Big Life Chapter 221-230

Chapter 221. Laugh, Why Don’t You (9)

‘Yoon Mi-Ji…?!’

A woman whom Chae Bo-Ra knew very well stood by the door. The twenty-seven-year-old woman’s name was Yoon Mi-Ji, and it had been six years since she had made her debut in television dramas. She didn’t have any representative work, so she wasn’t that famous just yet.

“H-hello….” Yoon Mi-Ji put up an awkward smile as she greeted Chae Bo-Ra. She was perplexed, but she wasn’t surprised to see Chae Bo-Ra here. She had already heard about Chae Bo-Ra from Director Cho Cheol-Won before coming over.

Chae Bo-Ra was so speechless that she couldn’t even wipe her tears, and she glared at Yoon Mi-Ji with a murderous stare.

“I’m here to leave my things….” Yoon Mi-Ji mumbled. Her eyes glazed over the messy living room. She took a step back as she pulled her luggage with her. “I’m sorry; I’ll come back again in a few days.”

The moment she was about to close the door behind her, Chae Bo-Ra bolted to the door and blocked Yoon Mi-Ji.

“Why?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Why are you here?” Chae Bo-Ra pressed on with a sad look. However, there was no use asking Yoon Mi-Ji. She knew right away that Director Cho was sponsoring Yoon Mi-Ji from the moment she saw Yoon Mi-Ji standing at the door.

“Chae Bo-Ra.” Yoon Mi-Ji calmly collected herself and said, “I don’t hope for you to treat me like an industry senior. But shouldn’t you at least have some basic manners? After all, I’m older, and I’ve made my debut earlier than you.”

“What bullshit.” Chae Bo-Ra scoffed and remarked, “Is being old something to be proud of? You debuted hundreds of years ago, and have you ever been cast as a main character for even a one-act play?”

“…?!” The corners of Yoon Mi-Ji’s eyes twitched. It was becoming hard for Yoon Mi-Ji to conceal her facial expression.

Meanwhile, Chae Bo-Ra continued to provoke the older woman.

“Why don’t you act like a has-been that you are? Shouldn’t you at least look crushed, maybe? And basic manners? You still have some self-respect left?”

“Forget it. I’m a fool to even try to start a conversation with someone like you.” Yoon Mi-Ji gave up trying to talk to Chae Bo-Ra nicely and tried to walk past Chae Bo-Ra.

Chae Bo-Ra threw a fit and went to obstruct Yoon Mi-Ji again. “You just scoffed at me, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“You just snickered and scoffed at me! Do you think this is funny? Do I look funny right now?!”

Yoon Mi-Ji covered her nose and scrunched her face. Chae Bo-Ra’s breath had a strong alcohol smell to it.

“Why aren’t you answering? Am I not speaking human language?”

“I never laughed at you.”

“You did!”

“I didn’t want to say this, but look at yourself in the mirror if you still consider yourself a celebrity,” Yoon Mi-Ji said before turning around to leave.

Yoon Mi-Ji’s fluttering hair seemed to be taunting Chae Bo-Ra.

“You witch!” Chae Bo-Ra let loose a piercing scream.

“Ahhh!” Yoon Mi-Ji screamed at the top of her lungs and fell to the ground. Chae Bo-Ra had grabbed her by her hair and had pulled it back without mercy, like pulling on the reins of a horse.

“You should look at where you’re lying before stretching your legs! You couldn’t even see me in the eyes before when we met at the broadcasting station! How come you don’t know your place, even though you’re older than me?!”

“Aaack! L-let go!” Yoon Mi-Ji’s screams echoed through the long corridor. A few neighbors stepped out of their houses at the scream and saw Chae Bo-Ra smiling brutally while pulling Yoon Mi-Ji from behind like butchers handling livestock.

***

[Suspected Sponsee Chae Bo-Ra found in controversy over assault at her place of residence?]

[Chae Bo-Ra’s CCTV footage obtained, the woman assaulted identified as Celebrity Y, who debuted 6 years ago.]

[Dongah Osaka claims one billion won against Chae Bo-Ra for tarnishing company image.]

[Hard to find netizens cheering for Chae Bo-Ra on social media after the incident.]

[As the dark side of the entertainment industry surfaces because of Chae Bo-Ra, what deal did they strike?]

“It’s been noisy all day,” the manager mumbled as he watched the entertainment news on the TV in the small meeting room at ICU Entertainment.

A few people were gathered around the table: AppleT’s Lee Chae-Rin, HyperSoda’s Han Yu-Na, their managers, and ICU’s department head. Everyone was waiting for Ha Jae-Gun’s arrival.

“Let’s turn off the TV,” the department head suggested, “I think Mr. Ha will be here soon.”

“Ah, yes, sir.” Han Yu-Na’s manager quickly turned the TV off, knowing full well that Chae Bo-Ra was a sensitive topic for Ha Jae-Gun.

As predicted, footsteps could be heard approaching from outside. The door to the meeting room opened, and Ha Jae-Gun appeared under the guidance of an employee.

“Welcome, Mr. Ha. I apologize for making you travel the long distance.”

“It’s fine. All of you came early.” Ha Jae-Gun said as he sat down at the designated seat.

After a while of small exchanges, the group officially began their discussion in earnest. Everyone had gathered today to discuss Ha Jae-Gun’s task, which was to write the lyrics of the song to be sung by the duo unit involving Lee Chae-Rin and Han Yu-Na.

“I think it’ll be great if you can write lyrics for two songs.”

“Mm, I see. Two songs.”

“One for a dance song that follows the current trend, and the other, a ballad.”

Ha Jae-Gun nodded his head and noted down all the key points. There were two reasons behind his decision to accept the proposal. First of all, he wanted to try and challenge song lyric writing, and secondly, he was doing it for both Lee Chae-Rin and Han Yu-Na.

He was especially grateful to Lee Chae-Rin.

“Do you have any questions, Mr. Ha?”

“I am more worried than anything.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled awkwardly. “I did think of going into lyric writing when Ms. Chae-Rin had to sing an OST for Gyeoja Bathhouse, and that’s why I decided to accept this proposal, but….”

Ha Jae-Gun swept his gaze across the people before him and added, “Will I have an impact on the song’s popularity or sales?”

“Yes,” The department head said without hesitation. “I’m not sure if you know, but you’ve appeared with Chae-Rin across various media forms lately, and the public has become increasingly familiar with how strong your relationship is with her.”

“It’s amazing that Ha Jae-Gun oppa and I still haven’t gotten into a scandal.” Lee Chae-Rin joked, grinning from ear to ear.

The department head smiled lightly as well and said, “The reception for I Live Alone was great for both Ms. Chae-Rin and our Han Yu-Na. If Mr. Ha can write the song lyrics for us, it’ll be monumental.”

The department head then looked at Han Yu-Na with pride. Unlike her lively appearance on TV, Han Yu-Na hung her head low shyly and muttered, “I’ll try my best.”

Ha Jae-Gun soon replied. “As lyric writing is an area I have never ventured into before, I won’t say things like I’ll try my best—I’ll definitely do my best.”

“Ah, I’m indebted to you. I’m not worried at all because it’s you, Mr. Ha.” The department head rubbed his hands together as he stood up. “Then shall we discuss the rest over lunch? I’ve made a reservation at a good restaurant.”

“Sure, let’s do that.” Ha Jae-Gun and everyone else stood up from their seats. Each and every one of them was all smiles as they left the room.

***

The CEO of ICU Entertainment looked stiff. He had to drop by the hospital today, as he hadn’t been able to sleep properly recently. He was on his way to visit Ha Jae-Gun, but an unsolicited guest stopped him in his tracks.

“How dare you come here?!” The CEO yelled.

Chae Bo-Ra didn’t blink even once. The receptionist had failed to stop Chae Bo-Ra, and she started trembling at the consequences she would face for her failure.

“Ah, okay. What? What is it?” The CEO loosened his necktie and plopped down on the sofa. “Hurry up if there’s something you want to say; I have somewhere else I need to be. As for you, you can go.”

“Yes, sir.” the receptionist left the office and closed the door behind her.

Chae Bo-Ra instantly went on her knees and begged, “Please save me, sir.”

“Save you?” the CEO scoffed.

Chae Bo-Ra nodded profusely with clenched teeth, her eyes filled with tears.

“So, how do you want me to help? Hmm? Tell me.”

“I need some money.”

“Money?”

“I borrowed as much money as possible, and I’ve used them all up. I was chased out of the apartment, and now—please… please save me.”

The CEO squinted his eyes. “You’ve got to work if you need money.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you ask of me. I’ll get my act together and do my best from now on.”

However, Chae Bo-Ra’s earnest pleading didn’t get to the CEO. There was still some time left until the end of her contract with the agency, but the company had already considered her a discarded asset. To make matters worse, no other agency would take in the celebrity Chae Bo-Ra, as she had totally lost her value as a commodity.

Furthermore, the CEO was completely exhausted due to Chae Bo-Ra’s assault on Yoon Mi-Ji.

“There’s the recent incident with Yoon Mi-Ji, and… I need money to pay the rent at my friend’s place where I’m currently staying. It’s fine if it’s not in Gangnam; I just hope for a suitable apartment in Seoul and just one car.”

The CEO was speechless at the ridiculous request, and it seemed to him that Chae Bo-Ra was still unaware of her current situation. She was young, yes, but how come she was so naive?

“An apartment? That’d be nice,” said the CEO with a nod. He seemed to have understood Chae Bo-Ra’s concerns. However, he was a man with experience and wouldn’t be easily fooled by Chae Bo-Ra’s words.

“Try calling Joon-Gil.”

“Joon-Gil oppa?”

Joon-Gil was the name of Chae Bo-Ra’s previous manager. He was an employee of ICU Entertainment and was currently looking over the girl group—HyperSoda.

“Yes. And do a tour around the country all the way to Busan.”

“…?!”

The CEO continued as Chae Bo-Ra’s eyes widened in shock. “If you do a total of a hundred events, then well, we can arrange for a settlement with Yoon Mi-Ji and prepare money for you to get a small apartment. I think it’s too late to worry about damage claims since the lawsuit has already been filed; it’s your problem as well.”

“Sir. You’re… you’re asking me to appear at events in rural areas?” Chae Bo-Ra asked, her face turning pale.

The CEO nonchalantly said, “I think the response shouldn’t be that bad if you go to nightclubs. People like you are hot topics among drunkards. It’s hard for those in Seoul to see celebrities around, so imagine how excited they’d be to see you?”

“H-how…? Sir, I’m Chae Bo-Ra. How could you ask me to do such a lowly job?”

“Well, those are the only jobs you can do right now,” the CEO said.

Chae Bo-Ra’s eyes were filled with tears, and she was shivering as if she were in the middle of a blizzard.

The CEO mocked, “Why don’t you smile? You’re always full of smiles, aren’t you? We should keep smiling as we live.”

“…!” The CEO, whom Chae Bo-Ra had considered to be her last bastion, had decided to abandon her as well.

Chae Bo-Ra’s face turned red, and hot tears spilled down her face.

“Until when do you plan to stand there? I’m busy, so you should leave.”

Chae Bo-Ra left the building after getting kicked out by ICU Entertainment’s CEO. The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Chae Bo-Ra walked out mindlessly as if she were possessed.

Just then, a group of people standing by the entrance caught her attention, and she quickly ran away from the corridor as if she were a fugitive.

“It’s Korean cuisine. Would that be alright, Mr. Ha?”

“Why are you asking when I’m a Korean?”

The group of people was composed of Ha Jae-Gun, the department head, Lee Chae-Rin, and Han Yu-Na. Han Yu-Na looked so dazzling in Chae Bo-Ra’s eyes that she could no longer look at her directly.

‘How… How did I turn out this way…!’

Chae Bo-Ra covered her mouth to stifle her sobs. She had only come to his huge realization of how great her negligence was after arriving at a dead end. Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets. She clearly knew that as well, but she couldn’t help but sob silently as Ha Jae-Gun and his group headed out into the sun.

***

“It’s been a while, Mr. Ha.”

“Yes, how have you been? I feel like you’ve gotten younger even after a year has passed.”

“Oh, my, our Mr. Ha’s humor has increased during the time we haven’t met. Hohoho.”

It had been a while since Ha Jae-Gun had dropped by Park Seok-Ji’s editing office. The post-editing work for the movie Storm and Gale starts today.

“Let me answer this call real quick. Do-Joon, hang out with Mr. Ha for the time being.”

“Take your time, noona.”

As Park Seok-Ji walked out of the office, Ha Jae-Gun turned to Park Do-Joon and said, “You did a great job, Do-Joon.”

“Well, I only did as instructed. As always, it’s all thanks to Director Tae-Sung and the staffers.” Park Do-Joon put his hands behind his head. His fingers intertwined as he mumbled, “How did this happen….”

“What about?”

“Chae Bo-Ra.” Park Do-Joon whispered into Ha Jae-Gun’s ear, “Reporter Hyun has remained tight-lipped about the source of those photos.”

“What’s the use of knowing that? It’s the past, and it’s not related to us either way.”

“It must be easy living as you since you’re not really curious about stuff. But fine… it is unrelated to us.” Park Do-Joon stared into the space and nodded. “You never know what will happen to people in the future.

“I heard from Joon-Gil hyung that Chae Bo-Ra is now half out of her mind. She’s been abandoned on both sides, which means her career is over. However, Chae Bo-Ra is vengeful. Well, there’s nothing she can do, anyway.”

“How’s Reporter Hyun doing recently?” Ha Jae-Gun changed the topic. He had always been unwilling to talk about Chae Bo-Ra. “He doesn’t really talk to me much. He only says he’s doing well, but it’s bothering me.”

“Unexpectedly, nothing bad has happened to him. He’s doing really well, so don’t worry about him.”

“Sounds great.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, they heard knocking on the door.

Ha Jae-Gun and Park Do-Joon paused their conversation as the other lead character of Storm and Gale walked up to them.

Chapter 222. People Are Important (1)

“Welcome, Ms. Ye-Seul.”

“Hello. It’s been a while, oppa.” Hong Ye-Seul smiled, sporting recently bleached hair. Her fluffy navy jacket and tight-fitting jeans were a familiar sight to Ha Jae-Gun. She didn’t seem much different from before she made her debut as an actor.

“Your hair is pretty today.”

“So what? My hair ends are a mess. They said it’s better to stand out during the movie promotions,” said Hong Ye-Seul with a roll of her eyes. She was just wondering whom she would sit next to when Park Do-Joon stood up.

“I’ll just go take a quick puff,” said Park Do-Joon.

“I thought you quit smoking?”

“I began smoking again during the filming. You look like you’re about to nag at me, so just stop,” Park Do-Joon said and quickly escaped from the office.

Hong Ye-Seul took off her jacket and sat across from Ha Jae-Gun. She laid her jacket on her lap.

Ha Jae-Gun started, “I’m looking forward to the final product.”

“I did my best, but I’m not sure how you’ll view it….”

“Director Yoon mentioned to me in passing during our phone call, saying that it was above expectations.”

“Ah, you’re starting again—you’re praising me again.” Hong Ye-Seul grabbed her jacket and buried her face in it.

Her cute actions made Ha Jae-Gun smile, and he also felt somewhat relieved that he wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore. She didn’t look too good during their last meeting, after all.

“Oppa, you’re feeling relieved now, aren’t you?” Hong Ye-Seul looked up and tossed him the question. She giggled mischievously as she watched Ha Jae-Gun flinch in surprise. “Don’t feel relieved. I didn’t say I’ll give up on you yet. It’s not over until the end.”

What kind of expression should he show to her? Hong Ye-Seul was flustered upon seeing Ha Jae-Gun’s face slowly turning serious. “I was just joking! I’m kidding. I really can’t joke when you’re around.”

Ha Jae-Gun then broke into a laugh, shaking his head. The atmosphere was about to turn silent when Hong Ye-Seul suddenly slapped her knee and changed the topic.

“Right, oppa. Yang Ying is really pretty. She really deserves the top actress title.”

“Did you get closer to her during the filming?”

“Yes. The language barrier is there, but we can still communicate with hand signs. We also shopped and ate together. We even went swimming once. Standing with her was tough, though, as I’m always getting compared to her.”

“You have your own charms, so don’t think of it that way.”

“You’re going to eat with us today before leaving, right?”

“Of course. It’s been a while since we met, so we should all eat together.”

Before Ha Jae-Gun could continue, the office door opened, and Park Do-Joon returned. He was rubbing his hands together like crazy.

“It’s freaking cold outside. Let’s just order food delivery today.”

“So that’s why you came back so soon.”

“Oh right, Jae-Gun.” Park Do-Joon plopped down next to Ha Jae-Gun and asked, “I just thought of this, but is there any news about Gyeoja Bathhouse in America? Paramountain bought the license, right?”

“I haven’t heard anything from them yet.”

“I heard Hollywood held quite a number of licenses that haven’t been produced into movies. But since they paid $1.8 million for Gyeoja Bathhouse, I thought they would begin production immediately.”

“Well, they will produce it someday.”

Park Seok-Ji came back a few moments later. Thanks to Park Do-Joon’s whining about the freezing cold weather outside, the group decided to order Chinese food.

“When is Director Yoon Tae-Sung coming in?”

“He should only be here sometime in the evening since he has something to discuss with the production company. Let’s enjoy our meal.”

“Having the black bean noodles here is the most delicious.”

The group talked for a while over some coffee after their meal. Their current topic was Storm and Gale.

