Chapter 149: Tremble in Fear (8)

?!

Ha Jae-Gun took in a sharp breath; his eyes widened in shock. The screen turned brighter, making his face look pale. On the huge screen was not rookie actress Hong Ye-Seul.

It only showed the cat-faced girl whom he had met late in the night on the city streets. It was the very same girl who cried, saying that she wanted to become a celebrity to find her motherDa-Seul.

Why is Ms. Da-Seul?

It wasnt easy for him to accept the fact that actress Hong Ye-Seul and Da-Seul were the same person. However, the face on the screen was definitely her. That face, which looked much prettier without makeup, appeared vividly in his eyes.

Ha Jae-Gun trembled like an aspen tree in the wind. The girl who had disappeared after leaving sad tears had just reappeared as an actress.

It felt like time had stopped. He couldnt hear anything as well.

Oppa, whats wrong? Lee Chae-Rin whispered, curious. Ha Jae-Guns shock had to have been so strong that even she could feel it from beside him.

Instead of replying to her, Ha Jae-Gun looked around. He could not spot the face he had in mind anywhere in the dark theater. He then recalled Yoon Tae-Sung mentioning earlier that she had to work today and thus could not make it.

Oppa? Are you feeling unwell?

No, no. Im fine. Ha Jae-Gun slowly shook his head and plopped back into his seat.

He felt exhausted, like someone who had just finished a run. His eyes were on the huge screen, but his mind was empty.

Wait for me! Ill return as a totally cool woman in front of you!

The farewell cry meant for the deputy whom the female lead liked rang in his ears.

Ha Jae-Gun felt that it was meant for him to hear, as there was a similar line in the letter she had written for him. She had also mentioned in the letter that she would return to get the necklace from him once she could stand confidently before him.

The movie finally ended when the credits finished rolling. As the lights returned to the theater, Lee Chae-Rin's face was stretched with a smile.

Wow, the movie was interesting. It was both funny and touching.

Oppa, whats wrong with you? Are you sure youre okay?

No. I found it interesting, too.

Ha Jae-Gun could barely stand. When he turned around, he spotted Yoon Tae-Sung looking in his direction, and their eyes met. The two approached each other.

How was it, Writer Ha?

It was great and interesting, said Ha Jae-Gun. However, it was a lie. The complex feelings he felt made him unable to concentrate on the movie. Ye-Seuls final words were stuck in his mind.

How about the actress? Hong Ye-Seul. Shes good, right?

Thankfully, Yoon Tae-Sungs focus was on Ye-Seul rather than the movie.

Ha Jae-Gun calmed himself down and nodded. Shes pretty. Her acting was natural and matched the movie. I finally understand why youve been complimenting her so much.

Right? Dont you think that shell also fit the role of the naggy female high school student in

Gyeoja Bathhouse

?

As they talked about Gyeoja Bathhouse, something came to Ha Jae-Guns mind. He hesitated for a moment before saying, But, Director. Have you already mentioned

Gyeoja Bathhouse

to her?

Of course. Whats wrong?

And she knows that Im the author of the original novel?

Yoon Tae-Sung looked at Ha Jae-Gun blankly. Eventually, he broke out into a grin. Of course, she knows. Do you really think that youre just an average writer at the moment? She had even told me that she enjoyed all your novels.

Ha Jae-Gun was at a loss for words, and he shook his head. It was clear that Da-Seulno, Ye-Seul, knew that he was the author of the original novel. Despite that, she didnt take the initiative to contact him. He could guess why.

Writer Ha, would you like to meet Ms. Hong Ye-Seul once?

No, its fine. Ha Jae-Gun snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, shaking his head. Is there a need for me to meet her? I should just work on the scenario and send it to you soon.

Ha Jae-Gun decided to respect Ye-Seuls decision and wait until she came to him confidently and willingly. In other words, he would have to hold onto her necklace for a while more.

Jae-Gun Oppa, Yu-Ri said shes here.

Oh,

okay. Director, well be leaving first, then. You should be quite busy, too.

Thank you for coming. Ill be waiting for your scenario.

Ha Jae-Gun left the theater with Lee Chae-Rin. The warm suns.h.i.+ne gradually eased the mixed feelings in him. Ha Jae-Gun took off his cardigan as May would soon come. He smiled as he thought of her, who had been working hard to become an actress somewhere where he couldnt see.

***

Editor-in-chief, its 10th on Bandi, and its Lunias bestseller. This times response is pretty explosive as well.

