Big Life-Chapter 159: Make It Up, If There’s None (3)

Clack!

The billiard ball emitted a rattling noise as it rolled down the table. It bounced off thrice before hitting two red balls in a row, marking the end of the game.

“What’s this?” Park Do-Joon asked in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. “Have you just been practicing billiards without writing? What is this absurd rate of improvement?”

“Billiards and meals are on you today.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled as he put away the cue sticks. The billiard room at noon on weekdays was almost empty. There was only Ha Jae-Gun, Park Do-Joon, and the elderly man manning the counter.

The elderly man was the owner of the billiard place, with half-greyish hair fluttering in the wind coming from the air-conditioner. He was dozing off at the counter.

“Argh, I’m getting angry. Jae-Gun, let’s go for another round. I’m going all-out this time.”

“I thought you said you need to be at the studio by two this afternoon? We’ll need around an hour to have lunch. Let’s continue another time.” Ha Jae-Gun forcefully pushed Park Do-Joon out of the place.

The hot weather of July engulfed them as they stepped outside.

“Where do you want to go for lunch?”

“Someplace with strong air-conditioning. Why is it so hot today?”

“How about that ginseng chicken soup restaurant?”

“Sure! Let’s hurry up. I feel like I'm melting.”

They called Tae-Bong over, and the three went into the restaurant.

Unlike the billiard room, the restaurant was brimming with diners. Most of them were office workers; they were here to rejuvenate from the hot summer.

“Phew, now I feel alive.” Park Do-Joon downed a glass of cold water and took off his sunglasses.

Just then, a few diners exclaimed.

“Oh my, isn’t that Park Do-Joon?”

“Really? I think it’s really him.”

“The person sitting across from him looks familiar, too.”

“Isn’t that Ha Jae-Gun? The author of There Was A Sea.”

“Ah, right. I watched his speech at the Baeksong Arts Awards.”

“Wow, so they're actually close? I thought their friendship was just for show.”

The commotion slowly spread across the tables. Park Do-Joon was about to wear his sunglasses when Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly and held him back.

“We should've just met at my house, right?”

“No, you were in the area for an interview, anyway. Oh, Tae-Bong hyung. Give me my MP3. I should let Jae-Gun listen to it, too.”

Woo Tae-Bong pulled out the MP3 player from his bag and handed it to Park Do-Joon.

A sweet piano melody accompanied by Lee Chae-Rin’s clear voice flowed out. It was the theme song for Gyeoja Bathhouse.

"My dark heart in this silent place~ With the memories of you that I left behind~ It doesn’t disappear over time~ Remaining still like legendary magic."

Ha Jae-Gun listened to Chae-Rin’s song with his eyes closed. It was a song reminiscing the lonely summer during a sunset. As the song reached its climax, the faint chilling vibes sent made Ha Jae-Gun break out into a cold.

The song eventually ended.

Ha Jae-Gun took out the earphones out of his ears.

Park Do-Joon asked, “How is it?”

“It’s good. The song sounds great, and the lyrics are great as well, too.”

“I thought the lyrics were too straightforward. They don't sound sophisticated, you know what I mean?”

“Isn’t it better to use simpler vocabulary for lyrics? Anyway, send me a copy of this song.”

“Just take the MP3. It’s going to be annoying if the song gets leaked, so be careful.”

Three bowls of ginseng chicken soup were soon served at their table.

While he sprinkling salt into the boiling bowl of soup, Park Do-Joon said, “I met Director Yoon Tae-Sung at Newdon’s office, and he praised Hong Ye-Seul so much, saying that her concentration was incredible whenever she's in front of the camera. I think she’s got potential as well, that girl.”

“That’s great,” Ha Jae-Gun replied calmly, picking up his spoon.

A corner of his heart ached as he thought of Hong Ye-Seul. He hoped that she could quickly become famous and find her mother. When would he meet her again?

“Jae-Gun, why are you in a daze? Here’s the pepper.”

“Ah, thanks.”

They updated each other about their lives while they had their meal. They chatted about the events at the Baeksong Arts Awards, then talked about each other’s tough times since the last time they met. However, time passed too quickly for them.

They finished their meal; their dessert, persimmon punch, was soon served.

“Um, excuse me.” The ladies dining at the table next to the men approached them and asked Park Do-Joon, “Could you take a photo with us? I’m a huge fan. I’ve been waiting for you to finish your meal.”

“Sure.” Park Do-Joon shrugged and stood up.

The ladies gathered around him, jumping in joy.

“He’s gotten a lot brighter these days,” Woo Tae-Bong said with a smile. He was looking at Park Do-Joon, who was posing with his fans by the window.

