Big Life

Chapter 200. What? Dragon Rider? (6)

“They’ve really put in tremendous effort and sincerity in the comments. I’m astonished.” Ha Jae-Gun replied as he looked down at Rika, making eye contact.

His nose scrunched emotionally at the American editor’s review that traveled from across the ocean.

Although he knew nothing much about Open House, it didn’t matter much to him now. He was only deeply grateful to them for reminding him what was more important to a writer than the royalties.

— I was quite surprised as well. Um... I’m not sure how much you’ve heard from President Kwon, but Open House is a...

“A small-sized company?”

— Compared to Knobble and Scholastic, they are around a thirtieth of those companies' size, and their sales last year were a little short of $60 million. It’s not a small amount, but it's not that big either.

Chae Yoo-Jin let out a short sigh and continued,

— And there’s one other thing. I didn’t send the proposal to Open House first.

“Who did...?”

— If it wasn’t me, then there’s one and only answer. They contacted me first. They expressed huge interest in The Breath. I had a call with their editor-in-chief, and he was extremely passionate about signing The Breath. I was really surprised.

“What are your opinions on this, Ms. Yoo-Jin?” Ha Jae-Gun asked. He stood up from his seat and headed to the coffeemaker.

Rika and Nun-Sol followed and flanked him like his personal bodyguards.

“They are a publishing company that you, as an agent, haven’t put into your consideration after all. But you still sent me their proposal after they contacted you first. I would like to know what made you decide to do this.”

— That...

“Are you viewing them positively?” Ha Jae-Gun asked, seemingly certain of Chae Yoo-Jin’s thoughts.

Chae Yoo-Jin let out a soft sigh over the phone.

— In certain ways, yes. Open House is a publishing company that I personally like. They typically release paperback books, and they have many interesting books in their library. They take in all kinds of genres, from fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and even horror.

“I see.”

— It might be a buck-passing of responsibility. Normally, I will filter out publishers whom I’m still sitting on the fence on, but I couldn’t do that with Open House. So I wanted to hear from both you and President Kwon...

“I understand. You don’t have to explain further.”

Ha Jae-Gun returned to his seat with a hot cup of coffee. A new email address was added to his contact book, with the name Open House.

***

“Why don’t you open tender for a price you are comfortable with, Writer Ha?”

“Tender?”

“Yes, since the competition will be quite fierce. There’s not only Knobble and Scholastic; there’s also other publishing brands affiliated with Wizardry Pictures sending their proposals trying to produce movies as well.

"We would also be able to obtain better conditions from them instead of what they have offered to us individually.”

“Hmm...”

Two men sat across from each other at a table facing the window of a cafe located along the streets of the city center lined with old trees.

Kwon Tae-Won and Ha Jae-Gun wore worried looks as if they had agreed to look worried beforehand. They were here to discuss Open House's offer.

“To be honest, I thought President Kwon would agree to this.” Ha Jae-Gun rubbed his hands. There was heating within the cafe, but it was taking a while for his body to warm up as they had just entered the cafe.

“I would fantasize about such things as a writer, but... I felt their sincerity while reading their proposal. It'll be slightly foolish to say it this way, but that’s how I felt.” Ha Jae-Gun looked down and mumbled, “It’s like when I first met you.”

“...”

“You recognized my work. Despite my work being a mess and not making it up into the ranks at all, you said you liked my work because of how honest it was and proposed to work on it together... I’ve said this countless times, but I was so touched that day that I cried alone at home.”

“Uh, Writer Ha...” Kwon Tae-Won groaned lightly as he took off his glasses.

He massaged his eyes and temples thoroughly for a while before putting his glasses back on. With an earnest tone, he said, "Your situation has changed a lot since then."

"Changed?"

"You've long escaped from the anxiety of wondering if your next novel would sell 2,000 copies. You're now at the stage of deciding the next steps for your novel and how many copies should be in the first print; which countries should you go ahead and release your novel in first, or should you do a movie or drama adaptation first?"

“President Kwon, I’m not referring to that...”

“I understand what you’re talking about; that’s why I’m telling you this,” Kwon Tae-Won said with an unusually firm tone. “I’ve worked with you for the longest and across the most number of your novels, Writer Ha. How would I not know your feelings?”

Ha Jae-Gun sucked on his straw silently. He was enjoying his favorite iced coffee despite the cold weather outside.

“Let’s assume that you’ve written a new fantasy novel under your pseudonym Poongchun-Yoo. And you’re with a small publishing firm like HaeTae Media back when you were still a rookie. Will you be willing to sign your next novel with them?”

