Big Life

Chapter 162: Make It Up, If There’s None (6)

It was Ha Jae-Gun's second time at the Chinese restaurant, Cheonrihyang, located on the topmost floor of the building. Everyone gathered in the large private room that Ha Jae-Gun had reserved beforehand.

"My name is Ha Jae-Gun. It's nice meeting you today."

Ha Jae-Gun finished his introductions and sat down.

OongSung Group's editor-in-chief, Oh Myung-Suk, Nextion's Planning Director, Nam Gyu-Ho, actor Park Do-Joon, and Laugh Book's CEO, Kwon Tae-Won took turns introducing themselves.

'Wow, this is unnerving.' Kwon Tae-Won drank his tea to moisten his parched throat.

He glanced at those sitting across from him with trembling eyes.

The three men across the table sitting in a row were Teencent Literature's CEO Ren Xue, Teencent Literature's Advisor, Lin Zihe, and Teencent Pictures' CEO Mao Yen.

Oh Myung-Suk and Nam Gyu-Ho's teamwork made this meeting possible today.

Lin Zihe and Mao Yen had no business dealings with each other, so they didn't mention their work, but their work was closely related.

'To think that I would get to sit face to face with such incredible people today…'

The room was cold, but Kwon Tae-Won's back was drenched in sweat.

Teencent was the largest leader in the internet business and game industry in China.

'Starting from games to ebooks. Now, they're expanding to movies.'

Before coming to this meeting, Kwon Tae-Won had researched Teencent's business in detail. To his knowledge, Teencent's true value was, in fact, on intellectual property, also known as IP.

Teencent had been operating for ten years now, and it had a large number of quality IPs. They had over 20,000 webtoons, with ten million registered IPs created by four million original creators.

Meanwhile, Laugh Books had less than a hundred writers.

For the sake of increasing the value of their popular IPs, Teencent had to expand on different media types, and it was their focus at the moment.

'He looks somewhat familiar…' Teencent's adviser, Lin Zihe, seemed strangely familiar to Kwon Tae-Won. 'Is he in his sixties?'

Lin Zihe had grayish hair and looked pretty well-off. Kwon Tae-Won liked how kind the man looked right off the bat.

Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun felt the same as Kwon Tae-Won.

‘I’ve definitely seen this man before.’

It was unclear how many times they had stolen glances at Lin Zihe’s face. His large ears and round face seemed ordinary, but they stuck out.

All of a sudden, the portrait of Buddha popped up in Ha Jae-Gun's mind, and Buddha's features slowly superimposed on Lin Zihe's face.

Lin Zihe looked like Buddha; the light smile suffused on his closed lips was very much like Buddha’s smile.

Just then, Lin Zihe’s eyes met with Ha Jae-Gun.

If it were any other time, Ha Jae-Gun would have looked away. However, he couldn't take his eyes off Lin Zihe for some reason.

Lin Zihe’s eyes were deep with a clear blue color. Looking straight into his eyes, Ha Jae-Gun felt like he was swimming in a clear lake. Meanwhile, Lin Zihe smiled, and then he whispered something to the interpreter next to him in Chinese.

“He says that he has a good impression of you, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun,” said the interpreter.

“Ah, thank you,” Ha Jae-Gun replied, smiling shyly. After a moment’s hesitation, he added, “Please tell him that I feel the same way.”

The interpreter conveyed Ha Jae-Gun’s message back as well. Hearing the translated words, Lin Zihe’s wrinkled face bloomed into a smile, and then he whispered to the interpreter once again.

“He said that he has read all your novels thrice, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. Especially Foolish Woman and Storm and Gale, he still reads them occasionally before he goes to bed. He has learned a lot from your stories that are highly relatable while maintaining objectivity.”

“I’m grateful for his compliments.” Ha Jae-Gun bowed slightly, expressing his gratitude.

This time, Teencent Literature’s CEO Ren Xue, who was seated beside Lin Zihe, spoke up. The interpreter listened attentively and then conveyed the message to Ha Jae-Gun in Korean.

“CEO Ren Xue says that it was because of Adviser Lin Zihe’s recommendations that he got to know of your works.”

“Ah, I see.”

“He wants to thank you for writing such incredible work, but he is more grateful and would like to give credit to adviser Lin Zihe for telling him about such good work as well as for treating him to a delicious dinner tonight.”

