NOVEL WEB Chapter 3
Upon arriving at Professor Seo’s office, I noticed a few drops of water on the floor. This indicated that someone had come. When I knocked, I could hear Professor Seo’s distinct voice resonating with his unique accent.
“Come in!”
As I stepped inside, the cluttered office, still overflowing with books, looked exactly the same as before. Professor Seo was slouched in his chair, tapping on his smartphone. However, what caught my eye more than that was the kid sitting on the sofa in the corner of the office.
He clearly looked like a high school student. If he were to graduate, he would probably just be a freshman. His neat appearance reminded me of a parasite, making me not particularly fond of him. The kid slightly bowed his head in greeting when he saw me. I also nodded back politely.
“Come here and sit down.”
I obediently followed Professor Seo’s command. He was engrossed in playing a game on his smartphone, and it was clear he intended to keep it that way until at least the game was finished.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Professor Seo to complete his game.
“Is that a game you’re playing?”
“Yeah. Lately, I’ve been living only for this.”
“That’s fascinating.”
“Is it weird for an old middle-aged guy to cling to something like this?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Didn’t you? Bullshit.”
Muttering under his breath, Professor Seo thankfully didn’t press further.
“I heard you received the Jeongang Literary Prize?”
“Yes.”
“That’s great.”
“Thank you.”
Though crooked, it was Professor Seo’s version of a congratulatory remark.
“Those kids with their squinted eyes are giving awards for this kind of writing….”
That might be true.
“So, you have something you want to say…?”
“Well, there’s no need to waste time with chit-chat. How about you consider tutoring?”
“Tutoring? Are you talking about tutoring for the creative writing department entrance exam?”
Naturally, since I had only been writing, I assumed it was about tutoring for the entrance exam for the creative writing department, especially since no other subject tutoring offers had come my way. It was surprising that he would ask me to do something like that. Of course, tutoring for the entrance exam wasn’t difficult, but it was uncommon for someone without much reputation like me to receive such an offer.
However, Professor Seo brought up an unexpected topic.
“No, it’s not for the creative writing entrance exam. Who is getting entrance exam tutoring for the creative writing department these days?”
Professor Seo’s unreserved way of belittling his own field remained top-notch. But if it wasn’t for the creative writing department entrance exam, then what sort of tutoring was he asking me to do?
“What do you mean…?”
“Ahem.”
In an unexpectedly formal manner, Professor Seo cleared his throat.
“I have a son who can write a bit. But in my opinion, he’s really not great. Not great at all. I tried to guide him a bit, but I’ve grown old, and it seems like he’s a late-in-life child, so we just don’t click. I can’t force him to write the way I want him to.”
“I think you used to do that with your students.”
“Are students and my son the same?”
I see. The tyrant of the creative writing department, Professor Seo Jae-Ah, was still unchanged. It seemed that even for Professor Seo, it was different when it came to his son. Above all, it was quite typical of Professor Seo not to stop his own child from writing. After all, he was still living as a professor in the creative writing department.
“Anyway, I’m trying to find some of my students who write well and are MZ generation kids.”
“So you’re saying I was picked?”
“No, I called you because everyone else refused, so I figured you might be the most free.”
“….”
“I’d appreciate it if you could guide him a bit. Can you do that?”
“What about the tutoring fee?”
“Oh, this kid has developed some bad habits….”
“Why are you acting like an amateur, Professor?”
“I’ve never had a student who wouldn’t fulfill a teacher’s request. Just leave.”
“Yes, then I will take my leave.”
Pretending to get up and leave, Professor Seo reluctantly held me back. No matter what, I wasn’t a graduate student and couldn’t work for free.
“Tsk, I’ve raised a real tiger cub.”
“At least that much is a dragon.”
“It’s probably a loach.”
We both shared a laugh, a light-hearted exchange.
“Alright, let’s do it this way. Which would you prefer: the tutoring fee or an interview opportunity with TTBS?”
“Interview?”
“They’re gathering young novelists for an interview and some publicity, and they asked me to recommend a few. You were interested in this stuff, right?”
“That’s true….”
“Isn’t this a good opportunity? I can recommend you without embarrassment, and you can go for the interview. That seems much better than the tutoring fee.”
“Is it that bothersome to spend money on a student?”
“How much do you think a professor’s salary is for you to be trying to milk me dry?”
Well, in any case, Professor Seo wasn’t wrong. An interview opportunity would indeed be a much better condition than the tutoring fee. Being a novelist was not a profession that would be time-constrained by a mere tutoring job.
“Alright then, I’ll take it. Is your son the student sitting behind me?”
“How did you know?”
“There’s no way I’d be discussing this in front of other students.”
“I suppose that’s true. Jae-Ah, come here.”
At that, the kid who had been sitting in the back, or rather Seo Jae-Ah, shyly stepped forward.
“Say hello, this is my youngest son, Seo Jae-Ah. This is my student, Seol-guk.”
“Hello, I’m Seol-guk.”
“Ah, hello… I’m Jae-Ah Seo. I’m in the second year of high school.”
