Life, Once Again!

A leaf wet from the morning dew got stuck on the broom. I tried to shake it off, but the leaf was stuck between the strands of plastic and did not come off.

That looked like me. Me, who foolishly stayed in this bookstore without closing down.

I put the broom against the wall, brought a chair, and sat in front of the store. From some time onwards, I liked being outside more than inside.

Perhaps it wasn’t that I liked being outside, but that I hated being inside.

In any case, the opposite of hate was like, so being outside was good.

But is like really the opposite of hate?

I opened an independently published book that came in yesterday. The book talked about a few stories the author had with a cat. Perhaps due to cost issues, there weren’t that many illustrations.

It was a good book to read without thinking. These kinds of books, which didn’t have any topic, criticisms of an issue, or incredible writing just allowed the brain to rest.

A group of three people, who were clearly not from around here, walked past the store. I could feel their stares, but I did not respond.

To the left was a franchise café and to the right was a franchise patisserie.

It was perhaps a given that they would look at the old bookstore between the two with curiosity, or maybe pity.

“Big brother Goosung says he’s pulling out next month,” said the man who ran the laundry shop opposite me.

I received the coffee he gave me gratefully and asked, “Didn’t he say he’ll keep doing it?”

“It’s not like real estate is something you can hold on against. He was told he would have to pay double the rent as soon as his lease was over, so there was no way he could hold on, was there? He had to pull out and leave. But he’s actually better off. His rent was fixed for five years without rising.”

“Back then, the neighborhood was quiet.”

“That’s true.”

It might be somewhat weird for me to say this as a resident here, but this place was a worn-out neighborhood. After the old marketplace went out of business and the bustling commercial buildings became empty, only a handful of stores continued their business.

It was around three years ago when the commercial buildings, which were intermittently empty like a three-year-old’s row of teeth, started being filled again.

I didn’t know what exactly it was that triggered it, but around the start, some young crafters rented a shop for cheap and opened a workshop.

It was around that time that I inherited this bookstore from my grandfather.

“How is it on your side?”

How is it — this phrase was equivalent to ‘how are you’ in this area. It was a question that asked how their neighbors were faring and also measured the danger level of their own abode.

“I don’t know.”

“Nothing from the landlord?”

“He told me to get ready, but didn’t say for what.”

“Prepare for what, bullshit.”

“How is it on your side?”

“I, well…”

There was a sense of forfeit contained in the awkward smile. So this person was leaving as well. Yet another person was leaving this neighborhood.

“You’re better off than me. My kids are going to college next month, so this is driving me crazy. Don’t you ever get married. And even if you do, don’t have babies.”

“With your skill, I’m sure you’ll be able to scrape in all the work wherever you go. I mean, it’s computer luxury cleaning. Computer luxury!”

I pointed at the sign for the laundry store across the road. On it was a neat sign made with red and blue tape that said computed luxury cleaning, with parts of the d ripped off to make it look like an r.

“Let’s eat together tonight.”

“Okay.”

We’d probably end up eating at the pork rib restaurant next to the laundry store.

6,000 won per portion — even that restaurant, which was the go-to place for meetings of the store owners around here would disappear in two months. From what I could hear, a franchise café was taking its place.

I stood up from the chair and had a look at the neighborhood. There were cafés placed throughout the stores that were decorated prettily.

One, two, three, four.

“Did a bunch of people die because they didn’t have coffee or something?”

Even as I said so, I was holding a coffee in my hand. After drinking the canned coffee, I went back in the store.

Will I have any customers today? Will there be a tomorrow? Will the landlord increase the rent? Will he increase the deposit?

I organized the books amidst a wave of questions.

Will I be pushed out as well?

* * *

Maru opened his eyes. He tried drawing a few pictures in his mind based on the impressions he had while reading the scenario.

A changing neighborhood, an old bookstore, and a young owner of the bookstore.

It was a scenario that contained Yoonseok’s worries. He could picture Yoonseok writing down one word after another under the dim lighting.

A neighborhood in the middle of a change was an inevitable facet of society, and the young owner of the bookstore was pretty much Yoonseok’s avatar.

If ‘Form of Love’ focused extremely on the character’s internal change, this scenario focused on the things that happened around the character.

He also found it not so bad that Yoonseok decided to focus on a social phenomenon for the theme.

Maru put down the scenario and looked next to him. Only now were the gazes he had forgotten about felt all over his body.

Around fifty or so people were circling him. The interesting thing was that no one was saying a word.

Maru smiled and stood up.

“Sorry about that. I don’t pay attention to my surroundings when I read. Also, let me ask just in case I’m misunderstanding, but you are all here to see me, right?”

Only then did the people start to speak. The rest area became noisy in an instant. The quiet phones started making shutter noises.

Maru took photos with the people in front of him one by one.

“I really enjoyed the drama. When are you doing your next work?”

“I’m also trying my best so that you will see me. That’s why I’m here today as well.”

“Are you shooting anything here?”

“I’m not entirely sure. If the director here decides on a place nearby for the shoot, I’ll probably shoot here, right?” he said as he pointed at Yoonseok.

Hearing the title ‘director,’ the people around looked at Yoonseok with different eyes than before.

“When will season 2 of the drama start?”

“I don’t know. But with so many of you dearly anticipating it, I’m sure it’ll happen pretty soon?”

Even as he talked, he could see people gathering around. It seemed word had spread.

