Chapter 134. I’m An Earthling (4)

"Are you okay?"

Oh Myung-Suk was shocked. He quickly pulled out a few pieces of tissue and began wiping the table.

Oh Tae-Jin stood up in a hurry. He smiled shyly and said, "Aigoo, what's this? My hand slipped, and I’ve made a laughing stock out of myself…"

Of course, it was a lie. Oh Tae-Jin was just surprised.

Ha Jae-Gun's question was closely related to the reason Oh Tae-Jin called for this meeting.

"It's alright, editor-in-chief. I'll clean myself up."

Oh Tae-Jin dismissed Oh Myung-Suk with a wave of his hand and pretended to wipe the table calmly. However, his heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was about to explode.

He had prepared himself mentally, but it seemed that his efforts were futile. Two coincidences in a row were simply uncanny.

The first coincidence was Ha Jae-Gun using the pen name Seo Gun-Woo during the Digital Literature Award, and the second one was the fact that he lived near Seo Gun-Woo’s grave.

These were the very reasons Oh Tae-Jin had asked for this meeting.

Living and simply forgetting about it had been too difficult for him.

He wanted to verify for himself if his assumptions were true.

"I'm sorry. What did you ask earlier?" Oh Tae-Jin asked with a smile after he finished cleaning up. He could feel cold sweat on his back.

"Ah, yes. I was asking if Your Tragedy was based on a true story. It was too vivid for it to be mere fiction." Ha Jae-Gun repeated himself.

Oh Tae-Jin's head throbbed. Was that all the young lad had for him about his novel?

Was his question just part of a huge veil? Was the motive behind his question just purely to find out how Oh Tae-Jin was able to create such a piece of work?

"Haha, who knows? It’s probably both."

Oh Tae-Jin took a sip of water to moisten his dry throat and continued. "I've met many literary friends in my lifetime. I listened to a variety of their life events and gathered the fragments of emotions I've felt from those stories and weaved them together into this novel."

"Ahh, I see."

"That's why it can be both a true story and a fictional one. Was my answer quite dull? Hohoho."

"No, I meant to say that I relate to your novel very well as a fellow writer."

Ha Jae-Gun didn’t ask any further questions.

Oh Tae-Jin managed to take a small breather. As more dishes came out, a huge flame was served along with the main pufferfish dish. While urging Ha Jae-Gun to start eating, he was also observing the latter's expression.

However, there was not a single part he felt off about Ha Jae-Gun. Ha Jae-Gun was smiling brightly like a boy and enjoying the delicious dishes before him.

In the middle of their meal, Oh Tae-Jin thought he should start getting his questions resolved and asked in passing, "By the way, I heard that you’re living alone in Seoul, Writer Ha?"

"Ah, yes. My family lives in Suwon. But I moved over to Seoul alone after getting discharged from the army."

"I see. You live in Gungdong, right? I saw there was an ecological park nearby when I passed by the area previously. It looks nicely done up."

"Yes, I sometimes go there for a walk too."

"It seems like you don’t have any relatives or friends in the area, do you just like the neighborhood? Our son—ah, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, please speak comfortably."

"Hoho, anyway, I heard that you moved to a new house in the area as well, that's why I asked."

Oh Tae-Jin could only go about it in a roundabout manner.

Ha Jae-Gun nodded with a smile.

“I found it quite cumbersome to move to an entirely new place, and I’ve gotten used to the neighborhood as well. It’s also not that far from the publishing companies and the writer’s office, so I chose to stay there. It’s not that far from expressways, too.”

“Hahaha, I see. Unless it’s a scenic beach or a village in the mountains, everywhere in Seoul is the same.”

Oh Myung-Suk felt that there was something wrong with his father today. Oh Tae-Jin had never been the type of person to talk about such trivial topics, not to mention laugh boisterously while talking about such things.

‘He likes Mr. Ha to that extent?’ Oh Myung-Suk wondered, tilting his head.

Oh Tae-Jin smiled as he pointed out. “Oh, I heard that your first award was the Digital Literature Award?”

“That’s right. It is an honor that you still remember it.”

“I enjoyed it, that’s why. I’m old, but my memory is still good. I even remember your pen name too. Was it Seo Gun-Woo?”

“Yes, that’s right. You indeed have a good memory, President. You must have seen and met countless writers and their works up until now,” said Ha Jae-Gun with a smile.

Oh Tae-Jin went silent. ‘Was I too delusional?’

The tension that had been keeping Oh Tae-Jin stiff was slowly dissipating. He had met countless people throughout his lifetime of sixty years, and he found that not a single trace of deception was on Ha Jae-Gun’s face.

