Big Life

Chapter 241: Dignity Is Important Too (3)

Mao Yen lit a cigarette stick in her office at the headquarters of Teencent Pictures when she hadn’t smoked in a long time. It showed how deeply troubled she was by the current affairs.

Beside her, Lin Minhong was perplexed. Even though he had been assisting her closely with regard to Ha Jae-Gun, he couldn’t understand all of her worries. The fact that he couldn’t ask about them first as well made it much more frustrating for him.

“Shall I get you a cup of coffee, ma’am?”

“You should get yourself one, Department Head. Wait, I think it’d be better for you to leave for the day.”

Lin Minhong bowed in response. He wanted to say something as he looked up once more, but he decided to keep his lips sealed and turned around to leave.

The moment he grabbed the doorknob…

“Don’t jump to conclusions yet.”

“Pardon…?” Lin Minhong turned around in a daze.

Mao Yen puffed a cloud of cigarette smoke and continued, “I'm asking you not to jump to conclusions until he returns to Korea. Let him focus on writing as he has requested.”

“What are you planning to do with actor Tony Yang then?”

Mao Yen’s eyes shone for that brief moment. Tony Yang was a model-turned-actor, especially famous in Taiwan. On top of that, he was also the younger brother of Yang Ying, the female lead for Storm and Gale.

“I'll resolve that on my own. Anyway, don't say anything unnecessary to Mr. Ha; you just have to focus on making things convenient for him during his time in Shanghai. You may go now.”

“Yes, ma’am… I understand.”

After Lin Minhong's departure, Mao Yen fell into a deeper contemplation. Her phone rang when she was almost done smoking the stick of cigarette.

It was a call from Yang Ying.

“Hello.”

— Hello, CEO. Have you had dinner?

“Yes. How is the filming going? The drama filming started today, right?”

— Yes, it's going well. It's all thanks to you, CEO.

Mao Yen smiled bitterly and massaged a temple. There was no way Yang Ying called purely to ask about her well-being. Yang Ying's words that came after did not fall far from her expectations.

— Mr. Ha seems to be avoiding me. What should I do? Maybe my agency should step up instead of me…

Mao Yen had two answers that Yang Ying wanted to hear.

Firstly, she would make Writer Ha Jae-Gun change the main character into Chinese.

Secondly, the confirmation that a Chinese actor could still take up a Korean role.

However, both were tough to bring up at this stage.

In addition to Ha Jae-Gun's stubbornness, Mao Yen also believed that actors ought to be cast according to the character’s nationality.

Mao Yen hadn't dreamt of becoming the CEO of a production company, but she ended up developing the dream because of the movies she had seen.

— Hello, CEO? Can you hear me?

Mao Yen let out a soft sigh and stood up from her desk. She had finally made her decision on whose side to stand on: the best actor in China or the best writer in Korea.

“I'm sorry.”

— Pardon…?

“Mr. Ha seems to be quite adamant. It's hard for me to convince him.”

— What about my younger brother…?

“It goes against my principle to have a non-Korean play the role of a Korean. It's going to be disgusting if the acting is clumsy.”

Having made up her mind, Mao Yen would no longer hesitate. Mao Yen’s words, which were conveyed without constraint, made Yang Ying’s breathing unstable.

— CEO, what you're saying now… but what about my dignity?

“Nothing has been decided yet.” Mao Yen made herself a cup of coffee and added, “I've said the same to Department Head Lin Minhong, not to push Mr. Ha during his stay here. I think this is the best I can do for you here. However, it means that you still have a chance, Yang Ying.”

Mao Yen sounded magnanimous, seemingly comforting Yang Ying.

However, the latter couldn't accept this outcome and instead raised her voice.

— Isn't that no different from saying that you'll agree and accept his decision? What about your dignity? It'll just look like you're being swayed by a writer.

Mao Yen stopped stirring the coffee in her cup, and her face turned dark. In a cold tone, she said, “How dare you comment on my dignity in front of me?”

