# Chapter 22
In truth, Mo Eunje applied to the Creative Writing Department because he wanted to become a poet. However, after enrolling, he only realized the cruel reality that he couldn’t keep up with the sensitivity and talent of some truly gifted peers his age, that his perspective on things was fundamentally different from theirs, and that he not only lacked talent for writing concisely with metaphors but didn’t even have the basic sense for it.
“Then why not write at length? You won a lot of awards for compositions, book reports, and essays when you were in school.”
That was the advice Tae Igyeol gave him one day when Mo Eunje, at the fresh age of twenty-one, was swinging between frustration and despair and had confessed his worries while completely drunk. With that casual remark tossed out as if it were nothing, Mo Eunje modified his dream. Once he actually studied it, he found that prose narratives with storylines suited his aptitude better than poetry with its rhythmic patterns expressed in concise language.
So he attended external paid lectures by already-debuted novelists, joined reading groups made up of people from various professions, participated in external club activities where members wrote epistolary novels in various styles, and consistently studied and critiqued with people aiming to make their literary debuts.
As a result, he made his literary debut at the rather young age of twenty-three, just two years after changing his career path. His debut work “Castella and Gumbo” achieved the feat of winning the grand prize among the winners of the ‘Young Blue Writers Award of the Year,’ which selected the seven most outstanding medium-length and short stories published by young writers with less than ten years since their debut. Looking into the literary genealogy, Mo Eunje was the third author whose debut work had been selected as a winner of the Blue Writers Award.
After his debut, he signed an exclusive contract with a literary agency, and from the year of his debut until the following summer, he spent hectic days being called to various events both large and small, such as interviews, book talks, reader meetups, and podcast guest appearances.
Though he wanted to challenge himself with a full-length novel right away, he was too busy just meeting deadlines for the short stories that were being commissioned, without even having time to sit down and write properly. When his first short story collection “Castella and Gumbo,” comprised of these gathered short stories, was laid out in bookstores, he went with Tae Igyeol to take verification photos and each bought a copy with their own money.
“I’m the novelist who wrote this book.”
Because he proudly boasted to the employee during checkout though no one had asked, Tae Igyeol, who was standing next to him, was quite embarrassed. Anyway, the feeling at that time couldn’t be explained in words. It was infinitely inadequate to express it with terms like accomplishment or satisfaction. Since it was his first book with his name on it, he wrapped it nicely with Astage film at the right angle to keep it as a family treasure, and not satisfied with just that, sealed it in an OPP bag.
But he still had no time to rest with book signing events, promotional interviews, and various invitation events from book platforms. Knowing that these schedules kept coming because the reception to his work was good, and that not everyone could get such opportunities, he really worked hard.
As he managed the rush of schedules and wrote the commissioned short stories, his second collection “Sunday Afternoon” was published before he knew it, and the breathless schedule repeated without showing signs of stopping. In the process, he won several prestigious awards, and when he participated in award ceremonies held in provincial areas, he would go with Tae Igyeol, Ban Hajun, and Gye Minho, staying for two or three nights to travel as well.
His first full-length novel “Class Villa,” which he worked on bit by bit while cutting into his sleeping time, was a competition entry. During the proofreading period, he needed complete concentration, so he even notified the agency that he wouldn’t handle any schedules for the time being. Ban Hajun teased him, saying the great author had arrived and he was being dramatic, but surprisingly, “Class Villa” won the honor of the grand prize in the competition.
And last year, not long after “Class Villa” was published, it reached 100,000 copies, and even the special limited edition reissue launched to commemorate 100,000 copies sold out, with the film adaptation confirmed. Earlier this year, it was published as a special commemorative limited edition reissue for 500,000 copies and was published internationally in nine language regions.
“You.”
Tae Igyeol placed a few pieces of pork belly on Mo Eunje’s plate and then downed a shot of soju. Mo Eunje also took a sip of the somaek (soju and beer mix) that Tae Igyeol had mixed for him at the golden ratio. The ash-gray indifferent eyes looking calmly and the pitch-black eyes with complex confusion met.
“……”
“……”
Between the two who had been quietly making eye contact for a moment, Mo Eunje was the first to turn his eyes away. Sometimes, like now, Tae Igyeol would gaze at him with emotion whose identity was unknown. When calmly looking into Tae Igyeol’s cold eyes, it felt as if all his inner thoughts were being exposed.
Mo Eunje looked chaotically at the grill, meat, and side dishes placed on the table and took another sip of somaek.
“Well, I wonder if I really need a college degree for my life as a novelist. Still, I should graduate, right? When should I return to school… At this point, am I just buying a diploma by paying tuition?”
Looking back on his college life, it was a repetition of memories of playing, drinking, vomiting, playing, drinking, and vomiting. He did go on MT (membership training retreats) occasionally, but even during MT, he played, drank, and vomited. After his debut, he was too busy to properly attend classes, but thankfully, professors accepted his absence as attendance by putting him on employment leave, even though he wasn’t a senior. So he inevitably had less attachment to a college diploma.
“What’s with this lack of sincerity? Did you hear what I said?”
Tae Igyeol was half-listening to Mo Eunje’s words while fixing his gaze on his phone again. Even though the meat placed on the grill was getting well-done, he was just staring at his phone with a serious expression. Since there were still two hours left before the market closed, Mo Eunje decided to understand with a generous heart and broad magnanimity. So he was in the process of cutting and flipping the meat himself with tongs and scissors when:
“Shin Dael…”
Tae Igyeol stroked his chin with one hand and trailed off. It seemed like he needed to say something but didn’t want to.