“Hey, Jae-Gun. How many audiences do you think we will hit in Korea?”

“It’s a romance drama genre, so hmm… I hope there’ll be at least two million. Am I being too greedy?”

“What? Only 2 million? That’s ridiculous. I think we’ll hit 5 million.”

Hong Ye-Seul’s jaws dropped before she could even take a sip of her coffee. Park Seok-Ji chuckled and shook her head.

“Why? What’s wrong with five million? Why are you laughing, Seok-Ji noona? If your post-edits are done well, I really think that we can hit five million audiences.”

“Alright, Do-Joon. I’ll do my best.”

“Jae-Gun, you’re laughing at me, too. What will you do if the movie hits five million? Do you want to bet a million?”

Ha Jae-Gun looked down and laughed.

He was thinking of Hong Ye-Seul. She was looking forward to the movie’s success more than anyone else here. She had to be hoping for more people to watch the movie in the theaters, and she might be desperately hoping that one of them would be her mother.

***

“I had fun. Cheer up, and please be careful of the flu,” Ha Jae-Gun said as he made his way out.

Park Do-Joon followed him out, sending Ha Jae-Gun off. As they walked the short distance to the car park, they continued their conversation.

“What are you doing this Sunday? I have some time, shall we do activities calling the couples? Let’s ask Jung-Jin and his girlfriend along.”

“I want to do that, but I can’t promise you until that day. There’s a district brisk walking competition I have to participate in.”

“Huh? Why are you appearing in that all of a sudden?”

Ha Jae-Gun sighed before replying. “The head of the local district office announced on their promotional materials that I’ll be making an appearance. He didn’t ask for my permission beforehand, so I was quite taken aback.”

“How could he do that? You can choose not to appear then.”

“But they said there are people coming all the way here to participate, so I just thought of participating this time. I also wanted to take the chance to tell the person in charge to make sure nothing of this sort happens again in the future. You should go back now; we’re already at the car park.”

“I’ll go back after seeing you drive away. Hey, should I go with you? With Chae-Rin?”

“Would Tae-Bong hyung even let you? It’ll be worrisome if you catch the flu there.”

Just as they arrived at the car park, the pair met a group of female high school students. The girls screamed and ran toward them.

“Who did you see that made you girls run over so fast? If you ran over to us because of Jae-Gun, then go over there.” Park Do-Joon’s joke made the girls burst into laughter.

Was it because of his familiarity shown on Let’s Watch A Movie and I Live Alone? Hearing the girls call him oppa made Ha Jae-Gun feel shy and awkward.

“So your closeness really isn’t scripted. Ah, I feel like my heart is going to stop. Where are you going now?”

“Oppa, are you guys close with Ye-Seul unni, too? I’m really looking forward to Storm and Gale. It’s going to premiere soon, right?”

“Jae-Gun oppa, when will Market Place get published? I’ve been waiting for it ever since you talked about it on the radio. I really love your novels.”

The students took a number of photos before finally letting the men go on their way. As the girls left, they kept turning around to wave goodbye to both Park Do-Joon and Ha Jae-Gun.

“Ms. Ye-Seul is really popular.”

“She’s the kind that even girls love. I just hope that bad rumors don’t spread,” Park Do-Joon mumbled as he waved back to the girls.

Ha Jae-Gun narrowed his eyes as he looked at Park Do-Joon. “What rumors?”

“There’s actually been a rumor going around on the Internet.” Park Do-Joon looked bitter. He paused for a moment to observe Ha Jae-Gun’s expression and then said, “There are rumors of Hong Ye-Seul being a karaoke helper in the past.”

“….”

“It could be because she was close to Kim Na-Yeon. I’m not sure where this rumor originated from, but that’s how it is now. It might go away, too.”

“I hope it does.” Ha Jae-Gun kept quiet. It was hard for him to add to the conversation since he knew about Hong Ye-Seul’s past.

“Come to think of it, your attitude toward Ye-Seul is quite strange, too,” Park Do-Joon remarked.

“Me…?”

“When we met with the people from Teencent Pictures, you recommended her to be the female lead. So I thought… she held a special meaning in your heart.”

“I told you that it wasn’t me back then.”

“Having a special meaning doesn’t mean a non-platonic relationship. But now that I see you with her, you seem to be distancing yourself from Hong Ye-Seul.”

“Did it look like that?”

Park Do-Joon nodded as he opened the car door for Ha Jae-Gun. “Strangely, you’re giving Hong Ye-Seul the cold shoulder whenever you’re with her. You’re smiling on the surface, but I can feel the coldness of your smile. Did something happen between the both of you?”

Ha Jae-Gun had nothing to reply to Park Do-Joon’s question. Ha Jae-Gun could be said to be full of admiration for Park Do-Joon’s sharp eyes.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, I was just wondering if I really acted that way.”

“Never mind, don’t worry about it. It’s cold out, so get going.” Park Do-Joon pushed Ha Jae-Gun into his car.

Ha Jae-Gun started the engine and slowly drove out of the car park, with complex feelings growing in him. Park Do-Joon’s words were making rounds in his mind.

He desperately hoped that the bad things would turn into good things and the good things would turn into even better things. He hoped that Hong Ye-Seul would be filled with blessings while standing at the crossroads of her life.

***

It was six in the morning, and the world outside was still dark.

‘Finally!’

Ha Jae-Gun finally put the last period on his work for the day and rested his fingers. He had just completed the latest short story for his collection, Market Place. He felt refreshed at the fact that he had managed to put an end to it earlier than expected.

‘I should send it to the editor-in-chief before I begin my revisions….’

Ha Jae-Gun sent the manuscript to Oh Myung-Suk before leaving his desk. His entire body felt heavy like a huge stone was placed on his head the moment he stood up. Rika, curled up next to him by the table, followed after Ha Jae-Gun.

“Meow.”

“Shhh, Rika. Soo-Hee is still sleeping. The brisk walking competition is today, so she’ll get worried if she knows that I stayed up the entire night.”

Ha Jae-Gun carefully tiptoed his way, much lighter than Rika. He took out Seo Gun-Woo’s cup from the drawer and made himself a cup of coffee.

‘Phew. Thankfully, I have this cup with me.’ The fatigue he had accumulated throughout the night disappeared without a trace. He felt as light as a feather after regaining his energy. Now, he felt like he could walk the entire city, not to mention the district.

Bzzt!

“Yes, editor-in-chief. You’re awake already?”

— I don’t usually sleep in. I called you right away after seeing the email you sent. I’m surprised that you’ve finished the manuscript so soon.

“You said you were looking forward to it, so I kind of rushed it. I hope you’ll like what you read.”

— I haven’t read it yet, but I think it’s good enough. Ah, aside from me, Content Producer Bae seemed to be looking forward to reading it as well. He kept asking for another script to show on the small screen after the success of Summer in My 20s.

“Director Lee Eun-Ha did a great job in the directing. She’s amazing.”

— Mr. Ha, you’re even better for recommending her and writing such a great novel. Now that Market Place has ended, shall we have lunch together?

“Sorry, but I have a prior appointment today. I’ll visit you sometime next week.”

— Alright. I’ll read the manuscript today and give you a call afterward.

“Have a great day, editor-in-chief. Ah, wait a minute.” Ha Jae-Gun called out urgently when something came to mind. He was worried about Oh Myung-Suk and Chae Yoo-Jin. He didn’t have anything in particular to ask about, so he ended up asking about their well-being.

“Everything… is going well, right?”

— Yes, thanks to your blessings.

A cheerful voice then came over the line in the next moment. Oh Myung-Suk understood the meaning behind Ha Jae-Gun’s question and added,

— It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Ha. Yoo-Jin and I… we’re both truly happy these days.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled awkwardly as he stayed on the phone.

Ha Jae-Gun then realized that Lee Soo-Hee had already woken up. Before he could turn around, she came up behind him and gave him a hug.

***

[…News of Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s participation in a local district’s brisk walking competition has been a hot topic recently. The event attracted over five times more people than usual. Most of them were Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s readers and fans?]

[Yes, that’s right. If I were to throw a fastball here to complement this show, this event isn’t one that Writer Ha Jae-Gun participated in willingly.]

[It’s not? Reporter Ju, what do you mean by that?]

[The employees at the district office announced it first since Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s name is well-known both locally and internationally. So with the elections ahead, the head of the district office….]

[So it was not based on pure intentions?]

[Well, Ha Jae-Gun is extremely popular right now. He has a good public image, and his works are pretty popular, too. He has been making great achievements overseas as well. He’s pretty valuable now….]

[Are you talking about the political benefit?]

[Yeah. But since this is a live broadcast and there are still cases ongoing, I’ll have to be careful of what I say. Hahaha.]

“Is this Writer Ha Jae-Gun that famous?” Nam Gyu-Baek mumbled as he sat in the backseat of the car.

Department Head Bae sitting in the front passenger seat, replied, “Of course, sir. In addition to his novels, the games that Director Nam had created from his novels were huge hits as well. There’s Oscar’s Dungeon and even the PC game, The Breath, that had just begun development.”

“Have you read his novels?”

“Yes, I have read a couple of them. He’s a good writer, and I like his stories.”

Nam Gyu-Baek nodded silently as he looked out the window. They were on their way back after visiting Hwaseong Haenggung. Time would always pass quickly in Nam Gyu-Baek’s eyes, especially when he was out with his chauffeur, Department Head Bae.

“Do you have any of his novels to recommend to me?”

“Writer Ha’s novels? Hmm….” Department Head Bae thought for a while, then replied, “I personally love Foolish Woman a lot.”

“Why is it titled that way?”

“Shall I call it an ironic title? The female lead was so kind that she was labeled a foolish woman. In fact, he used his own sister as the motif.”

“Grab me a copy of it in the evening.”

“Yes, sir.”

The word Suwon could be seen in the distance as he looked out the car window. Nam Gyu-Baek then recalled a certain woman and perked his ears.

“Department Head Bae, let’s drop by somewhere.”

“Pardon? Where are you referring to?”

“We’re at Suwon, right? You still have that lady’s name card, right? I think it’ll be good to visit her for a while.”

“Ah, yes. I understand. Chauffeur Kim, let’s go to this address here.”

The address on the navigator was changed to Jae-In Academy. As they changed their destination, Department Head Bae asked, “Shall I prepare a gift?”

“Buy something suitable in the vicinity later. She seemed quite burdened the last time.” Nam Gyu-Baek rubbed his chin and added, “Don’t you think she’ll be a good match with Yoo Dong-Yoon?”

“Team Leader Yoo Dong-Yoon? Ah, come to think of it….” Department Head Bae nodded in agreement.

Team leader Yoo was a staffer whom Nam Gyu-Baek cherished the most. The man was polite and gentle, with a flawless personality. Although he has a good character and is quite talented, the man, now in his forties, still hadn’t found a good match.

“I might end up being a matchmaker in this life.”

“Hahaha. We’re almost there, sir.”

The car stopped in front of the sign that read Jae-In Academy. Passers-by were staring as the chauffeur alighted from the luxury car and opened the door to the backseat.

“Hmm…?” Nam Gyu-Baek frowned heavily.

A few meters ahead was a couple alighting from a minivan plastered with the words Jae-In Academy on it.

“I never knew you were so good at driving, director.”

“I’m good at everything I do. Shall I get a job as a driver at Jae-In Academy as well?”

“Please don’t make jokes like that.”

“I’m willing to work for you without receiving any salary as long as Ms. Jae-In is in the passenger seat beside me.”

The couple was looking at each other amicably and laughing as they got out of the mini-van. Anyone could tell that they were a couple. The sight made Nam Gyu-Baek flip, and his bluish and reddish face looked like a dormant volcano that had just become active.

Chapter 223. People Are Important (2)

“Ah… sir?” Ha Jae-In recognized the older man and smiled with surprise on her face. She could still remember how they had met coincidentally on the street and how she had given him her business card last time.

She never imagined that he would come looking for her, as she had been busy recently and had totally forgotten about that encounter until now.

“Hello, sir. How are you? Are you feeling better?” Ha Jae-In asked in a sweet tone, but her smile disappeared when she saw the anger in Nam Gyu-Baek’s smile.

“Um…?” Ha Jae-In trailed off as she was embroiled in the perplexed atmosphere. She followed Nam Gyu-Baek’s gaze and turned to the person standing beside her. And, of course, the man with her was none other than Nam Gyu-Ho.

“… Director?” A shiver went down her spine.

Nam Gyu-Ho—the epitome of calmness—was trembling. His eyes grew so wide as if he had witnessed something he wasn’t supposed to see. Even his jaws dropped, and his breathing turned irregular.

“F-father….” the word that Nam Gyu-Ho uttered was mixed with a low groan.

Ha Jae-In doubted her ears for that moment, wondering if she had misheard what Nam Gyu-Ho had just muttered. The nice old man whom she had saved was Nam Gyu-Ho’s father?

Half of the light in her eyes had gone out, and the surrounding sounds were fully blocked out. She was so surprised to the point that her insides cringed, but Ha Jae-In could not even move a single muscle.

“Father… why are you… here?” Nam Gyu-Ho managed to ask as he took a step forward.

However, there was no answer from his father. Nam Gyu-Baek’s bloodshot eyes alternated between his own son and the woman to whom he was indebted before turning away.

“Father…!”

“Let’s talk at home. Department Head Bae, let’s go.”

“Ah, yes!” Nam Gyu-Baek got into the backseat of his car. Department Head Bae greeted Nam Gyu-Ho before getting into the car and driving off.

Nam Gyu-Ho could not even say a single word more and could only watch the car drive off in the distance.

“Director….” Ha Jae-In was the first who came to her senses. It wasn’t summer yet, but her body was drenched in sweat.

“Director, are you alright?”

Nam Gyu-Ho did not hear Ha Jae-In’s question. Nam Gyu-Ho watched the car driving away like a soulless person. It was only when Ha Jae-In touched his shoulder that he flinched and came back to his senses.

“That was your father, right?”

Nam Gyu-Ho wiped the sweat off his forehead and nodded. He was about to straighten himself up when he stumbled and lost his balance. Thankfully, Ha Jae-In caught him in time.

“Do you know my father?”

“I should have told you this earlier, but when I went to Seoul for my alumni gathering….” Ha Jae-In then recounted her encounter with Nam Gyu-Baek.

Nam Gyu-Ho rubbed his face as if washing them but without water. He had definitely heard of this story before, but who would have thought that the elderly man was his father?

“Ms. Ha Jae-In.”

“Yes, Director.”

“I’m sorry, but I think I’ll need to leave for now.”

Ha Jae-In bit her lips and nodded. They weren’t in the mood to continue hanging out.

“What will you do?” Ha Jae-In’s question implied several things.

Nam Gyu-Ho smiled faintly, knowing full well the meaning behind her question. He grabbed her shoulders and said, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Director…”

“Everything will be fine.” Nam Gyu-Ho hugged her briefly and turned around.

Ha Jae-In stood rooted on the spot, feeling pity for Nam Gyu-Ho as she watched him leave. She reached out her hand toward him, but she couldn’t touch him.

***

On that same evening, the father and son pair met at the study.

“Just know that I’ll talk to Chairman Han from HwangYeong Pharmaceuticals.”

“Father…!”

“Another year has passed, and you’ve grown a year older. Chairman Han’s second daughter is a nice girl. Don’t say anything else, and just meet her.”

“No, I can’t do that.” Nam Gyu-Ho shook his head firmly.

Nam Gyu-Baek’s fists clenched tightly, and he slammed his fists on his armchair.

“You’re my only son and successor to the company!”

“And would I not know that? What I’m curious about is your standard to choose your one and only daughter-in-law. Just what is the reason that you allow Chairman Han’s second daughter and not Ms. Ha Jae-In?!”

“You’re already so old; how dare you say such immature stuff!”

Standing outside the study was Department Head Bae, whose face was white as paper. He had come with the book in hand, which Nam Gyu-Baek had asked for earlier, but he couldn’t bring himself to knock on the door. Although there were ups and downs throughout the fifteen years he had worked with Nam Gyu-Baek, this issue was different than any other issues he had encountered before.

There were signs that this issue could sour the father and son relationship.

“Father, please just meet her properly for once.” Nam Gyu-Ho pleaded. “Ms. Ha Jae-In is a really nice lady. You’ll know since you’ve met her already. She’s pretty and is even kind-hearted, too.”

“I don’t wish to hear any further.” Nam Gyu-Baek waved his son off.

However, Nam Gyu-Ho didn’t stop.

“The environment she was brought up in wasn’t good; that’s why she couldn’t shine to her fullest potential. However, she’s a wise and considerate woman; I learn something new from her every time I meet her. She’s helpful in my line of work; she even comforts me on a daily basis.”

“I don’t want to hear any more of that!” Nam Gyu-Baek yelled. He then grimaced and placed a hand on his chest.

Nam Gyu-Ho instantly forgot about their argument and turned pale as he approached his father. “Are you alright, father?”

“Ughh, it’s nothing.”

“The doctor said that you can’t be agitated.”

“You’re agitating me!”

Nam Gyu-Ho hurried over to the water dispenser and got his father a cup of water. Nam Gyu-Baek downed half the cup and sat back down on the chair. While Nam Gyu-Baek took a breather, Nam Gyu-Ho waited quietly as silence filled the room.

“I know that too.” Nam Gyu-Baek finally spoke after a while. “I’ve known that she’s a nice woman ever since the first time I met her.”

It was a positive sign. Hope began rising from deep within Nam Gyu-Ho’s heart. That was before hearing what his father’s next words were.