Laughter burst out in the room.

Ren Xue’s timely joke eased the palpable tension in the room.

The waiters began clearing the tea cups and started serving the food on the table.

When everyone was about to take a spoonful of the shark’s fin soup in front of them, the interpreter conveyed Lin Zihe’s words to Ha Jae-Gun. “Um, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. Adviser Lin Zihe has a personal favor he would like to ask of you.”

“Please speak.”

“He would like to hold your hand once.”

“...?” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened in astonishment. Why would the man want to hold his hand out of the blue?

However, Lin Zihe was silent with a light smile.

“My hand?”

“Yes, he doesn’t have any impure intentions, so please do not worry.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled shyly and looked to his side.

His eyes met Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes. Oh Myung-Suk smiled lightly and nodded.

“Alright… Sure.” Ha Jae-Gun said.

Lin Zihe stood up from across Ha Jae-Gun. There was no way they could do it with the table being so wide. Ha Jae-Gun stood up as well and bowed slightly, as the man was old enough to be his father.

“D-do I reach out like this?” Ha Jae-Gun reached both hands out slightly.

Lin Zihe then reached out and grabbed Ha Jae-Gun’s hands from below.

Afterward, he closed his eyes.

‘What is he trying to do?’

Ha Jae-Gun felt nervous as he looked up.

Everyone stared curiously and silently at the sight.

“Xiexie.” Lin Zihe finally opened his eyes and let go of Ha Jae-Gun’s hands.

It was a basic phrase that even Ha Jae-Gun could understand.

Lin Zihe returned to his seat and whispered to the interpreter.

“He said that he was very surprised to learn that Mr. Ha is such a young man, and he read your works without knowing what kind of person you were exactly.

"He thought you would be about the same age as he was because the depth of the humans which you had written in Storm and Gale and Foolish Woman was on a whole new level.”

Ha Jae-Gun nodded, and then he recalled that he had the Elder in his mind.

The depth that Lin Zihe was talking about had to be coming from Seo Gun-Woo instead of himself.

The interpreter continued. “And… Adviser Lin Zihe said he felt the collision of two energies in your works.”

“Two… energies?”

“Yes. One of them is fresh, young, energetic, and seemingly limitless, while the other is mature, stubborn, and even decisive. Overall, those two energies are constantly colliding, and it feels like they’ve become the driving force behind your writings.”

“...!!” Ha Jae-Gun was so shocked that he stared alternatingly between Lin Zihe and the interpreter.

He had received appreciation and compliments from countless critics so far, but this was the first time he had heard of something like this in his career. Plus, it was scarily accurate.

'Is he a writer as well…?’

Should he be in awe of Lin Zihe’s keen eyes?

Did the old man really see a conflict between them just by reading his works?

Despite the questions that were popping up in his mind one after the other, the interpreter continued. “But he also mentions that the collision has lessened in your more recent works. He might be stepping out of line, but he considers this to be your literary growth.”

“I see…” Ha Jae-Gun nodded his head, muttering. He then asked belatedly, “Can I ask why he requested to hold my hand earlier?”

The interpreter conveyed Ha Jae-Gun’s question.

Lin Zihe then looked at Ha Jae-Gun and told the interpreter his answer.

“He wanted to look into your soul.”

“My… soul?” Ha Jae-Gun was dumbfounded.

How could one ever look into another’s soul just by holding hands? It sounded quite ridiculous to him.

“Yes. No one believes him, but he does have the ability to look into others’ souls occasionally.”

“So… what did he see?” Ha Jae-Gun leaned forward.

As if understanding Ha Jae-Gun’s question just by his body language, Lin Zihe spoke to the interpreter.

“His ability is on cooldown today, so he would like to hold your hand again the next time you meet.”

The others chuckled, but Ha Jae-Gun couldn't bring himself to join in the laughter.

The interpreter then continued to convey Lin Zihe’s message to the downcast and astonished Ha Jae-Gun.

“Anyway, he says that he’s delighted to see you here, especially in the capacity of a fellow writer.”

“...?”

Ha Jae-Gun looked up at the words fellow writer. He had read quite a considerable number of Chinese novels introduced into the Korean market. However, he had never heard of a writer with the name Lin Zihe.

Otherwise, Ha Jae-Gun would have read all of his works before the meeting.

