The Great Storyteller

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Yun Seo laughed cheerfully. She seemed happy to hear that Wol hadn’t changed one bit, even if in one’s dream.

“I guess some people never change.” Then, looking down slightly, she murmured, “So, you CAN see him…”

“Yes.”

“As an author, Wol is a frightening opponent,” Yun Seo said out of nowhere. However, it wasn’t hard to understand her words. “I remember all the emotions I felt back when we used to write together. He—how should I put it—seemed like somebody who had a bit more time in his hands.”

Juho remained quiet. Then, catching on to what Juho was thinking, she asked, “Funny that he was the first to go, don’t you think?”

“A little bit.”

“Now that I think about it, maybe he knew. Maybe he was trying to write as much as possible at the last minute,” she said, reflecting on everything. Then, studying the look on Juho’s face, she asked, “Should we talk about something else? I have a feeling that a genius like you wouldn’t find a subject like this all that comfortable.”

“I’m OK, Mrs. Baek.”

“… You are different. At the same time, you are kind of similar to him. Well, thanks to you, I knew that a day like this would come eventually.”

“I wouldn’t have known that this day would come, even if I were to be born again,” Juho replied.

“I’m looking forward to this very much, Juho.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“You’re doing something neither Hyun Do nor I could,” she said, smiling as she stared intently at Juho. Juho had never seen Yun Seo so competitive before.

“So… I wanted to ask you about Mr. Kang’s life,” Juho said in a serious tone.

“Ask away. I’ll tell you everything I know,” Yun Seo replied affirmatively.

Nodding, Juho brought up a thought, though his mind was still in disarray, “Mr. Kang had an internal disease.”

“Because he couldn’t write?”

“Yes.”

“He was still good at what he did, wasn’t he?”

“When he was writing the white book, was he in a lot of pain?”

At that, Yun Seo breathed in, sighed heavily, and said, “I don’t know,” which was surprisingly ambiguous.

“When I first found out about the book, he was already at a point where he couldn’t even move on his own. I got to experience how frightening the disease can be in person and how miserable it makes a person struggling with it. Sometimes, I would help him write while he dictated the words to me and, every time, I asked how the story ended,” Yun Seo said, her lips moving a little awkwardly, which told Juho that she was talking about something she hadn’t in a long time. A slightly rusty piece of decoration came into the young author’s view. It seemed to be an antique.

“Back then, I liked that Wol didn’t tell me the ending to the story because it made it seems like a promise that he wasn’t going to die.”

Juho looked intently at Yun Seo’s eyes and asked, “What was Mr. Kang’s take on death?”

“I can’t speak for him, but he did seem to wrestle with life and death from time to time,” Yun Seo replied.

“Was he afraid?”

“I’m sure he was, at least a little bit, but he never showed it.”

“Was he ever in despair?”

“I’m sure he was at one point. As far as I know of him, he probably came to accept it.”

“How was he in his last moment?”

“He went in peace.”

At Yun Seo’s answer, Juho thought back to his own last moment. Death was a subject he excelled in.

“Do you think Mr. Kang knew when he was going to die?”

“That’s an odd question. Nobody knows when they’ll die.”

“Even by premonition?”

“Maybe. He was so passionate when he was writing that book. Yes, he was a confident person by default, but it was especially more apparent when he was writing that book. I remember him saying that it would be his favorite book to have ever written.”

“Favorite, huh?”

“That’s right.”

Unfortunately, the author had passed away before he could finish writing the book. Juho clenched his hands into fists and said, “Now, I really don’t wanna die.”

Yun Seo chuckled quietly. However, her eyes seemed rather somber. Nevertheless, her voice remained calm as she talked about her late husband.

“He had no interest in the afterlife. In fact, he was the type to focus more on the present than the future. I remember he always avoided talking about that subject, saying… What did he say? Oh! Saying, ‘We’ll find out when we’re dead.’ Well, because of that, Hyun Do and I spent a good amount of time talking about that subject.”

Then, sounding as if she was testing Juho, she asked, “Do you believe in spirits?”

“Spirits?”