“But that’s just it. She’s too different from you. She’s an ordinary woman who grew up in an ordinary family. There’s a limit to how much she could aid you while you lead the company.”

“As I’ve said earlier, she will do a good job helping me out.”

“I’m tired now. I don’t want to talk anymore.” Nam Gyu-Baek closed his eyes, seemingly in pain, as he leaned back into his chair.

Nam Gyu-Ho turned his gaze to the side. He was resentful toward his father for refusing to accept the woman he loved, yet he was also heartbroken to see his father getting weaker and weaker. He found it tough to look his weakened father in the eye.

“I will not have a change of heart,” Nam Gyu-Ho replied with determination as he looked at the floor. “Just as how you’ve met Mother.”

“…”

“Please rest early. I’ll go and rest as well.” Nam Gyu-Ho then left the study.

Now left all alone, Nam Gyu-Baek opened his eyes and began clicking his tongue.

“Huh, this isn’t working either.”

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Department Head Bae opened the door and entered the study. He held out the book in hand politely and said, “This is Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s novel that I mentioned earlier in the day.”

“Ah, right. Thank you. You can leave it there.”

Department Head Bae left the book on the table. Seeing the book cover’s title, Foolish Woman, Nam Gyu-Baek asked, “Have you seen it?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. I have read this book a few times.”

“No, not the book. That punk.” Nam Gyu-Baek pointed at the wall in the direction of Nam Gyu-Ho’s room. “I am actually quite surprised to see him so passionate and adamant about a girl he likes. What do you think about it?”

“I don’t think I’m in the place to voice out my opinion….”

“Just say it.”

“I think he’s sincerely in love with her.” the man faked a cough after saying it.

Nam Gyu-Baek rested his chin on his hand was lost in thoughts. He was recalling how his son looked earlier when they met coincidentally; it had been a long time since he saw such a joyous expression on his son.

‘Honey, what should I do? I can’t think of what I should do for our son without you around.’ The urge to drink came to him as he thought of his late wife.

Knowing that Department Head Bae wouldn’t allow him to drink, Nam Gyu-Baek couldn’t bring it up. However, he didn’t feel like he would fall asleep anytime soon. It was a pity that he couldn’t drink when tonight was bound to be a long night.

***

– I have just sent over the revised manuscript for Market Place. Please take a look and contact me afterward.

Ha Jae-Gun dropped Oh Myung-Suk a message and turned to his laptop to send an email. He was writing to Editor-in-chief Eden Cooper from Open House to inform the man that the English publication version of The Breath was currently at volume 3.

“Alright, I’ve bought myself some extra time,” Ha Jae-Gun muttered and opened Word. On his to-do list were The Breath, Market Place, Human’s Malice, and song lyric writing. Ha Jae-Gun plugged in his earphones and clicked on the hyperlink for a guide to song lyric writing. It was currently the most urgent task he had on hand, as Lee Chae-Rin and Han Yu-Na would sing it as their duet track for their upcoming unit debut.

Of course, Ha Jae-Gun had also received the instrumental track. The strong beats were part of an electronic dance track. He liked the loneliness felt in the music that could accompany one as they sped along the roads at night. Ha Jae-Gun got familiar with the melody after listening to it on repeat.

Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak!

The white document slowly filled up with sentences. The topic of this song lyric was city. It wasn’t Ha Jae-Gun’s idea; the song was composed with that concept in mind.

‘Let’s write a story matching the mood of this music…. I have to immerse myself in the song and create a fitting story for it. Then I can edit it into song lyrics fitting for the track.’

Aside from the main topic, Ha Jae-Gun also included a subtopic in the lyrics: speed.

He was trying to write a story about the day in a fast-moving city while depicting the emotions coming out from it.

‘This isn’t enough.’ Ha Jae-Gun paused after working continuously for over two hours, then looked through the lines scrawled over the screen.

What else was left if I lived busily on a daily basis?

What were my dreams when I was younger?

What would be my most dazzling moment?

‘Ah, it feels boring. I need another emotion in here….’

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone left on his phone vibrated. Feeling the vibration, Ha Jae-Gun took off his earphones and reached for his phone. He answered the call with a smile upon seeing Ha Jae-In’s name on the caller ID.

“What made our beautiful noona call so early in the evening?”

— I just wanted to call to check on you. Are you busy?

“No, I’m good. I was about to rest for the day.” Ha Jae-Gun wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder. Hearing Ha Jae-Gun’s yawn, Ha Jae-In couldn’t help but speak.

— You sound tired; we can’t do anything tonight, then.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

— I actually called to have a drink with my famous younger brother.

Ha Jae-Gun instantly grew worried. Ha Jae-In wasn’t one to initiate having drinks on a normal day. Something happy or sad had to have happened for her to suggest having drinks first.

“Okay, I’ll prepare to head out now.” Ha Jae-Gun did not bother asking her what had happened and immediately headed toward the bathroom, saying, “I won’t take over an hour. Where do you want to go?”

— Will you really be fine? Aren’t you tired?

“No, I had a good sleep, so don’t worry. I’ll head over to Suwon first, so you can get ready in the meantime.”

Roughly an hour later, Ha Jae-Gun and Ha Jae-In arrived at a sashimi restaurant near their parent’s house in Suwon and made a toast.

“Ah, that feels great.” New n𝙤vel chapters are published on

“But why do you look so sad?”

Ha Jae-Gun took a slice of sashimi and placed it on Ha Jae-In’s plate as he asked, “What happened?”

“Hmm, why?”

“You’re not the kind to go looking for alcohol, so I found it weird.”

“What do you mean weird? There are times when I feel like having drinks, too. Let me pour you a glass. Here.”

Ha Jae-Gun observed Ha Jae-In’s face as she poured him a glass. The unusual atmosphere bothered him.

“Right, how is your lyric writing going?”

“I’m not sure. I had considered doing this in the past, but it’s really difficult. It’s really not easy to write song lyrics that are addictive.”

Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his phone and asked, “Do you want to see what I’ve done so far?”

“Sure, if you have it with you.”

“I’m still writing the story behind the song, so it’s all incoherent.”

Ha Jae-In took his phone and began reading its content. After a while, she looked up and began to give her opinion while drawing a circle in the air, “I like how you depicted the fast-moving city, but aren’t there a lot of such songs in the current market?”

“That’s right. That’s why I hope there’s something better I could come up with to differentiate from the others. What other emotions should I add here?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he looked down at the table. The table full of alcohol and snacks brought a thought to his mind.

“Oh, there’s that too.”

“What?”

“The exhausted city people after a full day of work drinking or receiving comfort from kind-hearted people.”

Ha Jae-In snapped her fingers and added, “That’s a given. Not only me, but everyone else lives similar lives, so they’ll find it relatable. How about writing the lyrics from a contemplating perspective? Wouldn’t that be good?”

“Oh, something just came to mind. Goodness, noona, you’re my savior.”

“As if I haven’t been of any help to you until now. Wanna die?” Ha Jae-In raised her fists in a mildly threatening manner.

Excited at the newfound emotion, Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his pen and began noting down on his notepad. The emotion that would not come to him when he was banging his head over at home began pouring out before his sister.

Ha Jae-Gun finally looked up after a while of writing on his notepad.

“All right, noona. I think with this…” he trailed off. The sight that greeted him rendered him speechless. Ha Jae-In was looking out the window with eyes full of tears.

Chapter 224. People Are Important (3)

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing….” Ha Jae-In smiled sheepishly and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “It’s nothing, really. You’ve become a famous writer, and I can finally drink with my younger brother while having sashimi without worries… Gosh.” Ha Jae-In’s face turned into one of delight as she looked out the window.

Raindrops were falling on the window.

“Wow, it’s the winter rain. That’s nice.”

“Stop changing the topic.”

“I wasn’t. I was just too happy, and I cried because it reminded me of the times when I had been living as a foolish woman.”

“Why are you….”

Ha Jae-Gun concealed his sadness and took a piece of sashimi to put into his mouth. He was aware of his sister’s poor acting skills, but her actions today were too natural. It didn’t look like forced acting to him; it was so good that even he was fooled.

“But the lyrics, did I really help you with it?”

“Yeah, you did. I have a clearer direction now.”

“That’s great. I’ll buy this meal. Ah, and what’s the name of the unit that Lee Chae-Rin and Han Yu-Na are in?”

“I think they’re going to be called C.Y., taken from the initials of their names.”

“What about the title of your song?”

“That’s not fixed yet, I’m not really confident at naming things.” Ha Jae-Gun fell into conflict as he thought of the song title.

Meanwhile, Ha Jae-In let out a soft sigh of relief. Her emotions, which she almost couldn’t keep under control, had almost been caught by her own brother.

The ordinary winter day was coming to an end.

***

How long had it been since he had spent over five hours in the study? A thought suddenly came to Nam Gyu-Baek as he flipped to the last page of the novel. The lingering emotion in him was suffocating.

‘Seems like I’ll be getting withdrawals for a while.’ Nam Gyu-Baek let out a soft groan and looked up. The sight of his quiet study full of books filled his eyes.

As he gazed blankly into the air, the silhouette of a woman surfaced in his mind. It moved across the room in various locations, reading a book for a moment, cleaning the dusty bookshelves, and even the rug on the floor.

‘Honey….’

His wife’s reflection when she was still around made him take a huge gulp. This was all because of Foolish Woman, which he had just finished reading. The female lead in the novel was highly similar to his late wife—a foolish woman who had no idea what she ought to do for herself. The character’s devotion to her family had the most resemblance to his wife.

His wife’s face surfaced in his mind a couple of times while he was reading the novel, and he would gulp each time to suppress his own feelings. Nam Gyu-Baek had bid farewell to his youth decades ago.

However, he was still deeply in love with his late wife. Two women were still living in his heart, and he could still see them vividly in the most beautiful and brilliant moments he had back then with them.

‘He’s written a very engaging novel.’ Nam Gyu-Baek blinked his bloodshot eyes and smiled bitterly. In fact, he was moved, plus it had been a long time since he had read such a good novel. Thanks to the resemblance of the main character in the novel to his late wife, the book would become his favorite book for the rest of his life.

Nam Gyu-Baek got interested in Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s other works.

‘He must be quite active.’

Nam Gyu-Baek accessed the internet and looked up information related to Ha Jae-Gun, clicking his tongue. He hadn’t known about it before since he didn’t have much interest, but Ha Jae-Gun was almost unrivaled among the local writers.

He was a writer who had the best of both worlds in both commercial and literary areas while crossing various genres. He had even swept various reputable literary and film festival awards, including the Minister of Culture commendation. He also drew astonishing results abroad with the adaptations of his original works.

All of these achievements were made under one writer, Ha Jae-Gun.

‘This is what Gyu-Ho made.’

Nam Gyu-Baek smiled while reading the news about Oscar’s Dungeon, which had become a huge hit in China and Taiwan. He couldn’t help but smile after seeing the achievements his beloved son had achieved for himself.

Just then….

Knock knock.

“Come in,” Nam Gyu-Baek said dryly.

As the door opened gently, his confidante, Department Head Bae, stepped into the study. “I’ve looked into it as per your instructions.”

“Don’t just stand there, speak.” Nam Gyu-Baek stood up from his rocking chair. The two men sat across from each other on the sofa.

Department Head Bae twiddled his fingers and slowly said, “I’m not sure where I should start…”

“Just say whatever that comes to mind.”

“She’s thirty-three years old this year. She has her parents and a younger brother in her family. She majored in historical studies at Yisoo Women’s University and never went to graduate school.”

“Yisoo Women’s University? She must have been quite a studious girl.”

“Yes, she has taken up all kinds of side gigs before starting the academy, such as visiting teachers, proofreading and editing study materials, and even translating. I asked a colleague where Ms. Jae-In had worked back then, and they said that she hadn’t even taken a day off, as visiting teachers earn as much as they worked.

“They even said that she had to earn money for her university tuition fee and living expenses.”

“Hm…” Nam Gyu-Baek nodded as he leaned against the headrest. This was a plausible story acceptable to him after having met Ha Jae-In thrice.

“But did she really work hard to save the money for her academy? How did she manage to quit her job and open the academy? Even though her academy is set up outside of Seoul, it should have taken up quite a considerable amount of savings.”

“I’m about to get there. It was thanks to Ms. Ha Jae-In’s younger brother that their family situation had improved. And…” Department Head Bae then glanced sideways, looking at the copy of Foolish Woman left on Nam Gyu-Baek’s desk. “Her younger brother is Writer Ha Jae-Gun.”

“…?” Nam Gyu-Baek was about to reach out to pick up the teacup when he stiffened. The information about Ha Jae-Gun was still showing on his monitor screen.

“I did find the name familiar but didn’t realize it sooner. I’m sorry, sir.” Department Head Bae apologized.

“No, wait….” Nam Gyu-Baek waved his hand. “That young lady’s younger brother is Ha Jae-Gun?”

“Yes, sir.”

“He’s… the same person as this writer I’m reading about now?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“And also the original work’s writer that my son has been creating games from?”

“Yes, Oscar’s Dungeon and Gyeoja Bathhouse.” Department Head Bae replied relentlessly.

Nam Gyu-Baek was stunned for a moment. He then turned to look at the book he had left on the table. “So… this book you brought me was written by this Ha Jae-Gun?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And that means…” Nam Gyu-Baek couldn’t continue further and let out a groan, leaning his head back. The pieces of information were slowly coming together. It was revealed that the main character in Foolish Woman was created with his own sister in mind, and his son was dating that very same lady in the book.

‘Was that why I felt that way….’ Nam Gyu-Baek had wavered when he met Ha Jae-In for the second time. He could finally understand why he was reminded of his late wife, even though they didn’t look similar at all.

Department Head Bae sounded serious as he continued. “After looking into it, it turned out that Writer Ha Jae-Gun had obtained a ton of assets. He had earned an unbelievable amount of money in just three years. His net worth is estimated to hit twenty billion won soon, so the overseas market must be massive indeed.”

Nam Gyu-Baek listened to his confidante in a daze. He couldn’t believe that the writer could make so much money through writing at such a young age. It was a surprise, as even the head of a large corporation with a market value of over eight trillion won couldn’t possibly earn so much money in just three years.

“When did Gyu-Ho say that he’ll return?”

“I think he’ll be staying at the Taiwan branch until next week.”

“Alright, I got it. You can leave now.”

“Yes, sir.” Department Head Bae closed the door behind him as he stepped out of the study.

Nam Gyu-Baek let out a sigh at the complex thoughts circling in his mind. Even with his approval, would Nam Gyu-Ho’s relationship with that lady even last long? He looked at the photo frame sitting on his table, and his late wife smiled brightly at him.

***

— I don’t think you have to touch up Market Place any further. Would you mind if I proceed with the publication?

“Go ahead, editor-in-chief. I’ll leave it in your good hands once again.”

The revised manuscript for Market Place had finally satisfied the editor-in-chief. Feeling refreshed, Ha Jae-Gun’s heart was pounding with excitement as another burden on his mind was completely lifted.

— I will arrange 200,000 copies of Market Place for preorders.

“What? 200,000 copies?”

— Why are you surprised? It’s your novel, so it will definitely sell. In fact, I’d actually like to arrange for 500,000 copies instead.

“Wait, editor-in-chief. Even so, I’m still worried since this is just a short story collection.”

— You’re the author, so how come you still don’t know the hearts of your readers? One of the short stories has been released as a one-act play, and despite that, look at your current status. You really don’t have to be worried.

“I”m thankful to hear this from you, but I really don’t know. You can’t blame me if the novel doesn’t sell once it’s published.”

— Hahaha, no way. If that happens, I’ll load all those books into a truck and go around on foot to sell them.

Ha Jae-Gun and Oh Myung-Suk burst into laughter. Their long-term relationship and friendship had grown stronger. They could even exchange jokes aside from their usual business-related talks.

“Is Ms. Yoo-Jin doing well?”

— Yes, she’s still ever busy despite staying at home. She’s been looking through the English manuscript for The Breath and having online meetings with Open House. She’s much busier than me with a nine-to-five job. She often talks with President Kwon as well.

The two then discussed the autograph events and interviews to commemorate the publication of Market Place. After their call ended, Ha Jae-Gun gripped the armrests of his chair and stood up.

“Rika, Nun-Sol, do you want to get some February fresh air with me?” There was someone he needed to visit after completing another novel. Rika immediately understood where Ha Jae-Gun was going and ran over.

Nun-Sol clumsily followed behind her.

“Elder, we’ve come to visit.”

“Meow.”

Ha Jae-Gun and Rika stood side by side before Seo Gun-Woo’s grave, greeting the elderly. Being particularly sensitive to cold, Nun-Sol stayed in the embrace of Ha Jae-Gun’s jacket.

“Thanks to your teachings, I was able to complete Market Place without any hiccups. They’re printing 200,000 copies for preorders, but I’m worried if we can sell that many copies,” Ha Jae-Gun said as he looked around the tombstone. He often dropped by here, so there wasn’t much he had to clean up.

Just then, Seo Geon-Woo’s son came to his mind. Ha Jae-Gun remembered keeping that letter, which said that he would be going on a long trip to look for traces of his father. However, he still hadn’t heard from Seo Gun-Woo’s son; Ha Jae-Gun was getting worried about how the elder’s son was doing.

‘He did say not to contact him first….’ Ha Jae-Gun hesitated for a while before deciding to pull out his phone. He then looked up Seo Sang-Do’s number and pressed the dial button.

However, the operator told him that the number no longer existed.

