Chapter 101.
“Why are you here?” Ha Jae-Gun asked in a daze.
The beautiful young woman who was smiling brightly at him was Lee Soo-Hee.
“…Do you two know each other?” Kwon Tae-Won asked, bewildered.
Ha Jae-Gun looked at Lee Soo-Hee blankly and slowly nodded.
“She’s my university classmate, and she’s also a team leader of Nextion—Ah…!” Ha Jae-Gun gasped and looked at Kwon Tae-Won. “President Kwon, you should have met her, too. Back during the Modern Youth Literature Award ceremony…”
“Ah! Really?” Kwon Tae-Won put his hand to his forehead and looked into his memories, seemingly taken aback. However, Ha Jae-Gun was right. He definitely caught a glimpse of her back then.
However, he could also remember being so occupied with the constant calls coming to Laugh Books that he didn’t have the time to look around during the ceremony.
“It’s no wonder I found you familiar, Team Leader. We probably met back then.”
“I’m disappointed. I remember you clearly, President Kwon.”
“I apologize. My eyesight is really bad, and there’s a reason why I’m wearing these glasses…!”
Lee Soo-Hee laughed and waved her hand. “I was just joking, so don’t mind me. Please take a seat, Writer Ha Jae-Gun.”
“Yeah—no—Yes,” Ha Jae-Gun replied in honorifics and pulled out a chair next to Kwon Tae-Won to take a seat.
Lee Soo-Hee started the meeting with official introductions.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter’s release on N0v3l–B1n.
“Let me officially introduce myself again. I am Lee Soo-Hee, team leader of Nextion’s mobile planning team.”
“I am Seo Hye-Ran, section chief of JoyM’s business support team. I’m also in charge of the lecture.”
“I am Kwon Tae-Won, President of Laugh Books and Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s manager.”
“I’m… Writer Ha Jae-Gun…”
Everyone smiled pleasantly at each other. The atmosphere softened when Ha Jae-Gun introduced himself.
The meeting proceeded swimmingly under Lee Soo-Hee and Seo Hye-Ran’s lead.
As Lee Soo-Hee handed the contract over to Seo Hye-Ran, she said, “Don’t be too pressured by the topic. You can talk about your experience as well. Things like how you ideate your novels or even habits will do.”
“Okay, it’s great that we still have quite a bit of time to prepare. I’ll think about it,” Ha Jae-Gun said.
“I wanted to give you more time to prepare, and that’s why we contacted you early. Anyway, whatever you think lightly of could be of great help to others, so I hope you’ll do a good job,” said Lee Soo-Hee.
Silence immediately descended.
She got too engrossed in Ha Jae-Gun, and she blushed upon belatedly realizing that both Kwon Tae-Won and Seo Hye-Ran were around as well.
“No. Pl-please do a good job, Writer Ha.”
Ha Jae-Gun barely managed to stop himself from laughing.
He thought that there was no need for her to act so professionally.
Lee Soo-Hee needed some time alone to forget the embarrassment, so she excused herself and went to the washroom.
“Writer Ha, you must be happy to have Team Leader Lee. She’s a reliable friend, after all,” Seo Hye-Ran muttered after Lee Soo-Hee disappeared into the washroom.
Ha Jae-Gun was confused.
He looked straight at her and blinked blankly.
Seo Hye-Ran continued. “Team leader Lee has been actively pushing to get you on board, not only at the main headquarters but also to the JoyM board of directors.”
“Really?”
“Yes, would you take a look at this?”
Seo Hye-Ran took out her tablet PC and opened a presentation file.
Ha Jae-Gun was surprised after reading through its contents.
It had a list of all his activities in great detail.
Following his profile was a list of all his published novels alongside a short synopsis, their sales performances, and even market responses. The presentation even included the novels that got adapted into a webtoon and movie, as well as his radio and TV appearances.
The information was organized quite meticulously as well.
“You’re saying that Soo—no, Team Leader Lee made all these?”
“Yes, all by herself. It looks clean, and the presentation itself is very persuasive as well. She’s really good at PPT, and she used her prowess to do all these.”
Ha Jae-Gun was impressed as he flipped through the document with over fifteen slides. Lee Soo-Hee should have been extremely busy with her own work, but she still made sure to work on this.
“Can you please send a copy of this to me?” Ha Jae-Gun hurriedly asked while Lee Soo-Hee was still in the washroom. He wanted to keep the presentation file as a souvenir.
“By email?”
“Yes, you can remove all the information related to your company. I just want the parts with my own information. Would that be possible?”
Seo Hye-Ran smiled sheepishly. “Internal documents shouldn’t be leaked externally…”
“If there are any other events that Ms. Seo Hye-Ran from JoyM’s business support team requires me to attend, I will be happy to attend.”
“Oh my, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
Seo Hye-Ran smiled and reached out for a handshake.
Meanwhile, Lee Soo-Hee finally emerged from the washroom.
Ha Jae-Gun and Seo Hye-Ran quickly returned to their usual expressions.
Lee Soo-Hee didn’t notice anything suspicious from the pair.
“I’ll have to head back to the office now, so I’ll take my leave first.”
“I will also have to head to the writers’ office now.”
Seo Hye-Ran and Kwon Tae-Won both left the meeting, leaving only Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee behind.
Ha Jae-Gun fiddled with the cup of diluted coffee and said softly, “Thank you.”
“Hmm? What for?”
“For looking out for me…”
Lee Soo-Hee stiffened. She turned away and broke into a soft chuckle. “I’m doing it all for myself. I was using you—my great writer friend—for the sake of improving my reputation at work, so what’s up with the thanks? Team Leader Lee Soo-Hee here is dragging our popular Writer Ha Jae-Gun to hold another bothersome lecture.”
“Damn, now that I’m hearing it from you, you’re actually the devil. I shouldn’t have thanked you.”
“That’s right, I’m the devil. Huhu.”
Lee Soo-Hee covered her cheeks and smiled. She was happy that things had turned out well. After all, she originally wanted Ha Jae-Gun to be the first-choice lecturer instead of having him as a backup.
‘I need to let them recognize Ha Jae-Gun’s existence naturally. Especially to the planning director who thinks that there’s no one else as outstanding as himself.’
The background music playing in the cafe had stopped.
The part-timer was looping the playlist on the computer.
Watching the part-timer work, Ha Jae-Gun suggested. “Shall we have dinner?”
“It’s not even 5 p.m. yet; isn’t it too early?”
Ha Jae-Gun rubbed his hands together and nodded. “I’ll let you decide then. We can go watch a movie together and then have dinner afterward, or we can have a light meal and then go for a second round of drinks afterward.”
“Are you treating me now that you’re going to get a huge sum of money from the lecture? I’m going to have an expensive meal, then.”
“Whatever you like. Let’s leave this place first.”
The warm breeze outside welcomed them as they stepped out of the cafe.
Lee Soo-Hee took off her cardigan and hung it on her arm.
Ha Jae-Gun then asked casually, “Have they broken into your feet now?”
“Huh? Oh…”
Lee Soo-Hee furrowed her brows and laughed as she looked down at her feet.
She was wearing the flats that Ha Jae-Gun had brought for her in Japan.
“Of course. Let’s go.” Lee Soo-Hee lightly slapped Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulder.
The sun was setting as the pair walked leisurely down the street.
***
The weather wasn’t that great recently, and the high humidity only made the weather worse.
As usual, Ha Jae-Gun was reading in the library’s archives room. He had been looking up reference books related to creative content for the lecture.
He was learning something new today as well, and he was progressing consistently.
“Custodian, that weird man is back again,” the part-timer said as she gestured at Ha Jae-Gun with her eyes while scanning the books that were due to be returned.
The library custodian, Lee Mi-Joo, stared deeply at Ha Jae-Gun, who was reading a book at an alarming speed, while wearing his horn-rimmed glasses.
“Is he focusing on non-fiction books today? Wasn’t he reading a ton of fiction books before? When did he arrive today?”
“He arrived early this morning as soon as I opened the doors. I think he has read over thirty books already, but I’m not sure if he actually read them properly.”
“Hmm…?” Lee Mi-Joo tilted her head. She had found him familiar before as well, but she was much more certain of it today. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and approached Ha Jae-Gun while pretending to organize some books.
‘I’ve definitely seen him somewhere before.’ Lee Mi-Joo went closer and peeked at his face.
