Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum

Author:Hwang Bo-reum [Hwang Bo-Reum]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

I Wanted to Say No

These days, he would reach home at about six in the evenings. By the time Seungwoo finished showering, preparing dinner, eating, resting, and doing the dishes, the clock struck eight. This was when he turned into a completely different person. As he shrugged off the cloak of an ordinary company employee, it was as if he, too, put aside the responsibilities of his title, erased the pre-programmed thoughts and actions, and peeled off the façade of indifference. From this moment, every second belonged completely to him. Time was real.

For the past few years, the hours before bedtime were when he could be truly himself, diving deep into something that captivated his interest – the Korean language. He’d spent the past ten years immersed in programming languages, but he was no longer a programmer. Right now, he was just another ordinary company employee, dutifully checking in and out of the office every day.

Immersing himself in the Korean language was tiring, but fun. He enjoyed having something to focus on wholeheartedly, devoting himself to studying something he liked. The energy expended at work, he recharged at home. He had even started a blog to share what he learnt. Once he grew more confident, he began to apply his knowledge to examine other people’s writing. Gradually, he gained more followers and started to see himself as a blogger. A company employee by day, blogger by night. It had been five years since he’d adopted this dual identity.

He never failed to be amazed by how his followers – who didn’t even know his face – supported him wholeheartedly by leaving comments on his blog, promoting his book, and sharing his posts. They were generously spending time on someone whom they’d never met. It seemed like people had a favourable impression of him because he was teaching himself the Korean language, writing on his own initiative and sharing his knowledge generously on the blog without expecting something in return. Some told him they were motivated by his attitude to life. He was surprised, given that he’d never mentioned anything about his private life. Is the written word a reflection of the writer’s life? It reminded him of Yeongju’s question.

How similar are you to your writing?

Yeongju’s face swam in front of him again, but now, he just let her be. Several times, he’d been flustered by how she’d remained crystal clear in his mind long after the book talk. He had no idea what it was about her that lingered in his thoughts. Was it the sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him? The calmness in her words? Or was it the melancholy within her writing that was at odds with her bright and cheery attitude? (He’d read the bookshop’s blog before meeting her.) Was it the way her intelligence shone through when she spoke? Her humour and wit? Perhaps it was everything about her.

If he simply left her there each time her face flashed in his mind, surely, at some point, he would stop thinking of her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.