Translating a Korean Web Novel Chapter

1-2. 낯설고도 익숙한 땅 (2)
그렇게 다시 한 번 우버를 타고 도착한 산타모니카 해변의 바다 냄새가 나는 대저택 앞.
낮은 담벼락엔 [CASA BLANCA]라고 적힌 팻말이 적혀 있고, ‘하얀 집’이라는 이름에 걸맞게 웅장하고 거대한, 새하얀 대저택이 펼쳐져 있었다.

BLANCA(집주인) [현관까지는 편하게 들어오시고]
BLANCA(집주인) [도착하면 벨을 누르십시오.]
BLANCA(집주인) [입주자들에게 미리 말을 해 둘 테니]
BLANCA(집주인) [방을 안내받고 지내시면 됩니다.]

경비실에서 새로고침을 하자마자 뜬 셰어하우스.
그건 고급 저택들이 가득한 산타모니카 해변의 대저택들 중에서도 유명한 집들 중 하나인 카사블랑카였다.
소문에 의하면 넥사라 홀딩스(Nexara Holdings)의 상속자가 소유하고 있는 저택 중 하나라고 하는데, 실거주로는 잘 사용하지 않아 PCU 학생들을 위해 저렴한 가격에 사용할 수 있도록 임대를 내놓았다고 알려져 있다. 그러나 인기가 있는 매물인 만큼 한 번 입주한 사람이 빠져나가는 일이 없어 생각지도 못한 집이었는데, 호랑이 굴에 떨어져도 살아날 구석은 있다는 게 바로 이런 때 쓰는 말인가 싶었다.

‘긴장되네.’

확실히 이런 집에 살 수 있는 것치고는 앱에 적힌 건 말도 안 되는 금액이긴 했다. 그렇다 해도 원룸에 사는 것과 비교할 정도의 돈은 아니었지만, 생활비를 조금 줄이면 해결할 수 있는 선인지라….
‘셰어하우스는 절대 싫어!’라는 강경한 마음조차도 접어둘 정도였다.
무엇보다 신청서를 넣자마자 빠르게 답신이 온 집주인도 사정을 듣자마자 굉장히 흔쾌히 받아들여주었고 말이다.

‘좋아. 누른다.’

긴장으로 빨라진 심장 박동을 느끼며 가슴을 쓸어내리고, 하늘은 벨 버튼에 손을 올렸다. 꾹, 하고 힘을 주려던 그때. 벌컥! 하고 문이 열려 하마터면 머리를 박을 뻔했다.

“깜짝이야!”
‘그건 내가 할 소리 아냐?’
“넌 누구야?”

활짝 열린 현관문 안에서 모습을 드러낸 인물을 하늘은 잘 알고 있었다.
눈부신 금빛 머리카락이 노을에 반짝이고, 가볍게 입은 흰 티셔츠 아래로도 단단하게 균형 잡힌 몸이라는 걸 알 수 있는 훤칠한 장신의 미남. 당장이라도 해변가에 세워두면 누군가가 잘 빚은 조각상이라고 착각해도 이상하지 않을 정도로 뚜렷한 이목구비나 전체적인 신체의 비율이 완벽히 조형된 사람이었다.

“아….”

미술관을 돌다 보면 가끔씩 압도적인 예술품에 시선이 사로잡혀 머리가 새하얗게 변할 때가 있다. 어떤 감탄이나, 표현 따위가 아무 의미 없이 느껴질 정도로 아우라가 느껴지는 것을 볼 때 언어로는 표현할 수 없는 기분을 느끼게 되는데…
지금 하늘이 느끼는 게 바로 그런 기분이다.
그리고 예술품이 아닌 사람을 보고 그런 감각을 느끼는 건 이번이 두 번째다.
첫 번째는 누구였냐고?

“아, 우리 만난 적 있지?”

안타깝게도 그 또한 이 사람이다.

“…안녕…하세요.”

그러니까 하늘은 지금, 인생을 살면서 인간을 보고 얻을 수 있는 극한의 충격을… 오롯이 한 사람에게서 느끼는 중이었다.