— Ah, C-CEO… I…!

“You've become quite insolent. Who do you think you're talking to? Have you gotten conceited now that you've become the so-called best actress?”

— I-I’m sorry…! I'm sorry, CEO! I've misspoken in a moment of foolishness…! I apologize!

Yang Ying apologized profusely, gasping at the same time. Regardless of how popular of an actress she had become, she was talking to the CEO of Teencent Pictures after all. Mao Yen was a prominent figure and a huge capitalist capable of swaying the entire Chinese film industry with her hand.

Mao Yen clicked her tongue, and then she continued stirring her coffee. “If you’re still considerate, you should know to end the call here today.”

— Yes, yes, CEO. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me… I’ll hang up now.

Mao Yen took a sip of her coffee as she headed to the window. The unrecognizable cityscape of China reminded her of when she first learned of Ha Jae-Gun’s existence.

She did not once suspect his works. She was captivated by his writing in Storm and Gale, and that was how she decided to come in contact with him. Regardless of how the main character of the Records series turned out, it would be successful in China.

It had been proven in the local market through the release of the novels through Teencent Literature, but…

Mao Yen pulled out her phone.

Ha Jae-Gun wasn’t Chinese. She gnashed her teeth as she dialed the number.

— Yes, CEO Mao Yen.

“Contact Mr. Ha Jae-Gun, and ask him if he has an actor in mind when the movie adaptation for Records of the Modern Master is set in production.”

After a while, Mao Yen heard back from her subordinate. A faint smile grew slowly on her face as she now had in hand a justification, albeit vague.

***

“Wow, I never thought Lee Soo-Hee would ask us out first.”

“But it’s kind of boring without Ha Jae-Gun around.”

Pieces of pork belly were slowly grilled into a crisp golden color on the pan. The soon-to-wed couple Park Jung-Jin and Cheon Hyo-Jin, as well as Lee Soo-Hee, shared a toast.

“Park Jung-Jin, say ah~”

“Ah~”

Park Jung-Jin opened his mouth wide and allowed Cheon Hyo-Jin to put a huge wrap into his mouth. Lee Soo-Hee narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. “Urgh, you guys are stinging my eyes. You’re going all out showering each other with affection, huh?”

“You should do this with Jae-Gun, too.”

“I told you not to talk when eating, right? And I doubt the two of them could do what we just did.”

“Hyo-Jin, what do you mean by that?”

Lee Soo-Hee’s question tickled Cheon Hyo-Jin. “You’re the ice princess; I can’t imagine you making a wrap and feeding Jae-Gun.”

“I-I do the same, too, alright?”

”Look at you getting all worked up. What should our ice princess do? I-I do the same, too, alright? Hohoho!”

“Don’t mimic me! Do you want a piece of me, Cheon Hyo-Jin?!”

“Kyaa! I’m ticklish! Ahaha, don’t do it! I was wrong!”

”…Hey, ladies. This is a BBQ restaurant, alright?”

They enjoyed themselves for the rest of the night. Although it had been a while since they met up, their laughter remained nonstop.

After all the random conversations and drinks, Lee Soo-Hee changed a new topic.

“Jung-Jin, Hyo-Jin, where do you guys often travel to?”

“Are you asking about a travel destination?”

“A place in Korea where you’ve always wanted to go even if you couldn’t. Somewhere you can go often to relax as well,” Lee Soo-Hee explained.

Both Park Jung-Jin and Cheon Hyo-Jin looked at each other blankly. They wondered why Lee Soo-Hee had asked that question out of the blue, but they still answered.

“Probably somewhere where we can see the sea.”

“Probably Donghae? Namhae is quite far away, and Donghae will probably take us three hours. Anyway, how could we even dream of traveling? It's going to be expensive.”

Lee Soo-Hee smiled, nodding.

Cheon Hyo-Jin filled Lee Soo-Hee’s glass with soju and asked, “Why ask?”

