Big Life

Chapter 217. Laugh, Why Don’t You (5)

“Reporter Hyun, didn’t you say you’re in Japan for an interview?”

— Yes, I’m in Fukuoka right now. In fact, I had just received an email from our maknae at work.

Hyun Sung-Beom quickly continued without taking a breather.

— It’s about the incident where your manuscript was deleted.

“My manuscript?”

— The manuscript for the drama Market Place. There are reports of witnesses standing up testifying that they had seen both Won Ji-Yeon and Chae Bo-Ra meeting at a cafe.

“Mm, I see....” Ha Jae-Gun was slightly surprised at the unexpected news.

Conscious of himself affecting the other writers, Ha Jae-Gun stepped into the bedroom.

— The part-timer working at the cafe was tight-lipped, but the customers were open to sharing. It wasn’t detailed, but they overheard Chae Bo-Ra mentioning you in the conversation.

“Is that so? What did they hear?”

— Um...

“It’s alright. Please don’t mind me and tell me the truth.”

— Um... This was what they heard Chae Bo-Ra say to Won Ji-Yeon: Do you think Mr. Ha would look out for her, and that her agency writer, director and actors were in deep shit because of Mr. Ha, things like that.

Complex emotions flooded Ha Jae-Gun, and he plopped into a chair. It was now clearer to him that Chae Bo-Ra was the main cause of the incident.

— Our maknae has also met with Won Ji-Yeon. She was happy to hear news of eyewitnesses standing up and even recalled how they looked like that day.

“Seems like she was quite desperate as well. She must have been cornered after getting sued for defamation.”

It had been a while since Park Do-Joon had remembered anything about Won Ji-Yeon. He had only introduced her to a law firm just to help Ha Jae-Gun in the first place. After realizing that there was no chance of winning the case, Park Do-Joon let the incident pass without lingering over it.

Hyun Sung-Beom continued

— She’s not in a good condition right now. Her house was taken from her, and she's now working as a general manager at a goshitel[1] in Sinrim-dong, receiving 300,000 won a month. Well, if people manage a library, they don’t usually cover your accommodation and food.

“I see,” Ha Jae-Gun said. From his perspective, Won Ji-Yeon wasn’t worthy of his sympathy. She was just someone with nothing to her name but was still an opportunist like Chae Bo-Ra.

— I apologize for bringing this up, but I thought I just had to tell you this.

“Haha... I understand.”

— I would love to help you in any way I can. I’ll do everything I can, so please let me know.

A smile grew on Ha Jae-Gun’s face. He was grateful for Hyun Sung-Beom’s concern despite being all the way in Japan on a business trip.

“I don’t think that’s anything I require your help for, but thank you so much for looking out for me. There’s really nothing in particular I want.”

— Is that so...

“I just thought nothing would actually be resolved, and things would only get noisier from there on. That’s how it seems to me.”

— That’s... true....

Hyun Sung-Beom’s short and intense sigh was heard through the line.

— It’s not easy to turn the tables with just one eyewitness appearing on the field. I feel like I’ve just made you more unsettled instead.

“No, no. It’s related to me, after all, and I’m grateful to hear this from you so quickly as well.”

Ha Jae-Gun turned his chair toward the window and added, “And just in case if you’re going to turn this into an article, you don’t have to be concerned about me.”

— Thank you, Mr. Ha. I’ll have to talk to our maknae more about this once I return to Korea.

“When are you returning? Let me buy you a meal.”

— I should be back in three or four days at the longest. I’ll get a souvenir for you too.

After a few exchanges, Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call. Just then, a small commotion came from outside. Ha Jae-Gun stepped out, wondering who had arrived at the office, and spotted Kwon Tae-Won surrounded by the writers.

“Ah, it’s President Kwon.”

“Hello, Writer Ha.” Kwon Tae-Won smiled brightly and approached Ha Jae-Gun. Following behind him was a man in possibly his thirties. “This is our new employee at Laugh Books. Deputy Lee, please introduce yourself.”

“Hello, Mr. Ha. I am Lee Chan-Sung.” Lee Chan-Sung bowed a deep bow, showing his utmost respect. “I have just joined Laugh Books, and I'm glad to meet you. I look forward to learning from you, and please take care of me.”

“I should be the one saying that.” Ha Jae-Gun shook hands with the new employee and asked, “You must have worked with another publisher before this, right?”

“Yes, um...” Lee Chan-Sung scratched his nose lightly while glancing around, then said, “I was with Haetae Media for a while before coming over.”

Hearing the words Haetae Media threw everyone else off, their eyes widening in an instant. Jeon Bong-Yi’s reaction was the most noticeable. Her teeth were chattering so much that she had to clench her jaws so tight while glaring intensely at Lee Chan-Sung.