PCU를 다니는 사람이라면 모를 수 없고,
산타모니카 해변에서 서핑을 즐기는 사람들에겐 가히 스타이며,
SNS를 하는 이들에게 있어선 조회수가 보장된,
만인이 사랑하는 남자.
비너스가 남자였다면 이런 모습이지 않았을까 할 정도로 파괴적으로 아름다운.
라이언 로스.

PCU 예술 대학 소속, 연극 전공인.
캘리포니아 최고의 핫 가이다.


“1층은 스티븐이랑 카를로스가 쓰고 있어. 여기랑, 저기. 주방이랑 거실은 공용이니까 편하게 써도 되는데, 카를로스라고… 우리 대학 로스쿨을 다니는 사람이 가끔 밤을 샐 때가 있는데 그때만 좀 주의해 줘.”
“그리고 저기 내려가는 계단은 반지하에 시네마 룸이 있어. 남은 방은 오락실. 당구대랑 보드게임 같은 거 있으니까 혹시 쓸 일이 있으면 써.”
“네에….”

높은 확률로 하늘과는 무관한 곳이었다. 거실과 주방 사이에 있는 나선형 계단을 따라 올라가는 동안, 괜히 반바지를 입은 라이언의 다리 근육을 감상하게 됐다. 모델들의 깡마른 근육질과는 달리 적당하게 무게감이 있는 생활 근육이 탄탄해서 하마터면 충동적으로 손을 가져다 댈 뻔했다.

“여기가 2층… 인데….”

먼저 계단을 오른 그가 뒤를 돌아보지 않았다면.

한글 웹 소설을 1-1화 내용과 분위기 캐릭터에 맞게 영어로 번역해.

