Big Life

Chapter 246. It’s Fine Even If You Can’t Speak English (2)

[The ghost, The Breath: Dragon Rider, that has been traveling across L.A., has finally spread its wings]

[Ha Jae-Gun’s newest fantasy novel, which was secretly in preparations, has officially entered the U.S. market, mainly focusing on California]

[Representative from Open House: We will do our best in marketing and connecting with readers of Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s published works]

[L.A. Times and San Jose Mercury News introducing The Breath: Dragon Rider; ‘The partnership between an abandoned knight and dragon’]

[On-site photos of the long line of readers trying to buy Dragon Rider: It’s taken too long, Poongchun-Yoo!]

Open House had kept its promise. The Breath was now known beyond L.A. and had expanded its target to the entire California state, continuing its aggressive marketing efforts.

They had connections to almost everywhere: major newspapers and magazines, Korean communities, and all large and small genre literature sites. Responses from L.A. were conveyed to Korea in real-time through the Internet. The words “The Breath officially released in the U.S.” dominated the major search portals in Korea.

The novel's sales volume soared once again.

The interest shown by Korean readers had also broken through the roof. Even Ha Jae-Gun, who did not usually use his social media, posted a short post after a long while.

The title that I had initially come up with, Dragon Rider, which was shot down by everyone else, has finally been proven to be a global preference through this publication.

- Ohhh kekekeke crazy TTTTTTTTTT Seems like he’s had a hard time whenever he had to come up with the title for his works kekekeke

- Writer Lee Yeon-Woo had also mentioned it on his blog kekeke. He said that Writer Ha Jae-Gun has bad naming sense but thinks otherwise kekekeke. The writers in the office would always let out a sigh whenever he tells them the title of his latest works kekeke.

- What’s wrong with Dragon Rider?! It’s intuitive and good!

- Person above, are you Writer Ha Jae-Gun? Please comment with your own account.

- Is there a difference from the original? If there are new illustrations, I would buy the entire set for my personal collection.

The response on the internet was so great that everyone could feel the heat through their monitors. It was a given since The Breath was Ha Jae-Gun's bestselling novel out of all of his works in Korea.

Thanks to this, Chae Yoo-Jin couldn’t stop smiling despite being busy preparing for her upcoming childbirth. Her days passed quickly, just monitoring related news, reading the reactions of the readers in the U.S., and calling up various media outlets and agencies in New York.

It was also part of Chae Yoo-Jin’s job to put together a document that included the above information to disseminate to reporters, including Hyun Sung-Beom from Weekly Trends. Despite working from home, her workload was still quite heavy, making Oh Myung-Suk worry to no end.

“What? All 140,000 copies were sold out? We're already going into reprints? Ohohohoho! How could I not laugh, Eden? It's not even three days since the delivery began!”

The response of the teens in California was extremely high, as they were able to relate better to the story, especially since the knight had met the dragon just when he had just been abandoned and had turned his back on the world.

The internet conveyed the endless emotions of adventure, romance, friendship, and love they had experienced in this fantasy world.

“I've got a very good feeling about this right off the bat. It's tugging at the heartstrings of the teens. The romance element is quite strong in this novel as well, so we have a considerably healthy number of female readers, too.” Chae Yoo-Jin said as she took over Oh Myung-Suk's coat, who had just returned home from work. “I'm not worried about California now. Should I say that I've had this feeling all along?

"I just have to compile all the hot responses and soaring sales and then send it over to New York. Barnes and Nobles, Trident, and Harvard Square should all just trust me with promotions.”

“You must be ecstatic. It's good to see you enjoying yourself, but I'm worried that you're working too much, so I can't be happy with you for too long.” Oh Myung-Suk looked down at the ground.

Chae Yoo-Jin smiled brightly as she caressed her belly, where his gaze had fallen upon. “How happy our child must be when mommy is so happy? Don’t worry, I’m eating and sleeping well while working.”

Chae Yoo-Jin stretched and murmured, “I should repay him.”

“Repay?”

Chae Yoo-Jin nodded and locked eyes with Oh Myung-Suk. “Mr. Ha. Don’t you want to repay him as well?”

“Yeah... we owe him a lot,” Oh Myung-Suk said as he ruffled Chae Yoo-Jin’s scattered hair.

Chae Yoo-Jin giggled like a young girl and buried herself into his chest.

***

However, not everyone was happy. This was especially so for a certain movie director who had suffered a crushing defeat at the box office for his latest production.

Having nothing to do since he couldn’t find any investors for his movie, Woo Jae-Hoon had been spending more and more time holed up in his house.

“These damn bastards, it’s such an interesting plot...!” Woo Jae-Hoon growled as he clenched the tattered document in hand.

It was the scenario he had completed quite some time back. It was titled “Final Godfather.” The comedy depicted the story of a boy who had just learned about the existence of his father—a wealthy mafia boss in the U.S. The boy then went on a journey, looking for his father.

