Chapter 240: Dignity Is Important Too (2)

“I’ve been spoiling you too much. I gave you such an important position, but it turns out that you have no idea how to make use of it. I’m embarra.s.sed to even say that you’re my son.” A series of ruthless words came from Park Jae-Gook.

Park Kyung-Wook couldn’t stop crying as he clenched his chest. Park Jae-Gook watched his pathetic son, growing angrier by the minute.

“Give me the card.”

“What…?”

“Are you deaf?! Give it right now! You don’t have the right to spend my money!”

“Sobbb…!”

Park Kyung-Wook felt his future turning dark. He’d be penniless if the card were taken from him. He would no longer be able to enjoy his hobby, which was entertainment, and last night would be his last.

He had spent every single cent of the salary he had been receiving as editor-in-chief, so he had no savings whatsoever.

“F-father...” Park Kyung-Wook pleaded tearfully with despair in his eyes. “Please… please don’t take the card away. Please? I’ll get myself together and do my best from now on. Please, Father. I’ll die without the card.”

“Ah, get lost. I’ll just call in to cancel it.”

“F-father…! Please don’t…!”

“Get out! Get out of my sight!”

Slam!

Park Jae-Gook kicked the door open, grabbed Park Kyung-Wook by the collar and threw him out. Park Kyung-Wook writhed in the middle of the hallway like an octopus on an iron grill while sniffling.

‘Argh…!’ Deputy Ko, who coincidentally walked past the hallway, quickly hid. He could roughly figure out what had happened because Park Jae-Gook’s voice had echoed throughout the office.

‘Urgh, this is killing me. What if I get fired, too?’ Deputy Ko couldn’t go to the washroom, nor could he return to his desk. Fear overwhelmed him slowly.

Park Kyung-Wook had acted recklessly without knowing how scary the world was. Now that he had been severely reprimanded by the CEO, it would soon be his subordinates’ turn. Just thinking about it made Deputy Ko’s spine shiver, and he squeezed his eyes tightly.

However, his a.s.sumption was wrong, as Park Kyung-Wook did not return to his office. Deputy Ko let out a sigh of relief as lunchtime arrived.

“Why are you so on edge?” Deputy Lee asked as they stepped out for lunch. A faint smile lingered at the corners of her mouth. Although she didn’t show it, she felt extremely relieved. It felt like she had just pushed out a ten-year-old constipation.

“You seem quite refreshed.” Deputy Ko pointed out.

“Hmm? I won’t deny that.”

“But aren’t you worried? It’s clear that the atmosphere in the office would turn out worse than before. The CEO won’t appear in the office every day either.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me. I’ll be resigning soon.”

Deputy Ko stared at Deputy Lee with an astonished look.

Deputy Lee scanned their surroundings quickly and gave him a wink. “Keep it to yourself, okay? It’s still a secret.”

“Y-you’re resigning? Why?”

“I couldn’t stand it any longer. Everything I do here is fruitless. I want to maybe work freelance for a while and live without worry while surviving on my savings.”

“I see...” Deputy Ko’s shoulders drooped.

Deputy Lee was the reason he had been able to survive in this h.e.l.l hole of a company; he had just heard the news of her departure, but he was already feeling quite empty.

“Think about your career, and don’t rest for too long.”

“Well, it’s fine. I could always go to augh.”

“Laugh Books?”

“Yes, I’ve been contacting Ms. So-Mi recently, and she said to join them whenever I want, as it’s hard to find a good employee.”

Deputy Ko nodded and smiled bitterly. He had shown quite a bit of his bad side to both Kwon Tae-Won and Jung So-Mi. He felt bitter thinking about how much they hated him at the moment.

“Should I ask if you could join them?”

“Haha, please stop joking. I don"t think I can do that, as CEO Kwon Tae-Won definitely hates me a lot,” Deputy Ko said in a self-mocking tone as he pressed a b.u.t.ton in the elevator.

“I’ve completely wasted my time in this company. I don’t have any excuses for myself, but back then… I thought it was the right thing to do—to be tactful and curry favor with one"s superiors.”

“...”

“Ms. So-Mi must resent me a lot. She’s an editor, but I made her run all sorts of errands.”

“But you also helped her in many ways before she resigned and even encouraged her. I don"t think she hates you. Cheer up, Deputy Ko. I don’t like seeing your discouraged self.”

Deputy Ko smiled weakly. He finally understood clearly that he didn’t deserve to criticize Park Kyung-Wook, and the realization made him feel like crying.

***

Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak! Tak!

It was the day before Ha Jae-Gun’s flight to Shanghai. Ha Jae-Gun was busy spending his afternoon sorting out the information he had gathered from his experience in Beijing. They were all to be used in the Records series.

‘I made a good choice coming out here. These are incomparable to the ones I collected from the internet.’