“Please eat more, Mr. Ha.”

“Thank you. Please eat, too, President. Editor-in-chief, too.”

The amicable atmosphere continued.

As Ha Jae-Gun excused himself to go to the washroom, Oh Tae-Jin said to Oh Myung-Suk, “He sounds like a good person.”

“Really? No wonder you said so much earlier, I guess you like him quite a bit?”

Oh Tae-Jin smiled and nodded. “A writer is also a person, so their personality comes first before their writing skills. Dinner was great tonight.”

Oh Tae-Jin then glanced at his wristwatch and said, “It’s getting late, I should get going soon. Sorry. Make sure you discuss everything else with him before you come back.”

“Of course, that’s my job. Please go back first.”

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun returned from the washroom and followed Oh Tae-Jin out to send him off.

Oh Tae-Jin headed to his car that was waiting outside.

The chauffeur quickly got out and opened the passenger door for him.

Just before he boarded the car, he shook hands with Ha Jae-Gun once more.

“I’m not sure if you enjoyed the dinner tonight.”

“It was delicious. I enjoyed it a lot, thanks to you, President.”

“That’s great to hear. I’ll be able to sleep well tonight. I’ll be leaving now, then. Please enjoy the rest of the night.”

After Oh Tae-Jin left, Ha Jae-Gun and Oh Myung-Suk headed to the cafe next door.

Placing the coffee they ordered on the table, Oh Myung-Suk jumped straight to the topic at hand.

“Mr. Ha, you should expand globally now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m thinking of introducing your novels to the overseas markets. Actually, this is the most important thing I wanted to bring up to you tonight.”

“...” Ha Jae-Gun was caught off-guard.

His novel would be made officially available to overseas readers? Did that mean that both Summer in My 20s and There Was A Sea would be translated into foreign languages and then sold overseas?

“Hahaha, Mr. Ha. Was it that surprising?”

Ha Jae-Gun then recalled the email he had received from an overseas reader a few days ago, saying that they enjoyed The Breath a lot and would like to translate it into English to share the story with their friends.

“Really…” Ha Jae-Gun gulped in disbelief. “Do you really think… that my novel can enter the overseas markets?”

“I think you’re worrying too much. You’ve already written two bestsellers in a row. Summer in My 20s has already passed 1.7 million copies sold, and There Was A Sea has already passed 1.1 million copies sold. If we don’t sell these novels overseas, which novels do you think we should sell overseas?”

Oh Myung-Suk then took a sip of his coffee.

“Actually, the Korean novels that have expanded overseas haven’t been performing very well. Even Writers Lee Man-Yeol, Gong Ji-Yong, and a few others are struggling in the overseas markets. Although I've only advertised a novel for a certain writer as their mother had asked me to do it."

"Ah, I think I've seen that before on the news."

"I find that it’s because of the Koreans’ emotions or sensibility, in a way. There are parts that don’t make sense in the foreigners’ eyes. It’s the same with There Was A Sea. Gangsters in Korea, mafias in Russia, and Yakuzas in Japan do not share the same tendencies.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Oh Myung-Suk straightened himself and smiled, then continued confidently. “Even so, I think there’s potential for your novels to do well overseas. The story itself is interesting enough, it’s not just about expressing the inner thoughts and emotional aspects of people.”

“I’m thankful to you for saying such kind words, but…”

“I didn’t decide on this overnight. Anyway, if you can put your trust in me and leave things to me, I will go ahead with the expansion accordingly.”

Ha Jae-Gun frowned and smiled in bewilderment. He was truly planning on putting his trust in Oh Myung-Suk and letting him work on it, as he had always been a reliable and competent editor capable of producing results exceeding expectations.

“That’s it. Anyway, I look forward to our success.”

Both men subsequently finished their coffee and left the cafe. It was still early, so Ha Jae-Gun was about to head to the subway station, but Oh Myung-Suk held him back.

“I’ll send you back.”

“It’s fine. The journey isn’t that long if I take the train.”

“I don’t feel comfortable letting you go like this. Just please go with me.” Oh Myung-Suk insisted.

As Ha Jae-Gun was dragged to the car park, he spotted a familiar-looking car.

“Yeon-Woo?” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was his own car, and Lee Yeon-Woo hurriedly climbed out from the driver’s seat.

“Why are you here? I told you to return to the writer’s office to rest, didn’t I?”

“Ah, Jae-Gun hyung. Don’t get angry. I was really about to meet my friend in the area but saw that it was just about time for you to go home, so I came back to take a look. I thought we could go back together if you’re done with your business as well. That’s all,” Lee Yeon-Woo explained frantically.

