It'll Make Sense in the End

Sunday, 9 January 2022

Sunday, 9 January 2022

She couldn't read his emotions. Did it irk him? Did it amuse him? How to know? Heck, he probably had a better poker face than Doyle. Did he play poker too? "Here you go," Markus said, turning the laptop back to face Kate. "Um, what—what did you think, sir?" Kate said as her eyes darted around on the last short story on the document, searching for an error.

"It's good," he said before taking a huge bite of his mochi. "It has potential," he continued while chewing, "you're fast to show the character's challenges, their goal and desperation, and," he swallowed, "each character has their own voice, which is great."

But? Kate waited as she nodded.

"Eat your ramen, it's getting cold," Markus said, "put your laptop away first, though." She put the laptop back in the bag and wiped her sweaty palms on her pant leg. The packed diner wasn't helping her situation. The loud children unnerved her and some of these people chewed a little too loud.

Kate took a bite of the ramen and a spoonful of the soup after blowing it a few times. Markus went on to enjoy his mochi dish. It can't be all good. Kate sneaked a look at his face but averted her gaze as quick as possible when their eyes met. My God, I'm in that Woody Allen film where Kathy Bates helps Owen Wilson through Corey Stoll. Let me out. let me out!

"Your plot is all over the place, Katherine," he said when Kate paused from eating to sip her bancha. She coughed, spluttering some water on the table. Good thing Markus shielded his mochis and makgeolli with his arm. "Sometimes it feels like you don't know where you're planning to go and ends up on abrupt note. Here." Markus grabbed her the tissues.

"Thanks, sir," Kate croaked as she wiped her mouth and nose before wiping the table. She also didn't know if she's thanking him for the input, the tissues, or both. She assumed both. "You're more into character study, aren't you, Katherine?" She shrugged and nodded, muttering, "I guess."

"Your prominent trouble is piecing the environment with the character. Hullabaloo 21 is the most promising one," he explained, "the protagonist's back story is concise yet enough to give insight for the readers. Your hook bites hard. You built the climax well with the deuteragonist's hand, and the poignant end twisted my guts."

Markus Kusabana is complimenting me. It's Markus Kusabana who is complimenting me right now, right here, in this damn crowded diner owned by his brother. "It ... it won second place in the National Short Story Competition back in 2018," she crumpled the tissues in her palm, "I ... I had a lot of time to fix some parts, sir." She kept coming back to that short story at least once every year, even when her dream of becoming a traditionally published writer waned.

"I'm guessing hardly anything had to be revised since it won the national competition," Markus said before taking a huge gulp of his makgeolli.

"But it was second place for the secondary school section, sir," she added.

"Which is still something," Markus said, "what grade were you back then?"

"11, sir."

"You won over the grade 12 students!" He ate his last bite of mochi. "See," he chewed, "you do have something going on up there," he tapped the side of his head, "and we're going to get it out. Finish your ramen, Katherine." Kate nodded and continued eating. "The writing industry is vast and everyone's always seeking something new. Whether truly original," he swallowed, "or an imaginative retelling of local legend stories."

Kate knew that already. She read the interesting retelling about the legend behind the tallest mountain of Maninsula. That novel was the only novel she bought last year.