The Great Storyteller

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Clearly fond of the store, Jenkins made quite a fuss when telling the young author about it.

“You see, there’s this person who works there, and he’s quite the character. Some say that he gave up the right to manage some company and chose to work at that bookstore instead. Others say that he’s a member in Mensa and holds a number of degrees. I don’t have a way to confirm any of that, but I know that he’s a book lover. He’s fun to talk to, too.”

“I see.”

It wasn’t usual for a bookstore worker to have a reputation like that. Seeing the astonishment on Juho’s face, the director added, “The thing is that the owner of that store is… how should I put it… a pathological liar.”

Upon discovering that the rumors had been started by the mythomaniac bookstore owner, Juho was able to make light of the impressive things about the certain bookstore worker. At the same time, he felt that the owner of the bookstore knew how to leverage his employees’ images as a means of promoting the store.

“I actually heard the rumors much later. As in, after I met the worker.”

“And?”

“I think the rumors might be true.”

Whether the rumors were true or not, Jenkins seemed to think that the certain bookstore worker was quite smart. Testimonies tended to give rumors weight. Knowing that, Juho nodded.

“I wonder if he’s working today,” Jenkins murmured. Then, turning toward the young author, he added, “Otherwise, he’ll be missing out big time. One could have the brain, but they won’t get far without luck.”

“Isn’t it a good thing if he has the day off when the store’s busy?”

“Sure, but he would also be missing out by taking off the one day Yun Woo visits the store.”

“It’s not easy being popular,” Juho said, putting his hands in his pockets.

“You know, Mr. Woo, I hope you understand that I contributed to that popularity.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.”

“C’mon, now,” Jenkins said, walking ahead. Juho followed him unhurriedly. Soon, the bookstore came into view.

“It’s crowded today.”

“Guess today’s that one day when everyone decides to go to the bookstore.”

Although it wasn’t exactly booming with people as the article Juho had read in the morning had described, the store was still quite busy. Thankfully, even as he went into the store with Jenkins, nobody seemed to pay attention to their presence. Everyone was busy either looking up or down at books, and Juho was quite fond of that sight for some reason.

“Here it is,” Jenkins said. However, when Juho looked at where the director was pointing, he saw a sign that read ‘This Item Is Out of Stock at the Moment.’

“Guess we’re too late.”

“Not even one, though?” Jenkins said, looking around the store as though looking for an employee to talk to. Before Juho even had a chance to tell him that he could give him the copy that he owned, the director turned toward an employee nearby and asked, “Are there none left? Not even one?”

“No. We’re out of stock at the moment. Sorry, sir,” the employee said with a blank expression on his face. At which point, Jenkins furrowed his brow.

Then, another employee came into Juho’s view over the director’s shoulders. He was already interacting with another customer, who was an older man.

“Then, what’s that in your hands?” the customer asked, pointing to the book with the blood-red cover in the employee’s hand.

“Oh. This is mine,” the employee said proudly. Then, with a confident smile, they added, “We get breaks too, believe it or not. I bought this copy so I could read it during break time.”

Clicking his tongue irritably, the customer said, “If I were the owner, you would’ve been the first one to go.”

“C’ mon, now. There’s no need to be harsh. There are more on the way, so how about you come back in about a week? I’ll set one aside for you.”

“Tsk. All right,” the customer said. As the man walked away, the employee opened his book without even looking back.

“Are there really none left?” Jenkins asked. Upon looking up, the employee’s face changed when he saw the director’s face.

“Long time no see, Mr. Jenkins.”

“Guess you are lucky after all.”

“I don’t think I follow.”

“Look over there.”

“Where?”

Juho had been standing idly when the employee looked in the direction Jenkins was pointing toward. When they locked eyes, Juho saw the employee’s Adam’s apple move up and down, his eyes darting back and forth between him and the red book.

“Hello,” the employee greeted Juho. Leaving Jenkins giggling, Juho greeted the employee back. The employee asked, “Looking for anything in particular?”

“Oh, no. But if you could keep that man busy for a little while, I’d appreciate it,” Juho replied, waving in denial and turning around in order to look around the store.

“H-hold on!”

“Yes?”

“This way,” the employee said, leading the young author in a certain direction. When Juho gave him a puzzled look, the employee explained his intent, “We gotta keep you out of other customers’ sight. I have no intention of taking advantage of your name for the sake of the store, either. Besides, the sequel’s already sold out.”

Then, looking toward a lady by the counter, who seemed to be the owner and was also looking in the employee’s direction, the employee made a signal. At which point, she brought something out from under the counter and led them to the resting area. It was a small space that was connected to a kitchen, and aside from a few pieces of cleaning equipment and a small table, there wasn’t much else to the place.

“This place’s hardly changed.”

“Yep.”

Jenkins seemed to be familiar with the place. Handing a sheet of paper and a pen to the employee, the owner reached out her hand to the young author for a handshake. When Juho shook hands with her, he felt a welcoming warmth from her hand. The silent owner and her mythomaniac husband. An employee with an impressive reputation. Juho started to make sense of why Jenkins came to that store often.

“Would you mind giving us something to remember you by?” the employee said, asking for an autograph.

“Sure. I don’t see why not.”

“Would you like mine too?” Jenkins asked.

“The more, the merrier.”

When Juho took the paper from the employee’s hand, the young author realized that the employee was shaking from excitement. After signing his autograph quickly and skillfully, Jenkins handed the paper back to the employee.

“But seriously, you have none left?” the director asked, looking at the employee, who looked at the young author.

“Nope. Why did you come to a bookstore when you have the author of the book next to you?”

