Chapter 281: Is This An Internal Strife (5)

Ha Jae-Gun handed the ma.n.u.script toward the tombstone that remained silent.

The t.i.tle written on the cover page:

Great Life

.

Ha Jae-Gun had written this himself. The precious original, which was obtained from Seo Sang-Do, was kept somewhere deep in his study. This was a copy of the ma.n.u.script.

Ive lost contact with your son, who had given me the original of this ma.n.u.script. I had wanted to discuss this with him instead, Ha Jae-Gun muttered, looking at the ma.n.u.script. He could still recall when Seo Sang-Do handed him the original of

Great Life

, along with the contents written in the letter for Ha Jae-Gun.

Seo Sang-Do mentioned that this was the only work that had escaped the fire, and like his fathers other keepsakes, he would love for Ha Jae-Gun to take care of it. His earnest request was all he left in his letter before he disappeared altogether.

No matter how long Ive waited, your son has not contacted me again since then Ive thought long and hard about what I should do with the ma.n.u.script. I was also perplexed, wondering whether it was right for me to bury the work of such an amazing writer like yours forever.

Ha Jae-Gun laid the ma.n.u.script down on the gra.s.s and flipped through the pages. My most respected mentor even said that this ma.n.u.script gave her the thrills. Theres not a single redundant sentence in there; not only was it perfect in the technical sense, but the scenes that you intended to express were also astonis.h.i.+ngly harmonious throughout the novel That was the first time Ive seen her give so much praise to anyones work.

Ha Jae-Gun was not exaggerating at all. If it hadn't been for the professors shockingly high praises, Ha Jae-Gun wouldnt have been able to recall every single word she had said in such detail. Ha Jae-Gun looked at the tombstone and smiled bitterly. His nose suddenly tingled, feeling sorry that a writer with such great talents had no works out in the world.

That professor suggested that I finish this 70,000-character incomplete ma.n.u.script personally. Thats probably when this burden formed in the back of my mind.

Ha Jae-Gun let out a long sigh. After sitting on the ground blankly for a while, Ha Jae-Gun put the ma.n.u.script back into his bag and stood up to leave.

Please forgive this student of yours for struggling to fill the blank s.p.a.ce with his poor penmans.h.i.+p when I couldnt even fathom what you had in mind while you wrote this. I will try to finish this ma.n.u.script somehow, regardless of whether itll be published or not. I dare say that this is what things should be for you.

Ha Jae-Gun then added inwardly,

'Ill be back again to visit you once its completed.'

Then, he turned around to leave.

A few steps later, Ha Jae-Guns phone rang, and it was a call from Lee Yeon-Woo.

Yeah, Yeon-Woo?

Have you had lunch, hyung?

I had it with the a.s.sistant secretary. What about you?

I had it with Hyun-Kyung hyung, Min-Ho hyung, and Eun-Young noona. Anyway, Ive finished organizing the essay draft. Could you help me take a look at it?

Sure, send it to my inbox. You did it quite fast.

I didnt add anything new to it, anyway. I just had to organize all my blog posts together. Im left with the t.i.tle now, but Im not sure what I should call it. Is there anything good?

Hmm, I tried brainstorming it too. The other writers suggested

Writers At The Office Making A Beautiful World,

how about that?

Gosh, I forgot that I shouldnt ask your opinion on this.

Hey, arent you being too harsh? Whats wrong with my t.i.tle? Isnt it lyrical and nice?

Please forget about it, Im sorry. Youre coming back to the office, right? Eun-Young noona said shes making

baeksuk

.

I cant today. Ive got some things I need to organize alone. Ha Jae-Gun answered and tightened his grip on the bag.

He had steeled his resolve that he would write while waiting for Seo Sang-Do to contact him. His steps were now much lighter heading back home. Ha Jae-Gun thought that he did great by spilling all of his concerns to the Elder.

***

Youve worked hard completing the ma.n.u.script, Writer Lee Yeon-Woo. Now that the book cover has also been decided, Ill do my best to make sure that we can publish it as soon as possible.

Yes, Editor-in-chief. Ill be waiting for your call, and have a great day. Lee Yeon-Woo hung up and gave his body a good stretch.

Kang Min-Ho, yang Hyun-Kyung, and all the other writers gave him a round of applause.

Wow~ You finished it so quickly; you actually finished it overnight?