“Rika, they said it’s a number that doesn’t exist.”

“Meow…?”

“Perhaps I should have attempted to contact him earlier.” Ha Jae-Gun muttered bitterly and served a glass of soju to the elder’s tombstone. Ha Jae-Gun then sat on the cold grass patch and lifted his own glass. He couldn’t drink it since he had driven over here, but he wet his lips with it as a gesture of courtesy.

‘Hm…?’ When Ha Jae-Gun approached his house, he stared out the car window as he spotted a few men lurking around his main door. One of them was the section chief of the general affairs department, whom he had met during the lecture at the library and the brisk walking competition.

“What is the matter?” Ha Jae-Gun alighted from his car and asked with a face full of caution. This was the second time he had come to Ha Jae-Gun’s house, unsolicited. The alcohol was starting to influence him, despite only wetting his lips with it earlier.

“Aigoo, Mr. Ha. Hello.” The men gathered around Ha Jae-Gun and began greeting him one by one and introducing themselves.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Suk Min-Kwan, deputy head of the district office.”

“I’m Section Chief Lee Geum-Dong, overseeing the cultural and sports department.”

“I’m Lee Cheol-Min, in charge of cultural events.”

“Yes, how may I help you?” Ha Jae-Gun went straight to the point as he didn’t have any intention of inviting them into his house.

Sneaking glances, the section chief of the general affairs department said, “Our district office is planning to hold a Night for Literary Persons in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. We would like to invite you, Mr. Ha, to the event and also to host the event.”

“Wait, wait.” Ha Jae-Gun cut the man off immediately.

It was the brisk walking competition before, and now the Night for Literary Persons? He had already gotten an unsolicited invite like this from them once, but they were doing the same again?

“Are you saying that everything has been laid out?”

“Yes, Mr. Ha. Our head of the district office said that everything has been prepared, so you can just appear at the event, and the Vice Minister of Culture will attend this time as well. It’s timely that the event will be held on a nice spring day in March…”

Ha Jae-Gun bit his lip unknowingly. “Regardless of the preparations and season, have you ever once mentioned it to me? I’ve said this during the brisk walking competition as well, but shouldn’t you at least ask for my agreement?”

“Ah, that’s… that’s why we’re here to ask you now. We thought that if we told you after everything had been prepared, you would be happy to hear about it….” The man trailed off, and the group looked at each other cautiously. New n𝙤vel chapters are published on

Ha Jae-Gun opened the door into his house slightly and sent Rika and Nun-Sol back into the house, then said, “I don’t like this at all. I’ve clearly expressed my opinion back then, hoping that it doesn’t happen again.”

“But Mr. Ha, we have already announced your participation, and many readers are looking forward to your—”

“That’s your mistake, section chief.” Ha Jae-Gun was so frustrated that he ended up raising his voice. “It seems like you’re holding my readers hostage. Otherwise, I would have mentioned it on my own social media. Events not shared on my social media are not guaranteed to happen.”

“N-no, Mr. Ha. I didn’t mean it like that…!” The flustered civil servant scurried with red faces. Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his phone. He clicked on a news article and showed it to the group.

“This article appeared on the district news. Do you see the title? Superior personal connection between head of district office Yang Beom-Shik and Writer Ha Jae-Gun. Does this make sense to you? I don’t even know him, but I actually have a superior personal connection with him?”

“Um… Mr. Ha, that article—”

Ha Jae-Gun didn’t give them a second to reply. “Please tell the head of the district office, Mr. Yang Beom-Shik, that I can now tell why he keeps on coming up with events while trying to get me involved. I do not have any intention to participate in his events. Do you understand?”

Ha Jae-Gun finished his piece and turned around immediately. The civil servants could not leave and stomped their feet hastily after Ha Jae-Gun closed the door on them.

“Mr. Ha! I think there are some misunderstandings as I didn’t make myself clear enough! Wait, please hear me out! Please! Mr. Ha! Mr. Ha!”

Ha Jae-Gun ignored the group and crossed the garden. Rika and Nun-Sol followed closely behind him.

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang in his pocket. Thinking that it was the civil servant calling brought a cold smile to his face. Just as he was about to block the number, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Hello? Director Nam?”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. How have you been?

“I’m doing fine. How are you, Director Nam? What’s with the sudden call?”

— Um…

Had Nam Gyu-Ho ever done this before? Ha Jae-Gun was both surprised and doubtful to hear the hesitation in Nam Gyu-Ho’s voice.

“What is it? Is there some bad news regarding the online game development of The Breath?”

— No, it’s not about that. The game development of The Breath is going well. But Mr. Ha….

A short sigh came through the line. Nam Gyu-Ho then said slowly.

— I’m really sorry, but… can you come over to my house?

Chapter 225. People Are Important (4)

“You want me to go over to your house?”

— Yes, I’d love to have you over.

What was up with the sudden invite? Ha Jae-Gun looked at the window to stare at his own reflection in a daze.

— I’m sorry for putting you in this perplexed situation without context.

“Yes… I’d be lying if I weren’t flustered,” Ha Jae-Gun replied slowly.

Ha Jae-Gun could somewhat guess Nam Gyu-Ho’s motive behind the invitation; it was definitely not business-related. It had to be something personal and related to his beloved older sister.

— Um, Mr. Ha.

“Yes, I’m listening. Please speak.”

— I don’t think I should tell you over the phone. Are you available for dinner tonight?”

“Hmm, dinner tonight…” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off as he mentally recounted his schedule for the day. He didn’t have anything in particular arranged for tonight, though he had planned to celebrate with Lee Soo-Hee after work to commemorate the completion of Market Place.

— If it’s difficult for you to meet tonight, then maybe next time…

“No, it’s fine. I can meet you later.” Ha Jae-Gun replied immediately, as it had to be something related to Ha Jae-In. Plus, he could feel that Nam Gyu-Ho was trying to muster up courage.

“Where shall we meet later?”

— What would you like to have for dinner? I’ll arrange it according to your preference.

“I’m not a picky eater. You’re much more experienced than I am in terms of food, so I’ll leave it to you.”

— Okay then. I’ll contact you again in a bit.

Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call and began writing a message to Lee Soo-Hee. Just then, the screen changed, and a call from Lee Soo-Hee appeared.

“Yeah, Soo-Hee.”

— Why did you pick up so fast? Were you playing Oscar’s Dungeon?

“No, I was just about to send you a message.”

— Ah, really? What were you going to say?

Lee Soo-Hee’s side was quite noisy as Ha Jae-Gun could hear overlapping voices of employees talking about planning, dungeons and characters.

— Um, Jae-Gun, I can’t talk on the phone for too long. And I have to work overtime for The Breath tonight, so I don’t think I can have dinner with you later.

“I feel apologetic hearing that you’re working overtime because of me.”

— You just have to give me a massage next time. But I can’t get the massage tonight, either. I left the USB with the proposal at home; otherwise, I would have gone to see you even if it’d be much later tonight.

“We just can’t meet for a day. You don’t have to be sorry; just make sure you have your dinner later.”

— Thanks for understanding. Alright, I’ll call you again later.

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and chuckled. Did Lee Soo-Hee have to work overtime because things had turned out this way? His footsteps as he headed to the bathroom felt lighter than before.

***

“I apologize for asking you out at the last minute,” Nam Gyu-Ho apologized as he poured a glass of alcohol for Ha Jae-Gun.

They were currently in a small room of a tuna restaurant sitting on tatami mats. Ha Jae-Gun took over the bottle and poured a glass for Nam Gyu-Ho in return.

“Even I think it was a bit of a stretch thinking about it now, asking you to come over to my place out of the blue… Let’s drink first.”

The two men shared a toast and chugged down the cold drink. Nam Gyu-Ho did not once look at the fresh and delicious-looking tuna laid out on the table before him but continued to fill their glasses. It was evident that he was feeling anxious.

“Please feel free to speak your mind.” Ha Jae-Gun put down his chopsticks and added, “I’m ready to hear what you have to say. So please don’t worry and speak comfortably.”

“That’s very nice of you, but…” Nam Gyu-Ho trailed off and chugged another glass. Ha Jae-Gun took out a pair of new chopsticks and placed some tuna on Nam Gyu-Ho’s plate. “You’ll get drunk easily if you drink at this speed.”

“…You’re so alike,” Nam Gyu-Ho muttered but soon turned flustered as he caught Ha Jae-Gun staring back at him. “Ah, I unknowingly—What’s wrong with me today? I’m just referring to how kind both you and Ms. Jae-In are to the people around you.”

“Ahh, I see… Hahaha.” Ha Jae-Gun chuckled, and a smile suffused their lips.

Nam Gyu-Ho felt a little more at ease, allowing him to go straight to the point.

“Actually… I was with Ms. Jae-In when we met my father coincidentally on the streets. No, I think it’ll be more appropriate to say that my father caught us red-handed.”

“…?”

“I went to the academy to meet her, but my father was there as well…”

“Director Nam, please wait a moment.” Ha Jae-Gun cut Nam Gyu-Ho off, surprised at what he was hearing. “I’m not sure if I understood you correctly, but by your father, you mean the Chairman? but why would he visit my older sister at the academy…?”

“It seems like she hasn’t told you about it. There’s a story behind this.” Nam Gyu-Ho then proceeded to share the encounters Ha Jae-In had with his father. Ha Jae-Gun’s expression changed at every moment as he listened in amazement.

“…This was what happened after she saved my father, who collapsed on the streets from a myocardial infarction.”

“Wow, I never knew.”

“I’m ashamed to face you, Mr. Ha. I should have introduced her to my father before all this happened.” Nam Gyu-Ho frowned deeply, blaming himself for the situation he had put them in.

Ha Jae-Gun stared at the light reflected in the glass absent-mindedly, recalling the tears on his older sister’s face a few nights before while they had drinks. How much did she suffer silently without being able to tell her own younger brother?

“I think having you around would be of great help in persuading my father.”

Ha Jae-Gun looked up.

Nam Gyu-Ho puffed his chest and continued confidently. “Mr. Ha is a writer who has achieved unrivaled status in Korea. This is unprecedented, plus you have achieved all of your current wealth and honor without any help from your family.”

Nam Gyu-Ho did not give Ha Jae-Gun a moment to respond. “Ms. Jae-In is an amazing older sister to you as well. You’re not a normal family, and she’s not a normal older sister. Even if she doesn’t end up with me, she can still become the daughter-in-law of a chaebol[1] family. This is just my opinion, but I must be right.”

Nam Gyu-Ho’s voice rose as he spoke with excitement. He pulled out his phone and opened the ebook for Foolish Woman before continuing. “I still read this novel whenever it comes to mind. The female lead in the novel is exactly like Ms. Jae-In.

“It was the biggest blessing in my life that I had met someone like her, and just being around her makes me…” Nam Gyu-Ho trailed off as he began choking up.

Ha Jae-Gun was so shocked that he kept himself sitting upright the entire time. Nam Gyu-Ho’s words were overwhelming.

“She made me a better man.” Nam Gyu-Ho muttered. He chugged another glass of cold alcohol. Nam Gyu-Ho didn’t come off as the heir of a large corporation but as a man in love. Ha Jae-Gun was moved to see him being so honest about his feelings.

“I’d love to marry Ms. Jae-In regardless of what it takes. I can’t imagine how my life would be without her.”

“Please calm down.” Nam Gyu-Ho’s perfect image was crumbling.

But thanks to Ha Jae-Gun, he was able to understand his more humane side, which he had never fully understood before. Of course, it was unclear whether it was a good thing or not.

“I’ll definitely provide my assistance if you need me.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled and raised his glass with his heart feeling full. There was no way he couldn’t smile here. He could tell how much Nam Gyu-Ho loved his older sister, and he was happy to know it.

“Please don’t worry too much. Everything will be fine. And thank you for telling me everything.”

“I’m just feeling sorry for not telling you this earlier.”

The two men shared a toast and continued drinking. They only belatedly realized how sweet the alcohol was that night.

“Ughhh, Mr. Ha. Let’s go for round two.”

“You’re very drunk now; let’s end it here tonight.”

Ha Jae-Gun supported Nam Gyu-Ho as they walked down the busy streets of downtown. If one were to drink beyond their limit, the alcohol would drink one rather than the other way around.

That was how Nam Gyu-Ho looked in Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes right now…

“Director Nam, I’ll hail a taxi for you. I’ll send you straight to your house before leaving.”

“No, Mr. Ha. I’m not drunk at all. Look at me, I’m sober. Hicc. I enjoyed myself tonight for the longest time, thanks to you. I’ll resent you for the rest of my life if we end the night here.”

“Ah… What should I do.” Ha Jae-Gun’s mind quickly turned into problem-solving mode as he held onto Nam Gyu-Ho. One wouldn’t stray far away from their nature even if they were drunk. Seeing that it’d be hard to persuade him otherwise, Ha Jae-Gun thought it would be better to just go along with it and go for round two.

“Director Nam, how about going to my house instead?”

“Mr. Ha’s house? Hicc.”

“It’s not too far from here, and I live alone, so it’s not much of an inconvenience.”

“It’s my honor, hicc. Please, if you don’t mind.”

Ha Jae-Gun headed to the bus stop immediately and hailed them a taxi. Nam Gyu-Ho kept talking about different topics throughout the drive.”

“I’m only saying this now, but I was quite flustered when I first met you, Mr. Ha. It’s inevitable to meet people from all walks of life when running a business, so I did have some data in hand, but… Wahahaha! It was my first time meeting someone like Mr. Ha, so I couldn’t grasp what kind of personality you had~!”

“Yes, you said this earlier as well.”

“Ah, really? I’m just too happy today… Wahahaha! Oh, mister, I’m sorry for disturbing you while you’re driving. I’m just too happy today.”

Nam Gyu-Ho turned his attention to the driver and continued triumphantly. “There’s a woman I love; she’s extremely pretty, clever, and nice. I might get married to her soon, too.”

“Really? Congratulations.”

“And if we get married… Hicc, this man here is a very famous writer, and he will become my brother-in-law. Right? Brother-in-law? Ahahahahaha!”

At the end of his laughter, Nam Gyu-Ho’s head tilted and drooped.

Ha Jae-Gun quickly caught his head.

Soon, soft snores started to pervade the car, as Nam Gyu-Ho had fallen asleep.

“I’m sorry for being so noisy while you’re driving, mister.” Ha Jae-Gun apologized as things grew quiet in the car.

The driver smiled as he looked at Ha Jae-Gun through the rearview mirror. “No, he’s quite the quiet drunk. But… are you Mr. Ha Jae-Gun?”

“Ah, yes. That’s me.”

The driver grinned. He was glad to see Ha Jae-Gun.

He lowered the volume of the radio and said excitedly, “My daughter is a huge fan of yours. She’s in year three of high school this year, and she kept going on about how she wants to become a famous writer like you. I’m sorry but can you take a photo with me before you alight later?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you. I want to hang it up in my car. I just got this taxi just last year, and I’m hoping that I can get some luck from you. Hohoho.” The driver revealed a friendly smile.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and looked out the car window to see the outside world enveloped with street lights.

Nam Gyu-Ho slept soundly while snoring.

~

The next morning…

“Director Nam is absent from work today?”

“Absent? Are you sure it’s not because he’s been working outside and decided not to come into the office today?”

“What do you mean? We have a planning meeting for The Breath later today.”

“Wow, it is a surprise to hear that the great Director Nam Nam Gyu-Ho is absent.”

The team members from the planning department were gathered in the lounge, chattering amongst themselves.

Their topic of conversation was Nam Gyu-Ho, who was absent despite the meeting for The Breath scheduled for today.

“Team leader Lee, what if he’s just sick?”

“Huh? Mm…”

“But he looked quite healthy yesterday. Is he down with a cold? Did his immunity go down after a trip to Taiwan?”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Lee Soo-Hee glossed over her reply and took a sip of her coffee. She could still hear Nam Gyu-Ho’s dry voice over the phone from earlier.

— I’ll leave the meeting for The Breath in your hands, Team Leader Lee. I was going to leave the project for you to oversee anyway. Plus, you do a better job than I do. Excuse me while I go back to rest.

‘Gosh, what happened to Director Nam…’ Lee Soo-Hee was equally surprised to hear about Nam Gyu-Ho’s absence. While she was still in a daze, her phone rang, and a call from Ha Jae-Gun came in.

“Yeah, Jae-Gun.”

— You’re free, right?

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Did you sleep well? I was so tired yesterday that I only left you a message and fell asleep right afterward.” Lee Soo-Hee said as she stepped out of the lounge and into the corridor. “I was about to send you a message. Did you get a good rest?”

— No, I actually met Director Nam last night.

“What…?”

— We drank till late, and I brought him back to my place. He’s still asleep in the room now.

Lee Soo-Hee’s jaws dropped. So Nam Gyu-Ho’s absence wasn’t because of a cold or flu but because he drank too much last night.

— I’ll tell you more when we meet. I called just in case you’re worried. I was so busy that I couldn’t look at my phone last night and fell asleep immediately.

“Mm, alright. You must be tired, so you should sleep more then. I’ll call you again later during my lunch break.”

— All right. Have a good day at work.

Lee Soo-Hee hung up the phone. She was still dumbfounded, but she was grinning at the news. To think that Ha Jae-Gun and Nam Gyu-Ho would spend the night together. She couldn’t stop laughing, just imagining what the two were like while completely drunk

“Team leader Lee, we’re ready for the meeting.”

“Okay, I’ll be there soon.” Lee Soo-Hee headed toward the meeting room for the meeting related to The Breath.

