Big Life-Chapter 183: The Bombing Starts (4)

“Stop the car for a moment. Really? Mr. Ha?”

The Floor Director in the driver’s seat stopped the car as he was about to start driving off. Meanwhile, Content Producer Bae Tae-Gon placed his phone by his ear, listening intently to the other party on the phone.

“What show is it? Ah, Issue Marker corner? Doesn’t that end in thirty minutes? You did well calling me. I was planning to contact them today as well. Yes, work hard. Thank you.”

Content Producer Bae hung up and immediately got out of the car. He asked the Floor Director to wait in the car for a while more and hurried back into the radio broadcasting station.

***

“Oh? Why are you back again? Didn’t you finish talking to the chief earlier?” the Production Director asked in surprise.

“Mm, no. There’s something I still have to talk to him about.” Content Producer Bae replied briefly and took the elevator. As he checked himself out in the mirror, he organized his thoughts, which were meant for Ha Jae-Gun.

‘I should just suggest to have dinner tonight and then talk about it then. I can’t pass this opportunity up.’

Content Producer Bae had been contacting Ha Jae-Gun through the Production Director a few times throughout this period they had known each other.

He wanted to apologize for the loss of the manuscript due to the assistant writer and to propose a new project at the same time. Aside from that, he would also like to improve their personal relationship.

However, Ha Jae-Gun had yet to agree to a meet-up with him.

Bae Tae-Gon had personally gone to look for Ha Jae-Gun to apologize for the incident, but he couldn't meet Ha Jae-Gun anymore afterward. Ha Jae-Gun kept on declining, saying that he was busy with other work for the time being and couldn’t make time to meet.

Diing~

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened. The staff standing outside the lift were taken aback by his presence as he stepped out of the elevator.

“Huh? Content Producer-nim, what brings you here?”

Bae Tae-Gon was the head of the MBS TV drama department, and most staff would be able to recognize him unless they were trainees.

“Ah, there’s someone I want to meet here. You may get back to work.”

There was a lounge at the end of the long corridor. Bae Tae-Gon went to grab himself a can of coffee and sat down on the sofa. The staff passing by were all surprised.

‘It should be ending soon…’

After a long, boring period, Bae Tae-Gon checked his wristwatch for the time and then looked toward the studio.

Soon after, the studio door opened, and Ha Jae-Gun emerged from there.

“You did well today, Mr. Ha. I love your calm and substantive comments today.”

“I think I’m slowly getting used to this after doing it a few times, as expected of a creature with learning abilities. You’ve worked hard as well, Production Director-nim.”

As Ha Jae-Gun bade farewell to the team and walked down the corridor away from the studio, Bae Tae-Gon stood up awkwardly as their distance closed.

“...Content Producer Bae Tae-Gon?” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled in surprise when he recognized the man and approached him, greeting him first. “How have you been? Why are you here at the radio station?”

“Ahaha, I hope you’ve been well. It’s nice to see you here.”

Bae Tae-Gon exaggerated and reached his hand out for a firm handshake. He then quickly added, “Are you busy now?”

“Ah, today I…”

“It’s coincidental for us to meet today here. It’s a pity to leave. It’s almost time for dinner anyway; why don’t I treat you to a good dinner nearby?” Bae Tae-Gon smiled desperately.

The staff nearby finally realized that Content Producer Bae had been waiting at the lounge because of Ha Jae-Gun.

“There’s Market Place…”

“Oh, right. It’s a huge hit despite it being just a one-act play.”

“I heard that episode two had passed seventeen percent in viewership ratings?”

“Is Content Producer-nim going to propose doing a new program personally?”

“Shouldn’t he propose it personally? That person is Writer Ha Jae-Gun, after all.”

A few staff murmured amongst themselves behind the two men.

Ha Jae-Gun was seen hesitating. ‘What should I do…’

He had promised to have dinner with the other writers at the office tonight. Of course, he didn’t promise that he would appear, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem.

However, it was exactly because he found it burdensome that he was hesitating.

Obviously, Content Producer Bae was here to butter up to him after that drama script incident. He was also here to propose another drama for them to work together with.

The ratings for Market Place had exceeded expectations and was now on a roll. Although he had been busy for a while, the reasons he had been giving had been working so far, which helped Ha Jae-Gun avoid the meetings.

“Please, Mr. Ha. Maybe I can buy you a cup of coffee instead?” Content Producer Bae repeated himself earnestly.

