Chapter 119. There Was A Sea (1)

Ha Jae-Gun's lecture ended as a huge success.

The livestream, along with an article that was posted in real-time on Dawoom's portal site, received an overwhelming number of views. There was also a multitudinous amount of netizens who left comments on the video.

- Kekekeke. This is a very interesting lecture. I'm watching this for the third time. That family portrait is just kekekekekeke

- I never knew there was this side to Writer Ha Jae-Gun. He's good with words! Letting you know that I'm now a fan!!! >_<

- I really almost couldn't recognize;;; Dyou agree? Yeah, agreed. That restyling, that amazing suit fit-nya.

- I want to do that hairstyle too. What is it called??? Can I just show the hairdresser this video instead???

- I’m an aspiring writer. The lecture was both interesting and informative. I’m always rooting for you, Writer Ha Jae-Gun.

- But does anyone know how Park Do-Joon and Ha Jae-Gun are related? Why did Park Do-Joon bow to Ha Jae-Gun?

- Oh… kekeke. I spotted the one-piece girl in the hall when the camera panned at 13:41 kekekekeke. Ah, a real goddess kekekekekeke

- I’ve preordered There Was A Sea! I hope it’ll come soon…!

Navin did an interview with Ha Jae-Gun after the lecture and hurriedly posted an exclusive article on their portal site. The article also had endless comments from readers after seeing the other side of Ha Jae-Gun during the lecture.

Ha Jae-Gun’s name and novels seemed to have been engraved into the real-time search rankings for the time being.

The responses from the employees of Nextion were no different either. It had been two days since the lecture was held, yet they still had him in their various conversation topics.

“Wow, what kind of writer has such a glib tongue?”

“Yeah, section chief. I thought I would doze off during the lecture, but it ended so soon unknowingly.”

“It’s my first time knowing that Ha Jae-Gun was Poongchun-Yoo too. I’ve read all of his novels as Poongchun-Yoo, they’re all interesting.”

“Really? Recommend me one. Does he have any from the martial arts genre?”

Nam Gyu-Ho and Soo-hee sat across from each other at a table in a corner of the pantry. The conversations they overheard got Nam Gyu-Ho muttering, “The responses seem good.”

“Yes, I think so, too,” Lee Soo-Hee replied with a smile.

Nam Gyu-Ho looked out the window onto the city center, keeping silent for a while. He then tapped on the table with his finger and asked casually, “What’s the most interesting thing about it?”

Lee Soo-Hee was taken aback by his question, but he soon understood the meaning behind it and replied, “Hmm, I recommend The Breath by Ha Jae-Gun. It’s a fantasy novel, plus it’s quite suitable for the project we’re working on right now…”

Nam Gyu-Ho waved his hand. “I’m not looking to read it as a reference, so just recommend me one that’s most interesting.”

“They’re all interesting,” Lee Soo-Hee replied confidently. She meant it without an ounce of exaggeration.

Nam Gyu-Ho expressionlessly nodded in understanding and stood up. “I’ll be going first. Take a look at Writer Oh’s scenario when he’s done with it, and let me know what you think afterward.”

“Yes, Director. Goodbye.”

Lee Soo-Hee continued sipping on her coffee with a faint smile.

She secretly realized that Nam Gyu-Ho had begun holding an interest in Ha Jae-Gun. The sky shown outside the window was clear like her heart, without a fluff of cloud in the blue sky.

***

“This is Kwon Tae-Won from Laugh Books. Ah, a lecture at MC Sport?”

“Hello, this is Shin Dong-Mi from Laugh Books. W-wait. Where are you from? NG Electronics? For your new employees?”

The phones in Laugh Books rang constantly.

Laugh Books office had been flooded with requests for Ha Jae-Gun’s lectures daily from not only large corporations but from smaller companies as well. It was a chore to even answer every single call.

“Thank you, this is Jung So-Mi from Laugh Books. Ah, yes. From Samsong Venture Investments? Could you please leave your name and contact number first? We will look at Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s schedule and contact you again.”

Jung So-Mi wedged the receiver between her shoulder and ear before typing the details on her computer. She couldn’t even keep track of how many such requests she had received so far.

“The requests are endless. Writer Ha wouldn’t even be able to accede to all of them even if there are ten clones of him.”

“This is seriously… At this rate, we’ll have to hire someone just to answer the phones.”

The constant ringing of phones was the same at Mysterium’s office. The requests that they had received were more toward casting Ha Jae-Gun for broadcast programs. They spanned from radio, educational, and refinement programs to even health and lifestyle programs. They had witnessed the bestselling author’s glib tongue in his latest lecture and thought the public would love his appearance on their shows.

