Big Life

Chapter 158: Make It Up, If There’s None (2)

The door chime echoed thirty minutes later. Ha Jae-Gun quickly saved his Word document and closed it. Soon, the door opened, and Jung So-Mi entered the room.

“Hello, Writer Ha.”

“Ah, Ms. So-Mi. Welcome.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled as he greeted her.

Jung So-Mi was in shorts, making it obvious that the summer weather was scorching today.

“Oh, I heard from President Kwon that you’ve moved.”

“Yes, my previous studio was a bit too small. Thanks to you, my financial situation has improved, and I got to move to a bigger place.”

Rika ran down from the windowsill and to Jung So-Mi.

Jung So-Mi picked Rika up and embraced her before rubbing noses with her.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled at the sight. Fortunately, the awkwardness in their relationship seemed to have vanished.

“You must be here for Writer Jang’s illustrations.”

“Yes, that’s right. Ah, and I also saw the advertisements for Oscar’s Dungeon on my way here. The illustrations turned out great.”

“I saw it as well when I took the subway earlier. But I was slightly disappointed that the mention of your webtoon was quite small.”

“Aye, it’s good enough as it is. Oh, what happened to Team Leader Soo-Hee? The in-charge for the webtoon is no longer her.” Jung So-Mi naturally changed the topic to Lee Soo-Hee.

Ha Jae-Gun took his empty cup and headed to the coffee maker.

“She went to Taiwan.”

“Taiwan?”

“To establish a branch office there.”

“Ahh… I see. How long will she be away?”

“For about six months? Ms. So-Mi, would you like some coffee?”

“Sure.”

Just then, the door behind Jung So-Mi opened, and in came Jang Eun-Young and Kang Min-Ho. Their arms were filled with secondhand books.

Jung So-Mi wanted to talk for a while more with Ha Jae-Gun but concealed her disappointment and greeted the couple.

“Hello. What books did you guys buy? And how come you bought so many?”

“I was finding research materials for my new novel and somehow ended up with this many books.”

“Where are Writer Yang and Writer Lee? Are they not coming?”

“They said they’ll look for more books, so we came back first.”

Soon, everyone went to their respective workstations and began working.

Jung So-Mi was extremely curious about Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee’s current relationship, but she couldn’t bring it up at the moment.

Time passed, and it was soon evening.

Ha Jae-Gun received Nam Gyu-Ho’s call and proceeded to save his manuscript.

Then, he turned off his laptop and said,

“I’ve got an appointment, so I’ll be leaving first. Please take care of Rika for me.”

“Yes, Writer Ha. Goodbye.”

Jung So-Mi watched as Ha Jae-Gun left and closed the door behind him. She smiled bitterly once he was gone.

She no longer had any reason to send him off. She could no longer help him fix his clothes, make meals for him, or can him when his deadlines were due, as someone else would do all those from now on.

‘There’s only one thing I can do for him now.’

Jung So-Mi steeled her heart and grabbed her tablet and pen. The only thing she could do for Ha Jae-Gun right now was the webtoon for Oscar’s Dungeon.

***

“There’s going to be a lot of work-related discussions, so we prepared Chinese dishes for the evening,” Nam Gyu-Ho said as he gestured to the elevator doors that opened.

Ha Jae-Gun said, “I like Chinese food, and it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

“Have you been here before?”

“No, just the 63 Building. I’ve been here with my family when I was young to visit the aquarium. Of course, we ate here as well,” Ha Jae-Gun said while staring into space and reminiscing about his childhood.

Nam Gyu-Ho smiled and fixed his clothes.

The elevator soon picked up speed.

‘Oh, my ears… It’s ringing.’

The elevator finally arrived on the 57th floor, and its doors opened. Ha Jae-Gun followed Nam Gyu-Ho out of the elevator and to the Chinese restaurant. The interior of the restaurant was luxurious. Petal patterns adorned the ceiling and reflected the marbled flooring. It was a luxurious sight through and through.

“Welcome, Director.”

A neatly dressed chef stood by the reception desk with a sign that read Cheonrihyang.

Nam Gyu-Ho reached out for a handshake.

“Is everything going well?”

“Everything’s going well, thanks to you. Thank you for your concern.”

