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Big Life Chapter 201-210


Chapter 201. What? Dragon Rider? (7)

 

“The movie I’m going to introduce to everyone today is Road to Perdition. It’s a story based in the States about a gangster who was betrayed during the Great Depression in 1931. The lead character is played by the renowned actor Tom Hanks.”

Ha Jae-Gun looked comfortable while looking straight into the camera while sitting on a high chair. He was currently at the studio, filming Let’s Watch A Movie.

This time, there was no interaction between panelists, and he had received a script in advance from the production team, so he felt less burdened during the filming.

“Aside from Tom Hanks, there are other legendary actors included in the cast such as Paul Newman, Jude Law, as well as the currently popular actor in Korea, Daniel Craig, who was known for the 007 series. Memories of the past suddenly came to me. When I was young, the elders would call such crime-based noir works gangster movies.”

He initially joined this program in hopes of providing some help to Do-Joon, but he was now enjoying himself. He had gained a sense of responsibility after receiving emails from readers.

“While depicting the story of how the betrayed main character regained everything he had lost and avenged himself, the story also emphasized paternal love. The journey of him and his elder son began after his wife and younger son were murdered. As the story progressed, countless variables hit the apathetic father and son pair, which was also one of the interesting parts that the movie has to offer.”

The staff in the control room switched camera angles in the studio.

Ha Jae-Gun continued reading according to the script with a relaxed tone as he took the signal.

“The scene that touched me closest to my heart was when the father and son finally understood each other. The main character explains to his elder son why he discriminates against his elder son and favors his younger son more, saying that his elder son reminds him too much of himself, and he hates it.

“Of course, the main character didn’t mean to discriminate against his elder son. The main character has locked himself up in the dark world, whether it was voluntarily or not. Just how did he feel when he saw a reflection of himself in his son?”

The door to the studio opened slightly, and Producer Oh from MBS’s variety department stepped in. Producer Shin, who was overseeing the recording, noticed his presence and signaled him over with his hand.

“Is it almost over?”

“Yeah, soon. Why?”

“I’m here to see Mr. Ha for a while.”

Ahha. It must be about that.” Producer Shin soothed his mustache and chuckled. “I don’t think he’ll agree.”

“I’ll have to at least give it a try first.”

The filming finally ended after some time. Ha Jae-Gun unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as he stepped down the stage. As he thanked the staff for their hard work, Producer Oh appeared before him.

“Hello, Mr. Ha.”

Ah, Producer Oh? It’s been a while.” Ha Jae-Gun greeted him happily and shook hands with the man. Ha Jae-Gun recognized Producer Oh as he had appeared in I Live Alone with Park Do-Joon in the past.

“I wanted to greet you on several occasions, but you have been quite busy all this time. You were busy every time I called, so I took the liberty of coming down here to see you. Hahaha.” Producer Oh joked and chuckled as he slicked his hair back.

Ha Jae-Gun then replied with an apologetic look, “Yes, I have been busy lately.”

Haha, yes. Um… Do you have anything on after this? I was wondering if we could have a cup of coffee together for a while…” Producer Oh trailed off as he observed Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun checked the time on his wristwatch. He was supposed to return to the writer’s office to have dinner with the others. Thinking that he was tight on time, Ha Jae-Gun replied, “I’m really sorry, but I have an appointment later.”

Ah, I see…”

With a disappointed look clouding Producer Oh’s face, Ha Jae-Gun quickly added, “So I can’t go far, but I can have coffee with you at the lounge.”

Ah, ahahaha…! Great, let’s go, Mr. Ha.”

Producer Oh and Ha Jae-Gun sat across from each other on the sofa in the lounge with their coffee in hand.

What Producer Oh said afterward was something that Ha Jae-Gun had been expecting.

“I’d like to invite Mr. Ha on I Live Alone as a guest.”

“What is there to share about someone like me who only writes for a living?”

“There are viewers all over the country wishing to see your personal life. We’re not expecting anything difficult from you. You may work as usual, and our cameramen will capture your life and edit it into an interesting story.”

“I’ll think over this seriously and let you know again,” Ha Jae-Gun replied with a faint smile. It was somewhat interesting to see that his popularity had increased so much that he had been invited to guest on I Live Alone.

All he had done until now was writing, but it felt like his entire world had changed. It was the same for Producer Oh sitting before him. Producer Oh had addressed Ha Jae-Gun as Writer Ha when he invited Park Do-Joon as a guest on the show.

However, he was now addressing Ha Jae-Gun politely as Mr. Ha.

“I’ll try to come to a decision as soon as possible.”

“I hope you’ll give me a positive answer, Mr. Ha.”

After Producer Oh sent Ha Jae-Gun out, he encountered a group of readers at the door. The same group of people would appear every time Ha Jae-Gun filmed Let’s Watch A Movie, and he wasn’t flustered anymore.

“You’ve cut your hair, Mr. Ha? I think you’ll look good with permed hair, what do you think? I work at a hair salon, I’ll do a great job if you come by.”

“When will we be able to see the drama for Summer in My 20s

?”

 

“I heard that you’re playing Oscar’s Dungeon, too, right? What level are you at now?”

The readers asked him various questions while requesting a few autographs and photos with Ha Jae-Gun. Ha Jae-Gun replied to them one by one while acceding to their requests without rest.

He didn’t find them troublesome at all. He was grateful to them. They were the reason he could stand here today.

Ah, it’s already so late.

Thirty minutes had passed after he had barely finished responding to the readers’ requests. Ha Jae-Gun hurried to the parking lot. The moment he reached out to open the car door…

“Can you give me an autograph as well?” a feminine voice echoed behind him.

“…!” Ha Jae-Gun’s hand froze, and he flinched in surprise. He had just heard the most beautiful voice in the world that he could never forget.

“Soo-Hee…?” Ha Jae-Gun turned around in shock, and his jaw dropped to the floor.

Lee Soo-Hee stood smiling at Ha Jae-Gun, with her cheeks and nose looking rosy in the cold. She was holding the final volume of Oscar’s Dungeon.

“Are you going to sign this for me, Writer Ha?”

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you’ll only be back in two weeks?”

“Revenge.”

“Revenge? What revenge?”

“You did this to me when you visited Taiwan, too. Huhu, I wanted to give you a surprise; it seems like I’ve succeeded.”

Ha Jae-Gun took a step forward, still in disbelief. He then suddenly pulled Lee Soo-Hee into a hug, causing the book in her hands to fall to the ground.

“Wait! The book fell.”

“Who cares about that? All that matters is that you’re here.”

“We’re still outside. What if someone took a photo and uploaded it onto the internet?”

“So what? We’re getting married anyway.” Ha Jae-Gun hugged her tighter.

The weather was so cold that white condensation came out of their mouths, but it didn’t affect him as Lee Soo-Hee’s warmth was much stronger than the cold winds.

“How did you know that I’m here?”

“I asked your manager.”

Ah, you called Yeon-Woo?”

“Yeah, I heard you’re going to have dinner with the writers?”

Ha Jae-Gun gently pulled away from the hug and stared at her plump and round lips.

He smiled and said, “Let’s have dinner together instead.”

“What about your dinner appointment with the others? You don’t have to worry about me. It’s good enough that we got to see each other today; we can meet again tomorrow.”

“It’s cold; let’s get in the car first.” Ha Jae-Gun opened the front passenger door and let Lee Soo-Hee get in the car first.

Ha Jae-Gun took the driver’s seat and pulled out his phone, giving a call to Lee Yeon-Woo.

“Yeah, Yeon-Woo. Sorry, but I can’t attend the company dinner tonight. Yeah, thanks for understanding. I’ll send some money to your account, so have a good meal with the others.

“No, it’s fine. I was the one who asked to have the company dinner and couldn’t make it in the end, so I should be punished for it. Yeah, bye.” Ha Jae-Gun then started the car engine.

Lee Soo-Hee put on her seatbelt and said, “I’m really fine…”

“I’m not fine with it.”

Actually, Ha Jae-Gun could also bring Lee Soo-Hee along for the company dinner tonight, but he didn’t do it out of consideration for Jung So-Mi.

“You’re going back to your family’s house to see your parents, right? Then we shouldn’t have alcohol, what do you want to eat? Tell me.”

“I want to cook at home…”

Huh? What?”

Lee Soo-Hee smiled shyly, and then she leaned closer to Ha Jae-Gun’s ear and whispered, “My family thinks that I’ll only be back in Korea tomorrow.”

“Ah…

“I wanted to be with you today.”

Ha Jae-Gun could not wait any longer. He stopped entering the address into the navigator and pulled Lee Soo-Hee in roughly for a deep kiss. Lee Soo-Hee’s fingers dug into Ha Jae-Gun’s back.

***

“Ms. So-Mi, you’re drinking too quickly today,” Jang Eun-Young commented.

“Not at all, hicc. Writer Jang, let’s have another toast.”

Aside from Ha Jae-Gun, the writers and everyone else were gathered in the large sashimi restaurant near the office. Kang Min-Ho, Jang Eun-Young, Lee Yeon-Woo, Yang Hyun-Kyung, Lee Eun-Ha, and even Jung So-Mi were making toasts one after another.

“Ms. So-Mi, did something happen today? I think you’re drinking too fast today.” Even Lee Eun-Ha asked, her tone full of worry. It hadn’t been thirty minutes since they started dinner, and yet Jung So-Mi had already emptied an entire bottle of soju on her own.

Jung So-Mi smiled as if it was no big deal and replied, “It’s been a while since I drank, so the soju tastes sweet to me. Plus, I like sashimi as well, I’m the daughter of the sea, after all.”

“Right, Ms. So-Mi’s hometown is in Donghae. Please accept a glass from me, Donghae girl.”

Hehe,

Donghae girl sounds good. Thank you, Director Lee.”

 

The chatty and amicable atmosphere lasted for two hours. The plate of fresh sashimi and the pot of spicy fish stew were just about to get emptied, but around ten bottles of soju had already been emptied.

“Shall we move somewhere else for round two?”

“Sure, where shall we go? How about Junkko? We can sing there as well.”

“Okay! Let’s go to Junkko!” Jung So-Mi cheered enthusiastically at Lee Yeon-Woo’s suggestion.

The others also nodded in agreement.

“Ms. So-Mi, aren’t you too drunk? Walk with me.”

“I’m fine, Director Lee. Ah, thank you for holding me. Heehee.

Lee Eun-Ha and Jang Eun-Young supported Jung So-Mi on both sides. Thankfully, their destination wasn’t that far. They sat down in the spacious room with a karaoke machine, and then they ordered a few snacks to go with their alcohol for round two.

What could he be doing now…

The writers’ singing didn’t reach Jung So-Mi in her unfocused eyes. All she could think about was Ha Jae-Gun, who did not appear for the company dinner.

However, she knew why he wasn’t here. She knew that Lee Soo-Hee had returned to Korea today and that both of them were dating. She even knew that they were planning to get married. She had accepted it and was supposed to let him go, but letting go wasn’t as easy as she initially thought.

“Wow, what a scam. How can my song only get seventy points? Isn’t there a problem with this machine?” Yang Hyun-Kyung was speechless at the low score shown on the screen after finishing his song. Lee Yeon-Woo took over the microphone and stepped up front with confidence.

“I can’t help but step up after hearing Hyun-Kyung hyung complaining about the innocent machine. 0.8 Naul, Yeon-Woo, will sing a song for everyone here.

“Wow, look at him claiming himself to be 0.8 Naul[1].”

“Director Lee is belittling me. Let me prove it to you.”

Lee Yeon-Woo entered the song number and pressed the start button. A melancholy melody played at the introduction. Lee Yeon-Woo cleared his throat and started singing.

“You don’t have to~ I can still understand you~ Even though you are with someone else~ and it’s still a little awkward~”

Oh, my, Writer Lee really sings quite well. He’s 1 Naul instead of 0.8 Naul.” Lee Eun-Ha exclaimed in surprise while enjoying the song.

Excited from the praise, Lee Yeon-Woo began singing with more sincerity. Not before long, his singing entered Jung So-Mi’s ears, who had been lost in thoughts for a while.

It’s this song again…’ Jung So-Mi had been listening to this song a lot recently after suffering from a heartache because of Ha Jae-Gun.

Was it because of the alcohol? For some reason, she could sympathize more with the emotions portrayed in the lyrics than usual. Jung So-Mi burst into tears with the added immersion.

“…Ms. So-Mi?” Jang Eun-Young approached her after spotting tears flowing on Jung So-Mi’s face. It was only when Jang Eun-Young took a few pieces of tissues and wiped the tears off Jung So-Mi’s face that she realized what was happening.

Ahh, I’m sorry. I’m not sure why…”

“Ms. So-Mi, you’re really off today, what happened? Hmm?

Jung So-Mi hurriedly wiped her tears and forced a smile.

Even Lee Yeon-Woo stopped singing and watched Jung So-Mi, his face full of worry.

“No, the song was so sad that it made me emotional. I’ll take a walk outside for a bit.” Jung So-Mi opened the door and left the room.

After a moment of hesitation, Lee Yeon-Woo left the microphone on the table and followed after Jung So-Mi. “I’ll check up on her.”

“Okay, Yeon-Woo. Please look after her. She doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today.”

Jung So-Mi was already walking further away down the hallway, and Lee Yeon-Woo hurried behind her.

“Where are you going?”

Oh, Writer Lee. I’m going to grab a coffee from the convenience store downstairs…”

“I’ll go with you, you drank a lot earlier.”

Hehe, thank you~”

The elevator brought the two of them down without stopping. Lee Yeon-Woo went into the convenience store and grabbed a can of hot coffee for Jung So-Mi.

Jung So-Mi stood outside in the cold wind in an effort to combat the alcohol’s influence on her.

“Here, I bought you a hot coffee since it’s cold outside.”

“Thank you.”

“You seem to have some trouble.”

“No… It’s really nothing.”

Lee Yeon-Woo smiled, nodding in silence. He guessed why Jung So-Mi was wearing a skirt today when she usually preferred to wear jeans.

The two of them stood and watched the streets silently while drinking their coffee. Just as Jung So-Mi was about to put her empty can into the recycling bin, Jung So-Mi’s heel got caught in the stairs, and she stumbled. She lost her balance, but Lee Yeon-Woo quickly grabbed her and helped her up.

“Are you okay?” Yeon-Woo asked as he held her by the waist. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other’s hot breath.

Ah, I’m sorry. I’m fine.”

“But I’m not.”

“Pardon…?”

“I actually like you, Deputy Jung. So I’m not feeling good seeing how depressed you are.”

“…!” Jung So-Mi’s eyes slowly widened in surprise.

While she was sobering up, Lee Yeon-Woo slowly let go of her while putting up a bitter smile.

The cold winter wind cut through both of them.

1. Naul is a singer, and 0.8 means 80% of that person ?

Chapter 202. What? Dragon Rider? (8)

 

Oh no…!

Lee Yeon-Woo buried his face in his hands. He had made an unplanned, spontaneous confession under the influence of alcohol. On top of that, his first line was: ‘I’m not fine.’ It was so childish that he felt like smashing his head open.

“…” Meanwhile, Jung So-Mi stared silently at Lee Yeon-Woo. His sudden confession had caught her off guard; she never thought that she would receive one from Lee Yeon-Woo. The surprise came to her much stronger, as she had never really felt him treat her like a woman.

It was true that they had grown closer ever since they started working together in the office. There had been many times when they had conversations over meals and drinks together with just the two of them. Still, it was still on the basis of their relationship as an editor and writer. At least, that was what Jung So-Mi had in mind.

Um…” Jung So-Mi swept her fringe that was fluttering in the wind and then spoke slowly, “I’m a bit shocked. No, I’m actually quite shocked.”

“I’m sorry.” Lee Yeon-Woo removed his hands from his face and looked up. He glared at the telephone pole across the street and said, “But my feelings are true. I’m not spouting nonsense just because I’m drunk. Although it’s true that I’m feeling more courageous because of the alcohol.”

“I never knew you thought of me that way…”

“I tried my best… to no avail… I even suggested going to a few places together if I found it to be good.”

“…” Jung So-Mi but her lips instead of responding. She felt as if she was seeing herself confessing to Ha Jae-Gun all over again. And then it felt like she could understand him as well, how he had felt when hearing her confession when he already had someone else in his heart.

“I’m sorry, Writer Lee.” Jung So-Mi did not take long to reply. Like how she understood why Ha Jae-Gun had rejected her firmly back then, she decided to respond in the same way and said, “You’re really a good person, Writer Lee. I’m really thankful that you like me, but I can’t reciprocate your feelings.”

“Aren’t you being too firm?” Lee Yeon-Woo turned to face Jung So-Mi with slight anger in him. “I’m not asking you to give me an answer right here and now. You should think over this for a few days first and—”

“Nothing will change even if I think it over for a few days.” Jung So-Mi cut him off without hesitation. “As you know as well, I’m from Donghae. I came all the way here alone and have been striving to make a living on my own. I’ve just barely succeeded, and I’m already satisfied with my current lifestyle. I’m also too busy to be dating anyone.”

“I’ll make sure not to affect your life—”

“I’m grateful for your confession, but this is just your own thoughts. I believe that there will certainly be a degree of influence on one another when people start dating each other. And I do not wish to embark on this journey at all. I’m really sorry.”

Lee Yeon-Woo’s breathing turned rougher. However, it lasted briefly, as his head drooped gloomily. Even his once-adamant shoulders fell helplessly like sandcastles facing huge waves.

“I got rejected then,” Lee Yeon-Woo said in self-mockery with a smile that wasn’t exactly a smile. His words mixed with the cold wind and dispersed into the air, not even hoping for a reply. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know my place.”

