Big Life

Chapter 199. What? Dragon Rider? (5)

‘No way...!’

Her limbs trembled. Despite thinking that it was absurd, her chest was heaving violently. The phone was still ringing on the table, with Oh Myung-Suk’s name showing on the screen.

“H-hello?”

— I was about to hang up, seeing how you hadn’t picked up for a while. Are you busy?

“No... Why did you call?”

— I think you’re getting busy with The Breath for a while from now on. You said you’d send me a copy of the translated copy when it’s done, but I haven’t heard from you. Is this because it’s Laugh Book’s novel, and that's why you’re keeping it confidential from me?

Oh Myung-Suk joked, but Chae Yoo-Jin did not respond to it.

Chae Yoo-Jin hadn’t contacted him ever since she returned to the States, as something had been tugging at her heart after they spent the night together in the hotel. It was also out of consideration for him out of fear that he might feel uncomfortable.

— Hello? Yoo-Jin. Are you listening?

“Y-yeah.”

— You don’t sound good. What happened?

“It’s nothing. I must be exhausted.” Chae Yoo-Jin beat around the bush since Oh Myung-Suk would be able to accept it regardless if it was the truth or not. She very much wanted to hang up the call with him first. Her hand did not leave her belly, and she wanted to uncover the identity of the strange feeling.

— Chae Yoo-Jin.

“Hmm?” Another strange feeling came to her. Despite saying that she was tired, Oh Myung-Suk did not hang up and continued the conversation.

— There’s something I want to check with you.

“C-check...?” Was it because of this? Chae Yoo-Jin felt something tug at her belly.

— Yeah.

“What is it...? Tell me.”

Chae Yoo-Jin gulped, waiting anxiously for his answer. Looking back, Oh Myung-Suk had always been quick-witted since she met him at university. His amazing intuition had surprised Chae Yoo-Jin countless times before.

— ...Are we really good staying like this?

"...?"

The anxiety that Chae Yoo-Jin ran down her spine disappeared completely. Instead, the emotions that emerged afterward were too overwhelming.

— I just want to confirm that we're really fine staying like this.

The short line had numerous meanings behind it. No one else would understand him aside from Chae Yoo-Jin, but there wasn't an answer she could give him yet. The hand that was caressing her belly now wrapped her throbbing forehead. Her boulder-heavy body fell into the chair.

“What do you mean?” Chae Yoo-Jin asked after barely managing to conceal her heavy breathing.

“Are you asking because of that night? Is that why you’re concerned? We’re both adults now, there’s no need to make a fuss over that.”

— Who knows, I’m probably not as cool as you are.

Chae Yoo-Jin chuckled briefly.

“It’s not about that, and like you said, it’s just a one-night stand. Isn’t it common in dramas where lovers who broke up long ago get swept away by the atmosphere and end up spending the night together? That’s how it was. I’ve long forgotten about it.”

— Really?

Oh Myung-Suk’s question made her fume. She couldn’t tell whether she was angry at herself or at him, but she suppressed it and said, “Yes. And even if it wasn’t, are you going to get together with me again?”

— Yoo-Jin....

“How are you going to persuade your father when I'm barren? Oh, or are you going to marry another woman, but you're going to keep on seeing me whenever you come to the States?”

— Calm down, let’s talk calmly.

“You made me this way. Didn’t I say that I was tired earlier? You would have hung up when I said that before. Why are you bringing this up again when the answer is already there?

— It’s not.

“What...?”

— The answer isn’t fixed.

“What... are you saying...?”

— I’m saying that you’re still the most precious to me.

Chae Yoo-Jin’s eyes were filled with hot tears. She hadn’t cried in a long time while living life ferociously. She had bit her lips to the point of bleeding from the moment she left Korea and stepped on foreign soil. She had decided back then that she would erase all the pathetic and sad past.

Her steeled mindset, which was as solid as an iron wall, came crumbling down.

“I....” Chae Yoo-Jin continued while letting out a hot breath. “Can I... call you again?”

— Sure, I’ll wait for you.

Chae Yoo-Jin hung up the call and went to her car, starting the engine. She was heading to the supermarket by the high street. She had to confirm it with her own eyes, and she had to do it in order to give Oh Myung-Suk an answer.

Around thirty minutes later, Chae Yoo-Jin returned home and burst into tears as she squatted at the end of the bathtub. Another fine line had appeared, but the sky had crumbled for her.

The long years of sorrow she had endured didn't stop until daybreak.

***

[Gyeoja Bathhouse, number 1 horror movie in Korea, with over 6.5 million audiences in China]

[Nextion smiling, thanks to word of mouth on the movie, sales of the game have also increased by over twenty percent]

[Teencent Pictures, distributing Gyeoja Bathhouse in China: Our thirst is unabated, will keep working hard to maintain the number of screenings]

[China’s top actress, Yang Ying confirmed as female lead for movie Storm and Gale, cast with China market in mind?]

[What changed with Yang Ying’s casting? The difference between the original and movie scenario heard through Director Yoon Tae-Sung]

— Hey, Ha Jae-Gun, Beijing is no joke. People are queuing to watch Gyeoja Bathhouse. Can you believe it? It’s totally different from what was reported on the news in Korea. You should see this for yourself.

“You’re fussing too much, Do-Joon. How is it seeing Yang Ying in the flesh?”

— Hmm, tell... she’s not photogenic.

“Seeing how the chic Do-Joon had given such a remark, she must be horrifyingly pretty. Anyway, be careful and do well in the filming.”

After hanging up, Ha Jae-Gun felt the cold and put on a cardigan. He closed the window that was opened to ventilate the place and heard Lee Yeon-Woo talking from behind him, “Is that from Do-Joon hyung?”