The two men exchanged greetings.

Nam Gyu-Ho soon introduced Ha Jae-Gun. “This is the man I told you about, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun.”

Ha Jae-Gun was slightly surprised at how Nam Gyu-Ho had addressed him. Of course, he didn’t really mind it.

“Hello, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. I’m the owner and head chef of Cheonrihyang, Wang Jin-Saeng. I’m extremely honored that our restaurant will serve you tonight. Thank you for coming.” He bowed deeply to Ha Jae-Gun before leading them into a private room.

A pair of green opaque automatic double doors opened, leading them into a room for two. The subtle lighting and dark gray walls made it a comfortable sight for the eyes. One of the four walls was a huge pane of glass, and it allowed them to enjoy the breathtaking night cityscape.

"Shall I start preparing the menu?"

"Yes, please."

Jin-Saeng left the room, and a female server walked in with a tray and two cups of tea. Ha Jae-Gun looked around as the fragrance of the tea enveloped him.

"This restaurant looks great. I want to come back here with my family."

"I'm glad to hear that. I think Writer…Mr. Ha will like the food here, too." Nam Gyu-Ho stopped himself mid-sentence to remind himself of the change in address.

Ha Jae-Gun didn’t show it on his face, but he found it weird. Was Nam Gyu-Ho trying to ask him for a favor?

The side dishes and alcohol were served first. After a while, a cold shrimp salad was served. Nam Gyu-Ho picked up his chopsticks and said, "I like this watch a lot."

Nam Gyu-Ho waited for Ha Jae-Gun to glance at the watch on his wrist before saying, "I've been wearing this everywhere I go."

"I'm glad to hear that you like it."

Nam Gyu-Ho then signaled with his eyes at Ha Jae-Gun's watch and said, "Mr. Ha, is there a story behind that watch of yours? You seem to be wearing it a lot. In fact, I’ve never seen you wear another watch aside from that."

"Ah, yes." Ha Jae-Gun smiled shyly and nodded. "The other writers at the office pooled money together to buy this for me. Their financial situations had just started kicking off back then. I didn't really do much for them, but they still gave this to me as an expression of their gratitude."

"It's indeed a watch with a backstory."

"Yes, it's a precious watch. I'm planning to wear this for the rest of my life or until it breaks."

Nam Gyu-Ho loosened his necktie. He had started seeing Ha Jae-Gun’s more casual side after meeting him the last few times under work circumstances. He could feel their relationship getting closer, step by step. Nam Gyu-Ho smiled warmly at the thought that their relationship was improving slowly but surely.

“Please have a drink, Mr. Ha.”

“Thank you. Let me pour you a glass, too.”

The servers began serving the course dishes one by one.

The two men enjoyed their food while talking about work. They talked about the marketing for the Chinese localized version of Oscar’s Dungeon, how it would be serviced to the readers, and the mobile game development and timeline for Gyeoja Bathhouse, along with other topics.

“...In a country with a huge population of 1.35 billion people. The market size is incomparable to Korea’s market. Marketing is crucial as well because the audience is fickle. And that’s exactly why I’m here,” Nam Gyu-Ho explained confidently.

His eloquent speech made Ha Jae-Gun feel like the expansion into China was already a success. Most importantly, he knew that Nam Gyu-Ho wasn’t just a man who knew how to boast, and that was why Ha Jae-Gun took his words seriously.

“I am showing off to you right now, but it’s also because I’m this confident in the China market, so you may leave it to me.”

“I’ve always been doing that and will continue to do so. Thank you.”

“It’s been tough on you to just listen to me.”

The server cleared the empty plates on the table and served new dishes. Nam Gyu-Ho took a sip of the alcohol and looked out into the cityscape, then brought up another topic. “There’s something else I’d like to talk about now.”

“Please go ahead.”

Nam Gyu-Ho turned back to look at Ha Jae-Gun and said, “The CEO of Teencent’s affiliated company, Teencent Literature, Ren Xue, will be coming to Korea at the end of the month, for the Web Contents Festival that is to be held in Gwangju.”

