episode_0041

Eating while watching the scenery pass by quickly.

They say Mt. Geumgang is also a beautiful sight after eating, but my friend sitting next to me doesn’t seem to think so.

Did you say you were so nervous recently that you couldn’t even eat?

So, they are even stealing my lunch box.

I’m not particularly hungry.

All you need is something to drink.

“Eat it slowly. Then pretend to die before going up to the awards ceremony.”

“Wow…”

Min-jae is pounding his chest to try to get rid of the clogged food.

If I left it like this, I could see that my throat would clog and suffocate, so I clicked my tongue, opened the cap of the water bottle, and held it out.

“Now. Here’s the water.”

“Huh…gulp…gulp……. Haha…! Wow, I think I’ll buy some.”

It’s been a while since I’ve seen you drink water so refreshingly.

Were you still in high school?

Minji opened a bottle of whiskey that her father had hidden and drank it, and when she woke up the next day and offered a glass of water, she drank it like that.

“Who wants to starve on a regular basis?”

“How difficult was it because you were so nervous? I couldn’t digest my food and was in and out of the bathroom all day.”

“Okay, so eat slowly. Because I don’t take it away.”

“Phew…but I’m a bit full now.”

“If you eat that and don’t feel full, are you human?”

I ate 3 lunch boxes.

I saw earlier that they ordered a double bowl of rice and a fried egg.

This guy hasn’t changed at all.

Since common sense has changed, I thought I might have eaten less…

“But I heard it costs less as you get older, right?”

“Eating much more than women.”

“What do you say? Women eat a lot more than me, right?”

It seems like he knows it’s embarrassing, seeing as he gets upset in a strange way.

Well, if you tell a man that he eats more than a woman, anyone will get angry.

Because it’s between us, we can joke around like this.

I made a good friend… did I make a good friend?

Anyway, Min-jae said it wasn’t a good idea to leave anything behind, so he emptied his lunch box and threw it in the trash can.

I handed over the tightly closed water bottle again, opened the cap of the cold drink I was drinking, and took a sip.

“But aren’t you hungry? Nothing has changed since before.”

“Because if I have food, I eat, and if I don’t, I don’t eat.”

“That’s the strangest thing. If you don’t have rice, you have to make it and eat it, and if you don’t have money, you have to steal it and eat it.”

Can I really use this guy as an artist?

I think my work will be destroyed by some strange controversy.

It suddenly made me worry like I’ve never done before in my life.

Minjae This guy must be a great guy.

“It’s a joke. It’s a joke. Dude.”

“It’s a joke, right?”

Phew…

I was surprised.

“There have been times in the past when you took a joke seriously.”

“That’s because it makes me confused whether you’re joking or serious.”

“Is that so?”

And then that guy laughs heartlessly.

I wanted to hit him, but since I have a big heart, I had to endure it.

*

It takes 3 hours by KTX from Busan to Seoul.

After almost exactly 3 hours, we arrived at Seoul Station and went outside, yawning and stretching.

As expected, the air was a bit stale.

You can really feel that the air quality is clearly bad.

It was like this when I first came to Seoul on a field trip to elementary school.

Since I was a child, I have always turned the air purifier on at maximum at home, so I feel the difference in the air strongly.

“Chlokkolok…”

“What is it, a cold?”

“No. Because the air is a bit bad.”

“There will be less fine dust today, right?”

Minjae doesn’t seem to notice as much of a difference as he thought.

In this regard, it’s extremely insensitive.

I left the train platform and exited Seoul Station.

Anyway, I heard that the Gyeongui/Jungang Line platform was moved to the old station…

It looks like KTX is using a new station.

I wanted to see the old building because it was cooler than the new building.

For reference, when I came to sign a contract before, I took an express bus to Seoul, not the KTX.

KTX was too expensive.

“This is my first time coming to Seoul Station.”

Just in case, I glanced behind me and saw the editor wearing a hat and looking around.

After confirming that I was near the entrance, he smiled slightly and pulled his hat down tightly to cover his face.

Is this intentional because if the person seen here is also seen at the award ceremony, he/she will win the award?

“You hillbilly. Go have some fun or go on a trip.”

“Where is the time for that? I’m so busy.”

“That’s right. You said you also write web novels, right?”

“……”

Anyway, his drinking is the problem.

The guy who had warned Minji to keep it a secret took a sip of alcohol and then revealed it.