Lin Zihe saw Ha Jae-Gun's look of disappointment, and he turned to the interpreter.

“He would like to introduce himself once more as a writer. Lin Zihe is his real name, and his pen name is Li Ziting.”

“Li Ziting…?”

Ha Jae-Gun deeply engraved the new-learned name in his brain. Soon, his eyes grew wide.

“Are you…! The same Mr. Li Ziting who wrote Bull?!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ha Jae-Gun looked like he had been struck by lightning from out of the blue.

There was no way he would fail to recognize the name Li Ziting.

Li Ziting was the master of Asian literature and the star of the industry. He had started writing in the 80s, and he had published numerous masterpieces. The man had even won the Nobel Prize for Literature a few years ago for his representative work, Bull.

“I-It's an honor.” Ha Jae-Gun stuttered.

The overwhelming emotions in his chest ballooned, with no signs of calming down.

Meanwhile, Nam Gyu-Ho cast a strange gaze on Ha Jae-Gun.

‘Huh, he actually has that kind of side on him despite his personality?’

However, there was no way Nam Gyu-Ho would know and understand the awe and admiration Ha Jae-Gun felt for Li Ziting. The invisible bond between the two would be incomprehensible to any other people out there aside from Ha Jae-Gun himself.

“I have read all of Mr. Li Ziting’s works since middle school. Life of the Minority, The Second Life, The Wife’s Face, and even Bull, which received the Nobel Prize… I read all of them with my heart. It’s really an honor to meet you here.”

Ha Jae-Gun spoke full of vigor and even bowed down deeply at a ninety-degree angle. The times when he had worked hard to become a writer surfaced in his mind. He was truly grateful to the elder for allowing him to improve as a writer.

Li Ziting stood up as well after hearing Ha Jae-Gun’s reply through the interpreter.

He smiled and bowed politely in return before saying, "Xiexie."

‘I’m glad I came here…!’

Ha Jae-Gun sat back down, and his fists were clenched beneath the table.

He truly didn't expect to see such a great writer here.

‘Thank you, Director Nam Gyu-Ho…!’

Ha Jae-Gun looked at Nam Gyu-Ho with gratitude filling his eyes. However, Nam Gyu-Ho did not understand his meaning and only scratched his cheek, smiling awkwardly in return.

The interpreter then continued. “CEO Mao Yen said that your introductions seem to have come to an end here, so she would like to talk about herself. She says that her discussion will be the shortest amongst everyone here.”

Everyone, including Ha Jae-Gun, smiled and looked at Mao Yen.

Teencent Pictures’ CEO Mao Yen was a woman in her forties. She had short black hair, a thin build, and long legs. Her pale face had almost zero traces of makeup. Her only accessories were a pair of simple earrings hanging from her earlobes.

Mao Yen stared alternatingly between Ha Jae-Gun and Park Do-Joon before talking to the interpreter.

The interpreter turned to Ha Jae-Gun and Park Do-Joon. “She has a question for both Mr. Ha and Actor Park Do-Joon. She wants to know that if there's a good opportunity, would both of you be willing to work with her similar to There Was A Sea?”

Ha Jae-Gun and Park Do-Joon glanced at each other.

“Yes, of course.”

“Of course, I’d be willing.”

Mao Yen smiled and conveyed her words through the interpreter once more, “Teencent Pictures would like to adapt Mr. Ha’s Storm and Gale into a movie.”

“...?!”

“As a woman, she strongly sympathizes with the female lead in the novel who had to carve her own path amidst the harsh world and stormy roads. CEO Mao Yen herself grew up in a poor neighborhood in Suzhou; she also had to struggle to survive in the rapidly changing market in China.

"In her eyes, Storm and Gale is a work that fits the values of the youngsters in China amid the rapidly growing economy.”

Ha Jae-Gun was surprised by the unexpected proposal.

The interpreter then continued, “She’s sure that you’ll be satisfied with a guarantee of over two hundred percent of the base pay. She's also willing to accommodate your needs.

"However, her conditions are that the lead actor must be Actor Park Do-Joon and that the scenario must be done by Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. They also have a partnership with Wizardry Pictures in the U.S., so they are able to take responsibility for the movie’s distribution in both the China and U.S. markets.”

“Jae-Gun…” Park Do-Joon muttered and made a sidelong glance at Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun was still in a daze.