“Please don’t say that. You’re fine as you are, Writer Lee.” Jung So-Mi said before going silent. She would love to say more in consolation, but she stopped herself from doing so, afraid that she would seem deceitful. It was better for her to take a step back for Lee Yeon-Woo’s sake.

“I think we’ve been away for too long. The others should be getting worried, so I think it’s time for us to head back up?”

“Please go back first, Deputy Jung. I’ll organize my thoughts for a while and head back soon.”

Jung So-Mi nodded and went ahead first. To Lee Yeon-Woo, her disappearing footsteps felt colder than the winter wind. Was it because of his usually optimistic character that had brought his hopes up? Who knew that her rejection would come right away? He suddenly felt fearful of just being alive.

Lee Yeon-Woo stepped back into the convenience store once more. He looked at the case of cigarettes behind the part-timer and said, “Please give me a pack of cigarettes.”

“Which would you like?”

“Please just give me one that sells well.” As it was his first time smoking, he bought a lighter as well. Lee Yeon-Woo left the convenience store and sat down under the parasol outside, and then he bit a cigarette stick.

Cough! Cough!

As he lit the cigarette up and drew a breath, cough and tears burst out at once. The bitterness of heartache was overwhelming, and he couldn’t help but start admiring the smokers.

***

Mm, nice. How refreshing.” The long winter night made 6 a.m. look dark.

Lee Soo-Hee lay flat on her stomach on the bed, reading the manuscript of the English version of The Breath with light from a table lamp nearby.

Ah, this is good. The fatigue is melting right before my eyes.”

“Maybe I should quit being a writer and be your exclusive massage therapist instead.”

“But where are your hands heading? I don’t need a massage there.”

“Really? What about here?” Ha Jae-Gun went under the blankets.

Lee Soo-Hee giggled and flipped herself around. “Why are you so horny? I never knew you were this type of guy.”

“I’m just the average man. It’s actually extremely normal.”

Umph.”

Ha Jae-Gun captured Lee Soo-Hee’s lips once more. They had stayed up the entire night, and Ha Jae-Gun hadn’t stopped for even a moment. She still gladly let him do what he wanted, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was exhausted but happy.

The man who looked like he couldn’t get enough of her was so lovable in her eyes.

“I don’t even have any energy left in me to shower.”

“Don’t shower, then. What do you think of the translated copy?”

“You still have the conscience to ask? You didn’t even give me time to focus on reading it.” Lee Soo-Hee pinched his cheeks and wriggled them. They were both covered in sweat.

“I’m almost done with the first volume, and I think it’s good.”

“Really? There’s nothing more to edit?”

“Yeah, to me. Open House’s comments are great as well. I can see that they’ve read your novel properly.”

“Nice. Let’s go with this, then.”

Huh?

“Open House. Your positive opinion just backed up my decision.”

“Didn’t you say that they’re coming to Korea, too? Meet them, have a talk and decide later.”

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone, which was left on the table, rang for a while. Ha Jae-Gun slowly turned over and reached out for it. Seeing that it was a message from Ha Jae-In, he opened it to read, his eyes narrowing in the process.

– Bring Soo-Hee back home one of these days. I’ll make dinner for her. ^^

“What’s going on?” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled.

“What’s wrong?”

Ha Jae-Gun then showed his phone to Lee Soo-Hee, and she widened her eyes in surprise, covering her mouth.

“How did she know? Didn’t you say that you didn’t tell your family that I’m back?”

“Yeah. I should give her a call.”

Ha Jae-Gun tilted his head to the side and pressed the dial button. As if she had been waiting for his call, Ha Jae-In answered it in a heartbeat.

— You’re up early, our great writer.

“Well, it somehow happened. But how did you know?”

— I saw it on the Internet.

“Internet?”

— A photo of you guys hugging tightly is circulating on Twitter.

Ahh…

Ha Jae-Gun trailed off and looked at Lee Soo-Hee. Who knew that someone would have taken a photo at that moment?

— You sneaky punk, you didn’t even tell me anything. Are you with her now?

“Well, yeah…”

— Alright, I won’t take up your time anymore. Make sure to bring her home one of these days, alright?

“Okay, noona. I’ll call you again.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and accessed the internet immediately. The keywords Ha Jae-Gun’s woman, Ha Jae-Gun one-piece girl, One-piece girl photo collage, Ha Jae-Gun lover and many others were dominating the real-time charts.

“What? Someone took a photo of us?”

“Everyone seems to have known that you’re the one-piece girl…”

Ha Jae-In was right. Several photos of him hugging Lee Soo-Hee by the car were circulating on social media. Seeing the time of the original post, it had only been less than ten minutes since he saw Lee Soo-Hee last night.

– I knew a long time ago. They should have been dating a few years back, no? But seeing these photos again, her beauty is just brrrr

– Didn’t they say that the lady is working at the game company? What job position is she holding at a game company? Model?

– Seems like we’ll be hearing of their marriage soon. T.T I’m feeling sad already nggg

-Did anyone hear news about the bunned-hair girl???

– Ah, she was at the autograph event, too kekekeke I’m really envious of Ha Jae-Gun Jae-Gun. She’s unbelievably pretty, like a doll;;;

– Yeah, yeah, I saw her in the flesh at the autograph event kekekekeke She’s not just photogenic; she looks the same in real life. Really, really pretty.

“You really need to be careful of your actions now.” Lee Soo-Hee said out of the blue after reading the netizens’ comments, but there was a smile on her face; she seemed to be enjoying the current situation.

“You seem to be enjoying this.” Ha Jae-Gun commented.

“Of course. If you dare to cheat to do anything weird, the netizen investigation team will tell me everything. I’ll be relieved then.”

Lee Soo-Hee’s phone rang, and this time, a call came in. The name shown on the screen made the smile on her face disappear.

“Yes, Mom?”

— Tell me, you’ve been back in Korea since yesterday, right?

“How…did you know?”

— Your father told me, young lady. You were dating that writer Ha Jae-Gun? Why didn’t you tell us?

“Mom, I… What happened was…”

— Anyway, your father is going crazy, asking when you’ll be bringing him home. You know your father, right? Hurry up and bring him home before I faint.

“How…!” Lee Soo-Hee turned pale in an instant. Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun overheard their conversation on the phone and sat upright beside her, as if Lee Soo-Hee’s father was right in front of him.

***

“Why are you here at the airport, Mr. Ha?”

“I’m here to welcome someone.”

“About the photo that was circulating a few days ago, can you comment on it?”

“I’m dating her.”

Ah, really? Congratulations. When did you guys start dating? Are you guys dating on the premise of getting married?”

Ha Jae-Gun stopped in his tracks. He needed to send this reporter whom he met unexpectedly away from the gate. He fixed his tie that was messed up from his brisk walking and asked the reporter, “I’m sorry, where did you say you were from?”

“Ah, I’m from Weekly Trends; my name is Hyun Sung-Beom.” The reporter belatedly pulled out his name card and presented it to Ha Jae-Gun. Ha Jae-Gun took it and looked around their surroundings before saying, “Reporter Hyun Sung-Beom, I’m actually busy right now, I’ll give you a call soon if that’s okay.”

Ha Jae-Gun was at the airport today as the president and editor-in-chief from Open House were arriving in Korea. Despite Kwon Tae-Won’s dissuasion, Ha Jae-Gun still came to the airport to welcome them in person.

“Who are you meeting at the airport today…?”

“An agent from the States.”

At the same time, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang in his pocket. It was a call from Kwon Tae-Won.

“Yes, President. Ah, they’re out already? Okay, I’ll be there soon.” Ha Jae-Gun hung up the phone and started heading off again. He then added to the reporter following behind him, “If you leave now, I’ll let you in as an exclusive on what we talked about earlier.”

“Really?”

“I haven’t broken any promises in my life so far.”

“…I’ll be waiting for your call!” The reporter grinned and stopped following Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun waved his hand lightly at the man and hurried off.

I can’t bother the visitors just because of me.’ Ha Jae-Gun never thought that he would meet a reporter who had him on their radar at the airport. The gate where he was supposed to meet Kwon Tae-Won came into view, and he saw Kwon Tae-Won first.

Hmm…?’ Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes narrowed in surprise.

The petite woman standing next to Kwon Tae-Won should be Chae Yoo-Jin, and the two men next to him should be the president and editor-in-chief of Open House.

Ah, Writer Ha. Over here.”

Kwon Tae-Won and Chae Yoo-Jin spotted Ha Jae-Gun first and waved at him. With that, the black man, seemingly in their fifties, and the Asian, seemingly in their forties, turned around to face Ha Jae-Gun.

The black man had a huge physique similar to that of a martial artist, and the Asian standing beside them was petite; both smiled gently at Ha Jae-Gun.

“You’re here so soon. This is the president of Open House, Ben Smith, and this is the editor-in-chief, Eden Cooper.”

Chae Yoo-Jin introduced Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won back to the two in English. Ben Smith had a towering height of two hundred centimeters. He looked down at Ha Jae-Gun and reached his hand out, asking for a handshake.

“N-nice to meet you…” Ha Jae-Gun said before grabbing the man’s hand.

Ha Jae-Gun’s voice trembled as he stood beneath Ben’s shadow.

Chapter 203. What? Dragon Rider? (9)

 

He’s really tall…

He didn’t feel this way even when Ha Jae-Gun stood with Park Do-Joon whenever they talked. Standing at a height of slightly over 175 cm, Ha Jae-Gun had to bend his head back over when looking up at Ben. In a flash, he suddenly thought of how he had to look up to his father in the same way when he was much younger.

Why does he look so scary?’ His large and bright eyes were overwhelming. His nose, lips, and even his ears were huge. His lips were especially huge, resembling the exaggerated and thick lips of those comic characters.

“Ms. Yoo-Jin, shall we leave the airport first?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he looked back at Chae Yoo-Jin and released Ben’s hand.

However, Ben’s other hand grabbed Ha Jae-Gun’s hand and said, “Thanks a lot, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun.”

“…?!” Ha Jae-Gun’s ears perked up. He did not mishear that thick and rough voice. Ben had just definitely spoken some Korean.

“Thank, you, for, coming, all, the, way, here, to, see, us, Mr., Ha Jae-Gun,” Ben spoke slowly in a weird accent with his sentences broken into pieces.

However, Ha Jae-Gun grinned upon hearing that. He had understood the meaning behind those words as well as the gratitude that Ben was trying to convey. The guard Ha Jae-Gun had put up earlier disappeared without a trace.

“You must have practiced your greetings in Korean.”

“I taught him,” Eden Cooper said. Ha Jae-Gun was shocked by Eden’s pronunciation displayed.

“I took Korean classes in college as part of my liberal arts studies. I gather with my friends once a month to study Korean, as I’m afraid that I’ll forget it,” Eden added with a smile. Eden’s accent and pronunciation were unnatural, but he was certainly much more proficient in the language than Ben.

Ha Jae-Gun suddenly became curious about Eden. He was convinced that the latter was Korean-American.

“We stared at each other blankly for a while after reading the email and learning that you would come to the airport to welcome us. Hey, Ben. I heard that the facilities at the Incheon Airport are great. He must be planning to feed us here at the airport and then send us straight back to the US,” Eden said to Ben with hand gestures.

Then Ha Jae-Gun, Chae Yoo-Jin, and Kwon Tae-Won broke into laughter. Ben stood blankly for a while, and then he smiled after grasping the situation. “I’m happy, and thank you, Mr. Ha.”

“No, I am happier to see President Ben and Editor-in-chief Eden. The detailed comments you gave on The Breath would become a lifelong nourishment for me.”

Jeoyangbun[1]? What does that mean?”

Ah, erm, the source of my power. Yes, it’ll become my power.”

“I understand. Thank you. Jeoyangbun… Jeoyangbun…” Eden immediately pulled out his pen and started writing on a notepad.

The two visitors only had two carry-on baggage, as they were only here for a short three-day and two-night trip. Thus, they decided to delay the hotel check-in and go for some food first instead.

“You want to have Korean food so badly?”

“Ben came to love Korean food because of me. He even began starving himself just so that he could eat as much Korean food as possible during this trip.”

An employee from Laugh Books was waiting in the car park with a van on standby, waiting for the group. Kwon Tae-Won had made the arrangements. Despite having five people on board, there was still plenty of space in the vehicle.

“Let’s drive out then.” Their destination was a Korean restaurant near Myeongdong since Ben and Eden’s hotel was around Myeongdong.

During the entire drive, Ben did not lose his smile as they talked about various things. Ha Jae-Gun liked Ben’s humorous and warm temperament. He was struggling due to the language barrier, but Ben still did his best to respond.

However, unlike Ben, Eden was quiet. Eden would look at the group and smile silently, but his attention was generally focused on the scenery outside the window.

Ha Jae-Gun was the only one who noticed the longing in Eden’s eyes.

***

“This is delicious, real delicious. Do Koreans eat these meals every day?”

“Not at all. These vegetables, steamed fish, and ribs are considered high-end dishes for Koreans. I would eat these on special days, but definitely not on a daily basis.” Ha Jae-Gun explained and pushed a dish toward them.

Eden immediately translated it to Ben. Ben nodded, expressing his understanding as he put mouthfuls of food into his mouth one after the other. The traditional Korean course meal began with pumpkin porridge and soon approached the latter half of the course.

Both Ben and Eden enjoyed their first meal. Even Ha Jae-Gun felt full watching them enjoy the meal.

“A few side dishes and a bowl of hot-stone rice will soon be served.”

“There’s more? I’m passing my portion to Ben,” Eden joked, then whispered something into Ben’s ears. Ben nodded in response.

Eden looked back at Ha Jae-Gun and said, “We’d like to talk about business now, Mr. Ha.”

Ah, sure.” Ha Jae-Gun straightened up.

It was about time they discussed the main agenda of their meeting.

“What I’ll be bringing up is exactly what I have mentioned in my email before. We would love to publish The Breath in the U.S. market,” Eden said with vigor and a serious expression.

“I read the first English version of The Breath, which I received from a friend living in L.A. My friend knew that I’m an editor-in-chief and am always on the lookout for good genre novels, so they sent it to me via email.” Eden even pulled out his tablet and showed the email thread from back then.

“I was extremely busy, and I wasn’t doing great physically. I took medical leave from my company and had to rest at home for two days. However, I still went to work the next day, as I had just finished reading The Breath at the time.”

Eden pulled out the manuscript for The Breath. Eden’s face was filled with conviction as he waved the manuscript in his hand to the people around the table.

“I only knew that day that the writer was Korean. I traveled to L.A. and even gathered information about you from the internet. Things went swimmingly because I’m fluent in Korean. If this business goes well, Ben and I will go to the negotiation table regarding my year-end bonus again.”

The group burst into laughter once more. Seeing Ben sitting alone watching them, Chae Yoo-Jin took the liberty to interpret for him, and then the group saw Ben smiling bitterly with his palm on his forehead.

Eden continued. “I know that there are still clear boundaries in the Korean market between literary and genre novels, so I admire you a lot, Mr. Ha. You showed great achievements as both Ha Jae-Gun and Poongchun-Yoo in both areas. I have read both There Was A Sea and Gyeoja Bathhouse. I’ve experienced your prowess.”

“Thank you.”

“Mr. Ha, you’re grateful to us for coming all the way to Korea, but that’s not all for us. Your novel is amazing, and we’d love to publish it in the States. This is how business should be done. The publishers who don’t do this are foolish, so why—”

Just then, Eden glanced at Ben briefly and stopped himself. Eden seemed like he wanted to continue, but he didn’t say anything in the end.

Ben then took over and continued the topic. Chae Yoo-Jin listened and then interpreted his words to Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won.

“He won’t disappoint you. He said there are no words that can be used to compliment your novel. He would love to make the American readers freak out at the wonderful narrative that even he couldn’t take his eyes off of.”

Ben’s enthusiasm continued.

“He says that genre novels in the U.S. are slowly evolving to become more mainstream. From wizards and princesses depicted in various classics-styled adventures to vampires, supernatural humans, and even paranormal fantasy novels are catching the attention of their readers there.”

Ha Jae-Gun nodded silently while caught in his own thoughts.

Eden then continued, “The fantasy genre isn’t doing that well in the U.S., and so I think that The Breath will become a long-running bestseller in the market. Leave it to us, Mr. Ha. I’m sorry, please leave it to us. Please do.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled ludicrously, but he had made his decision long ago.

It had been just two hours since he first met the men, but his decision had turned even more resolute. If The Breath were to enter the U.S. market, he would want it to be published through Open House.

Ah, Mr. Ha. Please look at this as well.” Eden placed his tablet on the table again and opened a document on it. He tapped on the screen that showed an English manuscript and explained, “This is a fanfiction of The Breath.”

“Fanfiction?”

“Fans in L.A. wrote new stories after reading The Breath. In your story, the main character, Edward, decided to hold hands forces with the dragon to stop the imperial army, and the dragon spent all its powers and fell into the abyss.

“Edward managed to save the princess, but he had lost the dragon in the process and fell into sadness. This is the ending from your version of The Breath. The fans were extremely sad at the ending and wrote many fanfiction based on it.”

Ha Jae-Gun widened his eyes in shock and read the manuscript in detail. Indeed, it was a fanfiction where both Edward and the dragon were present. The fanfiction started off with the dragon getting revived and reuniting with Edward.

“The readers do not wish for the current sad ending for The Breath. I personally do not think that the dragon died, and I believe that it is still alive. There are so many readers who love The Breath.”

Ahaha… I see.”

“It’ll be regrettable if you do not sign a contract with us, but it’d be great if you could continue the story. This is my wish as a fellow reader. It’d be great if you could continue with season 2 or even 3 of The Breath.”

As Eden had brought it up himself, this might be part of his job to gain Ha Jae-Gun’s favor. Despite keeping that in mind, the joy Ha Jae-Gun had felt earlier did not disappear.

“If the book gets published, I hope that it’ll be titled Dragon Rider.”