Ha Jae-Gun smiled faintly as he quickly flipped through the pages of the book.
Lee Mi-Joo’s eyes widened, and she muttered, “Ha Jae-Gun…?”
Ha Jae-Gun looked up when he heard someone call out his name.
Lee Mi-Joo’s lips trembled ever so slightly when they made eye contact.
She hadn’t recognized him with the horn-rimmed glasses, but Ha Jae-Gun’s smile was identical to the smile he had on the photo she had seen in the interview article posted on the corner—Author of the Day—on Navin.
“Are… are you Writer Ha Jae-Gun?”
“Ah, yes. That’s me.”
Lee Mi-Joo covered her mouth in shock.
Lee Mi-Joo loved reading books, and that was how she decided to become a library custodian. She was an avid fan of Ha Jae-Gun’s novels, which had swept the awards in the Digital Literature Award and Modern Youth Literature Award.
“S-su-sum…!”
“Pardon?”
“I-I enjoyed Summer in My 20s a lot! Ah, I’m not sure what I should say, but I’m looking forward to the movie adaptation as well. Ah… I’m feeling so hot! Ah, it’s an honor. It’s really an honor. Really! Ah, and I also enjoyed your other novels as well! Please don’t misunderstand.” Lee Mi-Joo had raised her voice so much. She totally forgot the fact that she was a library custodian, and they were in a library.
Ha Jae-Gun revealed a weary smile and put his index finger to his lips. Lee Mi-Joo covered her mouth at the gesture, but the excitement on her face didn’t disappear at all.
“I-I’m sorry. I apologize for disturbing you.”
“No, it’s fine.”
With that, Lee Mi-Joo turned around and ran out.
The part-timer felt that something was off, and she asked, “Officer, what’s wrong? Did you know him?”
“I’ll tell you later. I have to go and look for someone.”
Five minutes later, Lee Mi-Joo and three other people returned to the archives room.
Of the three people, two were section chiefs from the administrative support department and information archives department, while the last person was the director of the library, who would never appear arbitrarily.
“I deeply apologize for the disturbance.” The elderly director in his fifties started and bowed deeply at Ha Jae-Gun.
Ha Jae-Gun turned around, wondering what they were here for.
“I am the director of this library, Lee Jung-Bae.”
“Mm, I see. Hello, I’m Ha Jae-Gun.” Ha Jae-Gun bowed in return. He was flustered when a man who looked to be around the same age as his father greeted him politely.
“I heard from our employee here that a renowned writer is a frequent visitor of our library, so I decided to come here personally to see you. Have you experienced any inconvenience during your visits here? Please let us know. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m very comfortable with my current situation right now. I’m also fine with the selection of books so far, and there are still many books that I haven’t read yet,” Ha Jae-Gun said politely and let out a sigh inwardly.
Should he not visit this library in the future?
He was afraid to inconvenience other people with his presence.
The director nodded and said, “I would like to offer you some tea, is it okay?”
Of course, Ha Jae-Gun wanted to reject the offer. However, the two people behind him were staring intently at Ha Jae-Gun.
The director nodded at him and gestured with his hand, saying that Ha Jae-Gun should follow them for now.
‘Hooo, seems like I have no other choice.’
***
Ha Jae-Gun sat down on the sofa in the director’s office, and he absentmindedly listened to the old man’s words.
The gist of the conversation was about holding a lecture for passionate parents.
As expected, they had a motive for their approach.
“…In other words, if a great writer like you could give a lecture at our library, we will—we will be able to promote the development of our local district’s community! We’ll also be able to increase the value of this place, which is a gathering place for local residents! And… yes! That’s it!”
The director’s voice got louder in his speech, and he inadvertently spat saliva everywhere during his speech.
Ha Jae-Gun looked hesitant.
Lee Mi-Joo saw that, so she said, “Please, Mr. Ha. If you could give a lecture here, it would be a great source of pride for our library.”
“Mm…” Ha Jae-Gun nodded with a positive look.
The theme was—Living a Beautiful Life Through Creativity—the contents of the lecture would overlap with the creative content lecture he was supposed to give for the game development company.
Since this lecture would be held much earlier than the one with JoyM, he could use this chance to gain experience. He also wouldn’t be under any significant pressure.
“I understand. It’s presumptuous of me, but I’ll give it a try.”
The director was ecstatic upon hearing Ha Jae-Gun’s words. He smiled brightly and said, “Thank you so much. Do you want another cup of tea? And can I get a photo with you if possible?”
“Ah, sorry. Let’s take the picture another day.”
Ha Jae-Gun kept trying to stop the group from sending him off, but the employees still followed him to the entrance until he got into his car.
If Ha Jae-Gun’s plan for the day were just to stay at the library, he wouldn’t have driven his car today. Today was Summer in My 20s movie preview. He was scheduled to attend the movie preview as the writer of the original novel.
‘Hooo, I hope it turned out well.’
Ha Jae-Gun’s anxiety was ignited when he inserted the car key in the ignition and started the car. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t have any expectations.
He was confident of his movie production, but he wasn’t sure about the details of the adaptation, so he could only hope that they had done a great job.
‘I think they did a great job since they’re great actors, and the director is great as well.’
Ha Jae-Gun entered the address into the navigation application and grabbed the steering wheel. He felt good about the movie preview, and it was probably because of what happened at the library earlier.
Ha Jae-Gun felt so great that he even started whistling while driving.
Chapter 102.
The lights were off, and silence filled the theater. The movie title—Summer in My 20s—slowly faded away in the middle of the dark screen.
Director Woo Jae-Hoon, lead actor Park Do-Joon, and people from production companies and investors were present in the theater. Even Ha Jae-Gun, the writer of the original novel, was sitting in a corner with a pounding heart.
‘It’s so cool…!’
The movie started with the male lead, Park Do-Joon. He was participating in the MT of the university where he had just enrolled in. Ha Jae-Gun was satisfied to see the character’s nervousness on his first day of school.
It was similar to the image he had in his mind while he was writing it.
Sad music started playing after the MT scene…
Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened.
The next scene was Lee Ye-Ji jumping into the river of her own accord.
‘Hmm? Did the timeline change? Why did Lee Ye-Ji die immediately after the MT scene?’
Why were there no clues or any lines hinting at why Lee Ye-Ji had committed suicide? Why did it jump straight to that scene?
The case was an important part of the plot, but it suddenly felt too random.
‘Let’s keep watching. I’m not an expert on filmmaking, so I must have missed something.’
Ha Jae-Gun repressed his nervousness and watched on.
Time passed, and they soon arrived in the middle of the movie. The strange feeling from earlier had grown stronger. His smile had disappeared long ago and was replaced by shock.
‘Why? Why is the fighting scene so long?’
‘Han Joo-Hee was just a normal female student, but why is she so good at fighting?! Her opponent is a former martial artist!’
‘Why did they add the criminal staring wide-eyed scene? They’re blatantly showing that he’s the criminal!’
‘Wait, stop crying! The criminal is coming after you! Run first and bawl your eyes out later!’
Ha Jae-Gun wanted to yell his thoughts, but he could only suppress them. The only scenes he liked about the movie were the scenes that appeared within the first ten minutes of the movie.
Almost every scene afterward appalled him…
“…” Ha Jae-Gun eventually suppressed himself. He didn’t want to stir any trouble.
His expression hardened like a stone. He couldn’t understand why he had to watch such a garbage movie.
Fortunately, the movie soon ended. The final scene was of Lee Ye-Ji jumping into the river in the middle of the night, and the credits started rolling afterward.
The dark blue light from the screen reflected Ha Jae-Gun’s figure, and his complexion was blue, which made him look like a corpse.
‘This… this isn’t it.’ Ha Jae-Gun stood up without checking his name in the credits.
No one paid any attention to the original author’s departure aside from Park Do-Joon, who was looking at Ha Jae-Gun’s departing figure with a gloomy look.
The rolling credits had ended, and bright lights soon filled the theater.
“Director Yoo, you did a great job.”
“You did a great job filming. This should get you at least five million audiences.”
The investors surrounded Director Woo Jae-Hoon and started praising him.
A few of them even raised their thumbs up.
Woo Jae-Hoon shook each of their hands and laughed until his pot belly swelled.
“The post-edit team had done a great job as well. I’m relieved to hear that you enjoyed the movie. At last, I can finally sleep well.”