Juho clasped his hands together. It was a rather thought-provoking subject. Meanwhile, Yun Seo watched the young author’s reaction quietly.

“What if I told you that I saw his spirit? Would you tell me that I was seeing things?” she asked.

“I’d believe you.”

“That was quick.”

“I mean, it would help me a lot more to believe you. I’d believe anything you say, Mrs. Baek. Please, do tell more.”

“It’s nothing fancy, but seeing as you’re willing to listen, I’ll oblige. Let me tell you, it was a beautiful experience. So much so, I wanted to brag about it.”

With that, Yun Seo established the premise of her story. She would tell nothing but the truth. Juho leaned forward. The spirit of Wol Kang. As a fellow author, there was no other subject that was more interesting than that. Then, as Yun Seo started telling the story in a whisper, the room started to grow dark. The clouds started covering the sky.

“The moment he stopped breathing, I saw this billow of smoke rise out of nowhere.”

“Smoke?”

“We didn’t have a humidifier or burn incense or anything, but this billow of clean, white smoke came up from Wol, and it formed a cloud about the size of my fist. Then, it floated past between me and Hyun Do. When I saw that, I knew exactly what it was: his last farewell,” Yun Seo said, her eyes sparkling. Hearing the story, Juho also found himself genuinely wishing that he had been there to witness it in person.

“What did it want?” Juho asked, and Yun Seo burst into laughter, as if having heard a good joke.

“What could a cloud possibly want? It just floated away. That’s all.”

As pieces of information from Yun Seo’s story and Wol’s incomplete manuscript came together, Juho started to get a better idea of what Wol had been trying to say in his story. ‘Maybe that’s what happens to the protagonist and the customer.’ In a slight daze, Juho thanked her, “Thank you, Mrs. Baek.”

“Of course. Should you have any questions, feel free to come over anytime.”

Then, after asking one final question, Juho walked out of her room.

“What did you guys talk about?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Hey! Hey!”

Leaving Joon Soo and Geun Woo behind, Juho rushed out of the house and headed straight home. Upon arriving, Juho opened the door, entered his room, grabbed some manuscript paper, and wrote well into the night, unhindered.

“Did I fall asleep?” Juho murmured, exhaling. Then, realizing that he was in a dream shortly after, Juho started walking aimlessly while thinking back on the story he had been writing up to a moment before. Soon, Juho arrived at a beach. Although the wind was quite fierce, he didn’t feel cold at all. At that moment, he ran into Wol, whose hair was blowing all over the place with the wind.

“What are you doing, Mr. Kang?” Juho asked,

Without even bothering to look toward Juho, Wol said, “Thinking.”

Although it was slightly amusing coming from a dead person, Juho resisted the urge to chuckle and asked, “About what?”

“How to get on your nerves.”

“C’ mon, Mr. Kang. Can’t you go easy on me?”

“I’m not telling you the ending,” Wol said playfully and mischievously.

“If you keep bringing me boring stuff to talk about, you won’t be seeing me for much longer.”

“How is this boring? It’s part of the story that you left unfinished.”

“Because I’ve finished writing it.”

At the unexpected response, Juho’s eyes widened. Flabbergasted, he asked, “What do you mean you finished writing it?”

“And, I buried it somewhere,” Wol said.

“I’m sorry?”

“I wonder if it’s turned into a fossil by now.”

“Is this all true, Mr. Kang?”

At that moment, Wol turned around and observed the young author’s expression. Then, he burst into laughter, holding his sides.

“I mean, you could try digging the cabbage patch.”

Looking at Wol cackling, Juho started to make sense of Hyun Do’s attitude toward the author. At which point, Juho chuckled quietly. Plunking down on the sand, Wol started to grumble about how cold the ground was.

“We could just go inside, you know.”

“I’m out here for a reason.”

“And what would that be?”

“To get some air.”

It was wasn’t a very interesting reason. Sighing, Juho walked up to him, and standing next to him, he said, “I went to see Mrs. Baek today.”

Remaining silent, Wol stared into the ocean.

“She told me that she saw your spirit.”

“Ah.”