Yeah, I couldnt even see his fingers moving when I watched him work on the essay.

Lee Yeon-Woo scratched the back of his head, smiling shyly. He had officially completed the ma.n.u.script for his essay as of today. All he had to do was wait for it to get published and go out to the world.

I hope itll sell well, Jeon Bong-Yi said, twirling her chair around. It should do well since there are lots of stories related to Ha Jae-Gun oppa, right?

Hmm, isnt it too much to put that conclusion? Yang Hyun-Kyung said with skepticism in his tone.

Kang Min-Ho nodded in agreement.

Youre not sure? But it has lots of stories about Ha Jae-Gun oppa, Jeon Bong-Yi said.

Most readers prefer reading novels. Even the autobiographies and essays written by renowned writers only get popular for a while, but they dont exactly sell well.

Hmm, is that so

Well, Jae-Gun hyung is still a huge success within Korea, so Im sure itll help with the sales.

Yang Hyun-Kyung then tapped on Lee Yeon-Woos shoulder lightly, asking, How many copies are you hoping that itll sell? Maybe 100,000 copies?

No, thats too much for the essay market in Korea. If it really hit 100,000 copies, thatd be a huge hit. Im not that greedy.

Dont lie. Wouldn't it be great for you if it performs well?

Of course, Id be happy if that happens. That way, Ill be able to bring my mother over and live in a studio nearby. Lee Yeon-Woo smiled bitterly, looking down.

As the atmosphere turned solemn, Kang Min-Ho patted Lee Yeon-Woos shoulder like an eldest brother would and encouraged him. Things will turn out well. Youre done writing it, so forget about it now.

Thank you, hyung. Im happy to be able to release a book thanks to Ha Jae-Gun hyung. For real.

Just then, Jang Eun-Young stepped out of the bathroom. She couldnt even catch the towel that was wrapped around her wet hair properly and asked in a hurry, Min-Ho hyung, isnt it starting?

What are you talking about?

The live broadcast! Didnt you say it was today?

Oh right! I forgot about it while talking about Yeon-Woos essay. Kang Min-Ho returned to his computer.

Everyone including Jang Eun-Young gathered around him, and soon a video appeared on the screen. It was the start of the movie press conference for

Records of the Modern Master

.

***

The enthusiasm on-site at the press conference was much higher than in any other movie. The reporters present were all only focused on two people seated at the table on stage.

One of them was the actor playing the main lead in

Records of the Modern Master

, and the other was the writer of the original novel.

This question is for Mr. Park Do-Joon. You have declined interviews with all media outlets during the movies filming period. I heard that it was because you wanted to focus on the role. What do you think of the results of your hard work?

I did everything I could with no regrets.

The proportion of Mandarin used in the movie is relatively high. Did you face any difficulty during acting?

I have done meticulous practice for the Mandarin lines in the script. Even the Chinese production crew had admitted that there was no incompatibility in my p.r.o.nunciation or accent. Park Do-Joon was relentless in his answer.

Neither did he smile once throughout the press conference. He seemed to still be withholding the tension of Jin Cheon-Wi from

Records of the Modern Master

.

On the other hand

This is a question for Writer Ha Jae-Gun.

Similar questions to Park Do-Joons were directed to Ha Jae-Gun as well. That time when he sat quietly like a party p.o.o.per at the press conference for

Summer in My 20s

felt like a lie. Now that he was here, he wasnt just the original author.

I actually thought that you wouldnt appear at this press conference today, so its quite surprising to see you here. Its honestly been a while since youve shown yourself in public after

The Malice

. How do you feel?

Im quite excited, and Im not the least bit worried about the movie at all since theres an amazing director and great actors like Mr. Park Do-Joon. I believe with all their help, the movie would turn out great.

As soon as he finished his answer, another reporter came forward to ask their question.

The official release date for

Records of the Modern Master

in Korea is two months later. The imminent release date of the movie

The Breath

which is undergoing production with Wizardry Pictures was recently hinted at by a certain media outlet as well. If the release period overlaps, wouldn't that be an internal strife for you, Writer Ha Jae-Gun?

Light laughter erupted from the audience. Ha Jae-Gun laughed awkwardly as well, but he still gave his reply. Even if it did overlap itd be well after

Records of the Modern Master

gets released. So I havent really thought about it.

I heard that youre almost done with working on

The Breath

Part 2. Have you decided anything about the movie adaptation for it?

