The Great Storyteller

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

When the contestant walked into the interview room, the first thing that came into view was a sign that read: Row C. Upon sitting down, ‘C’ looked at the other two contestants who were next to them: the person sitting in row A, and another sitting in the middle, who still seemed young, fresh, and nervous. ‘C’ was slightly relieved by it. At the same time, they wondered how the young contestant had made it through the first round. Leading up to that point, a lot of the contestants ‘C’ had come across had been seasoned translators. ‘A,’ in particular, was relatively well known in the translation world.

“Ahem.”

As one of the interviewers let out a cough, ‘C’ redirected their attention to the interview. Shortly after, the interview started with short, personal questions. Whenever ‘C’ would answer their question, for better or worse, the interviewers would nod and jot something down.

“Have you read the translated version of ‘Trace of a Bird?'”

To which, all three contestants answered, “Yes.”

“Great. Do any of you know where the book states the birds are from?”

‘C’ found themselves getting flabbergasted by the unexpected question. ‘Did it ever mention where the birds came from?’ The more the contestant tried to remember, the sweatier they became.

“Yes, Mr. Kim.”

At that, ‘C’ looked to their side, at the young contestant. At the same time, ‘A’ brought his hand down while the corner of his mouth twitched.

“The birds are from the same place as the protagonist. There is a scene where the two brothers witness a bird hatching from an egg. Although the original doesn’t specify that they’re home, there is direct mention of it in the translated version because the origins of the birds needed to be clarified for the last scene: when the flock flies away.”

The interviewers nodded affirmatively. ‘C’ glanced at the young contestant, whose name was Seo Kwang. Although he looked quite nervous, his lips were moving unhesitantly. ‘Who is this kid?’

“Would anybody else like to add anything?”

The other two contestants remained silent. At which point, the interviewer moved on to the next question.

“‘Language of God: The Glory of Traitor.’ I’m sure you’ve all read it at least once.”

At the mention of the book, ‘C’ clenched their hands into tight fists. They had read it a number of times. ‘The Glory of Traitor’ had been Yun Woo’s first book after his return from a two-year hiatus. It had also brought him a second Nebula Award.

“When Violinist is recording the war, what do you think is the most prominent emotion he’s feeling?”

‘C’ raised their hand almost immediately. They felt the two other contestants gaze at them. As one of the interviewers pointed at ‘C,’ they replied confidently, “It’s sadness.”

“Why is that?”

“Violinist is a character who understands the irrationality of war better than anyone in his world. When people were dying away and the fact that some of those deaths would eventually be forgotten, I’m sure he felt great sadness. There’s also a scene in the book where he expresses his sadness to Traitor.”

The interviewers nodded affirmatively at the contestant’s response.

“Would anybody else like to add anything?”

At that moment, the two remaining contestants threw their hands into the air at the same time, and ‘C’s’ hand started shaking. That time, the right to speak went to ‘A.’

“It’s bloodthirst.”

“Why is that?”

“As previously mentioned, Violinist tried to get as close to war as he could. In fact, he joins the war. When war breaks out, it tends to make every single person involved in it a murderer. Killing becomes justified in many different ways, and this is where Yun Woo was really clever in the way he depicts that aspect of war. If I were the protagonist, I would’ve lost it and cried like a baby, completely incapable of doing anything about the situation at hand. Of course, Violinist isn’t exactly a sissy.”

‘A’ wasn’t exactly the most graceful with his words. On top of that, the contestant didn’t even bother to look toward row C. ‘C’ reminded themselves that they were just as competent. The contestant wasn’t about to go down without a fight, nor lose the privilege of translating for Yun Woo to the cocky translator or the youngen. From then on, ‘C’ participated in the interview with fierce determination.

“Now, finally… ”

‘C’ breathed quietly. Their lips were getting parched.

