book-loving girl . At that moment, his hand stopped in midair as he was about to take another bite . A book-loving girl . Huh? Juho looked up slowly, calmly chewed his food and swallowed . He saw the puzzled look on Seo Kw.a.n.gs face as he picked at his own food with his chopsticks . Meanwhile, Juho quietly organized his thoughts, Seo Kw.a.n.g was the first person who told me about HongSam . Its been a month since he wrote on his blog . He thought about the time when Seo Kw.a.n.g started acting strangely, and it had been about a month . The corners of his mouth turned up slowly as he reached his conclusion that Seo Kw.a.n.g and HongSam were into the same type of girl, a book-loving girl . Youre HongSam! Seo Kw.a.n.g froze . Yeah, he confessed suddenly . Juho took his spoon that had been buried in a pile of rice curry out and said, Lets eat for now . . OK . As they ate, the two didnt say a word to each other . --- After eating, the two sat on a wooden bench in the schoolyard, each with a carton of apple juice in their hands . There were other kids lingering around, and Juho asked Seo Kw.a.n.g as he sat quietly, Mr . HongSam? Yes, sir, he answered calmly . The fact that Seo Kw.a.n.g had been hiding his ident.i.ty as HongSam was not a big issue . One wasnt obligated to reveal everything about his life to his friend . So, whats your occupation? Hey, dont be like that, he said with an awkward smile . Seo Kw.a.n.g was nervous because he had been acting as an adult in the blog . I really thought HongSam would be a corporate worker . My dads a great reference . You really did your research, didnt you? It was well put . Why dont you write a novel? I see potential, Juho said jokingly . Seo Kw.a.n.g started to loosen up and smile . Juho wasnt looking to criticize him, but he was curious about one thing, Why did he have to be an adult? Noticing that Juho was quiet, Seo Kw.a.n.g took the initiative to explain himself, I first started my blog in middle school . Thats when I first learned that my age could work against my favor . People were talking down to the books Id review because some middle school kid had read it . I get why they would do that to a middle school kid, but the book? I was so angry, but I couldnt do anything about it . After I calmed down a little, I started asking myself a questions, How are these people so brave? How can they attack others so boldly? The answer was simple - anonymity . So I gave it a shot, and what youve been looking at is the result - the birth of a popular blogger . I felt bitter, but the result was good, so I kept going . Juho felt traces of Seo Kw.a.n.gs anger in his calm tone of voice . What does HongSam mean? he asked after listening quietly . I saw my dad drinking red ginseng concentrate, and it looked like a good symbol for tired adults . (TLs note: Hongsam is red ginseng in Korean . ) People around his fathers age tended to eat anything for the benefit of their health, and Juho pictured the person who he had never met . A father had the responsibility to stay healthy . It was a responsibility he had taken up himself because there were people he worried about in case he pa.s.sed away . After staring out at the schoolyard for some time, Juho asked the burning question in his mind, Why havent you written anything in your blog for a month? If it werent for that absence, Juho wouldnt have been fazed even if he had found out that Seo Kw.a.n.g had been HongSam all along . Whether he was HongSam or InSam, he would have left encouraging comments and treated him as the person he wanted to be . However, Seo Kw.a.n.g looked weary . He seemed concerned and no longer happy . (TLs note: Insam is ginseng in Korean . ) So, funny story… Seo Kw.a.n.g hesitated . If its something you dont want to talk about, I wont pry it out of you . Think about it . Is it something you can do anything about? His eyes looked up and came back down . They moved busily as he thought . I think Im in love, he said . Love! Juho blinked slowly . Are you confessing to me? You crazy weirdo! Juho cackled out loud . Coming from Seo Kw.a.n.g, the word love sounded so pure and innocent . Good times, he said, feeling relieved on the inside . Good thing its not anything serious . After a good laugh, he asked Seo Kw.a.n.g, Its not a character from a book, is it? No! Seo Kw.a.n.g answered fiercely . --- After school ended, Juho headed over to Seo Kw.a.n.gs house with him . He had invited Juho over with enthusiasm . There was a subway station at the end of the furniture district that stretched into the distance . His house was in a corner of that intersection . The first floor was a small neighborhood bookstore, and Juho looked up at the building . Lets go inside, Seo Kw.a.n.g said as he leaned into the gla.s.s door . First floor? Yep . Its our store . Now it made sense as to why Seo Kw.a.n.g was such a bookworm . Who wouldve thought his parents actually owned a bookstore? It was such a fitting family business for him . As he followed Seo Kw.a.n.g into the store, he was met by a small counter with books on it . There was also a hand written suggestion list on top of the books . The register was in the innermost part of the store, which looked more like a book cafe than a bookstore . There were drinks and a dessert menu on the wall and a small kitchen s.p.a.ce in the back . We sell alcohol at night too . A lot of people like to read while they drink . Have you tried it? Ive begged my parents for a sip once . They want me to wait till Im an adult, he said, slightly disappointed . Cafe, bar, that was how a small neighborhood bookstore survived . In front of the register, there was a generous looking lady staring at the two . He must be a friend, she said . Yeah, this is Juho . As Seo Kw.a.n.g introduced him, the ladys eyes widened . Why, h.e.l.lo! You must be that Juho! Im Seo Kw.a.n.gs mom . How are you doing? She smiled brightly as he greeted her with a bow . Her somewhat mischievous smile had a striking resemblance to Seo Kw.a.n.g . Ive heard about you a lot . It must be tiring to hang out with Seo Kw.a.n.g .