Big Life

Chapter 50: Follow Me If You Can (5)

“What did you like about them?”

“Pardon?” Park Kyung-Wook’s smile disappeared.

After taking a sip of water, Ha Jae-Gun added, “I’m more curious about the parts that you liked from my new novel.”

“Mm. So the overall flow is quite smooth… Mm, the introduction, development, turn and conclusion of the novel are clear and—it’s just incredible. Yes, that’s right.”

“I see.” Ha Jae-Gun nodded with a faint smile. He could already tell from Park Kyung-Wook’s expression that the latter hadn’t read any of his novels at all.

Park Kyung-Wook faked a cough or two to clear his throat and continued. “Anyway, Writer Ha, there’s something I wish to say before we sign the contract with you for the new novel.”

“Can we talk about the webtoon first?”

“Web… toon?”

“I heard that Comic KT is turning Records of the Modern Master into a webtoon. Since that’s happening first, I would like to discuss it before anything else.”

“Ah, sure. The webtoon progress is going quite well. Isn’t that right, Ms. So-Mi?” Park Kyung-Wook glanced at Jung So-Mi, hinting for her to share the status updates in his stead. In fact, he knew little about the details of the subject and its progress. This meant that Jung So-Mi had to repeat what she had said to Ha Jae-Gun.

“We’re still looking for a good illustrator and storyboard artist who could work well together. It should take between a week to ten days at the longest,” Jung So-Mi shared.

Ha Jae-Gun nodded slowly with a look of understanding. However, Jung So-Mi was watching him with growing doubt, wondering why he had to ask that question when he had already been informed.

‘Writer Ha, just what are you thinking…’

Jung So-Mi was also curious why Ha Jae-Gun had agreed to attend this meeting when she had already told him about Kwon Tae-Won’s resignation from the company.

The Ha Jae-Gun she knew would have postponed the meeting with Star Books and contacted Kwon Tae-Won first. However, Jung So-Mi only knew part of the reason. She knew that the issue about the webtoon was nothing but a mere excuse for him to attend the meeting, but that was it. She had no idea that Ha Jae-Gun had another reason to agree to this meeting, and she also had no idea that it was all for Jung So-Mi’s sake.

This was also the last act of consideration that Ha Jae-Gun could do for Jung So-Mi, an employee of Star Books. He had appeared with the intention of making things clear to the new editor-in-chief so that Jung So-Mi, the editor in charge of his novels, wouldn’t get bullied at work.

Silence filled the room.

Trying to earn some brownie points from Ha Jae-Gun, Park Kyung-Wook smiled and said, “I fully support all your work, Writer Ha Jae-Gun. I’ll support you to the best of my abilities, even if you don’t sign an exclusive contract with us. The previous editor-in-chief was quite strict, wasn’t he? You must have had a hard time. Uh… Deputy Ko, what was his name?”

“Ah, it was Tae-Won.”

“That’s right, Mr. Tae-Won. He had been working for a long time under my father—no, the president. You said he was quite strict when it came to handling the writers, right? Which writer would like that? He has no right to do that. Now that I’m the editor-in-chief, things will be much easier for you. I’ll support you actively, of course.”

Jung So-Mi was so ashamed that she wanted to clench both of her fists. It was clear as day to even an amateur like Jung So-Mi that Park Kyung-Wook had no idea about his job.

Of course, everyone would start out as greenhorns in society, but Jung So-Mi couldn’t quite grasp why the president had decided to put his own son in a position as important as editor-in-chief.

Jung So-Mi kept her head lowered, inwardly worried about Star Books’ future.

Ha Jae-Gun remained expressionless as he took a sip of water. After a while, Ha Jae-Gun looked up at Park Kyung-Wook and then said in a calm voice, “It was all thanks to editor-in-chief Kwon Tae-Won.”

“...Pardon?” Park Kyung-Wook tilted his head with furrowed brows.

Ha Jae-Gun then reached out for his coat placed beside him and continued, “I said that it was all thanks to editor-in-chief Kwon Tae-Won’s feedback that my novel became a hit. I wasn’t alone.”

