The day before Mitsuharu, the editor, called Isang, Hiruki visited Tomako Publishing in Tokyo.
The publishing house was in a state of emergency.
Why had Hiruki, who was on vacation in Okinawa, suddenly come?
Mitsuharu canceled all his afternoon appointments and welcomed Hiruki in the first reception room.
“I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced. I came to Tokyo briefly for family matters.”
“No, not at all. Please make yourself comfortable. How’s your vacation?”
“Very good. It feels nice to be lazy for a change. I swim every morning and go running as well. I also write a short essay daily.”
Mitsuharu thought to himself,
Swimming, running, and writing, and he claims to be lazy?
It was the diligence befitting a great Japanese author.
“How’s The Book of God doing? I receive daily reports on sales figures, but the editorial department might have a different perspective.”
Mitsuharu, as if waiting for this moment, brought out his laptop and displayed the neatly organized sales data.
“As you can see, it’s breaking all-time sales records.”
Hiruki nodded, familiar with the numbers.
“Thanks to that, we don’t need to worry about Japan. Now, it’s just the overseas market left, right?”
“That’s right. Oh, I wanted to ask you about something. You seem particularly focused on the Korean market this time… Is there a reason for that?”
Hiruki shrugged as if implying that Mitsuharu already knew.
“Is it really because of writer Isang?”
Mitsuharu had anticipated this.
The Korean writer Isang was remarkable.
He possessed a unique literary perspective that was hard to find not only in Japan but globally as well.
But still, he thought, Isn’t this a bit desperate?
After all, Hiruki was the pride of Japanese literature.
Besides, the Korean literary publishing market was on a downward trend.
In other words, serious literature wasn’t popular among Koreans.
Hiruki would sell books based on his name, but…
“Is there really a need to go this far?”
Mitsuharu asked cautiously.
“Of course,” Hiruki replied firmly.
“A genius like that comes around only once in a generation. It’s not just a matter of national pride; in fact, it’s an issue on a national level. It would certainly benefit Japanese literature as well.”
“Japanese literature?!”
“The Japanese literary publishing market is shrinking as well. It’s just slower than Korea. We need new stimuli.”
It was a painful truth.
It was widely acknowledged that Japan's publishing industry had passed its heyday.
“That’s true… So, you want to meet him, right? Are you considering going to Korea?”
“No. If possible, I’d like to invite him to Japan. I want to host him. I want to show him off to Japanese readers. Actually, that’s why I dropped by Tomako.”
“Do you have any plans?”
“How about publishing his book with Tomako?”
“Excuse me? But doesn’t he dislike publishers?”
“To be precise, he dislikes ‘Korean publishers.’”
“...Hmm... But he only has two published short stories. I wonder if he has any more works.”
To publish a collection of short stories, at least eight works would be needed.
Each piece would take a minimum of a month to write.
It would be half a year before the manuscripts could be gathered.
“Does it have to be a novel?”
Hiruki asked with a smile.
“Do you think there are other writings?”
“There are ‘miscellaneous writings,’ aren’t there? In publishing language, that would be ‘essays.’”
“Essays…!”
Mitsuharu’s face lit up.
As a professional publisher, he had caught the scent of money.
Japanese people love short writings due to the tradition of haiku.
A piece from an unfamiliar Korean author?
A short essay would be much more approachable than a novel.
Moreover, Isang’s ‘miscellaneous writings’ have a poetic essence despite being easy to read!
“That’s a fantastic idea, Hiruki!”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
A secretary entered with a tray of kale juice.
Mitsuharu had quickly ordered it from Shibuya upon hearing Hiruki had arrived.
“Please, have some, writer.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to go through the trouble…”
Yet Hiruki happily accepted the juice.
After taking a refreshing sip, he opened his mouth.
“Well, now that we have something to drink... let’s discuss our future plans.”
“Would you be interested in publishing a book with our publishing house?”
Mitsuharu asked over the phone.
“A book? What kind of book are you referring to?”
— There are many Japanese readers who really enjoy your essays, especially among the Korean diaspora. I think it would be meaningful for you to publish an essay in Japan this time.
“Well, I haven’t really thought about it.”
It’s a book that hasn’t been published in Korea either.
The literary publishing industry in Korea is in such decline.
Unless the structure of the industry changes,
I didn’t want my book to be part of that downward trend.
However, Japan’s situation is somewhat better.
The literary publishing market is still ‘somewhat’ active, and the connections with publishers in the English-speaking and European markets are good.
Of course, it’s uncertain how long they can maintain a ‘book’ culture.
“A meeting with Hiruki-sensei…”
…The moment has come.
Yes, there’s no way to avoid this forever.
“Sounds good. Let’s set up the meeting.”
I answered readily.
The straightforward response seemed to surprise Editor Mitsuharu.
“Could I ask for two tickets? I need to bring my manager along.”
“Yes. Thank you, Editor Mitsuharu.”
“You flatter me. Well then, see you in Japan.”
It was a bit sudden, but
I ended up visiting Japan.
The schedule in Japan is from Thursday to Monday.
Although there’s a weekend in between, the other three days are weekdays.
I submitted a request to the teaching team to cover my absence.
The purpose of the assistantship is the ‘stable academic progress of students.’
It’s standard for the school to excuse external commitments related to academics and career paths.
Still, the day before departure was a bit busy.
