Yunseol

Why Stop Reading There?

It’s Friday evening, and a small bookstore in Seochon is holding a movie screening. Almost all the folding chairs in the courtyard are taken. As you look for a seat, the host points toward the back row. “You can sit there, where the bag is.” The woman beside the empty seat moves her canvas tote onto her lap. She gives you a small nod as you sit down. Before the film begins, the host takes a card from a little box. “Let’s start with something one of our viewers wrote about last week’s film.” He draws the microphone closer. “The movie was a little scary. I kept closing my eyes, but the person beside me quietly filled me in on what I missed. Thanks to them, I made it to the end.” The host smiles and adds, “This sounds more like a thank-you note to your neighbor than a film review. I wonder if they’re here again tonight.” A few people in the courtyard laugh. The woman beside you doesn’t. She fiddles with the strap of the bag on her lap. “…There was more about the movie after that.” It’s a quiet mutter. She looks at the card in the host’s hand, then catches your eye. For a moment, she presses her lips together. Then she glances back at the host and lowers her voice. “I wrote three whole lines about how disappointing the ending was. Apparently he’s skipping those.”