However, it wasn’t limited to just the Records series. The information he gathered would be a great help whenever he wrote new novels in the future. Ha Jae-Gun sorted out the information with joy.

‘It’s four in the afternoon, so there are still 2 more hours until it’s time for me to leave.’

He was scheduled to have dinner with Teencent Pictures’ CEO Mao Yen today. What could he do in the next two hours? Ha Jae-Gun thought of taking a nap like Kwon Tae-Won, who was already doing so in the next room, but he changed his mind.

‘I should just write. Having a nap now seems quite ambiguous.’

Ha Jae-Gun opened the ma.n.u.script for Records of the Modern Master and soon typed away on his keyboard. He was feeling relaxed as he had cleared his work quota for the day.

However, the leisurely feeling had brought about a rush of distracting thoughts into his mind.

‘Is the Elder not going to help me now?’ Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t even recall when was the last time he had heard advice from Seo Gun-Woo. Was the Elder, who used to shower him with all kinds of advice, not going to give him any more advice?

‘I’m still not doing well, Elder. Even though everyone tells me that my writing is good, I still feel anxious without you around.’

Ha Jae-Gun couldn"t write even a single sentence, as Seo Gun-Woo had occupied his mind.

Soon, Kwon Tae-Won’s alarm rang, and Ha Jae-Gun stood up to prepare to head out.

Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won arrived at the agreed destination around an hour later. It was both a cultural a.s.set and a restaurant, which also used to be the official residence of Empress Dowager Cixi’s younger brother.

“Ah...” Ha Jae-Gun was dumbfounded as soon as he stepped into the room. It wasn’t because of the charms of the mansion but because there was someone else accompanying Mao Yen.

“Mr. Li Ziting!” Ha Jae-Gun exclaimed with joy.

Li Ziting welcomed Ha Jae-Gun with a smile that was as warm and kind as Buddha"s smile.

“h.e.l.lo, it’s been a while,” Li Ziting greeted Ha Jae-Gun with his awkward Korean accent.

Ha Jae-Gun responded in awkward Mandarin.

Li Ziting approached and held Ha Jae-Gun’s hand.

“I"ve always wanted to meet you in China.”

“Thank you, Mr. Li. And I’m sorry.”

Just then, Li Ziting’s face changed, and his eyes narrowed.

Ha Jae-Gun c.o.c.ked his head in confusion.

“What’s…wrong?” Ha Jae-Gun asked. He then recalled the moment when Li Ziting had held his hand in the same way, and the words about how there were two conflicting energies coming from his writing rang in Ha Jae-Gun’s ears.

‘Did he feel something again this time?’ Ha Jae-Gun swallowed nervously. While keeping his hands still, Li Ziting’s sudden smile made him fall deeper into confusion.

Li Ziting looked at the interpreter and spoke in Mandarin, who then immediately translated the man’s words to Ha Jae-Gun.

“He said that your hand has gotten rougher since the last time you met. He said that he wants to meet you for a while after dinner; he has a great medication for it, and he wants to give it to you.”

“Ahh, yes. Okay.” Ha Jae-Gun had some speculations despite the dispiriting turn of events. Ha Jae-Gun kept to himself as he returned to his seat. He would eventually find out if Li Ziting truly wanted to give him medicine for his hands after dinner.

The course dinner began with a plate of chilled duck feet[1]. Mao Yen said some words to the interpreter after picking up her chopsticks.

“It’s said that Empress Dowager Cixi loves duck dishes. She’d kill the chefs if she found the dishes not to her taste. I’m certain that both Mr. Ha and CEO Kwon would find this delicious.”

The subsequent dishes served were delicious, but Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t enjoy them to the fullest as his mind was filled with complicated thoughts, wondering what Mao Yen wanted to speak to him about. Li Ziting’s suspicious actions earlier played a part in it as well.

“I have heard about it from Department Head Lin Minhong.” Mao Yen said as the stir-fried dried abalone[2] was served.

Ha Jae-Gun put down his chopsticks and nodded, acknowledging her.

“With all due respect, Mr. Ha, you’re in China.”

“I know that,” Ha Jae-Gun replied with a serious expression, thinking that he understood her emphasis. Although he wasn’t the type to engage in a fight of willpower, he thought that it was time for him to put his foot down this time.

“The Records series that you’re rewriting is targeted at the Chinese readers, not the Korean readers.”

“I understand that as well.”

“If you do, please reconsider our request, Mr. Ha.” Mao Yen did not beat around the bush with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Didn’t you know that we were going to discuss this today?’

Mao Yen was a self-made, successful career woman, but this wasn"t the right time for Ha Jae-Gun to admire her.

