Great Novelist

“I've been getting a lot of attention since before it came out. It was a book that came out shortly after the award, and it was the first book that had a picture of you on it. ”

You nod quietly.

“And the theme of love caught my eye. I read it myself and was surprised by its surprising content. ”

It was a similar reaction in Korea or abroad. Knowing the rough flow of the article, he nodded his head.

“There are a lot of people who expect and expect pure love. ”

“I was.”

“You knew? ”

“I speak English with the Internet. ”

That makes it easier to talk. The interviewer laughed as if to say so.

“How was it? You knew in advance that people's expectations and the results they prepared were greatly missed. ”

“I knew what people were expecting from me. ”

“You didn't try to cope. ”

Not aware of others' gaze I told the interviewer that I thought of myself as such.

“No, I tried. I wrote. I wanted to meet my readers. ”

I am conscious enough of my readers. This answer changed the direction of the story.

“Do you write for your readers? ”

“Maybe all writers are? Only the reader can read the book. Readers matter to writers who write. ”

“Then, do you sometimes feel the readers want to write whatever they want? ”

“Of course I do. I want to write what the world wants. ”

There was no change in his expression as if it was a sufficiently expected answer. I was only interested in what was being maintained throughout the interview.

“What do you think you've written so far? Do you think the world wants a story? ”

“Well, not really. It was a story I wanted more than the world. because I'm writing for myself. ”

The interviewer said without looking at the material in his hand.

“This story you wrote was about the breakup. ”

He replied silently. He was a horse.

“The theme is all over the story. There's no excitement between relationships and people. Rather, it's the opposite. It's a story of life going away. The only creatures allowed to enter the body are worms. ”

It is also a symbol of parting rather than meeting. The interviewer added a description.

“What was the love you wanted to express? ”

I was able to answer relatively simply.

“I wanted to write a story that stopped. ”

The interviewer quickly continued with the following questions:

“Is there a reason you want that? ”

This was also not a question to be asked.

“I went to an amusement park with a romance novelist. ”

“· · · · · · Amusement Park. ”

It was a face that needed more explanation.

“There's a novelist who can handle romance because he's the best writer. I went to the amusement park alone with him. The theme of love comes to mind at that time. ”

“And the subject of separation? ”

“Yes.”

You can see your eyebrows narrow.

“It doesn't connect very well. Amusement parks can be fun. Why did you come up with the topic of separation there? ”

The horse went a little faster. He was a horse.

“He asked me about my first love. ”

“Oh, right. ”

A voice of reassurance. A clue was revealed.

“I want to hear your first love. ”

“I couldn't answer. ”

“Why?”

“I forgot.”

I was not anxious. Farewell and forgetfulness come naturally. I was just a little bitter.

“I tried to remember, but I didn't think of it. I would have loved it back then. I thought you were so far away. I felt like I was growing up, and I felt like I was cold. So I thought I'd write it down. ”

The interviewer's gaze slightly shifted away from me. I am reminded of my work.

“In the beginning, there is a man on a train leaving his hometown. A man who feels uneasy about forgetting something. ”

“Yes. Coming out. ”

“In your experience, may I assume that love is what the man has forgotten? ”

In the work, the story was not explained until the end. He decided to save his words.

“There's a reason I've been silent in my work. But there's no problem interpreting it that way. ”

He clenches his head several times and opens his mouth.

“I'd like to talk to you about the inside story. I was very impressed with the description of the insect, which is the center of the novel. It's expressed in detail. It was a long description that made me feel obsessed with poisonous insects, but is there a real model insect? ”

I nodded, thinking of the blue backpack.

“Yes. We actually met in the mountains. ”

“Don't you know what kind of insect it is? ”

“Too bad. He fell on my forehead. ”

Pointing to his forehead, the interviewer looked a little disgusted.

“I was resting in the valley, and I fell from the sky. I grabbed it with my bare hands and it was a bug. He was crawling around, wondering if he knew my body was a tree. ”

“You're not afraid of bugs. ”

“Quite so.”