“I just wanted to hear your opinions.”

“Our opinions? I’m getting confused by what you’re saying.”

“Jae-Gun said he wants to build a vacation home—a place where his family and his close friends can use. He wanted to hear your opinions.”

Lee Soo-Hee then let out a sigh before the dumbstruck couple. “It’s great that we think alike. Jae-Gun was also looking into building a vacation home in Donghae. I’ll let him know then.”

“I’m quite blessed,” Park Jung-Jin muttered, dropping his head. He hadn’t been able to meet his close friend often, but he was still thankful for the unchanging friendship they shared, which made him feel emotional.

”And one more thing…”

”Huh?”

“Jae-Gun is very concerned about what he should prepare for your wedding gift. You know that he’s quite the overthinker, so just let me know what you’d like, and then I’ll hint him about it.”

“There’s no need for it… The vacation home is more than enough.”

Bzzt!

Lee Soo-Hee’s phone rang on the table. Although it was a call from Ha Jae-Gun, she had to pretend that it was from someone else and excused herself from the table.

“It’s a call from work. I’ll be back soon.”

“Sure, take your time.”

Lee Soo-Hee left the restaurant, answering the call.

“Yeah, Jae-Gun.”

— I heard that you met Jung-Jin and Hyo-Jin?

“Yeah, I did. We’re having pork belly now.”

— It must be fun. Have you talked to them about it? Does Jung-Jin like Donghae, too? And what do they want for their wedding gift?

“I’m talking to them about it. Listen to you all excited like a little boy. Do you like Jung-Jin that much?”

— Of course, he’s my friend.

Lee Soo-Hee burst into laughter. The scenery at night wasn’t spectacular, but it still looked beautiful to her. It was a pity that Ha Jae-Gun wasn’t here to admire it with her.

— I miss you, Soo-Hee.

“There’s still five days left. Wrap up your stuff and come back soon.”

— Rika and Nun-Sol are doing well, right?

“Yeah, they’re well and healthy.”

— What about The Breath? Is Ms. So-Mi doing well with the webtoon?

“You know my judgment. Have you ever seen someone I’ve chosen failing to do well in their work?”

— Alright, that’s a relief. I’ll see you soon. Ah, don’t come out to the airport. I think it’ll be chaotic there when I arrive, so I’ll go back on my own.

“I told you in the email, too. Alright… Ah, Jae-Gun.”

Lee Soo-Hee recalled what happened earlier and asked in a low voice, “You know…”

— Yeah, what is it? Tell me.

“Do you like it… if a girl makes a wrap for you?”

Ha Jae-Gun burst into laughter immediately afterward.

— What’s this all of a sudden? Did Jung-Jin and Hyo-Jin say that? Wow, that’s funny. Our Princess Soo-Hee is amazing; I didn’t know you could make me laugh so much.

“Ah, forget it. Go ahead and laugh.” Lee Soo-Hee bit her lips.

Ha Jae-Gun’s belated apology was heard over the line. Lee Soo-Hee inwardly made a decision as she looked back at the restaurant—Ha Jae-Gun’s first dinner upon his return to Korea would be pork belly.

***

— I thought that Mr. Ha would have an amazing mentor by your side. I couldn’t ask, but I’m extremely curious about this mentor of yours. But I realized that it was my mistake after looking at the recent novels you have been publishing. The refreshing and mature writing style capable of catching people off guard… I think that's what makes your writing unique, Mr. Ha.

Just ten minutes before landing, Li Ziting’s words were still circling in Ha Jae-Gun’s mind. He had met Li Ziting the day before leaving Shanghai for Korea. Their meeting always ended mysteriously as always.

‘Maybe…’ Ha Jae-Gun looked at his hands. ‘I was right that the Elder has left me…’ The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he had fallen into a maze.

Beside him was Kwon Tae-Won, who had long noticed Ha Jae-Gun’s troubled look. Thinking that he must have been troubled by the novel, Kwon Tae-Won decided not to bother him about it but held the worry with him in his heart.

