Big Life Chapter 166-170

Chapter 166. Make It Up, If There’s None (10)

 

Ha Jae-Gun stood up like a statue with his phone still by his ear. It had been a while since he heard this voice, but he could still recognize it right away.

— How have you been…?

The low voice was wavering. Was it out of guilt that they couldn’t mention their own name?

Ha Jae-Gun snapped out of his thoughts and replied, “Yes, I’m good. What about you, Ms. Ye-Seul?”

— Thanks to you, Writer Op—no, sorry. Thanks to you Writer Ha, I am doing good as well.

“You can call me like you used to.”

— I knew you were a great person in the past, but now that I’ve stepped into the acting industry, it hit me harder. So, I feel that it’s much harder for me to call you Oppa… I don’t think I can…

Ha Jae-Gun grinned. He was glad to hear Hong Ye-Seul’s unique speech style again. He excused himself from Jung-Jin and moved away to continue the phone conversation.

“I enjoyed Girls’ War.”

— Ah, you’re making me embarrassed.

“You’re really good at acting. I learned a new side of you that day.”

— It was my first time, and I didn’t have any experience, so I could only do my best under the director’s instructions. Thank you for looking upon it so favorably.

“I’m anticipating your performance in Gyeoja Bathhouse, too.”

— …

Their conversation took a pause, and silence ensued.

Ha Jae-Gun waited for her quietly to continue the conversation. Soon, a soft sigh tickled his ears.

— You’re not surprised.

“I’ve been thinking of you at times, and I’ve also been thinking that it’s almost time for you to give me a call.”

— I’m really sorry for calling you now.

“You don’t have to apologize.”

— I wanted to see you when I’ve succeeded; that’s why I haven’t contacted you for so long…

“I understand.”

— I heard from Director Yoon Tae-Sung today that Teencent Pictures had called him and that I’ve gotten a chance to audition for the female lead in Storm and Gale…

“Oh, really? That’s great.”

— Look at you feigning ignorance. It’s obviously you pulling the strings backstage… I’ve heard all about it, alright? I heard that you were the one who recommended me to Teencent Pictures.

Embarrassed, Ha Jae-Gun scrunched his nose. Trying to change the topic, he thought of the past and asked, “When are you going to get your necklace back?”

— Oh… Can I leave it with you for a while more?

“Until when? I think you’ve become much more confident now.”

— No, not yet. Not yet… So please hold onto it for a while more.

“Why does it sound like you just don’t want to meet me?”

— I-it’s not that.

Ha Jae-Gun’s joke caught Hong Ye-Seul off-guard.

— I-I wanted to see you but thought that you’d be very busy, and I’m already feeling apologetic for calling you out of the blue now, so that’s why… Why would I not want to see you?

“I was just joking. I’m not so busy to the extent that I can’t even have a meal, so call me whenever you want to.”

— Thanks a lot, Oppa. For looking out for me and—I won’t be able to repay you in this life.

“It’s because of your talent that you’re successful now, not because of me.”

Just then, Park Jung-Jin approached Ha Jae-Gun and pointed at his watch. Ha Jae-Gun then nodded in response.

“I need to hang up now, I’m having dinner with my friends today.”

— Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll call you again next time then. Enjoy your dinner, Oppa.

“You too.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and stood up.

Park Jung-Jin then shook his head disapprovingly. “Another woman? Who is it? An actress?”

“Yeah, an actress,” Ha Jae-Gun replied curtly.

He didn’t add the words someone you know too out of consideration for Ye-Seul’s future. He was planning on carrying her dark past with him to his grave.

***

“Thank you so much. I will be careful when reading this, and I’ll return it to you immediately once I’m done,” Ha Jae-Gun said with a grin. An old-looking book was in his hands.

It was a hot summer day, so hot that there was almost steam rising from the ground. Ha Jae-Gun was currently in a cafe located in the city center, enjoying the air conditioning.

“It’s a gift for you, so you may hold onto it,” Oh Myung-Suk said, sitting across from Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun looked up in astonishment. “You’re going to give this rare book to me? How can I accept something as precious as this…”

“Books are only valuable when people look for them. The book has been stuck in a deep corner of my study, and no one has gone looking for it until now. So don’t feel burdened and take it.”

“Thank you so much. What about having lunch together? Please let me know what you’d like to have. I’ll buy you a good meal.”

“Haha, shall I? I’ll make sure to squeeze your wallet dry today, Mr. Ha.” N0v3l-Bin was the first platform to present this chapter.

The two men burst into jolly laughter.

Oh Myung-Suk then took a sip of his coffee and said, “You should be getting busy again, Mr. Ha.”

“I don’t think so. There’s nothing else that I’m working on aside from the scenarios for Storm and Gale and Oscar’s Dungeon. I think others around me are much busier than I am.”

As the faces of the staff, including Oh Myung-Suk, surfaced in his mind, Ha Jae-Gun continued. “It’s been strange for me lately. I haven’t been doing anything, but everything is falling into place; things are progressing swimmingly.”

“I think I understand what you mean.”

“Gyeoja Bathhouse is being adapted into a game and into a movie. Oscar’s Dungeon novel is being translated into Mandarin and distributed through Teencent, and you’ll oversee the distribution of There Was A Sea in the U.S. market. Listing it out like that makes others think that there’s a lot going on, but as the original author, I’m actually quite free.”

“Oh, no. If you’re so free, how about working on your next novel?” Oh Myung-Suk asked jokingly with a chuckle.

Ha Jae-Gun pondered for a while before asking carefully, “Actually, I am writing something, but bit by bit.”

“Ah, really?” Myung-Suk’s eyes widened, and straightened himself up. He was definitely interested in Ha Jae-Gun’s next novel as the editor-in-chief of OongSung Group.

“Yes, I’ve actually been working on one out of practice, so I haven’t told anyone else except for my father. But as I worked on it, its length just kept increasing. So I thought of just letting you know first.”

“What kind of story is it? I would love to read it right away.”

“It’s a picaresque short story. Various characters appear in the novel, with the market as the main background. Would you like a glimpse?”

“Ah, you have it with you right now? I would love to read it.”

Ha Jae-Gun pulled out a Tablet PC from his bag. After opening the document, he pushed the device toward Oh Myung-Suk and said, “I’ve just finished two stories. Please take a look.”

Oh Myung-Suk turned his attention to the screen.

The first words he read were the title—The Market and Its People. Beneath it was the first short story, The Market’s Security Guard, and the title of the second short story was The Market’s Glutinous Rice Cake Seller.

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll begin reading it then.” Oh Myung-Suk fixed his glasses and began to read both the short stories right there and then. It wasn’t particularly long, so he was able to read them carefully without rushing.

‘He must have had a hard time.’ Oh Myung-Suk had noticed what was going through Ha Jae-Gun’s heart and mind while reading the first short story.

Like Ha Jae-Gun’s father, the security guard in this short story was slapped by the new building owner. Oh Myung-Suk soon finished reading the first story and continued on to read the second.

The main character of the second short story was a man selling glutinous rice cakes. Despite suffering from tyrannical acts like the security guard, he remained resilient in life.

‘This is good…

’ Oh Myung-Suk nodded unknowingly. Ha Jae-Gun’s latest work did not disappoint him either. The simple and calm sentences were permeating his heart.

 

“They’re great.” Oh Myung-Suk looked up. “I have a good feeling about this, too. The main characters are different; they are both from the same place, so having their stories connected organically made it into an interesting story.”

“Thank you. I was actually worried that you wouldn’t find it as good.”

“How many short stories are you looking to write?”

“I’m looking to write around ten to twelve of them. However, I’m actually stuck right now. It’s not easy trying to fix the main characters of each story. Jobs aside, I hope that their jobs and the harshness they face in reality would naturally connect with the market. And it’s hard for that synergy to happen.”