“…Pardon?” Ha Jae-Gun stopped smiling and looked up blankly.

Eden shrugged, wondering what was wrong. “I thought that it’d be best if the season 1 of The Breath is titled Dragon Rider. I learned from your Twitter that The Breath was originally titled Dragon Rider. Both Ben and I love that title, so I’m curious what made you change it.”

“Are you saying that Dragon Rider is a better title than The Breath?”

The Breath is a good title, but I personally feel that Dragon Rider is much better. Dragon Rider—it definitely conveys the meaning behind those words.”

Ha Jae-Gun’s abdomen flipped as if he were riding a Viking ship. He never thought that he would feel this great receiving a compliment on a title he had come up with.

“President Kwon, you hear that?” Ha Jae-Gun asked triumphantly as he cast his gaze on Kwon Tae-Won.

Kwon Tae-Won could only smile bitterly, as he and Jung So-Mi had opposed using the title Dragon Rider at the time.

“The hot-stone rice is here.” The waiters served the rice and accompanying side dishes one by one onto the table.

During that time, Ha Jae-Gun exchanged looks with both Chae Yoo-Jin and Kwon Tae-Won. They each responded with nods after understanding the meaning behind those looks.

“Let’s enjoy the rest of this meal and move to a quieter place after.”

As Ha Jae-Gun picked up his spoon, he said, “Have you brought your contract along with you?”

“Mr. Ha…?” Eden asked with all smiles.

Chae Yoo-Jin then interpreted for Ben, who then jumped out of his seat immediately. He cheered like a young boy, making Ha Jae-Gun burst out into laughter once more.

***

“If Writer Ha weren’t Asian, the other publishers would have already approached you much earlier. I think this was what they wanted to say.”

On the way back after sending Ben and Eden off, Ha Jae-Gun was listening to the explanations Chae Yoo-Jin had for him on the questions he had during their meeting earlier.

“It could have been just me, but that was how I saw it. Hmm, should I say that belittling Asians is the trend there? They believe that the U.S. market is gigantic, and they’re also confident of the writers within their own country as well. On top of that, translated novels only accounted for around four percent of the market.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“They didn’t have to come all the way to Korea and ask to sign a contract. They didn’t have to do that; that’s how big their company is. In fact, there’s probably no other publishing company who has thoroughly investigated you as much as Open House did.”

Ha Jae-Gun nodded in agreement. He had become famous enough for readers to recognize him when he was out and about in public, but this was only limited to within Korea.

How many people would know him in the States? Even if they were his readers, how many of them would actually remember his name, Ha Jae-Gun?

Thinking of that made Ha Jae-Gun feel much more grateful for Open House’s sincerity.

Chae Yoo-Jin let out a sigh and continued. “I’m personally close to both Ben and Eden. As you’ve seen, one is a black man, and the other is a Korean-American. They’ve grown up while being discriminated against.”

“I see.”

“Ben despises jokes about black people since he was a child. Jokes like how the singer Stevie Wonder couldn’t read because he was black rather than because he was blind. He hates jokes like that.”

“That’s a despicable joke.”

“He had even experienced such things when he was living in the school dormitory. He coincidentally overheard his roommate talking with his other friends about how he was worried that Ben would steal the ring he had bought for his girlfriend.

“Another friend of his also said that black people are a race that would never get close to books, so if they hid in libraries, they’d be safe. He even told me that they laughed so much that they were keeling over.”

Ha Jae-Gun’s expression was grim as he listened to Chae Yoo-Jin.

“I couldn’t believe he stepped into the publishing industry with that experience. And now that he had succeeded in his career, he regarded that group of bad friends as his teacher. If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t have been able to work so hard and hang on until today.”

“How ironic.”

“Eden and Ben get along well. Ben was born in the Dallas slums, while Eden was adopted to the States before he was three, and they have a lot in common apparently.”

They soon arrived at the car park. Chae Yoo-Jin stopped walking and smiled before saying, “Who knows? Eden might have more reasons for his desire to publish Mr. Ha’s novel in the U.S. market.”

“I have an inkling of what you’re getting at.”

Bzzt!

Chae Yoo-Jin’s phone rang in her bag. She excused herself and looked at her phone. Her eyes widened in surprise. She truly didn’t expect to receive a call from this certain someone.

1. Korean word for nourishment ?

Chapter 204. What? Dragon Rider? (10)

 

“…?”

Chae Yoo-Jin held onto her still-ringing phone tightly, almost as if she was trying to crush it. She didn’t have the courage to answer it. Just looking at the name that had appeared on the screen was enough to paint a serious look on her face.

Ha Jae-Gun felt that something was wrong and decided to give her space. He suggested to Kwon Tae-Won, “President Kwon, shall we go have another round of coffee elsewhere?”

Ah, sure. There’s a cafe over there. I’ll get us three cups of coffee.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won headed over to the takeout coffee place that was located after the car park. Chae Yoo-Jin was still standing at the same spot in a daze; the ringing of the call that she wasn’t willing to answer finally came to an end.

However, the same person dialed again. Knowing that she couldn’t avoid them, Chae Yoo-Jin took a deep breath. She needed to prepare herself mentally when facing them.

“Hel…lo?” Chae Yoo-Jin then realized for the first time that such a helpless tone could come from her.

An unexpected heavy sigh came from the other side of the line.

— Is this Chae Yoo-Jin?

“Yes, it is…” Chae Yoo-Jin felt faint and wrapped her forehead with her hand. She gently stood leaning against the wall of the car park with her coat still on.

“How are you doing, President…?”

— Yeah, I’m healthy and well. How have you been?

“I am doing well thanks to you…”

— I called the agency, and they said you’re in Korea.

“Yes, I’m back for a few days to handle a contract.”

— When are you going back to the U.S.?

“I don’t have a fixed return date yet.”

— I see.

Their conversation paused for a moment, and silence followed. Chae Yoo-Jin swept her bangs and set her gaze across the street. Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won were still looking at the menu, choosing their coffee.

— Are you meeting Oh Myung-Suk while you’re here?

A question came out of the blue. Even if no one was watching her, Chae Yoo-Jin nodded and replied, “We met at least once.”

— Is it because of work?

“No, it’s not.”

— Then don’t meet him.

Oh Tae-Jin’s firm words seemed to have shot an arrow into Chae Yoo-Jin’s chest.

— Oh Myung-Suk is no longer a child, and I’m soon going to step down. As his father, I get extremely worried every time I see him.

“…”

— He’s both emotional and soft-hearted; he doesn’t know how to cut off ties properly. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?

“President…”

— Please answer me, do you understand?

Hot tears welled up in Chae Yoo-Jin’s eyes. Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won were now heading back to her. Afraid that her makeup would smudge, Chae Yoo-Jin didn’t dare to close her eyes. She looked down at the ground, and her tears were pulled by gravity to the asphalt ground.

— Does your lack of answer mean that you can’t give him up?

“No, no… President, it’s not like that…”

— Please, I beg you. Please don’t become a burden to him, he has a bright future ahead of him. He’s my eldest son, and he has to lead the OongSung Group in the future.

Chae Yoo-Jin pulled her phone away from her mouth as her breathing became ragged. There was nothing she could say to Oh Tae-Jin. If it weren’t for that particular night… if it weren’t for her body, she could have given him an answer right away.

Just then, something happened on the other side of the line.

Oh Tae-Jin continued.

— Let’s meet and have a talk. I’ll contact you again.

“Yes, President. Please enjoy yo—”

Beep!

The call ended even before Chae Yoo-Jin could finish her sentence. The last of her tears dropped from her eyes, with her head still hanging low. Meanwhile, the sight of Kwon Tae-Won and Ha Jae-Gun crossing the road came into her view.

Hoo…!” Chae Yoo-Jin quickly turned around and fixed her expression. She took in a few deep breaths and was soon able to calm herself down.

The two men arrived behind her at the same time. “Ms. Yoo-Jin, we’re unsure what you’ll like, so we bought three different drinks. There’s Americano, Cafe Latte, and Mocha Latte. Go ahead and choose what you like first.”

Ah,

thank you. I’m fine with anything.” Chae Yoo-Jin smiled brightly and took one of the cups handed to her.

 

Ha Jae-Gun noticed her red, puffy eyes but decided to feign ignorance. “President Kwon, will you be leaving from here?”

“Yes, I’ll return the van first and return to the office with Deputy Kim and begin working right away. What about you, Writer Ha?”

“I’m going to head back to the Bucheon office.” Ha Jae-Gun then turned to Chae Yoo-Jin. The question in his looks got Chae Yoo-Jin thinking for a moment.

“If you’re going to Bucheon… Can you drop me off at the subway station nearby?”

“Where are you going?”

“I have something to do in Incheon.”

“I understand. Let’s take my car then.”

The three of them finished their coffee and said their goodbyes. Kwon Tae-Won left first with the Laugh Books employee. Ha Jae-Gun and Chae Yoo-Jin ten got into Ha Jae-Gun’s car.

“How far are you heading into Incheon?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he fastened his seatbelt. “I’ll drop you off at your destination.”

“It’s enough if you could drop me at the nearest subway station.”

“It’s nearby anyway, so it’s not that far off to drive over. Where are you heading to?”

Mm, can you drop me at Oido then?”

“Of course.” Ha Jae-Gun nodded with a smile. “Oido is nearby, we’ll be there in no time. Let’s go then.”

Ha Jae-Gun started his car. As the car began driving slowly, Chae Yoo-Jin looked around the car’s interior and mumbled, “Your car is nice.”

“Editor-in-chief Oh Myung-Suk bought it for me.”

Ah, I think I’ve heard about this before.”

“Are you not meeting him on this trip?” Ha Jae-Gun asked. He wasn’t showing it on the surface, but Ha Jae-Gun had been worrying about her since he noticed her tears earlier at the car park, thinking that it was somehow related to Oh Myung-Suk.

“There’s no reason for us to meet.”

“People aren’t machines that only do work. I know that you’ve known each other for a long time since university.”

Chae Yoo-Jin smiled faintly instead of giving a reply. As Ha Jae-Gun could not continue the conversation, he placed his focus on the road instead.

They soon drove out of Seoul and entered Bucheon. As they stopped momentarily at the red light, Chae Yoo-Jin broke the silence and asked, “Writer Ha, if you’re not busy today, would you like to join me for drinks?”

“Drinks…?”

Ha Jae-Gun understood her invitation, but he still contemplated it.

His original plan was to meet Lee Soo-Hee after dropping by the office.

“I feel like having some drinks today. I’m sorry for putting you in a spot. It’s fine if you can’t join me.”

“No, hmm… I can join you.” Ha Jae-Gun replied after a while. He wasn’t sure when Chae Yoo-Jin would return to the U.S., and since he was quite grateful to her, he thought that he should give her some support as well.

On top of that, her tears earlier were still on his mind.

“Where shall we go then?”

“I think we can go straight to Oido.”

Ha Jae-Gun realized that she wanted to go there for drinks and asked, “Shall I call Editor-in-chief Oh along?”

“No, it’s fine. We’re going to meet him now, actually.”

“Ah, is that so? You should have said so earlier.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled ludicrously and shook his head.

Just then, the traffic lights turned green, and the car drove smoothly on the road.

***

“How does it taste?”

“It’s fresh and delicious. Thank you for letting me have grilled clams after a long while, Ms. Yoo-Jin,” Ha Jae-Gun said as he flipped the clams on the grill with his gloved hands.

There was a red lighthouse located by the beach outside the window.

“Don’t just grill the clams; have some drinks, too.”

“Thank you. I would like to pour you a glass, too, but since I’m wearing gloves, I’ll pass for now!”

The two made a toast and downed the cold soju down their throats. The fire before them was warming them up nicely amidst the cold winter. The sparks flew as the fire cooked the clams, turning them into a delicious meal.

“But… When is the editor-in-chief coming?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he glanced at the emptying bottle. They had arrived here well over thirty minutes ago, but Oh Myung-Suk was still nowhere to be seen.

“He’ll be here when it’s time. Don’t be concerned about him and let’s enjoy our dinner. Unni, please give us another bottle of soju here.” Chae Yoo-Jin’s drinking speed was relatively fast compared to normal.

She had already completed her second bottle and had just ordered a third.

“I think you’re drinking too fast.”

“The soju tastes sweet today. I’ll slow down.”

Bzzt!

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ha. I have to answer this call.”

“Sure, please take your time.”

Chae Yoo-Jin stumbled away and headed out of the restaurant. She answered the call in the cold. “Why is Mr. Myung-Hoon calling me out of the blue?”

— Noona, I heard that you’re back in Korea?

“Yeah, of course. Did you call because you missed me? You didn’t even arrange to meet me in New York for a meal with the excuse that you’re busy with work.”

— Hearing your tone, you must have been drinking for some time. Are you not going to meet my brother?

“There’s no reason for us to meet this time round. He should be busy as well.”

— Shouldn’t you at least come up with a reason to meet?

“What are you trying to say?” Chae Yoo-Jin stopped joking and asked in a serious tone. Oh Myung-Hoon did not hesitate and continued,

— Why are you not answering his call? I think he has called you a few times.

“It’s not something you should be concerned about.

— I’m not sure what’s happening, but can you keep avoiding it?

“Don’t you think you’ve been nosy? I’m tired today, so let’s talk again next time. Bye.” Just as Chae Yoo-Jin was about to hang up, Oh Myung-Hoon added hurriedly.

— I have a meeting with the family of Daemyung Group the day after tomorrow.

“…?!”

— Do you understand what that means? He’s going to meet their youngest daughter. Once things get rolling, it’s going to be difficult for him to turn things around. His own will would become useless by then.

“Why… are you telling me this?”

Oh Myung-Hoon snorted. His following words came through the crashing waves on the beach.

— I hate to see my brother in pain.

“…”

— Please take care of him or answer his call at the very least.

“I’ll… hang up.”

Chae Yoo-Jin hung up and walked around aimlessly, leading her in the direction away from the restaurant. It was only when she bumped into others while walking that she realized and turned around to head back to the restaurant.

“I’m sorry, the call took a while…”

“No, it’s fine. Please sit.”

As soon as Chae Yoo-Jin sat back down, she downed another glass of soju that she poured for herself. The words Oh Myung-Hoon said earlier were ringing in her ears.

He shouldn’t have brought it up, now I can’t even say my piece.’ If she were the youngest daughter of the Daemyung Group, Chae Yoo-Jin was aware of her identity.

Chae Yoo-Jin had read the news on how the girl had recently finished her overseas studies in the States and began taking business management classes. She seemed to be twenty-seven this year. She was a much better choice than Chae Yoo-Jin.

“Ms. Yoo-Jin, I’ll give the editor-in-chief a call,” Ha Jae-Gun said cautiously, as he could not watch her like this any longer. She might get totally drunk even before Oh Myung-Suk arrives.

“Please don’t…” Chae Yoo-Jin hurriedly waved her hand, her eyes glazed.

“Myung-Suk is already here.”

“What are you saying? Are you drunk?”

“Yes, I’m drunk. But Myung-Suk is really here. He’s sitting here with us right now—the Myung-Suk in my memories.”

“…!” Ha Jae-Gun’s jaws dropped in bewilderment. He finally realized that Chae Yoo-Jin and Oh Myung-Suk had been here before.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Mr. Ha…” Chae Yoo-Jin said between sobs as she rested her head on the table. Ha Jae-Gun called a waiter to put out the fire so as to prevent her from getting hurt. With a heavy heart, he quietly poured her another glass of soju.

Bzzt!

Chae Yoo-Jin’s phone vibrated. The caller ID—Mr. Kang—showed up on the screen.

“Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin, there’s a call for you. Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin.” Ha Jae-Gun was speechless when Chae Yoo-Jin was unresponsive. He didn’t expect her to fall asleep in less than ten minutes after resting her head on the table.

Ha Jae-Gun had always thought of Chae Yoo-Jin as the epitome of calmness, so he couldn’t help but find it strange how she was so out of character today.

The phone is still ringing.’ The calls were coming from the same person, so Ha Jae-Gun thought that it could be something urgent. He pondered briefly before finally deciding to answer it in her stead.

“Hello, this is Ms. Yoo-Jin’s phone.”

— Hello? Is this Ms. Yoo-Jin’s phone?

The voice of an elderly woman came through the line. Ha Jae-Gun shook Chae Yoo-Jin’s shoulders as he replied, “Yes. I’m her friend, but she’s not in the state to answer the phone now, so I answered it for her.”

— Please wake her up if she’s sleeping.

“She just had some drinks. If you could tell me, I’ll convey the message to her later. Is it something urgent?”

— Mm…!

The unpleasant grunt dug into Ha Jae-Gun’s ears. Just as Ha Jae-Gun was about to ask questions, the lady continued.

— You said you’re her friend?

“That’s right…”

Ha Jae-Gun sat upright when the lady on the other line addressed him without honorifics. Soon afterward, an unexpected yell came through the line.

— Look here! As a friend, how could you just watch your pregnant friend get drunk?!

“Pardon…?”

Ha Jae-Gun felt like he was hit in the back of his head by a steel pipe. His vision started to get blurry as he cast a dumbfounded gaze upon the sleeping Chae Yoo-Jin.

Chapter 205. What? Dragon Rider? (11)

 

“Are you… talking about Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin?” Ha Jae-Gun asked once more for verification while looking at Chae Yoo-Jin.

Chae Yoo-Jin, who had forgotten about the world and had fallen into a deep sleep, looked like one of the empty bottles lying around.

“…I understand. I’ll let her know. Thank you.” Ha Jae-Gun then hung up the call. He was so caught up in the unexpected news that no words could come out of his mouth. The shock still did not leave him despite him massaging his temples.

She’s pregnant…?

