Mr. Park spent most of his middle and high school years at home due to severe hemophilia. Prior to his encounter with a new drug, unbearable pain prevented him from starting or doing something. Nevertheless, whenever he had the chance, he would visit his favorite J.R.R. Tolkien fan website translate Tolkien’s works, and post his translated product. The so-called “obsession” with Tolkien he mentions was to post a translated version of Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle Earth, which had never been translated and published in South Korea.
In the summer of 2019, he participated in an overseas clinical trial of a new drug. As his internal bleeding nearly subsided, he was able to prepare for the college entrance exam. Simultaneously, he signed a translation contract for Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth. With the publication of the translated manuscript, he was able to make his appearance as a professional translator, and he was admitted to the SNU College of Humanities in 2021, beginning a new challenge in linguistics.

Being sick is one thing, and being productive is another

Physical or mental illness is often associated with easy fatigue or exhaustion. However, he was neither tired nor depressed. According to his explanation, feeling exhausted or drained is only possible when someone has something to do or accomplish. During this period of pain, he read many books and even translated Tolkien's works, although he felt he had done nothing in particular. “While I spent my days without anything particular to do because I had nothing to accomplish, I had no reason to become tired. I would live every day without thinking. Illness does not necessarily lead to exhaustion. Frustration or depression may arise only when someone understands a better world. I think I had no idea of the world outside.”
The pain may hardly allow him to move, but good memories of indulging in and translating Tolkien’s works must enable him to let go of the hard times. This may be because he possessed a world of Tolkien, unfolded in books and on the computer, even if there was no physical world outside. Mr. Park had an opportunity to realize the joy of translation and take on challenges because of Tolkien. Furthermore, he understood what he was fond of through this author.
“I went to my local library to borrow the Harry Potter series that I was reading in a row. I found the Lord of the Rings on the same bookshelf. I thought it would be no harm to read that because it was popular and famous. Thus, I borrowed that book without a second thought and returned home. The book includes an appendix, where the author offers details on the background of his work. A separate chapter is assigned on the language used in that world, which became a moment for me to be fascinated by Tolkien and to open my eyes to linguistics.”

Something enjoyable opened the door to an opportunity

A small attempt to continuously upload a translation to a fan website to communicate with Tolkien fans led to the opportunity to publish the translated version of the Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth. At that time, he strived to engage in productive work every day. What does “translation” mean to him? He describes it as a niche market in which he can become involved with what he can do.
“I posted this for fun as a fandom (the state or condition of being a fan of someone or something). The Tolkien fan website I had joined was a space for those who already knew the attractiveness of Tolkien. I began my engagement as a means of communication. My affection for the literary world of Tolkien motivated me to leave something in the Tolkien fandom. I thought I could not conduct significant research on Tolkien as others did due to the lack of my knowledge. What would any niche market be available to me? In the meantime, I began this project out of the idea that I could translate one of his unpublished books.”
However, the thought of right timing constantly remains in his head to revise the Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, in which he participated in 2021. When asked about the appeal of Tolkien’s works, Mr. Park Hyun-mook shared his story with a smile and enthusiasm. “Above all, this author is a linguist and an English literature scholar, adept at story writing since childhood. The English writing style of Tolkien’s novels is engaging and classical. For the first time in my life, I was able to feel that English writing could be aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the “imaginary language” created by Tolkien, present only in the world of Tolkien’s works, was genuinely interesting. Because the author’s primary purpose in writing is language, elaborate and vivid languages commonly appear in his works. The unique atmosphere created by Tolkien is highly attractive.”
Tolkien departed this life, leaving behind a pile of unfinished manuscripts yet to be completed during his lifetime. Tolkien's son was reported to have collected, examined, arranged, and analyzed these manuscripts. As he noted, the unique attractiveness of Tolkien, which is distinct from that of other authors, may be his ability to allow readers to thoroughly dissect the development process of his fictional world.