It’s absolutely pathetic.

As I refused to speak and kept my mouth shut, Minjae grinned and tapped my side.

“I heard it all.”

“Okay. Why write?”

“Aren’t you going to tell me what the work is?”

“Ha… I’ll find out everything later anyway.”

After that, he walked ahead without answering any further questions.

Seoul is so big and I don’t know the roads, so it would be faster to take a taxi.

“Hey. Where are you going?”

“I have to go to the awards ceremony. You don’t have to take a taxi.”

“Without even knowing where it is?”

“Why don’t I know where it is….. Ah.”

right.

Now that I think about it, I shouldn’t have pretended to know.

I am just friend 1 who came along to the contest award ceremony.

There’s no way I know where the award ceremony is held.

“Kuhm…”

“Well, it doesn’t matter since I’m going to take a taxi?”

Minjae then takes out his cell phone and turns on the taxi app.

I hope you don’t do something stupid like call me at your house in Busan.

“So? Where do you do it?”

“Lotte Signiel in Songpa-gu.”

Wow… it looks like the organizers spent some money this time.

Speaking of Signiel, isn’t it a hotel located in the tallest building in Korea?

I can’t believe they rented that place for the contest award ceremony.

It would be hard to find that kind of money.

By the way, the hotel that the organizers say they will provide is not Signiel, right?

If that’s the case, I guess I’ll have no choice but to abandon my best friend and spend my time at Signiel.

***

Writers who are greeted by countless people.

Perhaps because there are 12 artists participating in this award ceremony, congratulatory comments and applause are coming from all over the place.

Naturally, in the case of Minjae, who serialized the first place winning work, people from all over the world are flocking to the site.

Not only our management president, but also our editor in charge is shaking hands and saying hello.

“Oh my, congratulations. Author!”

“Thank you!”

Minjae is now bowing his head first to be greeted without even knowing who is greeting him.

My head hurts as I watch from the side, but Minjae, who is receiving greetings, must be in awe.

“I looked at the author’s work all the time while coming here, and I didn’t notice how time flew by! This must be a talent.”

“Mo…I don’t know what to do.”

“Haha. Unlike young people these days, you are humble.”

How can you not be humble when the owner of the Green Green site personally comes out and gives you a compliment?

They said they would provide benefits not only in serialization but also in settlement.

“But the person next to me…”

“Ta…this is the friend who followed me.”

“Friend? I have a friend who follows me here. You have a good friend.”

The president then smiled cheerfully and turned to the other writers.

He smiled very cheerfully at the other writers and started asking them various questions.

Aren’t you tired?

“Phew… my heart almost exploded.”

“I should explode after receiving the award.”

“Is that something you would say as a friend? You say things like that because you’re just watching from the side, right?”

“Then, since I will make it difficult for you, is it possible to get half the prize money?”

“Haha. You’re joking.”

I said something sincerely, but it was dismissed as a joke.

This is why it’s no use being nice to them.

“Then I guess I should slowly climb up. Will you be here?”

“Do you think the friend you followed will be able to go up to the award ceremony podium with you? Let’s go up quickly.”

“Phew….by the way, where is the original author? I said I would be able to meet you before the awards ceremony.”

“……”

You’ve already met the original author.

I can guarantee you one thing.

“Well, what do you know.”

Minjae waved his hand and said he would see him later and went up to the podium.

Seeing that, the other artists also went up to the podium one by one and began to sit down on the chairs next to them one by one.

There are five chairs with numbers written on them.

And the rest are seven chairs with the name of the award, not the number.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few men.

Since it’s a female scent, I thought there wouldn’t be any men except Minjae.

Phew…I guess I should take a break too.

I feel like I’m going to die from pain just standing by and helping.

As I sat down on the chair, I felt someone next to me.

The editor who appears from nowhere and comes next to me.

“The writers get along well~”

“Keuhm… I’m sorry for not telling you in advance.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about~ I guess it’s okay to tell me since you’re my girlfriend now~”

“Uh. Even though the position here is still vacant, is it okay if I call you your girlfriend?”

“Trigram… It’s okay. Anyway, only the writer can hear it.”

Is that really the case?

It’s quieter around here than I thought, so I think other people can hear it too.

Sure enough, there is someone staring intently in this direction.

I glanced at him just in case, and that person was my friend Min-jae, who is famous for being quick-witted.

what.

Why is that guy smiling all of a sudden?