“Is the description of the insect in the novel exactly the same as the actual model? ”

“Not really. It's a little distorted in my head. ”

“Why did you care about the description of the poisonous insect? ”

“There must have been a lot of reasons, right? I wanted to tell him about the existence of the bug, why he became in love with the bug, and to make sure that the bug wasn't a fiction. · · · · · But I also want to use the biggest one. ”

I didn't write with a clear plan. I just wanted to leave a detailed description of the insect. I wanted to transfer the unusual colors I met that day to the manuscript.

“Maybe he didn't want to forget. You can always see it and think of it if you leave a trail in it. ”

“Weren't bugs supposed to leave no trace? ”

He smiles small. He looks full of his own understanding.

“There's a resemblance between you and the boy in the inner story. ”

“A lot of people would look like a boy. ”

Anyone who tries to find something resembling someone else can easily find one or two.

“Do you think you are most like yourself? ”

“Like · · · · · · ·? ”

“Yes, I am. I am creating a character. ”

I needed some time to think. I wonder what. The visions I had met were coming to me. They were all just random opponents with their own stories. He replied after considering for a long time.

“I can't decide. ”

“Don't you look alike? ”

“There are no characters that are completely self-portrayed. There's something about everyone that resembles me, and there's something about everyone that doesn't resemble me. I want my characters to act on their own. ”

“What do you mean, you want to act on your own? ”

“Literally. You see the world in your own experience. And choose. Decide right and wrong. They do things that I would never do. On the other hand, they wouldn't answer me unconditionally. ”

“Isn't there a time when I invade their territory without knowing it? Anyway, it's written by a writer. ”

“Rarely. when you find a mistake during retirement, of course. ”

I said it as it is. The interviewer sat down with a small admiration. I don't accept it with pride. We were able to get to know each other somewhat thanks to the conversations we had.

“I'd like to see you writing someday. ”

He said with a small sigh. I was afraid that day would come. He said he wished he had a chance. He mentioned it briefly earlier and began a new talk about the photos that passed.

“It's also Kelly Coin that happens to be a writer. We're familiar with this author. Coin writers also appear in your photos. Pictures you've discussed with him? ”

“No, he didn't know which picture to put on the book. ”

“Have you had any complaints about the photos? ”

“He didn't say anything. It's a good picture of the coin. ”

“I wouldn't be able to do that if I were you. Is there a reason you chose the photo with the coin? ”

“I'm suspected of many things. because there were still fake coincidences. I thought there would be disbelief if I showed my face. So when I first introduced people, I thought about how to build trust. ”

“Is the result a coin writer? ”

“Yes. I needed an introduction that both my readers and I knew. ”

“Aha.”

The interviewer signalled that they knew. Coins are, in other words, referrers. If a trustworthy person stands between two beginners, there is an implicit trust. I'm here for his introduction. If you say so, the other person will probably react like this. I've heard so much. You must be him.

“This is the first time I'm going to say it. ”

“I see. When did you take this picture? ”

“It's about time for the Hugo Prize. ”

The interviewer wanted to know about Coin's relationship with him.

“Coin went directly to Korea to meet you, right? ”

“Yes.”

“How did you become close? ”

“I'm ordering coffee. ”

The interviewer, who knew he liked coffee, laughed as if he had heard something interesting.

“He didn't recognize me at first. She came here by accident, and she growled. I knew I didn't like coincidence very much. ”

“Did you know the opponent was a coin? ”

“Yes. So I was in good shape, but I got caught. ”

“What did Coin say then? When I found out you were a coincidence. ”

“It was just a natural reaction. It was strange, because I pointed out my mistakes sharply and understood who I was. ”

“The writer Kelly Coin is famous for his work, but notorious. Aren't you scared?”

He shrugs.

“Coins are fun contacts. Bake bacon very well. ”

In that relaxed answer, he asked.

“So what do you think of yourself as a writer? You've read his writings, right? ”

“Yes, coins are one of my favorite writers. Especially when translating, I could feel his greatness. ”

“Whose is it? It's translated by you. It's one of the things that coin writers talk about all the time. I thought you asked me to translate. ”

“Yes, I was embarrassed then, too. I pushed him into a daze.”

“But you did it. ”

He smiled awkwardly and said.

“Coins seem rough and focused on one area at a time, but not at all. He always sees the whole thing and goes into it. So it's possible to get there exactly the way you want it to. ”

End of Author's House (7)

lim Han-baek