“I’m a firm believer that buying a book is part of the reading experience.”

“Never heard of that,” Juho said, and the employee replied, “Me neither,” his eyes sparkling with interest.

“I’ve been working since early in the morning. Today has been especially busy since morning. As soon as we put the books on display, they came rushing into the store like a swarm of bees.”

“You’re calling your customers that? That’s not very nice,” Jenkins said.

However, unfazed, the employee replied, “Bees are one of my favorite insects. They have a very, very logical way of life. Also, there are over a hundred thousand species of them across the globe.”

Then, the owner shook her head subtly. At which point, the employee stopped talking any further about bees.

“Would you like some coffee?” the employee asked. Although they weren’t exactly at a book cafe, the employee was offering to make them coffee. Feeling slightly awkward, Juho glanced over at Jenkins. Meanwhile, the employee called to a trainee, who was lingering around, and sent them to the kitchen.

“When I first started working at this store part-time, I fell in love with the coffee here. It’s probably what kept me here all this time,” the employee said calmly. Soon, the trainee brought a couple of steaming mugs with pictures of cats on them. As the employee took one for himself, Juho noticed that his hands were still shaking. It was subtle, but noticeable. Juho drank his coffee.

“Did something get on my face?” Juho asked, noticing the employee’s burning gaze. At which point, the employee jumped from his seat and said, “I’m so sorry. This is my first time seeing Yun Woo in person.”

“Riveting, isn’t it?” Jenkins interjected.

“I think it feels even more surreal because I was reading your book up to a moment ago. You really are Yun Woo, right?”

‘Are you really Yun Woo?’ Juho couldn’t remember the last time somebody had asked him that question. Licking his lips, he replied, “Yes, I am.”

“I’m gonna be honest with you. I’m itching to go back to my book right now because I’m almost at the end: the climax.”

Then, letting out a strange exclamation, Jenkins interjected, “You mean it’s so good that it makes you forget that Yun Woo’s sitting right in front your eyes?”

“Let me tell you. This is the real deal,” the employee said with a corner of his mouth turning up.

Narrowing his eyes, the director glared intently at the book. Having yet to have read the book, Jenkins couldn’t relate to the employee, and the employee was well aware of that. At which point, he looked toward the young author and said, “If I were the writer, I think I would’ve turned completely insane by the time I finished writing a book like this.”

Instead of giving an answer, Juho put on an ambiguous smile. He remembered the moment when he had first finished the first draft at the base. It hadn’t been special in any way.

“It’s always exciting to see a world taking shape, but there’s something special about your book,” the employee said, placing his hand on his chest and adding, “I almost cried in the middle of my shift.”

“So, there are sad parts too, huh.”

“It’s definitely on the depressing side, I’ll tell you that. I mean, the book talks about some heavy stuff, too. You’ll find yourself getting terrified in no time. This is not your typical novel. If you’re a casual reader, you’re in for a surprise.”

“Does anybody die?”

“I don’t mind telling you if you want.”

“I’m just kidding.”

The more Jenkins talked to the employee, the higher his expectation got. There was a stark contrast between someone who had and someone who hadn’t read the book. Meanwhile, Juho listened intently to the sounds that were coming from the outside of the resting area, including the customers talking to each other.

“So, I actually have a question,” the employee asked cautiously, unlike his confident demeanor up to that point. Juho nodded and gave him permission to ask, saying, “As long as it’s something I can answer.”

“Personally, I really like Traitor as a character. It could feel so different depending on how you look at them.”

Juho nodded in agreement. Traitor was one of the most polarizing characters among readers. Being a symbol for both hope and despair, mankind wouldn’t have been able to avoid extinction if it hadn’t been for the character. At the same time, if it hadn’t been for Traitor, no lifeforms would be suffering under the reign of mankind. What the character did was integral to the existence of Language of God and the journey of the companions. In a bigger scale, their world existed because of Traitor’s betrayal.

“What’s your take on the character as the author? Is it a hero, or a traitor like its name suggests? Is it God in the myth, or a fool who’s inclined to make foolish decisions?”

Juho looked up. There was a dust particle floating around, which disappeared shortly after.

“There’s a certain person that comes to my mind whenever I think of the character,” the young author said.

“Who? A friend, perhaps?” Jenkins interjected, but Juho shook his head and replied, “A reader who passed away.”

The room sank into silence for a brief moment. Juho knew of a certain reader who had passed away from leukemia before he got to read the ending of his favorite series. The reader had liked Traitor in particular and couldn’t stand his favorite character being called by such a name.

“Is that why it becomes a hero in the end?” the employee asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Juho shook his head and replied, “No. It dies.”

“…”

While the employee froze in place, Juho said cheerfully, “What’s the matter? He’s part of the myth, and the book takes place in the past. You knew that it died.”

“As a reader who’s hopelessly lost in the story, the story is very much in the present. You should know, Mr. Woo. You’re the one who wrote such a nerve-racking story.”

Inhaling slowly, Juho replied, “I believe that readers have the freedom to judge the dead. Hence, I decided to leave the interpretation up to my readers.”

“… I see,” the employee said calmly while thinking that the dead reader had had an influence on the author’s writing process, leading him to write a story filled with death. Perhaps that was why Yun Woo excelled at the subject of death.

“That’s it.”

While the employee was preoccupied with analyzing the young author, Jenkins sprung up from his seat, which rocked the table and everything on it. He seemed to have already finished his coffee.

“How much do you want for it?” the director asked emphatically, his hand clasping the employee’s shoulder tightly. While the employee looked up at Jenkins, looking unusually caught off guard, Juho drank his coffee peacefully.