Please keep up the good work. Make sure the printing goes smoothly.

As his staff left the office, Oh Myung-Suk let out a sigh of relief. The power of Ha Jae-Guns latest horror mystery novel was showing its prowess once more.

50,000 copies of

Gyeoja Bathhouse

were sold out at pre-order within a few hours and made headlines. Its official release happened a few days later, creating a huge sensation. The fact that it was also being produced as a game and a movie also empowered their marketing efforts.

Tenth place in just five days? My worries were all for naught.

The results were not far from

There Was A Sea

, which placed 8th on the fourth day of its release. Oh Myung-Suk was finally able to relax. He was also finally able to stand tall before Chae Yoo-Jin.

Bzzt!

Chae Yoo-Jins name appeared on the screen of Oh Myung-Suks phone. Oh Myung-Suk smiled.

Speak of the devil.

What do you mean?

Ahh,

were you thinking about me? And I called just at the right time?

I was about to call you too. Gyeoja Bathhouse is doing really well.

Ive seen it all already. Its all over the news. Im all prepared as well. Authors biography, his work tendencies, his accolades, and even fifty pages of his translated ma.n.u.script as a sample.

Youre efficient as ever, Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin.

Oh, but Im now in my unnis house in L.A. Did you know what I found here?

Hmm,

what is it? Your ugly childhood photo?

This noonim was never ugly in her entire life. Ill most definitely punish you for that slip of the tongue when I see you soon. Anyway, I found Writer Ha Jae-Guns novel here.

Which novel?

The Breath

.

Ah,

Ive read that fantasy novel too.

I saw my nephews friend reading it. I asked him where he got the translated copy, and he said a few Koreans in the community were circulating it amongst themselves. He said it was quite interesting, too.

Oh Myung-Suk finally realized that Ha Jae-Guns influence was spreading across the globe. As expected, interesting and popular books would definitely sell well in any country.

Mr. Has pseudonym is Poongchun-Yoo, and

The Breath

was the bestselling fantasy novel under his belt. Its been a while since it was completed, but the novel is still relatively popular.

Really? I should read that sometimes, too. Who knows? Perhaps Poongchun-Yoo would just hit a home run here in the U.S. first before Ha Jae-Gun does.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, there was knocking on the door. Oh Myung-Suk then recalled that he had a meeting arranged with Newdon and said, Yoo-Jin, I have a meeting, so Ill have to hang up.

All right. Talk to you again later.

Oh Myung-Suk ended the call and stood up.

A staffer opened the door and said, A production team leader from Newdon is here. What should I do?

Ah, Im sorry. I forgot that I have a meeting with them about

Gyeoja Bathhouse

. Ill be there soon.

Oh Myung-Suk straightened his clothes and stepped out. He picked up the pace, all for the best writer of OongSung.

***

Team Leader Lee, it feels like the promotion for the game came naturally since the book is doing well. The number of signups is no joke, said a member of Nextions mobile planning team as they looked through the internet.

Lee Soo-Hee was preparing materials for their upcoming meeting. She looked up and smiled. Indeed. I should call the marketing team and tell them to take some money out of the marketing budget so we can eat beef at the company dinner later.

Everyone in the office burst into joy.

Like

Oscar's Dungeon

, the development of

Gyeoja Bathhouse

was going swimmingly. The speed was faster than the expected timeline that the team predicted the game's launch to be scheduled for late summer instead.

"Now, everyone. Let's attend the meeting."

Lee Soo-Hee and her team members headed for the small meeting room. Nam Gyu-Ho was already there waiting, reviewing the past meeting minutes while seated at the head of the table.

"Everyone is here, right? Let's begin," Nam Gyu-Ho said briefly and put down the meeting minutes. The establishment of a branch office in Taiwan was the main agenda of the meeting today.

I think we must establish it, Lee Soo-Hee stepped up with a strong tone.

Com2Us and GameBean are already targeting the Taiwan market, so I dont think its that early even if we start now. Its different from the China market. Well have to provide services on our own in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau to strengthen our compet.i.tiveness locally. We also have to respond to users in real-time.

Nam Gyu-Ho grunted while listening quietly to her.

His expression didnt show it, but he had already agreed with her words.

The Taiwan market had already grown to the extent that it was now included in the top five huge markets on Googol Play. It was currently ranked fourth on the list, showing its remarkable growth. The other team members shared their opinions as well.

