Big Life

Chapter 292: The Game Starts Now (3)

Creeeak.

“Welcome…” The sleepy female owner at the reception greeted him.

With a mournful look, the man walked toward the bookshelf where the bestsellers were placed. It was easy to locate as the bookstores in provinces mostly only held bestsellers.

‘Did he release another new novel…’ the man muttered mockingly to himself as he stared at the book he had picked up. He hadn’t accessed the Internet or watched television for quite a while now, as he had been consciously avoiding them, not wanting to know anything that had been going on in the world.

“I’d like to pay for this.” The man paid for the book and returned to the inn. He put down the bag of kimbap and took off his socks. Then, he leaned against the wall and began reading the book he just purchased.

“...?!” His mind and body, which had been clouded by the alcohol, turned sober instantly as he passed thirty pages into the book. The heater was clearly turned on, as the colder winter days were approaching, but the man was shaking visibly. He felt as if someone had poured a huge bucket of cold water into his room.

“How…! How…!” Oblivious to the passing of time, the man flipped through the pages of the book, and his bloodshot eyes were soon filled with tears.

***

“I’ve just contacted Wizardry. The scripting for Part Two of the movie is going smoothly as well. There’s nothing for you to be worried about going forward.”

The two men were discussing The Breath Part Two. Part One had become so popular that it ranked fourth globally. It wasn't strange that production for Part Two was going swimmingly, as the foundation was solid.

“How have you been doing recently?” Kwon Tae-Won asked after taking a sip of his coffee, admiring the interior. It had been a while since he came to visit Ha Jae-Gun’s place or even meet Ha Jae-Gun in person.

“I’ve been busy playing with Eun-Chae so much that I’ve been losing track of time.”

“I heard that she can say 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' now?”

“Yes, but she even calls my mother 'Daddy.' I think it’s because she’s been spending too much time with me.”

“Hahaha. At this rate, I think you might even start writing fairytales in the future.”

The two men burst into laughter, and then they looked up at the ceiling together. They didn’t mention it, but the view they were looking at now was one and the same. The eventful days they had together flashed across their eyes.

“You really broke into all of them.” Kwon Tae-Won was the first to break the silence between them. “Full-length novels, literature novels, webtoons, MMORPG games, mobile games, even drama and movies. You’ve dabbled into almost all areas with just a single source. Not only that, all of them had shown immense success.”

“I wouldn’t be able to make it this far on my own. I think most of it also came from luck.”

It weren't just Seo Gun-Woo and Kwon Tae-Won; many others had been helping Ha Jae-Gun as well. They were his benefactors whose grace he'd never forget, and he'd have to repay them throughout his life.

Ha Jae-Gun recalled each and every one of their faces.

Kwon Tae-Won then asked, “What are you going to write next? This is just a personal question.”

“I’m not sure… but if I have to give an answer…” Ha Jae-Gun scratched his rather long hair. There was nothing else for him to work on except for Great Life, which he couldn’t complete, as he had yet to meet Seo Sang-Do. He had finished the Records trilogy and had handed it over. Meanwhile, he still needed inspiration for The Breath Part Three.

There were many things he could write if he simply set his mind to it. He could work on a new novel or call MBS’s Content Producer Bae to work on the drama script for Marketplace right away. The problem was that Ha Jae-Gun wasn’t interested in any of those. In addition to money, his goal for writing was still unclear.

Sensing Ha Jae-Gun slowly turning serious, Kwon Tae-Won cautiously asked, “Have you been looking around at the web novel sites?”

“Yes. I do look at Munpiang, Joayo, and Redibooks occasionally. What’s wrong?”

“Then do you happen to know of the novel—The Knight Upstairs and The Lord Downstairs Loves Me Too Much It’s Troubling Me? It’s a fan fiction that's recently been gaining popularity on Joayo.”

“Wait, President Kwon. I’m sorry but what? The title was too long.”

Kwon Tae-Won pulled out his phone and looked up the novel, showing it to Ha Jae-Gun. Seeing the introduction under the lengthy title made Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widen in shock.

“Jin Cheon-Wi and Edward?”

“Haha, yes. It’s a fan fiction of the Records series and The Breath. The main characters from both novels were sucked into a dimensional rift, and they landed in another fantasy world. The two fall in love with the female lead in this novel, who is a maid. This novel has been at the top of the fan fiction category for over a month now.”

