Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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# 39
Again, Writer 039
"The protagonists are definitely those guys."
"Tch!"
"If you're content with playing the supporting role, I won't stop you."
Woo Ji-hyun grinned at Kim In-hu, who twisted his lips and grumbled.
But Kim In-hu didn't respond to that.
"You're just way too obvious about it, though."
"The groom's friends are our age, and they're from big corporations. How great is that?"
"They probably keep it secret that they have girlfriends, right?"
"Even if they do, they'd still go for it."
Im Sang-min nodded at Woo Ji-hyun's matter-of-fact tone, which carried no sarcasm—just the plain truth.
It was entirely plausible.
As long as they weren't wearing couple rings or admitting to having girlfriends, the groom's friends had no way of knowing if they were single or not.
"Those who have it always have more."
"That's how the world works—it's cold like that. And that guy's dying to go for it anyway."
Woo Ji-hyun pointed at Yoon Sung-hwan, who was piling his plate high and stuffing his face just like Kim In-hu.
Right then, his eyes met Kim Seo-yong's.
*Save me.*
He hadn't said a word, but the desperate plea in his eyes made Woo Ji-hyun chuckle involuntarily.
But all of this was Kim Seo-yong's karma.
"So you're not going?"
"I prefer the lead role if I'm going to do it. I've done too many supporting parts."
"You said you were lonely."
"That sounds more like you."
Kim In-hu snickered.
It had hit right in the solar plexus.
Im Sang-min, sitting next to him, felt the same sting.
"What are you guys talking about that's so fun?"
"It's less a conversation and more a roast session. We're pretty good at it."
"Yeah. Totally."
Kim Seung-gyu, who had just returned to the table with his girlfriend like he was flaunting their couple status, emphatically agreed with Woo Ji-hyun.
He'd known Woo Ji-hyun's quirks since middle school, after all.
"A roast? You seem so smart, though."
"It's just good packaging. He's not at all. This guy's nickname is Jang-ddo."
"Jang-ddo?"
"Jangsu-dong Madman. Shortened to Jang-ddo."
"Puhahaha!"
Lee Ye-jin burst out laughing for real in that instant.
The prim image she'd been maintaining crumbled in a flash at the unexpected word.
She realized her mistake too late and tried to compose herself, but the water was already spilled.
"Your girlfriend's got a great laugh."
"Yeah, she does. Haha."
Lee Ye-jin's face turned as red as a persimmon at Kim In-hu's words.
And the funny part was, Kim Seung-gyu didn't deny it.
"It's refreshing to see. Why hold back? Too much pretense kills the charm."
"Then why haven't you dated anyone, smart guy?"
"Huh? Ji-hyun oppa, you don't have a girlfriend?"
Lee Ye-jin's eyes sparkled at Kim In-hu's jab.
She'd gotten the sense he was single.
"Yeah, I've been pretty busy lately."
"Man, what have you been up to?"
"Just writing my ass off."
"Fantasy novel?"
Lee Ye-jin perked up at the random term.
It was the first time in her life she'd heard "fantasy novel."
Kim Seung-gyu, on the other hand, wasn't surprised.
He knew Woo Ji-hyun had been doing side gigs writing before enlisting.
"Yeah, martial arts novels right now."
"This guy makes good money. He's built up some name recognition. Solid A-rank writer?"
"Something like that."
Woo Ji-hyun put on an exaggerated smug face at Kim In-hu's backup.
But it didn't come off as annoying.
If anything, it looked like pure confidence.
"Wow."
"Well, it's a dying market, but in three or four years, it'll change."
Lee Ye-jin's eyes sparkled at the words "novel writer."
It was the first time she'd met someone with that job.
"But why no dating?"
"His standards are too high?"
"Agreed."
Kim Seung-gyu knew all too well how picky Woo Ji-hyun was about women.
"Hey."
"What."
Then an uninvited guest barged in.
Yoon Sung-hwan, who had been peeking at the groom's friends' table just moments ago, suddenly showed up at theirs.
Boldly claiming an empty seat.
"Got something I want to ask."
"You?"
Woo Ji-hyun gave Yoon Sung-hwan a surprised look.
He hadn't expected him to approach first after their falling out.
Nor did he plan to approach Yoon Sung-hwan himself.
"Yeah. We're not strangers, right? Classmates and all."
"Classmates, sure."
The last word felt oddly off, but Woo Ji-hyun decided to hear him out for now.
As Yoon Sung-hwan said, they weren't total strangers yet—still within the circle of acquaintances—so a conversation wasn't out of the question.
"What I want to ask is—"
Yoon Sung-hwan sidled up to Woo Ji-hyun.
He lowered his voice and leaned in, as if to whisper.
Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min pretended to be uninterested while perking up their ears.
They were both curious what someone as prideful as Yoon Sung-hwan would say.
"What is it?"
"Could you introduce me to some publishing contacts? You must know a bunch. You've contracted with at least three places already."
"Why do you need an intro?"
"I've been thinking of writing on the side."
Woo Ji-hyun's face hardened.
It wasn't disbelief—it was exasperation.
His eyes turned icy.
"Writing on the side while job hunting?"