So he really is a high school student. His weak frame didn’t particularly impress me. However, not intensely caring about my name was a pass. Normally, any student in the creative writing department who heard my name would exclaim, “Wow! Kawabata Yasunari! You know him!”
Thus, I don’t particularly like my name. If Jae-Ah had laughed at my name, the tutoring might have become a bit rough.
“Shall we set up a tutoring schedule? Once a week should suffice?”
“Once? Make it twice.”
“Twice is a bit….”
“What would a lazy bum like you do if you’re not writing? Twice a week!”
“Alright, then… for about an hour each session?”
“Two hours!”
Professor Seo shouted as if there was no room for negotiation. Well, I had no choice. He wasn’t wrong, so this time I would concede.
“So, what about today?”
“Let’s go eat something delicious. Think of it as an orientation.”
“Will you be paying?”
“You little rascal….”
“I was joking.”
I quickly managed to recover. No matter how much I was, I wasn’t planning to take advantage of this. Just then, looking out the window, I saw the rain slowly stopping.
I could probably take him to a chicken galbi place near the university. High school students usually enjoy that. Of course, I didn’t dislike it either.
“Shall we go then?”
“Ah, yes.”
Though the boy didn’t seem charismatic, from now on, I had to play the role of a teacher for this kid. For now, we at least had to get to know each other. It would be nice to share a drink or something, but unfortunately, he was a minor.
As I stepped outside with Seo Jae-Ah, the rain had stopped, revealing a clear sky. While walking down the street, I tried to make conversation with Jae-Ah.
“By the way, how did you manage to skip school and come here?”
“I’m not going to school.”
“Are you refusing to attend?”
“Something like that.”
I didn’t know what circumstances led a second-year high school student to skip school, but it wasn’t my concern. It actually worked out better for me as it would make scheduling easier.
“In that case, just pick an appropriate time and send it to me. It’s fine if it’s not too early in the morning or too late at night, and around lunchtime would work well. Just exclude the weekends; I want to rest too. How about 4 PM on Tuesdays and Fridays?”
“If you’re just going to decide everything, why are you asking?”
“Then tell me what time you would like.”
“Let’s do Tuesdays and Fridays around 4 PM.”
“….”
What a cheeky brat.
“But where should we meet?”
“Well, can we meet here?”
“I’d rather not. I feel self-conscious coming to the university. And… what should I call you?”
“Just call me ‘hyung’ (older brother).”
“But you’ve already graduated. Isn’t it a bit strange to keep coming here?”
“What’s so strange about it?”
Jae-Ah fell silent at my words. Did he know my reputation within the department? It wasn’t unreasonable. Perhaps Professor Seo had mentioned it.
“My house and Professor Seo’s house are far apart. Meeting here is the most convenient. Plus, we can use the study room for free.”
“You’re such a miser.”
Phew, I could use a smoke.
After arriving at the chicken galbi place and sitting down, Seo Jae-Ah naturally set the utensils. In this regard, he was quite polite.
“Shall we begin the orientation?”
“What are you talking about? It’s just us two.”
“Regardless. Do you have any writing projects you’re working on? What do you want to write?”
“…Do I really have to say everything? Just look at what I’ve written and give me feedback or corrections.”
“How can I teach you if you don’t say such things? You said it’s not entrance exam study.”
“Anyway, it’s fine.”
“Then tell me what authors you like.”
“I don’t want to say that either.”
“Did you come asking for tutoring or not?”
“My dad forced me into this. Let’s just killsome time.”
He really was a defiant kid. Following his lead would make it easy for me, but I would surely hear all sorts of complaints from Professor Seo later. I had to get him to talk somehow, but this prickly teenage high school student wasn’t opening up.
Unexpectedly, it was Jae-Ah who spoke up first again.
“Hyung, have you read any of the novels?”
That was quite unexpected. While I was somewhat well-reviewed, I hadn’t achieved the level of success that came with wealth and fame. I found it hard to believe that a kid like him would read my novel.
“Really? Which one did you read? What did you think?”
“‘The Womb of a Boy’. Can I be honest?”
“Sure.”
Even if the kid gave me a harsh critique, I wouldn’t take it to heart. I had heard all sorts of nonsense from Professor Seo.
“Honestly, I found it interesting. I think the writing was good, and the themes were solid.”
“That’s more praise than I expected.”
“However, it was a bit uncomfortable.”
“What aspect was uncomfortable?”
“The characters apart from the protagonist were flat and a bit inhuman.”
“Inhuman?”
“Yeah, especially the female characters.”
“That could be the case.”
I said with a slightly sardonic smile. That would certainly be a topic that could feel uncomfortable for someone as young as Jae-Ah. However, there was nothing wrong with knowing in advance.
“I’ll give you one piece of advice, Seo Jae-Ah.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t see that as inhuman. I refer to that as feminine.”
“…What did you say?”
“The protagonist in ‘The Womb of a Boy’ refers to himself as a ‘byproduct of an abortion gone wrong.’ Do you know how many successful abortions exist in the world?”
About 40 million a year.
“There are 40 million women who kill their children every year.”