.jpg)
LOZ 101
The first Friday of February.
Jiyu snapped her eyes open at the piercing sound of her alarm. Groaning, she closed her eyes again and fumbled to reach out and turn off the phone.
Exactly seven o'clock.
Fridays consisted of the Senior Capstone Project workshop from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Although it was the only day she had morning classes, she had far too much to do beyond her graduation project.
She was always sleep-deprived during the week because she had cut her sleep down to five hours. She made up for the deficit by sleeping in at Hunter's apartment over the weekend.
Hunter had urged her to get a health checkup, finding it strange that she had suddenly started sleeping so much. However, she let his words go in one ear and out the other.
He still didn't know what she did every night.
Sitting up with messy hair, Jiyu opened her banking app on her phone to check her balance.
Account Balance: $48,328.97
It was money she had saved with every ounce of her strength over the last three years and seven months. But it was still far from one hundred thousand dollars.
How much would come in this April?
The publishing house said they settled royalties twice a year, in April and October.
The year before last, she had received an advance of 12,000 dollars, split into three payments of 4,000 dollars each. Then, last October, a staggering sum of 25,000 dollars—even after deducting the advance—was deposited into her account.
It was the largest sum of money she had ever earned in her life; her hands had trembled all day.
On her way to the bathroom, Jiyu habitually opened Amazon and clicked on her book cover.
<A Blue-Eyed Monster Lives in the Treehouse>
It was a children's book for middle-grade readers (ages 8-12) published last spring under the pen name 'Livvy Sung.'
Rating: 4.8, Reviews: 591.
One more added.
With a toothbrush in her mouth, Jiyu read the new review.
My eight-year-old daughter, who is painfully shy, gained courage after reading this book. In American culture, where extroversion is blessed and preferred, I truly loved the powerful message that introverted personalities are not something to be perceived negatively or feel the need to change. I hope for a social atmosphere where people listen even to small, whispering voices. My daughter says she wants to have the blue-eyed monster as a friend, too.
Stopping her brushing, Jiyu felt a surge of emotion. Her nose turned red as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
'I'm glad I wrote.'
This book was written for the countless 'Jiyu Parkers' of the world.
A story she wanted to tell the children who grew up losing their confidence and self-esteem because they were ignored or overlooked for having voices as small as mosquitoes, being socially awkward, shy, and introverted.
In the spring semester of her sophomore year, Jiyu chose to major in English and Comparative Literature. It was in the Creative Writing workshop she took then that she wrote the first draft of this book.
The protagonist, eight-year-old Mika, lives in a one-bedroom rental apartment on the first floor of Park Avenue and attends a prestigious private school on a scholarship. One day, the introverted Mika meets Finnigan, a blue-eyed monster, in the treehouse of the apartment playground.
Through the process of becoming friends and embarking on colorful adventures with Finnigan—who is the polar opposite of Mika in every way—the book conveys the message that one can do perfectly well without forcing themselves to change an introverted personality to fit society's standards.
Her professor praised the fresh idea and approach, commenting that she should look into the possibility of publishing.
Since it was a deeply autobiographical story, the mere thought of someone reading it felt like her soul was being stripped naked. However, she summoned her courage by reminding herself that it was written by a fictional character named Livvy Sung, not Jiyu Parker.
When she asked Yeojin, the owner of Paper Crane and the publishing house's editor-in-chief, if she could read the manuscript, Yeojin readily agreed.
"I don't handle children's literature, but I enjoyed reading it very much. However, our publishing house, and other large-scale publishers, don't accept individual submissions from authors. Olivia will also need a literary agent to handle the proofreading, negotiate contract terms, and manage sales to the publisher."
Thankfully, Yeojin introduced Jiyu to Alissa Eisner, a veteran agent specializing in children's literature.
After reading the manuscript, Alissa was delighted, claiming she had found a bestseller that would be stocked in schools and libraries nationwide, and immediately presented her with a contract.
Jiyu was bewildered, but she was simply grateful that an experienced agent liked her work. At the same time, she had doubted if there would actually be a place willing to publish it. To her surprise, three or four places, including the publishing house where Yeojin worked, made offers.
Jiyu chose Yeojin's publishing house. With an advance of 12,000 dollars for a debut author, there was no reason not to sign. Moreover, it felt trustworthy since it was where her best friend's mother worked.
It took a long time—a full year and four months—for the manuscript to become a book. And Jiyu's debut work sold about 4,000 copies in its first week alone.
While it fell short of the 5,000-copy first-week mark required for 'Bestseller' status, it was a triumph to land as a 'Strong Seller.'
Shortly thereafter, an offer for a sequel in the series came through Alissa. Jiyu signed the contract after being promised an advance of 18,000 dollars, an increase of 6,000 dollars from the previous one.
Becoming Hunter's jinx was a self-inflicted consequence and a mistake she wanted to clear. Thus, her goal was to make 100,000 dollars before graduating from college.
Once she realized how long the publishing process took, she felt rushed. To receive the remaining portions of the advance, she had to write quickly and submit the manuscript. Consequently, she had no choice but to cut back on sleep.
Every Friday, on the day she went to Hunter's apartment, she mentally armed herself like a soldier heading to a battlefield. She tried her best not to attach any meaning to whatever actions he took.
Constantly whipping herself and suppressing her heart to avoid loving Hunter sometimes felt like torture. Now, both her body and mind were exhausted; she just wanted to pay the money back and be at peace.
It was lunchtime by the time she finished her workshop and stepped out of Philosophy Hall. Stopping briefly at the door, Jiyu pulled a scarf from her bag and wrapped it tightly around herself.
In early February, the cold was so fierce that calling it the spring semester felt like a scam.
Shivering at the thought that even Rodin's 'The Thinker' sculpture in the garden in front of the building looked cold, she hurried toward Lerner Hall, where the student union was located.
She planned to have a quick bite at the cafeteria there and then move to the nearby Butler Library to polish the draft of her Capstone project.
After refining the draft, she intended to pore over the corrected proofs Alissa had sent until the library closed at 7:00 PM. If she went to Hunter's apartment then, it would roughly align with the time he returned from practice.
Seven o'clock in the evening.
As she was leaving the library at closing time, a text arrived from Hunter.
「I'll be very late today.」
「Okay.」
Jiyu didn't ask why. It was probably because of practice.
She was about to head home first when another text arrived.
「My agent brought someone over for dinner. I'll be home around 10:30 after conditioning.」
「Okay.」
「I came in the agent's car, so I left my car in the parking lot. The usual spot. Take it when you go home.」
She bit her lip and stared at his text for a long time.
Columbia University's tennis center was located at a place called Baker's Athletic Field in Inwood. It was a 40-minute drive from the Morningside Heights campus where the main university was located.
Since it was a remote area, if he called for a car at that time, he would have to wait a long while.
Hunter had a history of staying until the very end to practice and waiting over thirty minutes for a taxi in front of the darkened building.
He was probably wearing athletic shorts and a single hoodie today. She didn't even have to see it to know.
Whether Hunter Hamilton freezes to death or not... don't go soft, Jiyu Parker.
"Haa..."
As she sighed deeply after deliberating, a cloud of white breath scattered into the air. It was cold enough for the air to sting her nose upon inhaling.
With fingers frozen red, Jiyu quickly sent a text.
Since it had come to this, she could just do the rest of her work at school before leaving.
And so, she lost the war against herself once again.
「I'll bring the car over by 10:30.」
「It's fine. Go home.」
「Really?」
The replies, which had been coming instantly, paused for a moment.
「Come if you want.」
Jiyu let out a small snort and headed back toward Lerner Hall.
.jpg)