Kwon Tae-Won smacked his lips, expressing his disappointment. “It received a lot of attention, but it’s a fanfiction, so there’s not much commercial value. I really find it a pity for the writer. But…” Kwon Tae-Won smiled lightly as he stared at Ha Jae-Gun. “If you wrote it personally, there wouldn’t be much of an issue, right?”

“...Are you asking me to write a fusion novel with Jin Cheon-Wi and Edward?”

“Only if you find it interesting. I’m just suggesting that this is a possible way to write it. Do you really need to feel a burden when starting a new novel at this point?”

Ha Jae-Gun finally realized Kwon Tae-Won’s intention when he saw that bright expression. Ha Jae-Gun revealed the same expression as Kwon Tae-Won. He’d known Kwon Tae-Won since his harsh days, so having a conversation with Kwon Tae-Won face-to-face made him feel more at ease.

“I’ll get going first, then.”

“So soon? Why don’t you stay a while longer to have dinner together?”

“I have to see the site of the new office building, too. I’ll visit you again soon.”

Ha Jae-Gun followed Kwon Tae-Won to the door, sending him off. Right before opening the car door, Kwon Tae-Won looked hesitant briefly before letting out a sigh.

“What’s wrong, President?”

“Um, I didn’t think it was really important, so I didn’t bring it up before. But thinking about it now, I think it might be important to you.”

“Pardon?”

“The C.B.C. or Ministry of Culture might contact you in the near future in regards to the Korea-China cultural relations business.”

Ha Jae-Gun immediately thought of Wu Dawang upon hearing Kwon Tae-Won’s words.

“They had contacted me a few times before, asking for your opinion, what your political stand was, what you’ll be writing next, etc. They were quite adamant with their questions. They might have approached OongSung as well."

“Why did you not tell me this earlier?”

“Nothing has been decided yet, and I know you very well; you’d rather focus on your writing than do anything troublesome. I feel apologetic if this is making you feel uncomfortable. Especially when there are people like Assemblyman Kwon Sung-Deuk, who've made you feel uncomfortable many times now," said Kwon Tae-Won with a bitter smile.

Then, he opened the door to his car and added, “If I get a call in the next few days, it will be from the Ministry of Culture’s assistant secretary, as he’s the only one you’re willing to talk to.”

“Yes, it’ll probably be that way. Thank you for telling me, President Kwon.”

“No, I shouldn’t have been nosy and let you know this late.” Kwon Tae-Won got into his car with a smile and drove off.

Ha Jae-Gun watched as the car disappeared from his view, then reminded of Eun-Chae who was left in her cot and hurried back home.

***

Kwon Tae-Won was right. The next morning, the first call that reached Ha Jae-Gun was indeed from the Ministry of Culture’s assistant secretary. After exchanging greetings, he went to the topic of his call.

— I called to discuss the Korea-China cultural relations business with you, Mr. Ha.

“I see…” Ha Jae-Gun replied softly as he watched Eun-Chae in the cot.

The assistant secretary continued.

— It's not just Oh Tae-Jin, the former chairman of Oongsung; many other writers will be attending as well. Where is the name list…

“I’m sorry, Assistant Secretary, you don’t have to read out the name list to me. I don’t think I’ll be able to contribute much with my participation, so I’ll decline.”

The assistant secretary’s soft groan came into his ears. Moments later, however, the assistant secretary continued unyieldingly.

— Mr. Ha, let me share with you my humble opinion, but this is not a meeting with political intentions. It’s a meeting purely focusing on developing the content industry, and finding a way to benefit the national interest.

“...” Sensing Ha Jae-Gun’s hesitation, the assistant secretary continued.

— And please keep this to yourself, but China has strongly requested your attendance.

“Me?”

— That’s right. There’s another reason I'm doing this despite knowing your personality. Plus this is just a preliminary meeting, so you can take it easy…

The assistant secretary sounded growingly dejected as he continued.

Ha Jae-Gun suddenly put himself in the assistant secretary’s shoes. It had to have been hard for the assistant secretary to be sandwiched between himself and the minister.

“I understand. I’ll attend it.” Ha Jae-Gun finally accepted, but curiosity grew within him. China had strongly requested his attendance, so there was no way he could refuse to attend. Perhaps Wu Dawang had intervened personally as well.

