Chapter 26: A New Challenge

Bear Bookstore had plenty of famous writers, but if you had to pick the most prominent one recently, Adele Louis was undeniable.

His novels were infamous for tragic endings, yet readers kept coming back despite knowing that.

The magic in his words.

Adele Louis’s prose was uniquely captivating, utterly unmatched.

The more you read, the more it pulls you in… like a devil.

Fans all said the same:

Reading Adele Louis felt like being sucked into a black hole, impossible to escape.

And that prose paired perfectly with “tragedy.”

“You wrote this as a test…?”

But Adele Louis writing with hope?

A story chasing hope?

Loony tilted his head in confusion as he answered the call.

“Yes, I gave it a try. Take a look.”

“Did you show Mijeong?”

“Yeah, she liked it, but said I needed your judgment.”

“Alright… I’ll check it out.”

It wasn’t a huge file.

Unedited, full of typos and messy, but readable.

After skimming for 10 minutes, Loony looked away.

Rubbing his eyes against the dryness, he let out a deep sigh.

“This author… is still the same.”

He rubbed his eyes longer, then sighed again.

The lingering aftertaste from deep in his chest was too much to hold back.

His skill… hasn’t dulled.

Yongsu might doubt himself, but as an editor and reader, Loony felt nothing had changed.

That devilish prose was as sharp as ever.

And it’s just a snippet…

Barely the beginning.

Not even the story’s start, yet the words lured him like a devil disguised as writing.

Even after finishing, he was dying to know what came next.

“Hmm… I’m not sure.”

If he could’ve just said the prose was still flawless, that’d be ideal.

But as an editor, he couldn’t.

He had to consider if this had market value.

Not sure yet… but.

Just being by Adele Louis guaranteed appeal.

But that might be it.

This is different from Papa…

The vibe itself.

Papa was controversial due to societal tensions, but the author’s intent shone through.

This felt like a story heading toward hope.

If it ended in tragedy with a twist, maybe, but otherwise, he wouldn’t have called.

“Hoo…”

Loony sighed in frustration.

He knew sighing wouldn’t solve it, but holding it in felt suffocating.

It’s the weekend…

Normally, feeling this frustrated on a golden weekend would annoy him.

But why?

A smile crept onto Loony’s face.

“It’s interesting.”

It was fun.

Frustrating, yes, but he was grateful for the devilish writing that caused it.

So… what now?

Loony sank into thought.

Slowly… very slowly.

***

When I first became a writer, Loony wasn’t… a great person.

No, honestly, I hated having him as my editor.

He was too pragmatic, and his rudeness grated on me.

Kinda psycho.

But over time, Loony’s talent shone.

As an editor and judge of work.

His skills helped me a lot, and somehow, he became familiar.

Loony will figure it out.

Even this short piece—he’d find an answer.

He might even enjoy the puzzle.

Time to assemble furniture.

Waiting for his verdict, we dove into the work.

I thought it’d take till tomorrow, but by evening, everything was done.

Mijeong helped, and the kids tidied, so it went fast.

“What’s for dinner…?”

As evening fell, I pondered our meal.

After much thought, I decided.

How about grilling meat at home for once?

“Ooh, Korean BBQ? I’m in.”

I looked at the kids.

Jiyu, Bessie, and Roy seemed fine, but Hye-yeon and Yuri looked tired.

Especially Hye-yeon, who’d written with me and woken early.

Grilling meat might help them recover.

Should I grab some from our place?

“That’d be great.”

Hang on. I’ll get pork belly.

Ryan didn’t love pork belly, but dating Mijeong changed that.

I turned to the kids.

We’ll prep for eating, but first, everyone needs a bath.

“Are we that dirty?”

Covered in dust.

Hye-yeon and Yuri checked their clothes.

They’d wiped down furniture, but wood dust and particles clung everywhere.

We needed to wash before eating.

“Bessie and Roy can bathe at our place. Ryan, let’s go.”

“Sweet.”

Ryan scooped up Bessie and Roy.

Even for kids, two was heavy, but he lifted them effortlessly.

As Ryan’s family left, I looked at the kids.

Who wants to go first? I’ll finish up.

Everything was done, but some tidying remained.

We could eat and clean after, but starting strong meant finishing strong.

“We’ll go first. Jiyu, let’s bathe.”

“Ugh… Jiyu doesn’t wanna… it’s boring…”

“Hurry and wash, then we eat yummy meat.”

“Ugh… fine…”

“No way. Germs are bad for you.”

“Ugh…”

Jiyu, like most kids, hated baths.

Hye-yeon lifted her up.

“We’ll go first.”

Take your time.

As the kids headed to the bathroom, I stood to tidy.

-Ring ring ring!

Just as I rose, my phone rang.

Loony?

It was him, as expected.

“Hello?”

“Author, got a moment? I finished reading the draft you sent.”

It’d been over seven hours since I emailed it.

He’d probably analyzed it thoroughly before calling.

How was it?

“Well… First, it doesn’t fit the Seven Virtues series. The stories need a unified theme or world.”

Seven Virtues was one overarching theme.

Always ending in tragedy, this didn’t align.

“Personally, I liked Temperance. It’s early, but…”

The potential was undeniable.

Potential… So you’re saying change the title from Temperance?

“Yes.”

Too good to shelve, but not for Seven Virtues.

That was the verdict.

I don’t like that…

Honestly, it stung.

Temperance was inspired by Hye-yeon.

Another title might work, but having grasped the emotion of temperance, I wanted to keep it.

“But you could proceed as is.”

Huh?

“Just write it. Your philosophy still seeps through. Title or not.”

Loony was pragmatic about work.

Gains, losses.

He stated them clearly.

“Papa was a risk for us, but your intent held strong. I think Temperance will too.”

Writers have their own worlds.

Compressing that into art is their job.

“No matter the outcome… just write your story.”

After much thought, Loony’s conclusion was simple.

Let the writer do as they wished.

He’d proven his skill many times, so this time too.

Got it. I’ll proceed.

“Understood. Live-writing again?”

Yeah, probably.

I usually wrote without outlines or synopses.

I liked pouring in the emotions as they came.

“Alright.”

Thanks. I’ll hang up.

I had tidying to do.

“Oh, Author.”

As I moved to end the call, Loony spoke again.

“Thanks for coming back.”

His words made me chuckle.

No big deal. See you next week.

“Yes. Let’s have a drink then.”

Sure.

The call ended.

I stared at my phone, then pocketed it.

Looks like it’s okay.

I’d been anxious.

It was my first new piece in three years.

No results yet, but I could judge after finishing.

Time to tidy.

Feeling a bit lighter, I started cleaning.