Wol’s last moment had been rather quiet and uneventful. Juho looked at Wol, who was exuding joy.

“That was me, all right,” Wol said. Then, before Juho had time to speak, he added, “I made sure that she knew I was saying goodbye.”

“Did you see yourself?” Juho asked, and Wol looked at the young author with sharp eyes.

“Did you see what your spirit looked like?” Juho asked again.

“You really know how to ask the right questions, don’t you?”

“Is that a compliment?” Juho asked.

“What do you think?” Wol replied light-heartedly. Then, he said something he had never said up to that point, “I don’t know.”

As Juho opened his mouth to speak, Wol interjected yet again, saying, “… That’s what you wanna hear, right? You’re just trying to get me to say something, aren’t you?”

“But, you don’t really know, do you?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you’re dead.”

Laughing frivolously, Wol said, “Aren’t you a rude one.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I like you, kid,” Wol said, lying flat on the sand under the fierce wind. Seeing the wave drawing near, Juho warned the unsuspecting author. However, Wol didn’t move a muscle. Drowning in weather like that was bound to be lethal. It wouldn’t be weird if one had a series of heart attacks back to back. At that moment…

“You’re right,” Wol confessed. “I don’t know what I looked like in Yun Seo’s eyes because I was dead. I lost the one and only opportunity to see what my spirit looks like. It’s a bummer, really.”

Since being diagnosed with tuberculosis, Wol had known that he hadn’t had much time left. He knew what it felt like to get eaten away from within by the disease.

“That’s why you started writing that book, right?”

“I wrote in a hurry too.”

“But you couldn’t finish it.”

“Well, that was me,” Wol said, his hair blowing in all directions. “That story was left incomplete on purpose because it best represents who I am. I’m a free soul. I can end my story however I want. On top of that, I get to experience it myself because life is long. Think about it: a story with a predetermined ending. Where’s the fun in that?”

Then, a certain thought occurred to Juho, which he brought up promptly, “Were you by any chance…”

“You don’t think I’m some moron who can’t even finish writing a book within a week, do you?” Wol asked with both of his hands behind his head. The tips of his fingers were turning pale. “Although, I wouldn’t have thought in my dreams that I’d die a week later. Man, thinking back to that moment still terrifies me. My body still remembers what it feels like to suffocate in its own blood. Maybe that’s why I have trouble sleeping at night.”

“You go to sleep at night?”

“Well, I’m a person, and a person’s gotta sleep.”

Juho couldn’t tell where Wol was being serious and where he wasn’t. At which point, Juho felt a strong urge to sigh. However, it wasn’t long before that urge turned to laughter.

“Mr. Lim seems to have trouble sleeping at night as well.”

“He’s way too sensitive.”

With the exception of the wave breaking in the distance, the beach sank into silence. Juho looked down at Wol and said, “The protagonist is going to kill his customer.”

“Grim, isn’t it?” Wol said. Then, unfazed, he asked, “What makes you think that?”

“What really needs to happen is that he needs to see a spirit so that he realizes that he did something that he can never undo. Only then, will a foolish person realize their own folly.”

Juho had been made certain of that during his conversation with Yun Seo. There had to be a reason why Wol had made the protagonist completely devoid of morality, and Juho had shared his thought on that with Yun Seo as he exited her room. Juho observed Wol’s demeanor, waiting for his reaction. Then…

“It’s getting cold here,” Wol said.

“Cold?”

At that moment, to the young author’s shock, he noticed Wol’s feet were completely wet.

“I know you’re already dead and all, but this can’t be good! Are you OK, Mr. Kang!?”

“Do I sound OK?”

“Well, what are you doing lying down, then!? Get up!”

At that, Wol stood up reluctantly. Then, looking up at the sky, he said, “Huh! I didn’t realize how late it was! You’re fun to talk to kid, I’ll give you that.”

“Is that right?”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve died once.”

At that moment, the beach became engulfed by the dark. The Sun had gone down. It was night, and an enormous moon was in the sky.

“Was the water cold?” Wol asked.

“Cold enough to kill me,” Juho replied after some time. Wol let out a dry chuckle.