Park Do-Joon ignored the huge group and silently left his seat. Park Do-Joon was furious. He was both the male lead of the movie adaptation and a reader who enjoyed the original novel.
Park Do-Joon turned around and saw a female in her forties letting out a sigh. She was a famous editor in the film industry—Park Seok-Ji—who was known for her outstanding editing skills. Summer in My 20s had also gone through magic hands.
“Seok-Ji noona.”
“Oh, Park Do-Joon.” Park Seok-Ji smiled.
Park Do-Joon had always called her noona, as they had known each other since his debut. They shared an amicable relationship.
“You’re quite disappointed, right?”
“I’m thankful that you edited the movie,” Park Do-Joon replied softly after looking around.
Park Seok-Ji smoothed out Park Do-Joon’s clothes and let out a small sigh.
“This is what the power of investors brings about. You’ve been in the industry for such a long time, you should have long gotten used to it,” she said.
“I know.”
Park Seok-Ji looked at the closed doors. She was one of those who watched as Ha Jae-Gun left the theater alone bitterly.
“Writer Ha Jae-Gun didn’t look happy. I hope he wasn’t too disappointed by the outcome. You should calm down. Your expression is too stiff. Popular celebrities must be all smiles.”
“I’m all smiles.”
“It’s an awkward smile, geez. Let’s go eat.”
Park Do-Joon followed Park Seok-Ji and left the place that was still bustling with the investors’ chattering. Park Do-Joon’s mind was still filled with Ha Jae-Gun’s departing back.
***
A pork and rice soup restaurant located in a shabby-looking alley in Jongno was brimming with customers in the early evening.
Ha Jae-Gun ordered a sundae[1] platter and some soju to drink by himself in a corner.
It had been a while since he visited this place.
Ha Jae-Gun visited this place often with Park Jung-Jin since their university days, as they served cheap and delicious food. The restaurant owner was a kind old lady who knew how to pamper her customers.
“What? You’re already drinking?” Park Jung-Jin asked. He fixed his necktie that had gone over his shoulder and sat in front of Ha Jae-Gun.
“What happened? Why did you ask me out to drink all of a sudden when you would usually prefer to work on your novels? It must be something huge if you’re already drinking alone.”
“Have a glass first. You haven’t had dinner, right? Do you want a bowl of rice soup?”
“Blood sausage soup is enough. I’ll order a bowl later if I’m still hungry. So, what happened?” Park Jung-Jin grilled.
He let Ha Jae-Gun pour him a shot of soju.
Ha Jae-Gun smiled helplessly and started, “I don’t think the movie will do well.”
Ha Jae-Gun proceeded to share his feelings about the movie preview with Park Jung-Jin. Park Jung-Jin quietly listened to him, but his expression looked grimmer than Ha Jae-Gun’s.
“…What’s most disappointing of all was that they couldn’t control the pace of the movie properly. They were trying so hard to evoke emotions. What was that movie? The disaster thriller with Seol Kyeong-Gook, Son Hye-Jin, and Kim Sung-Kyung in it.”
“Building.”
“Yeah, Building. The movie is good overall, but the plot progression was getting interrupted because of the excessive display of emotions. They’re on the verge of dying from the fire, yet the mother and son pair still managed to find time to talk to each other for a few minutes?”
“They must be trying to evoke the audience’s emotions,” Park Jung-Jin replied bitterly, pouring another glass for Ha Jae-Gun. “Maybe they risked breaking the flow because of their obsession with trying to evoke emotions?”
“I’m not too sure. It just lengthens the duration of the lead characters’ conversations. It’s not even Max Payne’s Bullet Time.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled and said, “It’s great that I can rant like this to you.”
“Shut up. So what are you going to do?”
“What else can I do? It’s already out of my hands. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“I mean in the future. You’ll be writing more novels, and there’s no guarantee that they won’t get movie adaptations as well. So if this kind of thing happens again, what are you going to do?”
“…” Ha Jae-Gun’s smile disappeared, and he fell into deep thought.
Park Jung-Jin’s question was like opening a can of worms.
Park Jung-Jin drank his alcohol quietly, letting Ha Jae-Gun think things through.
‘If I were confident in writing scenarios in the first place…’
Ha Jae-Gun started wondering how things would have turned out if he had been confident enough in writing scenarios.
And he reached one answer—he would have insisted on writing the scenario himself.
Of course, the audiences’ dissatisfaction with a movie couldn’t be blamed solely on the scenario itself. They should have changed scenes onsite during filming, and many changes would have been made during the post-editing process.
‘Still…!’
Ha Jae-Gun thought that he wouldn’t have felt this much regret if he had worked on the scenario himself. He had poured his everything into writing Summer in My 20s.
It wasn’t logical to label it as his child since he was single, but he could label it as his alter ego.
And such a precious work was adapted into something that couldn’t meet his expectations. Perhaps he was feeling more emotional due to the alcohol, but Ha Jae-Gun seemed like he could finally understand how heartache felt.
“Don’t be too upset, Ha Jae-Gun.”
“I know.”
“You’re already a successful writer. It doesn’t matter even if the movie fails since you’re an author who has sold over a million copies of the original novel. The director will receive the criticism rather than you.
”And from what I’m seeing, the movie probably won’t do so badly. I could roughly tell how the movie would turn out based on your explanation, and those types of movies are actually quite popular.”
“Thank you, Jung-Jin.”
Ha Jae-Gun’s mood was lifted thanks to Park Jung-Jin’s consolation. Every word from his close friend soothed his complicated emotions.
“My pride is hurt. I still can’t let it go,” said Ha Jae-Gun after pouring Park Jung-Jin a shot.
Park Jung-Jin froze and looked at Ha Jae-Gun, startled. “What? What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to see Professor Han.” Park Jung-Jin grinned. He understood what Ha Jae-Gun was trying to say. He was also one of the many students who had a deep respect for Professor Han Hae-Sun.
“You punk. Good luck. Are we going for round two tonight?”
“Sure. Let me know whatever you want to eat.” Ha Jae-Gun declared as they made a toast.
Ha Jae-Gun was determined not to let the depression he felt from watching the movie bog him down. Tomorrow was much more important than the passing present.
After all, he could always learn what he didn’t know.
***
“Your novels are getting better.”
Han Hae-Sun was in research room 403 at Myungkyung University of the Arts. A positive response from her was a big deal because Professor Han had never been the type to give empty praises.
A nervous-looking student sitting in front of her let out a sigh of relief.
“It shouldn’t be easy working on your writing while working at a full-time job. I’m surprised that you’ve gotten so much better.”
“Thank you very much, Professor.” Sitting across from her with a flushed face was Jung-Mi. Jung-Mi twiddled her fingers and continued. “Actually, Jae-Gun helped me the most.”
“Jae-Gun?”
“Yes. I met him at the orientation. I asked him to look at my novel.”
“I see.”
“Yes. I was very upset when he pointed out so many problematic areas because I had been putting a lot of effort into writing them. However, I discovered that he was right when I looked at it again a few days later. I decided to look at my work objectively and revised it repeatedly until I achieved this final product.”
Professor Han nodded and revealed a smile of approval. Ha Jae-Gun was the best student she had ever taught, and he was always hungry for growth as well.
“Professor, why do you have so many books related to scenario writing?” Jung-Mi asked after glancing at the dozens of books piled on the table.
“Ah. I’m shortlisting a few books for Jae-Gun to read up on. There are quite a few out-of-print books, so I have to send him some of mine.”
“Jae-Gun… he’s going to write scenarios?”
“Looks like it. He probably got more interested in it after his novel got a movie adaptation.” Han Hae-Sun answered succinctly while recalling the look on Ha Jae-Gun’s face when he had come looking for her just a few days ago.
From writing novels to writing scenarios?
She had high expectations of Ha Jae-Gun’s growth as a writer.
“Excuse me.”
“Go ahead, Professor.”
Han Hae-Sun walked away to go to the washroom.
Meanwhile, Jung-Mi browsed through the bookshelves, feeling bored sitting alone with nothing to do.
Her eyes eventually laid on a piece of paper on Han Hae-Sun’s desk.
An address was written on it.
***
Tadadadak! Tak!
Was it because the thought process was different from novels?
