Big Life

Chapter 224. People Are Important (3)

“What is it?”

“It's nothing....” Ha Jae-In smiled sheepishly and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “It’s nothing, really. You’ve become a famous writer, and I can finally drink with my younger brother while having sashimi without worries... Gosh.” Ha Jae-In’s face turned into one of delight as she looked out the window.

Raindrops were falling on the window.

“Wow, it’s the winter rain. That’s nice.”

“Stop changing the topic.”

“I wasn't. I was just too happy, and I cried because it reminded me of the times when I had been living as a foolish woman."

“Why are you....”

Ha Jae-Gun concealed his sadness and took a piece of sashimi to put into his mouth. He was aware of his sister’s poor acting skills, but her actions today were too natural. It didn’t look like forced acting to him; it was so good that even he was fooled.

“But the lyrics, did I really help you with it?”

“Yeah, you did. I have a clearer direction now.”

“That’s great. I’ll buy this meal. Ah, and what’s the name of the unit that Lee Chae-Rin and Han Yu-Na are in?”

“I think they’re going to be called C.Y., taken from the initials of their names.”

“What about the title of your song?”

“That’s not fixed yet, I'm not really confident at naming things.” Ha Jae-Gun fell into conflict as he thought of the song title.

Meanwhile, Ha Jae-In let out a soft sigh of relief. Her emotions, which she almost couldn’t keep under control, had almost been caught by her own brother.

The ordinary winter day was coming to an end.

***

How long had it been since he had spent over five hours in the study? A thought suddenly came to Nam Gyu-Baek as he flipped to the last page of the novel. The lingering emotion in him was suffocating.

‘Seems like I’ll be getting withdrawals for a while.’ Nam Gyu-Baek let out a soft groan and looked up. The sight of his quiet study full of books filled his eyes.

As he gazed blankly into the air, the silhouette of a woman surfaced in his mind. It moved across the room in various locations, reading a book for a moment, cleaning the dusty bookshelves, and even the rug on the floor.

‘Honey....’

His wife’s reflection when she was still around made him take a huge gulp. This was all because of Foolish Woman, which he had just finished reading. The female lead in the novel was highly similar to his late wife—a foolish woman who had no idea what she ought to do for herself. The character's devotion to her family had the most resemblance to his wife.

His wife’s face surfaced in his mind a couple of times while he was reading the novel, and he would gulp each time to suppress his own feelings. Nam Gyu-Baek had bid farewell to his youth decades ago.

However, he was still deeply in love with his late wife. Two women were still living in his heart, and he could still see them vividly in the most beautiful and brilliant moments he had back then with them.

‘He’s written a very engaging novel.’ Nam Gyu-Baek blinked his bloodshot eyes and smiled bitterly. In fact, he was moved, plus it had been a long time since he had read such a good novel. Thanks to the resemblance of the main character in the novel to his late wife, the book would become his favorite book for the rest of his life.

Nam Gyu-Baek got interested in Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s other works.

‘He must be quite active.’

Nam Gyu-Baek accessed the internet and looked up information related to Ha Jae-Gun, clicking his tongue. He hadn’t known about it before since he didn’t have much interest, but Ha Jae-Gun was almost unrivaled among the local writers.

He was a writer who had the best of both worlds in both commercial and literary areas while crossing various genres. He had even swept various reputable literary and film festival awards, including the Minister of Culture commendation. He also drew astonishing results abroad with the adaptations of his original works.

All of these achievements were made under one writer, Ha Jae-Gun.

‘This is what Gyu-Ho made.’

Nam Gyu-Baek smiled while reading the news about Oscar’s Dungeon, which had become a huge hit in China and Taiwan. He couldn’t help but smile after seeing the achievements his beloved son had achieved for himself.

Just then....

Knock knock.

“Come in,” Nam Gyu-Baek said dryly.

As the door opened gently, his confidante, Department Head Bae, stepped into the study. “I’ve looked into it as per your instructions.”

“Don’t just stand there, speak.” Nam Gyu-Baek stood up from his rocking chair. The two men sat across from each other on the sofa.

Department Head Bae twiddled his fingers and slowly said, “I’m not sure where I should start...”

“Just say whatever that comes to mind.”

“She’s thirty-three years old this year. She has her parents and a younger brother in her family. She majored in historical studies at Yisoo Women’s University and never went to graduate school.”

“Yisoo Women’s University? She must have been quite a studious girl.”

“Yes, she has taken up all kinds of side gigs before starting the academy, such as visiting teachers, proofreading and editing study materials, and even translating. I asked a colleague where Ms. Jae-In had worked back then, and they said that she hadn’t even taken a day off, as visiting teachers earn as much as they worked.

"They even said that she had to earn money for her university tuition fee and living expenses.”

“Hm...” Nam Gyu-Baek nodded as he leaned against the headrest. This was a plausible story acceptable to him after having met Ha Jae-In thrice.

“But did she really work hard to save the money for her academy? How did she manage to quit her job and open the academy? Even though her academy is set up outside of Seoul, it should have taken up quite a considerable amount of savings.”