“Please don’t hurry and take your time to think about it. The entire world knows that you are good at writing, so I’m not worried about that either,” Oh Myung-Suk encouraged, then belatedly snapped his fingers as something came to his mind.

“I just thought of this, but how about adding a creator?”

“A creator?”

“Yes. It doesn’t matter whether they’re a creator of a novel, webtoon, or movie, as long as they’re related to this market. it’s not a bad idea to write about the life of a poor writer, too.”

Oh Myung-Suk began tapping his finger on the table as he continued. “But I think you’ll have to develop the writer’s character well. Regardless of how poor or tough a life the writer is leading, it’ll be tough for the readers to relate or feel sympathetic if the writer focuses only on writing.”

“I think so too. Hmm, I like your idea, editor-in-chief. I should use that, then.”

Ha Jae-Gun was already lost in thoughts. Oh Myung-Suk sat quietly, waiting for Ha Jae-Gun to emerge from his reverie. He looked out the window to see office workers streaming onto the streets for lunch.

***

“Huh? Why is the number unavailable?” Yoon Tae-Sung mumbled, looking puzzled.

It was the last day of filming for Gyeoja Bathhouse. He had just called his friend after a long time whom he was close with back in university, but what he heard was a mechanical voice telling him that the number was unavailable.

“That’s weird. There’s no way he would change numbers without letting me know.” Still mumbling to himself, worries filled Yoon Tae-Sung’s mind.

Like him, his friend had dreamt of becoming a movie director as well.

Unlike Yoon Tae-Sung, however, his friend hadn’t been able to fulfill their dream.

‘Did something happen?’

Yoon Tae-Sung tried to recall the address of that friend’s house, which he had visited back then.

It was a basement room of a shabby-looking house. The dampness and mold in the room surfaced in his mind once more. It was a tough period for both Yoon Tae-Sung and his friend.

“Please wrap things up here. I have somewhere I have to be.”

Yoon Tae-Sung stood up after a moment of consideration. He couldn’t look the other way for this friend. Yoon Tae-Sung immediately got into his car and started the engine.

It didn’t take him long to reach his destination in Sinrim-dong. Yoon Tae-Sung parked his car at a nearby carpark as it was difficult for him to drive through a winding alley.

“It should be somewhere here…” Yoon Tae-Sung continued relying on his memory and retracing his steps, wandering through the alley lined with old houses. After a while, he spotted a familiar-looking house and hurried over with a smile.

“This is it.”

The moment he opened the rusty gate, vivid memories fleeted across his eyes. Yoon Tae-Sung went down the stairs located at the corner of the yard and knocked on the door to the basement room.

“Eun-Ha? It’s me, Yoon Tae-Sung.”

However, he heard no reply.

Yoon Tae-Sung knocked on the door once more to no avail.

There was only silence coming from the other side of the door.

Yoon Tae-Sung reached for the doorknob. He turned it and found the door unlocked. A sense of foreboding swept over him as he slowly pushed the door open.

The dark room instantly filled his view.

“Huh? Lee Eun-Ha!”

A girl lay motionless in a corner of the room. She was Yoon Tae-Sung’s precious friend—Lee Eun-Ha. Astonished, Yoon Tae-Sung jumped to her without even taking off his shoes.

“Hey, Eun-Ha! Lee Eun-Ha! Wake up!”

Lee Eun-Ha’s pale face showed when Yoon Tae-Sung lay her down on the floor. Her limbs were thin, and her breathing felt so feeble that it seemed like she would stop breathing soon.

Yoon Tae-Sung could immediately tell that she was seriously malnourished.

“You punk, why didn’t you contact me when you’re in such a state?!”

Yoon Tae-Sung piggybacked his friend, who was now basically akin to a corpse. She was extremely light, like a child, and it almost made him cry. A wave of regret struck Yoon Tae-Sung. He hadn’t been able to contact her, as he was too busy recently.

“Who are you?”

When Yoon Tae-Sung stepped out of the basement, he bumped into the owner, who was in her fifties. The lady stared at him with wary eyes.

“I’m her friend. I’m sending her to the hospital since she doesn’t look too good.”

“Really? She hasn’t paid rent for two months, so help me ask her about it when she wakes up.”

Yoon Tae-Sung clenched his teeth and glared at the lady. He then pulled out a million-won cheque and put it in her hand, and then he coldly spat. “We should strive to be humane while we’re living in this world.”

“Huh? What did I do…?”

“Get out of my way.”

Yoon Tae-Sung ran with Lee Eun-Ha on his back. He was exhausted, but he didn’t slow down.

When Yoon Tae-Sung spotted his car in the distance, Lee Eun-Ha came to her senses and opened her eyes. She immediately realized that Yoon Tae-Sung was the one carrying her and closed her eyes again with a bitter, scornful smile directed at herself.

Chapter 167. Make It Up, If There’s None (11)

 

“She has anemia from malnutrition. Make sure she eats well after finishing the IV drip here.”

“Thank you.”

Yoon Tae-Sung sat down in the chair by the bed and let out a sigh of relief. Lee Eun-Ha lay on the bed lifelessly, with an IV drip connected to her arm. It was great that she didn’t end up having any complications.

‘She used to be so pretty…’ Guilt swept over Yoon Tae-Sung as he watched the thin girl. Just then, he realized that she had lied when she said that she had gotten a boyfriend. Despite knowing that she disliked getting pitied by others, Yoon Tae-Sung was still angry at himself.

“…Thank you,” Lee Eun-Ha said amidst her dry lips.

Yoon Tae-Sung flinched and looked up. “You’re awake?”

“I woke up when you carried me earlier. I was just too tired to move. Was I heavy?”

“What do you think? I thought you were a bunch of cornstalks.”

“You’ve grown stronger, Yoon Tae-Sung. You must be eating well with all the money you’re earning.” Lee Eun-Ha chuckled as she slowly opened her eyes wider.

However, Yoon Tae-Sung was not in the mood to join her. He scoffed with discontent and asked, “How is it possible that anyone could collapse from malnutrition in this day and age?”

When Yoon Tae-Sung last met Lee Eun-Ha, she was working on the scenario titled Autumn Olive Tree. Back then, Lee Eun-Ha was supposed to receive thirty million won for that scenario, and the movie hadn’t gone into production yet.

If there were no talks of it going into production, it was right to assume that the project was axed.

“You’ve only been relying on the money from the contract down payment for Autumn Olive Tree up until now, right?”

“…” Lee Eun-Ha remained silent instead of answering him. It was normal in the film industry for the down payment to be around ten percent of the total contracted amount. They would only receive the remaining amount after the movie was completed. If the production failed to pull through, the years of blood, sweat, and tears put in would be rendered meaningless.

“Rest for a while.” Yoon Tae-Sung stood up. There was something he had to handle immediately.

“Where are you going?”

“There’s something I had to deal with earlier but didn’t since I was in a hurry. I’ll be back in two hours at most, so just rest for the time being.”

Yoon Tae-Sung hurried out of the hospital ward, leaving Lee Eun-Ha by herself. As he said, it took him less than two hours before he returned again. Just in time as well, Lee Eun-Ha’s IV bag had just emptied when he returned.

“Can you stand?”

“Are you joking? Others might think that I’ve contracted some terminal illness,” said Lee Eun-Ha, but she barely managed to stand on her own. Her stumbling footsteps made Yoon Tae-Sung anxious.

“I’ll definitely repay you for today. Once I receive the remaining amount, that is.”

“Forget it, just get on.”

“Oh, an afterservice, too? Are you going to send me home?”

“I’ll be the only one talking, so you can just keep quiet.”