“Yeah, I think he’s just focused on Gyeoja Bathhouse’s performance when he’s supposed to be there for filming.”

“What did he say about Yang Ying? Is she really that pretty?”

“It seems like it, hearing what he said. He said she isn’t photogenic.”

Yang Ying was a Hong Kong stress in her 20s with both beauty and great acting skills. After shining in TV dramas for several years, she finally stepped onto the silver screen debut with Storm and Gale.

Yang Ying was cast as the female lead’s close friend and colleague, working as a karaoke helper. Her character also appeared in the original novel, but it had been changed from a Korean to a Chinese in the movie. The character divorced her Korean husband and became a karaoke helper.

“Is she really that pretty? You seem to be agreeing with him.”

“Enough talking and go work on King of Objection.” Ha Jae-Gun strangled Lee Yeon-Woo in retaliation for his joke.

Actually, Ha Jae-Gun did not oppose Yang Ying's casting when he was informed at first. Rather, he agreed to it after seeing her acting skills through the dramas she had appeared in. Her expressions, which perfectly expressed sorrow and pain, fit quite nicely with the character she was cast for in the original novel.

Furthermore, Teencent Pictures was producing Storm and Gale. It was natural for them to also consider producing it with the local Chinese market in mind. Plus, only the character's ethnicity was changed, so it didn't affect the overall plot much.

'I hope Ms. Ye-Seul doesn't get overwhelmed.' Ha Jae-Gun was worried. Yang Ying's role in Storm and Gale was close enough to be considered a female lead.

However, the female lead was still, without a doubt, Hong Ye-Seul. She had become a hot topic in Gyeoja Bathhouse after acting as a gangster high school girl. She threw the internet into an uproar after becoming the scene stealer of the movie.

In addition, scene stealers were known to draw more attention than the main characters in the shows.

However, there was no guarantee that she could achieve the same results in Storm and Gale.

'Good luck, Ms. Ye-Seul. Believe in yourself.'

Ha Jae-Gun thought to himself while looking in China's general direction.

He would never call her on any personal matters from now on.

"Another year has passed again."

"Yeah, it's December now when I came to my senses. I didn't do much this year; how could it end so soon?"

"You did well this year. Let's live next year to the fullest like this year as well."

Ha Jae-Gun patted Lee Yeon-Woo's shoulder, consoling the latter.

Lee Yeon-Woo smiled shyly and rubbed under his nose, and then he returned to typing on his keyboard.

Bzzt!

"Yes, President Kwon."

— You picked up immediately. What are you doing on the phone?

"No, I was on a call earlier and still had my phone in my hand. Please speak."

— I'm calling to say that I've received a few documents regarding The Breath from Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin, and one of the offers from the publishers caught my attention.

"Really? Which publisher is it from?"

— They're called Open House... They are a relatively small publisher, according to her, when compared to larger publishers like Knobble or Scholastic, but....

Kwon Tae-Won trailed off. The sound of flipping pages could be heard.

— But their proposal is astounding. They gave comments in detail from the first volume onward, which could amount to a full novel combined.

"That many comments?"

— Yes. Their sincerity is astonishing; they even marked out all the parts that would not work out well in the States. Of course, they also provided ways to improve. On top of that, I think they even flew over to L.A.

"L.A.? The employees from that publisher?"

— The Breath originated from there, anyway. They checked the text version of it and to see the readers' response as well, I think?

"Hahaha..."

Ha Jae-Gun burst into laughter in bewilderment.

Kwon Tae-Won chuckled on the other side of the line and continued,

— Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin also couldn't quite decide. They are quite reliable in the genre novel market, but somehow, they don't have any representative novels, so they aren't as popular as the others. I'll send you the documents, so please take a look.

"I understand. I'll take a look immediately."

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and returned to his seat, accessing the web browser. He clicked into his inbox while stroking Rika, who had climbed onto his lap, and saw the email from Kwon Tae-Won.

Review documents and proposal from Open House.

Kwon Tae-Won was right. The attachment was over 120 pages long. It included detailed suggestions from the first volume of The Breath all the way to the last volume.

'Ah, Soo-Hee, please come back quickly...!'

The document from Open House was fully in English. Ha Jae-Gun wrapped his throbbing forehead as he focused on the text. It contained lots of technical terms that he felt like he was deciphering it rather than interpreting it.

"Jae-Gun hyung, are you not going for lunch?"

"Something came up, so you can go have lunch with Hyun-Kyung," Ha Jae-Gun said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

The two took the hint and left quietly for lunch.

'This is incredible, really....' Ha Jae-Gun exclaimed just as he read around half of the document.

The opinion did not touch the foundation of the novel, but it was written fully from the ordinary American's perspective. It had accurately poked the areas from the local market's perspective.

'This is astonishing.' Ha Jae-Gun was extremely touched.

It was still unsure whether they would end up signing a contract for the novel or not, so who would provide such an in-depth opinion? At the end of the document, Ha Jae-Gun saw an afterword from the president of Open House.

I would love to meet you and discuss the opinions I have written here. We at Open House are also prepared to meet you in Korea whenever you are available. Thank you for allowing us to read such wonderful work. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun's phone rang once more, and Chae Yoo-Jin's name showed on the screen.

Ha Jae-Gun took his eyes off the screen and answered the call.

"Yes, Ms. Yoo-Jin."

— Hello, I'm unsure if you have heard from President Kwon yet, but Open House....

"I'm reading it now." Ha Jae-Gun gripped his phone tighter, and he smiled. He recalled smiling like this when he first met Kwon Tae-Won. It was a smile that a writer would make upon getting to know an editor-in-chief who had recognized the potential of their work.