As he pulled away the covers by the window, the cold winter wind blew right in, cooling the hot soup and his head at the same time

Just what happened to both of them?’ He knew that Chae Yoo-Jin was not married and even naturally thought that her partner was Oh Myung-Suk. He had long guessed that both of them were more than just friends.

However, Ha Jae-Gun’s assumptions had finally been confirmed. Chae Yoo-Jin had decided to come all the way to his sea out in the dark just to chase the precious memories she had with Oh Myung-Suk. He didn’t know the details, but it was clear to him that she still could not forget Oh Myung-Suk.

“Mm… Myung-Suk… I’m cold…” Chae Yoo-Jin began talking in her sleep.

Ha Jae-Gun was about to cover her with her coat when he decided not to and headed to the counter to settle their bill. He then carried her on his back and left the restaurant.

Look at her in pain…’ The emotions of regret and confusion suddenly flooded into Ha Jae-Gun as he walked with the limp Chae Yoo-Jin on his back.

What would have happened if he hadn’t answered that call earlier? He probably would have never stepped into Chae Yoo-Jin’s life at all. He had stepped onto a critical crossroads that could possibly change the future of others.

But how was Ha Jae-Gun supposed to deal with this situation? He was like a helpless boat at sea amidst a typhoon.

***

The car slowed down as it drove into an alley. The driver today was not Ha Jae-Gun but Lee Soo-Hee. She didn’t need help from the navigator and thus had it turned off during her drive. They were currently heading to Yeonhui-dong, which was the most familiar neighborhood to her in the entire world, as it was where her parents lived.

“We’re almost there. We just have to turn that corner.”

“…” There was no response from Ha Jae-Gun in the front passenger seat. He was blankly staring out the window.

As Lee Soo-Hee turned the steering wheel around the corner, she asked, “Jae-Gun, are you okay?”

“Hmm? No, it’s nothing.”

“You’re tired, right? You drank yesterday and even came back late. Should we not have arranged it today?”

“No, I didn’t drink much yesterday and had enough rest too.”

“What happened then? You don’t look so good since I saw you just now.”

Ha Jae-Gun let out a sigh and said, “There are just some things I have to think about.”

“Is it serious?”

“Depending… I’ll tell you on the way back after meeting your parents.”

“Okay, I won’t ask for now, then.” Lee Soo-Hee then parked the car outside the detached house, and the couple alighted the car.

It was a simple two-story detached house. The terrace, which could be visible from outside, had some laundry hung outside, fluttering in the wind.

“Your house is so warm and welcoming.”

“It looks old, doesn’t it? It’s a house that my dad first bought when he began earning money, and we will never move out from here. It’ll look better once you step inside.”

Ding-dong!

Lee Soo-Hee pressed on the doorbell. The door opened remotely without anyone verifying who was at the front door. Just as they crossed halfway through the yard, Lee Soo-Hee’s mom, Yeon-Ok, came out to greet them.

“You came earlier than expected.”

“Yes, the traffic is smooth. Jae-Gun, this is my mom.”

“Hello, Mother. I’m Ha Jae-Gun.”

“W-welcome. It must have been tough on you coming all the way here.” Yeon-Ok smiled shyly, seemingly admiring Ha Jae-Gun

“Wow… You look much better in real life than on TV. So this is how it feels like seeing a celebrity in the flesh. I’m watching Let’s Watch A Movie every week, too. I even watched all the movies you’ve introduced.”

“Thank you.”

Ah, look at me. Why are we standing out here? Come in, come in.” Yeon-Ok hurriedly led them back into the house. With gift sets of Hanwoo and red ginseng in each of his hands, Ha Jae-Gun stepped into the living room.

While Lee Soo-Hee took the boxes and went to put them in the kitchen, her father, Kyung-Wook, came down the stairs connecting to the second floor.

“Honey, our daughter’s boyfriend is here.”

“I know. Am I blind?” Kyung-Wook’s bluntness showed at their first meeting, making Ha Jae-Gun gulp nervously.

He had been well-informed by Lee Soo-Hee that her father was a rather eccentric man. Although Ha Jae-Gun had mentally prepared himself, he still couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Hello, uncle. My name is Ha Jae-Gun. Thank you for having me over.”

“I’m Lee Kyung-Wook.” The older man reached his hand out for a handshake. Kyung-Wook possessed a short physique, but his aura was quite dominating.

Ha Jae-Gun bowed slightly as he shook hands with Lee Soo-Hee’s father. He could clearly feel the calluses of time on his palms.

Soo-Hee wasn’t exaggerating.’ A greeting and a rugged handshake were enough for Ha Jae-Gun to understand her father’s life as a self-made pawnbroker in Namdaemun.

“We’re late for lunch, and I’m starving, so let’s have a meal first.”

“Yes, uncle.”

Lee Kyung-Wook headed to the kitchen, but he stopped midway and turned around with a stiff look. Seeing Ha Jae-Gun flinch and wondering if he had done something wrong, Lee Kyung-Wook said, “You calling me uncle sounds strange to my ears. Is there anything you can call me by?”[1]

Ah, then… Can I call you father?”

“Sure, that sounds good. Let’s go.”

The dining table was laid out with various dishes that Yeon-Ok wholeheartedly prepared. The last dish was a pot of boiling stew, and the four began eating.

“Writer Ha, how do you find the food? Does it suit your tastes?”

“It’s really delicious,” Ha Jae-Gun replied in surprise, his eyes widening.

“I thought Soo-Hee was a great cook, but now I know that it was all influenced by you, Mother. I finally understood as a writer why there was such a saying that the food melts before reaching the tongue.”

“My, my, are you worried that others might not know that you’re a writer…? Oh-ho-ho! Please try this too, Writer Ha.” Yeon-Ok excitedly began recommending side dishes to Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun also began stuffing himself with food like a vacuum. “I thought you couldn’t eat much, seeing how thin you are, but you really eat well. You should eat more to write better novels. Have some more.”

“I will, and please speak comfortably, Mother.”

Yeon-Ok blushed at Ha Jae-Gun’s request. Seeing how Yeon-Ok had turned away slightly and smiled reminded him of Lee Soo-Hee. She was older, but Yeon-Ok’s beautiful face still held the beauty of her youth. She had to have been a great beauty in her early days as well.

“But you…” Lee Kyung-Wook began but trailed off. He looked alternately between his wife and his daughter, and then he looked back at Ha Jae-Gun before continuing. “Are you in a serious relationship with my daughter?”

“Dad, why did you suddenly…”

“Be quiet, young lady. The adults are talking.” Lee Kyung-Wook rebuked Lee Soo-Hee and turned his gaze back to Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun placed his cutlery down and nodded seriously in response. “Yes, I would like to marry her if you’ll give us your permission.”

“Mr. Writer… You’re a few steps ahead. Can I drop the honorifics, then?”

“Of course, Father.”

“Okay, let’s continue eating.” Kyung-Wook gestured with his hand.

No more conversations continued until the end of their meal, and only his wife caught the faint smile of satisfaction on his lips.

After their meal, Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Kyung-Wook sat down in the living room across from each other and started a game of chess. Lee Kyung-Wook laid out the board without listening to Ha Jae-Gun’s opinion and started the game.

“I have a habit of viewing self-made people with prejudice. They don’t know how to spend the money they have suddenly earned because of their hard work. Becoming rich all of a sudden is dangerous, and most of them often forget their family because they’re too busy to pay attention to anything else other than their career.”

“I think I understand what you’re getting at,” Ha Jae-Gun replied as he moved his chess piece.

Meanwhile, Yeon-Ok and Lee Soo-Hee were busy preparing refreshments for them in the kitchen.

“What do you think?” Lee Kyung-Wook asked out of the blue as he sent his chess piece straight ahead into the enemy’s camp.

Ha Jae-Gun looked up perplexed. “Sorry?”

“You’re one of those self-made successful people. So what do you think of yourself?”

“Ahh… I see.” Ha Jae-Gun cleared his throat and fell into deep thought. He soon snapped out, and while he moved his next chess piece, he said, “Family is most important to me, and—”

“That’s fine then.” Lee Kyung-Wook cut Ha Jae-Gun off with an expression that he had heard enough from Ha Jae-Gun. He then moved a chess piece on his turn and said, “It’s fine as long as you know that family is most important. There’s nothing else more to say.”

Ha Jae-Gun then looked back down on the board and analyzed the game. A while later, he moved a chess piece and said cautiously, “Um, Father.”

“I have nothing more to say. Focus on the game.”

Um… Checkmate.”

“What…?!” Lee Kyung-Wook widened his eyes and moved his face closer to the board. Ha Jae-Gun scratched the back of his head regretfully and looked away.

Gosh, this is why we shouldn’t talk when playing chess. Let’s go for another round.”

Lee Kyung-Wook conceded defeat and roughly reorganized the board to reset it for the second round just as Yeon-Ok and Lee Soo-Hee brought out a tray of refreshments.

“So, who won? You? Or dad?”

Instead of replying, Ha Jae-Gun picked up an apple piece with a fork and handed it over to Lee Kyung-Wook.

Waving his hand, Lee Kyung-Wook refused with a curt look and placed his gaze on the chessboard. Lee Soo-Hee saw through her father’s expression and chuckled.

“Jae-Gun’s in trouble now,” Lee Soo-Hee whispered mischievously into Ha Jae-Gun’s ear. “Seems like you won the first round. You’ve just provoked my father’s competitive side. Are you prepared?”

Ha Jae-Gun turned pale and looked at Lee Soo-Hee. His expression was so amusing that Yeon-Ok and Lee Soo-Hee turned to each other and burst into laughter. At that time, never in their wildest imagination that the two men would play nearly ten rounds of chess.

***

“Are you sure you can drive?”

“I’m not exhausted to the point that I can’t even drive.”

The night was dark, and the streets were lit. The car that Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee were in was driving out from the narrow alleyway.

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Thank you for looking out for my father. You even forced yourself to play nearly ten rounds of chess with him.”

“No, I find it fun as well; it’s been a while since I played.”

“Anyway, he seems to like how you asked about his pawnshop. He might seem annoyed, but I could see that he was still trying to conceal how happy he was.”

“That’s nice to hear. I was worried that I was making him feel uncomfortable.”

Bzzt!

Lee Soo-Hee’s phone vibrated. Lee Soo-Hee smiled while reading the message that came from Yeon-Ok. “Mom said to set a date for the wedding. She said that she really likes you.”

“I didn’t do much today…”

“You did a lot. You’re great with the basics. You even praised me a lot in front of my parents. They liked it a lot because I’m their one and only child.”

“I’m only speaking the truth,” Ha Jae-Gun said while pressing down on the accelerator. “You don’t know how much courage I got from you.”

“Nothing will come from me even if you flatter me like that.”

“I’ve even completely forgotten about the translation issue now.”

“Translation issue?”

“I heard that the writers of Literature Nobel Prize winners tend to understand the writers and their works at a deeper level and take on the difficult task of translating their works. It was that way for Yasunari Kawabata, Murakami Haruki, and even Mr. Li ZiTing. Which means that you’ll be taking charge of mine for the rest of your life,” Ha Jae-Gun explained.

“So if I’m bad at English, you wouldn’t date me?”

“You’re good in Japanese and German, too. I’m quite sure I’ll expand into at least three different countries.”

Lee Soo-Hee scrunched the nose, sulking. Her expression was so cute that Ha Jae-Gun quickly gave her a peck on the lips when they stopped at the red light.

“Anyway… Ha Jae-Gun.”

“What is it?”

“That thing we were talking about before arriving at my parents’ place. You said you’ll tell me about it. What was it?”

The smile on Ha Jae-Gun’s face slowly faded away. He had forgotten all about it while happily spending time at her parents’ house.

Ha Jae-Gun gathered himself before confiding in her. Just then, a light drizzle began pouring down on the car window. As the scene before his eyes turned wet, Ha Jae-Gun began telling her what happened.

***

“Yes, mother. I’ll be there by 7 p.m.”

Oh Myung-Suk laid back in his chair after hanging up the phone. His entire body was heavy like wet cotton, he didn’t even wish to move a finger.

I’m going crazy.

The wall clock showed the current time at 5 p.m., which meant it was about time for him to get ready. However, he wasn’t in the mood to do so. His mind was focused on Chae Yoo-Jin, who hadn’t been answering his calls.

Bzzt!

Oh Myung-Suk reflexively sat back up and reached for his phone. However, disappointment painted his face when he saw that the call had come from Ha Jae-Gun rather than from Chae Yoo-Jin.

“Yes, Mr. Ha. Why did you call?”

— Hello, Editor-in-chief. Can you talk right now?

“Of course. Feel free to speak.”

— Um, I’d like to speak to you in person, maybe over dinner tonight?

“Ahh… Mr. Ha, I’m sorry, but…” Puzzled, Oh Myung-Suk licked his dry lips and said, “I’m sorry, but I have an appointment today.”

— I see.

“If it’s very important, I’ll make sure to call you later…”

— No, I’ll tell you over the phone now, then. I thought it was better to tell you this in person; that’s why I asked. But I don’t think there’s a choice now.

“Thank you for understanding. Please speak.”

— Before I say it, please let me apologize in advance for being nosy and interfering in your matters.

“Pardon…?” Oh Myung-Suk was dumbfounded. He thought that Ha Jae-Gun had called to discuss something work-related, as they had been in a strict working relationship all this time. Just what was Ha Jae-Gun about to tell him?

Five minutes later, Oh Myung-Suk dashed out of his office. He even sent his chauffeur back and drove the car out alone at high speed, going in a direction completely opposite from where his appointment was supposed to be.

His heart was pounding much harder, and it felt like it was about to explode. Ha Jae-Gun’s words, which were still quite unbelievable, kept ringing in his ears.

1. In the raws, the words are ??? & ???, which both translates to ‘father.’ The difference is in the level of formality/honorifics, with ??? being the most formal. I used ‘sir’ while doing my initial translation, but it felt kind of distant, so I’ve decided to use uncle, as it’s the closest we can get to in English while still showing how close/special one is with the other party. ?

Chapter 206. What? Dragon Rider? (12)

 

Drive! It’s green! Go!

The sense of urgency in Oh Myung-Suk was so great that he couldn’t even withstand a brief moment of stop. He suppressed the urge to sound the car horn, breathing heavily. The warmth from the heater felt suffocating to him, and he pushed the button to wind down all four windows.

Yoo-Jin…! You frustrating girl…!

The scene that night appeared before his eyes; they were together the entire night until the crack of dawn.

However, Oh Myung-Suk’s thirst remained unsatisfied.

He knew the solution to the problem at hand: he just had to have a meal at a certain house and go to sleep, and he just had to see Chae Yoo-Jin’s face first thing when he opened his eyes the next morning.

But of course, it should not be just a normal memory, but an unforgettable one. He would just have to live every day for the rest of his life, relieving those precious days and moments.

Vrooom!

Oh Myung-Suk stomped on the accelerator. He held perfect belief without a shred of doubt. His determination stood firmly as he drove on the road. He couldn’t let that night’s happening turn into a memory.

Screeech!

As soon as he parked the car in the car park, Oh Myung-Suk ran to the hotel. He was able to quickly locate Chae Yoo-Jin, thanks to Ha Jae-Gun telling him that Chae Yoo-Jin was staying in the same hotel as him. Oh Myung-Suk passed the doorman and hurried into the elevator as he pulled out his phone.

“…?!”

Oh Myung-Suk stopped in his tracks the moment he crossed the hotel’s main entrance, looking stunned. He saw a lady turning around from the front desk after checking out. Her gaunt face, lifeless eyes, and unsteady footsteps made him wonder if she were the same confident Chae Yoo-Jin he had known all this while.

“Ah…” Chae Yoo-Jin stopped in her tracks as well when she saw Oh Myung-Suk. Her jaws dropped slightly, and no words came out from her.

There were countless guests walking past them, but the two only stared at each other silently.

Oh Myung-Suk broke the silence first and started walking. He walked calmly toward her. The sound of his shoes hitting the floor with every step made Chae Yoo-Jin’s heart pound harder against her chest.

“Where are you going?” Oh Myung-Suk asked.

Chae Yoo-Jin lowered her head instead of looking straight at him.

“I asked, where are you going?” Oh Myung-Suk repeated himself.

“I’m done with work, so I’m heading back to New York.”

“Are you joking with me? At this hour?”

Oh Myung-Suk grabbed her shoulders. She flinched, but Chae Yoo-Jin didn’t look up.

“Is there nothing you want to tell me?”

“What?”

“You don’t have to feign ignorance. I know everything.”

“…Did Mr. Ha tell you?” Chae Yoo-Jin’s self-deprecating smile was reflected on the newly waxed flooring. Oh Myung-Suk’s red face was reflected on it as well.

“How is that important right now? Why didn’t you tell me right away? Why didn’t you tell me something as important as this earlier?” Oh Myung-Suk pressed. His raised tone made people around them turn their attention toward them.

“Aren’t you being too full of yourself?”

“What?”

“How old are we? Do you really think that I’m not dating anyone else?” Chae Yoo-Jin looked up slowly. The scornful look on her face was so forced that it looked unnatural. Even the pupils of her widened eyes were shaking.

“Are you sure I don’t have any other man aside from you?” Her provocation tore through Oh Myung-Suk’s heart, which was why he could see the fear and anxiety that painted her face.

Tears began forming in Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes, and he felt like going crazy when he imagined Chae Yoo-Jin suffering all by herself.

“Yes.” Oh Myung-Suk regulated his breath for a while before saying, “I’m sure; that’s why I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?”

Oh Myung-Suk took a step forward. He pulled Chae Yoo-Jin into an embrace without a word.

“We’re in public. What do you think you’re doing?”

“Didn’t you ask me to confirm if you have no other man aside from me?!” Oh Myung-Suk’s words echoed through the lobby. Hugged by Oh Myung-Suk, Chae Yoo-Jin stood stiffly from head to toe with her arms hanging down.

