JL OS

Coward

Jennie threw her pen down onto the table. "This is ridiculous," she said, staring at the messy scrawls all over the stack of papers in front of her.

"It's something you have to fix, though."

"You're basically telling me to rewrite the whole chapter!"

Lisa shrugged. She took a sip of her iced coffee before setting the cup to one side and pointing at her own copy of the manuscript.

"Her characterization isn't consistent, Jennie. I know you can see it too."

"No. For once, I really don't agree with your edits."

"Just for once?"

Jennie sighed at the amused grin on Lisa's face. "Look, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now, alright? We're two weeks behind schedule already." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I don't see any problem with how I've written Hyewon. She's meant to be shy!"

"Okay, tell me what you mean by shy."

"She's scared, right? She's never done anything this big before, and all her life she's been told to stay quiet. So she's not supposed to take drastic action! It would be totally out of character."

Lisa raised her eyebrows. "What you just said isn't shyness. It's—"

"Can you just—"

"Let me finish." She gave Jennie a look. When the writer finally relented, leaning back in her seat, Lisa continued. "What you just described isn't shyness. Being shy would mean that she has trouble speaking up, yes, that she wouldn't put herself in situations where she stands out."

"Exactly!"

"But that doesn't mean she wouldn't do something if she knew she would be right. Being shy doesn't stop you from taking action." Lisa flipped through her papers and pointed. "Page three, eight lines from the bottom. See where she says she thinks she'll mess things up if she tries to call her mom?"

"Lisa, I wrote this nove—"

"Then you should know Hyewon the best, Jennie. She's not shy. She's a coward."

Jennie's eyes widened. "She's not a coward! She's afraid to rock the boat. Because if she does, her whole family falls with her. Don't you see that?"

"Yes, I get that."

"Then why would you say that she's a coward? It's not cowardice, it's necessity. That's who she has to be."

"Okay, look." Lisa laid her hands flat, palm down, on the table. "I get what you're trying to say. And I see where you're coming from, because, yes, Hyewon has a key part in her family's dynamics that will significantly affect the rest of the book."

Jennie crossed her arms. "I know there's a 'but' coming," she muttered.

"But—"

"Knew it."

"But," said Lisa smoothly, "as your editor, as someone who's not immersed in the writing of the story — I think her staying silent doesn't fit with the rest of the story."

"What!"

"See, she's seen her dad blow up. She knows her mom's about to break. She wants her brother to stay clean of the mess between her parents. Hyewon is quiet, yes, she doesn't like attention — but I think you need to give her some credit. She's intelligent, but most importantly, she's someone who knows what she wants. To a reader, the fact that she just stands by and does nothing as her family falls apart?" Lisa shrugged. "It feels off. It feels weird, because so far what we've seen of Hyewon tells us she's not going to be satisfied with this result."

Jennie shook her head. "That's not who she is," she said stubbornly. "Sure, she's strong-willed. But speaking out is not her thing. I stand by what I've written so far. She doesn't say anything."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not who she is!"

"Jennie, you can't throw a character into a family crisis and expect her to stay the same!"

"What do you mean?"

Lisa glanced down at her hands for a moment, before meeting Jennie's eyes steadily. "Even if someone's set in their ways, there's still a chance they can change. Human potential. That's the stuff stories are made of, right?"

"I still think she isn't ready," Jennie said, frowning.

"Can she take a risk? Throw herself out there? Try something different, for once?"

"Lisa, I'm being serious here."

"So am I." Lisa drew her brows together, looking Jennie squarely in the eyes. "Don't you think she maybe deserves a little happiness? Won't you like her to take a chance?"

Jennie swallowed. "Lisa, what are you—"

"How long do you want me to wait, Jennie? Another year? Ten years?"

Jennie couldn't seem to look away from the fury in Lisa's eyes.

"Can Hyewon take a chance? Can you?" Lisa smiled weakly. "Please?"

"Lisa, I..."

"Please, Jennie?"

Jennie looked away. There was a silence between them that settled into the papers and coffee mugs and scattered pens; it lasted a second, then another, then a few more, and then—

Lisa pushed her chair back and stood up. "Let's take a break," she said quietly as she turned away from Jennie. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Hold on, Lisa. I—"

"When I get back, let's talk more about what Hyewon decides to do, okay?"

As the door shuts quietly behind Lisa's back, Jennie closes her eyes and sighs quietly.