Yoon Tae-Sung helped Lee Eun-Ha into the passenger seat, and they set off. As they drove on the road for a while, Lee Eun-Ha looked out the window, squinting her eyes. She realized that they weren’t heading back to where she lived.

“Where are we going now?”

“My house.”

“Your house?”

“Let’s have a meal when we get there.”

Until then, Lee Eun-Ha didn’t think much of it. However, she was rendered speechless when they finally arrived at Yoon Tae-Sung’s house.

“What’s…all this?” Lee Eun-Ha asked the obvious, as everything in the living room was hers. Every single item she had in her basement room was now in the living room before her.

“Just stay here for the time being.”

Yoon Tae-Sung said, as if giving an order, and stepped into the living room first.

“I’ve got everything here, so you shouldn’t feel any inconvenience during your stay here. Use the room there beside the kitchen. There’s also a private toilet en-suite.” Yoon Tae-Sung didn’t look at her while introducing his place.

In fact, he was afraid of looking her in the eye, as it was true that he skipped asking for her opinion and acted on his own accord just because he was angry.

“…” Lee Eun-Ha only stood at the same spot silently. She did not move an inch and only supported herself by holding herself up against the wall.

Yoon Tae-Sung grabbed her stuff one by one and moved them into the room he had pointed out earlier.

“Are you going to keep standing there? Why don’t you come in and make some coffee?”

“Hey, Yoon Tae-Sung.”

“Go ahead.”

Lee Eun-Ha looked up slowly. The tears welling up in her eyes finally rolled down her cheeks. Yoon Tae-Sung was taken aback to see her cry for the first time.

“You thought that I’d go berserk at you because you hurt my pride, right?”

“Hey, Lee Eun-Ha…” N0v3l-Bin was the first platform to present this chapter.

“Don’t be delusional. I don’t have the luxury of time to act recklessly now. You just got yourself involved with a homeless person, you know that? I’m going to stick my butt here and ruin all your furniture.”

“Sure, do whatever you like.”

Lee Eun-Ha then covered her face with one hand. Yoon Tae-Sung continued moving her things quietly, leaving her to sob. Lee Eun-Ha had given him strength when he needed it the most; now it was time to pay her back.

***

“You had dinner with Director Nam?”

“Why are you surprised?”

Ha Jae-Gun sat right up on his bed, surprised at the news. In his hands was the book Middle of Jongno, which he had just opened and was about to start reading.

“I was grateful for his help, so I promised to buy him a meal. But I wasn’t able to pay for the meal today.” Ha Jae-In let out a small sigh as she sat at the foot of the bed.

Ha Jae-Gun looked at his sister briefly. It seemed like she had put slightly more effort into her hairstyle, makeup, and dress today.

“You do look different after dressing up. You should do this more often, noona.”

“What did you just say? Do you have a death wish?”

“So, did you enjoy dinner?”

“Yeah, it was delicious. However, it felt quite burdensome. It was a restaurant at a hotel, and it was my first time going to such a luxurious place. I was shocked at the atmosphere and the prices on the menu…” Despite her words, Ha Jae-In was smiling. “But still, I felt comfortable after a while. Director Nam was so considerate, and unlike his appearance, he was quite tactful.”

“He’s just slightly sharp in some ways, but he’s a really good person once you get to know him. So what did you guys talk about?”

“Just random stuff? He seems to be having a tough time. I think he’s receiving a lot of pressure from home since he’s at the age where he should be getting married. He did look quite tired.”

“What did you say, noona?”

“I just consoled him by saying that he will most definitely be able to meet a good woman.”

Ha Jae-Gun found it ridiculous and just stared at Ha Jae-In. There was a problem before arguing whether both of them could get together or not. There was no way that someone like Nam Gyu-Ho was so free to have dinner with his own sister.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ha Jae-In asked.

“How can there be anyone this dense?”

“What, me?”

“Noona, think logically. Think of what kind of person Director Nam is; why would he suggest having dinner with you at a place like that?”

Ha Jae-In’s eyes widened as she fell into deep thought. She quickly understood the meaning behind Ha Jae-Gun’s question and laughed dismissively. “Stop pulling my leg. How can that be possible?”

“Why isn’t it possible?”

“Hey! How can the heir of a chaebol family look upon a girl like me from a peasant family? Oh, stop it. You should stop with the nonsense, Writer Ha Jae-Gun.”

“Seriously… I know I’m often said to be tactless, but I’m not as bad as you are, noona. You’re worse off than I am. Did he not suggest you meet again next time?”

“He asked me to buy him the next time since he paid for the meal tonight.”

“Look. That’s his excuse to meet you again.”

“What excuse? It was just right. I’m supposed to buy him a meal, and since I couldn’t do it this time, I can just do it next time.”

“Wow, this is frustrating.” Ha Jae-Gun ruffled his hair and rolled around his bed.

Ha Jae-In took out one of her earrings and asked, “Why are you here, anyway?”

“Who asked me to send them to the arboretum tomorrow? All right, I’m going out,” said Ha Jae-Gun, He sounded like he was sulking.

Ha Jae-In stopped taking off the other earring and hugged Ha Jae-Gun in place. “Gosh, look at me. I totally forgot about it after a few glasses of wine. It’s a promise with our great Writer Ha. I’m sowie, sowiee~”

“Don’t act cute to me; find a good man and do it to him instead. You need to get married first before I can get married. Ah, you’re suffocating me. Just go and shower already.”

“Look at you pushing me away. You’re getting arrogant, Jae-Gun. Tsk, you’re playing dirty and petty, so I’m going,” said Ha Jae-In before leaving the room.

Ha Jae-Gun grinned and lay on the bed.

‘Does Director Nam really have feelings for noona?

’

 

Despite explaining it clearly to Ha Jae-In, Ha Jae-Gun was still unconvinced himself.

He still couldn’t find an answer no matter how hard and long he thought. In the end, Ha Jae-Gun decided to stop worrying about it and returned to the book he had put aside.

‘The story isn’t getting into my brain.’

Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t focus on the book, probably because his mind was occupied with the thing going on between Nam Gyu-Ho and Ha Jae-In. He tried his best to throw those thoughts to the back of his mind and read the sentences with more concentration.

‘Hmm…?’

He was struck by a strange feeling upon reaching the 30th page.

The scenes depicted on every page after page 30th felt strangely familiar to him.

‘Hm, have I read this before?’

Ha Jae-Gun tilted his head, but he continued on reading it.

The main character of Middle of Jongno was a poor novelist.

The novelist from the countryside lived in a shabby room located in Jongno, and he was writing a novel while interacting with his literary friends. The process of that novelist’s bitter friendship and heart-wrenching love story was the novel’s story.

‘This is really weird…!’

Ha Jae-Gun sat up on his bed just as he reached the middle of the novel. A certain memory buried deep in his subconscious popped up in his mind. The memory was of him reading a certain novel that was eerily similar to this one.

‘The next scene is… where he meets the girl at the coffee shop before he leaves Jongno…!’

Ha Jae-Gun flipped the page and verified that the next development matched up with what he remembered. The novelist bade goodbye to his beloved whom he met at the coffee shop.

‘Where…where did I read this before?’

Ha Jae-Gun’s expression stiffened as he continued flipping the pages of the book.

Just then, Ha Jae-In brought in a cup of coffee and spotted the serious look on Ha Jae-Gun’s face before turning around to leave the room. It took less than an hour for Ha Jae-Gun to finish reading the entire book.

Even without using the horn-rimmed glasses, Ha Jae-Gun was able to finish reading the novel in a short period of time. Of course, it was also due to the fact that he knew more than seventy percent of the story.

However, the fact only made Ha Jae-Gun more perplexed. To make matters worse, a few scenes were extremely familiar to him, and they were accurate to the T when compared to his memories.