Despite working on Seo Gun-Woo’s laptop, Ha Jae-Gun felt like he was stuck. Ha Jae-Gun was in agony, as he hadn’t written a single scenario since his university days.
‘It’s tough…!’ Ha Jae-Gun had been staying up most nights over the week while using the gray cup to recharge. He felt sore all over. His eyes were hollow, and his lips were parched, surrounded by an overgrown mustache.
Ha Jae-Gun had been practicing according to Professor Han Hae-Sun’s instructions.
He had been reading and analyzing movie scenarios, watching movies and writing out their plots in real-time, and even writing his own scenario while referencing the books she had recommended.
‘This is only what I could come up with after so long…? I have to reflect on myself!’
Ha Jae-Gun beat himself up repeatedly while pushing his fingers to their limits.
The air conditioning was turned on, but his shirt was drenched in sweat. In fact, Ha Jae-Gun had been picking up scenario-writing techniques at a tremendous speed.
The brown horn-rimmed glasses helped him read countless scenarios and books in a day, and the gray cup helped him break through humanity’s stamina limit.
It should have taken him half a year to absorb so much information, but it only took him three to four weeks to assimilate and fully comprehend so much information.
People would faint at the sight of Ha Jae-Gun’s rate of progress, but Ha Jae-Gun wasn’t really satisfied with his progress.
‘I should learn what I don’t know. It’s fine if I’m not doing it because I don’t want to do it, but it’s inexcusable to avoid doing it because I don’t know how to do it!’
Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadadak! Tak!
Ha Jae-Gun kept going and glared at his monitor with bloodshot eyes.
Whenever he had to rest his fingers, his mind would still be thinking about the next plot development. Meanwhile, Rika seemed quite worried about Ha Jae-Gun as she sat by the windowsill to watch over him.
Bzzt!
Just then, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang.
The call came from an unknown caller ID.
Ha Jae-Gun answered the call without even glancing at the number.
“Hello?”
Chapter 103.
— Hello, Senior! I’m Ji-Soo! A freshman!
A bright voice traveled into his eardrums.
As he was preoccupied with working on his scenario, Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t immediately remember Ji-Soo because his mind was preoccupied with working on his scenario.Ñøv€l–ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
— I’m Seo Ji-Soo, Senior. We met at your autograph event first with my friend Ye-In, and also once more at the orientation. Do you not remember me?
“Ah, yeah. I remember now,” Ha Jae-Gun replied.
He turned away his haggard face from the monitor.
His voice sounded quite strange, even in his own ears. It was a given, as he hadn’t talked to anyone in a while while he was holed up working on his scenario.
“But how did you find my number?”
— Pardon? Ah, um… Through the seniors…
The hesitation and tone in her answer made it obvious that it was a lie.
However, Ha Jae-Gun didn’t really find it important how Seo Ji-Soo found his number. He just wanted to end the call to continue working on his scenario.
“Okay, so what’s the matter?”
— Actually, class ended early today, so we want to visit you.
“A visit?” Ha Jae-Gun frowned.
A series of giggles could be heard from the other side of the line.
It was clear that Seo Ji-Soo wouldn’t be the only visitor.
— We’re in the area, but we’re not sure where you are. We wanted to surprise you, but we couldn’t really find your exact location. That’s why I decided to call.
With his phone still in hand, Ha Jae-Gun headed to the window and opened it. He spotted a group of four university students standing by the street.
They were talking to each other.
One of them saw Ha Jae-Gun, and she waved at him in excitement.
— It’s us, senior!
‘Oh no…!’
Ha Jae-Gun wasn’t happy at all.
Even if they somehow managed to grab hold of his phone number, how did they get his address? The group of juniors was only waving and skipping excitedly without considering his feelings.
“…All right, come on up.”
— Okay~ Yeah!
During the one minute that they took to come up to his door, Ha Jae-Gun had cleaned himself up, starting with shaving his beard. There was no way he would let them see his haggard look. After washing his face and brushing his teeth at lightning speed, Ha Jae-Gun opened the front door to see the group of girls standing outside.
“Hello, Senior Ha Jae-Gun!”
They greeted him loudly and bowed deeply to him.
Ha Jae-Gun smiled sheepishly and allowed them into his one-room apartment.
“Don’t just stand around. Come in. The room is quite small, so pardon me.”
The visitors’ eyes widened in shock. They were astonished to see that Ha Jae-Gun had been living in a tiny space that contained only essential appliances. The apartment looked quite shabby for a best-selling author who had sold a million copies of his most popular novel.
“Do you guys want some coffee?”
“Ah, Senior. We’ll do it ourselves. But…”
“Hmm? Go ahead.”
Unable to resist her curiosity, one of the girls asked, “You appeared in A Writer’s Study, didn’t you? They usually film those episodes in the writer’s office. Was your episode filmed here?”
It had been quite a while since the recording, but the show had yet to be broadcast. She wouldn’t have been this surprised if she had already seen the episode.
“Yeah, we recorded it here. Why?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just curious. Kyaa, the cat is so cute!” she changed the topic and went after Rika. Rika looked at her arrogantly and escaped to a shelf.
“I think she doesn’t like it. Is it a girl?”
“Yeah, her name is Rika. She’s quite shy. Anyway, the coffee is over there.”
The girls made coffee for themselves and sat in a kneeling pose.
Ha Jae-Gun sat across from them and said, “Don’t worry, sit comfortably.”
“Okay, Senior!”
The girls finally pulled their feet and sat their thighs on the floor. Their faces were flushed red with excitement. They were freshmen in Myungkyung University of the Arts’ creative writing department, so Ha Jae-Gun was like a star in the sky for them.
“I have a question.” Ha Jae-Gun started.
“Please ask.”
“How did you get my address?”
The girls puffed their cheeks and looked at each other. Moments later, Seo Ji-Soo stepped up and answered, “I saw it on the box that the teaching assistant was packing for delivery.”
“Delivery?”
“Yes, she said that Professor Han was sending you books on scenario writing…”
“Ah, I see.”
Ha Jae-Gun nodded.
He finally understood how his phone number and address were leaked.
‘But why did they come here right away without telling me…’ Ha Jae-Gun shook his head disapprovingly. He still saw them as kids, even though they were university students. They probably didn’t realize that their actions were impolite.
“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you girls,” Ha Jae-Gun said with a faint smile. He happily accepted the fact that such young and cute juniors of his had come to visit him, but he didn’t forget to warn them.
“But don’t show up unannounced like this in the future. You can’t just do that. You should contact me in advance if you want to meet me. That way, I can prepare as well.”
“Yes, Senior.”
“I’m sorry, Senior.”
The girls looked down and responded at the same time.
Ha Jae-Gun smiled wearily and pinched their cheeks one by one.
“You girls haven’t had lunch, right? Look at that booklet there and order whatever you want.”
“Really, Senior? You’re the best!”
They unanimously decided to order from a Chinese restaurant, and their order of mixed soup, sweet and sour pork, two portions of black bean noodles, and spicy seafood noodles soon arrived at the door.
“Thank you for the food!” they exclaimed and thoroughly enjoyed their meal.
After finishing their food, the girls took the initiative to dispose of the disposable bowls. They even wiped the table, washed the utensils, and even cleaned the floor.
Ha Jae-Gun barely managed to stop them from running the washing machine.
After lunch, they talked about creation, but it was mostly Ha Jae-Gun answering their questions.
A few hours later, Ha Jae-Gun noticed the setting sun and said, “It’s getting dark. It’s about time we wrap this up. It was a pleasure meeting you girls today.”
“Yes….” The girls muttered with rueful looks.
They still had a ton of questions for Ha Jae-Gun.
Ha Jae-Gun dropped them off at the nearest subway station. Just as he was about to make a U-turn and drive away, he saw the girls standing by the road through the rearview mirror, waving at him.
He smiled softly. ‘It’s going to be difficult for me if they decide to visit me often.’
The worry that he had forgotten for a while resurfaced once Ha Jae-Gun reached home. Only four students had visited him today, but he was worried that a group of eight and perhaps sixteen students would visit him next time.
He definitely enjoyed spending time with his junior, but their visit would interfere with his work.
‘Well, at least they understood.’
Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun called the teaching assistant and asked them to be careful about leaking his contact details and address to anyone else. Ha Jae-Gun felt slightly relieved after the call, and he resumed working on his scenario writing.
It had been a few days since then, and today’s weather was quite breezy.