“If their editor-in-chief is someone like you, I’ll do it,” Ha Jae-Gun replied without hesitation.

Kwon Tae-Won frowned immediately and slapped his palm to his forehead. “I’m sorry. I think I gave you the wrong example... How should I explain this...”

Kwon Tae-Won agonized over it so much that he even messed up his hair. Ha Jae-Gun did not rush the man and only waited patiently with a smile on his face.

“Haa...” Kwon Tae-Won then leaned back and let out a long sigh.

He realized that it was hard to persuade Ha Jae-Gun once he had made up his mind. He spaced out at the ceiling for a while, and then he looked back at Ha Jae-Gun.

“If so, let’s meet them first before making a decision.”

“Thank you, President Kwon, for your understanding.”

“They said it themselves that they’re willing to visit Korea. Though I hope that they won't come at all.” The two of them burst into laughter at the same time.

Kwon Tae-Won smiled bitterly, like the taste of his coffee.

“Since I’ve failed to persuade you, I’ll be honest. I liked their proposal as well. I did feel their sincerity toward The Breath.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I read their feedback overnight and couldn’t find a single part to refute. I even asked the opinions of my friends who had migrated to the States, and they found it to be very objective.”

“I thought the same as well with my limited English skills. I am confident that The Breath would perform much better in the U.S. if I revised it according to their feedback. That’s why I would really like to meet them once, regardless if we sign the contract with them or not.”

Kwon Tae-Won nodded and clapped his hands softly. “I’ll convey the conclusion we’ve just had to them today, then. I’ll try to schedule a meeting with them as soon as possible.”

“Okay. I’m getting hungry now; shall we go for a meal?”

“Wow, it’s already past 1 p.m. What would you like to have?”

“Since you’ve compromised a lot, I’ll let you choose the menu for today.”

The two men left the cafe, and the cold December wind blew into them, but the two did not feel as cold with their clothes buttoned up tightly.

They were all smiles as they walked down the cold street.

***

“You’re coming to Korea?”

Water was dripping from Oh Myung-Suk’s body as he stood, holding the phone to his ear. He had just finished showering after returning from work. He answered Chae Yoo-Jin’s call immediately.

“So it’s because of Mr. Ha’s novel? The schedule isn’t fixed yet? Yeah, so which company is it? Open House? Hmm, I haven’t heard of them before.” Oh Myung-Suk said as he wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder, putting on his clothes.

Just then, dull footsteps from the hallway could be heard from the bathroom. Realizing that it was his father, Oh Myung-Suk whispered in a hurry, “Yoo-Jin, I’m sorry, but I’m currently at home. I’ll call you again, okay? Rest well.”

Oh Myung-Suk hung up and put his phone into his gown’s pocket. It was difficult to talk on the phone with his father around, even if it were business-related topics.

Oh Myung-Sun returned to his room and changed his clothes. He thought for a while before standing up. He headed slowly to his father’s study, there was something he had to tell his father. Of course, it was about Chae Yoo-Jin.

Gulp.

His audible gulp rang loudly in his own ears.

Knock, knock.

Oh Myung-Suk suppressed his nervousness and knocked lightly on the door. The sound of throat clearing was his permission to enter the study.

“Why are you still awake at this hour, Father?”

“I was struggling to revise my novel that I lost track of time.” Oh Tae-Jin massaged the back of his neck and groaned in exhaustion.

Oh Myung-Suk went behind his father and looked at the tabletop, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Is this Mr. Ha’s review?”

“Yes, he sent it immediately after that day.” However, Oh Tae-Jin’s hands covered the document with his thick hands.

Oh Myung-Suk could feel the shamefulness that clouded his father’s stiff face.

“It doesn’t look good...” Oh Tae-Jin said as he looked at the light from the lamp in a daze.

“He said that he felt like it was written entirely by someone else when the novel reached its peak. The writing style was heterogeneous, and the text had lost its vitality. The disparity was so severe that even he was surprised...”

“Can I take a look?” Oh Myung-Suk asked for permission, gulping.

Oh Tae-Jin willingly handed over Ha Jae-Gun’s review to his eldest son. He had never shown it to anyone else yet.

“...!” Oh Myung-Suk’s face began changing as he read through the five-page document. As expected, Ha Jae-Gun was relentless with his review when it was about novels. There wasn’t a single area of concession or nice words put in it.

‘Was it this serious...?’ Oh Myung-Suk tilted his head momentarily, and then he realized that he had to reflect on the fact that he had to have been biased since it was his father’s work. He could have done it without realizing it.