‘Could this be… the Elder’s memories…?’

Ha Jae-Gun was pretty sure that it was his first time reading this book, so the memories he was recalling had to be from Seo Gun-Woo.

Plus, the Elder’s memories had appeared in his dreams a couple of times without any warning as well. If it were a book Ha Jae-Gun had read before, he would have recognized it immediately. Was it pure speculation when this deeply buried memory had just resurfaced at this moment?

‘Kang Byeong-Ha…’

Ha Jae-Gun read the name printed on the book cover. He felt as if he had fallen deeper into a rabbit hole; he had many burning questions.

He finally pulled out his phone and gave Oh Myung-Suk a call.

— Yes, Mr. Ha.

“I apologize for calling you so late, editor-in-chief. I would like to know if are acquainted or know any of the bereaved family members of the late Mr. Kang Byeong-Ha?”

— Hmm, I don’t know much about them. His family did not step up publicly after his passing. But why do you ask about them?

“I’ve just finished reading Middle of Jongno, and I want to find out what happened while he was working on this novel. I want to look for them to ask about it. I think it’ll help me with my writing as well. Is there no way of locating them?”

Ha Jae-Gun had already thought of three possibilities.

The first possibility was that Kang Byeong-Ha and Seo Gun-Woo were the same person, the second possibility was that Kang Byeong-Ha had plagiarized Seo Gun-Woo’s work, and lastly, Ha Jae-Gun himself had gone crazy.

He couldn’t tell this to anyone, and he also didn’t have any evidence to back it up.

— I’ll try to look them up, but I hope you won’t expect too much from this. There have been multiple attempts from the literary world to locate the bereaved, but I’ve heard that they were all in vain.

“Thank you so much, editor-in-chief. I will never forget your help.”

— Hahaha, don’t say that. I’m definitely happy to help with anything that will help you produce better-quality novels, Mr. Ha.

Ha Jae-Gun ended the call. After a while, he picked up the book and flipped it to a certain page. It was the scene where the novelist left Jongno and settled in a town called Guncheon—where Gyeoja Bathhouse was located.

Chapter 168. Make It Up, If There’s None (12)

 

Park Seok-Ji’s personal editing office which had been quiet for a while, began bustling with life once more as they got busy with editing Gyeoja Bathhouse, which was directed by Yoon Tae-Sung.

The movie’s premiere date was set in late autumn, so Yoon Tae-Sung had no choice but to return all his vacation days to make preparations for it.

“Do you want coffee?” Yoon Tae-Sung asked as he was about to step out of the office to head to the toilet.

Lee Eun-Ha was sitting on a table in the corner, working on a scenario. She smiled at him and shook her head. “I’ll make one myself later, so don’t worry about me.”

Lee Eun-Ha didn’t want to stay home alone, so she followed Yoon Tae-Sung out. While Yoon Tae-Sung was working, she worked on her scenario in the reception room.

“It’s because I want some myself. Come here.” Yoon Tae-Sung forcibly pulled Lee Eun-Ha out of the office.

There was a cafe in the same building on the ground floor. The two ordered coffee for themselves and took a seat at the table by the window.

“It’s too noisy that you can’t concentrate, right?”

“No, I quite like the busy place.”

“You should just work at home.”

“I’ll get distracted easily if I stay at home. It’s too comfortable at home that I even slept the entire day away yesterday.”

Yoon Tae-Sung took a sip of his coffee and signaled at Lee Eun-Ha’s laptop with his eyes.

“So your scenario is almost done?”

“Yeah, I just need to proofread it.”

“Do you think you can sell it?”

“Honestly, I’m not that confident. The story is so-so.”

Yoon Tae-Sung nodded silently. Even back in their university days, Lee Eun-Ha was only fixated on writing about current events. She would always write about the reality of the socially disadvantaged people struggling with their lives under unfair treatment.

It was the case with her previous two indie films, as well as the current scenario she was working on at the moment.

“Maybe you should try focusing on feminism instead.”

“I only look like a female; I’m not a woman.” Lee Eun-Ha stretched herself for a while. Looking out the window where the sun was pouring down, she said, “Don’t worry. Even if I can’t sell this scenario, I still have plans.”

“What kind?”

“I’ll go work in the factory.”

“…What?” Yoon Tae-Sung was speechless.

Lee Eun-Ha grinned and patted his shoulders. “Why are you looking at me like that? I was planning to get a job elsewhere if the scenario fell through. I’ve been resting because I want to become healthy again.

“I was doing part-time here and there before, so life has been quite uncertain up until now. So I plan to give up entirely after this.”

“You’re going to give up?” Yoon Tae-Sung was dumbfounded.

Lee Eun-Ha was always a level above him in terms of their passion for movies, so it felt surreal to hear such words coming from her.

“I’ve got no other choices. I’m already in my mid-thirties, and I don’t have any savings at all. I think I should acknowledge my incompetency now.”

“Work with me then. Do you really think that I can’t take care of you? I’ll even let you stay at my place however long you like; treat it as your own. If you feel uncomfortable staying with me, I can get you a studio outside, too.”

Lee Eun-Ha turned her chair around and sat facing Yoon Tae-Sung.

She reached out both hands and grabbed his face by the cheeks like holding a child’s face and said, “Don’t use up all your energy on me, Director Yoon Tae-Sung. You should find a girl you like and get married instead.”

“Stop joking around. I’m being serious here.”

Just then, a young lady from across the street was approaching the window where the two of them were located.

Lee Eun-Ha recognized the well-dressed lady first and asked, “Isn’t she a celebrity? I think her name was Bo-Ra?”

“Yes.”

She was Lee Ye-Ji in Ha Jae-Gun’s movie, Summer in My 20s. Back then, her poor acting skills led to a huge controversy.

Lee Eun-Ha looked at Bo-Ra and muttered, “Her acting was bad in Summer in My 20s. The immersion just breaks whenever she appears. Oh, well, Woo Jae-Hoon’s scenario was a mess right off the bat, right? Oh, she’s looking this way.”

Lee Eun-Ha quickly looked away.

Indeed, Bo-Ra had looked in their direction and quickly approached them. Her face was full of smiles as she pushed the cafe doors open.

“Writer Ha! What are you doing here?”

Bo-Ra whizzed past Yoon Tae-Sung and Lee Eun-Ha, walking briskly into the cafe. Yoon Tae-Sung’s eyes widened as he looked in the direction she went. He spotted a man sitting in a corner with his laptop on the table.

“Oh? Writer Ha Jae-Gun?”

Ha Jae-Gun stood up with an awkward smile. Yoon Tae-Sung stood up as well and went up to Ha Jae-Gun for a handshake.

“I apologize. When have you been here?”

“Probably thirty minutes before you came in.”

“Why didn’t you go to the editing office?”

“I thought you were quite busy, and since we agreed to meet for lunch, I thought I’d go over when it’s time.”

Standing beside them, Bo-Ra looked alternatingly between Ha Jae-Gun and Yoon Tae-Sung. She couldn’t recognize Yoon Tae-Sung at all. She met Yoon Tae-Sung during the audition for There Was A Sea, but she had long forgotten about him.

‘What? A director? Which movie’s director is he?’

Regardless, Yoon Tae-Sung’s presence wasn’t important to Bo-Ra at the moment. She clasped her hands together and sang praises to Ha Jae-Gun, flattering him.

“Oppa, you’re so incredible. I only see news of your success these days. How much money did you make in China? Is it ten times more than in Korea? Or twenty times? I think you’re earning much more than Do-Joon Oppa now.”

However, Ha Jae-Gun did not reply to her as he was not obliged to answer her frivolous questions. He had long known of her shallow personality since he first met her at the movie’s press conference for Summer in My 20s.