“Writer Ha, we’ll be landing soon,” Kwon Tae-Won said.

Ha Jae-Gun snapped out of his thoughts and looked out the window. “Oh, yes. We’ve arrived in the blink of an eye.”

“It must be because you were occupied with your thoughts. What were you thinking about during the flight? Was it the Records series?”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly, shaking his head. It wasn't just Kwon Tae-Won; he couldn’t let anyone else find out about this issue. The captain’s voice echoed from the speakers as he announced their landing.

***

The moment Ha Jae-Gun stepped out of the arrival gate after clearing immigration…

Click! Click! Click!

Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won covered their eyes, blocking out the dozens of camera flashes going off before them.

“Writer Ha Jae-Gun! Did your schedule in China wrap up well?!”

“A photo of meeting close friends from Teencent Pictures was revealed! Please share with us your conversation!”

“Did you meet Yang Ying, too? If you did, what did you talk about?”

“Is the Records series getting a movie adaptation? Has the cast been decided? What is the schedule going to be like?”

Ha Jae-Gun knew this would happen, but never did he imagine that this many reporters would show up at the airport. Ha Jae-Gun didn’t have a manager accompanying him; he now only had Kwon Tae-Won, who held tightly onto Ha Jae-Gun to help him go through the crowd.

“Excuse me, please make way! We’ll organize an interview session later!” Unfortunately, Kwon Tae-Won’s yells were buried amidst the crowd.

The reporters did not even bother pretending to listen to him and continued blocking their way as they inched slowly toward the exit.

“Ugh!”

Ha Jae-Gun suddenly frowned and groaned in strong pain, which was caused by the pushing reporters hitting his wrist with their cameras.

“Please make way! Please make way!”

“Jae-Gun hyung! Over here! We're here!”

Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won both were shocked.

The male writers from the office had appeared in the distance.

The ever-reliable Lee Yeon-Woo led the group, joined by Kang Min-Ho, Yang Hyun-Kyung, Han Jae-Hee, and Baek Sung-Hyun. They grouped up and made a path for them, creating a scene reminiscent of Moses’ miracle.

“Wait, I told all of you not to come to the airport, but why….?”

“How can the manager not be here to welcome his writer? The others are here because they're worried about you. Come on, let's go!”

The internet-labeled Ha Jae-Gun's squad made their move. A path that seemed impossible to make was slowly being made, and the exit was coming into view. Ha Jae-Gun smiled brightly and headed toward the exit before him.

“Huh?! Wait a minute!”

Ha Jae-Gun called a stop and turned around briefly, and then he headed back to where he had come from. The writers were dumbfounded by his actions.

“Jae-Gun hyung, what are you doing?!”

“Wait, Yeon-Woo! Please help me for a while! Come over!”

Ha Jae-Gun bent down and searched around the floor of the airport like a madman. His eyes shone and went on all fours, even ignoring the fact that his pants were turning dirty. He even reached out toward the crowd of reporters, pushing through their feet.

“All right, I found it. Let's go,” said Ha Jae-Gun.

“Hyung, what were you doing exactly…?!” Lee Yeon-Woo couldn't continue his sentence after seeing Ha Jae-Gun's bleeding hand, which had probably been stepped on by some reporter from the group.

However, Lee Yeon-Woo wasn't surprised by the injury but the thing in his hand. He was holding a wristwatch with a shattered glass face and broken strap. There was no way Lee Yeon-Woo wouldn't recognize the wristwatch, as he and the other writers had pooled money to buy it for Ha Jae-Gun.

“Jae-Gun hyung…”

“I can just send it for repairs. Let's go! Hurry up.” Ha Jae-Gun quickened his pace, acting as if nothing had happened.

Lee Yeon-Woo stood behind Ha Jae-Gun with his large frame and arms wide open, and that was how another photo of Ha Jae-Gun's squad made rounds in the news online.