Nam Gyu-Ho was right. She was confident that she could run the meeting better than anyone else in the room due to her affection for the creator of the original work.

***

“Yu-Na, are you ready? We should get going soon.”

“Yes, oppa. I’m wearing my shoes now!” Han Yu-Na put on her shoes in a hurry and stepped out of the house.

Today was the day for both her and Lee Chae-Rin to record the song for their upcoming unit debut, C.Y.

She had been running on tight schedules recently and hadn’t been able to get a good night’s sleep, but she didn’t feel tired at all. Everything was going smoothly, like a dream. She even offered a prayer of gratitude to a god for the first time in her life.

Bzzt!

Just as her manager hopped onto the vehicle, her phone rang. She was stupefied to see the name on the caller ID. However, she didn’t answer the call and put her phone away into her pocket.

“Who is it?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go, oppa.”

Her manager stepped on the accelerator, and they began driving off. Han Yu-Na kept ignoring the call that continued ringing throughout the ride. However, she didn’t expect that the person calling her was already waiting for her at her destination.

1. Term that refers to large family-owned business conglomerates. ?

Chapter 226. People Are Important (5)

“You received the lyrics, right?” asked Han Yu-Na’s manager.

Han Yu-Na was also reading the lyrics off her phone, and she answered with a smile, “Yes, I’m reading it now, trying to get the feel of it.”

“Do you think it’s good?”

“I love it.”

“You’re not saying that just because Mr. Jae-Gun wrote it?” Her manager joked, but it made Han Yu-Na blush bright red.

“I really like it a lot.”

“Alright, alright. Look at you turning all serious.”

“Oppa, you’ve read it too, right? The emotions of the city dwellers are well expressed; the words aren’t that difficult, and there are no parts where pronunciation would become ambiguous when sung. It’ll become an earworm.”

“Yeah, I’m actually quite impressed as well.” Her manager turned the steering wheel as the traffic lights turned and said, “He’s a famous writer; he doesn’t have much experience in lyric writing. Plus, this is a song for idols to sing, so I was quite worried. But it seems like my worries were completely unfounded.”

“Now, the last thing we have to worry about is the song title.”

“That’s right. He did such a great job with the song lyrics, but he’s lacking so much confidence in coming up with a good song title…”

They soon arrived at the recording studio. Han Yu-Na and her manager alighted, but they stopped midway to their destination as an unexpected visitor appeared in their path.

“…Hello, Yu-Na unni.” Chae Bo-Ra greeted, but she couldn’t make eye contact with Han Yu-Na. The cold winter made her sound like a dying person, and she was shivering out in the cold.

“Why are you here?” Han Yu-Na’s manager asked, looking serious. He had taken care of Chae Bo-Ra before he was reassigned to look after HyperSoda. He had experienced all the stress one could experience in one’s entire life, and it was all thanks to Chae Bo-Ra.

Chae Bo-Ra was the reason he had white hair in his nose as well.

“You don’t look like you’ve got any business at this studio. Why don’t you turn back if you’re here to see Yu-Na? We’re very busy today.”

“Just for a bit…”

“We can’t spare you even a bit of time.”

“Yu-Na unni, just ten minutes, please? Not even five minutes?” Chae Bo-Ra looked directly at Han Yu-Na instead of her manager, pleading. She looked like she was begging Han Yu-Na with her intertwined fingers.

Han Yu-Na sighed and nodded. They had already met out here, so it was best to listen to her and close the chapter once and for all.

“Ten minutes is enough, right?”

“Thank you, unni.” Chae Bo-Ra’s face brightened instantly.

Speechless, Han Yu-Na’s manager turned to her and said, “Yu-Na, let’s just go in.”

“Just give me ten minutes, oppa. I’ll have a quick talk with her and head in afterward.”

“Ah, seriously… Why do you want to deal with her? Fine, I’ll let them know, so finish it quickly and join us.”

“Thank you.” Her manager headed in without much choice, but he did not forget to glare at Chae Bo-Ra when he walked past her.

“You’ve grown a lot.” Chae Bo-Ra muttered with disdain as soon as her manager was out of earshot. “You couldn’t even look me in the eye before.”

“What do you want to say?” Han Yu-Na asked irritably. As expected, Han Yu-Na hadn’t changed one bit. She found herself pathetic, as she had gotten soft upon seeing Chae Bo-Ra’s haggard appearance.

“Get to the point quickly. I really can’t talk for over ten minutes.”

“Unni…” Chae Bo-Ra smacked her lips as she approached Han Yu-Na. “I know that I’ve been mean to you before, but that’s because I’m very sensitive. So that’s why I unintentionally—”

“Bo-Ra.” Han Yu-Na cut her off with a deep frown. “I told you that I’m running out of time. Stop with the past and get straight to the point.”

“A-alright… Okay, I’ll… I’ll get to the point.” Chae Bo-Ra dropped her head. Twiddling her fingers for a few moments, she knelt on the ground and said, “Please lend me some money, unni…”

Chae Bo-Ra shut her eyes tightly. She threw away her pride and everything else to say it. She had never imagined just one month ago that the day would come when she would have to plead with Han Yu-Na like this.

“I need quite a lot of money, and I don’t have it. You’re the last person I turned to for money. Just treat it as if you’re saving someone’s life; please help me.”

“…How much do you need?” Han Yu-Na asked immediately. Chae Bo-Ra had helped her, so Han Yu-Na thought that she should help her with that gratitude in mind.

“You helped me back then, so I’m going to help you. How much do you need?”

“Just three pieces…”

“Three pieces? Thirty million won?”

“No… three hundred million.” Chae Bo-Ra looked up with an awkward smile.

Han Yu-Na was shocked. “Oh my gosh, Bo-Ra. What makes you think I would have that much money?”

“But you’re so popular.”

“How could you say that when you’re a celebrity yourself? Have I taken any commercials? Have I gone to any events? My activities are just starting to pick up, so how would I be able to earn that money?”

“Can’t you ask the company to give you an advance?”

Han Yu-Na couldn’t even let out a scoff at this point. Chae Bo-Ra was truly skillful at being shameless.

“Yeah, I can’t do that,” Han Yu-Na replied firmly. “I’m sorry, Bo-Ra. I think I can help you with a tenth of that amount you requested, but I can’t do any more than that.”

“Unni, I’m really cornered.” Chae Bo-Ra seemed to be on the verge of tears. “You saw the news, right? I have to pay the settlement fee with Yoon Mi-Ji, and everyone has been poking at me, too. I was chased out of the apartment, and do you know where I’m living at right now? At the villa. I don’t even live like a human anymore.”

“What’s wrong with staying at a villa?”

“You should come see it for yourself! It’s just a 20-pyeong place with one or two rooms, it couldn’t even fit all of my things! I have to squeeze between the boxes to move around, and I cry every night while sleeping.

“Unni, I’m having a hard time, really…!” Chae Bo-Ra buried her face in her hands, sniffling loudly. Her sadness did not gain Han Yu-Na’s empathy, as HyperSoda’s current dorm wasn’t even 20-pyeong in size.

“Anyway, I really don’t have that huge amount of money.”

“Unni, please…”

“It’s no use even if you beg me. I can’t borrow money that I don’t have, can I? Leave me a message if you need thirty million won; you don’t have to call me,” Han Yu-Na said and turned around.

Chae Bo-Ra chased after her in a hurry with a tear-stained face. “Unni, please don’t do this. Han Yu-Na unni. Where are you going? Please stay with me a little longer, please?”

“I have nothing more to say to you. I’m already doing the best I can for you.” Han Yu-Na pushed the doors to the studio hard.

Chae Bo-Ra followed her past the doors and pleaded with Han Yu-Na, but Han Yu-Na ignored her. Han Yu-Na even pressed the elevator button calmly. Just before the elevator doors opened, Chae Bo-Ra yelled bitterly, “If you keep doing this to me, I’m really going to reveal it!”

Han Yu-Na flinched momentarily, but that was all. She then smirked and nodded; she was no longer afraid of Chae Bo-Ra’s threats.

“I was waiting for your despicable character to appear. Do whatever you want.” She wasn’t ashamed of the memories of her relationship with Seong-Je during their trainee days. She could just stand out confidently and face it head-on. This was something that Han Yu-Na had learned from Ha Jae-Gun.

“U-unni…!” Chae Bo-Ra was taken aback by Han Yu-Na’s calm reaction and exclaimed. “U-unni! I made a mistake! I was so emotional that I blurted out something I didn’t mean! Please believe me! That wasn’t my intention!”

“I see. Sure, I believe you.” Han Yu-Na smiled and stepped into the elevator.

Chae Bo-Ra kept on going with her soulless excuses while following behind Han Yu-Na, but Han Yu-Na ignored all of it blatantly. The elevator doors soon closed on Chae Bo-Ra, and Han Yu-Na finally felt liberated.

“Oh? Chae-Rin unni.” The elevator arrived on the third floor, and its doors opened to Lee Chae-Rin standing outside.

“Why are you out here?”

“I was worried since you were taking quite a while. Where is Bo-Ra?”

“I just finished speaking to her.”

“I see… Alright, let’s go back.” Lee Chae-Rin held Han Yu-Na’s hand.

Han Yu-Na asked, “You’re not going to ask what I talked with her about?”

“I have to respect your privacy. If it were something you wanted to share, I wouldn’t have to ask you; you’d share it on your own accord.”

Hyun Sung-Beom was in the office as they stepped into the office. He was organizing the questions for the interview on his laptop. He paused and stood up to greet Han Yu-Na. “Come in, Ms. Yu-Na. Has Ms. Bo-Ra left?”

“Reporter Hyun is asking the same question.”

“I’m stuck here after hearing that Chae Bo-Ra came here. I was worried about seeing her on the streets. I’m not sure what will happen to me.”

“But Reporter Hyun, are you really fine? Did nothing happen to you at the office?” Lee Chae-Rin asked with a face full of worry.

Hyun Sung-Beom was prepared to get fired following the exposé of Chae Bo-Ra’s sponsor incident. It had been a while since then, but he was still working as usual.

“I’m fine. My post in the office is still there, and I’m still getting paid my usual salary, so stop worrying about me.” Hyun Sung-Beom rubbed his prickly chin and mumbled, “Seems like…the rumor turned fact was the turning point.”

“Rumor turned fact? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s nothing. If my assumption is correct, something else more interesting will happen soon. Hahaha.” Hyun Sung-Beom burst into a chuckle, leaving Lee Chae-Rin and Han Yu-Na looking at each other with confusion on their faces.

***

“Yes, sir. You’ve arrived at Daelim Shopping Centre? Yes, please purchase it as per what I’ve said before. No, I’m not putting it at home but in the office lounge. I’ve told them already, so you can just take it as it is. Yes, please.”

Nam Gyu-Ho hung up the call and let out another sigh. He was now in the taxi back home after spending the night at Ha Jae-Gun’s house. He had just instructed his subordinate to purchase two commercial game machines.

‘It was useless of me to call myself Noryangjin’s game king…!’

Nam Gyu-Ho’s teeth chattered as the strong desire to win surged in his heart. Ha Jae-Gun had ruthlessly tramped on him while they played games in his basement lounge. They played over ten rounds, but Nam Gyu-Ho didn’t even win once.

‘How can I, the director of a prestigious game company, suffer such humiliation? Just you wait.’ Nam Gyu-Ho smiled as his fighting spirit burned. They had also placed bets on their games, and the loser would have to fulfill a wish for the winner.

“Please take my older sister this year. I hope that she’ll get married earlier than I do. This is my request.”

The shy expression Ha Jae-Gun had while saying that was still vivid in Nam Gyu-Ho’s mind. Nam Gyu-Ho nodded as if Ha Jae-Gun was with him.

“Please drop me here. You can keep the change.”

“Thank you and goodbye.” The driver could not take his eyes off the magnificent house before them. Nam Gyu-Ho pressed the doorbell and the door soon opened. He crossed the garden and saw Department Head Bae when he stepped into the house.

“You’re here, Director.”

“Hello. Why are you here…?”

“Um, the Chairman has been feeling quite depressed.” Department Head Bae replied in a low voice and signaled toward the study.

Nam Gyu-Ho kept his mouth shut and took off his coat. He then walked into the living room.

“He’s in the study, right?”

“Yes, he has been waiting for your arrival.”

“Okay, I’ll be going in.” Nam Gyu-Ho rapped on the door to the study. He opened the door gently as soon as he heard his father’s dry voice. “I’m here, Father.”

“I heard you were absent from work?”

“Yes, I had something on…”

Nam Gyu-Baek turned around in his chair and said, “Director Nam Gyu-Ho reported absence from work due to personal reasons? I would like to know exactly what that personal reason was.”

“I had too much to drink because of the many thoughts in my mind,” Nam Gyu-Ho replied briefly, loosening his necktie. He didn’t need to bring up that he had met Ha Jae-Gun.

“I heard from Department Head Bae that you’ve been waiting for me. Is there something you want to say to me?”

“Gyu-Ho.” Nam Gyu-Baek slowly stood up from his chair, then headed to the window and looked out into the garden. “Your mother found it tough to deal with you up until you went to middle school.”

“…”

“She gave birth to you, yes, but she was born into an ordinary family. She had to marry into this family, and she had to endure the hardships that had come with it.”

Nam Gyu-Ho could already guess why his father was bringing this up. He wanted to ask if he could withstand such things in life in the future. And it didn’t take long for Nam Gyu-Ho to answer. “I will not do that.”

“Really…”

“Father, I really love—” Nam Gyu-Ho could not finish his sentence, as he could see Nam Gyu-Baek turning around with a bitter smile while shaking his head.

“Go and have a rest.”

Nam Gyu-Ho immediately understood his father. His father needed more time to think.

“Please rest early as well, Father.” Nam Gyu-Ho was thankful to his father for giving them the opportunity to talk, but his heart also throbbed with pain. He turned around to hide his watery eyes.

***

“…I’m currently at the autograph event in commemoration of the publication of Market Place, held at a large bookstore here in Guro. Do you see the sea of people behind me? Everyone here is a reader of Writer Ha Jae-Gun.”

The female reporter standing by the camera was doing a live broadcast of the event venue. As she had said, the line of readers who came to get Ha Jae-Gun’s autograph was so long that it seemed endless.

“It was revealed that a whopping 200,000 copies of Market Place were sold during the pre-order. I can feel the readers’ strong expectations for Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s new novel everywhere. Now, let’s go deeper into the venue.”

The camera began moving forward, following the reporter closely. The camera shook with the hurried footsteps, and soon, several men in suits were captured on screen.

“Sir, over here. it’s frustrating because of the huge crowd, right?”

“No, how can I feel that way when I’m here to look around and observe the daily life of our residents? I can’t have those thoughts or even say them,” the head of the district office said in an unusually loud voice. He had intended for the people around him to hear it. However, no one even bothered to look in his way.

‘The lines are extremely long. It’s my first time seeing an autograph event like that.’

The head of the district office held his thoughts inside, unlike how he was maintaining his dignity on the outside. He had arrived at the venue after hearing that Ha Jae-Gun was holding an autograph event in the local district.

He was also accompanied by a reporter from the local newspaper to leave a commemorative photo, and he was holding a copy of Market Place that he had yet to open.

“Ah, it’s that way, sir.” The section chief of the general affairs department pointed at the table where Ha Jae-Gun was located. Ha Jae-Gun was smiling while greeting his readers and signing their books diligently.

“Shall we go over and say hi then?” The man looked back at his entourage. There was no way they did not understand his signal as all of them nodded profusely.

“Aigoo, Mr. Ha. You must be so busy today. Hahaha.” The man walked past the long line and stopped at the table where Ha Jae-Gun was.

Ha Jae-Gun looked at him, but his hands did not stop.

“Hello, I am Yang Beom-Shik. I heard that you’ve opened an autograph event in our district and thought of dropping by to say hi.”

“I see, thank you.” Ha Jae-Gun’s reply sounded soulless. He wasn’t feeling thankful at all.

Regardless, Yang Beom-Shik continued. “I’m really happy to have you, who contributes greatly to the development of Korea’s cultural content, here in our district. Haha, can you sign this for me, please?”

Yang Beom-Shik placed his copy of Market Place on the table. Behind him was the reporter from the local newspaper holding his camera, prepared to snap a photo of them.

Just then…

“Please join the line, sir.”

“…Pardon?” Yang Beom-Shik’s face stiffened instantly.

Ha Jae-Gun pointed at the long line of readers with a calm expression.

“If you’d like an autograph, please stand in line.”

“Ah…”

Click, click, click!

The reporters around them pressed their camera shutters rapidly; even the reporter following Yang Beom-Shik had taken a few photos as well, and they captured Yang Beom-Shik’s embarrassed face.

Chapter 227. People Are Important (6)

“Ah, ahaha. Yes, of course, I should stand in line as well. I just decided to say hello to you first…” Yang Beom-Shik scrambled for an excuse while looking around him. A drop of sweat rolled down his temple.

“Then let’s see, the line… do I go that way?”

“I-I think so. Sir, let’s go this way.” The civil servants accompanying Yang Beom-Shik turned pale instantly. The group that had fallen into disgrace hurried to the end of the line as if running away from the scene.

Ha Jae-Gun finished the autograph he was signing. When he looked up, he saw the stunned expression on his reader’s face.

“Here you go.”

“Ah… Yes.” The reader took back their book, astonished by Ha Jae-Gun’s firm and decisive side of Ha Jae-Gun. The side Ha Jae-Gun had shown just now was entirely different from his calm and gentle side on TV.