— Thank you for coming to such a quick decision, Mr. Ha. I assure you that you will not be inconvenienced.

The assistant secretary’s voice turned bright. Ha Jae-Gun put the phone slightly away from his ear, wondering if he should get a haircut before attending the meeting.

***

“Hello, this is Ha Jae-Gun. I’ve read your novel and have learned a lot from it.”

“Hoho, thank you for the compliments. I have been learning a lot from your works even at this age.”

The meeting room at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism was filled with dozens of writers. As a 32-year-old writer, Ha Jae-Gun was the youngest amongst everyone else present. Thus, Ha Jae-Gun was busy greeting all of them.

“Hello, I am Ha Jae-Gun. I have attended the special lecture you held at Myungkyung University of the Arts for the creative writing department. I’m honored to see you here again.”

“Oh, really? Let’s see. That’d be right if it was ten years ago. I vaguely remember that there was a boy who looked particularly smart; perhaps that boy was you. Hahaha.”

The distinguished writers all looked satisfied with Ha Jae-Gun’s polite greetings. He had met most of them for the first time today, but they all knew Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun had achieved global success and popularity at a young age—he was as old as their son or youngest sibling. There was no way they wouldn’t be aware of someone like that in their own industry.

“You don’t seem like the kids these days.”

“It’s because he grew up in a well-to-do family. He’s doesn’t look old at all and is even amiable.”

“Yes, he’s not condescending, giving off a good impression. He seemed a little arrogant in the photos on the internet, but he looks much better in person.”

The surrounding writers murmured in groups as they watched Ha Jae-Gun. Most of their first impressions of Ha Jae-Gun were passable, and smiles were blooming in the room.

However, not everyone stared at Ha Jae-Gun in a favorable light. There were a few writers who were envious of Ha Jae-Gun’s rapid rise to fame and wealth, and there were also thorns shooting out of Assemblyman Kwon Sung-Deuk’s eyes.

‘Damn it, how come Jae-Gun’s name is on the list?!’ Kwon Sung-Deuk was burning in anger. Kwon Sung-Deuk was the one who had created the name list, and he didn't write Ha Jae-Gun’s name on it. He then realized that both Wu Dawang and Liu Bao liked Ha Jae-Gun, and sure enough, China had strongly requested Ha Jae-Gun’s attendance, so he had no choice but to see Ha Jae-Gun here at the meeting today.

Kwon Sung-Deuk’s worries did not end there. Ha Jae-Gun’s existence had caused his secret plans to gain monetary investments to go up in smoke, and he felt like pulling his hair out because of it.

“Assemblyman Kwon Sung-Deuk, don’t just stand around and take a seat.”

“Ah, yes. You should take a seat too, Mr. Lee.” Kwon Sung-Deuk sat down with some of the writers he was more familiar with.

The meeting began after everyone took their seats. Ha Jae-Gun looked around the room as he half-heartedly listened to the deputy’s welcome speech, but he couldn’t see Oh Tae-Jin anywhere.

‘Did something happen? Why did he not appear today?’ Just as he was wondering, the deputy minister’s words suddenly became clear. In fact, he had begun to address the agenda for today’s meeting.

“...That’s why we need three novels as the starting point for the Korea-China joint content business. Three novels from Korea, and similarly three novels from China. We’re going to discuss the procedure and methods to elect the writers and novels.”

The writers kept their mouths shut, and silence engulfed the room. Dozens of eyes were reading the room, silently fidgeting.

‘Just three novels among so many writers…’ Ha Jae-Gun let out a sigh behind his expressionless face. He could clearly see that a debate would soon begin before his eyes. The guard that many of the writers had put up was filling the room.

“What about a vote?”

“We’re picking the three representative novels for the Korea-China cultural relations. I think we should consider one’s experience and contributions.”

“It’s hard to agree to that. Wouldn’t a personal and subjective opinion play a huge role in that?”

“Is there a system that evaluates one’s career and contribution that everyone here can also agree with?”

As soon as someone spoke up, the meeting room quickly turned into a marketplace. Ha Jae-Gun was right. It became so noisy that he could not voice out his opinions at all and could only sip on his green tea.

The first part of the meeting finally ended, and it was currently recess. Ha Jae-Gun had just returned from the washroom when a few people stopped him in the hallway. Ha Jae-Gun took the initiative to greet them again this time.