“I’m really sorry, CEO Mao Yen. It’s tough for me to change the main character.” Ha Jae-Gun lowered his head and continued in a heavy tone, “The main character has already been fixed with the story. If we don’t go as per the original, there would be no stability in the entire Records of the Modern Master. It could turn into a totally different novel. I wouldn"t be able to find joy in writing it, nor would it be an enjoyable novel for readers.”

Everyone stopped playing with the chopsticks in their hands and listened intently.

However, Mao Yen did not step down either. She straightened herself and leaned forward. “The entire globe knows of Mr. Ha’s excellent writing skills, so please don’t worry about that. I sincerely hope that you will reconsider it with the Chinese market in mind. I hope you will understand that I also wish to reflect the entirety of the Records series into their respective movie adaptations as well.”

Ha Jae-Gun’s heart softened slightly as he listened to the interpreter. However, the most important thing was still the novel. It didn’t make sense to change the novel according to Mao Yen’s request.

Ha Jae-Gun steeled his resolve once again and shook his head. “I’m really sorry, CEO Mao Yen. I will not change my mind.”

Mao Yen’s face turned slightly pale under the lights. She hadn’t expected Ha Jae-Gun to be this stubborn; she thought that she would be able to change his mind with a dinner treat, but she was mistaken.

“Please dig in first, Mr. Ha. The dishes are turning cold.”

The dinner continued amidst the awkward atmosphere.

Mao Yen fell into deep thoughts as she chewed on her food. She had just encountered another serious issue. She had no justification, which was a major concern.

She had the confidence to persuade the executives and officials. However, even if she ended up succeeding in her persuasion, dignity would still be an issue. They would view her as someone who was swayed by a single writer.

Mao Yen couldn’t bring to voice this concern herself, as it was also a loss of her dignity to admit that she had no justifications to change his mind. This indescribable anguish that only the Chinese could understand grew within her.

“I’ll contact you again, Mr. Ha. Enjoy your time in Shanghai, and I’ll see you there next.”

“Thank you, CEO Mao Yen. The dinner today was excellent. Please go back safely.”

The dinner ended without much result.

Ha Jae-Gun let out a sigh after sending off Mao Yen. The dinner had just confirmed the differences in their positions. He felt bloated from the indigestion.

“President Kwon, I’m not sure how things will turn out.”

“Don’t be too worried about it, and please continue to focus on your writing. I will continue to talk to CEO Mao Yen about this.”

After waiting for a while, Li Ziting, who had left earlier in a car, returned with his secretary. Li Ziting handed Ha Jae-Gun a hand cream.

‘He wasn’t joking…?’ Ha Jae-Gun was dumbfounded; he never expected to really receive hand cream from the older man.

Li Ziting smiled. “I have always enjoyed reading your novels. Please wrap up your schedule in Shanghai well, and I hope to spend an entire day with you before you return to Korea.”

“Yes, I understand. I will definitely do so. It’s regrettable that I couldn’t spend more time with you today, Mr. Li Ziting.”

After a cup of tea, Ha Jae-Gun held the hand cream given by Li Ziting in hand and turned around dejectedly. Li Ziting and his secretary turned to leave as well.

“Hahaha...”

“Why are you laughing, Mr. Li?”

“It was one person.”

“Pardon? One person?” his secretary asked.

Li Ziting pointed to Ha Jae-Gun with his chin. “I’m saying that he is one, both him and his writing. The literary growth I had felt in the past was all presumptuous.”

“I don’t really understand what you mean.”

“You don’t have to. Anyway, I’m envious of him. Would I be able to write like he did in the past? I’m probably no match for that young man even right now.”

“No way, you’re a great writer who even received the n.o.bel Prize in Literature. No matter how great of a writer Ha Jae-Gun has become, he still couldn’t be compared to you.”

Getting in the car, Li Ziting’s secretary asked as he turned to look at Li Ziting, who had climbed into the back seat. “Mr. Li, I just recalled something that you mentioned earlier.”

“What is it?”

“Can you really see ghosts? I’m really curious. Is that true?”

Li Ziting narrowed his eyes and asked out of the blue, “Don’t your shoulders feel stiff recently?”

“Huh? Yes, they do. How do you know?”

Li Ziting pointed at his secretary’s shoulders. “There’s a ghost sitting on them.”

“What?!”

“She committed suicide due to a broken heart.”

“M-Mr. Li, please don’t make such jokes…!” the secretary muttered, and his face turned pale as he trembled.

Li Ziting slapped the secretary"s shoulder and broke into laughter. “I was just pranking you; why are you so timid? You"ve examined so many doc.u.ments over the past three days, so it would have been weird if your shoulders weren"t feeling stiff. You don’t have to come to work tomorrow; go and take a rest.”

The car soon ran down the road.

Li Ziting leaned his head against the headrest and smiled to himself, thinking of the one writer who had grown so overwhelmingly great that he couldn’t even feel inferior to the latter anymore.

1. This is an image of chilled duck ☜

2. Image ☜