“T-thank you. I’ll enjoy it, Writer Ha.”

“Thank you as well. Goodbye.” Ha Jae-Gun was still smiling brightly as usual.

However, chills went down the spine of the staff of the bookstore who had been standing next to Ha Jae-Gun. They had no idea that Ha Jae-Gun could be quite scary despite an indifferent face.

“Hello, Writer Jae-Gun. Please help me sign this and take a photo with me.”

“Sure. Can I have the book, please?” Ha Jae-Gun could not take a moment to pause with the long line of readers waiting for him. The continuous signing soon got Ha Jae-Gun’s wrist aching, but he considered this pain a type of joy.

“I’m sorry, everyone. We’ll have to stop the line from here on because of time constraints. Please do not line up anymore. Due to time constraints…”

The bookstore employees cut off the line after a while. If the line were not managed soon, Ha Jae-Gun would have to give out autographs way past midnight. The readers who couldn’t join the line earlier grumbled, expressing their discontent.

“Mr. Ha, please continue for another hour. Shall I get another bottle of cold bottled water for you?”

“I’m alright. This is still cold.”

Ha Jae-Gun took a sip of his water to moisten his throat. He then grabbed the pen once more. The next moment, two extremely familiar-looking ladies stood before him.

“Jae-Gun oppa must be exhausted.”

“Chae-Rin… You’re here too, Ms. Yu-Na?”

The two ladies smiled brightly at him, and there was a copy of Market Place in each of their hands.

“Hehe, we came as readers today. Please help us sign our books.”

“Thank you. You must be busy with the song recording these days.”

“We’re not that busy to the point that we can’t get our autographs here from you.”

“I think we gave out a hundred autographs to our fans while lining up to get yours ourselves.”

“Okay, C.Y will become a huge hit. Thank you for coming. Ms. Yu-Na, too.”

The camera shutters flashed at high speed with their appearance, as they were the very idol members from AppleT and HyperSoda respectively, who were currently actively promoting themselves.

Taking the initials from their names, C.Y is the name of their unit group, and the name had just been recently revealed to the public. Their appearance was also a great scoop for the reporters present here.

“We’re going to be in your way if we keep hanging around here. We’ll leave today for now. See you after our song recording, oppa.”

“Okay, be safe. Goodbye, Ms. Han Yu-Na.”

The autograph event ended a long time after Lee Chae-Rin and Han Yu-Na left.

Ha Jae-Gun massaged his sore wrist while standing up from his seat, then realized that the people from the district office did not show up after their rude appearance.

Had they left, or had they gotten cut off at the line? Regardless, it wasn’t important to Ha Jae-Gun.

“Mr. Ha, shall we head over to the interview location?”

“Ah, sure.”

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of Ha Jae-Gun’s day. He followed the person in charge and headed toward the office that the bookstore had arranged for him. A reporter from both MBS and Hyun Sung-Beom from Weekly Trends was waiting for him.

Ha Jae-Gun’s arrangement allowed Hyun Sung-Beom to participate in the interview.

“First of all, we would like to know your thoughts about the publication of Market Place.”

“Hello, I’m Writer Ha Jae-Gun. Market Place is a collection of short stories set in a market. Each story depicts the lives of various people living there. I hope everyone will enjoy the stories.”

Many questions about Market Place were exchanged. Ha Jae-Gun replied to each of the questions with sincerity and added his final words at the end of the interview.

“I began writing Market Place because of the socially underprivileged. I had, in fact, experienced some injustice in the past… And I am currently pondering how I can best use the proceeds from the novel. I want to use them in a good place.”

“Can you please elaborate? Are you looking to donate them?”

“Of course, donation is one of the many ways. Aside from that, I could also create a foundation, but I’m still contemplating about it. I will share this with you once I have a clearer idea.”

While Ha Jae-Gun was replying to the MBS reporter, Hyun Sung-Beom was typing away diligently on his laptop, drafting his article. As he was specially invited to join this interview, it would be weird in his position to be asking questions instead.

“There are a few things I’d like to ask about the autograph event earlier. It’s become a hot topic on the internet after AppleT’s Ms. Lee Chae-Rin and HyperSoda’s Ms. Han Yu-Na had come here earlier to get your autograph.”

“Wow, news on the internet does spread fast.”

“Yes indeed. Anyway, it’s a known fact that both you and Ms. Lee Chae-Rin hold a close relationship, but how did you get close to Ms. Han Yu-Na?”

“What we’ve shared on I Live Alone was the truth. Ms. Lee Chae-Rin and Ms. Han Yu-Na had known each other during their trainee days, and they love reading…”

“Especially novels written by yourself, right?”

“Hahaha… It’s embarrassing for me to answer such questions myself.”

“It’s just a joke. We all know that both the ladies have just begun promoting as C.Y recently, and I heard that the lyrics to their debut track were written by you, is that true?”

“Yes, their agency first came to me with the offer for me to write the song lyrics… It’s my first time attempting to write something like that, and I wanted to try it out as well. I looked at it as a challenge. It was difficult but fun.”

“Actually, prior to this interview, I had already heard through a representative from the agency of C.Y that the lyrics contain emotions unique to a city, but they’re quite worried since the song title hasn’t been decided yet. May I ask what this is about?”

“I do not have the talent for naming things. I’m sure everyone has heard about this a few times before. I couldn’t decide on a title due to my inability to come up with a good one.”

Light laughter rang through the office.

Just then, the door opened gently, and Content Producer Bae from MBS stepped in. He gave an eye signal to the reporter and sat down quietly in a corner, waiting for the interview to end.

“Thank you, Mr. Ha. The interview is now over.”

The interview ended after a while.

Content Producer Bae stood up and approached Ha Jae-Gun. The cameraman and reporter greeted Content Producer Bae before leaving the office.

“Aigoo, Mr. Ha. It’s been a while.”

“Oh, Content Producer Bae? When did you arrive?”

Ha Jae-Gun gave a forced smile as he greeted Content Producer Bae, clearly knowing that the man was here to talk about turning Market Place into a drama.

There were already signs showing that his 30th was going to be a crazy year for him.

***

[‘Please line up if you’d like to get an autograph,’ Writer Ha took a shot at the head of the district office—a hot topic on social media]

[Ha Jae-Gun’s Market Place topped the bestseller list a week after release; would it achieve a million copies sold this time, too?]

[Another short story in Market Place

to be turned into a drama? MBS representative: Still discussing with Writer Ha Jae-Gun]

 

[The affectionate life of a karaoke helper shown through Storm and Gale, to be shown soon through movie preview]

[AppleT’s Lee Chae-Rin and HyperSoda’s Han Yu-Na joint unit C.Y’s debut song, ‘City Emotions,’ written by Ha Jae-Gun, to be released tomorrow at noon]

~

The cold winter passed, and the blossoming March arrived.

Ha Jae-Gun’s works, which have been in the works for a long time, were finally seeing the light in the world. His new novel, drama, movie, and song sung by a pair of idols were all by Ha Jae-Gun.

— All I see on the internet is news about you, Jae-Gun. I enjoyed Market Place, too. My cute little student didn’t disappoint me this time, either.

“I’m really relieved to hear that from you, Professor. You must have been busy recently because of the new semester, right? I would like to buy you a meal sometime soon, Professor.”

— Sure, let’s have something delicious. I’m fine with whenever, so just give me a call a day before. Ah, is Soo-Hee doing well?

“Yes, Soo-Hee is doing great, but she’s a busy bee as usual.”

Ha Jae-Gun did not stop smiling throughout the call with Han Hae-Sun. She was his largest benefactor and had helped him become a writer. He was planning on asking her to officiate his marriage to Lee Soo-Hee.

“I’ll give you a call again. Please enjoy your meal. Yes, Professor. Have a good day.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call and hurried to leave. Today was the movie preview of Storm and Gale.

‘It should be well done.’ He had trust in the director and the actors in the movie, so he wasn’t particularly worried, but he still couldn’t help but feel nervous. Ha Jae-Gun said goodbye to Rika and Nun-Sol before leaving the house.

***

Most of the invitees had arrived when Ha Jae-Gun reached the venue. Ha Jae-Gun walked over to Park Do-Joon and his manager, Woo Tae-Bong.

“Do-Joon. Tae-Bong hyung, hello.”

“Why are you so late?”

“What do you mean? There are still twenty minutes left.”

Park Do-Joon looked nervous.

Ha Jae-Gun found it strange and asked, “You don’t look so good. What’s wrong?”

“Jae-Gun, look over there. Do you see that guy with horn-rimmed glasses?” Park Do-Joon whispered.

Ha Jae-Gun followed Park Do-Joon’s finger and squinted. He saw a smart-looking middle-aged man in horn-rimmed glasses standing alone in a corner, using his phone.

“Who is that?”

“Park Paeng-Shik.”

“Park Paeng-Shik? Ah, that movie journalist?”

“Don’t you feel scared just looking at him? I feel like my heart’s going to explode.” Ha Jae-Gun grinned. The man was famous for his bad scoring of movies, so the public’s opinions of the movies he had reviewed had always been on the extreme end.

“Why do you have to be worried? His reviews of Director Yoon were favorable. Hadn’t he given us a positive review before? Tae-Sung’s name was engraved on Chungmuro.”

“But there’s no guarantee that he’d give another positive review. Ah, I’m dying of nervousness.”

Soon, Director Yoon Tae-Sung, Head Editor Park Seok-Ji, HongYe-Seul, and many other familiar faces appeared at the venue. Ha Jae-Gun greeted everyone and headed into the theater hall on time.

‘He’s seated next to me…’ Park Paeng-Shik was seated on the left of Ha Jae-Gun, and he couldn’t help but start feeling nervous as well. Being assigned a seat next to the man had made Ha Jae-Gun feel like something was going to happen.

“Hey, Jae-Gun. I feel like something’s wrong.”

“Stop with the fussing.”

The lights in the hall dimmed, and the screening began. Ha Jae-Gun threw a side glance at the critic next to him. The man was so expressionless that it was hard for Ha Jae-Gun to tell what he was thinking.

The man’s eyes were fixated on the screen.

‘Let’s just focus on the movie.’ Ha Jae-Gun decided to withdraw his attention from Park Paeng-Shik and turned toward the large screen. The salaried worker Park Do-Joon, fed up with the harsh social life, was vomiting on the streets at night.

Ha Jae-Gun soon forgot about his reality and got fully immersed in the movie.

An hour and a half later, Ha Jae-Gun started crying as the movie reached its climax. Ha Jae-Gun was so unwittingly transfixed on the movie that he didn’t see it. He didn’t see the lone tear that dripped down Park Paeng-Shik’s cheek, who was famous for his poker face.

Chapter 228. People Are Important (7)

‘Wow… This is really…!’ Ha Jae-Gun wanted to hold his heart tightly in his hands. Park Do-Joon and Hong Ye-Seul were seen facing each other. The distance between them narrowed, and as they approached each other slowly, their love for each other blossomed slowly until it exploded.

‘How should I describe this emotion….’

In the world of Storm and Gale, only the two main characters were left.

Park Do-Joon and Hong Ye-Seul dominated the night with street lights shining down on them. They ignored everyone else and started kissing each other as if it were the end of the world. The two of them sobbed heavily as they clung to their harsh lives.

Thick drops of tears rolled down Ha Jae-Gun’s face; he had failed to control his emotions. This was by far the best movie he had ever seen.

‘Oh no… I need some tissues.’

Ha Jae-Gun wiped his tear-stained face and rummaged through his pockets. As he lifted his butt, Ha Jae-Gun noticed Park Paeng-Shik sliding tissue under his glasses and wiping his eyes. A smile formed on his face with much irony. There was no way he couldn’t smile at the sign of the movie becoming a huge hit.

***

“You’ve created an awesome movie. It was a great move on my part not to watch the editing process.”

Ha Jae-Gun praised everyone, including Director Yoon Tae-Sung.

There were still tears lingering in the corner of his red and teary eyes.

“Do-Joon and Ms. Ye-Seul’s acting skills were amazing as well. I couldn’t even hide the fact that I cried during the movie today. The taps were really running for me.”

“I’m both ecstatic to hear your compliments but also flustered while wondering if Writer Ha has ever been this excited.”

“The movie is that well-done. It’s a job well done, Director. Of course, Head Editor Park Seok-Ji, too. It was a world much better than the one I had written in the novel.”

“Hey, Jae-Gun. Slow down, take a breather,” Park Do-Joon said, but he also couldn’t conceal his joy. He hugged Ha Jae-Gun from behind with his towering height, almost strangling Ha Jae-Gun.

“The movie is premiering at the same time as in China, but since China is a much larger market, I’m really nervous about how it will turn out there.”

His manager, Woo Tae-Bong, continued. “The number of moviegoers in Korea exceeds a hundred million annually, but it’s beyond that in China. If Storm and Gale become a hit in China, Writer Ha will be sitting on a money cushion.”

“Tae-Bong hyung, why are you talking about money when we’re all discussing the movie itself?”

“Punk, regardless, money is the best in this world. I’m a materialistic person, don’t you know? What else can you do when you have a manager like me?” Their pleasant laughter rang through the hall.

Just then, everyone spotted Park Paeng-Shik coming out of the washroom on the other side of the hall. His reddened face got Ha Jae-Gun wondering how much strength the man had put into washing his face.

“Hello.” Just as Park Paeng-Shik was approaching the group, Yoon Tae-Sung walked up to him first. Park Paeng-Shik nodded lightly in response and left the hall silently.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this. Did he not like how the movie was edited?” Park Seok-Ji muttered while Yoon Tae-Sung disappeared into the washroom for a while, as this topic was something difficult to bring up with the director around.

Next to Park Seok-Ji, Park Do-Joon nodded with a serious face.

“Come to think of it, what was his score for There Was A Sea?”

“Seven points. He’s really stingy with the scoring. I think there are only a few movies that managed to receive seven points from him.”

“But seven points from him is still pretty great. It’s often said that Park Paeng-Shik’s seven points is equal to ten points from other movie critics.” Park Seok-Ji then turned her attention to Ha Jae-Gun and asked, “Writer Ha, how many points do you think Park Paeng-Shik will be giving in his movie review?”

“I’m not sure.” Ha Jae-Gun chuckled silently on the inside, recalling how his older sister had told him not to share his good dreams with others and that he should wait patiently if he didn’t want them to stay as a dream.

Ha Jae-Gun decided to keep Park Paeng-Shik’s tears to himself in his heart.

“So, everyone is free tonight, right?” Ha Jae-Gun clapped his hand, changing the topic and atmosphere around the group. “As promised, I will be giving everyone a huge treat. So please tell me whatever you want to eat.”

“Director, Noona, Ms. He-Seul, and Woo Tae-Bong hyung, all of us should work together and squeeze Ha Jae-Gun’s wallet dry tonight. His pockets are quite full, earning much more than I do while working in the office.” Park Do-Joon drew cheers from the others.

The reporters standing outside the hall began pressing their camera shutters at Ha Jae-Gun and his group. One of the best photos taken from them was titled Team Ha Jae-Gun’s Spring Day, which became the center of attention on the Internet.

***

[Reactions to joint unit C.Y consisting of AppleT’s Chae-Rin and HyperSoda’s Yu-Na was a huge hit. It hasn’t been a day since the release of their debut track, City Emotions, right?]

[Yes, that’s right. It’s currently number one on seven major music websites, namely Mellon, Navin, Janie, OllehMusic, Bax, Sorisaem, and a few others. The music video has already hit over 800,000 views after their showcase.]

Lee Chae-Rin was watching the entertainment news live on her phone with a huge smile as the car drove nonstop to fulfill her tight schedule.

[The fact that Writer Ha Jae-Gun had written the song lyrics was a hot topic as well. Isn’t it extremely rare for lyricists to get attention when an artist’s new song gets released?]

[Yes, I think so too. There are a few reasons why their song has gotten so much attention so far. Firstly, it’s the close relationship between AppleT’s Ms. Chae-Rin, Writer Ha Jae-Gun, and Ms. Yu-Na displayed on a certain variety show.]

[That’s right. Even if it weren’t for that, Writer Ha Jae-Gun himself already has quite the influence, isn’t it?]

[Yes, his influence is amazing, as everyone can see. A young man in his twenties had established a unique position as a writer in Korea. Plus, his novels were adapted into movies, games and other media, which had also become hot sellers both domestically and internationally.]

“Are you that happy, unni?” Han Yu-Na asked, linking Lee Chae-Rin’s arm as she nudged closer to her.

Lee Chae-Rin rubbed cheeks with her and giggled. “Aren’t you happy? Our popularity is going off the charts.”

“Of course I do. I was actually worried because HyperSoda’s debut single didn’t get much response, but I’m thankful for this.”

“You have to get your name out more as C.Y’s Yu-Na. And what was that? There was a line that Do-Joon oppa always says when he plays that game. Ah, right. Hard carry. You have to become so popular that you can just hard carry HyperSoda instead.”

Soon, the entertainment news stopped playing on her phone, and Chae-Rin immediately sent Ha Jae-Gun a text message. She didn’t want to forget her gratitude at this moment and wanted to convey it to him immediately.

– City Emotions is a huge hit!!! We got an all-kill on the music sites!!! I think Yu-Na and I will become rich soon!!!

– I saw the news, too. Congratulations on becoming rich, you should buy me a meal sometime.

– But you’re earning much more than us from the song lyrics copyright! Oppa, you should be treating us instead! Hmph!