“Oh, right, Oppa. Gyeoja Bathhouse will premiere soon, right? Ah, I wanted to act in that movie, too. Who’s the director? I think he hates me a lot. Our president personally went to ask him for a role but got rejected.”

She had no idea that the director she was referring to was standing next to them.

“So Hong Ye-Seul was picked? Anyway, you know her too, right? I heard she’s close with the hostess girl, Kim Na-Yeon. I think that’s why there are rumors that she’s from a similar background as Kim Na-Yeon.

“As they say, birds of the same feather flock together. You should be careful, Oppa. No one knows what kind of things those crude girls are doing behind our backs.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly at Yoon Tae-Sung. Unbeknownst to what was happening, Bo-Ra continued. “Oppa, can’t you treat me to a meal? It’s a coincidence that we’ve met here, and I’m free today as well. How about we have some delicious food together?”

“No.” Ha Jae-Gun rejected her with a stoic expression.

Bo-Ra was embarrassed, but she continued with a smile. “Come on, Oppa. Let’s have a meal together. I know all the delicious restaurants in this area.”

“I have something on, so I can’t.”

Bo-Ra was boiling in anger after getting rejected twice in the face. She was proud and confident in her own appearance; after all, she had undergone plastic surgery several times.

Most men would go along with her after seducing them the first time.

Bo-Ra wouldn’t give up easily, as Ha Jae-Gun was at the top of her list of prey. Of course, it was all because Ha Jae-Gun had amassed immense wealth and popularity in a short amount of time.

“When would it be convenient for you, then? Give me your number, too. I’ll give you mine, too. How about that?”

Bo-Ra took out her phone with one hand and held Ha Jae-Gun’s wrist with the other.

Ha Jae-Gun bit his lips at the same time. “Please don’t touch me.”

Ha Jae-Gun shook off Bo-Ra’s hand coldly. Bo-Ra gulped in fear at the sudden change in attitude and Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes that had turned cold.

“Please do not touch others without permission. And do you know me well enough to call me Oppa?”

“N-no… I… didn’t have other intentions…”

“And you wanted to appear in Gyeoja Bathhouse? The director of the movie, Director Yoon Tae-Sung, is right here. How dare you still want to act in the movie when you can’t even remember the director’s name?”

“What…?”

Bo-Ra turned pale and looked at Yoon Tae-Sung.

She wasn’t that dumb to know that she had made a grave mistake.

Before she could come up with any excuses, Ha Jae-Gun said, “Also, please do not slander Ms. Hong Ye-Seul. While you’re here wasting time and spreading groundless rumors, she is working hard to become a real actor.”

“O-Oppa, I just…” Bo-Ra was on the verge of tears as she took a step back.

Ha Jae-Gun bent slightly to meet her at eye level before growling, “Do you know me well enough to call me Oppa?”

“I-I’m sorry…! I’m sorry, Writer Ha…!”

“Leave if you are sorry.”

Bo-Ra quickly left the cafe while covering her tear-stained face after bowing to both Ha Jae-Gun and Yoon Tae-Sung.

Ha Jae-Gun apologized to Yoon Tae-Sung. “I’m sorry, Director.”

“Don’t be. If you didn’t say all that, I would have given her a piece of my mind as well. Thank you for resolving it before I burst out in anger.”

Lee Eun-Ha stood up from their table. Yoon Tae-Sung then took the chance to introduce her to Ha Jae-Gun.

“She is Lee Eun-Ha. She is also my friend, movie director, and scenario writer. Eun-Ha, this is Writer Ha Jae-Gun.”

“Hello, I’m Ha Jae-Gun.”

“I’m Lee Eun-Ha. I really enjoyed your novels, as well as the movies Yoon Tae-Sung directed. I’m honored to meet you here today.”

The three naturally joined tables. The atmosphere had turned amicable after Bo-Ra’s departure, and Ha Jae-Gun asked Lee Eun-Ha, “If my memory serves me right, are you not the director for Mart and Forest of Buildings?”

“Oh, my… Yes. That’s right.” Lee Eun-Ha’s face turned pale instantly. Both movies were her works. As both movies were indie films lined strongly with current affairs, they performed poorly on the market.

“How were you able to tell…?” Yoon Tae-Sung asked, astonished.

Ha Jae-Gun scratched the back of his head and said, “I love movies, too. Even before working together with you, I already knew who you were just by hearing your name alone. Director Lee Eun-Ha’s movies were pretty impressive as well.”

“T-they weren’t that interesting…”

“They were interesting to me. The movies weren’t too bogged down by the topics, and they had some funny points that were relatable. You also depicted the lives of the socially disadvantaged people quite accurately as well.”

Ha Jae-Gun pulled his laptop toward himself.

On the screen was the manuscript of his short stories—The Market and Its People. The debut release happened at N0v3lBiin.

“This is my latest work and is quite similar to the movies that Director Lee Lee Eun-Ha has worked on before. There were times when I thought of your movie while writing my novel. I’m really honored to meet you through Director Yoon Tae-Sung.”

“Thank you… really, for your kind words.” Lee Eun-Ha looked like she was about to cry.

Ha Jae-Gun’s compliments reminded her that the hard times she had gone through so far hadn’t been a waste.

“Tae-Sung was right.”

“Pardon…?”

“You’re an amazing person. You’ve made me so happy, even though we just met… I’ve always been wondering what kind of person you are while reading your amazing works, and I finally got my answer,” Lee Eun-Ha replied and smiled softly.

A sudden thought came to her. She reckoned that she would never forget this coincidental meeting with Ha Jae-Gun today, and the overwhelming courage she had received from him today would remain in her heart forever.

“I have many questions I would like to ask you. Since it’s lunchtime, shall we head to a nearby restaurant?”

“Sure, Writer Ha. Let’s go then.” The group of three left the cafe and headed to a restaurant.

Before the day ended, a new space was being set up in the writer’s office, and another main character was added to Ha Jae-Gun’s The Market and Its People. The title of Ha Jae-Gun’s third short story was decided—The Market’s Movie Director.

Chapter 169. Make It Up, If There’s None (13)

N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter’s release on No’v3l–B1n.

“Hyung, are you taking some drugs?”

“What drugs? Why?”

“It’s just that… you’ve been like a beast recently. Anyway, I’m going to shower. Look away,” said Jang Eun-Young before hurrying into the shower.

Drenched in sweat, Kang Min-Ho sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out a cigarette. However, he put it away upon recalling that his girlfriend didn’t like the smell of cigarette smoke.

‘I need to save even more money…’ Kang Min-Ho thought as he looked around the small motel room. He had been doing his best to save money, but he still needed more funds to build a home with Jang Eun-Young. He didn’t want to get a basement room for them; he wanted a two-bedroom apartment as their newly-wed house.

He didn’t mean to move out due to the awkwardness of publicly displaying their affection. This issue could easily be resolved if they left the office occasionally. More importantly, it was because Kang Min-Ho had started to become more wary and began to walk on eggshells while around the others.

‘There are new writers joining the office as well…‘

It was an issue that concerned Kang Min-Ho’s conscience. Both Jang Eun-Young and himself had somewhat established themselves as writers and had the capacity to pay for their own daily meals and monthly rent.

Lee Eun-Ha moved into the office through Ha Jae-Gun’s decision, and he had heard from Kwon Tae-Won that two more writers signed with Laugh Books were joining the office as well.

It marked the start of Kang Min-Ho’s worries.

Wouldn’t it be much better to leave the office for the new writers instead? At least, they would have to change from living in the office to clocking in and out of the office like normal office workers do.

The bathroom door opened while he was still trying to find a solution to his worries.

Jang Eun-Young stepped out of the steamy bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

“Ah, that was so refreshing. Hyung, go have a shower, too.”