“Would you like to take a look at Yun Woo’s translation?” the interviewer in the middle asked, giving the contestants a choice. At the unexpected turn of event, ‘C’ looked toward the other two contestants, who were looking straight ahead. Catching on to how the two were going to respond, ‘C’ opened their mouth and said, “Yes.”

As the three answered simultaneously, the interviewer walked out to the front and handed each contestant a copy of the translation, which felt warm to the touch, almost as if it were alive. The air sank into silence as the contestants immersed themselves in the text in their hands. There were no questions nor answers.

“This…” ‘A’ let out.

“Of course,” Seo Kwang said. Meanwhile, ‘C’ clenched their teeth, teary-eyed.

“That concludes the interview.”

With that, ‘C’ walked out of the room with their head hanging low, their mind full of questions and anger toward Yun Woo and his translation.

“Why couldn’t he just do it himself!?”

The contestant’s voice echoed through the hallway. At that moment, a series of footsteps came from behind them.

“I’ll show you, Yun Woo,” Seo Kwang murmured.

“Not if I can help it!” ‘A’ said, bumping into ‘C’s’ shoulder on purpose while walking past them.

After staring at the two contestants, ‘C’ straightened the crumpled up translation in their hand.

—

After getting a call from Seo Kwang for the first time in a long time, Juho made his way to the cafe. The author was well aware of why his friend had called him. The winner of the contest was being announced that day, and Juho thought Seo Kwang must have received the results. With a sense of anticipation, Juho opened the door to the cafe. At which point, Seo Kwang’s voice could be heard saying, “Let me tell you, mom. I realized just how many talented people were out there! It was such an awesome experience! You know what, though? It turns out that I wasn’t exactly shabby either! I kicked some serious butt. The interviewers just couldn’t take their eyes off of me. You know it, mom. Your son is pretty up there in terms of looks. I was super articulate with my answers too. But the last question kind of bothered me. The other two I was competing against were decent translators too.”

Looking at her son, the mother threw a wet towel on Seo Kwang’s face, saying, “Quit yapping and come wipe the table! I swear, you’re so cocky!”

“Being too modest isn’t a good thing either, you know. It’s better to be confident,” Seo Kwang said, gritting his teeth while remembering Yun Woo’s translation. Meanwhile, Juho had been standing by the door with his hand still on the handle. It wasn’t until he shook the door that the bell attached to it went off, and the mother and son looked toward the author.

“Hey!” Seo Kwang said, wiping the table. Juho greeted Seo Kwang’s mother first.

“I’ll make you some coffee. I’ll be right back,” the mother said, going into the kitchen to bring out the fresh coffee beans, leaving only Seo Kwang and Juho in the cafe. Juho walked toward his friend, who seemed to be rolling something around in his mouth. It was most likely candy.

“The results are out.”

“Did I not make it?” Seo Kwang asked, his cheeks shaking.

However, Juho threw his hands up in the air and said, “You did it!”

At that moment, the doorbell rang, indicating a customer walking into the store, and Juho quickly put his hat on, only to be floored by Seo Kwang jumping on him.

“I made it to the top three! I’m a translator now!”

Seo Kwang had officially debuted as a translator.

“Congratulations,” Juho said sincerely.

“Only one of them gets to translate for you, but it doesn’t matter. It’s all luck at this point, and I’ve proved myself!”

“That’s right.”

“Even if I don’t turn up at the top, we’re still young, so we should have plenty of opportunities to work together, right? Besides, I’ve got my foot in the door!”

“Good job.”

“I’m so proud of myself! Go me! You killed it!” Seo Kwang said, kissing his own hands while Juho rose from the ground.

—

“Mr. Woo.”

A few days later, Juho went to the publishing company in order to meet the final winner. Then, noticing a figure standing in front of him, Juho looked up at the familiar face. The man was putting a pack of cigarette back into his pocket.

“We met in the waiting room, right?” Juho asked.

As if impressed that the author remembered him, the man exclaimed and reached out for a handshake, saying, “Are you here to see me?”

