Chapter 272: How Far Can I Go (4)

Lets do that for the execution ground dungeon. Okay, well end the meeting here today. Great work everyone.

Great work too, team leader. The members of the planning team walked out of the meeting room one by one.

Lee Soo-Hee remained in her seat, working away on her laptop. She was organizing the minutes of the meeting. Lee Soo-Hee was so focused that she failed to realize that someone else had come into the meeting room.

Youre continuing the meeting alone again today.

Oh, Director. Lee Soo-Hee smiled as she turned around. Nam Gyu-Ho was all ready to knock off as he held his outer jacket in one arm.

Is this for the execution ground dungeon?

Yes, I was just organizing the a.s.sets. Now Im done.

I feel like Ive interrupted you.

Not at all. Please give me a few minutes; just five minutes will do.

Take your time. Theres still time left.

Their addresses for each other hadnt changed despite the addition of a new relations.h.i.+p linebeing on the father-in-law and brother-in-laws side. Those additional addresses just couldnt come out of their mouths. At least, Nam Gyu-Ho would be less formal when it was just the two of them around.

This was also after Lee Soo-Hee had urged him multiple times to do so.

About the planning teams Ms. Hye-Mi, Nam Gyu-Ho said, pulling out a chair to sit.

Lee Soo-Hee glanced at Nam Gyu-Ho while typing away on her laptop. Did anything happen to her? She seems to be quite out of it these days. Or was it just me?

I feel the same way too. She has been making quite a bit of mistakes these days and has been very quiet lately.

Did something happen to her at home?

Im planning to ask her about it sometime soon too. Ive worked with her for some time now, so Im quite worried, too.

Sure. Youve always been great at game planning or team management anyway.

Why dont you stop with the compliments and give me a raise instead?

Id rather you take over the director position. Ill be the team leader instead.

They burst into laughter at the end of the series of jokes. They had become closer as days went by after becoming more than just colleagues.

Im all done now. Ill be ready after uploading this to the server and grabbing my bag.

I said you can take your time. Lee Soo-Hee and Nam Gyu-Ho then stepped out of the office together.

There were a few members of the graphic team working overtime. Among them, a female employee watched Lee Soo-Hees back with envy and let out a sigh.

I never dreamed that I would see scenes from dramas happen in real life.

Huh? What do you mean?

Im very envious of Team Leader Lee Soo-Hee.

That again? If you keep that joke up, its going to eat you up in the future, Deputy Oh. Calm down and make sure you dont make any mistakes in your work.

The conversation had been overheard by the new member of their team. Deputy Oh, what do you mean by scenes from drama happening in real life?

Mr. Kyung-Chul, you really dont know?

Yeah, Im clueless. The new employee said and fixed his thick horn-rimmed gla.s.ses. His crew-cut hair showed that he had just been recently discharged from the military.

Team Leader Lee Soo-Hees husband is Writer Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun? Huh?

That

Writer Ha Jae-Gun?!

You didnt know at all? Not just that, the director whom she was with earlier, his wife is Writer Ha Jae-Guns older sister.

Wow, really? You arent joking, right?

You should watch some TV, Mr. Kyung-Chul. Anyway, Im just very envious of them. I would have no worries in the world and just travel or play around for the rest of my life if I were them. How happy would my child be in the future, too.

Stop dreaming already and make sure you dont make any mistakes!

Nam Gyu-Ho and Lee Soo-Hee left the carpark amidst the murmurs of the graphics team. The address entered on the navigator was for Ha Jae-Guns house. They had agreed to have dinner together.

I heard that over 200,000 copies have been sold in France? Nam Gyu-Ho asked as he turned the steering wheel.

Lee Soo-Hee nodded with a light smile. Yes, sales have been going up after

The Malice

has pa.s.sed the second round of nominations.

How is he doing recently? Does he not feel burdened at all?

Hes quite strong mentally. I think hes forgotten all about

The Malice

and has been working diligently on part two of

The Breath

."

Okay, thats good to hear.

The Breath

is more important to us at Nextion than

The Malice

.

They soon arrived at Ha Jae-Guns house. Ha Jae-In had an ap.r.o.n on and was preparing dinner, but she stepped out to welcome the two of them upon hearing the car engine.