‘He was from Haetae Media...?’ There was no way Jeon Bong-Yi could view the man without prejudice. Thankfully, she managed to receive her overdue royalties thanks to Ha Jae-Gun, otherwise, the discomfort she was feeling would have shown on her face.

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you,” Ha Jae-Gun greeted the newcomer with spirit while observing Jeon Bong-Yi. “Laugh Books is a really good company. You’ll know immediately after seeing the President for the first time. I’m not saying this because I have signed with them for The Breath.”

Ha Jae-Gun made the group break out into chuckles.

Kwon Tae-Won waited for the laughter to subside, then said, “There’s a lot of calls coming into the office because of you, Writer Ha.”

“Me? What kind of calls were they?”

“They’re from writers who had signed contracts with Haetae Media before, saying that they managed to receive their overdue royalties thanks to you, and would like to get your contact details to thank you personally. “

Ha Jae-Gun smiled an embarrassed smile. Just who was the first to share this news on the internet? If it weren’t for the writers in the office, it would probably be one of the employees from Haetae Media, but there was no way of knowing the truth.

Kang Min-Ho chimed in, “Have you seen the post that was circulating the internet with the title: Dignity of Writer Ha Jae-Gun?”

“No, I haven’t. There’s such a post?”

“Look at this.” Min-Ho searched for the post on his laptop and showed it to everyone else who gathered around him.

[I heard Writer Ha Jae-Gun putting his foot down, telling them not to take advantage of the poor writers, and that he’ll take the company down if they didn’t pay the overdue royalties. That’s why Haetae Media reacted swiftly. So all the writers who have received their overdue royalties should thank Writer Ha.]

“...”

Ha Jae-Gun dropped his jaw, finding it absurd. Although there was some truth in it, most of the content in the post was exaggerated. The comments under that post were much more of an entertaining read.

- Miyal: Seems like there’s a writer from his office who had published their novel with Haetae Media. That’s why he stepped up, isn’t it?

- SweetKyeong-Jin: But didn’t Ha Jae-Gun publish the Pezellon series with Haetae Media? Doesn’t that mean he’s on good terms with them?

- YooDong1: Nonsense;;; I heard from someone I know who’s working there that their president and the department head had knelt before him;;;

- Jeriam: Upstairs, for real??? Woah, incredible kekeke

- WoodenHorse: Just what the heck is he??? Seems like the photo of Master Pizza’s CEO kneeling before him in the past wasn’t photoshopped /shiver

- SeoDam: Please tell me how I can join Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s office.

“Wait, what absurd nonsense is this...? Kneeling?”

“That’s how the internet is. But don’t worry too much; there are almost no negative comments.”

“Ah, seriously. How did this spread? It’s not from our office, so that means it came from Haetae Media.”

“But it’ll be strange if the story leaked from one of them; wouldn’t it be considered a team kill?”

The writers chimed in one after the other, and the commotion grew. Lee Chan-Sung pretended to head to the toilet sneakily with sweat running down his back.

‘That’s why I shouldn’t drink and go online...!’ Lee Chan-Sung washed his face with cold water so much that the skin on his face could almost come off. Either way, he didn’t feel much regret since he had written it out of respect for Ha Jae-Gun in the first place. Lee Chan-Sung sneered at his face, which had turned red.

***

“How can you still call yourself a manager?!”

“I’m really sorry! She said she was tired and wanted to be alone, but suddenly...!” Chae Bo-Ra’s manager could not raise his head before the department head like a student getting punished, shivering in place.

“You call that an excuse?! How could you leave her alone just because of that?! Go, leave now, punk!”

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll fly over to Fukuoka right now and bring her back immediately.” Chae Bo-Ra’s manager bowed repeatedly.

The department head was fuming so badly, with his hands on his hips and letting out a heavy sigh while looking at the ceiling. He knew Chae Bo-Ra’s character, so he couldn’t put all the blame on her manager alone. “It’s such a crucial period now, that crazy brat...!”

They wouldn’t have been this anxious if she had mentioned it early. Just what was her motive for flying to Japan without any notice? Was it as per the one-liner message she had left for her manager?

Bzzt!

His phone rang in his pocket. It was a call that he had been waiting for, so he quickly answered it.

“Yeah, did you find out?”

— I don’t think it’s related to Director Cho Cheol-Won; he flew to Thailand to play golf.

“Are you sure?”

— Yes. With See&Good’s recent acquisition, things had been chaotic for him for a while. I’ve seen photos of him there, too.

“Alright, got it.”

The department head hung up the call, tilting his head. He knew that Director Cho Cheol-Won from See&Good was Chae Bo-Ra’s sponsor. There had been several crises, and each time, the CEO and department head would use their power to control the media as Chae Bo-Ra’s marketability was quite significant.