Ha Jae-Gun frowned slightly and eventually nodded with a smile. He couldn’t refuse the man in the face.

“I’ll take up the dinner offer instead of the coffee then.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes, I’m actually starving.” Ha Jae-Gun had a good impression of Content Producer Bae anyway. Content Producer Bae wasn’t a superficial person and was a life senior with lots of experience.

Ha Jae-Gun had never once blamed the incident on him.

“Let’s have dinner together.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

The two men headed toward the elevator together. The staff made way for them, standing along the sides of the corridor like guards.

***

“You seemed overly concerned, so I had unintentionally hidden it from you,” Ha Jae-Gun said as Bae Tae-Gon poured him a drink.

Bae Tae-Gon looked at Ha Jae-Gun in surprise.

Ha Jae-Gun poured the man a glass in return and said, “I’m sorry to say this when I’m younger, but all sorts of things happen to people. It was clearly unfortunate that the script was lost back then, but I wasn’t angry with the staff about it. Please don’t be worried.”

“Thank you… for saying that.”

The two men made a toast and downed the shot of cheongju.

Bae Tae-Gon picked up a piece of the delicious-looking sashimi with his chopsticks and said, “It’s really amazing. Whenever I appear at the broadcasting station these days, people would say that I have bricks stacked up on my shoulders. Many are already saying that we'll achieve a twenty-percent viewership rating for the third episode. This is all thanks to you, Mr. Ha.”

"How is it all my sole credit? Everyone under Content Producer-nim had also done so well that we were able to produce such great results."

The atmosphere was harmonious as another round of drinks was poured. Content Producer Bae was carefully looking for the right time to bring up the next topic for discussion.

He wasn't the type to waste time. Ha Jae-Gun had already seen through Content Producer Bae's thoughts, but he didn't bring it up first out of consideration for the latter.

"Um, Mr. Ha."

"Yes?"

"This might be out of the blue, but… is there a possibility for you to write a full-length drama?”

“Ah…” Ha Jae-Gun nodded, understanding his question and put down his glass. He had expected it, but he was still perplexed. He wanted to prioritize the scenarios for The Market and Its People, Oscar’s Dungeon, and Storm and Gale.

“If you’re busy, we can take something from your existing works, too. Storm and Gale, A 90s Kid, Summer in My 20s, There Was A Sea… They are all perfect for turning into dramas. If it’s tough on you to work on the script personally, you can leave it to one of our writers as well.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled awkwardly.

Content Producer Bae noticed that and quickly added, “I heard through the grapevine about what happened in the past with Director Woo. As the Content Producer, I guarantee that your opinions will be fully reflected in both the script and the direction of the drama.”

“I’m really thankful for your proposal, but it’s really difficult for me to give you a definite answer about the next drama project. Please allow me some time to think it over.”

“Hmm… I see.” Bae Tae-Gon trailed off, nodding as he was given no other choice.

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang in his pocket. He excused himself and read the message sent over by Announcer Park Hye-Sang.

- I heard the radio while on the way to the broadcasting station. Your calm voice comforted me on this exhausting day. Thank you for the radio show. ^^

Afraid that it would be rude, Ha Jae-Gun decided to reply later and turned his attention back to Content Producer Bae. The man still had a regretful look on his face.

“I’m really sorry, Content Producer-nim.”

“No. I’m really glad that you’re having dinner with me… Oh!” Bae Tae-Gon slapped his thigh.

While he was thinking of ways to continue his connection with Ha Jae-Gun, something else came to mind.

“Mr. Ha, do you happen to know our program, Let’s Watch A Movie?”

“Of course. I do watch it whenever I have the time.”

Let’s Watch A Movie is a representative film-centric program from MBS Broadcasting Station. It introduces various new and old films, and that’s why Ha Jae-Gun watches the show occasionally.

“Although it’s not under my jurisdiction, the variety department had asked if you could become part of the fixed panelist on the show after its recent revamp. I almost forgot it. Wait, I think I was just pretending that I forgot it. Hahaha, dramas are much more important to me, after all.” Bae Tae-Gon laughed heartily.

Ha Jae-Gun laughed along as well, but he still felt embarrassed. It wasn’t just once or twice that he had been invited to go on TV shows now. Aside from I Live Alone, in which he appeared with Park Do-Joon, he had declined all other invites as he didn’t feel the need for him to appear in them.