Ha Jae-Gun left the door and windows open rather than turning on the air conditioning. The doors and windows had screens, so he wasn’t afraid of mosquitoes or other insects flying into the room.
“Meow.”
“Okay, Rika. I’ll finish this scene and take a break.”
Ha Jae-Gun was writing out the plot of the movie he was watching.
He was all smiles. He had gotten confident in his scenario writing, and he could finally write a satisfactory scenario on his own.
Bzzt!
Ha Jae-Gun answered the call that just came in. He saw that it was from Jung-Mi.
“Yeah, Jung-Mi.”
— Hey, Jae-Gun. Were you working? Am I disturbing you?
“No, it’s fine. Did you call to ask about your novel?”
— There’s that too, but…
Jung-Mi trailed off. On top of that, Ha Jae-Gun could hear the sound of an approaching car from outside.
It seemed that he had become more sensitive to his surroundings over the past few weeks. Ha Jae-Gun noticed something off and headed to the window, and his assumption ended up being correct.
‘What is it this time?’
He saw Jung-Mi’s ivory-colored car, and it was approaching the building he was in.
Ha Jae-Gun heard the hesitation in Jung-Mi’s voice,
— I was actually just passing by. I visited Professor Han a few days ago and saw your address on the box that the teaching assistant was using to pack some books.
“Mm…” Ha Jae-Gun replied, slightly annoyed by the teaching assistant’s blunder.
He saw Jung-Mi park her car, and she alighted from it with a phone to her ear.
She also had a huge shopping bag in her hand.
— I realized that I haven’t been able to thank you properly for helping out with my novel. So I got something for you. However, I thought it would be better for me to give it to you personally rather than through a courier, so…
“Ah, I see. I’m heading down now.” Ha Jae-Gun picked up Jung-Mi from the building entrance and brought her up to his studio.
She got him a relatively expensive set of red ginseng.
“Thank you.”
“You should take care of your health, Jae-Gun. You look thinner than before.”
“Yeah, I will,” Ha Jae-Gun replied dryly.
Ha Jae-Gun felt more burdensome than grateful at her unexpected concern.
However, Jung-Mi did not leave immediately. She only got up nearly an hour and a half later after talking about her novel and her current workplace, as well as some small talk about her daily life over some coffee.
“I’ve taken up too much of your time. Sorry, I’ll go now.”
“Be careful on the road.”
Ha Jae-Gun sighed as he sat back down at his desk after sending her off.
Her sudden visit had interrupted his train of thought.
Ha Jae-Gun now had to go back to the beginning of the movie and work on the scenario from scratch. He needed quite a long time to recover his broken concentration.
‘I hope she won’t visit me again.’
He could always look at her novel over email, chat, or calls.
There was no reason for them to meet face to face over it.
Ha Jae-Gun concluded that she had to be extremely grateful to him, which was the reason she bought him an expensive gift and visited him.
However, something unexpected happened a few days later.
Ha Jae-Gun was fast asleep on a gloomy rainy day.
His front door was left wide open to let the cool breeze in. He had been asleep for five hours, as he couldn’t wait for five hours for the cup’s cooldown to recharge.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
‘Mm…?!’
A weird sound woke Ha Jae-Gun up from his sleep.
Someone’s silhouette appeared in his blurry vision. His eyes focused on the silhouette, and he soon recognized Jung-Mi wearing an apron and slicing some vegetables.
“Ah, Jae-Gun. You’re awake?” Jung-Mi smiled shyly.
Goosebumps broke out all over him, and he hurriedly looked around.
He was definitely in his own studio. Rika was also crouched by the windowsill.
“What are you doing?”
“I had something on at Guro Digital, so I dropped by. You didn’t pick up my call, so I came up and found your door wide open. Then, I thought of making you a stew since I’m already here.”
Ha Jae-Gun was rendered speechless by Jung-Mi’s nonchalant tone.
Jung-Mi got nervous upon seeing unresponsiveness.
She sounded a bit scared as she asked, “I made a mistake, right?”
“Um, well… it’s all right.” Ha Jae-Gun scratched his head and sat up. “I’m thankful that you showed up without telling me and started cooking for me out of the blue.”
Jung-Mi couldn’t possibly miss the thick sarcasm in his voice.
Jung-Mi looked away and finished chopping up the vegetables before saying, “Sorry, I’ll just cook the stew. I’ll leave as soon as it’s done.”
“I’m sorry for the harsh reply, but I don’t think this is right.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I thought that we were long-time friends, so I thought it would be okay for me to just come here. Yeah, this isn’t right.”
Jung-Mi went back to cooking the stew.
Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun looked out the window with a complicated look.
“Jae-Gun.”
“Mm.”
“Would you date me if I asked you out?”
“…?” Ha Jae-Gun directed a bewildered gaze at her. However, Jung-Mi was already in the foyer with her bag in hand and her head hanging down.
“What?”
“It’s what it means. I think I like you.”
“No, Jung-Mi…” Ha Jae-Gun let out a sigh and slicked his hair back. “You’ve never shown any interest in me back then.”
“Well… I had no idea that you were such a charming person.”
“…”
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not because you’re now a successful person and earning a lot of money. These feelings suddenly appeared during our recent interactions, and I really want to spend more time with you. I’m working full-time, and I’ll work even harder in the future—”
“Jung-Mi.” Ha Jae-Gun interrupted and looked straight into her eyes.
Jung-Mi shivered beneath his cold gaze.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“But, Jae-Gun…”
“Let’s stay friends and forget that something even happened today. Please leave.” Ha Jae-Gun dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
The sight agitated Jung-Mi. She stepped forward and exclaimed, “I confessed because I really like you!”
“I don’t like you.”
“…?!”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t see you as a woman.” Ha Jae-Gun’s cold and firm reply made Jung-Mi freeze on the spot.
Jung-Mi’s eyes turned red, but she eventually smiled and nodded as if she had decided to accept the harsh reality. She gnashed her teeth and said, “Sure. I’m nothing compared to Soo-Hee, anyway.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m sorry, Jae-Gun. I’m leaving now…” Jung-Mi put on her shoes and left.
Ha Jae-Gun heard her car driving away, and his empty eyes stared blankly into space.
‘I should move away soon.’ Ha Jae-Gun made up his mind. He had always been thinking about moving to a larger place for Rika’s sake, but it seemed that the negative effect on his work efficiency was the final nail in the coffin.
He couldn’t allow his juniors to visit him randomly.
“Rika, let’s go look for a new place to call home.”
“Meow.”
Ha Jae-Gun carried Rika and put on his shoes.
It was still raining heavily when Ha Jae-Gun walked out of his apartment.
Chapter 104.
“Never knew it would come to this,” Ha Jae-Gun said to Rika as he took the umbrella with him and stepped out. He hadn’t planned to head out today, but it wasn’t on impulse either since he already had plans to move much earlier.
There just wasn’t a chance for him to look into it since he had spent most of his funds helping his family move house in Suwon. Plus, he felt comfortable working in the small studio. The recent events had simply triggered him to move.
“I’ve already made a decision, so why don’t I just make a move? If I were to delay this any further, I would definitely end up just staying in that apartment. In addition, I can easily get a loan, considering that I just bought a house,” muttered Ha Jae-Gun.
Ha Jae-Gun chuckled upon recalling the ridiculous event earlier.
He didn’t expect that Jung-Mi had that side. He wasn’t really close to her, but he was still stupefied by her revelation. After all, they were friends for so long now.
Vroom!
As he started the car engine, Ha Jae-Gun went down memory lane.
Jung-Mi was extremely popular back during university. Her cute looks and above-average fashion sense added to her femininity, which got a lot of male students interested in her.
However, she had never come in close contact with Ha Jae-Gun. Their writing styles, values, and even views toward life didn’t really match. They didn’t have any common interests, and Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t really view Jung-Mi as a potential partner because they had been treating each other as classmates for the longest time now.
Aside from meeting during the alumni gathering, they had never exchanged any form of personal contact information. It was only until the previous orientation that they met and Ha Jae-Gun started helping out with her novel.
And it somehow culminated in her confession…
Ha Jae-Gun was totally perplexed. ‘Should I thank her? For making me move out?’’
Ha Jae-Gun grabbed the steering wheel and hit the accelerator. The car started traveling on the muddy road amidst the downpour. His destination was the real estate agency nearby that he had visited when he went to rent his current studio.
