Big Life

Ha Jae-Gun gnashed his teeth in anger.

In Ha Jae-Gun’s ears, Woo Jae-Hoon’s tone seemed like he was saying—what, do you dare reject my offer? Ha Jae-Gun was already upset, and Woo Jae-Hoon’s condescending tone only served as fuel to the fire.

"Hm? Mr. Ha?" Woo Jae-Hoon urged once more.

Ha Jae-Gun remained silent as his gaze moved downward slightly.

'This is getting messy…' Oh Myung-Suk inwardly sighed.

It wasn't obvious, but the atmosphere was turning sour.

Oh Myung-Suk knew that Ha Jae-Gun was a prideful writer, and he viewed basic manners to be highly important.

If he left things as they were now, there was a high possibility that the contract negotiations would break down. After all, the contract didn't really matter to Ha Jae-Gun.

'I think it's time for a mediator to step in…' Oh Myung-Suk had been looking for an opportunity to cut in on the conversation, as he could not side with Ha Jae-Gun blindly.

The other party was a famous figurehead in Korea's movie industry. Woo Jae-Hoon received harsh criticisms from audiences and critics, but he still had movies with over ten million viewers under his belt. Therefore, he had high credibility with investors.

Oh Myung-Suk didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity, and the endeavor would definitely add value to Ha Jae-Gun's portfolio as well. In addition, Summer in My 20s would be under the spotlight as well.

"I'm feeling kind of peckish, do they sell finger food here?" Woo Jae-Hoon muttered casually as he rubbed his pot belly.

After a while of pondering, Ha Jae-Gun looked up at Woo Jae-Hoon.

"Will you be writing it personally?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"The scenario, I mean."

"Hm, not yet confirmed, but there's a possibility."

"It’ll be difficult then." Ha Jae-Gun said almost immediately.

Ha Jae-Gun's firm response astonished both Woo Jae-Hoon and Oh Myung-Suk.

"What do you mean?"

"You wrote the scenario for Yukgwang-gu, right?"

Woo Jae-Hoon choked upon hearing that. He could already see what was coming.

And he was right, Ha Jae-Gun cut straight to the topic…

"I am one of the extremely disappointed audiences after watching that movie. Unfortunately, if you are the one writing the scenario, I have no confidence in leaving my own work in your hands."

Woo Jae-Hoon's face turned beet red. The young man actually poked him in his Achilles heel! If he could, he would have immediately covered the young man’s mouth.

However, Ha Jae-Gun continued. "It's fine even if I'm not allowed to write the scenario personally. However, please get a writer I could agree with and acknowledge to work on the scenario. That would be my compromise."

"Are you sure that’s a compromise and not a ridicule?" Woo Jae-Hoon raised his voice. He looked ready to fight.

Ha Jae-Gun put on a faint smile and shook his head. "It is definitely a compromise. I could have stood up and left right away, but I decided to suggest an alternative."

"What…?!"

"I hope you won't misunderstand me. I'm not compromising because I don't want to miss out on this opportunity but just out of consideration for our editor-in-chief here, who has kindly arranged for this meeting."

"Look here!" Woo Jae-Hoon slammed his thick hands on the table.

How dare a greenhorn writer in his twenties dare to discipline someone of Woo Jae-Hoon's caliber? Woo Jae-Hoon's simple and straightforward reaction didn’t allow him to look over the current situation.

Ha Jae-Gun stood up and straightened his clothes.

"It seems that we will have a hard time continuing the discussions of the contract. I'll be taking my leave first."

"Huh? Hey? Heyyy!" Woo Jae-Hoon was flustered when Ha Jae-Gun announced his departure and waved frantically in the air.

Following Ha Jae-Gun, Oh Myung-Suk stood up as well.

Furious, Woo Jae-Hoon changed his target to Oh Myung-Suk. "Hey, Editor-in-chief! Where are your manners? How can you be so dense?! How dare you allow this mockery? How are you managing your own writer?!"

Oh Myung-Suk stopped and let out a long sigh.

He looked at Woo Jae-Hoon and said, "I think you're in the wrong as well."

"What?!"