However, Ha Jae-Gun had to reject all of the requests that had come through Kwon Tae-Won and Oh Myung-Suk. There was only one of him, and there was something else much more important for him to work on.

“Yes, I’m sorry. The scenario for There Was A Sea is still incomplete, and I wish to focus on my work at least for the next two months. Yes, I understand. Enjoy your meal, President Kwon.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call and let out a soft sigh, then looked out the window.

Park Do-Joon was next to him reading a book.

Park Do-Joon looked up and asked, “Are you not going to give lectures now? You did so well, though.”

“Have you already forgotten how exhausted I was after that lecture? It was thanks to you that I was able to clear it without issues, but I’m not confident that I can do that again.”

“I didn’t help you much aside from giving you a few ideas. You’ve always had the qualities. But why is the traffic so bad today? Hyung, let’s just hit the shoulder and get out of this jam.”

“Okay. But did you manage to find another manager to drive you?”

They were currently headed to the venue where the audition for There Was A Sea was to be held. The director had made arrangements such that Ha Jae-Gun—the original author of the novel—could also be part of the judging panel for the casting.

That was exactly why they were traveling together.

“This is quite interesting, too,” muttered Park Do-Joon as he slightly lifted up the book that he was reading. It was There Was A Sea that he had purchased during the pre-order.

“Did they say the public release at bookstores will be tomorrow?”

“Uh, earliest tomorrow, otherwise, it’ll be the day after.”

“Reading the novel makes me understand Cho Kang-Jae’s psychology much better. His mental is amazing. I assure you, this would definitely perform way better than Summer in My 20s.”

“I’ll be relieved even if it only breaks even. I’m feeling quite burdened this time, as the movie adaptation was decided even before the novel was published.”

“It’ll turn out well. Chae-Rin had finished reading it and was going on about how good the book was. Do you know that the AppleT members have been reading The Breath and Oscar’s Dungeon?”

“Really? That’s interesting. The Breath is quite heavy.”

Bzzt!

Their conversation got cut when Park Do-Joon’s phone rang. He checked the name on the caller ID and answered the call.

“Hello.”

— Hello, this is Kim Na-Yeon. I’m here for the auditions right now, but I was wondering where you were…

“I’m on the way there, so don’t worry about me and prepare yourself. Did you not receive the designated script?”

— Yes, I have.

“Just focus on practicing that while you’re waiting. There’s no free lunch in this world.”

— I understand. I’ll see you later.

Park Do-Joon hung up the call.

The traffic light finally turned green, and the long-standing van started moving once again. They soon arrived at the building where the audition was held. Ha Jae-Gun alighted from the van.

Park Do-Joon said, “Do you want to head up first? I’ll talk to my manager for a while, make a phone call, then head up later.”

“Sure. See you later.”

Ha Jae-Gun headed to the elevator and pressed the button for the 5th floor. He checked himself out in the mirror and took in deep breaths.

‘There shouldn’t be much for me to do.’

Ha Jae-Gun didn’t have an eye for judging actors’ acting.

He was here to obtain new experience. The auditions that he would be experiencing later could become reference materials for his novel in the future.

Ding!

The doors of the elevator opened upon arriving at the 5th floor.

The first thing he saw was the notice on the audition venue stuck on the wall. After passing through the long corridor and turning a corner, a waiting room appeared in sight. It was brimming with people who were there to join the auditions.

‘There’re quite a number of familiar-looking people.’

He spotted quite a bit of familiar faces from various TV programs. Despite having a foot in the entertainment industry, many of them had still decided to join the auditions.

Ha Jae-Gun sat down in an empty chair. Past the opened doors to the waiting room, Ha Jae-Gun spotted a female who was in hot pants with her legs crossed while busily chewing gum.

Ha Jae-Gun recognized her immediately. She was Chae Bo-Ra—the same girl who acted as Lee Ye-Jin in Summer in My 20s.

‘I hope you’re not joining the auditions.’ Ha Jae-Gun thought to himself.

It wasn’t just because of her rude words and actions. He would have forgiven her if she acted well, but her acting had always been a mess. She was even criticized for her bad acting in Summer in My 20s.

“Writer Ha, why are you sitting here?” Director Yoon Tae-Sung asked when he spotted Ha Jae-Gun while on the way to the washroom.

“Hello, Director.”

“The auditions will begin soon, so why don’t you take a seat in the most left seat there?”

“Okay.”

Ha Jae-Gun took the seat on the far left of the long table. The people in charge of the characters, the assistant director and director, as well as the casting manager, took their seats at the table.

“We will begin the auditions now. They will be done in fifteen-minute intervals, only those whose names are called out may enter. Let’s start with Mr. Lee Jung-Taek.”