“I’m sure… and I’m sorry for leaving you alone all this while. Now, I just want to live with only you in my mind.” Oh Myung-Suk buried his face deep into her neck.

The familiar touch of the necklace around her neck grazed the tip of his nose. It was the same necklace he had gifted on her birthday back in university.

“I love you, Chae Yoo-Jin.”

The once-stiff Chae Yoo-Jin was suddenly drained of all energy. The meaningless wall that she had built up came crumbling down. Her eyes, which reflected the splendid chandeliers on the ceiling, quickly turned wet with tears.

“I was scared….” Chae Yoo-Jin had barely croaked a sentence with a gulp. The hot tear that rolled down her cheek fell onto Oh Myung-Suk’s chest. “I was so scared, and I couldn’t bear to tell you the news. It’s because I know what’s going on in your life that I couldn’t bring it up myself. I’m sorry, Myung-Suk.”

“Don’t apologize, I’m the one who should say sorry”

“I’m sorry…. I’m the one in the wrong. B-but I was really scared…! I didn’t know what to do, heukkkkkk…!” Chae Yoo-Jin let go of her luggage and hugged Oh Myung-Suk in return.

Oh Myung-Suk caressed her head as she wailed, nodding. “Don’t go back to New York. Go check into your room again.”

“No, I’m not going back to New York.” Chae Yoo-Jin shook her head profusely and hugged him tighter. “I was planning to go back to my dad’s. It’s near the hospital, and I miss my dad, too.”

“Good decision. Let’s go together, I’ll drive you there. I’ll stay with you from now on.”

“Can we…?”

“Yes, we can. Everything will be okay. Don’t worry and trust me. It’ll be fine; everything will be fine….”

Their journey together had been set. There would no longer be hesitation or wandering in their days together in the future. Oh Myung-Suk repeated the words like an incantation, embracing Chae Yoo-Jin much tighter than before. Despite the countless people walking past, the two remained firmly at their current spot.

***

“She’s pregnant…?” Oh Tae-Jin was in disbelief. Oh Myung-Suk stood upright as Oh Tae-Jin stood stunned without even taking off his outer coat.

He had just returned from a meeting with the family from the Daemyung Group, and his peace of mind was shattered by Oh Myung-Suk’s words.

“You’re saying that… Yoo-Jin is carrying your child?” Oh Tae-Jin asked again in disbelief.

Oh Myung-Suk nodded firmly, keeping his calm composure. “Yes.”

“No way…!” Oh Tae-Jin mumbled, shaking his head. Of course, there were cases where women diagnosed to be barren would become pregnant, but the chances were extremely slim. Shockingly, such a miracle had happened to the woman whom his eldest son loved so much.

Oh Tae-Jin stumbled and fell back onto the sofa. Meanwhile, Oh Myung-Suk stood still, waiting for his father’s next words. Only the father and son were alone in the study.

“Are you certain?” Oh Tae-Jin asked after a period of silence.

Oh Myung-Suk smiled bitterly. Chae Yoo-Jin was provocative when she asked that question, but his father was genuinely doubtful.

“Yes, I’m certain. I will gladly do the DNA test if you need it.”

“No, that definitely must be done! There is no escaping that test!” Oh Tae-Jin yelled as he jumped to his feet. “What if she isn’t carrying your child?!”

“Father, I know very well what kind of woman Chae Yoo-Jin is….”

“Stop with the nonsense! I’m asking what you’re going to do if the child isn’t yours!”

“I’ll break up with her, then,” Oh Myung-Suk replied calmly.

Oh Myung-Suk maintained eye contact with his father and added, “But that will never happen. I’m certain that it’s my child, so there’s probably no way that we’ll ever break up in this life.”

Oh Tae-Jin’s breathing turned rough as he grew angrier, and he groped around the desk behind him for a cigarette.

Oh Myung-Suk stepped up and offered a stick but was rejected by his father. Oh Tae-Jin eventually found a stick and lit it; he puffed a few clouds of white smoke before saying, “Arrange a meeting.”

“….”

“I have to meet and have a talk with her at least once.”

“You’re going overboard, Father.” Oh Myung-Suk smiled sadly and continued, “Why just a meeting? Why aren’t you asking me to bring her back home to see you?”

“Oh Myung-Suk…!”

“I know what your thoughts on her are. You must still be unwilling to accept her. That’s why I can’t agree and will not arrange the meeting. I also know what you will say to her.”

Oh Tae-Jin was so furious that his jaw trembled visibly.

Oh Myung-Suk took a step forward and added in earnest, “I grew up in a great environment because of you, Father. It’s because of this that I have never once defied you. I have been working hard my entire life according to your wishes.”

“…!”

“I beg you, Father. I really do love her. The reason you’ve rejected her before is no longer there, so please, allow me to choose the woman I like. Regardless of what kind of person the youngest daughter of Daemyung Group is, Chae Yoo-Jin is the only one for me.”

“No! Never…! I don’t wish to hear of this anymore!” Oh Tae-Jin yelled and waved both his arms wildly. He couldn’t find any other reasons to refuse, both logically and morally.

In fact, Oh Tae-Jin had disapproved of Chae Yoo-Jin for the longest time. He admitted that Chae Yoo-Jin was both smart and kind; her looks were outstanding as well, but that was all.

Compared to the OongSung Group, Chae Yoo-Jin was nothing. The environment she had grown up in was so different that it was obvious she would make Oh Myung-Suk suffer if they were to get married. Oh Tae-Jin firmly believed in it.

He was delighted when he heard that Chae Yoo-Jin was barren, as the reason alone was enough to keep them apart.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore today. Go back to your room for now. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”

“I have to leave now.”

“Leave…? Where to?”

“I promised Chae Yoo-Jin that I would be back as soon as possible. She’s feeling anxious right now, so I must stay with her.” Oh, Myung-Suk bowed respectfully.

Oh Tae-Jin stood dumbfounded and yelled at Oh Myung-Suk, who was about to step out of the door, “You can never take another step into this house if you leave now!”

“…I still have to go.”

“Take what is yours and leave! Take everything that you have earned by your own efforts and leave this house!”

“There is nothing I have earned from my own efforts in this house.” Oh Myung-Suk stopped as he grabbed the doorknob.

Oh Myung-Suk’s voice trembled as he continued. “You’re the one who gave me life, Father. Everything I have now is thanks to you. But… please at least lend me this set of clothes and the money I have in my wallet for the time being.”

With that, Oh Myung-Suk left the room without turning back once.

He closed the door behind him and walked down the hallway without hesitation.

I’ll have to take a taxi, then.’

He packed a few sets of clothes, and then he left the house before pulling his phone out. Just then, the car parked on the other side of the road flashed its headlights at him. Oh Myung-Suk covered his face to block out the strong light.

“Myung-Hoon…?” He realized that it was Oh Myung-Hoon’s car after taking a closer look.

Oh Myung-Hoon reached out from the driver’s seat and gestured lightly at Oh Myung-Suk. Oh Myung-Suk walked over briskly.

“Why are you standing there in a daze even after recognizing that it was me?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Hop on. It’s going to be cumbersome with that luggage if you take a taxi.”

Oh Myung-Suk’s hesitation lasted only for a brief moment. He opened the back door and popped his luggage inside, and then they got into the car. Oh Myung-Hoon stepped on the accelerator.

“Hyung, I’m proud of you,” he said.

“Shut up. How much is the fare?” Oh Myung-Suk grinned.

Oh Myung-Hoon was smiling lightly as well as he steered the car onto the main road.

The car carrying the two brothers made its way through the quiet winter night.

***

“The release of The Breath in the U.S. is right around the corner. If you don’t like to do commercials, what about appearing on a program instead?”

“Do you really think that I have to do that, President Kwon?”

“Yes. Not just me, but OongSung, Nextion, and even China’s Teencent would love it. All of us just didn’t mention it out of consideration for you. But if you agree to appear in the program, it would definitely help in the marketing. News articles about you will follow suit. The corner Let’s Watch A Movie is still quite lacking.”

Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won were sitting in the living room of Ha Jae-Gun’s house on a sunny midday. kWON Tae-Won had presented to him three potential programs: I Live AloneThree Meals A Day, and Literary Travel to North Europe.

“I can’t agree to Three Meals A Day,” Ha Jae-Gun said after taking a sip of his coffee. “I prefer doing things alone than with a group of people. Even if I decide to appear in a show, I’ll choose between either I Live Alone or Literary Travel to North Europe.”

“I thought so too,” Kwon Tae-Won replied with his eyes shining, waiting for a definite answer from Ha Jae-Gun.

However, Ha Jae-Gun fell into agony once more. The host of Literary Travel to North Europe was Park Hye-Sang. Although they still greet each other once in a while, the fact that he’d have to work with her, on top of the long recording schedule, bothered him a lot.

Then all that’s left is I Live Alone….

Bzzt!

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang. Seeing that it was a call from Reporter Hyun Sung-Beom, Ha Jae-Gun answered it immediately.

“Yes, Reporter?”

— Hello, Mr. Ha! I’m Hyun Sung-Beom from Weekly Trends, we last met at the airport! I’ve received your email! I never expected to hear from you so soon!

The young reporter was so loud that even Kwon Tae-Won could hear him.

Kwon Tae-Won smiled, knowing that they were referring to the story about Lee Soo-Hee.

“I told you, didn’t I? I keep my word.”

— I was doubtful at first, so I didn’t expect that you’d actually contact me. I will most definitely do my best with the special feature and upload the article. Please include me in your wedding invitation list, too.

“All right, if you write it well, I’ll send you another interesting story soon.”

 Aigoo, thank you! Thank you so much!

“Reporter Hyun, I am in the middle of something right now. I’ll hang up first.”

— Of course! I’ll wait for your news! Have a good day, Mr. Ha!

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and hung up. Just then, Lee Soo-Hee had come back from the kitchen after preparing refreshments for the two.

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun recalled Lee Soo-Hee’s favorite program, and it allowed him to finally resolve the dilemma.

Chapter 207. What? Dragon Rider? (13)

“Why are you smiling to yourself? Did something good happen?” Lee Soo-Hee asked, blinking her eyes rapidly curiously.

Ha Jae-Gun patted the empty seat on the sofa next to him, asking her to join him. As soon as Lee Soo-Hee put down the tray, Ha Jae-Gun asked, “I should be fine appearing on I Live Alone, right?”

“Are you alright with it?”

“I joined when Do-Joon went on the show, and the producer told me that it’s not that difficult too.” Ha Jae-Gun then took a brief glance at Kwon Tae-Won before whispering to her, “Plus, it’s also your favorite variety show.”

“Don’t think about that. You should decide based on what you think.” The couple’s gazes they exchanged were filled with dense emotions.

Kwon Tae-Won smiled as he placed a wedge of apple into his mouth. There was also a period of time when he had a passionate relationship with his wife, Dong-Mi.

Their love had cooled down a little, but he was still happy spending his life with Dong-Mi. Kwon Tae-Won suddenly missed his wife and decided that he had to eat out with her tonight.

“President Kwon, I’ll do it.”

“Pardon?” Kwon Tae-Won put his thoughts for Dong-Mi aside and looked up in bewilderment.

“What did you say?”

I Live Alone. You’ll have to contact Producer Oh.”

“Ah, yes. You’ve made a great decision.” Kwon Tae-Won wrote a note on his phone and then picked up his outer coat. As he stood up, Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee followed suit.

“Are you leaving already?”

“I’m planning to drop by the variety department at MBS before heading home. It’s almost time, anyway, so I should get going. Thanks for the lunch.” Ha Jae-Gun left Lee Soo-Hee in the house and followed after Kwon Tae-Won. The two men continued their conversation while walking ever so slowly like sloths to the garage, which was just a short walk away.

“President Kwon, I heard that you’re moving soon?”

“Yes, the apartment we’re living in now is quite small since we’ve got two grown children and just a single bathroom, so it’s always a war in the mornings and evenings. We’re moving to a new place with two bathrooms. Please do come for the housewarming.”

“Of course. But you aren’t moving too far out, right? Otherwise, I will go crazy without being able to have drinks with you whenever I want to.”

“I won’t leave Guro, so don’t worry about it.” Kwon Tae-Won pressed the button on his car keys, and the headlights flashed, unlocking the door. Before he opened the driver’s door, he looked back at Ha Jae-Gun and said, “You’re the greatest blessing in my life, Writer Ha.”

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“I have been thanking myself for my eagle eyes every morning recently. It was the greatest feat in my life to discover you.”

“It was all thanks to you that I lasted and got to where I am today, President Kwon. It was a really tough time.”

“It was the same for me.” Kwon Tae-Won’s eyes were soaked with tears of emotion. He looked at the detached house behind Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulders in awe. “I initially thought that Star Books was my everything. I kept wondering what I’d do if I quit that company, wondering who would take care of the writers whom I’ve been overseeing.

“My worries were like mountains weighing down on me. Those were dark times, so dark that I couldn’t even see my own future.”

The two turned silent for a moment amid the solemn atmosphere. The countless past hardships flashed past their mind.

“But it’s all in the past now!” Kwon Tae-Won grinned brightly. “That was also how Laugh Books was born. Thank you, Writer Ha.”

“I’m thankful as well for always being my editor-in-chief ever since.”

The both of them then decided to shake hands. Their heavy emotions traveled from their hands to each other’s hearts.

“I’ll be leaving now, then. I’ll call you again later.”

“Okay, please be safe.”

Ha Jae-Gun turned around as Kwon Tae-Won’s car drove away. He found Lee Soo-Hee taking out the vacuum cleaner as soon as he stepped into the house. “Why are you cleaning the house again?”

“We should at least clean every three days.”

“Every three days? Aren’t you being a clean freak? It’s enough to start the vacuum cleaner once a month.”

Lee Soo-Hee’s jaws dropped at Ha Jae-Gun’s astonishing words.

Ew, how dare you say that. Stop saying weird things and drop by the office while I clean the house, Writer Ha.”

“Why the office?”

“Shouldn’t you bring Rika and Nun-Sol back?”

Oh… Okay.”

“Didn’t you say Writer Kang and Writer Jang will be moving out soon as well? We should take care of them now since I’m back in Korea, too.”

“Okay, I’ll go over and pick them up now.” Ha Jae-Gun chuckled bitterly as he picked up his coat while silently hoping that Jung So-Mi, whom both Rika and Nun-Sol loved a lot, wasn’t in the office.

The snowy outdoors made Ha Jae-Gun feel a shiver down his spine.

***

“Hello, I’m Baek Sung-Hyun. I’m 24 this year, and I’m publishing a modern fantasy novel on Munpiang. Pleased to meet you.”

“I’m Han Jae-Hee. I’m 22 this year, and I’m writing an urban fantasy novel. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Hwang Bo-Hyuk. My surname isn’t Hwang Bo, but Hwang, and my name is Bo-Hyuk. I’m the same age as Writer Han Jae-Hee, and I’m still working on my practice novel. Pleased to meet you.”

Three new additions finished their introductions one after the other. Yang Hyun-Kyung stood upright before them like a training instructor. His sharp gaze then turned to the fourth and last lady joining the office.

“I, I….” The lady stammered, looking tense despite her cute and small build. She kept swallowing constantly, and both her hands were trembling like shaking aspen trees as they held onto her knees.

“I-I’m sorry. Can I introduce myself using my pen name…”

“I’m sorry, your voice is too low. Can you speak louder?”

“N-no… I’m… 25 this year… and working on a romance novel…. My name is….” She then shifted her gaze down again. She closed her eyes tightly as she struggled with her next words. “My name… is… Jeon… Bong-Yi. Jeon is my surname, and Bong-Yi is my name. It’s not a one-character name; the Yi at the end is part of my name as well. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, my, your name is so cute and pretty,” Jang Eun-Young said with a smile from behind Yang Hyun-Kyung as she paused working on her novel.

Jeon Bong-Yi covered her cheeks, which turned red like a beetroot. “I really struggle at self-introductions because of my name. I always felt like dying whenever I go to school at the start of every new semester.”

“What’s so embarrassing with your name? Ms. Bong-Yi sounds cute, and it suits you. I hope we get along well.”

Jeon Bong-Yi nodded with a shy smile. Jang Eun-Young winked at her and returned to focus on her work. Yang Hyun-Kyung then began his official tour of the place office.

“As I’ve mentioned earlier, my name is Yang Hyun-Kyung. I can also be considered one of the pioneer members of this office. In case you’re aware, I’ve also made my debut as the author of Slater,” Yang Hyun-Kyung finished, and then he faced the window to clear his throat.

He had reluctantly undertaken the role of the discipline head from Kang Min-Ho, who was leaving the office soon. Yang Hyun-Kyung was sweating buckets of cold sweat as this role didn’t fit his personality.

“The most important thing when living with others is consideration for each other. As this isn’t a personal space, we’ll be strictly sharing cleaning and meal prep duties amongst everyone here. Well, I have mentioned this in the email sent to all of you, right?”

“…Yes.” Baek Sung-Hyun quietly replied on behalf of the new tenants as the group of them looked at each other.

Yang Hyun-Kyung scratched his chin and continued with Nun-Sol curled up at his feet. “We’ll be spending a month together first; this is a newly made rule, but if there are any writers here who object to any one of you staying after the first month, that writer will have to leave.

“If no one objects, then all of us will continue staying here together amicably.”

Nun-Sol was observing the new tenants with shining eyes as if it were an actual interviewer. Nun-Sol was so cute that Bong-Yi tried so hard to suppress the urge to reach out to the cat.

Just then, a melodious noise echoed from the door; someone was typing on the keypad outside. The door had yet to open, but Nun-Sol and Rika were already rushing toward it.