“He hasn’t been drinking alone these days; he has been smiling a lot while talking to more and more people as well.” Woo Tae-Bong's gaze fell on Ha Jae-Gun, and he said, “I think this is because of you, Writer Ha. I’m extremely grateful to you.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head. “I’m the one who received his help. I learned from Do-Joon that I should always be confident in front of other people.”

“I hope you’ll always stay good friends with Do-Joon. Is that cringey? Hahaha.”

Just then, a few diners approached Ha Jae-Gun from behind.

Woo Tae-Bong spotted them acting hesitantly and signaled to Ha Jae-Gun.

“Writer Ha, behind you.”

Ha Jae-Gun turned around and saw three female university students behind.

One of them was holding a book and was shyly holding it out to him.

“Hello, Writer Ha. I enjoyed your Gyeoja Bathhouse. Can I get your autograph, please?”

“Of course. Thank you.”

Ha Jae-Gun took the book and signed it before saying, "I thought only Do-Joon's fans were here. I’m quite touched.”

“Ahaha…! We’re actually from the literature club, and all of us are huge fans of yours. Everyone might flip if we went back and shared the news. They'll probably stomp out of frustration, regretting their decision to order black bean noodles just because they’re lazy.”

“Writer Ha, can you take a photo with us as well?”

Ha Jae-Gun gladly agreed to take a photo with the girls. The two girls stood on each side of Ha Jae-Gun and grabbed his arms, while the last girl grabbed his shoulder as she stood behind him.

“I’m taking it. One, two, three… Kimchi!” Woo Tae-Bong pressed the shutter button at the same time.

The female student standing behind him then asked with a regretful look, “I think I looked weird. Can we take another photo? Please?”

“Sure. One, two, three… Kimchi!”

The moment Woo Tae-Bong pressed the shutter button, the girl standing behind Ha Jae-Gun suddenly hugged Ha Jae-Gun’s neck, and she brazenly stuck her face to Ha Jae-Gun’s face. The photo was captured with that pose.

“Ah, thank you!”

Afraid that the photo might get deleted, the girl quickly grabbed her phone back from Woo Tae-Bong. The girls returned to their seats, and a lively laughter soon broke amongst them.

“It seems like the photo came out quite well. You must be flustered, Writer Ha?” Woo Tae-Bong asked, seemingly tired of their actions while shaking his head. He looked bewildered about the girls' actions just now.

“It’s crazy with Do-Joon, too. They would kiss him while taking photos or even slide their hands into his clothes. He had even argued with Chae-Rin once because of it.”

“I think putting their hands into clothes is a bit too excessive.” Ha Jae-Gun immediately thought of his girlfriend. If the photo went online, Lee Soo-Hee might see it in Taiwan.

Just then, Park Do-Joon came back to their table after taking photos with his fans.

“Come to think of it, it’s tomorrow, isn’t it?" Park Do-Joon said as he sat back down.

Unsure what he was referring to, Ha Jae-Gun looked up in curiosity.

“Oscar’s Dungeon.”

“Ah, yeah.” Ha Jae-Gun nodded.

Tomorrow was the release of Oscar’s Dungeon's mobile game.

“I saw that there were already over a hundred thousand members in the official cafe. I think it's going to be a hit?”

“I'm just hoping that Nextion won't suffer a loss.” Ha Jae-Gun was half expectant and half afraid. He was hoping that the results would bring smiles to the entire team at Nextion, specifically Nam Gyu-Ho, Lee Soo-Hee, and the planning team.

“It’s going to do well. I’ll help you advertise it on my Twitter, too. Actually, I’m already doing it.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to. It’s thanks to you that I got to come into contact with Teencent Pictures too, so what’s a big deal about helping you with some advertising? Our president has been dancing to dubstep every time he sees me.”

Park Do-Joon held up his cup of persimmon punch high.

“Let’s toast for the success of Oscar’s Dungeon.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and raised his glass as well. Although the drink was already lukewarm, it still tasted delicious. Ha Jae-Gun didn't hesitate to accept Park Do-Joon’s blessings.

***

“Assistant Team Leader, let’s set up a guild first.”

“It says we can only create a guild from level 10 onward, though?”

“Ah, really? There’s a name I would like to use for it; should I just pay for it?”

“Why are you already thinking of spending money before you even understand the game’s system?”

The employees were streaming out of the office as it was lunchtime. Park Jung-Jin had risen from deputy to section chief, while Section Chief Lee had risen to the rank of assistant team leader. The logo of Oscar’s Dungeon, which had been released this morning, filled the screens of their phones.