Oh, Myung-Suk glanced at Woo Jae-Hoon's feet and said, "You came here wearing slippers, and it shows that you have no qualms about everything and that you’re a free-spirited person. I'm not sure if it's a fashion trend in Chungmuro or if it's because of your reputation in the industry, but Mr. Ha doesn't seem like that attitude at all."

Oh Myung-Suk sounded quite polite, but his words were jarring to the ears.

Woo Jae-Hoon slammed the table once more and stood up, trembling in anger. His labored breathing echoed loudly, and he looked like an active volcano that was about to erupt.

"You…! You said your name was Oh Myung-Suk, right?! I'll make sure to drop a call at your headquarters!"

Woo Jae-Hoon had just made a frivolous threat without knowing that Oh Myung-Suk was the eldest son of the President of OongSung Publication Group.

Oh Myung-Suk smiled and nodded. "Please do. I'll be waiting for your call regarding the copyright."

"What?! Fine, get ready for a pay cut! I don't need your stinky copyright! Did you think that novel is the only one in the world?!"

Oh Myung-Suk ignored the yelling Woo Jae-Hoon and left the cafe. Oh Myung-Suk was about to pull out his phone and make a call when he spotted Ha Jae-Gun at the entrance of the parking lot.

Oh Myung-Suk smiled bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Editor-in-chief." Ha Jae-Gun apologized to the approaching Oh Myung-Suk.

However, Oh Myung-Suk smiled and shook his head, asking, "You haven't had lunch, right? Shall we have a quick meal nearby?"

"Sure."

They headed to a nearby Korean restaurant.

There was still some stuff left for them to discuss things, even if Woo Jae-Hoon wasn’t around.

“I’ll have a hot stone mixed rice bowl.”

“I’ll have the same. Please give us two hot stone mixed rice bowls,” Oh Myung-Suk ordered for them.

As Ha Jae-Gun poured water into each of their cups, Ha Jae-Gun started, “I apologize for wrecking the situation earlier. I hope you’re not between a rock and a hard place because of me…”

“It’s all right, Mr. Ha,” Oh Myung-Suk said as he picked up his spoon. “I’m fine, so please don’t worry about me. However, I am hoping that you won’t pass up on this opportunity.”

“...”

“This is really a great opportunity for you. I understand why you’re upset, but I really hope we can go through with this contract. It can’t be helped that the other party is the best director in the Korean film industry.”

Ha Jae-Gun looked away with a complicated expression.

Oh Myung-Suk pulled his chair closer to the table and continued. “I’ll do my best to resolve the scenario issue. I’ll surely satisfy you, so please leave the rest to me.”

Their eyes met, but Oh Myung-Suk didn’t continue speaking.

Ha Jae-Gun had never been the kind of person who would get persuaded against his decision, so Oh Myung-Suk tried to win Ha Jae-Gun’s trust through his unwavering gaze.

However, Ha Jae-Gun shook his head and said, “Thank you for your kind words. But that director seemed to be the type who holds onto grudges. Would they go ahead with the copyright contract before the scenario issue is resolved?”

“Please don’t worry about that.” Oh Myung-Suk pushed up his glasses and said, “It is my job to make it happen.”

There was no hint of bluff in his words. He was confident and believed that he had the ability to make the contract happen without any hiccups.

Ha Jae-Gun’s bitter face lasted only for a while longer. He soon nodded with a smile.

Oh Myung-Suk had never once disappointed Ha Jae-Gun, and he once again decided to trust and leave things in his hands.

Just then, the food they had ordered was served, and the two started digging in.

***

Back in the production team’s office, Woo Jae-Hoon was puffing hard on his cigarette with a distorted expression. An employee was timidly reporting and was being extra careful about triggering the man in front of him.

“Summer in My 20s just went up to third place in Bandi and Lunia’s bestsellers corner. It has sold over 550,000 copies so far, and we believe that it will hit first place with over a million copies sold. This novel is the best for investors who value issue marketing the most, as the novel is still selling out at an alarming rate.”

“Hoo…!”

Woo Jae-Hoon stubbed the puffed cigarette in the ashtray.

White smoke came out through his nose and mouth at the same time.

