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A Bountiful Harvest.
Just as farmers harvest their crops for the year, the boatmen’s hands busily move at the harbor. The horn of the approaching fishing boat seemed to express the joy of a full load. Seagulls flocked around, and stray cats roamed the harbor, hoping for a dropped fish or scrap.
“Did you catch a lot?”
The one that asked was a young man with a tall figure and handsome features that didn’t quite match the ambiance of the harbor. He waved his hand toward the approaching fishing boat as if familiar with it, his broad shoulders reminiscent of Yeongdo Bridge. In response to the young man’s call, the boat owner answered with a cheerful sound, full of warmth.
“Yeongguk! What are you doing here so early in the morning? You’ll be going up to Seoul soon for the new semester.”
Wearing a deep hat, the boat owner seemed to know the young man well. Ever since childhood, the young man had followed his father around, a close friend of the boat owner. The harbor during the springtime was always bountiful with fish such as mackerel, sand lance, and flounder caught during this season. There was also always a shortage of workers around this time.
“I’m heading to Seoul tonight, so I still have plenty of time! I can’t stand staying at home all day long! If not on a day like today, when else would I help you out? Aren’t you glad to have the extra help?”
“Of course, I’m happy!”
“I knew you would be!”
The tanned boat owner couldn’t hide his happiness, the wrinkles around his eyes betraying his feelings. The young man stepped on board the boat like a seasoned pro, checking the full fish containers and letting out an admiring exclamation. As he rolled up his sleeves, his muscular arms were revealed.
“Wow, you’ve taken control of Namhang!”
The young man’s skill in handling fish crates was remarkable. He carried fish on the swaying boat without losing balance, as if he had been working on boats for years. In the chilly dawn, the boatmen’s clothes were already sweat-drenched as if it were summer.
“Yeongguk! Drink up this cold glass of misugaru!”
The boat owner patted the young man’s sturdy back and handed him a glass of misugaru with ice floating in it. After quenching his thirst with misugaru, the young man asked,
“Sir, when will you change the name of this boat?”
“Why change it, Yeongguk? It hasn’t been long since I changed it because you said it was old-fashioned. I like it just fine!”
“Still, though, what’s with the name ‘Yeongguk’s Ship’? Every time I see that boat, it’s so embarrassing I don’t know what to do!”[1]
“It’s the name of a great actor! What’s so embarrassing about that?”
The boat owner laughed, stroking his rough beard.
“How’s your mom, Yeongguk?”
“Her store is doing well these days! She and Mrs. Yang are getting along so well that they’re running it together without help!”
“You said you’re going up to Seoul today?”
“What’s all this for?”
It’s a selection of prime, seasonal fish. The depth of affection in it was hard to put a price on. Even a white envelope containing pocket money was handed over. Eventually, the boat owner forcefully shoved the envelope into the reluctant young man’s pocket, patting his broad back. Their relationship was like father and son.
“Hey, take it!”
The boat owner had cherished the young man as if he were his own child. The son of his close friend who he lost to the sea while working together. He couldn’t face the boy for a few years because of guilt. But it was the young man who approached him first. Yeongguk was still a child a few years ago, but now he has grown into a strong and handsome young man. Undoubtedly, the boat owner’s deceased friend was watching this scene with a warm heart.
* * *
Main character, main character, main character.
That’s the word that has been haunting writer Hwang Sugyeong’s mind lately. She debuted as a drama writer at a relatively young age. It’s said that writers age with their work, but Hwang Sugyeong has established a solid reputation within the broadcasting company because of her continuous success. As a joke, people in the drama department said that there was Hwang Sugyeong above the king writer, and everyone acknowledged her skills.
I’ll decide on the main character, no matter what!
Perhaps because of that, she had considerable authority in casting actors. Just as the harmony between the director and the actors was essential, so was the harmony between the writer and the actors. She had to find the perfect puzzle piece for her creation. She would not allow an inexperienced actor to ruin her work, which she had poured her heart and soul into.
“Sunbae, how long are you going to keep worrying like this! Aren’t you going to work?”
While most successful writers have several assistants, Hwang only has one.
“Sujin, just because you stir-fry something sweet doesn’t mean it’s going to turn into a dish, does it? I don’t have the knack for writing! What’s the point of finishing a synopsis if I don’t have a clear picture of the main character? If I try to work like this, it’s going to turn out as bland as a steamed bun without any filling!”
“No, but still. It’s already been weeks! You keep avoiding PD Kim’s calls, so they keep contacting me. Why don’t you just go with Park Siwu as the main character? His acting isn’t bad, he has a good image, and he’s popular with female fans because he’s sweet.”
“Sweet, my ass! You’ve already forgotten how Park Siwu was caught secretly throwing away fan letters! And he’s almost thirty! How can he pull off a school uniform at that age? This work is all about the high teens! High teens!”
High teens, as the term suggests, refer to the teenage years. Hwang Sugyeong brushed her long hair back in a frustrated manner. The broadcasting station had been suggesting casting a popular group’s vocalist or an idol after reading the synopsis. However, she had no intention of casting those with no acting skills.
“The reporters are going crazy! I don’t know how they learned about the new project, but it was plastered all over the entertainment news! Luckily, they let it pass as a joke, but it caused chaos in the online communities! SBC’s drama department is swamped with calls asking when it will air. They can’t get a break!”