“Did you come out for a drink?”

“Not for drinks, Writer Ha. Can we talk to you for a while?”

“Talk?”

“Yes, just a while will do.” Writer Kim, who was in his late fifties, scrunched his nose.

Suspicion crept into Ha Jae-Gun. Writer Kim had on a sour look when Ha Jae-Gun had first introduced himself earlier. It wasn't just Writer Kim; the other writers gathered around him earlier had the same look as him.

“I see. Let’s head over to that quiet corner.” A few writers surrounded Ha Jae-Gun in the hallway and secretly signaled at Writer Kim.

The older man hesitated for a while then said, “As a junior, could you give up this time?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?” Ha Jae-Gun asked, looking puzzled.

With a servile smile, Writer Kim continued, “I’m asking you to let us have the slots instead of just addressing us as your seniors on the surface.”

“Yes, you still have many good days in the future to write great novels, don’t you?” Writer Park added.

“...” Ha Jae-Gun was at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected to hear such words from anyone at this meeting today.

‘This is making me flustered, I…’ Ha Jae-Gun could not hide his disappointment before the writers whom he had admired for a long time.

The seniors considered him to be a strong candidate, so they decided to try and remove him in advance. Ha Jae-Gun bit his lip, trying to hide the fact that he was uncomfortable inside. If the conversation had ended there, Ha Jae-Gun could have stepped down willingly. Of course, it wouldn't be because he respected them and was willing to compromise for them.

It was more like he didn't want to tread the muddy waters.

A flake of frost fell on the window.

Looking more stern than before, Writer Kim took a step back and said sternly, “I’d appreciate it if you could be careful and not let it happen again.”

“...?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Liu Bao wanted you on the list. Wouldn’t it be better if you could come up with a viable reason to decline? If it gets known that we've forced you to sit out, wouldn't things become awkward for everyone?”

Writer Kim looked at the other writers as if seeking their agreement. Laughter broke out immediately as if they had talked about something funny.

Ha Jae-Gun let out a light sigh and looked up. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“...?”

“I’ll pretend that we never had this conversation before. Please excuse me.”

“L-look.”

Ha Jae-Gun walked away with a cold look on his face. The senior writers turned pale in an instant and followed behind him. Writer Kim’s wrinkled hand grabbed Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulder and said, “Aren’t you too disrespectful? No matter how successful you’ve become, how can you treat your seniors like this…!”

Ha Jae-Gun stopped in his tracks and turned around. “I want to stay as a drop of clear spring rain!”

“...!” That one line made Writer Kim freeze on the spot. Ha Jae-Gun had just recited the title of his famous prose collection.

“I read your prose collection—I Want To Live Like A Drop Of Clear Spring Rain—cover to cover during my middle school days. I always wondered how great of a person you would be, so please…” Hot breath escaped from Ha Jae-Gun’s mouth as he added coldly, “Don’t break this junior’s beautiful memory of you.”

“Ughhh…!” Writer Kim groaned and retreated as his face turned pale. However, that wasn’t the end of it.

Writer Park intervened, pointing his finger at Ha Jae-Gun. “Y-you…! Are you trying to lecture your senior?! How dare you talk back to your senior just because you’ve tasted success…!”

“I’ve also been reading Mr. Park’s editorial last year!” Ha Jae-Gun’s voice rang through the hallway.

Writer Park stumbled backward like a honeyed mute.

“Where should I go to see that will, which strongly insists on reaching out to the wandering youngsters who had lost their dreams?”

“Y, you…! T-that’s…!”

“Where can I find the man, who said that we shouldn’t block the way of the talented and even talked about the speed skater, who had no choice but to return to Russia because of the International Skating Union?!”

“Ughhh…!” Writer Park’s legs weakened, and he ended up leaning against the wall.

They never expected that Ha Jae-Gun would be this knowledgeable of their works, and Writer Park himself didn't expect that Ha Jae-Gun had read his ghost-written editorial that had become famous.

The writers' eyes landed on the meeting room behind Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun was suddenly reminded of Lee Soo-Hee as he felt their gazes. He also recalled the words that Wu Dawang had spoken on TV.

“I can’t listen to you any longer. Regardless of the results, I'll stay in this meeting.” Ha Jae-Gun bowed politely to them and turned around to leave.

The writers swallowed nervously as Ha Jae-Gun’s heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hallway.