Ha Jae-Gun then recalled the conversation he had with Oh Myung-Suk before. He recalled that it was an event held by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

“CEO Ren Xue will be meeting me on one of the five days during their trip here. I have known them closely for a long time. But I’d like to bring you and the representatives of the publishing companies that signed your novels along to the meeting.”

Surprise filled Ha Jae-Gun’s face at the unexpected news.

“But why me…?”

“It’s because you’re the author of Oscar’s Dungeon, the game and novel that will be distributed through Teencent. Gyeoja Bathhouse will also be distributed by them, and they said they would like to have a good time with you aside from work. They said they’ve read all the Chinese translated versions of your novels and love them a lot.”

Nam Gyu-Ho pulled himself nearer, reducing the distance between them.

“I’ve mentioned this to you in passing before as well, we can’t overlook the element of friendship when dealing business with the Chinese. Teencent Literature has a market share of over 50% in the ebook market there. I think this is a great opportunity for you to impress them. And it’s great that they were the ones who suggested meeting you first.”

It was a proposal that Ha Jae-Gun had no reason to refuse.

The CEO of China’s largest ebook company likes his work and wants to meet him. It was definitely a meeting that would be beneficial for Ha Jae-Gun.

“Sure, let’s do that,” Ha Jae-Gun answered without hesitation, with a light smile, thanking Nam Gyu-Ho’s sincerity.

“Teencent Literature’s CEO must have a relatively good eye and experience in the industry. It’s not directly related to the game industry like Nextion, but thank you very much for arranging this meeting that would help me in my career,” Ha Jae-Gun said.

“You’re welcome, and you’ve made the right decision, as businesses will only come together when people meet. As the novels are under the jurisdiction of OongSung and Laugh Books, I will contact them soon.”

Nam Gyu-Ho finally relaxed in his seat. He was done with every important and work-related discussion he had for today.

In the relaxed atmosphere, Nam Gyu-Ho then asked in passing, “This question might be out of line, but are you not planning to date anyone, Mr. Ha?”

“Pardon?” Ha Jae-Gun looked up, flustered. It was the first time he had received such a personal question from Nam Gyu-Ho, since he knew Nam Gyu-Ho was not one to ask such questions in the first place.

“Hmm, no, I’m just… Hmm, it’s because you’ve always just been working hard on your novels and work, and I just thought of it out of the blue, so I figured I should ask.”

“Haha, I see. Well… I’m planning to think about it after seeing my older sister get married first.”

“Ah, is that so?” Nam Gyu-Ho raised his eyebrows in delight.

In fact, it was a calculated move from Nam Gyu-Ho, as he planned to ask about Jae-In from him as well. Nam Gyu-Ho then pretended to be vaguely recalling something and muttered, “I heard that both of you are three years apart…”

“Yes, she’s older than me by three years.”

“She doesn’t seem to be in her thirties.”

“But I’m still quite worried. I hope she’ll start dating before she gets any older, although this would be depending on her own will.”

Nam Gyu-Ho nodded with a serious look while singing with joy inside. He interpreted Ha Jae-Gun’s words to mean that Jae-In hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time and is currently still single.

However, he could not ask further now. If he did, Ha Jae-Gun might catch onto his motives. Nam Gyu-Ho then decided to wrap up and change the topic. “I’m sure a good man will appear for her.”

“Thank you. Please have a glass, Director.”

Their pleasant dinner continued late into the night. It was the first time Nam Gyu-Ho had made a sound and even laughed in front of Ha Jae-Gun.

***

“Stay safe on the way back, Director.”

“Yes, Mr. Ha. I’ll be leaving first then.” Nam Gyu-Ho left in the car that quickly drove away.

Ha Jae-Gun then set off for his own home. He felt lonely walking through the dark garden, he could clearly feel Lee Soo-Hee’s absence in his life.

‘Maybe I should have brought Rika back from the office.’

Ha Jae-Gun regretted belatedly as he headed for the living room. As he went to the bathroom while taking off his clothes, his phone rang. It was a call from Oh Myung-Suk.

“Yes, editor-in-chief.”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. Have you had dinner?

“Yes, I’ve just returned from dinner actually.”

— I actually called with regards to Teencent.

“Teencent?”

