Hori stared at himself in the mirror. He was wearing the most decent pair of clothes that he could put together.
He wore a white shirt that was slightly rumpled. There were a few stains on the surface of the shirt but they were hardly noticeable.
The white shirt was complemented by a black trouser. The black trouser looked as if it had started to fade. There were a few brown blotches on the trouser but Hori didn't mind. It wasn't as if he had a better pair hiding out somewhere in his cupboard.
He fixed the bow tie that wrapped around his neck firmly and left his apartment. He locked the door and walked outside.
"Damnit! How hard can it be to find a stupid taxi?!" Hori kicked the air in frustration. He had been standing in front of the apartment for thirty minutes now and he still hadn't seen a taxi.
It wasn't that there weren't any taxis available, the prices which he offered for their services were simply outrageous.
"Ten dollars just to take me to some event center". Hori continued kicking the air. "What a rip-off! I would've walked there myself if I wasn't looking so classy".
After thirty more minutes of screaming, failed negotiations with taxi drivers and being drenched under the heat of the sun, Hori decided to walk there himself.
As soon as he entered the event center, his mouth opened to form an 'o' shape. The decor of the interior shocked him so much.
From the outside, the event center looked like an ordinary two story building. There was a banner that spanned above the upper floor of the building, advertising the event which it hosted.
The interior on the other hand was… beautiful!
The walls were covered with tarps of different colors which were complemented with balloons of different colors. It looked as if a rainbow threw up inside the venue.
It looked like a mess of color yet it was done in a way that made it look absolutely beautiful.
The interior was arranged in a very simple manner. There was a table at the forefront where the editors sat side by side. They would call out the names of the authors and their books before saying their opinions on the book.
At either side of the editor's table, there were a collection of seats belonging to those who had paid for the vip. There was a table in front of the sit containing a bottled water and snacks of different types.
A distance away from the editor's table, there was a collection of seats. The seats did not come with an assigned table. That was where the people that paid for the ordinary tickets were supposed to seat.
Hori glanced at the ticket in his hands and used it to guide himself towards his seat. While he was on his short sojourn, he saw different kinds of snacks and drinks, all of which were free to the guests.
He looked over at them thiughtfully.
How can I sneak them out to stock my refrigerator.
He regretted not coming with a bag almost immediately.
No worries, I'll just walk back home and get my laptop bag. I should be able to fit quite a lot inside it.
"Aright, let's get started!". A thin, female voice said, capturing the attention of majority of the people present.
At the space between the editor's table and the seats, there was a podium on which a slim female stood.
The female looked to be in her early twenties. She wore a rose colored suit with a white inner wear which stretched downwards enough for the tip of her cleavage to be vaguely visible.
Her skirt was also rose colored. The length of the skirt stopped short of her knees. She wore a net like leggings which stretched down all the way to her high heel shoes.
"Firstly, I want to welcome all of you present to the fifty fifth edition of the editor's choice awards".
"So many of you came here from around the world, just to hear the editors' opinion on your book, with the sole aim of getting your book contract. Today is the big day! Five of you will walk out of here as real certified authors!"
When she finished talking, the cried erupted in cheers. Majority of the crowd erupted in cheers, Hori was still looking thoughtfully at the snacks and refreshments.
"The first book to be discussed is called 'My Cheating Husband's Mistress's Husband'. Wow! What an interesting title".
One of the editors tapped his microphone and started speaking. "The description of the book is very vague and needs to be worked on by the author. The plot is very dry and uninteresting. The author also needs to work on that. Asides from the issues that I mentioned, I have no other problems with this book".
"Unfortunately after this review, I have no interest in publishing the book. Does any of the other editors have another thought?".
The remaining editors shook their heads and the host mentioned another book.