‘I won’t move too far away, Elder.’
As he was approaching Seo Gun-Woo’s grave, Ha Jae-Gun slowed down and looked out of the window. Seo Gun-Woo’s existence was a huge psychological pillar of strength for him, so he had no plans of leaving this area.
It took him less than five minutes to arrive at his destination. Ha Jae-Gun parked his car by the road and headed into the real estate office.
An old man in his fifties was dozing off in front of the TV.
The old man noticed Ha Jae-Gun and greeted him. “Welcome.”
“Hello.”
“Are you here to look at apartments?” The old man asked after examining Ha Jae-Gun.
Ha Jae-Gun was clad in a tracksuit, and he was wearing three-striped slippers, which made him look like a student or an unemployed young man at most.
Even if the old man were to put on his positive lens, he could only view Ha Jae-Gun as a greenhorn of the working society.
“Are you looking at monthly rent? One-room studios?” the old man asked with conviction before pulling out a couple of documents on one-room studio leases from his desk.
Ha Jae-Gun said, “No, I want to look at houses for sale.”
“You’re buying a house?”
“Yes.”
The old man was stunned. His wife had always nagged him about how he should be more careful about his manner of speech because there would always be customers who would get offended by it.
‘Did he get upset when I mentioned the monthly rent?’
The old man examined Ha Jae-Gun’s expression, and he was relieved to see that Ha Jae-Gun didn’t look like he was offended.
“What are you looking for?” asked the man.
Ha Jae-Gun looked down and thought about it for a while before saying, “A detached house, please.”
“Detached house?” The old man’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes, I’d like it to have a small front yard as well. Is there any suitable one in this area? I hope the surrounding wall would be high enough such that people outside won’t be able to view the inside.”
Ha Jae-Gun was leaning toward getting a detached house. It was his long-standing wish to have a study, and it would definitely be much better for him to have a large and spacious house. He had also decided to dedicate the garden to Rika.
“A detached house… what about your budget?”
“Up to one billion won will not be an issue. If the lot is good, I don’t mind paying more.”
The old man scoffed at Ha Jae-Gun’s nonchalant answer. Did he hear him right, or was one billion won the name of a dog? Even if the young man in front of him had struck the lottery, it wouldn’t be easy to receive one billion won as prize money.
The old man also thought that the words one billion won shouldn’t come from a young man in a shabby tracksuit and slippers.
‘Ah, could it be…?’ The old man tilted his head and took a closer look at Ha Jae-Gun.
The old man finally remembered Ha Jae-Gun. “Um… aren’t you the young man who signed a contract for a one-room studio last year?”
“That’s right. So you finally remember me.”
The old man boisterously laughed at the response.
He found it ridiculous that the young man had returned to him after a year to look for a detached house. He considered the conversation a waste of his time. The old man was so irritated that he no longer wished to deal with Ha Jae-Gun.
Fortunately, the door opened once more, and a couple who seemed to be in their early thirties walked into the agency. The middle-aged woman’s eyes sparkled upon seeing Ha Jae-Gun.
“How may I help you?”
“Hello, I called earlier saying that I would like to rent…”
“Ah, yes. Welcome. Please take a seat.” The old man’s expression changed as he entertained the couple. His attitude was the exact opposite of his attitude while attending to Ha Jae-Gun.
The old man made two cups of coffee for the couple. He glanced blandly at Ha Jae-Gun and said, “There aren’t any available detached houses.”
“Not even one?”
“Yes. There are a couple of one-rooms available for monthly or yearly rental. See the paper there? Write down your name and contact number there, I’ll contact you again later.”
Ha Jae-Gun’s smile disappeared, but he didn’t show it on the outside.
He decided to refrain from getting into a pointless argument.
“I’m done writing it down. Have a good day.”
“Okay, goodbye,” the old man replied dryly without even turning around to look at Ha Jae-Gun.
It was an awkward situation, but the middle-aged woman couldn’t keep her eyes off Ha Jae-Gun. She was even tilting her head, seemingly trying to examine his face from many different angles.
“What’s wrong, darling?”
“You don’t find him familiar?”
“I’m not too sure…”
“No, I’m sure I saw him somewhere before.”
While her husband was discussing the lease agreement with the old man, she got busy trying to recall where she had seen Ha Jae-Gun.
“Ah!” she exclaimed and looked up something on the Internet.
“Dear, look at this!” She held her phone out to her husband.
Her husband looked away from the contract to look at the screen and asked, “Isn’t he the author of the book you bought last week?”
“Yeah, and he’s the same guy who just left!”
“Ey, no way. He must just be someone who looks similar.”
The middle-aged woman’s face turned red from frustration. “No! He’s really Ha Jae-Gun! There’s no mistaking it! He was even carrying Rika in his arms—the cat was also included in the post on Navin!”
Unfortunately, her husband seemed like he couldn’t believe her at all.
The old man stared blankly at the couple.
He also couldn’t understand a single word of what she was saying.
“Look!” The wife picked up the piece of paper where Ha Jae-Gun had written his contact details and showed it to her husband.
Her husband’s jaws dropped. “It’s really him…?!”
“I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t dare to talk to him earlier. Should I chase him? I think he’s still nearby. I want to get his autograph!”
The old man couldn’t suppress his curiosity and finally asked, “Um… Was the young man earlier a celebrity?”
“He’s a very popular writer these days. His latest novel sold a million copies.”
“H-how many? A million?”
“Yeah, the novel is called Summer in My 20s, and it got adapted into a movie as well. Its teaser is currently being advertised on TV. Have you not seen it yet?”
The wife showed the old man the search results on the Internet.
The old man was speechless. He had also heard of Summer in My 20s, as his daughter was also engrossed in that bestselling novel.
“It looks like you’ve heard of the novel. He’s definitely rich, but I guess it’s hard to notice because of his outfit.
“Ahh… G-give me a moment.” The old man hurried out the door. He ignored the rain and rushed somewhere. Just then, he spotted the shining headlight of a black car.
“W-wait!” The old man ran up to the car and bowed at the driver’s window.
The window rolled down, revealing Ha Jae-Gun’s surprised face.
“What’s wrong, sir?” he asked.
“Aigoo, I just recovered from the flu, and the brain fog has been crazy. Anyway, there are quite a few available detached houses. Yes, I’m sure of it,” said the old man while rubbing his palms together apologetically.
The real estate market wasn’t doing great in recent months—the brokerage fees for detached houses would definitely be a massive amount.
Ha Jae-Gun had also declared that he could afford one.
“If you could give me some time, I will definitely arrange some houses for you to view in the next few days. I will make sure that the request you made earlier will be included in the viewings as well. I will try to arrange them such that you can view all of them on the same day. Please allow me to attend to you.”
Ha Jae-Gun found it ridiculous. It hadn’t been a hot minute since he stepped out of their office. Just what happened in there during the short period of time that made the old man run out into the rain and bow down to him like this?
“Okay, I’ll wait for your call.” Ha Jae-Gun didn’t probe further and simply accepted the outcome. Regardless, it wouldn’t be nice of him to let the old man bow down in the rain while he was comfortable in the driver’s seat of his car.
“Please go back, you shouldn’t stand out here in the rain since you’ve just recovered from the flu.”
“Thank you… thank you so much!”
The old man repeated his words like a parrot instead of leaving.
It seemed that the old man would stay until Ha Jae-Gun’s departure, so the latter decided to step on the accelerator.
“Rika, all’s well that ends well, right?”
“Meow.”
Ha Jae-Gun turned on the air conditioner upon arriving home and locked his door. It was regrettable that he had to miss out on the good breeze on such a day like this, but he would never leave his door open once again.
He also regretted wasting money on installing the insect screen.
***
“Writer Ha, shall I go ahead with this draft?”
“Yes, please.”
“But… are you really not tired?”
“I’m fine.”
Ha Jae-Gun didn’t look fine at all in Jung So-Mi’s eyes.
The two of them met at the Bucheon writer’s office to discuss the illustrations that were going into Oscar’s Dungeon.
‘He doesn’t look good at all…’
It had been a while since she met Ha Jae-Gun, but he seemed to be doing much worse than before that Jung So-Mi was starting to get worried.
After their discussion ended, Ha Jae-Gun went full-on work mode on his scenario writing. His face was pale, and the dark circles under his eyes grew darker as his thin fingers typed profusely.