Woo Jae-Hoon had thought of abandoning the project, but there was strong opposition coming from their investors. The investors had unanimously agreed that they had to somehow get the copyright to Summer in My 20s.

“Oh, and Director, I’ve looked up Mysterium’s editor-in-chief, Oh Myung-Suk, as well.”

Woo Jae-Hoon was drinking his coffee when he shouted with his blood pressure shooting off the roof. “You really investigated him! I only instructed it out of anger, do I look like a despicable man who’ll use such tricks?!”

“W-well, you instructed me first, so…! Anyway, Director, that’s beside the point. Oh Myung-Suk is actually… he’s actually the eldest son of the President of OongSung Publication Group.”

“What?!” Woo Jae-Hoon felt like he was about to go crazy.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, I know someone in the company, so I called them to verify. It seemed like an open secret.”

“Why is the eldest son not in management and working as an editor-in-chief?”

“I’m not sure of the details.”

Woo Jae-Hoon covered his mouth and was lost in thought. He recalled when Oh Myung-Suk mentioned that OongSung Publication Group was also willing to invest in the production.

“Director, what about dinner—”

“Get out. I’ll settle it myself.”

Woo Jae-Hoon dismissed his staffer and wrapped his throbbing head.

His pride would not allow it, but he had to admit defeat.

His recent two productions hadn’t really performed well, and Woo Jae-Hoon acknowledged that things wouldn’t go his way if he were to remain stubborn.

“Call…! Call me…!” Woo Jae-Hoon glared at his phone, growling. His final ounce of pride didn’t allow him to initiate a call, and he was resolved to wait for a day or two.

However, the call never came.

***

“It’s best to write when you’re feeling bored. Isn’t that right?”

“Meow.”

“The one I’m working on now is a fantasy story. I’ve been working nights at the Bucheon office, and it’s been taking shape quite well.”

Ha Jae-Gun added a period to the last sentence of the document before stretching. He had started this piece as practice, but he ended up completing three volumes worth of manuscript.

His lax schedule these days had also contributed to his speed.

“I should get some feedback on it, right?”

Ha Jae-Gun then sent the document as an attachment to Kwon Tae-Won.

It was just past 7 a.m.

Ha Jae-Gun had worked through the night, and he recovered from his fatigue by drinking coffee from Seo Gun-Woo’s cup.

“Rika, I think the movie adaptation has gone down the drain.”

Ha Jae-Gun hadn’t heard from Oh Myung-Suk about it.

However, Ha Jae-Gun didn’t really care about it.

He was sure that a better opportunity would come in the future.

“Now I’m feeling hungry. Shall we have breakfast?”

Just as Ha Jae-Gun headed to the kitchen, his phone rang. He looked down at the phone and saw that it was a call from Kwon Tae-Won. He was surprised because it hadn’t even been fifteen minutes since Ha Jae-Gun sent the mail.

Ha Jae-Gun answered the phone, “President, you’re up early.”

— Writer Ha, you worked through the night again, right? I called as soon as I received your email. I briefly read through the synopsis, and it looks like it’s another medieval fantasy?

“Yes, The Breath was successful, and I’m enjoying the genre as well. However, it’s more light-hearted this time. Anyway, please read it when you have time.”

— Of course. I’ll read it while having breakfast. Thank you so much, Writer Ha. You even submitted a manuscript with the synopsis.

“I thought I have to work my share for the office,” Ha Jae-Gun joked.

— Please enjoy your breakfast. Oh right. You haven’t heard that writer Yang Hyun-Kyung has started submitting chapters again, right?

“Really?” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.

— Yes. He told me to keep it a secret, but I thought I should let you know. It seems like he is currently working part-time near the office while writing them. He has been submitting chapters for six days in a row and even sent over three advance chapters.

Ha Jae-Gun suddenly recalled the moment Yang Hyun-Kyung left the office without much luggage. He had been harsh on the young man with the aim of bringing him back to his senses, but he had been quite worried as well.

“Where is he working?” Ha Jae-Gun noted down the name and address of Yang Hyun-Kyung’s workplace.

After a while, Ha Jae-Gun’s call with Kwon Tae-Won ended, and he decided to take a shower before going outside.

The world outside got brighter as the dazzling sun rose.