<1-1화>
Welcome to Casa Blanca
1-1. A Land Both Strange and Familiar (1)
As the plane began its descent with a jolt, the endless expanse of land and sea beneath the clouds came into view. What once seemed breathtakingly novel now felt comfortably familiar after several visits.
Los Angeles International Airport, California.
A direct flight from Incheon International Airport in South Korea took eleven hours to reach here. Upon landing, the warm, humid air instantly enveloped my skin —a stark contrast to the snowy, freezing weather I had left behind in Korea. With the temperature at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, I hastily stuffed my jacket into my backpack, retrieved my suitcase, and called for an Uber.
“Mr. Choi?”
“Yes. Hello.”
I handed my luggage to the friendly driver who greeted me at the designated pickup point and settled into the backseat of the taxi as we sped down a palm tree-lined street.
When I first arrived, everything about America was unfamiliar and difficult to adapt to, but now it feels like a second home. At first, I struggled to understand English properly and often felt out of place. I remember once carrying an umbrella in the rain while everyone else walked without one, feeling so embarrassed that I ended up folding it up and trying to blend in.
Well, if you say it's just because I'm timid, I can't really argue with that…
Just one more semester left of this kind of life now.
As a child, personal challenges had led me to art therapy, which turned out to suit me so well that I was lucky enough to attend an art high school. After much deliberation, my mother and I decided I should pursue college abroad. That decision brought me here: Pacific Crest University, or PCU, one of California’s most prestigious schools.
Known for demanding proactive and forward-thinking students, the university’s motto—"Those who walk in darkness shall become light and truth" —felt daunting at first.
Yet somehow, they had been deeply impressed by my application essay, starting with, "We were profoundly moved by your story..."
With its year-round warm weather, clear skies, breathtaking natural surroundings, and the ocean always within reach, PCU was truly a free-spirited and inspiring university. However, its one significant and longstanding flaw was the dormitory capacity, which was woefully insufficient compared to the number of students.
Like many others, Ha-neul had to find off-campus housing and ended up living in a modest studio apartment.
"Where are you coming from, all bundled up like that?"
The Uber driver, driving along the roughly 15-minute route from the airport to my studio apartment, struck up a conversation through the glass partition.
"Ah, I’m coming from Korea. The southern part, I mean."
“You must be hot wearing all that,” he chuckled. “Is this a good spot to drop you off?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The taxi came to a stop near my destination, and the driver helped unload my luggage from the trunk before bidding me a cheerful farewell.
“Have a great day!”
Ha-neul, greeted with the laid-back warmth typical of Californians, grabbed the handle of his suitcase with a gloved hand clad in long sleeves and white cotton gloves. As you walked down the narrow alley where cars couldn’t pass, you found a red-brick apartment nestled among tightly packed buildings further inside. But...
"Huh?"
Everything had gone too smoothly that day, which felt unsettling.
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
At the entrance of the apartment, yellow tape was wrapped around the area.
Along with the warning tape that read "KEEP OUT," the red-brick building was charred black from a fire. The lingering smell of smoke made it clear that the fire hadn't occurred long ago, and Ha-neul froze in place, unsure of what to do.
“Are you Ha-neul?”
In California's weather, with temperatures over 68 degrees Fahrenheit, someone wearing long sleeves, long pants, and even white cotton gloves was bound to stand out. Thanks to that, the building manager spotted Ha-neul standing idly and called out to him.
“Sir!”
Spotting the building manager, a man he had shared the warmth of Korean camaraderie with during his time at the apartment, Ha-neul ran toward him as if he had just found a savior —his urgency matched only by the rattling sound of his rolling suitcase.
What happened here?!”
“Didn’t you hear? There was a massive fire two days ago. The entire building burned down. Come on, let’s talk in the office.”
He led me to the management office
and explained that the fire had originated from outdated electrical wiring in unit 301. The narrow alley had delayed the firefighters’ efforts, causing extensive damage. As a result, the building, which had long suffered from poor maintenance and safety negligence by the owner eager to cut corners, was now deemed beyond repair and required a complete rebuild. Thankfully, there were no casualties.
“I managed to salvage some of your belongings. You'll need to find somewhere else to stay.”
He handed me a small box from behind the desk. Inside were a few pieces of clothing and some books—the only things that survived the blaze. Everything else had been reduced to ashes.
Ha-neul felt as if the heavens themselves had abandoned him while he listened to the manager's words of comfort.
“Do you have anywhere to go?”
“Somewhere to go? Haha, well, I’m not sure.”
His muffled voice came from within the box he had buried his head in.
“Oh, by the way, the other tenants are hiring a lawyer to file a class action lawsuit. Here’s the contact info.”
"Classic America," Ha-neul thought, dazed, slipping the card into his pocket.
“Sorry about all this. But PCU students often share houses, don’t they? It’s still before the semester starts—you could probably find something.”
“If I could afford a shared house, would I have been living here?”
“Think of it as an advance on the compensation money you’ll win.”
“That’s how people go bankrupt.”
Even if we won the lawsuit, there was no guarantee the case would resolve within the year. For me, it was a reckless gamble.
“Still, give it a try. Most studios are probably taken by now, and the dorms are full too.”
“That's a fair point.”
Ha-neul lifted his head from the scorched sweater he had buried it in and reached for his phone.
Opening the ROOMIE app—a platform similar to Korea’s popular real estate apps like Zig* and Da*—he updated it and checked the studio listings.
[Reserved], [Taken], [Reserved]…
All the thumbnails had turned gray, indicating they were already rented out.
Of course. There are only two days left until the semester starts.
With a sense of hopelessness, he moved on to the "House Share" section.
Even if there is one, I wouldn’t want to go.
Ha-neul knew he wasn't in a position to be picky, but above all, he desperately wanted to avoid ending up in a shared house if he could help it.
Considering his "personal circumstances," a studio apartment, though small and challenging to live in, was the best option since it allowed him to live alone and was relatively affordable.
“Ha…”
But whether it was misfortune or luck, all the options were already grayed out.
“Don’t give up. Refresh it!”
The manager, clearly exasperated by Ha-neul's defeated demeanor, encouraged him to keep trying. He refreshed the screen. And…
“Huh?”
“Oh!”
They both widened their eyes in surprise at the new listing that had just appeared.