The true value of scenarios would only appear once it was turned into movies.

However, no one was willing to invest in it. Even Newdown, the distributing company with which his relationship had gone down the drain, had been ignoring his calls. It was due to the messed up interview he had done using the company as an excuse after his movie’s failure.

“Hello? Please deliver a large set of pig trotters here. Service? It’ll be soju, of course. What’s with that mindless question?”

Woo Jae-Hoon had been drinking alone a lot more often now that he had nothing to do. After roughly two bottles, he lost his mind and was filled with anger. Unable to withstand the shame and boredom, Woo Jae-Hoon pressed the power button on his computer.

“What, this punk?” Woo Jae-Hoon’s eyes burned in anger as soon as he accessed Navin.

The internet was swarming with news of Ha Jae-Gun once again. His name was plastered all over the keyword search rankings and even the main news.

“First edition sold out in just three days? Tsk, America is huge, and it’s not even sold out in three hours, so what’s so great about that?!”

Woo Jae-Hoon’s teeth chattered in anger just hearing Ha Jae-Gun’s name. He began reacting in this way when Ha Jae-Gun’s name became an indicator of his incompetence. His impulsive production of Summer in My 20s was the start of his nightmare.

“Argh...! The American market would be easy peasy for me as long as I can find some investors...!” Woo Jae-Hoon seethed, but he didn’t have any concrete plans nor any alternatives.

Woo Jae-Hoon looked around his house with a distorted face. If he were to secure funds for his new movie, he would require cash and even had to put up his house for collateral.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough.

'I have to crush my own pride...!' Woo Jae-Hoon finally picked up his phone and looked up his contacts list. After most of his relationships had turned sour, there weren’t many people who would answer his call. There was only one person left, whom he believed would answer his call.

— Hello?

“D-Do-Joon!” Woo Jae-Hoon stuttered, surprised to find Park Do-Joon willing to answer his call at this point. “H-how are you? I’ve been watching your news, and you’ve recently become very popular in China. I knew you’d make it big, boy!”

— What is it?

“Hmm?”

— Why did you call? I answered immediately, hoping that we wouldn’t have to come in contact ever again. I have to go out soon.

Park Do-Joon’s cold voice sounded on edge. Woo Jae-Hoon realized that the latter had lost all affection but still persevered. “Y-yeah. You must be busy, so I’ll go straight to the point. Will you... invest in my latest movie?”

— No.

Woo Jae-Hoon raised his voice intuitively to Park Do-Joon’s quick response. “Why are you so determined?! You haven't even asked about it yet! You haven’t even read a single word in the scenario either!”

— I just have no interest in your—no, Director Woo’s movies. Can I hang up now?

“Do-Joon...! W, wait, don’t hang up yet!”

Woo Jae-Hoon’s voice raised sharply, feeling anxious. “I’ll be straightforward. I have to get back on my feet. Hmm? I have to make a comeback, but I’m totally pushed into a corner right now. Otherwise, why would I call you if I weren’t in a desperate situation?”

— ...

“I’m not asking for a lot. You’re earning big bucks anyway, so just ten large pieces would be sufficient. Let’s talk in person. Let me show you the scenario and buy you a meal. I’m really confident this time.”

— Director Woo.

Park Do-Joon’s clear-cut tone was heard.

— You just said that I’m earning big bucks, right?

”Y-yes. I did. Why?”

— It’s all my hard-earned money. I should be using them in the right places and have no intention of throwing them into the trash.

”W, what...?! What did you say, you punk?!” Woo Jae-Hoon’s eyes widened in shock. His body temperature shot up as well, which was fueled by the alcohol. “What did you just say?! T-trash?! I was the one who helped you become who you are today! How dare you speak to me like that?!”

— I’ve repaid you many more times as compared to how much you’ve done for me. And I saw that you’ve gone on a debate on TV, sharing your so-called objective views and righteous attitude. Is that something a movie director should be doing? You should act like your title.

”What?! Are you done? Come see me right now! Let’s see this until the end!”

— I’ll be hanging up now.

Beep!

“H-hello? Hey! Do-Joon! Do-Joon! That darned punk!”

Woo Jae-Hoon hurled his phone to the floor. Then, he grabbed his head and stepped out of his room into his living room, roaring, “Sure, fuck it! So, you’ve decided to forget about the old days now, huh? Let’s wait and see! Did you think I wouldn’t be able to produce a movie without your help?!

"I’m Woo Jae-Hoon! I can definitely enter the U.S. market on my own!” Woo Jae-Hoon waved his arms in the air. His frenzy did not stop until a security guard arrived.

***

[Director Woo Jae-Hoon’s social media post directed at Ha Jae-Gun?: 140,000 copies in America? What’s so great about it when it’s equivalent to 1,400 copies in Korea?]