Im sorry, but I think weve digressed quite a bit from the topic of this press conference, which is supposed to be about

Records of the Modern Master

. Ill give you an answer separately after this press conference. Ha Jae-Gun declined the question politely.

The spotlight of this press conference was the production crew and actors in

Records of the Modern Master

. However, there were also other reporters who took over the baton.

There are rumors that you began writing

The Breath

Part 2 at the request of the minister from the Ministry of Culture. I heard that it was an earnest request not to stop

The Breath

with Part 1all for the nations interest at heart. Is this true?

I can only repeat my answer which Ive given to the reporter earlier. Please only ask questions related to the movie,

Records of the Modern Master

.

As Ha Jae-Gun declined once more, the reporter had no other choice but to step down. Taking advantage of the brief silence, another reporter took over the microphone and stood up.

I have a question for both Mr. Park Do-Joon and Writer Ha Jae-Gun. Everyone knows that both of you are the closest friends. Did you exchange anything about work this time as well?

Ah

About that Ha Jae-Gun trailed off and glanced at Park Do-Joon. He didnt have anything to reply to the reporter. The only conversation both Ha Jae-Gun and Park Do-Joon had recently was when he went to pay respects to Park Do-Joons late brother at the charnel house, and it was a stretch to say that it was about work at all.

On top of that, there was a slight awkwardness between them.

Ha Jae-Gun hadnt been able to have a proper talk with Park Do-Joon, even before the press conference. Park Do-Joon had an air of rigidness even up until the start of the press conference, which made it hard for Ha Jae-Gun to progress from small talk.

He had decided to wait until Park Do-Joon could let go of the burden on his mind.

As the room turned silent, the reporter chuckled and threw out a joke.

Why are both of you so quiet? It seems like your relations.h.i.+p has turned quite awkward. I saw from your social media that both of you play billiards quite often together. Do you usually play billiards when you meet? Did you argue because of a recent game?

Everyone in the audience burst into laughter. Park Do-Joon picked up the microphone as soon as the laughter died down.

We haven't been able to play billiards these days. Like usual, Ha Jae-Gunno, Writer Ha Jae-Gun and I would share our opinions whenever we meet. He gave me countless important advice like any writer who has written great novels.

Ha Jae-Gun chuckled as he looked down on his lap. He did nothing to help Park Do-Joon and felt sorry even though he knew Park Do-Joon only answered out of formality.

Id like to take this opportunity to thank Writer Ha Jae-Gun, both as an actor and a friend. I havent been able to talk to him ever since I set foot in Korea. Park Do-Joon then looked in Ha Jae-Guns direction and bowed lightly.

The reporter who asked the question also gave a round of applause, which began to spread throughout the auditorium.

After the press conference, Ha Jae-Gun left the venue a step ahead of everyone else. But before he could escape to the corridor leading to the emergency exit, Park Do-Joon caught up with him.

Huh?

What about the interview?

I can always do that later. How dare you throw everything on me and try to escape alone?

Yeah, Im cowardly and decided to run alone. Im hungry so Im going to grab a bite.

The two friends then laughed together. In the empty corridor, Park Do-Joon continued, Im sorry back then. I was on edge because of the movie.

I understand. Its my fault for not being considerate.

Its not your fault, it was me. Anyway, dont worry about the movie. As you said before, Jin Cheon-Wi has perfectly come in sync with this world top star, Park Do-Joon.

You dont have to say that; I havent worried a single bit. The acting youve shown me so far has only been the best. Thats what

Records of the Modern Master

is going to be.

And

And what?

Park Do-Joon couldnt continue and looked in all directions. He finally spoke after a while as Ha Jae-Gun waited patiently for him.

And my hyung

Ah,

forget it. Lets go eat if youre not doing the interview. Ha Jae-Gun waved his hand and cut Park Do-Joon off.

It was fine as long as their intentions were conveyed. He didnt like to see the top star losing his cool and at a loss for what to do.

Alright. Lets run off then. What do you want to eat?

Anything but army stew. I had too much of it recently. Are you not going to give Tae-Bong hyung a call?

I can always call him after weve escaped. Lets go.

Im not going to take responsibility for this. Youre going on your own accord.

Youre such a coward, Ha Jae-Gun.

The two friends chuckled as they picked up pace. The reporters who managed to track them opened the door and found only an empty corridor.