Deputy Ko’s face turned pale, and the color on Park Kyung-Wook’s face drained as well.

Ha Jae-Gun stood up nonchalantly and bowed deeply to the pair.

“I feel bloated, so I don’t think I’ll be able to enjoy this meal. I’m really sorry, but please excuse me.”

“W-writer Ha? Writer Ha Jae-Gun, please wait a minute.”

Both Park Kyung-Wook and Deputy Ko, who had been in a trance, belatedly sprung out of their seats. However, Ha Jae-Gun had already put on his shoes and left the restaurant.

All alone in the private room, Jung So-Mi placed her hand on her forehead with her jaws agape. She was still processing what just happened.

‘W-writer Ha?’ Jung So-Mi couldn’t stay still anymore. She told the servers a random excuse and quickly left the restaurant. Star Books was a regular and long-term customer of this restaurant, so no one dared to stop here.

“Where did he go?”

“He’s not answering his phone either.”

Park Kyung-Wook and Deputy Ko scanned the area in front of the restaurant with wide eyes. It was difficult to find Ha Jae-Gun on a crowded street.

"Deputy Ko, did I do something wrong?"

"N-no. You didn't do anything wrong, editor-in-chief. It seems that Writer Ha is in a bad mood today. Writers would sometimes become sensitive whenever they’re annoyed over something."

Jung So-Mi headed down the stairs and approached the two men. She acknowledged the looks from the two and said, "I'll head to the subway station first."

"Okay, Ms. So-Mi. Please pacify him and bring him back here. Sigh, what's all this mess? Deputy Ko, let's head down that way." Park Kyung-Wook loosened his necktie and headed down the street in the opposite direction.

Just as the two men disappeared down the street, Jung So-Mi's phone started vibrating.

“Writer Ha!”

— I’m sorry. Were you surprised?

“I was shocked rather than surprised. Where are you now?”

— I got in a taxi. I’m feeling quite anxious.

Jung So-Mi went quiet at that. She could already guess why he was feeling anxious, and he could also guess where he was going.

— Ms. So-Mi?

“I’m listening. Please speak.”

— I didn’t put you in a tight spot, did I?

“No, you didn’t. Of course not. Don’t worry about me, you should be worried about yourself and your novel.”

— Well, I’m not worried about myself. I’m fine as long as you’re okay.

“What do you mean…?” Jung So-Mi trailed off as she asked in return. She had an inkling long ago, but the thought that had been wandering in her mind suddenly became clearer.

‘Is it… because of me?’

However, she couldn’t bring herself to ask. The misplaced puzzle piece seemed to have managed to find its place. All of a sudden, she could understand Ha Jae-Gun’s actions now, but another question appeared in her mind.

Why would Ha Jae-Gun give her—a rookie editor—so much attention?

— You must have worked hard editing my novels up until now. I should treat you to a delicious meal someday.

Jung So-Mi pressed the tip of her nose because it started tingling and smiled.

No matter how much she thought about it, she hadn’t done anything much for Ha Jae-Gun, much less suffer or put extra effort into his novels. Ha Jae-Gun had always been a nice person, and his works would always be nigh-perfect, so she didn’t have to edit them for a long time.

And that was the extent of her work relationship with the writer, Ha Jae-Gun…

Kwon Tae-Won had already resigned, so if she didn’t resign from Star Books as well, then she wouldn’t be able to edit Ha Jae-Gun’s future works.

Jung So-Mi looked up to the sky. She drew in a deep breath of the cold air and got herself together. She returned to her usual chirpy voice and replied coolly, “I’m going to pick an extra expensive menu, so you better make sure that your work becomes another huge hit!”

— Of course. It’ll be as popular as the Records trilogy combined.

“I’m looking forward to it. Please be careful on the way home.”

— You, too, Ms. So-Mi.

Jung So-Mi turned around and ended the call.

She walked into the crowd with her newfound confidence.

At last, Ha Jae-Gun finally walked out of the alleyway where he had been hiding and hailed a taxi.

***

— I’m sorry, President Kwon. Paid serialization and paperback books have no synergy at all, so I have no confidence that it’ll work. After putting some thought into it, I decided not to join.