“What about Actress Shin?”
“…She asked for your contact information.”
When they fought at dawn and Mo Eunje asked him to tell everything, this guy who wasn’t rotten to the bone faithfully reported. How much he must have hated to tell this story – the hand holding his phone was clenched so tightly that veins popped out not just on the back of his hand but all the way up his forearm.
“Let me ask one thing first.”
“What.”
“Are you dating Actress Shin?”
“No.”
Seeing his immediate answer, it seemed they weren’t dating yet but might be in a flirting stage. Or they could be about to start dating, given that he saw them holding hands affectionately. After intensely calculating in his head for a moment, Mo Eunje quickly finished his judgment.
“Don’t give her my information.”
“Why.”
“We probably won’t have any reason to contact each other separately, but even if something comes up, she can go through you, so why bother giving it to her.”
“……”
“You’re frowning like that because you don’t like the idea of Actress Shin contacting me directly anyway. It’s fine, don’t give it to her.”
The fist holding Tae Igyeol’s phone relaxed. Detecting this subtle change, Mo Eunje lowered his gaze to the grill. The pork belly and pork neck that Tae Igyeol had been grilling, precisely divided in half on the grill, were now all mixed together.
Perhaps Tae Igyeol might get a girlfriend.
&
On the rooftop, preparations for Ban Hajun’s delayed birthday party were in full swing.
“Wow, he’s my friend, but the character of a host who arrives later than the guest of honor is quite something.”
The birthday boy Ban Hajun, who was lighting the charcoal in the brazier, grumbled. Just in case, he had also bought solid fuel, but he insisted that meat tastes better when grilled over charcoal and was voluntarily going through the trouble. Mo Eunje and Gye Minho were in the middle of setting up camping tables and chairs and wiping them clean, while the host, Tae Igyeol, had not yet returned from the gym despite it being past 7 o’clock, the promised time. It was strange that he broke his principle of being 15 minutes early regardless of the circumstances.
“That’s Tae Igyeol for you. Let’s just be grateful he allowed us to come here.”
Mo Eunje nodded at Gye Minho’s words. It took exactly three years for Ban Hajun and Gye Minho to enter this place where Mo Eunje came and went as if it were his own home. Unlike Mo Eunje, who easily makes friends with just about anyone and gets along moderately well, Tae Igyeol doesn’t open his heart easily, and his permission to enter his domain meant that he had accepted them as friends for life.
“No, seriously, why is he going to the gym right now when we’re just going to drink a ton and eat meat, making it all pointless anyway?”
Ban Hajun expressed his genuine puzzlement. Since he was obsessed with building his body, Ban Hajun was the type to work out like crazy the next day after overeating and drinking too much. But since Tae Igyeol wasn’t here now, Mo Eunje guessed and answered on his behalf.
“Because it’s still better to exercise before eating than just eating?”
“That’s what I’m saying—it becomes pointless anyway! It’s wiser to lose weight after eating, because if you exercise before eating, you’ll end up eating more because you’re so exhausted. Doesn’t he know such basic common sense?”
“You’re going to eat a lot whether you exercise or not. And is Tae Igyeol’s stomach one where even 1g of fat would stick from drinking tons of alcohol and eating meat?”
“Shut up, Tae Igyeol’s proxy.”
“Shut up, rage-quitting Ban Hajun.”
Mo Eunje and Ban Hajun growled at each other. As well as they got along when they were in sync—better than any other pair among the four—they refused to back down from each other when they weren’t. Usually, the situation would end when Tae Igyeol made a comment in a contemptuous tone, but the timid Gye Minho pretended not to hear and silently cut mushrooms and onions into good sizes to go with the meat. “I miss Igyeol…” Gye Minho’s mumbled words went unheard by anyone.
“Rage-quit? Raaaage-quiiiit? I’m rage-quitting? At whom? Don’t tell me at Tae Igyeol? Wow, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year. Tae Igyeol can do anything to me and it doesn’t affect me.”
“Honestly, don’t you feel guilty saying that? Do you have pseudologia fantastica? You’re not good at anything compared to Tae Igyeol, so where’s your conscience? Did you throw your conscience away on the street?”
Without someone to cut them off, Mo Eunje and Ban Hajun’s bickering, now equipped with exaggerated tones, became increasingly childish to the point where it was unbearable to listen to.
“Argh. You little morsel. After ordering Tae Igyeol around like a butler, your liver’s grown outside your belly.”
“If you’re jealous, why don’t you get a butler like Tae Igyeol too? Are we finally going to see Tae Igyeol and Ban Hajun fight today? Don’t cry when you go home after getting beaten up by Tae Igyeol.”
“…Today is my birthday. My mom ate seaweed soup today after giving birth to me.”
Ban Hajun, at a disadvantage, was the first to change the direction of the conversation. Gye Minho, who had been worrying alone even though they weren’t really fighting, finally let out a sigh of relief in secret. The meaningless and childish conversation was about to end.
“Right. Let’s get beaten up some other day, not today. I’ll go get the alcohol.”
Mo Eunje acknowledged Ban Hajun’s retreat, bringing up his birthday and mother. Only after going inside did he realize he’d been tricked. Ban Hajun’s birthday wasn’t today but on Tuesday, a few days ago. Today was just the birthday party that had been scheduled for last Saturday but was postponed by a week—a day with no special meaning. Still, it wasn’t a bad outcome since Ban Hajun had lowered his tail first.