Welcome, honey. Soo-Hee, welcome home.

Nam Gyu-Hos fatigue from the workday was wiped out as soon as he saw his wifes bright smile. As he was about to reach out for his wife, Ha Jae-In walked past him and grabbed Lee Soo-Hees hand instead.

You must be hungry, right? The food is almost done; come on in.

Sorry, unni. Ill head in and help you with the preparations.

Theres nothing left for you to do. Jae-Gun and I have prepared almost everything.

Ha Jae-In pushed Lee Soo-Hee gently toward the porch. She was about to follow Lee Soo-Hee when she noticed her husband standing blankly in the distance.

Why are you standing there? Come in.

Nam Gyu-Ho did not answer and stayed motionless. Ha Jae-In found it strange, so she approached her husband and asked, Did something happen?

Look here, Princ.i.p.al Ha Jae-In. Nam Gyu-Ho slowly raised his head. He looked so distressed, like a child whose precious toy had been stolen from him.

I'm your husband, right? Princ.i.p.al Ha Jae-In?

What are you talking about out of the blue?

Shouldn't you hold your husbands hand first instead of someone else's hand?

Ha Jae-In was stunned. Then, she burst out into a peal of laughter.

Nam Gyu-Ho frowned, seemingly getting angry. Im not joking.

Im sorry for laughing. Youre just too cute that I couldnt help it.

What?! How can you call a man cute

I was too happy to see Soo-Hee after so long. We even had lunch together earlier, didnt we? And were always together every day, no? Ha Jae-In held Nam Gyu-Hos face in her hands, stroking him.

Nam Gyu-Ho felt like he was being treated as a child, so he decided to fight back, saying, Then give me a kiss.

Enough, lets go in.

I asked to kiss.

Im sorry, Director Nam. I cant stand the insects chirping out here.

Nam Gyu-Ho grabbed Ha Jae-Ins wrist and pulled her in before kissing her on the lips.

Ha Jae-Ins pa.s.sive resistance was futile, and she eventually put her arms around her husbands neck.

Just then

Clack.

Noona, why are you and brother-in-law taking so lo

Ah,

sorry. Please continue. Sorry. Ha Jae-Gun turned around in a hurry and went back into the house. Ha Jae-In slapped Nam Gyu-Ho's back and buried her flushed face in her hands.

***

The four of them enjoyed the delicious dinner prepared by Ha Jae-In. Each of them had a gla.s.s of alcohol, and the liquor made the dinner even more enjoyable.

After their dinner, the group headed down to the bas.e.m.e.nt for a second round. Ha Jae-In and Lee Soo-Hee prepared snacks at the bar while Ha Jae-Gun and Nam Gyu-Ho played some games.

Its 19 to 12.

Brother-in-law, dont you think youre being too mean?

No way. This is all according to the manual.

But its true. You fight a few times then come right in from under. Pick other characters, too. Lets play fairly, hmm?

Alright then. Lets do it randomly this time.

You can do random, and Ill pick my character myself.

Wait, how is that fair? You asked to play fairly. Youre mean, brother-in-law.

The two men continued their childish dispute.

Lee Soo-Hee and Ha Jae-In looked at each other, smiling helplessly.

Theyre just like the kids playing games at the neighborhood arcade shop.

But its nice to see them enjoying themselves so much, Lee Soo-Hee said.

Ha Jae-In nodded in agreement. Then, she glanced at the clock on the wall, and her smile disappeared instantly.

Please dont worry too much. Lee Soo-Hee whispered as she held Ha Jae-In's hand. She knew what Ha Jae-In was worried about. They were waiting for the final announcement of the Prix Goncourt from France. Look at him; hes enjoying himself and has forgotten it.

Ha Jae-In then s.h.i.+fted her gaze to Ha Jae-Gun. She chuckled when she saw how Ha Jae-Gun was so focused on the game screen while pressing the b.u.t.tons on the gamepad enthusiastically.

Just then

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Guns phone, which was left on the bar counter, vibrated.

...!

The room turned silent instantly as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them. Ha Jae-In and Lee Soo-Hee both turned pale. Even Nam Gyu-Ho stopped pressing the b.u.t.tons on the gamepad and turned around reflexively. Everyone had been consciously ignoring it, hoping that Ha Jae-Gun wouldnt feel too burdened.