“Oh? Jae-Gun hyung, why are you here?” Yang Hyun-Kyung asked with surprise painted over his face.

The four new writers were shocked at the mention of Ha Jae-Gun’s name and turned toward the door.

“I came here to take a look. Everyone’s good, right?” Ha Jae-Gun replied as he picked up both Rika and Nun-Sol.

Meanwhile, the new writers were shivering in place as if they had been thrown out into the cold. As rookie writers, they had definitely heard of Ha Jae-Gun before.

Despite knowing full well that this was Ha Jae-Gun’s office, they still felt tense at the first meeting.

“They must be the new writers,” Ha Jae-Gun spoke in a gentle tone.

The four of them stood up in a hurry and introduced themselves.

“H-h-hello, I’m Hwang Bo-Hyuk.”

“I’m Baek Sung-Hyun. Writer Ha Jae-Gun—no, I’m sorry. I joined after reading your novels, senior.”

Ah, I’m extremely honored. Oh wait, my name is Han Jae-Hee. Yes, that’s right, I’m Han Jae-Hee.”

They couldn’t conceal their excitement. Jeon Bong-Yi was the only exception, as she stood calmly while keeping herself composed. Thankfully, Ha Jae-Gun did not ask for her name, although she still couldn’t bring herself to say her name.

“I’m Ha Jae-Gun. I would sometimes come and spend a few days here to work on my novel, so I hope to get along with all of you.”

Ha Jae-Gun shook hands with each of them before turning around. Jang Eun-Young gestured toward the kitchen and mouthed the word coffee at Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun left Yang Hyun-Kyung and followed Jang Eun-Young to the kitchen. “I don’t see the others around.”

“You should know that Director Lee hasn’t been around because of the filming for the drama for Summer in My 20s. Min-Ho hyung went out to view other houses, saying that he didn’t like the ones he had seen before.”

“Of course, he should choose carefully since it’s going to be your newlywed home.”

“Well, it’s all thanks to you too, Writer Ha, that we have a lot more choices now, so it’s quite worrisome.” Jang Eun-Young chuckled as she made a cup of coffee for Ha Jae-Gun.

As they sat across from each other, Ha Jae-Gun took over the cup and asked, “What about Ms. So-Mi and Yeon-Woo…?”

“Ms. So-Mi hasn’t been coming here as often recently, maybe she has more work to deal with at Laugh Books?”

“Is that so?”

“And Yeon-Woo seems weird lately.”

“What about him?” Ha Jae-Gun narrowed his eyes. He had been the most mindful of Lee Yeon-Woo. He knew that despite the bubbly personality he had, Lee Yeon-Woo had the most tender heart underneath.

“He’s always in a daze. He still writes regularly and doesn’t do anything else, but how can such a cheerful kid like him stop being playful all at once? Isn’t it weird?”

“That’s definitely weird. I’ve been busy these days. Did something happen while I wasn’t around?”

“And… he’s been going somewhere often recently. He always says he’s going out to get some fresh air, but only goes out every evening and returns late. There are times when he would stay out and only return the next morning.”

Hmm… I see.” Ha Jae-Gun nodded, holding a sip of coffee in his mouth. While they drank their coffee silently, Yang Hyun-Kyung came into the kitchen after finishing his office tour for the new tenants.

“Jae-Gun hyung, are we going to have a company dinner today?”

“Company dinner?”

“We’ve got new writers joining us today. I was thinking of passing up on it if you’re not around, but now that you’re here, I’m asking out of curiosity.”

“Shall we? It’s also my rest day today,” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled as he thought of Lee Soo-Hee.

Although there wasn’t a particular off day for writers, Lee Soo-Hee was an office employee. He couldn’t let her clean the house alone while he enjoyed himself at the company dinner.

“What do you think, Writer Jang?”

“Have you ever seen me reject a company dinner? Of course, I’m in.”

“ Yeon-Woo has to join as well, so I’ll give him a call.” Ha Jae-Gun stepped out into the corridor and called Lee Soo-Hee first. Since they were going to have a company dinner, he asked her to come to the office before calling Lee Yeon-Woo.

Why isn’t he answering?

Ha Jae-Gun dialed once more, but Lee Yeon-Woo still did not pick up. The moment when he was about to send a message to Lee Yeon-Woo, a message came in from Lee Yeon-Woo first.

– Jae-Gun hyung, sorry, but I’m currently back at home in Suwon. I’m not available to answer your call, so I’ll return your call later.

– Alright. We’re going to have a company dinner tonight with the new writers who joined the office today, you’re coming, right?

– I’m not very sure, hyung. I’ve got some family matters to settle. I’ll let you know as soon as possible. I’m really sorry.

– Don’t be sorry. Okay, let’s talk after you’re done.

Ha Jae-Gun’s heart felt heavy as he put his phone back into his pocket. He then realized that something was up with Lee Yeon-Woo and couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling in his mind as he shook his head.

That evening, Lee Yeon-Woo never turned up at the company dinner.

***

Aigoo, thank you so much. Yes, yes, President Kwon. As expected, he agreed to do it because it was you. Hahaha, yes, yes. I’ll make the necessary arrangements. Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow. Hahaha, please enjoy your dinner.” Producer Oh hung up the call, beaming.

With the call, Ha Jae-Gun’s appearance on I Live Alone had been fixed. They were talking about Ha Jae-Gun here, so even a verbal agreement was enough.

“Did Mr. Ha Jae-Gun agree to come on the show?” The Assistant Director asked as he sat from across Producer Oh.

Producer Oh nodded and stood up with a stick of cigarette in his mouth.

“What great timing. Now I’m able to show off to Content Producer Bae. The last episode of the drama Summer in My 20s is coming to an end soon, after all”

Producer Oh moved to the pantry and continued. “But the problem is the guest…”

“Even if we filmed once or twice at Mr. Ha’s house and office, we’ll still need a guest.”

“It shouldn’t be too difficult to invite his family to appear on the show, but to pull in the numbers, we’ll definitely need a popular guest on it.”

“I can’t think of anyone else aside from Mr. Park Do-Joon from his connections. Ah, how about EBS Announcer Park Hye-Sang?” Assistant Director Ji asked, snapping his fingers.

Producer Oh frowned immediately and shook his head. “Not her.”

“Huh? But why? They both appeared on another show a couple of times together, and they even know each other personally.”

“No means no. Let’s think over it a little more. Maybe ask Park Do-Joon first….” The two of them took out a second stick and fell into deep thought.

A while later, Assistant Director Ji came up with another proposal, “Ah, Producer-nim, how about AppleT’s Lee Chae-Rin?”

“Lee Chae-Rin? Oh, yes. He knows her too, right?”

“Yes. She sang the OST for Gyeoja Bathhouse, and they seemed to be quite close when I saw them talking at the Baeksong Arts Awards. Plus, Lee Chae-Rin is a bookworm and a literary student. It’ll look good on the show.”

“Nice. We’ll definitely get some interesting cuts. Give them a call later.”

Producer Oh turned anxious as there’s a new direction for them to work with.

Assistant Director Ji quickly put out the second cigarette butt and continued. “But Producer-nim, I just remembered Five Wheels.

“What about it?”

“Mr. Ha should be aware that you are in charge of Five Wheels as well, right?”

“Maybe. I have mentioned it to him before.”

Five Wheels was another variety program that Producer Oh was in charge of. It was a long-standing popular talk show that invited various celebrities to show up.

“I’m not sure if I’m overreacting, but….”

Ah, stop beating around the bush. What is it?”

“Chae Bo-Ra. We confirmed to have her as a guest on the show, right?”

“Oh yes, we did agree to put her on her show, but why….” Producer Oh then trailed off, realizing why AD Ji had brought it up.

“Do you really think Mr. Ha will pick on every word?”

“Who knows what’s going on in his mind? We can’t say for sure whether he’s the type to hold grudges or not. Mr. Ha always looks calm on the outside, but have you ever seen his eyes up close? His gaze never wavers. Those eyes are exclusive to those who have gone through hell.”

Producer Oh clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “What nonsense. You’ve been reading too much webtoon that you’re exaggerating everything.”

“No, I was just trying to do a better description….” Assistant Director Ji muttered, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

Producer Oh’s face turned serious once more, and he crossed his arms. He was lost in thoughts for a while, and then he finally mumbled, “Yeah, we can’t take risks.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“Okay, try rejecting her nicely, saying that we don’t think it’ll be a good fit on the topic or concept for the week.”

“I understand.”

The two of them then parted in opposite directions at the end of the corridor.

Assistant Ji pulled out his phone to call Chae Bo-Ra’s manager.

Chapter 208. What? Dragon Rider? (14)

[Weekly Trends Exclusive! Identity of Ha Jae-Gun’s woman gets revealed!]

[Ha Jae-Gun’s woman is actually a spectacular[1] woman? A career woman working as a team leader at a leading game company in Korea]

[Photos of the very same one-piece girl from Ha Jae-Gun’s past autograph event resurfaces; her stunning beauty results in explosive reaction on social media]

[Exclusive phone interview with Writer Ha Jae-Gun: Love since university will come to fruition with marriage]

Chae Bo-Ra felt particularly uncomfortable today. She had been grounded in her own studio for a few days now, and it was beginning to suffocate her. On top of that, she had just decided to surf the internet to distract herself, but Ha Jae-Gun was all over the news.

Why is everyone so interested in a normal person’s love affair?

Ha Jae-Gun was just a writer, and she was a celebrity. Their status and positions were entirely different, but Chae Bo-Ra still had every reason to be angry. News of her appearing on Five Wheels had made it to the real-time search rankings, but it was buried instantly after Ha Jae-Gun’s news broke out on the internet.

Everyone is just going on about Ha Jae-Gun, Ha Jae-Gun! I really want to smash this phone. Argh!

Why was it always Ha Jae-Gun? Chae Bo-Ra’s anger and hatred toward him skyrocketed.

Whatever mistakes she had made in the past were not important now, as they were all in the past. At this moment, she only viewed Ha Jae-Gun as a huge obstacle standing in the way of her bright future, and her insides were boiling in anger.

Argh, seriously!

Chae Bo-Ra threw her phone to a corner on the sofa and turned on the TV. The channel was still on the entertainment program of a certain entertainment program that she was watching last night. She turned up the volume as she watched the female host and a reporter engage in a talk.

“…a woman he has liked since university? I think it’s a beautiful story, even if it took him a long time to step into the next chapter. How did you get this information, Reporter Hyun Sung-Beom?”

“Actually, about this… It’s an interesting story. I was at the airport covering for another story when I happened to bump into Writer Ha Jae-Gun. As a reporter, I couldn’t just let the chance slip past, so I approached him and asked about the photos that had become a hot topic recently.”

Chae Bo-Ra’s face distorted so much as if she had just drank a huge bowl of dirty water. The TV was talking about Ha Jae-Gun again. The mask she had on her face was wrinkling and falling off.

[I see. So, Writer Ha Jae-Gun told you everything in detail on the spot?]

[No. He was actually busy at that time, so he told me that he would contact me if I left him to his work, and he would also tell me everything in detail. Something like that….]

[So you left the busy man and got a call from him later?]

[Yes, he really called me on my phone a few days later and answered all of my questions in detail. He had also said a few words that left a deep impression, saying that he had never broken a promise in his life before.]

Tzz!

The TV was turned off, and Chae Bo-Ra threw the remote control to the floor, and it rolled on the rug laid out in the living room. She removed the face mask and stood up from the sofa. “Are you done yet?!”

“A-almost done!”

“It’s just a salad; why are you taking so long?!”

“Sorry, I forgot that we’ve run out of chopped cabbage. Give me a few minutes more.” Yu-Na replied apologetically as her head peeked out from the kitchen.

Chae Bo-Ra returned to the sofa with a slightly softened face now that she had let out some of the anger that had built up in her.

Well, whatever. It’s not like my life is alternating between happy and sad. I’ve got a lot of people on my side, too.

Up until now, there were still countless fans sending words of encouragement to Chae Bo-Ra through social media. Most of them thought that Chae Bo-Ra was taking a break from her activities after receiving shock from the controversy a while back. The flooding mentions on her social media brought a smile to her face.

This is my win, and the winner is never at fault.

She had deceived the public with her outstanding acting through various media outlets and video platforms. Fortunately, the world was on her side. The issue of her manipulating Won Ji-Yeon to delete Ha Jae-Gun’s manuscript had fizzled as there wasn’t any evidence to back it up.

That foolish and cheeky bitch, How dare she act up?’ Won Ji-Yeon should be trembling in fear of facing a huge settlement fee after being blamed for all the crimes Chae Bo-Ra had committed.

Chae Bo-Ra felt thrilled just imagining that sight.

“Bo-Ra, it’s all done now. Come over and eat.”

“Okay.” The plate of salad and a drink was set up on the dining table.

Chae Bo-Ra sat down and picked up the fork. As she took a bite of the salad, she noticed Yu-Na’s phone left on one end of the table.

“Unni, you bought a new phone?”

Ah, yes. The contract for my previous phone ended, so I got a new one.”

Chae Bo-Ra grabbed her phone without permission. As she pressed the unlock button, paragraphs of text filled the screen.

“What’s this? Novel?”

“Oh, yes. I just read whenever I’m bored….”

“What novel is this?”

“It’s just an ordinary novel. It has a bit of romance in it,” Yu-Na without much thought. She was quite the bookworm, but he didn’t have much time to drop by the library, so she had to purchase ebooks through her phone to read them.

“Reading as a hobby for an idol group trainee? That doesn’t suit your image.”

“Really…? I just like reading.”

“Anyway, reading books hurts my head, so I don’t read them. I would choose webtoons over books; why would I want to torture myself by reading? You want to get popular through books? Like Chae-Rin from AppleT?”

“No, I’m just blindly choosing something to do. I have nothing else to do.” Yu-Na smiled awkwardly. It was better for her not to say anything that might rub Chae Bo-Ra the wrong way.

“I heard that the showcase is getting delayed. Instead of reading things like this and wasting your time, you should practice more.”

“You’re right….” Although that was what she said, Yu-Na was seething with anger internally. Chae Bo-Ra was spouting blatant nonsense when she was the one who had called a tired person to play as her housekeeper.

Bzzt!

“It should be Oppa. Get my phone for me.”

Mm.” Yu-Na went to the living room like an obedient little dog and brought Chae Bo-Ra her phone.

Chae Bo-Ra answered the phone while chewing a mouthful of salad. “Yeah.”

— Bo-Ra, are you at home now?

“Of course. Who’s the one who grounded me?”

— Bo-Ra, I’m sorry. Aish, there’s some bad news.

Her manager’s tone sounded unusual. Still calm, Chae Bo-Ra took a sip of her drink and asked, “Bad news? Are they going to counter-sue Won Ji-Yeon at all? Or is this about Ha Jae-Gun?”

— No, Bo-Ra. Please don’t explode after hearing me out. I should go and ask them about it but the situation now….

Chae Bo-Ra finally understood the seriousness of the situation and put down her fork. The moment she was about to yell at her manager to tell her the news quickly, he continued speaking

— Your appearance on Five Wheels has been canceled, Chae Bo-Ra….

“What…?!” The color drained from Chae Bo-Ra’s face.

She had been looking forward to returning to variety shows, but they had actually been canceled? A loud, heavy sound rang in her ears as if a huge boulder had dropped on her heart.

“What do you mean…? Why me?”

— They said you don’t fit their concept for the upcoming special episode…. That’s just an excuse. I think there are other reasons behind it.

Her manager only stopped there, believing that Chae Bo-Ra would also be aware of the other reasons that he had mentioned. She had managed to deceive the whole world, so there was no way Chae Bo-Ra wouldn’t know the truth.

“No…!” Chae Bo-Ra’s breathing turned rough. She gripped the edge of the table so tightly that her palm was turning red. “No…! How is that possible…? How can they do that? How can they stop me like this?”

— It’s hard to say that Ha Jae-Gun had a hand in this. He’s not someone to do that.

“Are you siding with him now?!”

— Don’t raise your voice at me when you haven’t done anything right. I’m just stating facts.

“Oppa, are you reprimanding me…?”

— Do you still not know his character by now? If he wanted to do something, he would have done so already. Why would he stop you from appearing on a small variety show at this point? Does that make any sense?

Her manager let out a long sigh.

Grrr.

Her manager then continued.

— It was tough for me to ask Assistant Director Ji Jung-Hwan out and ask him about this personally. He didn’t say all that, but I could tell from his expression. The broadcasting station had made the changes.

“…!” Chae Bo-Ra gritted her teeth so hard that it was on the verge of breaking. Her manager’s words were implying the truth.

“Producer Oh values Ha Jae-Gun much higher than me?”

— Bo-Ra….

“Is that it? He’s being careful around that guy, so he’s decided to kick me out of the show? Wow…! But all the effort I’ve put in to get to where I am now…!”

— Calm down and listen to me….

“How can I calm down?! How does any of this make sense?! Oppa, what did you do?! You know all the hard work I’ve done to get to where I am, but why are you just watching on the side?!” Chae Bo-Ra yelled into the phone and threw the plate of salad away.

Clatter!

The plate broke on the floor, and the salad scattered in all directions.

Yu-Na turned pale in fear and retreated.

“Managers are all there just to extort money from us! Ah, how annoying. Disgusting, bye!”

Beep!

Chae Bo-Ra unilaterally hung up the call and threw her phone away at random, which happened to hit Yu-Na on her forehead.

Ah!

“Why did you stand there?! Stop getting on my nerves, I want to be alone, so leave! Bloody hell, did he really think that I’d step down just like this?! I have people to back me up, too!”

Chae Bo-Ra left the hurting Yu-Na and headed to her room, slamming the door. Yu-Na rubbed her forehead, tears welling up in her eyes. Her forehead hurt, but she felt sadder than pain. Her nose was turning red, and a tear rolled down her face.