“PD Kim, that bastard! I told him not to brag so much, but he can’t shut up when he’s around reporters! No wonder the articles are piling up!”
Hwang Sugyeong had been knocking down box office records one after another since her debut. Perhaps thanks to that, the media was already speculating who the leading man would be in Hwang Sugyeong’s next work. It meant that she was a writer of great public interest.
“Sunbae, why are you changing your clothes again?”
Hwang Sugyeong took off her pajamas and put on an oversized hoodie.
“You know the old saying: To catch a tiger, you have to go to the tiger’s den.[2] I need to go to the tiger’s den myself and get some inspiration! If I stay like this, I won’t get anywhere!”
“Isn’t there a proverb that says you’ll survive if you enter the tiger’s den with a clear mind? Sunbae, no, unnie, wait a minute!”
Ignoring her assistant’s words, Hwang Sugyeong grabbed her wallet and headed out. Her assistant’s eyes widened, trying to grab her, but it was too late. She looked like a peculiar character. Although she was a top drama writer, she was so careless in her personal life. At that moment, she changed her clothes but ran out wearing mismatched shoes.
* * *
Like flipping through an old diary, the schoolyard always stirred up nostalgic feelings. As I pedaled my bicycle faster, the spring breeze brushing against my cheeks felt even more tender. The once-unfamiliar school uniform now felt like casual wear, and the signboard at the school gate was endearing. As I walked under the blooming cherry blossoms, I sensed curious glances.
“Jang Yeongguk, what are you doing here without eating lunch?”
Between boyhood and youth, broad shoulders lay on the grass, covered with cherry blossom petals, like a green watercolor painting sprinkled with pink paint. The boy had a tall stature, a high nose bridge, and innocent eyes resembling a calf. He looked similar to his past self but had a different vibe. He seemed cleaner and brighter. That’s probably why everyone walking through the schoolyard would give him a glance.
“You’ve come, you’re here! It’s the season for freshmen to fall into the swamp! Last year, it was the seniors who fell into that swamp!”
“A swamp?”
“You, I’m talking about you!”
The swamp referred to the puddle of Jang Yeongguk’s charm. If the seasonal transition could be described in this way, wearing a school uniform made him look like a young lad, and his unfathomable gaze occasionally shook the hearts of many women. Of course, he seemed oblivious to this fact.
“Ten-million Cameo, stop and eat lunch already!”
“I hate that nickname.”
Ten-million Cameo.
It was an unfamiliar nickname for him. For the past three years, he has been focusing on his studies at the recommendation of CEO Kim Seonghwan. He said that acting could be done anytime, but school days would never come back. He was a grateful person. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t active in the entertainment industry.
By appearing as a cameo in consecutive films directed by Director Baek Janghun, he even earned the nickname “Ten-million Cameo.” There was even a superstition in Chungmuro that if Jang Yeongguk appeared as a cameo, the audience would exceed ten million.
“By the way, the homeroom teacher said to go to the bench near the basketball court after eating lunch. There’s someone there who’s going to guide you around the school. From what I heard, it’s a senior who graduated a long time ago, and they seem to be doing well in the broadcasting industry.”
“Why me?”
“Probably because you have a strong connection with the broadcasting industry. And get up from here and stop enchanting the freshmen!”
The class president, who had left her seat quickly, also placed a small strawberry milk beside the boy. As Yeongguk showed her the strawberry milk and said, “Thank you!” she made a shy face. It seemed that it wasn’t only the freshmen who were enchanted by him.
The basketball court was filled with the smell of sweat. Although chalk dust and old textbooks had their charms, something about the combination perfectly represented the school uniform. The place was full of the pure scent of grass, utterly unaffected by the wind of society like reeds.
“Main character!”
Hwang Sugyeong, the author, visited her alma mater. After all, the most crucial thing in writing was inspiration. There was no better place to release the words that entangled her mind. Although a decade had passed since her graduation, the schoolyard always held the essence of youth. The expressions of the students playing on the basketball court confirmed that. She, too, once had such pure, unblemished times. It was then.
Thud!
A stray basketball tore through the air, heading straight for the bench where she sat. The ball came at her so fast that she had no time to dodge; she simply squeezed her eyes shut. But oddly, she didn’t feel any impact from the ball flying towards her like a raging bull.
“Ugh.”
Hwang Sugyeong slowly opened her eyes and looked ahead. Like a mirage materializing in a desert, the figure who had blocked the basketball with one hand gradually came into focus. Would the width of the Pacific Ocean measure up to this? The owner of broad shoulders held the ball in one hand and threw it back onto the court.
“Are you alright?”
A voice as sweet as cotton candy tickled her heart, along with deep, captivating eyes. As warm spring sunlight seemed to cast its inspiration upon her, the words that had been tangled in her mind melted away like snow. Not knowing her true feelings, the other person continued to gaze at her with soft, calf-like eyes. Her heart raced, and it felt like her words would come out in a jumble.
“Amazing.”
The main character she had been searching for so desperately had appeared right before her eyes.
[1] The name of the boat is 영국호, where 영국 is Yeongguk’s name and 호is a common suffix used in Korean for naming ships or boats.
[2] 호랑이를 잡으려면 호랑이 굴로 들어가야 한다. An English equivalent would be  “No pain, no gain.”