– Alright, let me know whatever you girls want to eat. But within 10,000 won ^^

The broadcasting station could be seen in the distance. Lee Chae-Rin held Han Yu-Na’s hand tightly, grinning from ear to ear. The fresh, warm spring breeze felt great.

***

“Mr. Ha! Market Place novel has already sold 600,000 copies! What do you have to say on this!”

“I can only express my gratitude.”

“What are your reviews after watching Storm and Gale at the movie preview? Are you satisfied with it this time as well? How does it feel compared to Director Yoon Tae-Sung’s previous work?”

“I’m sorry, I won’t talk about it since the movie hasn’t been released yet.”

“China’s top actress and female lead of Storm and Gale Yang Ying has expressed her favor toward you and even joked that you’re her type! What do you think of it?”

“I’ve never met Ms. Yang Ying in person before. But I’m thankful that she views me in a positive light.”

Ha Jae-Gun had to pass through the horde of reporters alone, as he was without a manager. It wasn’t an official interview session. In fact, he was on the way back from the broadcasting station after finishing the recording for Let’s Watch A Movie.

‘It wasn’t this bad last year.’

There had been many times when reporters, who had already scouted out his route, would appear out of the blue to ask him questions. However, the frequency of such events had been increasing recently. As he was alone, there was no way he could meet the expectations of all these reporters.

“I’m sorry, I have to hurry somewhere else.”

“Mr. Ha Jae-Gun! Please comment about the upcoming movie Storm and Gale…!”

Ha Jae-Gun barely managed to shake off the reporters chasing after him and got in his car. Despite having started the engine, the reporters were still hanging outside his car window, asking questions.

“Phew. Why is it also a war zone while crossing a single corridor?” Ha Jae-Gun muttered with a sigh.

The response to I Live Alone was great, and his achievements as a writer were skyrocketing day by day. All kinds of broadcasting stations had also been pestering Ha Jae-Gun with requests to cast him on their shows.

Park Do-Joon was the reason Ha Jae-Gun was still on Let’s Watch A Movie. He wanted to do the best he could since it was a program that Park Do-Joon had memories of with his late older brother.

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that it was a call from Lee Kyung-Wook, Lee Soo-Hee’s father. Ha Jae-Gun immediately put on his earphones and answered the call.

“Hello, Father-in-law.”

— Don’t call me that.

“Ah, yes… Father. Have you had lunch?”

— No, I was waiting for you to buy me lunch.

Ha Jae-Gun’s face was painted with confusion. Lee Kyung-Wook would, at times, surprise people just like this, and since Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t do much, he quickly replied. “Ahh, sure. I’ll head over to Yeonhui-dong now.”

— I was just joking. How could I cling to a busy man and make a fuss just because I’m older?

— No, I don’t have anything to do at the moment. I was planning to head over to the office in Bucheon.

— It’s okay, let’s have lunch another time. I called because of Storm and Gale.

“Storm and Gale?”

— It’s premiering next week, right? Can both our families gather to watch the movie together?

The suggestion came as a pleasant surprise to Ha Jae-Gun, and he started smiling. In fact, his father had also proposed the same idea earlier. Had their thoughts synced after meeting and playing chess together a few times?

“Sure, Father. Actually, my father also gave the same suggestion today.”

— That’s great. Then I’ll leave the tickets for you to handle.

“Of course. Please leave it to me.”

— And I like cheese-flavored popcorn.

“I’ll make sure to prepare all the snacks available in the cinema.”

— Alright. It seems that you’re driving right now, so I won’t talk any further. Feel free to drop by for a game of chess whenever you’re free.

“Okay, I’ll call you again soon. Please rest well.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call and drove for a while more until he arrived at the building where the writer’s office was located. Just as he was about to park the car, Lee Soo-Hee’s mother, Yeon-Ok, called.

“Hello? Mother-in-law?”

— Aigoo, our son-in-law. Are you very busy?

“No. I actually just received a call from Father-in-law—no, I mean, Father, that’s why I’m surprised to get a call from you.”

— I actually called for the same matter. Don’t think too much of his words. What’s there to hurry when you guys will eventually get married?

Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean by that, mother-in-law?”

— Hmm? Didn’t he tell you?

“He only asked to watch the movie together next week.”

— Huh? He was worried about Soo-Hee’s age and wanted to get a grandchild soon. He even said that he should nudge you a bit… So I thought he called you to talk about that.

“Ahh, I see….”

— Nevermind, nevermind. Anyway, don’t be worried about it. I’m worried that I’ll make you even more stressed when you’re a busy man yourself… Hohoho. I’ll hang up now. Bye, son-in-law.

Ha Jae-Gun remained solemn even after the call ended. He knew how anxious Lee Kyung-Wook was feeling. And that was why he thought of Nam Gyu-Ho and Ha Jae-In, praying that things would turn out well for them before the end of this year.

***

A hundred and ten minutes of thrill, the movie’s pace and harmony could not fool one’s emotions, worthy of a standing ovation despite the regrettable rustic title from the original novel.

– Movie Journalist Park Paeng-Shik

– KimPaRae: 9 points from Park Paeng-Shik????? Park Paeng-Shik???????? He’s not another person with the same name, is he???????

– McKenRo: The stingy king Park Paeng-Shik gave the movie 9 points??? Isn’t this the highest score he has given to any Korean movie so far???

– GreenCar: Wow, kekekekeke I like Park Paeng-Shik’s reviews, I’m really looking forward to this. Booking for this evening!

“Jae-Gun, look! Park Paeng-Shik gave the movie 9 points!”

“Who is Park Paeng-Shik? Why all the fuss over this guy?” Myung-Ja stopped wearing her coat and asked.

Ha Jae-In showed her phone to her mother and said, “There’s a movie critic who is really stingy with the points he gives the movies he watches. But he gave 9 points to Storm and Gale.”

“Oh my, really? Bring it closer.” Both mother and daughter were happily reading the comments on the phone.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled at them, fully prepared to leave the house. As expected, the premonition he had of seeing Park Paeng-Shik at the movie preview was right.

“Where are we meeting the in-laws?” Ha Suk-Jae asked while standing next to Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his watch. “At the cinema. Soo-Hee will be bringing them over soon.”

“Really…? Ah, let’s go. How is it that the ladies from our house are always this slow?” Ha Suk-Jae began nagging.

Myung-Ja and Ha Jae-In then put on their shoes in a hurry, albeit belatedly.

Bzzt!

“Oh? Who’s calling?” Ha Jae-In wondered out loud. The call came in just as she was about to get into the front passenger seat after seeing her parents get in the car first.

The moment she saw the name on the caller ID, she froze up even though it was no longer dead winter but a full-blown spring.

Chapter 229. People Are Important (8)

‘Department Head Bae…?’

It was a call from Nam Gyu-Baek’s confidante. It was her first time receiving a call from him after saving his contact details in her phone.

“Jae-In, what are you doing not getting in the car?” Myung-Ja asked, peeking out from the back.

Ha Jae-In gave a forced smile and took a step back, saying, “I’ll take this call real quick.”

“Can’t you take this on the car? The in-laws are arriving soon.”

Ha Jae-In bit her lips. She couldn’t answer this call with her parents present.

Thankfully, Ha Jae-Gun caught the strange look on her face and said, “Take your time. Just come to us when you’re done. We still have some time, Mom.”

“Thank you, Jae-Gun.”

Ha Jae-In stepped out of the main gate, where her parents couldn’t see her. She then cleared her throat before answering the phone, “Hello?”

— Hello, miss.

Ha Jae-In gasped in surprise. Nam Gyu-Baek’s voice echoed from the other side of the line.

“H-Hello, Chair…man…”

— I’m sorry for calling so suddenly. I would like to meet you now. Do you have time?

“Now?”

— Are you in the middle of something?

Her toes curled in her shoes. There was an important appointment with the in-laws later, plus it was also the day when she could enjoy watching the movie that was made from her beloved younger brother’s novel.

However, there was a larger reason behind her hesitation. She was afraid to meet Nam Gyu-Baek one-on-one. She couldn’t expect what the older man would say to her.

— Actually, I’m outside your academy right now.

“Outside the academy?”

Ha Jae-In looked up instantly. She looked in the direction of the academy, which was hidden from her view by the other buildings and gulped nervously.

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun came up from behind her and tapped her shoulder, startling her.

‘Go ahead.’ Ha Jae-Gun mouthed the words and smiled warmly to reassure his hesitating old sister.

“I understand, Chairman,” Ha Jae-In finally mustered the courage to reply, “I will be there soon.”

— You don’t have to rush. I’ll be waiting in the cafe across the street. See you later.

Ha Jae-In hung up the call. Wrapping her hand over her forehead, she let out a sigh and murmured helplessly, “I’m not sure what to do.”

“Meet him first.” Ha Jae-Gun held Ha Jae-In’s shoulders and added, “You don’t have to be afraid of him just because he’s the chairman of a large corporation. It’s natural for you to get flustered in your previous encounter, but it isn’t the same this time. So meet him, and share your thoughts with him.”

“It’s easy for you to say, Jae-Gun… But—wait—how did you…?” Ha Jae-In’s eyes widened in shock. How did her younger brother know of her things in such detail?

“Did you meet Director Nam by any chance?”

“Is that important?” Ha Jae-Gun exerted more strength into his grip and said, “You are not inferior or lacking in any way. You understand what I mean, right?”

“I-I know…”

“If you’re still feeling uneasy, shall I go with you instead? Alright, I’ll go with you. He’s opposite the academy, right?” Ha Jae-Gun pretended to stride over to the car, but Ha Jae-In ran after him and held him back.

“Why? What’s wrong? We can speak with him first and then meet Soo-Hee’s family at the cinema after.”

“N-no. I’ll just go alone. I can go alone. I’ll be able to speak with him clearly that way.”

It wasn’t an issue where someone else could step in and resolve it for her. It was something she had to go through on her own while facing her fears.

Ha Jae-In then continued with determination. “Don’t worry, I’ll do well.”

“You should have said that sooner.” Ha Jae-Gun grinned and turned around, heading toward the garage. “Noona, do you remember what you said to me after reading Demian back in high school? There’s a part by Sinclair about how people being afraid of people doesn’t make sense. So, be confident and meet him.”

Ha Jae-Gun went to the garage and soon drove out. Both Myung-Ja and Ha Suk-Jae had dumbfounded expressions painted on their faces as they passed Ha Jae-In. Left all alone, Ha Jae-In bit her lips and stood there for a while before turning around.

***

“I apologize for not contacting you earlier.”

“It’s fine, Chairman. You don’t have to say that. I should be apologizing instead.”

“My energy is decreasing by the day, and Gyu-Ho’s stubbornness is getting stronger as well… If I were healthy, I might have contacted you much later no—I might have not contacted you at all.”

“I understand…”

Nam Gyu-Baek and Ha Jae-In were currently sitting in the cafe opposite Ha Jae-In Academy. Ha Jae-In dropped her head before Nam Gyu-Baek. Where did all her courage go after opening the cafe door with determination earlier?

She was trembling in fear from head to toe.

‘It’s over…’ Ha Jae-In did not even have a speck of hope that Nam Gyu-Baek was going to give her a positive conversation.

The chairman owned a large corporation with a market value of eight trillion won. She could enjoy her Cinderella dream for a moment, but could she really get a happy ending like Cinderella in real life as well? Ha Jae-In shook her head; she didn’t think so.

On the other hand, Nam Gyu-Baek remained silent. He had dropped by on impulse, as he had been struggling for a while and couldn’t come to terms with it. He thought that it was time for him to get to the point, and he needed some time to organize his thoughts with Ha Jae-In sitting in front of him.

“There’s something I want to ask you,” Nam Gyu-Baek finally spoke as their coffee cooled.

Still looking downward, Ha Jae-In said, “Yes, Chairman. Please go ahead.”

Nam Gyu-Baek gestured behind him with his finger. Department Head Bae, seated at the table behind, stood up. He respectfully placed a book on the table before Nam Gyu-Baek and Ha Jae-In.

“I heard that the female lead in this novel was inspired by you?”

“…?!” Ha Jae-In was surprised to see the book Foolish Woman on the table, but she didn’t say anything in response.

“That’s why I wanted to ask you, how much are you and the female lead in this novel alike? Or is there anything different about both of you?”

There were signs of the book being read multiple times throughout the book.

“Chairman, this…” Ha Jae-In was at a loss for words at the request to compare herself with the female lead in Foolish Woman.

“I hope you’ll tell me in full.” Nam Gyu-Baek’s voice sounded both gentle and firm. “I don’t think we would be sitting here and talking like this if it weren’t for this book.”

Ha Jae-In nodded silently. The book on the table was the biggest gift she had received in her life. The fear that made her tremble all over was starting to disappear, and instead, pride began to overwhelm her.

“It’s all fiction, sir.”

“All of it?” Nam Gyu-Baek asked, clearly stunned.

Ha Jae-In nodded with a smile and replied, “Yes, sir. I’m not that foolish and kind. Plus, Foolish Woman is only its title, but look at how she acts, so shrewd, and smart when she’s doing things for her family. I’m not as affable as her.”

Was she saying this with the thought that being humble was a virtue, or was this just a feeling of desperation? Ha Jae-In carefully raised a finger and added, “But there’s one thing that I’m better at.”

“And…what is that?”

“I love my family more than the female lead in the novel. Regardless of how great my brother is in writing, I don’t think he has fully expressed how much I love my family. This is the only thing I can tell you with confidence.”

Nam Gyu-Baek looked at Ha Jae-In in a daze. Ha Jae-In was grinning; she didn’t seem to be intimidated at all. The face of his late wife during her most beautiful days overlapped with Ha Jae-In’s face.

“I see…” Nam Gyu-Baek nodded. His nose tingled as his late wife came to mind. “Thank you for answering such a tough question.”

“It’s nothing, sir.”

A bitter smile formed on Nam Gyu-Baek’s face. Images of his beloved son being born up to the present flashed across his eyes. It seemed like it was time to let him go, he felt like it was time for him to respect his will and life, just as he had back then.

“I saw that you majored in historical studies.”

“Ah, yes… sir.”

“Are you not planning to advance into graduate school?”

“I was living life a little busier, so I didn’t have time to think about it. And now I am running an academy.” Ha Jae-In replied calmly, but she was trembling slightly inside.

Why did Nam Gyu-Baek bring up her major?

“There’s no need for the director to teach students personally. Shouldn’t it be alright to hire more teachers while you go to graduate school?”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

“Then advance into graduate school.” Nam Gyu-Baek cut her off. “It’s because I have somewhere to use you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“My son is getting old, so let’s hold your wedding first. And I’m sure there are no issues with you attending graduate school when you’re still newly married.”

“…?!” Was she hearing voices? Ha Jae-In covered her mouth with her hands. The words from Nam Gyu-Baek were unbelievable. “And since we’ve met today, are you able to give me some more time? There’s a movie I’d like to watch, and I would love to have a date with you.”

“Sir…” Tears began to well in Ha Jae-In’s eyes. A sparkling drop of tear fell onto her phone on the table, and just in time, a message from Nam Gyu-Ho arrived, lighting up her phone.

***

“I’m sorry, Director Nam. I already have a prior appointment. Pardon? No. Not a friend but a great person. We promised to watch Storm and Gale together today. Ah, Director Nam. I’m sorry, but I can’t stay on the phone too long; I’ll call you again later tonight.”

‘A great person…?’

Nam Gyu-Ho bit his lips nervously and tilted his head. It was now 10 pm, yet there was no call from Ha Jae-In.

‘Who is it…? Is that great person a man? She went to watch a movie with another man? On top of that, such a meaningful movie was made from her younger brother’s novel? Who is she watching it with, if not with me?’

Nam Gyu-Ho was on edge. Ha Jae-In had rejected him when he asked her out to watch Storm and Gale

together. He acted like it was no big deal on the phone due to his pride, but he was actually quite shocked.

 

‘Does she really have another guy, or did she say that just to provoke me? There’s no way the angelic Ms. Jae-In will do something like that. No, perhaps she has gotten a bit too frustrated with our current situation that she decided to do that?!’

Nam Gyu-Ho ruffled his hair after failing to come up with an answer.

Just then, he heard knocking on the door and the head butler peeked his head from behind the door.

“Young Master, the Chairman has returned.”

“Oh, is that so?” Nam Gyu-Ho stood up, putting his thoughts aside. Nam Gyu-Baek was already out in the living room as he stepped out of his room. Department Head Bae was standing behind Nam Gyu-Baek.

“Welcome back.”

“Oh, yes.”

Nam Gyu-Ho went silent with nothing more to say. His relationship with his father had turned estranged recently.

“Where did you go?”

“I had a meal and a movie with a young lady.”

“Pardon…?” Nam Gyu-Baek’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you ask me to date?”

“No, yes. No, but Father. A young lady…?”

“You don’t have to know about it.” Nam Gyu-Baek took off his coat and sat down on the sofa. He then added indifferently, “Send to graduate school.”

“Graduate school? Who?”

“Who else?!” Nam Gyu-Baek roared in an instant.

“You better stop fantasizing about enjoying your marriage! I want you to make her study. I’m planning to let her take over the museum once it’s opened.”

“F-father…?” Nam Gyu-Ho lost all strength in his legs. Just then, he realized the identity of the great person Ha Jae-In had said, as well as the identity of the young lady his father had just mentioned.

“You’re…letting her take charge of the museum?”

Nam Gyu-Baek had collected over a thousand Korean artworks in his lifetime. He had also found an area to open a museum for his collection.