“I’m about to get there. It was thanks to Ms. Ha Jae-In’s younger brother that their family situation had improved. And...” Department Head Bae then glanced sideways, looking at the copy of Foolish Woman left on Nam Gyu-Baek’s desk. “Her younger brother is Writer Ha Jae-Gun.”

“...?” Nam Gyu-Baek was about to reach out to pick up the teacup when he stiffened. The information about Ha Jae-Gun was still showing on his monitor screen.

“I did find the name familiar but didn’t realize it sooner. I’m sorry, sir.” Department Head Bae apologized.

“No, wait....” Nam Gyu-Baek waved his hand. “That young lady’s younger brother is Ha Jae-Gun?”

“Yes, sir.”

“He’s... the same person as this writer I’m reading about now?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“And also the original work’s writer that my son has been creating games from?”

“Yes, Oscar’s Dungeon and Gyeoja Bathhouse.” Department Head Bae replied relentlessly.

Nam Gyu-Baek was stunned for a moment. He then turned to look at the book he had left on the table. “So... this book you brought me was written by this Ha Jae-Gun?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And that means...” Nam Gyu-Baek couldn't continue further and let out a groan, leaning his head back. The pieces of information were slowly coming together. It was revealed that the main character in Foolish Woman was created with his own sister in mind, and his son was dating that very same lady in the book.

‘Was that why I felt that way....’ Nam Gyu-Baek had wavered when he met Ha Jae-In for the second time. He could finally understand why he was reminded of his late wife, even though they didn't look similar at all.

Department Head Bae sounded serious as he continued. “After looking into it, it turned out that Writer Ha Jae-Gun had obtained a ton of assets. He had earned an unbelievable amount of money in just three years. His net worth is estimated to hit twenty billion won soon, so the overseas market must be massive indeed.”

Nam Gyu-Baek listened to his confidante in a daze. He couldn’t believe that the writer could make so much money through writing at such a young age. It was a surprise, as even the head of a large corporation with a market value of over eight trillion won couldn't possibly earn so much money in just three years.

“When did Gyu-Ho say that he’ll return?”

“I think he’ll be staying at the Taiwan branch until next week.”

“Alright, I got it. You can leave now.”

“Yes, sir.” Department Head Bae closed the door behind him as he stepped out of the study.

Nam Gyu-Baek let out a sigh at the complex thoughts circling in his mind. Even with his approval, would Nam Gyu-Ho's relationship with that lady even last long? He looked at the photo frame sitting on his table, and his late wife smiled brightly at him.

***

— I don’t think you have to touch up Market Place any further. Would you mind if I proceed with the publication?

“Go ahead, editor-in-chief. I’ll leave it in your good hands once again.”

The revised manuscript for Market Place had finally satisfied the editor-in-chief. Feeling refreshed, Ha Jae-Gun’s heart was pounding with excitement as another burden on his mind was completely lifted.

— I will arrange 200,000 copies of Market Place for preorders.

“What? 200,000 copies?”

— Why are you surprised? It’s your novel, so it will definitely sell. In fact, I’d actually like to arrange for 500,000 copies instead.

“Wait, editor-in-chief. Even so, I’m still worried since this is just a short story collection.”

— You're the author, so how come you still don’t know the hearts of your readers? One of the short stories has been released as a one-act play, and despite that, look at your current status. You really don't have to be worried.

“I”m thankful to hear this from you, but I really don’t know. You can’t blame me if the novel doesn’t sell once it's published.”

— Hahaha, no way. If that happens, I’ll load all those books into a truck and go around on foot to sell them.

Ha Jae-Gun and Oh Myung-Suk burst into laughter. Their long-term relationship and friendship had grown stronger. They could even exchange jokes aside from their usual business-related talks.

“Is Ms. Yoo-Jin doing well?”

— Yes, she’s still ever busy despite staying at home. She’s been looking through the English manuscript for The Breath and having online meetings with Open House. She’s much busier than me with a nine-to-five job. She often talks with President Kwon as well.

The two then discussed the autograph events and interviews to commemorate the publication of Market Place. After their call ended, Ha Jae-Gun gripped the armrests of his chair and stood up.

“Rika, Nun-Sol, do you want to get some February fresh air with me?” There was someone he needed to visit after completing another novel. Rika immediately understood where Ha Jae-Gun was going and ran over.

Nun-Sol clumsily followed behind her.

“Elder, we’ve come to visit.”

“Meow.”

Ha Jae-Gun and Rika stood side by side before Seo Gun-Woo’s grave, greeting the elderly. Being particularly sensitive to cold, Nun-Sol stayed in the embrace of Ha Jae-Gun’s jacket.

“Thanks to your teachings, I was able to complete Market Place without any hiccups. They’re printing 200,000 copies for preorders, but I’m worried if we can sell that many copies,” Ha Jae-Gun said as he looked around the tombstone. He often dropped by here, so there wasn’t much he had to clean up.