Bzzt!

The phone vibrated on the floor. Yu-Na wiped her tears and looked up. It was her own phone ringing; the incoming call was from her manager.

“H-Hello.”

— Where are you now? Why do you sound so tired?

“No, I just had a nap.”

— Okay, you can come to the office right away, right? Within thirty minutes.

“Now? Why?”

— AppleT’s Chae-Rin is here.

Yu-Na’s teary eyes widened in surprise.

— She’s here for the Real Theater, and they’re filming scenes of her reminiscing about her trainee days. You guys can practice dance steps together and have a chat, too. They said they’ll do a brief interview if there’s time.

“R-really…?”

— Yes, so come quickly. You should take the chance to go on the shows when you have the chance.

“I’ll be right there. I’ll fly over.”

Yu-Na wiped her tears again and stood up. She was in a hurry, but she was also afraid of Chae Bo-Ra, so she quickly cleaned up the mess in the kitchen first. She stepped out of the door with a hopeful face and slipped her feet into her sneakers.

***

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Yes, hyung. Why would I lie to you, hyung.” Lee Yeon-Woo repeated himself a few times.

Ha Jae-Gun sat across from him like a fortune teller with a doubtful look, staring straight at Lee Yeon-Woo.

They were at Ha Jae-Gun’s family home in Suwon. He thought of Lee Yeon-Woo and decided to give him a call, as he had also come to Suwon to visit his family. They then agreed to meet at his parent’s place, and they were currently eating lunch, courtesy of Ha Jae-In.

“Why are you going back home so often these days?” Ha Jae-Gun asked, unable to get past his doubts. “I hear from Writer Jang that you have been going out every day and would sometimes stay out too. Did you stay out because you’ve been going back home?”

“Yeah, well… My situation is getting better, too, and I’ve been wanting to resolve the misunderstandings with my parents. I should be a filial son.” Lee Yeon-Woo looked up at Ha Jae-Gun, and then he added, “That’s all.”

“Writer Jang is really worried for you. She said you’ve been spacing out lately, too.”

“I guess I’ve just been tired. I’ve encountered writer’s block, too, so I’ve got quite a lot on my mind.”

“Why didn’t you discuss it with me?”

“You’re so busy, so I feel apologetic and weird to ask you every time.”

“Why do you think I won’t have time to help you no matter how busy I am? Stop with the nonsense; just tell me if you’re having a hard time.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

“…Eat. The stew is getting cold.”

The two of them picked up their cutlery and began eating. The meal was over soon without any accompaniments. Lee Yeon-Woo stood up with the empty dishes.

Ha Jae-Gun said, “We’ve got four new writers in the office.”

“I heard from Hyun-Kyung hyung. One of them is a female, right?”

“Yeah, she writes romance novels, apparently. She looks quite cute, too. I think you’ll be surprised.”

“I’m not interested….”

“Something really must have happened to you. Why is your response so dead?”

Just then, a door flung wide open, and Ha Jae-In stepped out of her room. With an anxious look, she asked, “Jae-Gun, what should I do?”

“Noona, what’s wrong?”

“The alumni gathering venue we booked is a garden for twenty pax, but those who initially said that they wouldn’t turn up changed their minds. Now we have twenty-seven people turning up. It’s almost the end of the year, too, so I’m not sure where to book to fit all these people.”

“Let’s calm down and look for one. How can there not be a place good enough for an alumni gathering here in Seoul?”

“Well, I don’t care where it is as long as it’s fitting, but the girls are different. Especially Sook-Hee, if they find anywhere unbefitting of their status…! No, I don’t have to tell you this, but anyway…!” Jae-In swept her fringe and let out a long sigh.

Ha Jae-Gun moved the used dishes into the sink and chuckled as if it wasn’t that big of an issue.

“What’s with that expression? Are you making fun of my pain?”

“No, it’s just… why don’t you ask a favor?”

“To whom?”

“What do you mean? Your boyfriend, of course.”

Ha Jae-In’s face flushed instantly at that.

Lee Yeon-Woo turned around in surprise and asked, “Huh, noonim? You have a boyfriend? Who is it?”

“N-n-no. I’ll leave the kitchen to you…!” Ha Jae-In hurried back into her room with her phone in hand.

Could she really bother a busy person with such trivial matters? She couldn’t bear to dial the number, feeling burdened about the possibility of interrupting him in the middle of business affairs.

I heard that he has been busy recently trying to acquire some company.’ Nam Gyu-Ho seemed to be quite busy recently, as they had only exchanged a few short text messages these days.

It had been over a week since he had last turned up randomly at the academy.

Bzzt!

“Oh, my!”

Speak of the devil, a call came in, and it was the name she had been longing to see. Was it telepathy? Ha Jae-In was so happy to see his name that she cleared her throat before answering the call.

1. The raws uses the term ???, which actually literally translates to: mother’s friend’s daughter. ?

Chapter 209. What? Dragon Rider? (15)

“Hello?”

– Have you had lunch?

“Of course, look at the time. What about you?”

– I also had lunch and even finished my meeting.

Ha Jae-In giggled for no reason during their small talk as they shared their daily lives with each other. She saw the reflection of her happy self in the mirror and said, “Please make sure to eat your meals regularly even if you’re busy. You look so haggard these days. You’ll instantly look better if you eat well.”

— I definitely will when it’s an order from you. Ah, come to think of it….

Nam Gyu-Ho suddenly trailed off.

“What’s wrong, Director?”

— No, I thought I wanted to take you somewhere for a nice meal… Then I recalled that you said you had an alumni gathering that day.

Um, Director. Actually….” Ha Jae-In then gave him a short explanation about the current situation with her alumni gathering.

Nam Gyu-Ho then replied with an I told you tone of voice.

— I did tell you to let me know if you couldn’t find a suitable place. I’ll look into it for you.

“Really?”

— Yes, of course.

“I’m sorry for making you go through the trouble when you’re so busy.”

She was thankful to Nam Gyu-Ho for helping her out, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

— It’ll be done with just a phone call, after all. Ah, and….

Nam Gyu-Ho hesitated for a while, then continued,

— Are you available this evening?

“I was waiting for you to ask. Of course, I’m available.”

Nam Gyu-Ho grinned. Ha Jae-In was also happy that she covered her mouth, suppressing her giggles. She had never been so happy, even when she liked a school senior in her teens. What if it was all an illusion?

Well, she still liked the cold December because it resembled the fresh spring.

***

“They’re going to rework the English version?”

“The decision has been made with Eden from Open House over the phone.”

As usual, Ha Jae-Gun was having ice americano despite the cold weather, accompanied by Chae Yoo-Jin who sat across from him, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands. They met at a cafe somewhere in Ahyeon-dong.

“I listened to their feedback and contemplated for a long time. I’ll be doing major revisions if I were to correct the parts they pointed out, starting from volume one until the end.”

Oh, no, you’ll become busy soon then.”

“The workload has grown much more once the decision to enter the U.S. market has been made. Well, it’s alright. It’s not like I’m writing a new novel; even if I have to make major revisions, it’s still just revisions.”

“But wouldn’t that take months to complete?”

“It’ll be great if it took only a few months. But it’ll definitely cross the year-end.” Ha Jae-Gun took a sip of his coffee and added, “I’ll also have to take into consideration in case I decide to write a season two while editing.”

“As expected, you were considering writing a second season.”

“I’m still thinking about it. I’ve barely got an idea of the story composition down. It’s thanks to all the fan fiction that the readers in the U.S. wrote that gave me some inspiration.”

“I’ve read some of them too, they’re quite interesting. I’m sure it’ll turn out great. However, you decide to continue it.”

Just then, the bell to the cafe’s entrance rang as it opened. A woman in her thirties walked in with a baby in her arms. A warm smile grew on Chae Yoo-Jin’s face as she watched them.

“Thank you, Ms. Yoo-Jin.”

“…Pardon?” Chae Yoo-Jin withdrew her gaze and looked at Ha Jae-Gun in surprise.

“Whatever for?”

“Thank you for connecting me with such a good company like Open House.”

Chae Yoo-Jin’s brows furrowed slightly. She chuckled softly and shook her head before saying, “Mr. Ha, you were well-prepared, and that’s why you could accept it. If it were some other writer, they would have gotten mad at me, raising their voices and asking why I introduced such a publisher to them.”

“Is that so?”

“…And I should be grateful to you. I will never forget this.”

Ha Jae-Gun lowered his gaze with a complex smile on it. Of course, her gratitude was related to Oh Myung-Suk. However, he still wasn’t sure if he made the right move. If it weren’t for Le Soo-Hee’s advice, he would have closed both eyes and feigned ignorance. Ha Jae-Gun decided to wrap up their conversation with a joke.

“I’m saying it for myself. You have to be in Korea so that I can ask you immediately whenever I have questions and work with ease.”

“Oh, my, so that’s your hidden motive?”

Both of them burst into laughter. After a while, they stood up from their seats and left the cafe. Ha Jae-Gun insisted on driving Chae Yoo-Jin to her next destination, which was her father’s place, even though it was just a few minutes’ walk away.

“Thank you for sending me over, Mr. Ha.”

“Don’t do anything that’s bad for your health, okay?”

“I will never do it. I said that earlier, too.”

“I have to nag at you every time we meet and when we say goodbye. Take care of your body, I’ll call you again.” Ha Jae-Gun waved his hand and drove off after dropping Chae Yoo-Jin.

Ha Jae-Gun’s next destination was the writer’s office. He decided to drop by to work on his novel and read the works of the new writers.

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang as he was driving. He frowned at the screen as he stopped at the red light.

Why did he suddenly call?

It was a call from Lee Jung-Bae, the director of the local library in the neighborhood where he was living. He had exchanged numbers with him back then when Ha Jae-Gun had done a lecture at the library.

This was the first time the director had called him since then.

Ha Jae-Gun answered the call using a Bluetooth connection. “Hello, Director?”

— Aigoo, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. Yes, this is Director Lee Jung-Bae. You still have my number, hohoho!

Lee Jung-Bae’s boisterous laughter rang through the line. Ha Jae-Gun smiled, recalling the older man’s habit of speaking without thinking.

— I’ve tried contacting you a few times but didn’t hear from you, so I thought of calling you instead.

Ah, I see. I wouldn’t answer if you called from the library’s phone. I’ve been receiving quite a number of weird phone calls, so I don’t really pick up calls from unknown numbers.”

— I see. I was worried since I haven’t seen you around at the library recently.

“I’ve been busy recently. Thanks for your concern.” Despite saying that, Ha Jae-Gun felt strange. Would any library director ever call a resident because of their worries and call them personally to ask?

The library director’s fuss came through again,

— Actually, Mr. Ha, if it weren’t much trouble, could you hold another lecture at our library again?

Ah…

Well, from the director’s point of view, Ha Jae-Gun wasn’t just a normal resident. Belatedly realizing that, Ha Jae-Gun began driving again as the traffic light turned green. Knowing that their conversation would not end soon, Ha Jae-Gun pulled up at the shoulder as the director continued.

— The residents in the neighborhood kept on sending in requests, wanting to hear your lecture again. There are also mountains of complaints from people who couldn’t attend back then. I understand that you have a hectic schedule, but I called personally, wondering if you could spare some time during the end of the year or the beginning of next year.

Mm, I see….”

Ha Jae-Gun recalled that lecture he gave back then while sitting in the stationary car. He remembered the scene of the audience listening to his lecture with innocent eyes, especially the child’s mother, who skipped lunch just to hurry over to listen to his lecture.

— We will do everything within our means to ensure your convenience and comfort. I will also personally look into your lecture fees and other matters to ensure that your reputation does not get hurt.

No, the lecture fees and….”

— Also, the head of the district office said he will be attending as well, saying that he must attend since it’s an event that Mr. Ha Jae-Gun contributes to the community’s development.

Ha Jae-Gun let out a sigh. He was simply thinking about the readers who would attend the lecture, but the older man was only concerned about the lecture fees and the district office. It felt like the rambling director had just ruined everything for him.

— If the head of the district office attends this time, the scale of the lecture will be much larger than before. Plus, I will make sure to see that your name, which is now globally known, will shine even greater….

“I don’t care about that.” Not wanting to hear any more of his ramblings, Ha Jae-Gun cut the older man off. “I don’t have to accept any lecture fees, and I don’t care who attends the lecture too. If I were to accept this request, it would be because I’m grateful to the readers who like my novels and wish to communicate with me. The things you mentioned earlier are not important to me.”

— Aigoo, Mr. Ha. I didn’t mean that, I just wanted to emphasize that the current location and scale aren’t worthy of your current reputation… I understand. Aigoo. I’m sorry. Yes….

The director apologized profusely.

Feeling apologetic for no reason, Ha Jae-Gun quickly added, “I’m on the way back to my office. I’ll check my schedule and contact you again.”

— Thank you, Mr. Ha. Please be safe, I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and grabbed the steering wheel. As he drove back to the office, his heart still lingered on the lecture. The organization’s intention of hosting the lecture was irrelevant to him.

***

Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak!

Wow, I can’t rest at all…!

 

Baek Sung-Hyun rubbed his flushed face and stuck his tongue out secretly. As one of the four new writers who had recently joined the writer’s office, he was already feeling intimidated by the atmosphere in the room.

How can he keep writing without rest?’ His eyes were directed at Ha Jae-Gun, and they were filled with utter disbelief.

It had been six hours since Ha Jae-Gun had arrived at the office. Ha Jae-Gun had only taken a short ten-minute break to grab a coffee. Aside from that, he had been typing nonstop.

In fact, Baek Sung-Hyun wasn’t the only one surprised by Ha Jae-Gun’s level of concentration. The others didn’t show it on their faces, but Han Jae-Hee, Hwang Bo-Hyuk, and Jeon Bong-Yi all felt the same way.

I shouldn’t rest as well…!

Yes, let’s finish 20,000 characters before I sleep!

An invisible spark started in the new writers’ hearts as they were influenced by Ha Jae-Gun. The sound of keyboard typing, resembling raindrops hitting the window, rang throughout the office.

“Wow, look at the time,” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled all of a sudden and stood up from his seat. Turning around, he saw that the new writers were all still focused on their work.

“It’s time for dinner, so let’s rest for a bit,” Ha Jae-Gun said, clapping his hands to get their attention.

The writers who had been with Ha Jae-Gun for a long time knew to take care of their own meals, but Ha Jae-Gun was referring to the new writers. Until the time when they could read the room and learn to speak up at the right time, he needed to take their routine into consideration.

“I’ll prepare dinner, Mr. Ha,” the only female writer, Bong-Yi, said.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled wryly and picked up his coat before saying, “Please have a good meal when I’m around. And don’t address me in that way. Get your coats, and let’s head out.”

Ha Jae-Gun led the new writers out of the office and to the restaurant at the arcade nearby. The group then settled down at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant he frequented.

“I’ll be treating, so choose something good. Eat more for the energy and produce good novels.”

Ah, thank you for the food.”

“Thank you for the food. I haven’t been able to eat at a place like this because it’s so expensive.”

The new writers each took a dish they liked and began eating. Ha Jae-Gun looked at Jeon Bong-Yi, whose expression seemed relatively dark. “Writer Jeon, are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”

Ah, no… It’s nothing.”

“Do you have any worries? Please tell me if it’s related to your work.” Ha Jae-Gun said, not just to Jeon Bong-Yi but to the others as well. The new writers could read Jeon Bong-Yi’s mind.

“Actually….” Bong-Yi finally opened her mouth after a while. “I made my debut when I was 20 years old.”

“So that was five years ago?”

“Yes, but… I was ignorant back then and signed an exclusive contract, thinking that it was something good for me. For three years.”

“An exclusive contract for three years? With which company?”

“Haetae Media.”

Blood pressure only rose in Ha Jae-Gun. He rubbed the nape of his neck and asked calmly, “Please continue. What happened afterward?”

“I only learned later that the conditions weren’t that good. The paid serialization and ebooks were on a 5:5 ratio, and the payment of the published books will only be paid five years after the rights to the last published book is recalled.”

Hearing her explanation, Ha Jae-Gun thought of both Ma Jong-Goo and Park Kyung-Soo. Like the days when he was suffering, Jeon Bong-Yi was also having a hard time like him because of them.

“Anyway, that’s in the past. I thought of it as my mistake for signing the wrong contract. The issue is….”

“The issue?”

Jeon Bong-Yi was all teary-eyed when she looked up. “My debut novel was a paperback publication, and the publication rights were recalled April this year. I was embarrassed reading it again, as it was written badly in many areas. But I found out that they were still selling my novel secretly.”

“They are secretly selling your novel when the publication rights have ended?”

Bong-Yi nodded profusely, with hot, angry tears streaming down her face.

“They shouldn’t be selling it on any platform, right? I have withdrawn the publication rights, and it’s my work. But my friend contacted me, saying that they saw it being sold on Googol Market.”

“What did you do?”

“Of course, I called them to ask about it, and they took it down right away. One or two weeks later, I found another platform selling it again. I called again to ask, which Haetae Media took it down as well. This ridiculous thing has happened over seven to eight times….”

Ha Jae-Gun was utterly speechless. He never thought Haetae Media would be this unethical. How could they take advantage of the writers who were only focused on their own works and did not know the law well enough?

“Please eat first,” Ha Jae-Gun said after a while and picked up his chopsticks. Thinking back, it had been a while since he had contacted them. Ha Jae-Gun recalled how he had lived in the past and instinctively gritted his teeth.

***

“Girl, Jae-In. What happened?”

“Yeah…! How did you… No, how did you book this place when it’s already December? Moreover, you booked the largest room of all!”

Ha Jae-In and her friends were in a Chinese restaurant located somewhere in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul. Ha Jae-In’s classmates could not keep their mouths together, even Sook-Hee, whose eyes were wide open, resembling a frog’s eyes.