“You… you’re letting Ms. Jae-In take charge of the museum, which means…”

Nam Gyu-Baek threw his coat at Nam Gyu-Ho. “Why are you still here double-confirming things? How are you still in the director’s position when you’re so slow?”

“Father!” Nam Gyu-Ho knelt down.

Nam Gyu-Baek turned slightly pale and looked away. “Hey! Don’t kneel in front of me!”

“I’m not about to spout nonsense! I love you, Father! I love you the most in this world!”

“Did this punk eat rat poison or something? Stop the nonsense! Ah, let go of me! Stop!”

Despite the constant yelling, Nam Gyu-Ho did not let go of his father’s legs. Ha Jae-In wasn’t lying. His father was indeed the greatest person in the world.

***

[Storm and Gale hits China, breaking records daily!]

It was the third week since Storm and Gale was released in both Korea and China. News related to the movie was taking over the top portal sites. In addition, there were daily reports about the movie’s performance on all the public broadcasting channels.

[…Seeing the increasing popularity of Storm and Gale since its third week of release is scary. It’s about to hit seven million audience count in Korea, and what’s more amazing is the response from China. Let’s get connected to our local reporter, Reporter Kim Won-Tae from Shanghai. Reporter?]

[Yes, this is Reporter Kim Won-Tae. Behind me is a long line of Chinese nationals queuing to reserve tickets to the movie. This line made me realize the popularity of Storm and Gale in China, which has currently recorded over sixty million audiences.]

There was no way people wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. The movie’s popularity was huge in Korea, but its popularity was nothing more than a minnow when compared to its popularity in China.

60 million audiences in its third week! It was an unprecedented number, even in China. This was the result of Teencent Pictures’ meticulous marketing strategy as well as the efforts of top actress Yang Ying and Director Tae-Sung, who had been producing outstanding films based on original works.

Ha Jae-Gun had been staying at home recently in the midst of this typhoon. This was a period where reporters were pestering him to do an interview with him. He wouldn’t step out of the house if it weren’t for something he had to do outside, including the recording of Let’s Watch A Movie.

Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadadak!

Today, Ha Jae-Gun was once again alone in his study, working on his writing. The working title of the novel was Human’s Malice. He had been working on it on and off while working on the English version of The Breath. Nothing else had been decided for the novel, aside from the protagonist, who had evil intentions.

He was allowing his fingers to take the story to where it wanted it to go.

Bzzt!

His phone on the table abruptly vibrated. It was a call from an unknown number.

‘It must be from some broadcast company again. Or maybe a government office?’

Ha Jae-Gun left the phone alone. After a while, the vibration stopped, and a text message arrived.

Chapter 230. People Are Important (9)

— Mr. Ha, I’m contacting you from the Chinese Embassy in Korea. I left you a message because you didn’t answer your phone; I’ll be waiting for you to contact me.

“Hmm…?”

Ha Jae-Gun stopped typing on his keyboard and frowned lightly. Why would the Chinese Embassy in Korea reach out to him? What would it be about?

Ha Jae-Gun didn’t take too long to think as a call from Oh Myung-Suk came in, which Ha Jae-Gun answered in a heartbeat.

“Yes, Editor-in-chief.”

— You’ve been stuck at home these days; it must be hard on you.

“You sound happy, Editor-in-chief. It’s not that tough or frustrating staying at home. It’s nice to play with the cats and work on my novels quietly.”

— I’m waiting for Human’s Malice. I’d be happy if you could send me a synopsis of it.

“Editor-in-chief, I’m really not giving you an excuse, but I need to begin with character development first. I don’t have anything substantial to give you right now, even if I want to.”

— I’m just saying it. Just treat it as subtly urging you to start on the novel.

Ha Jae-Gun headed to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee and said, “Actually, I often write better when you urge me, but this is about malice, so writing it is taking a toll on me.

— It’s rare to see you whine, Mr. Ha. Maybe we can meet for drinks when you face writer’s block?

“I’d love that. There are many instances when something just comes to me while we’re talking about different things. Oh, right. Editor-in-chief.”

Ha Jae-Gun recalled the text message he had received a few minutes ago and changed the topic. “I received a message from the Chinese Embassy in Korea.”

— The Chinese Embassy? What did they say?

“I’m not sure what they want. It was an unknown number that called first, but I didn’t answer since I’ve been receiving those annoying calls. It was after that when a text message came in.”

— Please wait while I check out what it is that they want.

“Could you do that? I’m sorry for making things difficult.”

— You don’t have to say that. I’ll hang up for now.

Ha Jae-Gun finished his cup of coffee, but Oh Myung-Suk had yet to give him a call. What was it that held him up on the phone for so long?

Growing uneasy, Ha Jae-Gun decided to flip through the game magazine that Soo-Hee was reading while waiting for Oh Myung-Suk to call. It was almost thirty minutes later when Oh Myung-Suk called.

“Yes, Editor-in-chief.”

— Sorry for getting back to you now. I had a call with Teencent Pictures after the call with the Chinese Embassy, and then I had another call with the Deputy Minister of Culture. You’ve met the Deputy Minister of Culture at the awards ceremony, right?

Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened as he put down the magazine in his hands.

“Teencent Pictures? And even the Deputy Minister of Culture?”

— It was an official request from the government in China. They hope to meet to discuss cultural exchanges between Korea and China. They will make an official announcement if Mr. Ha agrees to attend.

“A discussion of cultural exchanges between Korea and China? I don’t understand.”

— You don’t have to think too much about it; it’s all because of Storm and Gale. The movie is extremely popular in China right now, like how it is in Korea. You might not realize this, but saying that Storm and Gale had swept China by storm won’t be an exaggeration.

“So, what do they want to talk about with regard to Storm and Gale…?”

— They want to discuss its key story and production process. Of course, this is just an excuse on the surface; they have a hidden motive. Liu Bao, head of China’s Central Publicity Department, will be visiting Korea, so they must be planning to ask something from you.

Oh Myung-Suk’s voice slowly sounded more excited as he continued his explanation. But it was a given, as the man he had just mentioned was equivalent to the Deputy Prime Minister overseeing the Ministry of Culture in China. He was a high-ranking official in charge of external publicity, a project on the national level.

Oh Myung-Suk was proud and happy to know that someone that great had recognized Ha Jae-Gun’s value and had reached out to them first.

“Mm, I see…” However, Ha Jae-Gun’s reply remained ambiguous.

Unlike Oh Myung-Suk, Ha Jae-Gun had no idea about the Central Publicity Department of China, so he couldn’t tell just how big of a deal it was.

Oh Myung-Suk continued.

— They will put together a representative team once they receive an okay sign from you. They will then contact the person-in-charge at the Ministry of Culture, the production team for Storm and Gale, as well as me, all within today.

“Within today?”

Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t keep up with the speed of this conversation. Ha Jae-Gun held a pen in hand as he wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder, and then he began noting down what Oh Myung-Suk had shared.

He was afraid that he might forget everything they had talked about over the phone the moment he hung up, so he decided to take notes.

— They also mentioned that you are the key person in this event, and that was why you were the first person they approached respectfully.

“Ah, I see. I wasn’t aware of it. Would it be better if I returned their call as well then, out of respect?”

— You don’t have to; I will prepare everything else on my end. But, can I take it that you’re agreeable to attending the said event?

“Um, I would like to hear your opinion first, Editor-in-chief.”

— I definitely think this is a good thing for you.

Oh Myung-Suk replied without hesitation.

— You should have felt this after working with them and getting used to their working style. You should accept their offer if you want your work to take root in China securely.

“I understand. I agree, and I will leave the arrangements in your hands.” It didn’t take him long to decide, as Oh Myung-Suk’s judgment had never once resulted in a bad outcome. As usual, Ha Jae-Gun had decided to put his trust in Oh Myung-Suk.

“But, Editor-in-chief, you mentioned that the head of the Central Publicity Department wants something from me. Just what is that?”

— I do have a few guesses, but I would like to keep them to myself at this point in time. Why don’t you wait until the meeting is scheduled instead of hearing it from me now?

“Okay, I will wait patiently then.”

— Hahaha, thank you. I will contact you again, Mr. Ha.

The phone call ended with laughter. Ha Jae-Gun was lost in thoughts, staring into space. Whenever he took a step out into the larger world, he would always think of the past. The same was happening right now.

“When I first met you, I never thought that there would come a day when I would receive a call from the Chinese Embassy…” Ha Jae-Gun put Rika on his lap and stroked her gently.

It had been three years since they had met. As usual, she looked up at him with loving eyes.

“Rika, do you still remember when we used to stay in the small studio? That day when I first bought an air conditioner and had it installed in my room, I even bragged, asking if you knew what it was. I was so happy back then to the point that it felt like I had everything in the world, and I was happy that you were there with me.”

“Meow?”

Bzzt!

A call from an unknown number came in once more. Ha Jae-Gun snapped out of his emotional thoughts and reached for his phone. As there was a call about the Chinese Embassy earlier, he picked up the call this time.

“Hello?”

— Aigoo, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. Hello, how have you been? I’m Baek Kyung-Jae, a civil servant from the district office’s general affairs department. Our head of the district office, Mr. Yang Beom-Shik, would like to meet you to further discuss the event, Night of Literary…

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I should be listening to this.” Ha Jae-Gun frowned, cutting the man off. How was it possible that all of their speech tone and style were the same in person and over the phone?

“I have clearly expressed my intention to reject the event before. I will not be participating in the event.”

— Mr. Ha Jae-Gun, our head of the district office, would like to invite you to the event to…

“I’m sorry, I’ll be hanging up as I’m busy.”

— W-wait! Mr. Ha!

Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call without hesitation. Rika and Nun-Sol followed after Ha Jae-Gun as he was about to head out to visit the Elder’s grave.

***

“The food served here is delicious, Director.”

“Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have arranged for your alumni gathering here.”

Ha Jae-In was back at the Chinese restaurant Magnolia in Yeonhui-Dong, where her alumni gathering was held, but this time, she was with Ha Jae-Gun and Nam Gyu-Ho; they were having dinner together. They gathered here tonight for the upcoming announcement of the online game—The Breath.

“We are fully prepared such that we can even hold a press conference for it tomorrow. However, as there was a conflict in schedule with our competitors, there is a risk that our announcement will get buried and won’t become a trending topic.

“We are currently planning to hold the press conference next month at the Plaza Hotel, but we will still be releasing news of the game tonight before midnight.”

“I understand.”

A plate of the dongpa meat was served at their table.

Nam Gyu-Ho nudged the plate over to Ha Jae-Gun’s side and said, “I hope you can drop by if you’re available, Mr. Ha. There will be quite a few questions asking about the settings and story.

“I think it’ll be great if the original author answers such questions.”

“I understand. If the schedule doesn’t clash with the recording for Let’s Watch A Movie, there won’t be a problem. I’m quite free these days as well.” Ha Jae-Gun agreed to appear at the press conference.

Discussions on The Breath continued for a while. As they continued drinking, the subject of their conversation naturally changed to Ha Jae-Gun’s other commitments.

“The Chinese Embassy in Korea contacted me.”

“They contacted you, too, Director Nam?”

“It’s because Nextion also has a business connection with you, Mr. Ha. Seeing how Teencent even contacted me shows that they are creating an even bigger picture and not just stopping at Storm and Gale.”

“We will find out more next week during the meeting. Will I be seeing you at the meeting as well, then, Director Nam?”

“It’s not confirmed yet, but I think so.”

Both their glasses were filled to the brim with alcohol once more. Silence enveloped them as their conversation took a short pause.

Taking the chance, Ha Jae-Gun asked, “Have you been practicing?”

“Practicing?”

“Streetfighter. You mentioned that you immediately got the machine for your company’s lounge that day.”

“Ah, yes.” Nam Gyu-Ho fixed his necktie, which didn’t even look crooked, and nodded. “I got the hang of it after playing it for a while. I managed to recover that feeling I had when I was back in middle school.

“I’m still a game developer, after all. But honestly, I wasn’t sober and was quite nervous that day as well,” The strong-prided Nam Gyu-Ho said seriously.

Ha Jae-Gun barely suppressed his laughter and replied, “I’m looking forward to seeing how much better you are at the game now. Please let me know when you would like to fight.”

“Shall we bet with the bill for round two tonight?”

“Sure, I will not shy away from a challenge.”

Bzzt!

Nam Gyu-Ho excused himself as he picked up his phone. Reading the message that just came in, a smile suffused his lips.

Ha Jae-Gun knew at once that it was a message from his older sister.

“I just received a picture of my noona in a dress; she’s beautiful.”

“Ah, yes… Indeed… Right?” Nam Gyu-Ho scratched the back of his head awkwardly and continued. “Picking out a suitable outfit is unusually tiring. Everything suits her. Speaking of which, I would like to ask you for a favor, Mr. Ha. Could you please help to pick a dress for Ms. Jae-In?”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled gently, looking down. Just then, something came to his mind, and he looked up. “Before that, there’s a favor I’d like to ask from you as well.”

“What is it?”

“Will you help me?”

“Of course. I’m Nam Gyu-Ho. Don’t you know that?” Nam Gyu-Ho opened his shoulders and patted his chest.

Ha Jae-Gun picked up the alcohol bottle and filled his glass, saying, “I would love for you to address me more casually.”

“More… casually?”

“You’re going to get married to my older sister. Even now, there are times you address me as Writer Ha or Mr. Ha. I think it’s because you can’t decide how to address me that you can’t talk to me comfortably.”

“Ahh, um… Uh… So…” Despite clearly knowing the answer to what Ha Jae-Gun was driving at, Nam Gyu-Ho still hesitated.

Ha Jae-Gun raised his glass and requested a toast, adding, “Please call me Brother-in-law.”

“Ah…”

“I’d love to call you the same.”

The moment he heard Ha Jae-Gun’s words, a corner of Nam Gyu-Ho’s heart jumped violently. The overwhelming feeling made his breathing turn irregular and tickled his throat. His slightly opened lips were trembling.

“Yes? Brother-in-law.” Ha Jae-Gun sent another hit.

Nam Gyu-Ho was shocked. Moments later, he composed himself and raised his glass as well. “S-sure. But next time…”

“We mentioned it today, so let’s do it from now on.”

“Ah, okay… Since you said so… Sure, brother-in-law-nim.”

“What’s brother-in-law-nim. Please speak casually to me as well.”

“Let me just drink first…” Nam Gyu-Ho emptied his glass in one shot.

Nam Gyu-Ho then loosened his necktie, saying that he was feeling hot with a flushed face. Ha Jae-Gun bit down on his teeth so hard just to hold in his laughter and protect his brother-in-law’s pride.

***

“Na-Yeon unni, I’m here!” Hong Ye-Seul yelled with enthusiasm as soon as she walked through the door. The sight of a 30-pyeong apartment, which was a space more than enough for two to live together, appeared before her.

This apartment was both Kim Na-Yeon’s and Hong Ye-Seul’s new residence after the success of the movie Storm and Gale.

“Welcome back, our famous actress.”

“What? You’re cleaning again?” Hong Ye-Seul frowned as she stepped into the living room.

Kim Na-Yeon was on all fours, wiping the floor with a rag.

“I said not to clean. I’ll do it.”

“How would a famous actress have time to clean the house? It is my job as a parasite,” Kim Na-Yeon replied jokingly with a smile.

However, Hong Ye-Seul couldn’t muster a smile in response.

Hong Ye-Seul snatched the wet rag from Kim Na-Yeon’s hand and said with an angry tone, “Didn’t I tell you not to say that? You’ve helped me a lot before I got to where I am right now. You looked out for me, fed me, gave me a place to sleep, and even helped me with my acting during my most difficult times.”

“You don’t have to get all serious with a joke. Alright, fine. Just let me finish up.”

“Forget it. I’ll do the rest. I should get a vacuum cleaner when I’m back later. You’re going to fall ill if you just stay at home all day.”

“Just give it here.”

The two of them joined forces and soon finished cleaning the house. As they both sat on the sofa having coffee, Hong Ye-Seul started, “Unni, you should slowly get back into the scene.”

“No way…” Kim Na-Yeon smiled bitterly.

After the release of There Was A Sea, the fact that she had worked in the shadowy part of the entertainment industry in the past was revealed, and the incident shook her up so much that it made her leave the industry.

She had been living with Hong Ye-Seul since then.

“Are you still afraid?”

“There’s that but… I just think that my mind is weak. The job isn’t really suitable for me, but…”

“But, what?”

Kim Na-Yeon looked down and slowly said, “I’d like to try out at a play.”

“A play?”

“I love acting. I don’t care about money; I just want to do some acting.”

Hong Ye-Seul’s eyes shone, and she held Kim Na-Yeon’s hand in hers.

“I’m all for it, unni.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah! It means that you’ll be stepping out there once again! I love it, just tell me if you need something! Okay?”

Kim Na-Yeon’s nose tingled while looking at the overjoyed Hong Ye-Seul. Hong Ye-Seul was her beloved younger sister, and she had always been by her side. If it weren’t for Hong Ye-Seul, she would have already said farewell to this world.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Hong Ye-Seul caught the gist of the question and smiled. “The rumor about me working as a karaoke helper does not affect me at all. I’m going to be brazen about it. I just have to stay confident, and such rumors will eventually die on their own.”

“You’re so cool, Hong Ye-Seul.”

Bzzt!

“Wait, unni. I’ll pick up this call real quick.”

Hong Ye-Seul quickly ran for her bag. Her face brightened immediately when she saw the name on the phone screen.