Im sorry, brother-in-law. Let me answer this real quick.

Its okay, take your time.

Lee Soo-Hee picked up the phone and handed it to Ha Jae-Gun. The name shown on the caller ID was Oh Myung-Suk. It was almost 11 p.m. now, and Oh Myung-Suk wasnt the type to call this late at night. Knowing that made Lee Soo-Hees chest inflate with antic.i.p.ation.

h.e.l.lo, editor-in-chief.

Congratulations, Mr. Ha.

The Malice

has been selected as one of the final nominees.

Oh Myung-Suk announced the result as soon as Ha Jae-Gun answered the phone. A huge smile bloomed on Ha Jae-Guns face, and he let out a sigh of relief as he held Lee Soo-Hees hands.

Thank you, its all thanks to you, Editor-in-chief. Theres nothing else I can hope for now. Im really satisfied with the fact that I've been shortlisted.

I wont say anything else lest you feel uncomfortable. Theres only a week left until the announcement of the award winner. Would you like to go on a holiday to Paris?

Ha Jae-Gun chuckled as he sensed the motive behind Oh Myung-Suks question.

Nothings been confirmed yet.

Thats why I asked if youd like to go on a holiday.

Let me discuss this with my wife.

Sure. Oh, I have something else to tell you. Can you talk?

Yes, please speak.

Ha Jae-Gun winked at everyone else in the room and excused himself. Oh Myung-Suk's voice echoed from the phone.

The readers' response to the letter you wrote for them in the forum for

The Malice

was great. The rumors have been expanded and began spreading on social media.

Yes, Ive seen it.

The rumor that Oh Myung-Suk was referring to was Eden Smiths visit to Korea."

Readers were speculating that Eden Smith, the author of

The Malice

, would soon arrive in Korea to meet his readers. This was based on the letter that Ha Jae-Gun had penned. In the letter, one of the lines read, "I want to repay my Korean readers in the near future. This line alone brought forth various interpretations by readers."

Photos of gifts that readers had prepared for Eden Smith upon his visit to Korea were all over the forum.

I think I should repay them as well, but Ha Jae-Gun trailed off. He recalled the time when he decided to use the name Eden Smith instead of his own. But only after the Prix Goncourt results are announced. Regardless of the results, I want to challenge myself up until then before moving on.

I have the same thoughts, Mr. Ha. Your opinions are my utmost priority. And regardless of how we plan to repay them, both OongSung and I will give you the fullest support.

Thank you always, Editor-in-chief.

Are you thanking me in advance knowing that Ill prepare the flights for your trip to France?

Hahaha,

Im sorry, but your jokes always sound awkward to me, Editor-in-chief.

Its hard for me too; it feels awkward as well.

Ha Jae-Gun laughed heartily as he looked up into the night sky. There was a star that shone unusually bright tonight, and in Ha Jae-Gun's eyes, that s.h.i.+ning star was his amazing editor-in-chief.

***

[Woo Jae-Hoon spouting nonsense again? Ha Jae-Gun wont be able to produce a work like

The Malice

even if he were reborn.]

[Hot topics arising at the Prix Goncourt award ceremony]

October had pa.s.sed, and it was already November. There was a crowd outside the Drouant restaurant in Paris, France. The Prix Goncourt awards ceremony was going to be held there today. There were a few Korean reporters among the horde of reporters, and there were also a few TV broadcast vehicles parked along the road.

The entrance to the restaurant was blocked as the announcement of the winners drew closer. A famous host in France started the live broadcast, and the area became so crowded that it was hard to walk around.

The scene proved that Prix Goncourt was indeed the most prestigious literature award in France.

Is he really a Korean? Dont you think that he might also be a Korean-American like the netizens have speculated?

Well know soon enough. Lets see what he looks like.

The two reporters seemed to be quite dissatisfied, as they were unable to enter the restaurant and couldnt snap a photo as a result. They were forced to wait for the results while snacking on a piece of chocolate bar.

A while later, cheers roared from within the restaurant. Thunderous applause rang so loudly that even the crowd outside heard it loud and clear.

The Prix Goncourt winner was about to be announced.