Chapter 128. There Was A Sea (10)

“Ah, it was really entertaining. Hyung, who consulted you? It wasn’t me, so was it Hyun-Kyung hyung?”

“It’s not me,” Yang Hyun-Kyung declared.

“Is it Min-Ho hyung then?”

“Are you sure the screenwriter didn’t just make that up for the show? Wait, what if they’re another writer from the office.”

“Really? Oww, my neck hurts after looking up for so long.” Lee Yeon-Woo looked away from the wall-mounted TV and started massaging his nape.

The broadcast for I Live Alone had just ended.

Yang Hyun-Kyung was pouring alcohol into his own glass.

“Ah, Hyun-Kyung hyung. Why are you pouring your own drink?”

“Forget it. Don’t you think there’s going to be articles sprouting out after this broadcast?”

“What kind?”

Yang Hyun-Kyung threw his gaze toward the TV and said, “About the movie that Park Do-Joon and Ha Jae-Gun were talking about earlier. Netizens are always ready to create issues out of nothing.

”Plus, there’s the previous issue with Summer in My 20s, I think they’d create groundless rumors and make a mountain out of a molehill with them, then replaying them over and over again.”

Lee Yeon-Woo picked up a piece of gopchang and placed it into his mouth before shaking his head. “I’m not so sure. He only mentioned how they like the director for There Was A Sea, right? I don’t think there are going to be any issues.”

“I’m not saying that Writer Ha is the problem. It’s more of how others would interpret his words. Like Director Woo Jae-Hoon.”

The steel pan in the fireplace had lost its heat. Both of them had almost finished their gopchang and had even emptied three bottles of soju. Yang Hyun-Kyung picked up the coat beside him.

“Let’s head back.”

“Thank you for the dinner, hyung. Shall we have some beer to cleanse our palate? I’ll pay for the second round,” Lee Yeon-Woo suggested.

However, Yang Hyun-Kyung shook his head and rejected it. “We won’t be able to work on our novels tomorrow if we do that. I feel slightly bad that we’re stopping so early, but let’s drink moderately.”

“Mm, okay. Let’s have beer next time.”

After settling the bill, the both of them left the restaurant and walked into the busy streets. The cold wind made Lee Yeon-Woo pull his collar tighter.

“There’s no news on when Min-Ho hyung is coming back.”

“Yeah…” Yang Hyun-Kyung let out a sigh along with his answer.

Yang Hyun-Kyung had known Kang Min-Ho for quite a long time and was quite close with him as well. They had lived together in the basement office of that shabby villa. He hadn’t shown it on his face, but Yang Hyun-Kyung was feeling quite anxious about Kang Min-Ho.

‘Should I leave him a message?’

Yang Hyun-Kyung pulled out his phone.

He was considerate of Kang Min-Ho’s complex concerns, so he had been holding back from contacting Kang Min-Ho first, but he could no longer suppress them.

Perhaps it was due to the alcohol, but Yang Hyun-Kyung was missing Kang Min-Ho more than usual.

- Hyung, everything’s alright, right? When are you coming back?

He didn’t expect a quick reply from Kang Min-Ho, as it was quite late, but he hadn’t even taken twenty steps since he sent the message, but Kang Min-Ho had already replied.

- I came back earlier. I’m at the office right now. ^^;

“…?!”

Yang Hyun-Kyung stopped dead in his tracks and looked at his phone in a daze.

Lee Yeon-Woo belatedly realized that Yang Hyun-Kyung wasn’t with him anymore, so he turned around.

“Hyun-Kyung hyung, what are you doing?” he shouted.

“I was just checking my phone,” Yang Hyun-Kyung answered with a smile.

In other words, Kang Min-Ho and Jang Eun-Young were by themselves in the office.

Yang Hyun-Kyung hurriedly replied.

- Wow! It’s so out of the blue. I just came out with Lee Yeon-Woo for some beer, we’ll come back around three hours later, then.

- Where are you guys? Farm Fritts? I’ll bring Eun-Young over as well.

- We’re not in Bucheon. We’ve somehow ended up at Guro.

- The last train should depart soon. Take a taxi back later, then.

- Yes, see you later.

Yang Hyun-Kyung put his phone back in his pocket.

He looked up and gestured at Lee Yeon-Woo. “Yeon-Woo, let’s turn back. I think it’s better to have some beer to cleanse our palates.”

“Hahaha, look at you hyung. You’re regretting it, right?” Lee Yeon-Woo ran back excitedly. Yang Hyun-Kyung put an arm around Lee Yeon-Woo, and they headed to a nearby hop bar.

He looked up briefly and saw two stars shining brightly in the night sky.

***

I Live Alone Ha Jae-Gun

Ha Jae-Gun novel

There Was A Sea

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Park Do-Joon

Summer in My 20s Woo Jae-Hoon

Ha Jae-Gun Park Park Do-Joon relationship

Ha Jae-Gun hairstyle

Ha Jae-Gun shoes

From dawn to daybreak, the real-time search rankings on major portal sites were filled with a single subject.