“I will think it over seriously as well.” Ha Jae-Gun eventually gave that as his answer. He knew how much Content Producer Bae was trying to hang onto him. But in any case, he had to be clear and draw the line between both personal and work matters.

Ha Jae-Gun decided to save his words and raised his glass.

***

“Now, let’s each have a bottle. This is the best after excessive drinking the night before.”

“Eughhh, thank you, Deputy Jung.”

“As expected, Deputy Jung is the only one who cares about me.”

It was just before noon at the writer’s office in Bucheon. Jung So-Mi handed out hangover cures to the writers suffering from the aftermath of the company dinner from last night. The writers opened the small bottles with unfocused eyes.

Ha Jae-Gun sat among them.

‘Damn… They're all alcoholics.’

Ha Jae-Gun barely managed to empty the bottle and stood up, staggering. He drank with Content Producer Bae until ten p.m. last night.

It would have been great if he had gone straight home. However, the writers kept bugging him to come down since it was a company dinner, and he ended up drinking with them until dawn.

“Are you alright, Writer Ha?” Jung So-Mi asked with a worried look.

Ha Jae-Gun forced a smile and shook his head. “Ms. So-Mi, you’re incredible. Didn’t you drink three bottles last night?”

“No, I probably only had two bottles myself. Writer Lee and Writer Yang probably had a carton each themselves.”

A white kitten sped past his feet. The kitten's name was now Nun-Sol from Cheol-Soo, which Jung So-Mi had come up with at Ha Jae-Gun’s request.

“Nun-Sol, come here.”

“Meow.”

Nun-Sol turned around immediately and sat on its hind legs, acting cute. Ha Jae-Gun watched Jung So-Mi pick up Nun-Sol and said amusingly, “It acts more like a puppy than a kitten. Why does it listen to you more than me?”

“Yeah. Maybe we have similar tendencies?”

“I don’t see Rika anywhere either. Is she hiding somewhere?”

“She has taken a liking to the windowsill in the bedroom.” Jung So-Mi smiled shyly and asked, “How do you like its new name?”

“Yes, Nun-Sol sounds a hundred times better than Cheol-Soo. I think it’s a fitting name. I mean, it’s a white kitten as well. You have great naming sense, Ms. So-Mi.”

Jung So-Mi smiled wryly. Clearly, Ha Jae-Gun hadn't understood the reason she had named the cat Nun-Sol. The day the two of them walked under the same umbrella, the name of the cafe they had been to was Nun-Sol.

Bzzt!

“Oh, it’s President Kwon. Wait a moment. Hello?”

— Writer Ha. I heard that you had quite the drink last night.

“Not just a little; I almost died last night. I already had drinks before joining them, and I ended up drinking soju, beer, and rice wine… My head is spinning right now.”

Kwon Tae-Won laughed for a bit before continuing.

— Anyway, I heard that you met Content Producer Bae yesterday.

“Yes, we met coincidentally at the broadcasting station. We were supposed to have dinner, but it turned into a drinking session as well.

— Content Producer Bae is very devoted. Of course, he's even more devoted because it’s Writer Ha, that’s why. I’m curious, did he not have any other hidden intentions?

“Hidden intentions?”

— Well, for example… did he not ask you to become his sister-in-law’s husband? Hahaha, it's a joke.

Ha Jae-Gun caught onto Tae-Won’s words, who was about to gloss it over with his laughter.

“Sister-in-law’s husband? Who is his sister-in-law?”

— Oh? You didn’t know? His sister-in-law is EBC’s announcer, Ms. Park Hye-Sang.

“Ah, really?”

— You really didn’t know? I thought you already knew; I mean, you had a meal with her, after all. Ahaha, that’s why you didn’t understand my joke.

Ha Jae-Gun then recalled receiving Park Hye-Sang’s message last night while having dinner with Content Producer Bae.

— Anyway, that’s not important. Have you thought about Content Producer Bae’s proposal?

“I can’t decide. I’ve got a few scenarios to work on at the moment, and I also have to meet you tonight to discuss The Breath.”

Ha Jae-Gun walked over to the coffee machine and added, “And I’m also planning to go over to Taiwan after our meeting tonight.”

Jung So-Mi’s ears twitched upon hearing Ha Jae-Gun’s words. There was only one reason for Ha Jae-Gun to fly over to Taiwan. Even though it was a given, she couldn’t stop her heart from aching.

Jung So-Mi walked away from Ha Jae-Gun with Nun-Sol in her arms. Nun-Sol's warmth seemed to soothe her aching heart.