The other writers weren’t here. Yang Hyun-Kyung had gone out earlier to meet his friends, while Kang Min-Ho and Jang Eun-Young had gone out for a movie date.
There wasn’t anyone else here aside from Jung So-Mi and Ha Jae-Gun.
‘I should just complete the scenario since I’m already here.’
Ha Jae-Gun made up his mind and downed the rest of his coffee. After he was done with his practice scenario, he planned on working on his final preparations for the lecture at the game development company.
He still hadn’t found a detached house to his liking, so it didn’t seem like that would be crossed off his to-do list anytime soon.
‘Phew, I’m out of coffee again.’
Ha Jae-Gun took his empty cup and stood up.
Just then—
‘Hmm…?!’
—extreme vertigo struck Ha Jae-Gun.
His mind went blank, and his vision turned white.
White noise rang loudly in his ears, and he collapsed right there and then.
“Writer Ha?!”
Thud!
The loud yet dull sound startled Jung So-Mi.
She turned around and was immediately horrified by the sight in front of her.
Ha Jae-Gun was on the floor, and he was trying to stand up with one hand.
Jung So-Mi hurried over to help him up and asked, “Are you okay?”
“No, it’s… I just felt dizzy because I stood up suddenly.”
Ha Jae-Gun shook off Jung So-Mi’s helping hand and tried to stand up on his own, but his legs that had given way wouldn’t listen to him at all.
Jung So-Mi grew frustrated watching the limp Ha Jae-Gun.
“Writer Ha. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to step in this time. Are you not going to take care of your own health?” she said.
“Ah, I have to—”
“It’s fine to write, but look at you.” Jung So-Mi cut him off, stopping him from making any sort of excuses. “How are you going to continue writing if you’re sick? Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”
“…”
“Have you had breakfast yet?”
“Just rice…”
“Rice? What side dishes did you have?” Jung So-Mi rapidly pressed on.
Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t answer her at all. Honestly, he hadn’t eaten a single proper meal since last night. He had only survived on coffee. He got so engrossed in writing the scenario that he had even lost his appetite.
A deafening silence blanketed the studio.
He was no longer dizzy and was starting to feel better.
However, Ha Jae-Gun still couldn’t stand up. Jung So-Mi sat down on the floor and asked, “Do you still remember what you told me back when we were on our way back after the author’s meet?”
“I’m not sure…”
“You said you liked the subway. You said observing people helped form your writing style and that the subway is full of topics you could use for your novels as compared to taking the taxi, which provided nothing valuable.”
Ha Jae-Gun listened quietly.
He couldn’t really remember what he had said back then.
“I was touched by how you worked, studying from your daily life just to write good works. That’s the job of a writer, too, right? Typing away on the keyboard day in and day out isn’t all a writer has to do.”
Jung So-Mi took a deep breath. The tip of her nose had reddened, and her head hung slightly low as she continued. “You need a break as well. I’ve been wanting to say this, but please take good care of yourself.”
A breeze came in through the window, which got caught in Jung So-Mi’s hair.
A waft of Jung So-Mi’s scent—somewhat nostalgic and gentle—entered Ha Jae-Gun’s nose.
“Why don’t you go on a trip? It’s summer. I think a couple of days by the sea will heal both your heart and body.”
Ha Jae-Gun realized that Jung So-Mi’s scent was similar to the scent of the sea that he hadn’t seen in a long while.
Ha Jae-Gun looked up and met Jung So-Mi’s eyes. Her eyes were reflecting the endless blue sea, and Ha Jae-Gun finally acknowledged that he was exhausted.
chapter 105.
“Mom, they sell stone-plate grilled dried squid here.”
“It looks delicious. Let’s buy some potatoes, too.”
The rest stop at Yeongdong Expressway was bustling with people.
The mother and daughter pair, Ha Jae-In and Myung-Ja, were amongst the crowd.
“Jae-In, should we get a toast for Jae-Gun?”
“We should have proper food once we get there. Let’s get a waffle for him instead, Mom.”
The mother and daughter pair bought heaps of snacks and returned to the car.
Ha Suk-Jae, who was snoozing with Rika lying on his lap, woke up.
“Honey, have a potato.”L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l–B1n.
“Why did you buy so much when we’re going to eat once we get there…” muttered Ha Suk-Jae, but he still ended up with a potato in his mouth.
It had been a long while since the entire family had gone on a trip.
Myung-Ja and Ha Jae-In were especially excited about it.
“Where did Jae-Gun go?”
“Seems like he went to the washroom?”
Ha Jae-Gun walked out of the washroom with perfect timing. Ha Jae-Gun didn’t look happy as he slowly walked back to the car. His incompleted scenario was disturbing him.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have rushed the trip.’
Jung So-Mi’s words were the reason why the family trip even happened in the first place, and the plan was to let Ha Jae-Gun rest for a few days.
However, he was already anxious the moment they hit the road. The urge to take out his laptop and work on the scenario right away came up over twelve times while he was driving.
‘Let’s. Forget. About. It. I’ve already decided to go on this trip.’
Ha Jae-Gun shook away the intrusive thoughts. The trip wouldn’t be worthwhile if he kept on worrying about his work. He decided to forget his work for the duration of this trip and returned to the car.
“You’re back?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he hopped back into the driver’s seat.
Ha Jae-In was in the front passenger seat. She tore a piece of dried squid and put it into her mouth.
“Do you want potatoes? We have waffles, too.”
“I’m fine. Why buy so many snacks when we’re going to eat later?”
“Why did you ask the exact same question as Dad? I’ve got a separate stomach for the meal later, so don’t worry about it.”
“I’m sure you do. All right, let’s go, then.”
The car engine started, and the car went down the expressway.
Their destination was Donghae City. The navigator showed that they would soon arrive at the bed and breakfast that they had booked, which was being run by Jung So-Mi’s parents.
“Wow, it’s the ocean!” Ha Jae-In exclaimed as she looked out the window. Beyond the shoulder was the blue sea, and the sea looked so calm that it seemed more like a vast carpet.
Ha Jae-Gun smiled and picked up the space.
“Oh, look at the sight. It says Mukho is that way.”
“I entered the bed and breakfast’s address in the navigator, so we can just follow it.”
They passed the toll gate and entered Donghae City.
They traveled on the road for a while more before finally stopping at the car park in front of a building. The three-story building had a massive sign that said—Always Blue Bed & Breakfast, and it was directly across the ocean.
“Are… you the writer?” asked the middle-aged woman watering the flowerpots at the entrance of the building.
The middle-aged woman looked exactly like Jung So-Mi.
Ha Jae-Gun smiled and replied, “Yes, hello. I’m Jae-Gun. You’re Ms. So-Mi’s mother, right?”
“Wow, you recognized me right away! Hohoho, I guess she does look like me. Come on in.” Jung So-Mi’s mother immediately stopped watering the plants and led Ha Jae-Gun and his family into the building.
As she brought them up to the third floor, she continued animatedly. “I’ve heard a lot about you from So-Mi. She suffered a lot while living alone in Seoul, and she told me that you helped her a lot. She mentions you a lot whenever we talk on the phone. She said your works are great and that you’re a good person as well.”
“I don’t know what to say, haha. Ms. So-Mi thinks too highly of me.”
The third floor could house an entire family of three generations. There was a spacious living room with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The sea was visible from the terrace.
“Please make yourself at home. Please let me know if you feel any inconvenience.”
“Okay, thank you very much.”
After unpacking their luggage, Ha Jae-Gun and his family went to the sashimi restaurant that Jung So-Mi’s mother had recommended. They ordered a sashimi platter, cold raw fish soup, and fish stew.
It was a hearty lunch that they very much enjoyed.
Afterward, they headed to the city center of Donghae City and visited the Cheongok Cave.
“Wow, it’s super cold in here. So that’s why everyone is gathered at the entrance of the cave. They’re enjoying the cold wind there.”
“It’s very interesting. How is there a cave in the middle of a city?”
Ha Jae-Gun’s expression was stiff, unlike his family members. He was trying his best to forget the scenario he was working on, but it kept disturbing him.
“Jae-Gun, what’s wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?”
“No, noona. I was just thinking about something.”
His family even visited the famous filming site, Candlestick Rock. Then, they had dinner before finally returning to the bed and breakfast.
