Chapter 19.2
Ji Won looked out of the rain beaten window before stepping out of the guest bedroom. When Shin's grandmother had suggested that they spend the night instead of driving back in the rain, she'd feebly protested. She still didn't know what it was but something about that house made her feel at ease and she didn't mind spending a bit more time over there. Besides, what was waiting for her at home, anyway?
Well, not that much at ease as she'd been sitting in the bedroom and staring at the wall for thirty minutes because she didn't want to join Shin's family in the living room. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but something about the way Shin's grandmother looked at her had begun to get to her. His grandma had this knowing look older women had when they were in on a secret and it had begun to creep her out. There was nothing more rattling than having a supposedly subliminal conversation with someone without having a clue what the other person was talking about.
Stuck in that room, Ji Won tried reading some of the magazines that had been put there but they were all at least a year old. It was clear they rarely had guests. Then she'd tried to fall asleep but for some reason, it had eluded her. She'd even thought of looking for Shin but what would they talk about? Sick of being bored, she got off the bed and decided to get herself a glass of water.
***
"Hey," Shin called as he saw Ji Won walk past the library. She'd disappeared after dinner and he'd been debating going up and talking to her. On one hand, he wanted to be a hospitable host and make sure she felt comfortable and enjoyed herself, but on the other hand, he didn't know if she'd prefer to have her privacy. After all, he'd tricked her into coming on the trip with him.
"Hey," Ji Won said, retracing her steps and popping her head into the room. "What are you doing here?"
He looked down at the box on the floor. "I figured that since I'm here, I might as well pack up some of my books."
"Yeah?" she said, walking into the room. It was a pretty small room filled with shelves stocked with books and two chairs. Because it was so cramped, from afar, one would expect the room to feel dusty and moldly but it really wasn't the bad. She bent over Shin's box and picked up a well-worn book from the top of the pile then looked it over. What the heck? She hid a smile and said, "I can't believe you have The Lone Tree!" She waved the book at him. "This book is what inspired me to get into publishing."
"Really?" Shin asked, perking up. The Lone Tree was one of his favorite books and even though he never mentioned it, had been a huge influence on his chosen career. Did it make any sense that he was pleased that they both loved the same book?
"Yes," she said, nodding. "The book is full of mistakes. Awful, awful, awful! I think there was an average of five mistakes a page. It's completely ridiculous!"
"What�?"
Ji Won paused to compose herself so as not to burst into laughter. The look of horror on Shin's face was beyond comedic. "This book is a disgrace to the literary world and should be given to every writer as a 'How Not To' guide. That's why you have it, right?"
Shin was still trying to digest what she was saying when she plopped into a chair and burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Shin, you should totally see your face right now," she said, laughing and pointing at him. "You looked like I'd just thrown up on your favorite toy! Ha ha ha, God I wish I had my phone on me," she said, hitting the sides of Shin's grandma's nightgown like she was feeling for it in the invisible pockets. "I want to take a photo. I WANT TO TAKE A PHOTO! I bet you thought you were the only person that could make stuff up, huh?" she said before another loud round of laughing. She'd even begun clapping at this point.
Shin shook his head and chuckled. It was the first time he'd really seen her figuratively let her hair down and relax, otherwise, he'd have wanted to throttle her for the stunt she'd just pulled. He'd never seen her look so cute.
"You should laugh more," he said, before he could stop himself.
"Yeah?" Ji Won said, suddenly sitting up straight and feeling awkward. It was amazing that that was all it took to get her back to her senses. She ironed out invisible creases in the nightgown and looked away from him.
Regretting his role in the sudden shift in atmosphere, Shin tried to do some damage control. "So what do you really think of The Lone Tree?"
She shrugged. "Nothing� considering I've never heard of it."
"Makes sense, considering it was a huge failure. I think it only sold about five hundred copies."
"But you love it anyway, right?"
