Chapter 156

I recalled a person I had erased from my memory a long time ago.

Seo Jae-Ah told me she wanted to become a writer who could encompass every genre and style. Thinking back on it now, that was probably a lie. It wasn’t a lie that she wanted to convey her philosophy, but she had no serious commitment to such ambitions.

At the time she spoke of that commitment, we weren’t having a face-to-face conversation. We were communicating through phone calls, texts, and messages.

There is a trap in texts. Conversation includes everything—the other person’s expressions, gestures, and reactions. So, a conversation that occurs purely through texts isn’t 100% genuine. We could hide a lot between the lines, and that would become a trap for those who read it, striking them unawares.

It was even a story that exists as a literary technique.

It was a story of narrative trickery.

Fortunately, there was no lie in my words, but what I spoke of might not necessarily be the truth… it felt like that.

I veered off temporarily, but let’s return to the main point.

So why did Seo Jae-Ah tell me such a lie? Was it merely an excuse?

Was it to create a reason for continuing our tutoring sessions?

If so, why was she so eager to continue tutoring with me? What was her reason? Perhaps curiosity to explore a real TS patient, or was it for data collection?

That could be all of it, but saying that was shallow.

In hindsight, the answer was simple.

Seo Jae-Ah had feelings for me. Whether it was love, I can’t say for sure. She probably didn’t know either.

And I had changed.

Seo Jae-Ah was fond of the changed me too. Whether it was love, I couldn’t know for certain. Naturally, neither did Seo Jae-Ah.

So the motivation for Seo Jae-Ah’s lie was exceedingly simple.

She just… liked me. Because she liked me, she wanted to be with me and to understand the nature of those feelings, she lied.

That’s what led her to act in that way towards me. Her feelings of divergence veered in a direction they shouldn’t have.

I have no intention to make excuses for it.

I had already erased the name Seo Jae-Ah from my heart, and it could no longer be revived. It was like the day I threw away all of Lee Cheon’s books.

And today,

I received a letter in an envelope. It didn’t come through the post office. Someone had secretly come and left it. It was a highly suspicious item, but upon inspection, I was able to discern the sender.

On the front of the envelope, it was written: “I’m sorry, Master.” I did not recall any time when I had a disciple. There were times I had been called that. Still, I opened the envelope. There wasn’t much inside. At the very least, there wasn’t even a handwritten apology note.

There was just one sheet of paper.

It was a printed photo of a donation certification. A certification photo showing a donation of 5 million won to the orphanage I once lived in, which has now changed its name. It seemed someone had simply captured it from the internet. Had they inquired with the orphanage, they would have received an official document.

Five million won was by no means a small amount. Even someone with a profit of 30 million won wouldn’t easily part with such money. Regardless of how much had been spent, some time had passed so it couldn’t all still be there. There hadn’t been any incoming profits either. It was certainly a considerable expenditure.

So, this was the conclusion you reached, huh?

At least it was commendable that they hadn’t mentioned anything about compensating me with money. The fact that they didn’t come to see me in person was also a plus. All of this was something I never wished for. It probably would have been more insulting than anything else. I might have mocked them, asking if they were offering me a payment.

However, ultimately, sending me this photo was something done for themselves, not for me. Had they not informed me, I would have lived my life unaware of it. So they announced it. But in the end, that was a choice made by someone wishing to be forgiven or perhaps to ease the burden of their feelings even if they could not be forgiven.

They wanted to feel at ease.

From the victim’s perspective, it was truly an unnecessary and useless story. If they wished to repent, they should do it alone. If they wanted to confess, they should go to a church.

If they wanted forgiveness, they should give up. Reconciliation? They must know that.

Inside me, there was already nothing left. Therefore, that was impossible. There was nothing to forgive.

So let us live like this.

I won’t erase the memories of when we met; let’s live on without any relationship in the future.

You must know that you should do the same.

But still, you probably couldn’t hold back from showing me. We are such humans. We are those helpless perverted exhibitionists who cannot bear to remain silent or unseen.

So, I will not remember who sent me this letter. I will carry with me only the fact that an anonymous someone extended a warm gesture to where I once lived. I will not remember the intention or thoughts behind that gesture.

I will believe that is enough.

I put the photo back into the envelope, folded it twice, and tossed it into the trash.

Today was indeed the day for recycling.

~

Even though March was coming to an end, the weather was still chilly. It was nearing spring, yet the coldness made me feel that the four seasons were slowly disappearing.

Yet during such a time, Han-bom always seemed happy. It was still a few days before Park Chan-wook would arrive.

“What do you think about spring getting shorter?”

“Huh? What does that have to do with me?”

“I heard your siblings’ names are the four seasons.”

“Oh, right, that’s true.”

Was it a bit of an odd question? Well, I suppose it is strange to have such feelings about names. Especially someone like Han-bom. It seems unlikely that this woman would have such sensibility. No, she might have it, but one couldn’t help but doubt that occasionally.