The auditions began, and the first auditionee entered.

He looked to be in his early twenties, seemingly nervous. He stammered a few times while acting out his given script, and he also made quite a few mistakes during the roleplaying with the assistant director.

“Do you have any other talents you would like to show us?”

“Ah… I’m not prepared to do that…”

“Thank you. Please call in the next person.”

Yoon Tae-Sung’s hawk-like eyes glinted as he took a sip of water. Sensing that he had been eliminated, the auditionee left the room with drooped shoulders. After that, the second auditionee walked in stiffly, like a huge piece of wood.

‘Nothing seems to be easy in this world.’

Ha Jae-Gun rolled his tongue at the auditions.

Everyone did their best, but the results weren’t always good. There were also quite a number of auditionees who had to leave midway through their performance with a hand gesture from Yoon Tae-Sung. And every time that happened, Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

‘Would Ms. Da-Seul be auditioning somewhere else as well?’

Da-Seul’s face appeared in his mind. He recalled how she had confidently declared that she wanted to become a celebrity to find her mother. Ha Jae-Gun suddenly felt worried for her, as he didn’t know her real name or her whereabouts.

“Next is… Chae Bo-Ra? Is it that Chae Bo-Ra?”

Yoon Tae-Sung’s voice pulled Ha Jae-Gun back to reality. He turned and saw Yoon Tae-Sung’s cheeks trembling in anger.

“Don’t waste our time and send her away.”

“JQ Entertainment’s president even called to make sure we take good care of her. Please take a good look at her, at the very least.”

“Darn it.”

Eventually, the door opened, and in came Chae Bo-Ra. She gathered her hands in front of her and bowed down to each of the judges at the table. She flinched upon making eye contact with Ha Jae-Gun.

‘Who is he again? I definitely met him somewhere before.’

Chae Bo-Ra couldn’t recognize Ha Jae-Gun because of his change in hairstyle and overall demeanor. She tilted her head to both sides, trying to recall, but the assistant director cut her off.

“Please stand at the spot marked on the floor and act according to the given script first before acting in freestyle.”

Chae Bo-Ra started her performance. The scene in the given script was one where she had to suppress her sad feelings and say goodbye to her lover.

“Don’t be mistaken, I’ve never loved you even once. You had never managed to enter my heart. You’re just one of the many men who crossed paths with me. While we were both feeling lonely, we happened to meet each other and enjoyed our company together; that’s all there is to it.”

Yoon Tae-Sung looked down at his wristwatch.

The assistant director was kicking away the trash that had fallen to the floor with his foot. Chae Bo-Ra’s acting didn’t fall short of their expectations.

‘What kind of acting is this?’

Even Ha Jae-Gun was embarrassed.

It was a lot worse than what he had seen in Summer in My 20s.

Chae Bo-Ra’s gaze wasn’t stable, and her contorted face didn’t display any signs of her suppressing those sad feelings.

Her monotonous voice—as if reading out loud from a book—made it unclear whether she was really saying goodbye to a lover or if she was making a garbage disposal announcement.

“I will never see you again from now on, so—”

“Yes, thank you.”

Yoon Tae-Sung could not watch any further and reached out to stop her.

Chae Bo-Ra was taken aback and straightened herself up.

“Um, Director, I haven’t shown you the dance I’ve prepared.”

“I’m sorry, but we can see your dance another day.”

Chae Bo-Ra’s face twitched. She bit her lips and turned around.

Looking at her back, Ha Jae-Gun heaved a sigh of relief, thankful for Yoon Tae-Sung’s decision.

“Let’s take a twenty-minute rest.”

Ha Jae-Gun headed to the rest area across from the audition room and moistened his throat with a cold drink.

Chae Bo-Ra barged into the room with a phone to her ear, looking tearful.

“I’m so annoyed! I couldn’t even show everything I’d prepared and got chased out! Argh, I don’t know! How can they do this to me?! Are you sure the president put in good words for me?!”

Ha Jae-Gun quietly stood up from his seat. He didn’t want to get involved with Chae Bo-Ra.

However, the moment he held out to grab the doorknob, the words he had heard made him stop in his tracks.

“I can already tell the quality of the movie. All sorts of trash had shown up. I saw a host girl from a private room here as well. Was it Kim Na-Yeon? I think she was even a karaoke helper before. How did I know? Director Woo told me.”

“...?!”

Ha Jae-Gun’s face turned pale.

He looked down and saw his trembling knees

‘No way…’

There were so many people in this world. There was no way that she was the same girl that he knew, and there was no way that she was here for an audition.

‘...Kim Na-Yeon?’

Creeak!

Ha Jae-Gun opened the door with vigor, and his eyes quickly zoomed in on the waiting room.