They were so exhausted that they fell asleep even before the clock struck 10 p.m.
Ha Jae-Gun quietly slipped out of the house to organize his messy thoughts.
A middle-aged man in a running shirt and shorts was puffing on a cigarette stick in front of the building. He quickly put out the cigarette and greeted Ha Jae-Gun upon seeing the latter.
“You’re the writer, right? I am So-Mi’s father.”
“Ah, yes. Hello. I’m Ha Jae-Gun.”
“Have you encountered any difficulties? If you need anything, feel free to let us know.”
“It’s been perfect, we don’t need anything else.”
“Where are you going?”
“I want to see the sea at night. Are we far from Eodal Beach?”
“You can just follow this road for fifteen minutes, and you’ll be there by then. It’s a great place to enjoy the night view.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Indeed, it took Ha Jae-Gun slightly over fifteen minutes to arrive at Eodal Beach.
Ha Jae-Gun got himself a cup of coffee from the nearby convenience store and sat down on the sandy beach. There were a few groups of tourists sitting on the mats on the ground.
‘…’
Ha Jae-Gun watched the rolling waves, lost in thought. It had actually been a while since he had seen the waves in person, and they were throwing many different things at him to ponder over.
Ten, twenty, thirty minutes, and an hour later…
Ha Jae-Gun was still looking at the sea, oblivious to boredom. His worries about the uncompleted scenario faded little by little, and his tense figure started to loosen up.
A while later… his ears focused on his surroundings once more, and he started listening to the conversation around him.
“It’s really great to be here with you. How long has it been since our last trip?”
“Calm down! This oppa will send you home. Just drink!”
“Soo-Jung, you! Don’t go too near the waters; it’s too dangerous to swim at night!”
“Honey, shall we live in Donghae City once we get married? It’d be great if we could look at the sea every day. Let’s find a job here and settle down here.”
Ha Jae-Gun smiled slightly. He closed his eyes to engrave the sea view on his mind and focus on the tumbling waves. Soon, the many voices, along with the splashing waves, echoed strongly in his ears.
‘I’ve forgotten all about these.’
Indeed, typing away endlessly on the keyboard wasn’t everything. He had to see, hear, and feel more to nourish and supplement his writing. He had to keep his body and mind healthy as well to ensure that he could continue writing things that he liked.
Ha Jae-Gun had forgotten that all those were as important as writing. Ha Jae-Gun started reflecting on everything, and he realized that he hadn’t really been looking after his own health and had been pushing himself to the extreme.
‘That kid sure is interesting.’
Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his notepad and his pen.
He couldn’t suppress his occupational habit.
He was unintentionally eavesdropping on the conversations around him, and he started writing down their interesting manner of speech and stories.
Ha Jae-Gun was genuinely enjoying his sightseeing as a writer.
‘Thank you for being nosy, Ms. So-Mi.’ Ha Jae-Gun said inwardly as Jung So-Mi’s face came to his mind. If it weren’t for her, Ha Jae-Gun wouldn’t have been able to travel this summer.
He wanted to give her credit for this enlightenment.
‘Should I have a can of beer?’
The atmosphere was great, so he suddenly felt like drinking beer. He turned around to buy a can of beer, but he abruptly froze.
“Ms. So-Mi…?”
Jung So-Mi was smiling at him. She stuck her tongue out playfully.
She was wearing a sleeveless top, knee-length denims, and slippers.
“Hehe, did I surprise you?”
“Why are you here?”
“It’s the weekend tomorrow, and it’s a rest day as well. I was worried whether you and your family are enjoying your stay here or not, so I came here to take a look.”
“You should have told me that you’d come here. I could have gone to drive you over here.”
“Actually, I wasn’t planning on going here. Mom said she wanted to see me, so I took the chance.”
Jung So-Mi glanced behind Ha Jae-Gun and asked, “How are you feeling after enjoying the sea?”
“Yes, it’s great. I’ve reflected a lot after coming here.”
Jung So-Mi stood proudly in triumph. “See. There’s nothing to lose if you listen to me. You really needed some healing time.”
“I’ll try to come up with a routine after returning to Seoul.”
“That’s good. Are you heading back now?”
“I’m actually going to stay here for a bit longer. The weather and atmosphere are good, so why not take advantage of that? Anyway, I wanted to grab myself a can of beer, care to join me?”
“Sure.”
Ha Jae-Gun and Jung So-Mi walked over to the convenience store across the street. Jung So-Mi accidentally bumped shoulders with a large-framed man upon entering the store.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t see you. I’m sorry.” Unlike his intimidating appearance with crew-cut hair resembling gangsters commonly seen in movies, the man apologized politely to Jung So-Mi.
‘Hmm…?!’
An idea struck Ha Jae-Gun’s mind like a ray of light upon seeing Jung So-Mi standing in front of the large-framed man.
The two main characters of a new story quickly appeared in his mind.
‘The gangster fled to the beach to avoid the public’s eyes after committing a crime… and a seaside girl who yearns for the fancy city life! This is it!’
Ha Jae-Gun unknowingly clenched his fists.
Once again, his muse had come at a completely unexpected moment.
His scenario work was merely practice to him, so he had been writing them with stories that he wasn’t quite satisfied with. However, he had just gotten a new idea, and he reckoned that he would be able to write a proper scenario for it.
And it was all thanks to the large-framed man and Jung So-Mi bumping into each other…
“Writer Ha? What’s wrong?”
“Ms. So-Mi. I’m just going to grab my laptop for a while—” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off mid-sentence. Where did his resolve go? How could he be thinking of work so soon? The sense of vigilance he had toward himself rose significantly.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Ha Jae-Gun scratched his head and headed to the snack corner.
The sea came into his view once more, and he said silently to himself, ‘Look at me. Let’s rest… I’ve already decided to rest. I’m here on a trip.’
If he had his laptop in hand, he wouldn’t have been able to let go of it until he returned home. Ha Jae-Gun steeled his resolve not to pull out his laptop until the trip was over.
‘Writing it down should be fine…’
Ha Jae-Gun took out his notepad and started writing about the two main characters who were still fresh in his mind. Ha Jae-Gun did not forget to silently thank the gangster-looking man who had become the primary constituent of his muse, as well as Jung So-Mi, who was busy choosing beer and snacks.
***
Ha Jae-Gun had obtained a lot from the trip. He was able to reflect on what he had missed while running forward at the same time. He had even obtained a great story for his scenario. His sunburnt face was overflowing with energy.
“Father, Mother. Please go in. Noona, you should rest, too.”
“Be careful on the road.” Ha Jae-Gun dropped off his family back at Suwon, and then he headed back to his one-room studio with Rika.
It was already past 8 p.m.
‘I’ll start working tomorrow.’
Writing was hard work. It was something he had resolved to do from the trip. He had decided not to spend over eight hours a day typing away on his keyboard.
‘I should go to the writer’s office like a normal office worker from tomorrow onward. My schedule will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and I’ll have an hour for lunch. Great, that’s it!’
Ha Jae-Gun was exhausted from the long hours of driving. He decided to call it a night. He showered and changed into his pajamas. Upon turning on his air conditioner and hopping onto his bed, Ha Jae-Gun received a call.
It was from Oh Myung-Suk.
“Hello, editor-in-chief.”
— Hello, Mr. Ha. I was just wondering. How have you been? Are you okay?
“Yes. I actually wanted to contact you as well. I have an idea for a new story, and I wanted to sign a contract with you as well.”
— Ah, really?
“Yes. I was on a trip, and the idea came to me while I was thinking of my scenario’s development. There’s no guarantee that it will get adapted into a movie. Anyway, I want to write and publish it as a novel before anything else, but I will only work on the novel once I’m done with its scenario version.”
— That sounds great; it’s going to be fine as long as it’s your work. I actually want to give you advanced royalties of a hundred million won just to secure the contract with you, hahaha.
Oh Myung-Suk boisterously laughed. Summer in My 20s had become a bestseller, and it was still popular. There was no way his response would be negative if Ha Jae-Gun’s next work were of the same quality or even better.
“I’ll send you the manuscript as soon as I’m done with it.”
— Sure, Mr. Ha. You must be tired, so please rest early.
Ha Jae-Gun ended the call and plopped back down in his bed.
Rika hopped onto his bed and curled up by his arm.
The two soon fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.
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