"Yeah, make some money and prep at the same time. Just got out of the army, and it feels bad relying on my parents."
"Hahaha!"
Woo Ji-hyun burst out laughing.
That one line revealed exactly how Yoon Sung-hwan viewed genre fiction.
Yoon Sung-hwan looked startled at Woo Ji-hyun's sudden reaction.
He couldn't fathom why he was laughing so hard.
"What's so funny?"
"On the side? You want me to set up a publishing deal because you're gonna write on the side? You're one arrogant bastard. Right now, hundreds of people are glued to their monitors, writing like mad either because they love it or to survive. All for that one title of 'writer.' And you? On the side? If that's your mindset, don't even touch the keyboard. It's an insult to everyone else grinding away."
Yoon Sung-hwan clenched his fists tight.
He glared at Woo Ji-hyun like he wanted to kill him.
But uncharacteristically for his hot-tempered self, he didn't charge.
Woo Ji-hyun's piercing glare was no joke.
"Whoa, whoa, it's a happy day—why fight?"
"Both of you, cool it!"
Instead, their friends stepped in to separate them.
More precisely, Yoon Sung-hwan.
Woo Ji-hyun didn't throw punches or smash things when riled up, but Yoon Sung-hwan might.
So Kim In-hu just stuck by Woo Ji-hyun, while three or four guys clung to Yoon Sung-hwan.
"If you wanna be a writer, do it right. Don't half-ass it."
Woo Ji-hyun gently pushed aside Kim In-hu's restraining arm and stood up.
He shoved back his chair.
There was no continuing the meal in this atmosphere, so he figured it was time to head home.
"Uh... wait...!"
"I'm heading out first. Sorry for ruining the vibe. I'll pay you back with drinks later."
"Uh, yeah!"
Woo Ji-hyun said his piece to his friends and turned on his heel.
As if there was nothing left to say or see.
"Damn, he's got some real balls now."
"Wow..."
Kim Seung-gyu smirked at Woo Ji-hyun striding out cool as ever, while Lee Ye-jin’s eyes lit up.
The way he confidently stood his ground was just too cool.
"Even I have to admit it was badass."
"Told you—he's got that vibe."
"This vibe's gotten pretty serious, though."
Kim Seung-gyu chuckled, pointing at the chaotic table.
But one thing was clear: the situation didn't feel bad.
Strictly speaking, Woo Ji-hyun hadn't started the mess—Yoon Sung-hwan had.
"How about drinks tonight? I'll bring my friend too? We're heading back tomorrow anyway."
"Sounds good. I wanted a drink with that guy anyway."
Kim Seung-gyu didn't refuse.
He'd come up to Incheon and wanted a drink with Woo Ji-hyun anyway.
Time to properly brag about his girlfriend, too.
* * *
Bam!
Gong Hyun-jung hurled the file folder at the wall.
The company was a total mess because of one absent employee.
"You fucking idiot! If you're gonna do it, at least don't get caught!"
Gong Hyun-jung spat curses at Park Chan-hu, who was stuck at the local police station and couldn't even come to work.
The more he thought about it, the more pissed he got.
Of course, he'd had some suspicions.
The salary was fixed, the corporate card had limits, but Park Chan-hu's spending was extravagant.
"Sigh. Should've bailed way earlier."
Gong Hyun-jung muttered as he surveyed the staff, all buried in their tasks.
But it was too late now.
And he wasn't the only one thinking that.
Tap-tap-tap!
Even after hours of work starting, the only sounds were keyboards clacking.
No one spoke to anyone else.
"I'm going insane."
Gong Hyun-jung couldn't even vent his frustration in the office atmosphere, colder than winter.
No, he didn't have time to.
Rubin Media's scandals weren't just the lawsuits from authors.
The cover plagiarism blew up too, so he was running around everywhere to clean it up.
"Maybe..."
Gong Hyun-jung eyed the tightly shut president's office amid the tense mood.
It was something he never would've imagined before, but now it felt possible.
Park Chan-hu was the culprit, but Rubin Media took the direct hit to its image.
So Gong Hyun-jung thought it could happen.
"The signs have already started."
He scratched his unkempt hair, which he'd ignored for days.
Just yesterday, multiple authors had inquired about terminating contracts.
Worse still, they couldn't sign new ones—veterans or rookies.
With Park Chan-hu as precedent, no one would trust Rubin Media.
"At least we're not the only ones exploding."
Focus Media, teetering on the edge of being called predatory, got hit by this bomb too.
So Gong Hyun-jung figured they'd dodged the absolute worst.
He grimaced, thinking of the other publishers furious over this mess.
They'd scoop up every author fleeing Rubin and Focus Media. His teeth ground together.
At the same time, he fiddled with the resignation letter he'd been carrying for days.
"Gong Hyun-jung!"
Resignation could wait—damage control first. He pulled his hand away from the letter and turned at the roar from behind.
He knew who it was without looking.
Tensing up, he whipped around.
"Yes, President!"
"Get in here!"
"Right away!"
At the president's thunderous command—not quite a command, but close—Gong Hyun-jung slunk toward the office like a drowned rat.
But no one spared him a sympathetic glance.
They just stared silently—no, deathly still—at their own monitors.