‘Father...!’ Oh Myung-Suk stared at his father as if the latter were pitiful.

Oh Tae-Jin smoked quietly with his head looking down at the ground. Oh Myung-Suk could tell how painful it had to have been for his father. Even he could tell how much effort his father had put in on this novel. Oh Myung-Suk could only stay quiet, as he didn’t know what to say.

After a while, Oh Tae-Jin pulled the ashtray at the end of the table to him. He put out the cigarette after a few puffs and said, “You don’t have to be so worried. I just have to edit it again.”

“Cheer up, Father,” Oh Myung-Suk consoled while massaging his father’s shoulders lightly.

Oh Tae-Jin put his hand on Oh Myung-Suk’s hand. As always, his father’s touch felt reliable and warm.

‘I should tell him next time.’ Oh Myung-Suk knew he couldn’t bring up Chae Yoo-Jin at this time. He slowly withdrew his hand and bowed, “Please rest early, Father. I will be heading back to my room now.”

“Okay, you should rest early, too—Ah, Myung-Suk!”

Oh Myung-Suk stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Is there anything else, father?”

“I’ve totally forgotten about it because I was preoccupied with my novel. You remember the youngest daughter of President Kim from Daemyung Group?”

“...” No reply came from Oh Myung-Suk, but he knew the individual his father was referring to, and he also knew what his father was getting at.

“I’ll be straightforward; meet her once.”

“Father, I still...”

“How dare you say that at your age? I can’t wait for you any longer. You’re the eldest son, and you will succeed the OongSung Group in the future.”

“I know that, but I’m not prepared—”

“I’ve already arranged a meeting for you,” Oh Tae-Jin said, waving his hand in dismissal.

Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes were slowly losing focus. “...I can’t.”

Those two words broke the silence and pervaded the dark study.

“I... can’t do that, Father.”

“WHY?!” Oh Tae-Jin stood up in anger. He strode to Oh Myung-Suk and pointed a finger at Oh Myung-Suk’s face. “Why not?! Tell me why! I’ll listen, so tell me why! But if your reason is what I have in mind, then return to your room immediately!”

“Father...!”

Oh Tae-Jin’s lips were trembling in anger. He growled deeply, “I’ve only slapped you once throughout your entire life! Don’t make me do it again for the same reason! Do you understand?!”

“...”

“Why aren’t you answering me?! Yes or no!”

“Father, I mean it, I really love Yoo-...”

Slap!

Oh Myung-Suk’s glasses flew off his face. His head had jerked to the side, and his cheek burned red.

“I don’t want to hear it, leave!” Oh Tae-Jin pointed to the door.

Oh Myung-Suk bit his lips and bowed deeply in silence. Oh Myung-Suk staggered to pick up his glasses as tears started dripping down Oh Tae-Jin’s eyes.

Creaaak.

Oh Myung-Suk did not return to his room but toward the living room. There was no way he could sleep without the help of alcohol tonight. As he turned the corner in the hallway and entered the living room, he saw Oh Myung-Hoon.

“...”

“...”

The brothers looked at each other for a while in silence.

Oh Myung-Hoon looked away first.

Oh Myung-Suk pulled out a bottle of tequila and a glass from the cupboard and asked, “Did you hear it from here?”

“What do you think?” Oh Myung-Hoon responded, and then he took a sip of his vodka in hand. “I can probably hear his voice even in New York.”

“Father has always been so loud.” Oh Myung-Suk took a seat across from Oh Myung-Hoon on the sofa.

While Oh Myung-Suk was pondering what to talk about with his brother, Oh Myung-Hoon asked casually, “I won’t give up if I were you.”

“...What?”

“If you love her so much, shouldn’t you win her and get father’s blessings at all costs? Yoo-Jin noona loves you, too. What’s wrong with being barren? You guys can always adopt a child to resolve the issue.”

“Let’s not talk about this now.”

Oh Myung-Suk drank his tequila straight.

Oh Myung-Hoon snorted and stood up. “Do whatever you want. I’m not going to live like you did.”

“Really?”

“Pull yourself together. Otherwise, I’m going to inherit the OongSung Group at this rate. Bye,” Oh Myung-Hoon said coldly.

As soon as Oh Myung-Hoon disappeared up the stairs to the second floor, Oh Myung-Suk mumbled quietly to himself, “I’d love that to happen...”

The brown liquid gushed and filled the glass. Oh Myung-Suk leaned backward and downed the entire glass down his throat.

Chae Yoo-Jin’s face surfaced in his mind as the fragrance of the strong alcohol wafted in the air. He reached out with his hand, but he couldn’t touch her face at all.