I think that its also the best market where advertising efforts will directly reflect the relative amount of profits. Compared to our local users who have never paid much while playing games, Taiwanese users have strong purchasing power in games.

As the Taiwan game developers are all moving to China, they have a shortage of local developers. It would be best if we could establish the branch office as soon as possible.

I have the same thoughts.

Oscars Dungeon

will soon be complete, so I think its best we hurry.

Nam Gyu-Ho scratched the bottom of his chin and nodded lightly. After pondering over the teams opinions, he finally spoke, Well need to decide who to send

Ill go. Of course, I should go there, Lee Soo-Hee answered as if she had been waiting for him to bring it up.

Despite knowing that she would say that, Nam Gyu-Ho let out a short sigh.

I knew this would happen.

Nam Gyu-Ho actually didnt want to send her over, as he had been relying on Lee Soo-Hee for support for the longest time. He would feel anxious without her around him.

Lee Soo-Hees competence shone the most when she was away. Even a seemingly simple task could cause problems in unexpected areas when carried out in her absence.

Nam Gyu-Ho was also one who would often be complimented for the great job he put in his work, and Lee Soo-Hee was the only other person he truly acknowledged to be the same as him. He knew that it was all because of her help that he had been able to stand confidently in his position.

Nam Gyu-Ho tapped his finger on the table and said, Lets put together a team.

Lee Soo-Hee smiled and nodded. Her heart was pounding, knowing that she could personally see to it that Ha Jae-Guns game would get released into the Taiwan market.

Lets have a company dinner tonight. We wont be able to see her for a while if she goes to Taiwan.

Nam Gyu-Ho dismissed the meeting and left the room first. His calm face turned tearful immediately the moment he stepped out.

***

Why is the world so unfair? Im running all across China, but youre sitting comfortably in Korea entering China?

Shall we change positions then?

Sure, why not? Ill write the novels, and you go on the variety shows, why dont you?

It was mid-day in May, the not-so-cold weather allowing Ha Jae-Gun to wear his short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt. Ha Jae-Gun was walking around in his garden while on the phone with Do-Joon.

When did you say youll return?

Im taking the 25th-night flight back.

Its the Baeksong Arts Awards the next day; times going to be tight.

Lets have a reunion drink after that. Along with a trophy as accompaniment.

People might think that the Most Popular Award and Best Male Lead Award are yours if they heard that. High expectations can lead to huge disappointments.

Im just saying. Oh, right. I heard from Chae-Rin that its thanks to you that she got to sing the OST for

Gyeoja Bathhouse

? Shes extremely grateful for that.

Its not me. The director met her when we went for the movie preview for

Girls War

, and he had always liked her voice as well. Shes pretty good at singing, too.

Well, Im not so sure about that.

She won on

Masked Singer,

and youre still saying that? Hey, Do-Joon. Sorry, but Ive got a call coming in. Ill call you again later.

Ha Jae-Gun quickly ended the call with Park Do-Joon and jumped on the next call.

Yes, President Kwon.

I almost forgot how you sound. How have you been?

The bright voice came from Tae-Won.

Oh, Writer Ha, isnt today the autograph session for

Gyeoja Bathhouse

?

Yes, Im about to leave the house soon as well.

You must be busy. The autograph session, then the Baeksong Arts Awards. You also have to work on the movie scenario for Gyeoja Bathhouse and the game quests all on top of

Oscars Dungeon

as well.

Its not that tough on me as you say. Theres nothing much for me to do on the game side, actually. They create the variables based on the storys development, so thats an area that the Nextions planning team is more specialized in.

Thats great. Please take care of your health. Ah, Ive actually got a piece of good news for you.

Good news? Ha Jae-Gun asked, his eyes widened.

Whenever Kwon Tae-Won said that something was good, it would be quite incredible.

Ive received a call from Nextion.

Nextion? What is it about?

They said Teencent from China contacted them, and they would like to officially translate

Oscars Dungeon

and service it as an ebook.

Oh, I see, Ha Jae-Gun replied with a puzzled look.

He had expected this to come someday, but he didnt expect it to come so quickly.

The game was still unreleased as well.

Ms. So-Mis webtoon must be doing really well.

Hahaha

. Anyway, it will be released to a country with a population of 1.35 billion. I thought

The Breath

would get there first, but I guess I was mistaken.

Ha Jae-Gun felt something behind him, and he turned around to find Lee Soo-Hee wearing a dress that fluttered in the breeze. She had just finished all preparations prior to her departure.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled at her; he wanted to deliver the good news to her first.