The netizens who had seen the episode of I Live Alone with guest Park Do-Joon were pouring their opinions on the many different news articles and community forums.

- They seem really close kekekeke. He even knows the house password.

- Someone, please go to Park Do-Joon-nim’s house and teach him how to make a proper-looking egg roll;;;

- Interpreting Ha Jae-Gun’s words—Director Yoon Tae-Sung is capable, so I’m not worried → Incapable directors like Woo Jae-Hoon, who only knows how to ruin original novels, should get lost.’

- Uhhh kekekeke. The comment above, you really sound like you’re telling the truth when you say it like that. You have a degree in dissing?

- Truthfully speaking, Woo Jae-Hoon can’t retort no matter what Ha Jae-Gun says;;; since he ruined the original novel so badly. I’d like to thank Director Woo Jae-Hoon once again. For a comedy out of such a serious book.

- I think Park Do-Joon fell out with Woo Jae-Hoon as well.

- I know someone in the film industry who told me that Director Woo Jae-Hoon wanted to work on There Was A Sea and wanted to cast Park Do-Joon as the male lead again. But Woo Jae-Hoon actually lost both the movie and the actor. Mmm.

- Please stop spreading groundless news. The entire country knows that Woo Jae-Hoon is bad at scriptwriting, so let’s stop bringing it up.

‘Fuck…!’

Woo Jae-Hoon’s reddened face was contorted like a used tissue.

He was looking up news articles related to I Live Alone on his phone, and almost every comment was mocking him.

'All these bastards don't even know a bat's shit about movies, yet they’re out here running their mouths! Fuck, do you guys know anything about filming onsite? Do you guys know about distribution?!'

Woo Jae-Hoon suppressed the impulse to throw his phone away. He took out a cigarette stick to bite. If he were alone, he would have been yelling curses at the top of his lungs by now.

Unfortunately, he was at an interview on his new movie—The Himalayas.

The reporter sitting across from him was arranging the remaining questions during their short break.

"I've rested enough, so let's continue when you're ready, reporter," Woo Jae-Hoon said as he put out the half-puffed cigarette in an ashtray.

Woo Jae-Hoon wanted to finish the interview as soon as possible, as he was boiling with anger.

The reporter nodded and opened his laptop.

A series of questions and answers followed for quite a while, and they soon arrived at the final few questions of the interview.

"The production fee for The Himalayas hit eleven billion won. The first concern was if the movie could break even. How popular do you think this movie will be?"

"I always do my best whenever I’m out there producing a film, but the results are up to the heavens."

"Mm, I see…"

Perhaps Jae-Hoon's answer was too standard that the reporter looked disappointed as he drummed his fingers on his laptop.

In fact, Woo Jae-Hoon's answers had been quite dry and boring after their short break. Even the man's constant glancing at the clock was starting to get on the reporter's nerves.

"...This is the final question. Regarding the movie There Was A Sea by Director Yoon Tae-Sung, which is also currently in production…"

"...?!" Woo Jae-Hoon was looking elsewhere and was scratching the back of his head, but his eyes widened abruptly at the mention of the familiar title.

The reporter kept their eyes on the laptop screen and was typing away while asking, "The male lead actor from your previous movie, Park Do-Joon, was cast as the male lead for There Was A Sea, were you aware of that?

”Coincidentally, the author of the original novel, Ha Jae-Gun, had participated in the production as well by penning the scenario himself. It's said that the premiere periods for both There Was A Sea and The Himalayas may overlap."

"What's the point of that question?!" Woo Jae-Hoon asked angrily. He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

The reporter reflexively straightened up and gulped in fear.

"Ah, I'm just curious about your opinions toward the director for There Was A Sea. What do you think the movie quality would be? How popular do you think the movie will be—things like that…”

Woo Jae-Hoon gnashed his teeth, and the corners of his eyes twitched.

The lingering fury forced Woo Jae-Hoon to give up on his textbook answers.

"I think breaking even is a matter of luck for them.”

"Is the outlook that bad?"

"The original novel sells quite well, and actor Park Do-Joon is the male lead, but the outlook is still quite bleak. First of all, the director is new and inexperienced, and from my understanding, Writer Ha Jae-Gun has never written a proper scenario before.

”The ones they wrote back in school as homework are different from the ones written for the sake of real on-site filming.”

Woo Jae-Hoon took out another stick of cigarette and continued talking, even though the reporter hadn’t asked him any additional questions.

“If there is zero communication, the on-site filming will be a mess. We can’t undo something that’s been done. I heard that Director Yoon Tae-Sung and Writer Ha Jae-Gun had discussed all the scenes before filming, but I don’t think it’ll turn out well.

”And you said that both movies are going to be released in the same period as ours? That’s honestly news to me, but it’s all because I’m not really interested in their movie.”

The reporter was so excited at Woo Jae-Hoon’s answer that the corners of his mouth had already reached his ears. They could easily create the next headlines using Woo Jae-Hoo’s aggressive and controversial answer.

The reporter’s ten fingers furiously captured Woo Jae-Hoon’s anger in his words.