“Yeah…”

“Hyung, are you tired? Shall we change accommodation and stay out tonight?”

“No, we have deadlines to handle, too. I’ll go shower.”

The sun beat down on their heads the moment they stepped out of the motel.

Jang Eun-Young continued drying her hair with her hands and asked, “Everyone in the office already knows about our relationship, right?”

“We’ve spent so much time with them. Even if we didn’t explicitly tell them, they should have noticed it already.”

They walked out of the alley and onto the main road. As they walked on the street, Jang Eun-Young suddenly said, “I can put in fifteen million won right now.”

“…What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“What else? We need to get our own house, of course.” Jang Eun-Young smiled at Kang Min-Ho, who was looking quite dumbfounded.

“Do you really think I’m that naive? I mean, You’ve been walking on eggshells recently.”

Jang Eun-Young reached out and held Kang Min-Ho’s hand.

“If you’re worried about something, share it with me. Do you really think you’re alone?”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you are, let’s go for anchovy noodles.”

“Are you never getting tired of it?”

The couple grabbed a table at the noodle restaurant they frequented and ordered their meals. Jang Eun-Young was reading the news articles on the Internet when her eyes suddenly widened.

“Seems like Oscar’s Dungeon is also doing well in China.”

“Really? Did it go on the news?”

“It hit 6th in sales on the China App Store and obtained over a cumulative number of forty-one million downloads, which is about seventy percent of the entire market share in China. The market there must be huge.”

Jang Eun-Young showed her phone to Kang Min-Ho.

Kang Min-Ho stared at the news blankly and stuck his tongue out. “I can’t even imagine how much Writer Ha is making at this point. Is Gyeoja Bathhouse releasing next? How is that going?”

“The movie and game will be released in China first. The novel will be released through OongSung in the US, I think?”

Bzzt!

 

Kang Min-Ho’s phone rang.

“Hello, Writer Ha. Why did you call?”

— Did you enjoy the movie with Writer Jang?

“Pardon? Ah, yes… Haha. We enjoyed it a lot.” Kang Min-Ho minced his words and chuckled awkwardly. He had totally forgotten that he had told everyone else that they would go to the movies earlier when they left the office.

— Where are you now? I’m at the office at the moment, and I have something to tell you.

“Ah, we’re nearby. We’ll be back after having a bowl of noodles which we’ve just ordered. We’ll be back soon.”

— You don’t have to rush your meal, so please take your time. When you come back, just go to apartment number 1701 in the same building.

“1701? Why there…?”

— You’ll find out once you’re here. I’ll see you later then.

The call ended, leaving Kang Min-Ho looking perplexed.

Jang Eun-Young had just placed chopsticks on the bowls of noodles that had just been served. She looked up and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“He has something he wants to tell us, and he asked us to go to 1701 instead of the office.”

“Why there?”

“I’m not sure either. Maybe a company has decided to establish a partnership with Laugh Books, and he wants to introduce us to those people?”

They thought long and hard, but they couldn’t seem to come up with an answer. The curious couple made quick work of their noodles and left the restaurant.

***

“Didn’t he say to go to the 17th floor?”

“Oh, right. I got used to pressing the floor for the office.”

Kang Min-Ho and Jang Eun-Young soon arrived at the 17th floor. 1701 was located right at the end of the corridor. The couple quickly headed to the apartment, where its door was left wide open.

“Oh? There’s no one in here, though?” Kang Min-Ho murmured as he stood outside and peeked into the apartment.

Jang Eun-Young peeked over his shoulder from behind, and a soft gasp escaped from her lips. “Wow, this place is huuuuuge. Is this a gym of some sort?”

“Yeah, I thought our office was huge, but this place is much more spacious.”

Just then, both of them heard approaching footsteps from inside the apartment. Ha Jae-Gun soon appeared from one of the rooms near the living room, and a young lady in a formal suit followed behind him.

“Oh, you’re both here? Come in.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled, looking delighted. Kang Min-Ho and Jang Eun-Young stepped into the apartment, looking puzzled.

“What do you think of this place?”

“Pardon?” Kang Min-Ho could not understand the meaning behind Ha Jae-Gun’s question.

Ha Jae-Gun then grinned and looked at Jang Eun-Young. “It’s literally what I asked. What do you think of this place, Writer Jang?”

“It’s spacious and looks good to me. How big is this apartment?”

The young lady standing beside Ha Jae-Gun stepped up to explain. “It’s 59 pyeong in total. There are four rooms and two bathrooms; there’s also a separate dressing room.”

“Wow… so it’s 60 pyeong rounded up. That’s huge.” Jang Eun-Young continued looking around the apartment, letting out small gasps of exclamation.

Meanwhile, Kang Min-Ho seemed to have guessed Ha Jae-Gun’s intentions and narrowed his eyes. “Um, Writer Ha, is this possibly…”

“Haha, you found out?” Ha Jae-Gun grinned.

Jang Eun-Young then caught on.

The young lady was a property agent, and this huge place was going to be the new writer’s office.

“Since there will be more writers joining from Laugh Books into the current office, it will become much more inconvenient, so please move here. This is entirely my office, after all. Even if you’re forced to work with people from other companies, there’s nothing for you to worry about either.”

“Writer Ha, we…are extremely grateful but this…” Kang Min-Ho’s mouth was so parched that he could not continue his sentence.

As if expecting such a response from Kang Min-Ho, Ha Jae-Gun added immediately, “It’s not for free. You’ll have to pay 100,000 won per month per person.”

“Writer Ha…” Even Jang Eun-Young’s heart ached at Ha Jae-Gun’s thoughtfulness. They would never be able to get such a great place like this at 100,000 won per month.

Moreover, the couple knew that Ha Jae-Gun had requested a small amount as rent out of consideration for them. This was why they felt much more grateful and apologetic at the same time.

“Writer Yang Hyun-Kyung and Lee Yeon-Woo will be moving over here as well. Director Lee Eun-Ha will be commuting to and fro here for the time being. So aside from me, there’ll be a total of five of you here.”

Ha Jae-Gun had been taught repeatedly by his father since he was young that personality came before ability. It was the greatest asset that couldn’t be compared to any wealth or treasure, so Ha Jae-Gun did not wish to lose any of the writers.

Aside from any financial gains or losses, this was never a losing business. Whenever he was going through tough times, these people gave him emotional support. And there was no knowing if he would receive any more help from them in the future.

“But if possible, please keep staying with Laugh Books. Otherwise, I’d get reprimanded by President Kwon for stealing his writers.”

Jang Eun-Young and Kang Min-Ho both laughed bitterly at Ha Jae-Gun’s joke. Saying thank you to him over a thousand times wouldn’t be enough for the goodwill he had shown them, and they thought it’d be much better to stay silent.

***

On that same night, the smell of grilled pork belly filled and wafted out from the new office that Ha Jae-Gun had gotten for the writers. A huge group of people had gathered in the new office.

The writers, Director Yoon Tae-Sung, Lee Eun-Ha, Jung So-Mi, and even Kwon Tae-Won had gathered to enjoy the meat and alcohol.

“Everyone, let’s drink to celebrate the establishment of Ha Jae-Gun’s team!” yelled the drunk Lee Yeon-Woo after jumping to his feet.

Ha Jae-Gun waved at him in embarrassment. “Stop spouting nonsense. You’re drunk, so sit down.”

“Ah, hyung, why? I’m not drunk, really. Hick.” Lee Yeon-Woo whined and put on an innocent-looking face.

Seated beside Lee Yeon-Woo, Lee Eun-Ha joined in and raised her glass high. “I think his idea’s great. I want to be part of Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s line, so I’ll join in the toast.”

Lee Eun-Ha’s words got everyone bursting into laughter. A round of toasts continued, and the group returned to talking over each other.