“Honestly, it doesn’t make me feel good.”

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

“Just simply, as spring gets shorter, winter gets longer, and as fall gets shorter, summer increases, right? I don’t like hot or cold weather.”

“I’m surprised to hear such a normal thought from you.”

“I am reasonably normal, you know.”

“Are you the pinnacle of the weird woman’s normalcy?”

“The pinnacle of a beautiful woman’s normalcy.”

“How pathetic.”

Despite such words, it was understandable that Han-bom had that kind of confidence. She was indeed beautiful, and being youthful and well-endowed made her almost a complete package as a woman. Except for her personality and age.

“So why are we playing this game now?”

“Like I said, my favorite character is in it…”

“That was a question format. This is shockingly boring.”

“…Honestly, it is.”

We were currently playing with the game console I had received earlier and the one Han-bom brought along. Han-bom asked me to play together after seeing the console tucked away in a corner of my house, so I agreed…

“This is really too boring, seriously.”

It was horrendously boring. Though I said we were playing, this was not playing at all. Fundamentally, this was not fun, so how could it be considered playing?

The game software, due to its promises of new players being recruited, was given to me by Han-bom, but there was no way new players would join with such a game. Anyone promoting this game was undoubtedly a spy from a competing company. Even Han-bom herself seemed uninterested in it.

“I didn’t expect it to be this bad before I bought it either.”

Han-bom probably wouldn’t have played this game if it weren’t for it being a side story of the mobile game she was into. Still, she recommended it to me to the point of buying it myself.

“I can’t suffer alone.”

“If I had made you buy this with your own money, I would have kicked you out of my house.”

“But we don’t have a TV at home, so I can’t play games on a big screen!”

That was such a pathetic and foolish reason.

“And… we need to see the story!”

“This childish story that feels like it was written by a fifth grader?”

“…Can’t you feel the purity?”

“It seems to have been written by someone whose brain is a bit innocent.”

It was a story that genuinely made one feel like their brain was getting cleansed in a good way. It would likely appeal to preschoolers, so perhaps it turns those reading it into preschoolers as well.

“Why is such a game still being sold?”

“They throw in bonus coupons, and they’re a bit expensive. Those are often costlier than the game itself. If you buy the game and sell the coupon, the game is essentially free.”

“Is that the one you gave me earlier?”

“If you wish to start this game, ah, not this one, the mobile one. I can return it to you.”

“Just take it.”

For some reason, she was willingly giving it away. Since I hadn’t spent my money on it, it didn’t matter to me whether she took it back or not. I was just a little peeved that she hadn’t said anything.

“By the way, when is your junior coming?”

“Heavens is busy, so I don’t think she’ll come for a while.”

“Oh, I wanted to get an autograph… Why didn’t you tell me that Muk Ha-neul is your junior?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“Still! That!”

“Did it please you that much?”

“It was amazing… really amazing. It was the most beautiful, brutal, pitiful, romantic, and pure love story in the world.”

“Is that all?”

“It really is!”

It seems that men and women have different sensibilities. Muk Ha-neul’s books were indeed bestsellers popular among people of all ages, but the female support was undoubtedly much stronger. I think it’s a good novel, but every time I see such a fuss, I can’t help but feel a little puzzled.

It was just like the unique exaggeration of women?

But come to think of it, this person seemed not to have mentioned my book at all. Could it be…

“Have you read my new work?”

“Huh? Ah… of course, I read it!”

She definitely hasn’t read it.

“Why are you stuttering?”

“…It’s not that I didn’t want to read it, but I just didn’t have the time.”

“But you had time to play such a game.”

“I will read it when I get home today! I promise I bought the book!”

Alright… Well, if she at least bought it, there’s no helping it. Let’s forgive her.

“Please write a review later. About 30,000 characters or so.”

“I don’t think it’s that large of a mistake!”

It’s not like it was this shocking. By the way, I really can’t play this game anymore. How could someone create such a boring game? It seems they put a lot of effort into it, which makes it even more shocking. Even if told to make it this boring, it would be hard to do. Are there no other games?

“Is there anything fun besides this one?”

“There are plenty of fun games. Want to try another one on my console?”

The new game I played on Han-bom’s console was indeed vastly more enjoyable than what we had been playing. Fundamentally, the thrill of smashing monsters was exhilarating. Given that it was a game I had heard of when that console was popular, it was only natural for it to be fun.

After learning a bit about how to play from Han-bom, I was enjoying the game alone when suddenly, Han-bom made a strange sound. When I turned my head, I saw her staring at her smartphone with a bizarre expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Take a look at this.”

On the screen of the smartphone she handed me was a news article. It featured Muk Ha-neul and a photo of her book. While I slowly read through the article, I soon let out a sound similar to Han-bom’s.

“Huh?”

The title of the article read: [Is Muk Ha-neul’s book ‘Sky Mushroom’ plagiarized?]

Muk Ha-neul’s novel ‘Sky Mushroom’ has fallen into a controversy over plagiarism.