***

— Jae-Gun hyung, have you seen Woo Jae-Hoon’s interview? That bastard, really! I got so angered that my blood pressure shot up. I had to massage the back of my neck for ten whole seconds!

“Don’t stress over it. He has always been that kind of person. Just look away. I don’t even care, so why are you fussing so much?”

— How could he say that?! Argh, I’m so mad! Ah, hyung. I’m sorry. I’m too angry. He was just outright dissing There Was A Sea!

Ha Jae-Gun wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder, and then he started stretching. The morning sunlight poured in as he opened the windows, and the sight of the blue East Sea filled his view.

— And hyung, there are some malicious comments here and there, but don’t worry about them. Even the professional Go player, Lee Se-Dol, once said: I couldn’t even care less about my fans, so why would I care about the haters?

“All right, thanks. Nothing’s up at the writer’s office, right?”

— Everything’s great. Please come back earlier, hyung. It’s so empty without you around.

“Focus on your writing instead. I’ll need to hang up now, I have to leave soon.”

— Alright, hyung. Have a good day.

Ha Jae-Gun showered and changed his clothes, then went downstairs to have some breakfast. As usual, Jung So-Mi’s mother took great care of his meals.

“I’m not sure if you’ll like this thistle rice[1] I’ve made.”

“It’s really delicious. Your cooking skills are awesome, madam.”

“Ohohoho! I do get complimented on my cooking skills. Jung So-Mi takes after me, so she’s great at cooking as well.”

“Haha, I see. Thank you for always looking out for me.”

“Aigoo, you’re embarrassing me, Mr. Ha. This is nothing compared to how much you’ve been looking out for my daughter. Hohoho.”

Ha Jae-Gun was enjoying his days at Donghae.

He was comfortable staying at the bed and breakfast.

The sea view was awesome as well. The discussions with Director Yoon Tae-Sung regarding the movie went smoothly, and he was always in his best condition whenever he was working on his writing.

‘Filming a movie really takes up a lot of effort.’ Ha Jae-Gun came to a realization of how much effort had to be put in just to produce a movie after observing the entire process on-site.

Ha Jae-Gun finished his breakfast and walked to the filming location to digest his food. He saw Park Do-Joon and Kim Ji-Won practicing before the cameras were set up around them.

The same scene was repeated many times, yet not once did the director give the OK sign.

A manager stood by the side holding onto the actors’ coats with a worried look.

Ha Jae-Gun saw all of that in just a glance.

“Excuse me, Mr. Do-Joon. Please add more anger, you need more anger. I need a more beastly feel.”

Yoon Tae-Sung was giving more directions to Park Do-Joon behind the cameras.

Of course, Park Doo-Joon was doing his best. He couldn’t redo the exact same scene every time. If they were to get complacent with multiple takes, the movie wouldn’t turn out great.

They had to get the explosive anger out of Park Do-Joon right here and right now. The director and the staffers were doing their best to get it done today.

“Excuse me, you’re Writer Ha Jae-Gun, right?”

A few female students approached Ha Jae-Gun.

The girls started screaming in excitement even before Ha Jae-Gun could answer them.

“I Live Alone was so entertaining!”

“Writer Ha, you actually came all the way here?! Where are you staying?”

“Are you staying with Do-Joon oppa? Please let me take a photo with you!”

A few passers-by and staffers looked at where the commotion was coming from.

Ha Jae-Gun flashed an embarrassed smile and turned around. He decided to head back to the bed and breakfast after realizing that he could become a hindrance to the filming.

***

Meanwhile, off camera…

“What?! Your grandmother is in a critical state?!”

The assistant casting director tossed his head back and grabbed his neck while on the phone. He had just received news that the supporting actor taking the role of a villager living in the village where Ba-Da was living couldn’t come on time.

“Why are there so many people whose family members are sick today?! What? Why can’t Soo-Cheol come? What now? Huh? his older sister is giving birth to twins?! That crazy…! All right, I’m hanging up!”

The assistant casting director hung up and pulled his hair in frustration. It was part of his job to hire passers-by hanging around to fill the spots of those absent supporting actors.

“Huh? Ms. Na-Yeon! Come here!”

The assistant casting director discovered Kim Na-Yeon and beckoned her over.

Kim Na-Yeon’s role was the friend of the female lead.

Kim Na-Yeon was curious about why she was called when she was already done with her scenes.

“What’s wrong, assistant director?”

“We don’t have enough people for the restaurant fighting scene. I need around five to six people. Your sibling came along, right? Can you bring them over?”

“My sibling?”

“Yes. Don’t you have a sibling? I just need to fill in the headcount. Hurry up!”

“Ah! Okay, I understand.”

“Please do me this favor. It’ll be great if you can find more people.”

The assistant director finished his piece and pulled out his phone once again before heading off in the opposite direction. Kim Na-Yeon spun around and hurried back to her accommodation.

“Ye-Seul! Where are you?!”

1. [ref]Called 곤드레 (pronounced as gondeure) in Korean, it's a relatively common green that is added to rice to add texture to meals. ☜