“Thank you for looking out for Eun-Ha,” Yoon Tae-Sung said softly to Ha Jae-Gun while looking at Lee Eun-Ha sitting across from him and chatting excitedly with Lee Yeon-Woo.

“She mentioned that it’s hard for her to focus on work at my place. She’s really a talented person, just that her time isn’t here yet.”

“Of course, I understand. I believe that Director Lee Eun-Ha will soon shine. And strictly speaking, I’m grateful to her. She shared her life experience with me without hesitation, which allowed me to add another short story to my latest work.”

Ha Jae-Gun’s gaze suddenly turned serious.

It just came to his mind that the movies Lee Eun-Ha had worked on were similar to The Market and Its People. He rubbed his chin and mumbled, “If the novel ever gets the chance to get adapted into a movie, then Director Lee Eun-Ha can…”

“Pardon? What did you just say?”

“No, it’s nothing.” Ha Jae-Gun decided to keep this to himself for the time being.

This wasn’t something that would happen in the near future, so there was no need to get so excited over it this early.

Bzzt!

“Excuse me, I have to take this call.” Ha Jae-Gun left the office with his phone ringing in hand. Upon arriving at the last window in the corridor, he answered the phone, “Hello, editor-in-chief.”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. Are you having dinner?

Oh Myung-Suk sounded quite happy over the phone. Ha Jae-Gun wondered if the man had good news for him as he replied, “I’ve just moved offices, so we’re having a meat party now.”

— I see. Am I disturbing your fun?

“No, it’s coming to an end. Please speak.”

— First, I would like to update you that I still can’t find any traces of the bereaved family of the late Mr. Kang. I think you’ll need to wait a little longer on that. And…

The faint sound of Myung-Suk flipping through some documents came through the line.

— Mr. Ha, are you possibly interested in TV dramas?

“TV dramas?”

— I know Producer Ahn Jong-Won from MBS Broadcasting Station. He has been begging me to arrange a meeting with you for a while now, and his wish is to work with you on a production with your scenario, even if it were a one-act play.

“Ah, I see…” Ha Jae-Gun did not know how to reply to the unexpected news.

Ha Jae-Gun didn’t have any experience in TV dramas. He was interested, but he couldn’t quite make a decision.

“What do you think about this, editor-in-chief?”

— My opinion?

“You know that I’ll always ask you this first. Do you think I can pull it off? I’m not sure how broadcasting stations work either.”

— It’s not that much different from what you’re used to, actually. You can just do what you’ve done so far. If it’s a one-act play, the length wouldn’t be an issue, so I think it’s not a bad idea to try it out once.

“Hmm, I see… But what kind of scenario should I use for it?”

— What about the latest one you’re working on at the moment? Maybe you could adapt one of the short stories in The Market and Its People?

“Will that be alright?”

— Of course. I think both the security guard and glutinous rice cafe seller stories are good episodes. I think using the rice cake seller story is better because it has romance. It might be much more popular with the public.

Ha Jae-Gun looked out of the window and into the night sky. He imagined the happy looks on his family member’s faces as they sat in the living room watching the drama he had written, which allowed him to make a quick decision.

“Thank you, editor-in-chief. Please help me arrange a meeting with that producer.”

Ha Jae-Gun’s intention was conveyed to the producer through Oh Myung-Suk. The next morning, a few people related to the producer had learned of Ha Jae-Gun’s intention to work on a TV drama.

However, not everyone looked upon the news kindly.

Chapter 170. Let’s Meet At Home (1)

 

— Really? So you’ve decided to write drama scripts?

“I’ll meet him first to listen to his proposal.”

— Won’t it be tough on you?

“He said it’s going to be a one-act play, so I’m not that worried,” Ha Jae-Gun spoke into the phone, with one hand stroking Rika on his lap.

— Our Writer Ha is amazing! From novels to webtoons, games, movies, and now you’re working on TV dramas!

“You need to meet me and hear this personally instead of over the phone.”

The fresh morning breeze blew in through the half-opened window. A smile formed on Ha Jae-Gun’s lips. He was still half-awake in the peaceful morning. He loved talking over the phone with Lee Soo-Hee at this time of the day.

— Make sure you eat your vitamins and don’t drink too much just because I’m not around.

“You know that I don’t usually drink unless it’s because of work.”

— Don’t just have ramyun because it’s bothersome to cook. If you’re worried about leftover food, just put one portion into a ziplock bag and into the freezer. If it’s too much trouble, find a restaurant that doesn’t put too much seasoning in their food.

“I’ll take good care of myself, so don’t worry.”

— Where was it again? I’m talking about the restaurant on the way to the tuna restaurant behind the subway station. The restaurant we used to go to… their food was light and pretty good. I think you can eat their dishes once a day…

Ha Jae-Gun chuckled with a frown. Why was Lee Soo-Hee still worrying over him like a child when Ha Jae-Gun was about to turn thirty the day after tomorrow? He couldn’t understand it, but he was happy. He could feel her heartfelt worries from across the ocean.

— You’re also exercising regularly, right? Since you don’t like going to the gyms, what about cycling? Or maybe play squash—

“Soo-Hee.”

— Hmm?

“I love you.”

— Tsk… lies. You’re just asking me to stop nagging you.

Rika suddenly jumped down from Ha Jae-Gun’s lap. Ha Jae-Gun watched as Rika ran out into the garden and replied, “It feels like it’s been ten years since I last saw you.”

— You’re just exaggerating… Plus, I miss you more.

“I miss you much more.”

— No, no.

Ha Jae-Gun finally ended the call, and his hot coffee had turned cold by the time the call ended. As he stood up and stretched his body, he stepped out into the garden to look for Rika.

“Rika, where are you? Hmm?”

Ha Jae-Gun squinted as he looked at the spot next to the pine tree in his garden where Rika stood. There was a kitten he had never seen before with Rika.

“Rika, who is this? Your friend?”

Ha Jae-Gun approached, but the kitten did not run away. Perhaps it had been roaming on the streets for a while, as its body of white fur was full of dirt.

“Where did you come from? You look much younger than Rika.” Ha Jae-Gun asked, slowly reaching out to the kitten.

The kitten didn’t seem to be on guard either. Its fur did not stand, and it even let Ha Jae-Gun touch its body.

“Why are you trembling so much? Are you unwell?”

Ha Jae-Gun could feel the kitten trembling in his hand. Rika pressed her paw on Ha Jae-Gun’s wrist and cried softly. Ha Jae-Gun seemed to have understood her cries as he made eye contact with her.

“All right, let’s bring her to the vet first.”

Ha Jae-Gun picked up the kitten in his hands and headed to the garage with Rika following behind him with graceful steps.

***

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun.” The debut release happened at N0v3lBiin.

A group of them gathered in a Korean restaurant located somewhere in Yeouido for lunch in a private area surrounded by luxurious-looking folding screens past the main dining hall. The restaurant was brimming with diners.

On one side of the table sat Ha Jae-Gun and Oh Myung-Suk, while on the other side sat people from MBS Broadcasting Station and various entertainment agencies.

“I’m Bae Tae-Gon, Content Producer of MBS Broadcasting Stations’ TV Drama Department. I heard that a meeting with you was arranged, and I decided to drop everything else to join this meeting.” The man bowed down deeply after finishing his introductions.

Ha Jae-Gun bowed in response. Following Content Producer Bae, the people took turns introducing themselves to Ha Jae-Gun.

“I am Producer Ahn Jong-Won. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“I’m Assistant Director Seo Yoon-Gun, working under Producer Ahn.”

The introductions soon ended.

While the food ordered earlier was being served on the table, Content Producer Bae, seemingly in his fifties, laughed heartily and said, “I’ve tried everything I could to get in contact with Mr. Ha before, but it was all in vain.”