“I’m guessing you’re the winner? Congratulations.”

“Yes, thank you,” the man said, the corner of his mouth twitching, and added, “Though, I won’t be translating your book. I’ll be joining the World Literature Compilation team.”

“That’s a bummer. I was looking forward to reading your translation.”

“That won’t be all that difficult. Please, feel free to give me a call whenever you want,” the man said with a nod, walking away, down the hall. While Juho stared at the man disappearing into the hallway, Nam Kyung called to the author, “Ah! Mr. Woo. This way.”

When brought to the conference room, the author asked the editor, “Is this where my translator is?”

“That’s right.”

Juho nervously opened the door. There was no bell.

“Hello,” Seo Kwang said, greeting the author first. That was the moment the two friends met as writer and translator.

—

“Mr. Woo.”

Humans were adaptable creatures. Although they couldn’t have been more pleasing to the ears at first, the words no longer carried any impact now.

“Hello?”

… In fact, Juho was starting to want to avoid the voice calling for him. It called for him constantly throughout the day. In order to resist the urge to sigh, Juho drank his coffee.

“Hey, you! Writer!”

“Yes?”

“Say something about these twins!” Seo Kwang said, waving the manuscript in his hand. On his other hand was Juho’s new English novel, which Seo Kwang was deeply impressed by, unafraid to show his feelings. Unlike the sample, which had been created for the test, the book was an actual novel.

“I’m already having trouble keeping it from Gong Il and Gong Pal as is. I’d really appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Woo. Besides, YOU wrote the book!”

Seo Kwang had been telling Juho repeatedly that the Kong twins would be ecstatic to know that the author had written about them. Although Juho kept telling the translator that the twins in the novel hadn’t been based on the Kong twins, Seo Kwang didn’t retract his statement.

“One of them dies, though.”

“That’s what I need you to explain to me.”

Unable to breathe after birth, one of the twins comes to his unfortunate demise in the novel, and the surviving twin remembers his sibling’s last moments vividly. Having witnessed the death of a person who looked exactly like him, the death of his twin brother affects the surviving sibling in various profound ways.

“This scene, here. Where one of them is drowning…”

“Yes.”

“Would you say that this scene is depicting suicide?”

At that, Juho put the cup of coffee he was about to drink down. Seo Kwang kept on, “They go into the ocean. Yes, the older brother is pushing the protagonist from behind, but wouldn’t this be suicide in emotional terms? Besides, the older brother gives off the impression that he’s not real, almost like an illusion.”

“Is the older brother like an illusion to the protagonist?”

“… No,” Seo Kwang replied, jotting something down. “If anything, the older brother is scolding the protagonist.”

“Right.”

“In that case, could one interpret that the protagonist goes into the ocean because of things he has no power to resist? Some sort of power, authority, or hierarchy, perhaps?”

“You could say that.”

Furrowing his brow at the author’s ambiguous answer, Seo Kwang said, “Could you be a little more specific?”

“I think it’s best if we keep it ambiguous.”

“Yes, but I think I should know. I have to know what your thought process was like when you wrote this scene.”

“I was also ambivalent when I wrote that scene.”

“For the love of…”

Juho looked out into the distance. Then, he brought up a thought that occurred to him.

“If I were to tell you one thing…”

“Yes?”

“I have a feeling that the protagonist wanted to live.”

At that, Seo Kwang stopped his hand, tilting his head. Juho stared intently at the translator.

“I feel like I heard that somewhere.”

“Heard what?”

After glaring into the air with narrowed eyes, Seo Kwang shook his head, “Nothing. I’m probably just imagining things,” and drank his coffee, no longer looking bothered.

As Juho remained quiet, Seo Kwang chuckled for no apparent reason, saying, “You just wait.”

Seo Kwang had been chuckling often as of late.

“I’ll bring you the best translation there is.”

Looking at the determined look on his friend’s face, Juho also smiled and said, “Suit yourself.”