He nodded. "I honestly can't remember where I first read it but it was one of those books that never left me so when I tried to find another copy, I learned that it was out of print. So I contacted the publisher who told me the books had been remaindered and that the author had bought them all. Then I contacted the author and he sold two copies to me for 1500 Won. It was the best 3000 Won I ever spent."
"Cool," Ji Won said, having nothing else to say. When writers got passionate about their work or other books, it was best to just let them ramble on till they tired out.
"Yes, it's one of those books that�," he continued. About two minutes later, when he finally realized that he was basically talking to himself, he picked up another book and held it out to her. "Here's another classic that nobody's read."
She took it from him, looked at the cover and smiled when she read the author's name. Since it wasn't part of his series, she figured that it must have been his very first book. "The Demon Pirate by Yoon Pil Suh," she said before looking up at him and laughing. "The Demon Pirate? I guess we don't need to look further than the title to figure out why nobody bought it."
"What?" Shin said before throwing another copy of his first book at her.
***
"Well, this is it," Ji Won said as Shin stopped the car in front of her building. She reached for the car door. "I still don't get how it would help with your writer's block but I hope it has."
Well, it obviously hadn't since he wasn't really experiencing any writer's block. Shin scratched his head and watched her step out of the car. What was the best way to 'fess up to his act? When he saw her opening the door to the backseat, he quickly turned around and put his hand on the case of wine she'd been gunning for. "Don't worry about it � I'll carry it for you," he said, looking at her through the window.
She protested but eventually let him carry it. They'd stopped at the store on their way back to her place and when she'd seen the wine on sale for half off, she couldn't resist buying it.
On the silent walk towards her building, Ji Won debated asking him in for a drink. Was it the right or wrong thing to do? They'd already spent so much time together so there wasn't any reason to spend any more but wasn't it polite to invite him in to share some of the wine since he'd so graciously carried it for her? As they approached the elevators, she decided to be polite and ask him.
Shin for his part, had also been trying to figure out the best time to come clean about the writer's block that her question had come as a shock to him. "Huh?" was all he could come up with.
Ji Won hit the 'Up' button. "Would you like to come in for a glass of wine?" she repeated.
A glass of...? A thought suddenly popped into his head. "But I don't have any condoms with me." He did his best to maintain a stern face.
"WHA-A-A-T?"
He looked away and tried to maintain his composure. It was payback time for her making fun of The Demon Pirate. He glanced at his watch. "Even though it's only noon and some people are at church right now, you obviously want to have sex. Am I right?"
No, you're crazy! The elevator came but she ignored it. She couldn't believe her ears. "Why in the world would you say that?"
"It's your M.O. Think back to Aruba. Every time you wanted to have sex, you invited me for a glass of wine."
Okay, so he was indeed crazy. "You know what?" Ji Won said, not even bothering to think back and confirm his allegations, "you're obviously insane." She grabbed the case of wine from his hands and elbowed him in his arm. Who did he think he was?
"Oh, one more thing," Shin said as she hit the 'up' button and the elevator doors parted. He nursed his sore arm and tried his best not to laugh.
"What?" she grunted, stepping into the elevator.
He pulled out a large yellow envelope from his bag and dropped it on the case in her hands. "That's the rest of my book."
She looked up at him in disbelief. "The rest...? You've finished it?"
"Yep," he said, nodding.
Then what was the bullsh.it about writer's block? But before Ji Won could vocalize her thoughts, the elevator doors shut.
***
Ji Won could not believe this guy. What the hell was his deal? He'd taken her on a trip for his deranged pleasure then had accused her of trying to seduce him. What the hell? And now, without any warning, just when she thought she'd have a quiet evening, she had a mountain of pages to edit. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, sat down on her couch then pulled out the manuscript from the envelope. There was a sticky note on the first page.
I'm glad we're working together again. Would it be wrong to say that I missed working with you? If so, please forgive me but I can't help but say that I really did miss working with you. I'm looking forward to our next meeting.
-- Shin
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