Ha Jae-Gun stopped taking off his clothes midway. He had been talking about Teencent with Nam Gyu-Ho for the entire evening today. But what is Oh Myung-Suk going to say about them now?

— Teencent is going to distribute the game, ebooks, and even join in the movie production. So they had established a company called Teencent Pictures, and their CEO would be attending the upcoming Web Contents Festival. They would like to meet you during their trip if possible.

“Ah… Me?” Ha Jae-Gun could only reply with a question like how he did to Nam Gyu-Ho earlier.

— Specifically, they would like to meet you, and lead actor Park Do-Joon as well. They found out that both of you are friends through the news articles, plus he is the vice president of the strategic team at Teencent Group. He also complimented There Was A Sea, saying that it was very impressive.

“Mm, I see.”

Thankfully, the movie There Was A Sea released in China had crossed the breakeven point, and its recognition had contributed greatly to Do-Joon’s popularity in China.

— Your novels that have been adapted into movies are performing well in Korea. I think they’d like to discuss about the movies, including the upcoming Gyeoja Bathhouse. They suggested to have a comfortable meeting, what’s your opinion on this?

“Um, editor-in-chief. Before I give you an answer, I also have something to tell you.”

Ha Jae-Gun then gave Oh Myung-Suk a detailed explanation about his decision to meet Teencent Literature’s CEO, Ren Xue, through Nam Gyu-Ho.

Oh Myung-Suk was quite surprised after hearing Ha Jae-Gun’s explanation.

— Director Nam Gyu-Ho’s connections are out of this world. Ren Xue was the executive editor before and was only recently appointed as the new CEO. OongSung was also planning to get in touch with them sometime soon, but mm… Anyway this is quite amazing.

Even Oh Myung-Suk, who was always calm, began drooling at the newfound facts.

Ha Jae-Gun felt strange. He switched hands to hold the phone and asked, “I think it’s my first time seeing you so surprised. Is this something that surprising?”

— This um… I hope you won’t misunderstand me…

“It doesn’t matter, please tell me,” Ha Jae-Gun asked.

However, Oh Myung-Suk took some time to process the words in his mind before he answered Ha Jae-Gun.

— Actually, the companies in China don’t appreciate writers as much as how we do in Korea. Probably because they have a large population. In China, they deal strictly with writer and their works with money, so they dominate the market with quantity over quality.

Oh Myung-Suk paused for a while, seemingly to take a breather before continuing.

— Of course, Mr. Ha is one of the top writers in Korea. Your sales are overwhelming, and your work has been recognized both in the literature and commercial sides. You are definitely someone that Teencent Literature is interested in, but… In my opinion, I doubt CEO Ren Xue is really an avid reader of yours. Otherwise…

Oh Myung-Suk trailed off his sentence with hesitation.

Ha Jae-Gun seemed to have caught on and decided to bring it up instead. “So you’re saying that the meeting could be arranged and initiated at Director Nam’s request, who has a personal relationship with CEO Ren Xue, right?”

— I apologize if this has offended you. But it definitely feels different from the movie side.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and shook his head.

“Most certainly not. I have been hearing lots of stories about business dealings in China. It’s fine even if the meeting was requested by Director Nam. I think what’s important is that this meeting has been successfully arranged.”

— I’m relieved to hear you say that. Maybe I should have a talk with Director Nam as well before deciding. I need to find out if the CEOs of both Teencent Literature and Teencent Pictures are aware of their intentions.

“I’ll let you handle it then.”

Ha Jae-Gun stayed on the line with Oh Myung-Suk for a while more before hanging up. He rolled his tongue as he stepped into the bathroom.

He thought the connections that heirs of large corporations had were of different scales.

‘I think writing a corporate story using Director Nam or Editor Oh as the models would be fun.’

Ha Jae-Gun burst into laughter as the water rained down on him. Looking back, the appearance of Nam Gyu-Ho and Oh Myung-Suk were amazing gifts for him. He could always interview them if he ever chose to write such a novel.

How many writers in this world would have this opportunity to interview heirs of large corporations as he did?

‘I still think my connections are the best.’

Ha Jae-Gun finished his shower and fell into a deep sleep. In his dreams, he flew across the blue sky, and beneath his feet was the vast continent of China that stretched endlessly.