“We should leave for now,” Maru said to Yoonseok before leaving the library.

All the students who didn’t have classes seemed to have flocked over as it was crowded like a bustling marketplace.

“Uhm, excuse me, but did you talk to the university staff about this? Having a huge crowd here can be dangerous and it hinders passage.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll leave now.”

Hearing the guard say that to him in confusion, Maru walked to the gates of the college first.

On his way there, he repeatedly told the students that they should stop following this uninteresting actor and go study or drinking.

“Are you buying us drinks?”

“I finished my classes for today!”

“Where are you going?”

“Are you on a tour around campus?”

Said the girls around him while giggling. There were even more people than when they left the library.

This was why celebrities always moved in cars to and from event venues.

“You’re like the pied piper. Hyung, were you always this popular?”

“It’s not my popularity. It’s just the crowd attracting even more people. It’s the same psychology as people lining up in front of a store if they see a line, even if they don’t know what the store sells.”

“But they all know who you are. Stop being so humble, Mr. popular actor.”

“Such nice words to say to someone who came to cheer you up.”

Maru turned around at the entrance of the college. A crowd of over a hundred people were eagerly looking at him in anticipation.

“Tell me what I have to do for all of you to go back.”

“I saw you singing in a video!”

People started talking about the concert. Maru smiled before speaking,

“Once I sing a song, you all have to turn around and walk right back inside, okay? If you stay here, I’m going to sue you. I’m not kidding.”

When he said that with strength in his eyes, the people laughed even louder than before.

“Before I start, does anyone know director Lee Yoonseok in front of me?”

A group of boys and girls on the right raised their hands. Some of them helped with the shoot for ‘The Form of Love’ and the others were people he had never seen before.

“Director Lee over here says ‘don’t look down on me.’ Also, I’m close to him. Director, that’s what I’m supposed to say, right?”

Yoonseok smiled awkwardly and tried to get away from him. It seemed that he was so embarrassed that he became beet red all the way to his ears.

Maru grabbed Yoonseok to stop him from running away and put him next to him.

“He’s a returning student who just got out of the military, so look after him well. Even if he says ‘Sergeant Lee Yoonseok’ during roll call, look at him with warm eyes. And even if he boasts about what happened in the military, be understanding, okay?”

Everyone responded positively.

Still grabbing Yoonseok, who was rolling his eyes everywhere, he took out his phone. He looked for the instrumental track of a song he liked and played it.

“If anyone wants to take a video, please shoot from my right. I look better from the right, you see.”

He spoke half-jokingly and half-seriously before singing. He sang about halfway before shouting to the crowd in the front during the high-pitched notes in the chorus,

“Together!”

The people laughing started singing along. He used his phone as a conducting baton and from the second verse onwards, he raised his voice like he was preparing for a performance and sang out loud.

After the song ended with a round of applause, Maru waved at the people to go their ways.

“The world is so unfair,” Yoonseok said as he watched the majority of the students leave.

“How?”

“You know, people can make a living if they can do one thing well, but you have two talents. Were you always so good at singing?”

“Where can you find someone who was always good at something? Everyone starts with baby steps.”

He said hello to Yoonseok’s friends who stayed behind. Even Yoonseok, who stayed frozen in front of a crowd, looked bold in front of his friends, saying that he wasn’t lying.

“Hyung, are you going to shoot with Yoonseok again?” asked one of Yoonseok’s friends, who was also a production staff member before.

Maru spoke as though he was hesitating,

“I will if the scenario is good.”

“Then I guess the members from before should come together again.”

“That sounds good. But I don’t see Jiseon around.”

“She has a part-time job today. I sent her a message that you are here, and she told me she wanted to see you too.”

“Really? Then I should see her while I’m here. There’s no way Jiseon can be absent from Yoonseok’s work.”

“She works at a café about ten minutes from here.”

“I guess I could talk to her there.”

Other than Yoonseok, they all left saying that they had lectures to go to. He went to the café where Jiseon worked with Yoonseok.

“And you two are dating well?”

“Did I tell you that we were dating?”

“It was obvious. It looks like Jiseon waited for you throughout your military service. Treat her well.”

“I am treating her well. Also, when it comes to relationships, I’m probably ahead of you, you know? In fact, I should be giving you advice.”

“I’m not sure about anything else, but that’s not true.”

Yoonseok, who was laughing, suddenly became nervous.

“How was the scenario?”

“How do you think it was?”

“I was pretty confident, but having you say that makes me feel uneasy. Do you not like it?”

“I read through all of it, and the result… is that it’s good. It’s the type of acting I was doing until now too.”

“Then are you doing it?”

Maru nodded. Yoonseok clenched his fist and exclaimed ‘yes.’

“But before that, show it to Jiseon as well. Show it to her and listen to what she has to say. You did that for The Form of Love as well. I resolved the technical things that you were insufficient in, but Jiseon should’ve been more helpful in regards to the emotional stuff.”

“Okay.”

“Also, I’m not going to touch the script at all this time. Even during the editing, I’m only going to say my impressions during the final edit. You know what I mean, right?”

“I have to work properly as the director, right? I’ll do it properly. This concerns my own future as well, so I can’t have anyone else do it.”

“But don’t do everything by yourself. A director is someone who directs other people to do things, not someone who does everything himself.”

Maru went into a café with Yoonseok. Jiseon, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, greeted him warmly.