‘Was it really just a vacation...?’ he wondered with slight relief. It was comforting to know that she did not accompany Director Cho to Thailand.

“Keep calling her.” The department head pointed at the manager. “If she answers, make sure you figure out where she is, and then go over to bring her back. Do your job properly, punk. How else can you work here for the rest of your life?”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir. I’ll do it right.”

“Don’t be all words.”

The manager was still trembling in fear. The department head felt apologetic inside and lowered his tone. “Why are you skin and bones? Have you been eating regularly?”

“Y-yes... sir.”

The department head then stuffed a 100,000 won cash cheque into the manager’s pocket. “Go have some good food.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t be intimidated after getting reprimanded, too. Stand up straight, punk. I know you’re having a hard time, but it’s still your job, after all. You should manage your job well and try to resolve the issues.”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind. I’m really sorry.”

The department head patted the latter’s shoulder and left. All alone now, the manager whipped out his phone and dialed Chae Bo-Ra’s number. He made one, two, and a third call. It was on the fourth time after persistence when Chae Bo-Ra finally answered the phone.

— Ah, what is it?

“Bo-Ra, why are you doing this to me?”

— What did I do? I sent you a message saying that I’m going to Japan for a vacation, didn’t I?

“I’m your manager... You should let me know early so that we can discuss about it.”

— What’s there to discuss? Would I get cast if I discuss anything with you? Or will my commercial contracts get renewed? I can’t kill time for too long by just doing yoga at home. I’m on the verge of going crazy the past few days.

“The president is fuming, and I just got reprimanded by the department head, too. Come back to Korea, Bo-Ra. You’re on a hiatus now; what if you get into trouble while you’re out—”

A sharp snort from Bo-Ra interrupted him.

— Why are you saying it like that? People will misunderstand and think that I’m a troublemaker. Ugh, just in case I get into trouble, at least I’m at a place where no one knows me! I’ll hang out on my own and go back when it’s time, so don’t call me! Bye!

Beep!

“Bo-Ra! Bo-Ra! That bitch seriously...!” he cursed unconsciously. He suppressed the urge to smash his phone and dialed Chae Bo-Ra’s number once more. He roared like a beast when the phone informed him that Chae Bo-Ra's phone was turned off.

***

“Reporter Hyun, aren’t you going to eat?”

“You can go ahead first. I still have something missing from the perfume interview, so I’ll head back to the hotel first.”

“You’re so diligent wherever you are. I’ll see you later back at the hotel then.”

“Okay. Don’t get drunk on sake alone out there again.” Hyun Sung-Beom parted ways with his junior and headed back to the hotel.

His footsteps were light as he traversed the streets of Japan after doing good media coverage of the Japanese girl group with an upcoming concert in Korea. He could do a good write-up on it. Just as he stopped at the traffic light at a quiet intersection...

“Hmm...?” Hyun Sung-Beom squinted. He looked across the street and saw a familiar-looking man in his mid-forties. “Who is that? He looks strangely familiar....”

The pedestrian light turned green. Hyun Sung-Beom stepped onto the crossroad, and as the distance between him and the familiar-looking man narrowed, he was able to get a clearer view of the man’s face.

‘Ah! DongMyeong Networks!’ Hyun Sung-Beom finally recalled and clapped his hand in exclamation.

DongMyeong Networks was a company that produces TV shows, specifically TV dramas. The man he saw was the company’s CEO, Lee Dong-Myeong.

‘Why is he in Japan? Should I say hello?’ Hyun Sung-Beom had met the man a couple of times while visiting the broadcasting station. Seeing the man in casual attire got Hyun Sung-Beom thinking that he wasn’t in Japan on business. Hyun Sung-Beom pulled out his name card and approached Dong-Myeong.

Just then...

“Did I make you wait for a long time?”

A woman entered his line of sight. Hyun Sung-Beom was so surprised to see the woman that he immediately hid in the crowd.

‘W-what... is this?’ The coquettish woman holding Dong-Myeong’s hand tightly was someone he recognized. Dong-Myeong swatted her hand away lightly and looked around worriedly.

Hyun Sung-Beom gulped and opened the camera app on his phone. His reporter instinct had kicked in. He had to ponder over their relationship, but he had to take photos of them first. He pressed the capture button on his phone incessantly, capturing dozens of photos in just a few seconds.

1. Otherwise, also known as goshiwons are similar to off-campus dormitories with small private rooms, large enough to fit just a single bed, small desk, mini fridge, and maybe an ensuite bathroom. They were originally meant as a place for students to study for exams, but are also open for rent to people from all walks of life. ?