Just then, Seo Geon-Woo’s son came to his mind. Ha Jae-Gun remembered keeping that letter, which said that he would be going on a long trip to look for traces of his father. However, he still hadn’t heard from Seo Gun-Woo’s son; Ha Jae-Gun was getting worried about how the elder’s son was doing.

‘He did say not to contact him first....’ Ha Jae-Gun hesitated for a while before deciding to pull out his phone. He then looked up Seo Sang-Do’s number and pressed the dial button.

However, the operator told him that the number no longer existed.

“Rika, they said it’s a number that doesn't exist.”

“Meow...?”

“Perhaps I should have attempted to contact him earlier.” Ha Jae-Gun muttered bitterly and served a glass of soju to the elder’s tombstone. Ha Jae-Gun then sat on the cold grass patch and lifted his own glass. He couldn’t drink it since he had driven over here, but he wet his lips with it as a gesture of courtesy.

‘Hm...?’ When Ha Jae-Gun approached his house, he stared out the car window as he spotted a few men lurking around his main door. One of them was the section chief of the general affairs department, whom he had met during the lecture at the library and the brisk walking competition.

“What is the matter?” Ha Jae-Gun alighted from his car and asked with a face full of caution. This was the second time he had come to Ha Jae-Gun’s house, unsolicited. The alcohol was starting to influence him, despite only wetting his lips with it earlier.

“Aigoo, Mr. Ha. Hello.” The men gathered around Ha Jae-Gun and began greeting him one by one and introducing themselves.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Suk Min-Kwan, deputy head of the district office.”

“I’m Section Chief Lee Geum-Dong, overseeing the cultural and sports department.”

“I’m Lee Cheol-Min, in charge of cultural events.”

“Yes, how may I help you?” Ha Jae-Gun went straight to the point as he didn’t have any intention of inviting them into his house.

Sneaking glances, the section chief of the general affairs department said, “Our district office is planning to hold a Night for Literary Persons in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. We would like to invite you, Mr. Ha, to the event and also to host the event.”

“Wait, wait.” Ha Jae-Gun cut the man off immediately.

It was the brisk walking competition before, and now the Night for Literary Persons? He had already gotten an unsolicited invite like this from them once, but they were doing the same again?

“Are you saying that everything has been laid out?”

“Yes, Mr. Ha. Our head of the district office said that everything has been prepared, so you can just appear at the event, and the Vice Minister of Culture will attend this time as well. It’s timely that the event will be held on a nice spring day in March...”

Ha Jae-Gun bit his lip unknowingly. “Regardless of the preparations and season, have you ever once mentioned it to me? I’ve said this during the brisk walking competition as well, but shouldn’t you at least ask for my agreement?”

“Ah, that’s... that’s why we’re here to ask you now. We thought that if we told you after everything had been prepared, you would be happy to hear about it....” The man trailed off, and the group looked at each other cautiously.

Ha Jae-Gun opened the door into his house slightly and sent Rika and Nun-Sol back into the house, then said, “I don’t like this at all. I’ve clearly expressed my opinion back then, hoping that it doesn’t happen again.”

“But Mr. Ha, we have already announced your participation, and many readers are looking forward to your—”

“That’s your mistake, section chief.” Ha Jae-Gun was so frustrated that he ended up raising his voice. “It seems like you’re holding my readers hostage. Otherwise, I would have mentioned it on my own social media. Events not shared on my social media are not guaranteed to happen.”

“N-no, Mr. Ha. I didn’t mean it like that...!” The flustered civil servant scurried with red faces. Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his phone. He clicked on a news article and showed it to the group.

“This article appeared on the district news. Do you see the title? Superior personal connection between head of district office Yang Beom-Shik and Writer Ha Jae-Gun. Does this make sense to you? I don’t even know him, but I actually have a superior personal connection with him?”

“Um... Mr. Ha, that article—”

Ha Jae-Gun didn't give them a second to reply. “Please tell the head of the district office, Mr. Yang Beom-Shik, that I can now tell why he keeps on coming up with events while trying to get me involved. I do not have any intention to participate in his events. Do you understand?”

Ha Jae-Gun finished his piece and turned around immediately. The civil servants could not leave and stomped their feet hastily after Ha Jae-Gun closed the door on them.

“Mr. Ha! I think there are some misunderstandings as I didn’t make myself clear enough! Wait, please hear me out! Please! Mr. Ha! Mr. Ha!”

Ha Jae-Gun ignored the group and crossed the garden. Rika and Nun-Sol followed closely behind him.

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang in his pocket. Thinking that it was the civil servant calling brought a cold smile to his face. Just as he was about to block the number, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Hello? Director Nam?”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. How have you been?

“I’m doing fine. How are you, Director Nam? What's with the sudden call?”

— Um...

Had Nam Gyu-Ho ever done this before? Ha Jae-Gun was both surprised and doubtful to hear the hesitation in Nam Gyu-Ho's voice.

“What is it? Is there some bad news regarding the online game development of The Breath?”

— No, it’s not about that. The game development of The Breath is going well. But Mr. Ha....

A short sigh came through the line. Nam Gyu-Ho then said slowly.

— I’m really sorry, but... can you come over to my house?