Oh Myung-Suk fixed his glasses and then chuckled silently. “I’m glad to see that your manager is around. I should return home alone this time, then. Please stay safe on your way back, Mr. Ha.”

“Ahahah, yes. Thank you, editor-in-chief. Please return safely as well.” Ha Jae-Gun hopped into the passenger seat of his own car and put on his seatbelt before letting out a sigh.

Lee Yeon-Woo started the engine, then glanced at Ha Jae-Gun with fear in his eyes.

“Hyung, are you angry at me?”

“Yeah. Who are you?”

“Ah, Jae-Gun hyung. Why are you like this? I’m your manager, after all.”

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“My manager? Ahh, I see. I do have a manager. But he doesn’t listen to me at all, so I think I’m just going to fire him. What? Is there any problem with that?”

“Ah, hyung. Please don’t. I’ll be sad, really,” Lee Yeon-Woo said, looking as if he were about to cry.

Ha Jae-Gun closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “This is the last time. You already know what’s going to happen if you don’t listen to me again.”

“Hehehe, of course. Let’s go then!”

As they headed out to the main road, the radio DJ was enthusiastically expressing his opinion on the box office hit, There Was A Sea.

***

[There Was A Sea hits 6 million viewers! How much further will it go?]

[In an interview with Director Yoon Tae-Sung: Devoted his heart and soul to faithfully express the original novel. Satisfied with the results.]

[Re-examining original novel Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s comment in I Live Alone: Director Yoon Tae-Sung actively listens to my opinions]

[Will lead actor Park Do-Joon accept love calls from China?]

“Wow, Kang Min-Ho hyung. The box office hit is really going strong. Isn’t it going to hit 10 million viewers at this rate?” Jang Eun-Young exclaimed as she read the articles on the internet.

Behind her, Kang Min-Ho was reading a book, showing no signs of answering her.

“What? Are you suggesting that I shouldn’t disturb you since you’re reading a book?”

“No, it’s because it's an important part.”

“Jinx.”

Jang Eun-Young pouted and continued scrolling through the browser.

Director Woo Jae-Hoon’s new film, The Himalayas, was on the articles list.

- 5 billion won There Was A Sea VS 11 billion won The Himalayas. Which Korean movie is the winner?

The title of the article was provocative, and Jang Eun-Young could already deduce the content of the article.

The Himalayas was expensive, but it was struggling at the box office, while the article praised the success of There Was A Sea relentlessly, which was only half as expensive as The Himalayas.

The netizens’ comments were harsh.

- It’s not even a blockbuster, just a school play. Nothing was properly established in the first place, be it excitement, directing, or acting.

- I thought The Himalayas was not that bad. It’s not that bad for families to watch it together, but There Was A Sea is undeniably better.

- Nonsense. Kekeke! The Himalayas is not bad? I’m extremely curious about the director’s face reading this kekeke.

- I think you’re an extra of There Was A Sea;;; I know that it's a good movie, but The Himalayas is not that bad either.

- The 11 billion must have been donated to the locals there. Director Woo Jae-Hoon must be really embarrassed. He was spouting so much nonsense in the interview. Kekeke.

- I think Director Woo Jae-Hoon would request a spar with Yoon Tae-Sung or Ha Jae-Gun if he ever meets them at the bar. /shivers

“Wow, look at how people talk these days. They’re no joke. If I were the director, I would have already lost my mind reading this.” Jang Eun-Young smiled wryly and stood up.

She saw Kang Min-Ho’s shoulders shaking as he was reading the book.

“Hyung? What’s wrong?”

“Sob…! Ugh, sobbb…!”

Kang Min-Ho’s face was covered in tears and mucus. He hurriedly put down the book he had just finished reading and buried his face in his hands.

“Why are you crying?”

“This book is really—Ah, it’s really sad and heart-wrenching…”

Kang Min-Ho blew his nose with a tissue and sniffled. “Wow, just where can you find such a cool main character in this world? He likes the girl as well, but he decided to conceal his own feelings just to fulfill his friend’s and the girl’s love…!

”The story ends with the main character telling the girl the location of the village where his friend had disappeared, and he even sends her off to the train station. Ah, what is this void in my heart…?!”

“Are you spoiling the book for me? Why did you ask me to read it, then? Stop telling me the plot!” Jang Eun-Young slapped Kang Min-Ho hard on his shoulder and picked the book up.

The book was Your Tragedy, written by Oh Tae-Jin.

Kang Min-Ho’s tears had wet the book cover.