“Assistant Team Leader, how did you set up the trap? Please show me.”

“Ah, explore the game on your own, man. Why are you always asking me questions? Are you sure you’re a game planner?”

After a while, Assistant Team Leader Lee asked, “Huh? What’s this? Section Chief Park, I got the wand from the pre-order special weapon box. Can I even use it when my character's job isn't a mage-type?”

“Seriously, Assistant Team Leader. Try equipping it first before asking me. You’re a game planner, too, aren’t you?”

The two men had totally forgotten about eating and only focused on their game. Their common interest was that they were huge fans of Ha Jae-Gun’s work. Of course, it wasn’t the only reason they were so immersed in the game.

“The game is well-made. The UI is done neatly, too.”

“Yeah. It’s easy to use, so I think girls will play it, too.”

The two could live without rice but definitely couldn’t live without games. They began to burn through their lunch hours on Oscar’s Dungeon.

~

Of course, Park Jung-Jin wasn’t the only one playing Oscar’s Dungeon.

Many who knew Ha Jae-Gun embarked on their adventure with weapons in hand.

Jung So-Mi and the writers in the office, Hong Ye-Seul, who was on standby on-location for Gyeoja Bathhouse, Park Do-Joon, who was resting while filming a new drama, and even AppleT’s Lee Chae-Rin who had just finished a rehearsal for a live broadcast.

Everyone was raiding a dungeon on their phones.

Even Ha Jae-Gun’s father, Ha Suk-Jae, was one of the many warriors.

‘What’s this green monster? Why isn’t it dying?’

Ha Suk-Jae sat in a chair in the corner of the garden, struggling with the dungeon raid. He didn’t even realize that Ha Jae-In was approaching him from behind.

“Dad, let’s have dinner.”

“Uh, okay…”

Flustered, Ha Suk-Jae’s phone fell out of his hand. Ha Jae-In picked up his phone, and her eyes widened open seeing the game on the screen.

“Dad…?”

“Hmm, why would I play this? You and your mom said that Ha Jae-Gun wrote the story, so I just installed it for fun.”

“But you’re already at level 8…?”

Ha Suk-Jae massaged his cheeks, which were getting sweaty.

“Well, I didn’t do much aside from fighting a few times. Seriously, how do people play these? My eyes hurt just staring at the screen, and the letters are tiny, too. Ahem, let’s go have dinner.”

Ha Suk-Jae immediately left, but he looked like he was running away.

Ha Jae-In's shoulders shook as she held back her laughter. Her eyes landed on the screen of Ha Suk-Jae's phone. Ha Suk-Jae's in-game name was Ha Jae-Gun.

‘Should I tell Jae-Gun?’

She couldn’t suppress her laughter anymore when she imagined seeing them with their faces flushed red in embarrassment. She eventually burst into laughter in the middle of the garden.

***

- The nickname is already in use.

“What? Who used my name?” Ha Jae-Gun murmured in frustration.

He regretted starting the game late after getting occupied with work. Ha Jae-Gun lay down on the sofa with his phone in hand while Rika lay beside him.

“Rika, someone used your name too. I can’t use Oscar either… I can just come up with a random name, but why do I always overthink when naming my characters? Ah, someone is already using Poongchun-Yoo too. Could they be Yeon-Woo?”

Bzzt!

A call came in, and the game was minimized.

Nam Gyu-Ho’s name filled the screen.

Ha Jae-Gun sat back up and answered the call.

“Yes, Director Nam.”

— Congratulations, Mr. Ha. And you should congratulate me as well.

“What do you mean…?”

— Oscar’s Dungeon had just hit first place on the AppStore’s free games list.

“What? First place?”

Ha Jae-Gun asked, looking stunned. He looked at the clock on the wall.

It hadn’t even been ten hours since the game was released.

How come it had already taken first place in the rankings?

Nam Gyu-Ho’s following words brought a greater surprise to Ha Jae-Gun.

— More importantly, sales have already reached eighth place, just within six hours of release. It’s record-breaking even for Nextion. The news tomorrow will definitely be a fun read tomorrow.

Ha Jae-Gun was speechless and could only stare at Rika in a daze. He had been hoping that the game wouldn’t bring losses to Nextion, but it actually broke Nextion's records on its first day? Ha Jae-Gun's heart pounded madly against his chest.

— So the planning team is going to have a company dinner tonight. Can you attend if you’re available? The team would love to see you there.

“Sure. Where is it?”

Ha Jae-Gun jumped out of the sofa. He wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder before putting on his pants. Ha Jae-Gun lost his balance, and his butt struck the ground with a dull thud. However, he was grinning as if it weren't painful.