[Original post deleted four hours later, but the situation has evolved significantly]

[Anonymous official from Chungmuro: Woo Jae-Hoon’s new movie is struggling without investors]

“The movie is interesting. I’m sorry for not showing up at the movie preview.”

“If you are, order one of everything on the menu.”

“Just don’t waste any of the thick black bean sauce noodles[1].”

Ha Jae-Gun and Park Do-Joon sat together in the lounge basement of Ha Jae-Gun’s house, enjoying their lunch. Rika and Nun-Sol were holed up in the corner by the stairs, playing among themselves.

“Wow, but you really sounded like a native Chinese speaker. How is that possible?”

“I’ve only practiced whatever’s in the scenario. I’m not a genius at all,” Park Do-Joon said, but he still cast a surreptitious glance at Ha Jae-Gun. “Did I really sound like one?”

“Yes, I just told you.”

”Would you be able to give me the role of someone who speaks Chinese if you were to produce a movie?”

”Yeah, I would.”

Park Do-Joon grinned. Since Ha Jae-Gun had said so, he would believe it, even if it were flattery. Feeling happy, Park Do-Joon changed their topic to one about Ha Jae-Gun’s work.

”I heard that the second reprint of The Breath is already sold out. Is that for real?”

“Yeah, I heard it personally from Open House on the phone. Response from California is good overall; it seems like the word of mouth is going well.” Ha Jae-Gun then tapped on his phone and added, “I receive hundreds of emails from my readers. It’s exhausting to even translate and reply to each and every one of them.

"It’s torture when I have to refer to the dictionary and use a translating program while reading and replying to them.”

“You’re obviously liking it. What if your novel becomes a hit like Harrison Potter?”

“I’m a person with a conscience, so I won’t have such ridiculous expectations.”

“How would I know? Did Harrison Potter become a hit right off the bat? Every publishing company rejected it, and it also started from a small company specializing in children’s books. On top of that, the CEO also mentioned that they couldn’t make money as a children’s book, but look at it now. How much have they earned so far?”

“I understand why you’re so excited. Alright, thank you. I believe it’ll work out.”

“What’s most important is word of mouth. Aish, if I knew things would turn out this way, I would have entered Hollywood first and promoted The Breath for you instead. It’s my mistake to hold myself back from toppling the rice and bowl of the Hollywood actors.”

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang, and his phone showed a phone call from Lee Soo-Hee. Ha Jae-Gun put down his chopsticks and answered it.

“Yeah, Lee Soo-Hee. Have you had lunch?”

— Yeah, I had ssambap[2] with Director Nam, your brother-in-law.

”Haha... I’m having lunch with Park Do-Joon now.”

— Good. Anyway, I called to ask about an overseas article I read about while looking up on the Internet. But I’m not sure what I should say about it.

“What do you mean?”

— I’ll send the link to you, so just take a look at it. It’s not so long, so interpret it on your own, Writer Ha.

“Alright, I got it.” Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call, feeling strange.

A while later, he clicked on the link sent by Lee Soo-Hee and an English article popped up on the screen.

“What’s this?” Ha Jae-Gun murmured, sounding interested.

Park Do-Joon looked over as well. “What did it say? I can’t read English, so interpret it for me.”

”So... It says that there was a shooting in Orange County... and an eighteen-year-old young man was saved by a book he was holding up to his chest?” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes then focused on the article’s main body.

An eighteen-year-old student went to a barbershop, but he unfortunately ended up getting caught up in a robbery. He was shot and was sent to the hospital afterward.

“Huh...?” The photos included throughout the article made Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes grow wide. The victim on a stretcher was holding a book in his arms, and the book—with a gaping hole in it—looked extremely familiar to Ha Jae-Gun.

”Hey, Jae-Gun. Isn’t that The Breath?”

”Looks like it...” Ha Jae-Gun was baffled as he checked the date of the incident. It was on the very same day when The Breath: Dragon Rider was released.

Park Do-Joon shook his head, and then he chuckled in disbelief. “Wow, Soo-Hee has hawk eyes. How did she find this article among so many articles? There’s no mention of The Breath at all in here.”

“How do you know when you don’t even understand English?”

“Why are you looking down on me? Why won’t I be able to read the words The Breath on the picture? Look at yourself, Jae-Gun.”

“I’m joking.” Ha Jae-Gun consoled Park Do-Joon, who had leaned back into the sofa, pretending to be upset. Thinking about the victim whose life he had indirectly saved made him heave a sigh of relief, even though he wasn't familiar with the victim.

“Wow, even a book can save a man. You’ve written a great book, Jae-Gun. Wouldn’t he be happy if you could write an email to him? Looks like he’s your fan.”

”Yeah, I should probably ask Soo-Hee to help me with it after she returns from work,” Ha Jae-Gun said without much thought. Then, he stood up with his emptied bowl in hand. The article soon disappeared from his memory.

1. A dry version of the usual jjajangmyeon. Image ☜

2. Rice typically wrapped in various types of leaves. Image ☜