“I apologize. I’ve had too many things to deal with on my plate before and had no choice but to reject casting offers,” Ha Jae-Gun replied.

“No, of course, I understand how busy you must have been. Thank you for making time out of your schedule to meet with us today as well.” Content Producer Bae chuckled.

The title of Content Producer was only given to those who had worked as a producer for over ten years in their career. In terms of a normal corporation, the position was equivalent to those in the directorial levels.

The Content Producers manage producers in charge of certain programs assigned to them, and they also oversee program planning. It was a high position that required rich directing experience.

“The food here is delicious. Please have some.” Content Producer Bae pushed a dish to Ha Jae-Gun, urging him to try the food.

Honestly, if the other party were some normal writer, he wouldn’t have come all the way here. Moreover, the contract wasn’t fixed yet, so it was highly unusual for him to meet them in person so early on.

There was an abundance of good writers.

Mountains of scripts and novels would pile up to the ceiling if he just sat in his office. It was also part of his every job to see this sight as a Content Producer after working in the industry for almost close to twenty years.

However, this was different. The writer was none other than Writer Ha Jae-Gun.

“I’ve read all of your works, Mr. Ha.”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course. I especially love the martial arts novels published under Poongchun-Yoo. The way your narratives come to life in front of my eyes while reading made me feel like turning them into a drama. It’s quite a distant wish in Korea. Hahaha.” Content Producer Bae laughed out loud once more, recalling the day when he first learned about Ha Jae-Gun’s existence.

He first learned about Ha Jae-Gun after reading news about the novel Summer in My 20s getting a movie adaptation.

Back then, Content Producer Bae didn’t even bother memorizing Ha Jae-Gun’s name, so he only got lucky when he found out about how Ha Jae-Gun had become a bestselling author. It was common to see many writers shine in the sky once and disappear once and for all like a random pebble on the ground.

They were living in a harsh era, after all.

“Mr. Ha is really incredible.” Content Producer Bae continued with sincerity. “It’s an understatement to call you an unusual writer. You’ve written martial arts, fantasy, drama, mystery and even horror genres. I can’t believe you managed to pull off all of those genres, and on top of that, they were extremely successful.

“Not only were your novels a hit, but they even got adapted into movies, webtoons, and games… I even heard that your works are now expanding into the overseas market.

Content Producer Bae clenched his fists while Ha Jae-Gun smiled awkwardly and shook his head. This time, Producer Ahn stopped picking up a side dish and added, “Not only your sales performance, but you have even won various prestigious literary awards, shaking up the entire literary world. You’ve definitely become a sensation.”

“I think both Content Producer Bae and Producer Ahn are trying to drown me in embarrassment.”

Even AD Seo stepped in with his hands raised, “I’ve heard a lot about Mr. Ha when I drop by the university town. I have a younger friend who is a broadcast writer and has graduated from the literary department

“He said that nine out of ten students would transcribe your works.”

All three from MBS were singing praises at Ha Jae-Gun. Not only them, but Director Lee from ICU Entertainment was on the same page as them. It seemed that he wanted to sign a contract with Ha Jae-Gun no matter what.

Ha Jae-Gun had become a successful writer, but he had yet to set foot in TV dramas. If he took over the small screen screenplays, it would instantly become another hot topic on the internet; the publicity efforts would instantly bear fruit.

“We’re only been talking and not eating at all. I’m sorry, Mr. Ha. Please eat.”

As they had their food, the group began talking about the trends within the entertainment industry. From a certain point on, the topic shifted to dramas and then slowly shifted back onto Ha Jae-Gun once more.

“We are planning to co-produce the drama with ICU Entertainment, similar to how we have partnered in the four-part drama titled Like Her Cradle

.”

 

“What…?” Ha Jae-Gun looked up in surprise.

Even Oh Myung-Suk had his eyebrows raised, looking puzzled. Instead of Ha Jae-Gun, Oh Myung-Suk asked, “Was it not a one-act play?”

“We did plan for it to be a one-act play, but if Mr. Ha is fine with it, we would like to turn it into a three-part series.”

Producer Ahn then looked at Ha Jae-Gun and continued. “I’ve read all three short stories in The Market and Its People. The three main characters of those stories are gently connected, and I thought that it’d be great to turn them into a three-part series.”

“Hmm, I see…”

Director Lee of ICU then took over the baton. “Like Her Cradle was actually a replacement drama for the preceding drama that got axed. As a result, Like Her Cradle wasn’t well-prepared, so we had no choice but to turn it into a four-part series.”

“Mm, I see.”

“Despite that, the responses were lukewarm. The chronic issue with one-act plays is the fact that their viewership ratings aren’t as high. However, the issue was resolved when we increased the number of episodes.”

Ha Jae-Gun nodded while taking down notes diligently with a pen in hand.

Director Lee stole a glance at this notepad and continued excitedly, “There is a huge market of youths who support such short stories. Your stories involve relatable topics as well as rapid story development. I’m looking forward to hearing a positive response from you today, Mr. Ha.”

Ha Jae-Gun put down his pen and revealed a faint appreciative smile.

However, Director Lee didn’t understand the meaning behind his smile and added anxiously, “I will do my best to cater to your needs, Mr. Ha. If you need anything related to writing the script, I can provide them for you. In addition, we are willing to follow your opinions on who to cast for the actors and director on the project.”

“…”

Ha Jae-Gun closed his mouth and then organized his thoughts. He felt as if a golden opportunity had come earlier than expected. However, it was more of since we’re at it rather than we definitely will.

“I…” Ha Jae-Gun finally opened his mouth after much pondering. “I cherish the work I produce. Before determining whether my writing is good or bad, I feel an attachment to my own works since they belong to me.”

“Of course, Mr. Ha. I understand.” Director Lee nodded profusely.

Ha Jae-Gun continued slowly. “So I’ve always had to think things through every time. I hope that someone with great capability will make a good movie out of my novels. This time, it’s a drama.”

Ha Jae-Gun glanced at Oh Myung-Su next to him before saying, “But after my recent experiences, I realized one thing—I’m a writer, and I’m only good at writing. I don’t have a good eye for directors and actors. Therefore, I appreciate your offer, but I do not have the desire to intervene in casting.”

Thinking that that was all Ha Jae-Gun had to say, Producer Ahn was about to chime in when Ha Jae-Gun picked up his spoon and continued with a serious look. “But there is one director whom I would like to recommend for this project.

“Who is it?”

“Director Lee Eun-Ha.”

Director Lee tilted his head to the side. It was his first time hearing that name.

“She has directed two indie films: Mart and Forest of Buildings. While writing The Market and Its People, I made the decision to work with her if this work ever gets the chance to be adapted into a movie. Her personality and directing fall in line with my novel. I hope you will take her into consideration.”

“Hmm, I see… I will make sure to check her out, Mr. Ha.”

AD Seo immediately took down notes.

Director Lee asked, “Do you have any other requests in regards to the actors or some other areas? If you have an actor from our agency whom you’d like to have in particular, feel free to let me know, and I will review them.”

“There’s no actor I want in particular, but there’s someone I do not wish to see in my project.”

“Someone… you don’t wish to see?”

Ha Jae-Gun nodded. He didn’t want to leave his project in the hands of someone who would just ruin it.

Countless actors were fighting hard for their dreams even at the moment. Even if it were just a single spot, he wanted to mention that particular person to help everyone else with their passion.

“I recommend Director Lee Eun-Ha for the project, but this is my non-negotiable…”

Silence ensued. Everyone’s eyes were focused on Ha Jae-Gun’s lips. Ha Jae-Gun was about to speak of the condition that the three men from MBS and Director Lee from ICU Entertainment had to accept without qualms.