— I really wanted to sign with the management company you have set up, President Kwon. However, I already have an existing connection with the publishing company that published my previous novel. I will definitely come to you again when I have a new novel to publish. I’m sorry.

— I don’t think it’ll work. As I mentioned the last time when we met, I still have no trust in your management, President Kwon. I’m not doubting your skills, but you’re just starting out, so I’m anxious because there’s no data or statistics that I can use to make a decision. I’ll give the chance to other writers this time.

“Phew…!” A sigh as heavy as a huge boulder rolled out of Kwon Tae-Won’s mouth.

He had already succumbed to his fatigue early in the morning, so he took a nap. He had just woken up, but he was already feeling tired and hopeless. The three writers, whom he had trusted all these while, had rejected him one after another.

He went lip, feeling discouraged from the outcome.

“It didn’t go well again?” asked a woman. She was Kwon Tae-Won’s wife, Shin Dong-Mi, and she was currently fiddling with a cover sample on InDesign using another computer.

“I think everyone is scared. Plus, we’re a new company that has never published a single novel.”

“Still, I think they’re too much. You’ve done so much for them all these years.”

“Well, it’s hard to manage expectations with those thoughts. I should really forget everything that happened in the past.” Instead of consoling himself, he comforted Shin Dong-Mi by patting her shoulders.

Shin Dong-Mi looked around the empty living room with a complicated look. She had left her two children with her parents until things started to stabilize for them.

“You know…”

“Hmm?”

“Why didn’t you say a single word to Writer Ha Jae-Gun?” Knowing her husband’s cautious personality, she had been waiting for him to bring up the topic for quite a while now. However, she couldn’t wait any longer, so she decided to ask him directly.

“Didn’t you say that both of you are on the same wavelength? You said that he’s a good person, and he writes really well. You also said about how you’ve been complimenting him until your mouth ran dry. You even said that you want to work with him until the end.”

Kwon Tae-Won didn’t answer. As he looked at the fluorescent light on the ceiling, he remained silent, but Park Jae-Gook’s words before he left the company started ringing in his ears.

“Don’t try to poach any writers from us, especially Ha Jae-Gun. Word gets around quickly in this industry, even if authors publish using other pseudonyms. We should maintain our friendship. I’ve also included three months' salary on top of your severance pay. You’re in need of money, right? Use it well, and I hope everything goes well for you.”

Park Jae-Gook’s words were the reason that Kwon Tae-Won hadn’t been able to contact Ha Jae-Gun.

Kwon Tae-Won knew very well that once Ha Jae-Gun discovered his resignation from the company, Ha Jae-Gun would definitely end all ties with Star Books.

Kwon Tae-Won would then land in a tight spot. After all, Star Books’ influence in the genre novel circle was strong, and the company also had a wide network.

If Star Books decided to antagonize them, Kwon Tae-Won’s new company would suffer irreversible damage.

A management company should be selling a contracted writer’s works through as many markets as possible, and that would be Kwon Tae-Won’s job from now on. In that case, what if he lost access to the platform where he could put everyone’s work?

He would surely get bankrupt, and life would be hell for him from then on.

“Where are you going?” Shin Dong-Mi asked when Kwon Tae-Won grabbed his coat.

Kwon Tae-Won headed to the door and put on his shoes before answering without looking at his wife, “I’m going out for a walk.”

Kwon Tae-Won took the elevator down to the first floor and soon found a cigarette in his mouth. The purpose of his walk was to smoke without his wife finding out.

Bzzt!

The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

Kwon Tae-Won thought that one of the writers who had rejected him might have changed their mind, so he quickly fished his phone out of his pocket.

“...!”

However, he froze upon seeing Ha Jae-Gun’s name.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

The phone continued vibrating in his hand, but Kwon Tae-Won couldn’t bring himself to answer it. There was nothing he could say to Ha Jae-Gun at this point. Not a single thought came to mind.

“Is that a massager or a phone?”

Kwon Tae-Won’s heart abruptly sank.

The voice that came from behind him sounded extremely familiar.