It wasn’t a restaurant that they could walk in any time they wanted. Everyone present who enjoyed watching TV and was interested in cooking would know it. Normal people would have to book a reservation at least three months in advance if they wanted to even have a meal here especially when it was now the end of the year.

Perhaps Ha Jae-In had booked this place in early summer with the alumni gathering in mind. No, it didn’t make sense.

“Hey, what’s the big deal with this place?” Ha Jae-In whispered to her friend sitting beside her, still clueless about all the fuss everyone was making.

Her friend rolled her eyes and said, “You don’t know this restaurant? The chef who appeared on that cooking show, what was his name again? Aish, wait a minute.”

Her friend pulled out her phone.

Just then, there was knocking on the door, and the door opened afterward.

Chapter 210. What? Dragon Rider? (16)

“Lee Ji-Seok!” Ha Jae-In’s friend shouted just as she was about to look up the chef’s name on her phone. Everyone’s jaws dropped as they looked toward the door. A man in a chef’s uniform had just walked into the room shyly with a smile.

“Hello, I am the head chef and owner of this restaurant, Lee Ji-Seok.” He introduced himself, looking in the general direction of the table. Actually, there was no need for him to introduce himself as everyone present recognized him the moment he showed up.

“H-he’s really Mr. Lee Ji-Seok.”

“Wow… He looks exactly the same as when he’s on TV.”

“Wah, amazing. It’s so fascinating.”

Her friends around her were busy whispering to each other, with smiles all over their faces. They were elated to see the celebrity whom they could only see on TV. Their thirty-two-year-old selves turned back into giggling high school students with butterflies in their stomachs at every small, heart-fluttering moment.

“I’m happy to be serving Principal Ha Jae-In and all of you from Sookyung Girls’. I will serve everyone here with the best-tasting dishes and service. Thank you.” Lee Ji-Seok did not forget to bow down respectfully.

A few of her friends stumbled toward Lee Ji-Seok.

“Ah, Mr. Ji-Seok, I have watched every single one of your broadcasts.”

“I followed the recipe you shared on Navin, it was so easy and convenient to make. My husband even praised that my cooking skills have been getting better.”

“Can I take a photo with you?”

Lee Ji-Seok acceded to their requests and answered their questions before returning to the kitchen to fulfill his duty. As Ha Jae-In’s friends took their seats again, they shot Ha Jae-In a series of questions her way.

“You, girl. I tried calling a few times to reserve this place for my father’s birthday but failed. How did you get to reserve this place when it’s the end of the year?”

“Do you personally know Me. Ji-Seok? It might be a reservation, but look at him coming here just to do a greeting.”

“Is he close to your brother? Your brother is so famous anyway. Did they know each other through some show?”

Ha Jae-In could not reply to every single question and only responded with a perplexed smile. Two seats away from Ha Jae-In was Sook-Hee, looking all stiff; her noble-pretentious hand holding the cup was trembling ever so slightly.

What tricks did this witch pull…?’ Sook-Hee concealed the exponentially growing anger within her.

It was part of Sook-Hee’s life to visit famous and luxurious restaurants and showing off on her social media. The frequency of her showing off her visits had increased significantly after she had gotten herself a wealthy boyfriend.

Of course, this Chinese restaurant was on her list of to-show-off restaurants, and this was the first time that she had gotten the chance to step in here because of the alumni gathering.

Even my babe failed to get a reservation here… But how did that witch do it?!’ Sook-Hee had tried to get her boyfriend, the son of the president of an SME IT company, to get a reservation here, but he had failed. Her boyfriend even tried to get the reservation by offering to promote their restaurant online through banner advertising for free to no avail.

“Sook-Hee, why are you so quiet?”

Hmm? N-no. I was just thinking of some things.”

“You look so red. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“No, I’m fine. Maybe I’m just feeling a little hot in here.” Sook-Hee took off her coat and forced a chuckle.

Her blood pressure soared as she felt defeated. If she showed even a crack of her anger underneath her facade, she might end up fanning Ha Jae-In’s pride in return, so she kept trying her best to hold herself back, showing nonchalance.

Their dinner course began with crab soup. The menu that was pre-determined when the reservation was made was decided to be course E. It was valued at a base price of 50,000 Korean won per pax, the highest-priced course meal in this restaurant. Considering the restaurant’s fame, the price was considered relatively low.

This amount wasn’t considered expensive for the group currently in their thirties who had gathered here after many years on this special day.

“Excuse me, we’re serving up a specially prepared complimentary dish.”

Midway through the course, Lee Ji-Seok and his waiters served up a dish that wasn’t included in the menu. It was the representative dish from Shanghai, Dongpa Meat, which included a few pieces of thick-cut meat and bok choy.

“Oh my, it’s Dongpa Meat. I love this dish.”

“This is complimentary for us? All five plates of them?”

“I looked this up on the blog before. It’s not on their menu, but they do prepare it for you if you order it. Each plate costs over 50,000 won, I think.”

“It’s that expensive? But all five plates are complimentary? Can we really eat them without paying?”

Sook-Hee was the only person who could not enjoy herself freely in the room. There was no chance for her to step up, even if she wanted to do so.

***

“Sir, the night is cold.”

“I haven’t walked too far out. I promised you that I wouldn’t run away again.”

The two men were leisurely strolling the streets of Yeonhui-dong. Nam Gyu-Baek was once again in his hiking outfit, accompanied by his loyal confidante, Department Head Bae. They had just returned from a hike on Mount Bukhan.

“I shouldn’t have eaten that steamed meat.” Nam Gyu-Baek looked at the neon sign on the restaurant in the distance and murmured, “We traveled all the way here, but we’re still so full that we couldn’t even have a bowl of Mokryeon fried rice. Such a pity.”

“Yes, but there’s a cafe over that way; why don’t we have a cup of warm tea instead, Sir?”

“Shall we?”

There was a cozy cafe across the street from the restaurant. Nam Gyu-Baek retraced his steps, and Department Head Bae followed behind. At the same time, a group of ladies streamed out from the restaurant.

“Let’s go for round two. How many are going?”

“I’ll have to go now. My petty husband must still be pissed off and have not had dinner yet.”

“Why is he still like that when you guys have been married for five years? My husband would already be eating and drinking so happily and would return home before six in the morning.”

“What, so there’s less than ten people going for round two?”

Nam Gyu-Baek looked at the ladies as he overheard their conversation. Not long after, his narrowed eyes widened and shone. “Hey, Department Head Bae.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Look at that lady in the black coat.” Nam Gyu-Baek signaled in the distance with his chin. Like Nam Gyu-Baek, the latter’s eyes also grew wide with surprise.

“What do you think? Is that the same lady?”

“Yes, sir. I think she is the one.”

Nam Gyu-Baek nodded as he looked in the direction of the lady. The lady was none other than Ha Jae-In. Who knew Nam Gyu-Baek would be able to meet the person who saved him in an emergency?

Hmm…?

Ha Jae-In felt the gaze on her and looked up as they weren’t far away from each other. She saw Nam Gyu-Baek and another man slowly approaching her. She wondered for a moment who they were, and then she recalled her encounter with them.

Ah, sir….”

“I was right. I’m grateful for your help that day.” Nam Gyu-Baek bowed with gratitude.

Waving her hands, Ha Jae-In answered hurriedly, “No, sir. Anyone else would have done the same.”

“But how could you disappear so fast? You shouldn’t make your elders feel uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry for making you feel that way. I must have made you feel burdened….”

A gentle smile lingered at the corners of Nam Gyu-Baek’s mouth. Ha Jae-In’s beauty stood out even more from a close distance as he watched Ha Jae-In; he also liked the way she spoke with sincerity and affection.

“Please give me your contact number as well.”

“I’m really not looking to receive any reward, sir.”

“I understand your intentions, miss. Do you not have a name card?”

Ah, my name card… Please wait a moment.”

Ha Jae-In pulled out a name card from her bag and handed it to Nam Gyu-Baek with both hands.

Nam Gyu-Baek took it and brought it up close to his face. “Ah, you’re an educator. You have a great, respectable job.”

“Thank you. I’m just running a small academy, teaching kids in the neighborhood.”

“Do you live in Suwon?”

“Yes, I’m here in Seoul for an alumni gathering today.”

Just then, Ha Jae-In’s friend walked up from behind and called out to her. “Jae-In, we should get going for round two.”

“Oh, alright, I’ll be there soon.” Ha Jae-In then looked at Nam Gyu-Baek with an awkward smile and said, “Sir, I’m sorry, but I have to go back to my friends.”

Aigoo, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have held you back for too long. Enjoy your time here. I’ll give you a call soon.”

“Please don’t be concerned about rewarding me. Have a good night, and please take care of your health.” Ha Jae-In bowed once more before leaving.

Click clack. Click clack.

As the sound of her heels grew softer as she walked away, Nam Gyu-Baek and Department Head Bae turned around. “She’s a nice lady, right?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve thought so before. She seems kind and intelligent. It’s rare to see such a lady in these times.”

Nam Gyu-Baek fell into deep thought as the two men entered the cafe. He remembered the love of his life, his dear wife.

That’s weird, it’s not like she’s similar to you in any way.’ Nam Gyu-Baek murmured to himself as he tilted his head side to side. Actually, it was because he had felt the scent of his dead wife from Ha Jae-In, which was actually strange when both women weren’t really similar.

“Please have some tea, sir.”

“Department Head Bae, I have a favor to ask….” Nam Gyu-Baek said as he held the cup of tea in his hands. He carefully read the latter’s expression like a child and continued, “Can I have a drink today?”

“No, sir. Definitely not.” Department Head Bae answered firmly, with a stern look.

Nam Gyu-Baek could only smile bitterly and brought the cup of tea to his mouth. It was a night when he missed his wife dearly.

***

“He’s coming? I’m fine with that, but… Are you sure?”

— What’s wrong? I’ll have to send you home as well. I’ll be there on time.

Ha Jae-In hung up the phone call and left the washroom with doubt in her heart. She was currently at a fusion cuisine restaurant for round two with her alumni group. Excluding those who left earlier, there were around ten people in attendance.

“Why did your call take so long? Do you have a boyfriend now?”

Ha Jae-In smiled in response to that friend’s question and took her seat. Across her was Sook-Hee, shaking her head with a hinting expression, asking, “You guys didn’t know? Jae-In has a boyfriend now.”

“Ah, really? Jae-In finally has a boyfriend? What does he do?”

Sook-Hee replied again in her stead, “She said he’s working at a game company.”

“Oh, a game company? Those that develop online games?”

“Yeah. I heard it when both of us met up a while back to discuss the alumni gathering. It must be tough on her boyfriend working at a game company. I mentioned it the last time, too, but I’m worried for her,” Sook-Hee said in a worried tone, looking at Ha Jae-In.

Ha Jae-In only smiled wryly without words. Sook-Hee sounded worried, but Ha Jae-In knew that Sook-Hee was also trying to put herself down.

“Sook-Hee, are you familiar with game companies?”

Ah, as all of you know, my boyfriend is a director at an IT company. It’s his father’s business, but he has some connections with companies that provide mobile game services. He told me that game companies, in general, do not earn much in salary, and it is a tough job, too.”

Sook-Hee then rambled on with information about herself that the others did not even ask. “I nagged at my boyfriend after hearing that from him. I said that he’s been having an easy life these days without having to worry about money and has gained some weight. So he said he would follow me for yoga sessions from next week on. I think it’s going to be funny to see men doing yoga. Hohoho!

Sook-Hee covered her mouth as she burst into a series of giggles. Meanwhile, forced, disgusted laughter appeared on the faces of their classmates. Everyone knew and was familiar with her flaunting personality.

As the laughter subsided, someone from the group asked, “Sook-Hee, is your boyfriend from the company Sensoft?”

“Yes.”

“That’s cool. I looked them up, and they’re listed on KOSDAQ, with a market capital of over 50 billion won. You must be happy dating a boyfriend like that.”

Satisfied, Sook-Hee took a sip of beer. The humiliation from the restaurant reservation she had received earlier was soon dissolved.

However, that friend did not stop there. She turned to Ha Jae-In and said, “By the way, Jae-In, your younger brother is quite amazing, too. He must have earned a few billion so far, right? Isn’t it like a one-man company?”

Sook-Hee’s eyes twitched. That friend must have noticed the change in emotion from Sook-Hee but still did not stop talking. “He even expanded into the U.S. and China markets. Isn’t he going to become worldwide famous like Harrison Potter? I heard that the author of Harrison Potter has nearly one trillion won in assets.”

“What? That author has earned so much?”

“Yeah. There’s no saying that Jae-In’s brother would turn out like that author, too. He’s not running a company but writing novels all alone, so how easy would it be for him? I’m envious, Jae-In.”

Instead of stopping with just that sip of her beer earlier, Sook-Hee began gulping down the rest of the glass. She was shot down not by Ha Jae-In herself but by another friend. Slowly losing herself, Sook-Hee smirked in disgust. “Did you just say that out loud for me….”

Just then, Ha Jae-In’s phone rang, which she answered in a hurry.

“Ah, you’re here already? What? You’re waiting outside? Ah, I’m sorry.”

The rest of the group, who were eavesdropping on her conversation, had their jaws dropped open.

“That’s your boyfriend, right? He’s already waiting for you up front?”

“Hey, I want to see him. Ask him to join us, hmm?”

Ha Jae-In covered her phone’s receiver and replied to her friends, “How can I do that when you guys are here? I’ll feel apologetic.”

“What nonsense. It’s boring when there are just women here. Is there anyone here opposed to letting Ha Jae-In’s boyfriend join us here? Raise your hand!”

No one at the table raised their hand. Even Sook-Hee threw a defiant gaze and added, “Yeah, I want to see him too. Invite him over since he’s nearby.”

“Ah, mm… Alright. Wait a bit.”

Ha Jae-In continued talking on the phone and stepped out of the restaurant. After a few minutes, the restaurant’s door opened, and a handsome man in a suit followed behind Ha Jae-In.

“My, my….”

“Wow, oh my god, he’s so handsome.”

“That man is Jae-In’s boyfriend?”

Nam Gyu-Ho walked into the restaurant confidently with Ha Jae-In beside him. His air of nobility from head to toe made everyone speechless.

“Hello, I’m Ha Jae-In’s boyfriend, Nam Gyu-Ho.” Nam Gyu-Ho greeted as he stood at the head of the table, full of politeness.

Ha Jae-In’s friends all stumbled and bowed as they stood up, flustered. One in particular who sat across from Nam Gyu-Ho dropped her jaws at the watch on Nam Gyu-Ho’s wrist.

“Ms. Jae-In, I’ll make a quick trip to the washroom first.”

“Okay, it’s over there.”

Nam Gyu-Ho quickly disappeared in the direction where the washroom was. The friend who saw Nam Gyu-Ho’s watch suddenly clung to Ha Jae-In. “J-Jae-In… What does your boyfriend actually do?”

Hmm? Didn’t I say that earlier? He works at a game company….”

Her friend shook her head, speechless at Ha Jae-In’s reply. “Hey, don’t lie! How can a normal employee of a game company afford a watch worth a hundred million won?”

Hmm…?

“My husband sells watches! I know that brand of watch on his wrist. It’s worth over a hundred million! Just what position does he hold, and how much is his monthly salary at the game company to buy that?”

“Jae-In, is Ho-Jeong right? Is that really an expensive watch? Is he from a wealthy family?”

Once again, the entire group’s attention was on Ha Jae-In. Sook-Hee’s chin was shaking at the new revelation, and she could no longer keep calm or keep a straight face.

***

“What should we do, Department Head Ma?”

Hmph…!

It was still early, as some of the employees had just clocked in for work at Haetae Media. Ma Jong-Goo’s face was tearing his hair out in frustration, with a face full of disgust after receiving a report from Deputy Park Kyung-Soo.

“Why did she join Ha Jae-Gun’s office…!” Ma Jong-Goo mumbled and shot a look at Kyung-Soo.

“Deputy Park, why are you not doing your job right?!”

“I-I only acted as per your orders….”

Ma Jong-Goo snorted, speechless. He loosened his necktie and looked at the other employees, raising his voice. “What if someone else hears you?! Deputy Park, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I tell you to do that?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not saying that you gave me those orders, I just thought that it was something I had to do, so….”

Argh, fuck!”

Slam!

Ma Jong-Goo kicked the innocent drawer with all his might, but he had kicked it at the wrong angle, causing terrible pain to his pinky toe. Trying to keep his pride, Jong-Goo seethed, “Geughhh…! Get ready.”

“Pardon? W-What?”

“Prepare to go to Ha Jae-Gun’s office and beg for forgiveness! You can go to the President and get hit in the shin in my stead, too!” Ma Jong-Goo yelled. He then turned to the employees over the partition and shouted, “Deputy Lee, calculate and send me the report for Writer Jeon Bong-Yi’s ebook settlement! Then make sure it gets transferred by 12 p.m.!”

“Y-Yes… sir.”

Ma Jong-Goo gave his order and then canceled all his schedules for the rest of the day. Jeon Bong-Yi, who had been turned away customarily, was now standing with Ha Jae-Gun. There was nothing more he could do after learning about it.

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Big Life

Big Life

빅 라이프
Score 8.4
Status: Completed Type: Author: , Artist: Released: 2015 Native Language: Korean, English
Death, Depression, Poverty, Love issues – all things that a 27-year-old no-name writer faces. Yet, with one fateful day, one fateful supernatural event, he gains the powers of a dead genius writer. Everything changes after that, and success after success comes to him. Yet, he has a rival in love and writing, one who is also a famous writer and son of an international publishing corporation. This rival will do anything he can with his influence to beat him into submission. This is a story of a writer, who must succeed against all odds.

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