Ji-hoon and I sat at a side table, quickly handling three days' worth of work.
Of course, we chatted while we worked.
“Thanks to you, I’m getting a free trip. Have you arranged everything?”
“One day to arrive and rest, two days for the schedule, and then one day for sightseeing before heading back. By the way, the Domark publishing company sent over a temporary contract in Korean. Can you check it before I arrive?”
“Leave it to me.”
“By the way, are you preparing for your next work? A critique.”
“Yes. I’m working on something based on a piece by Han Ji-on.”
“Han Ji-on? He’s a good writer. Do well with it.”
“Sure. Hehe.”
Ji-hoon will do well.
It seems like he’s been receiving some commissions lately.
Plus, this kid has been very busy following me around.
“Ji-hoon, if you’re okay with it, do you want to finish your assistantship this semester? I’m thinking the same.”
At my words, Ji-hoon nodded.
“I was actually thinking of doing that. I have enough money to pay tuition now. I think it’s impressive that you’re finishing the whole semester.”
Assistants are contracted on a semester basis.
You can quit midway, but… it’s not easy to find a replacement during the semester.
Moreover, since Hye-kyung worked hard to get this position for tuition, I need to wrap things up well.
“Are you saying you’ll only do the assistantship for this semester?”
Geum-hong, who was sitting down, turned to look at us.
“It seems that way. I can’t keep submitting requests every time I have external commitments.”
“Oh… I see.”
Geum-hong looked a bit disappointed.
“Geum-hong, are you sad that we’re leaving?”
Ji-hoon teased.
Geum-hong shot him a playful glare.
I also feel a bit sad about not working with Geum-hong anymore.
But just because I’m not an assistant doesn’t mean I won’t see them.
Suddenly, a good idea came to mind.
“Um, Geum-hong. Do you believe in superstitions? Like talismans?”
“Talismans? Well, I don’t know.”
“In Japan, they sell talismans at shrines. They’re called omamori and come in various types. There are talismans for healing, for making money, for all-around success, etc. You keep the talisman for a while, and once your wish is granted, you return it to the shrine... I was thinking of getting one as a souvenir since it feels wrong to leave for three days.”
“You don’t have to feel sorry. You’re finishing your work in advance. By the way, that’s very Japanese of you, to get a shrine talisman. I don’t particularly believe in such things, but I think it’s romantic.”
“Then I’ll get you one. What kind of talisman do you want?”
Geum-hong thought for a moment before speaking.
“Please choose for me, Hye-kyung.”
“Me? But…”
“Something that seems like it would be useful for me.”
It was a playful remark.
Yet it felt like there was some sincerity mixed in.
If that’s the case… I can’t disappoint them.
"Alright. Then I'll leave it to you. Make sure to pick something great."
"It's almost quitting time. Should we have dinner together, just the three of us?"
Ji-hoon suggested.
But Geum-hong looked apologetic as she replied, "I'm sorry. I have somewhere to go today."
"What? Were you really not going to go with us?"
"Nope, Ji-hoon."
Geum-hong gathered her documents and walked over to another staff member.
It seemed like they had something to discuss.
Ji-hoon leaned over to me and whispered, "I think Geum-hong has been attending an academy after work lately."
"An academy?"
"Yeah. I overheard some of the office staff talking about it the other day. I’m not sure what kind it is, but she seems busy."
An academy…
Maybe it's a barista academy.
A few days later, we boarded the plane to Japan.
We unexpectedly found ourselves in business class.
Though it was a short flight, we arrived in Japan comfortably.
Narita International Airport, Japan.
We hurriedly completed the immigration process.
By the time we stepped out of the airport, I felt completely exhausted.
"Let's head to the hotel first. I know the way," Ji-hoon said.
He mentioned that he often visited Japan because of his father's business.
His confident strides towards the train station made him seem like a fish in water.
Yet, I wondered how he couldn't read a single word of Japanese.
I sat by the window, staring blankly outside.
The scenery was peaceful.
From my perspective...
I was returning to Tokyo, the land where I once died, after two years.
It goes without saying, but hardly any traces of that time remained.
Japan had gone through its own share of turmoil, from the defeat in World War II to the bubble economy.
If I said that all my nuanced feelings about Japan had disappeared, that would be a lie.
But now, I felt a greater expectation for what I could gain from this place.
The reason I had come all this way.
It wasn't just for publishing a book or for my friendship with Hiruki.
After we arrived at the hotel, we unpacked our bags.
Since it was a five-star hotel, the two beds were quite spacious.
"Wow… you really got us a nice hotel. A room this size in Japan is pretty impressive."
"Really? I’ve never been here before."
"In Japan, hotel rooms are usually quite small. Let's head out and grab a meal?"
"They said we should order room service. The editor, Domak."
"Wow... he really is a star. So can I order whatever I want?"
"Do whatever you like."
Ji-hoon excitedly flipped through the room service menu.
"I'll place the order."
"No need. I can handle it in English. I’ve picked up some simple conversation skills while being a TA. Plus, the manager should take care of these things."
Ji-hoon jokingly placed the order over the phone, chatting about the food.
I plopped down onto the bed, my tired body sinking into the mattress.
Then, my roaming phone began to ring.
It was an unfamiliar number.
It looked like a Japanese number.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end was deep yet cheerful, belonging to a middle-aged man.
And it was in Japanese.
"Yes, that's me. Who is this?"