Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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Lee Ji-sook's eyes widened like saucers as she watched the young man step out of the sleek sports car.
It was because the young man she saw was someone she knew.
"Isn't that Ji-hyun?"
"Yeah, that's him."
Kim Kyung-ae nodded with a face just as shocked as Lee Ji-sook's.
No matter how many times she looked, it was unmistakably the son she had given birth to.
Even with the sunglasses on, anyone could tell it was her son, Woo Ji-hyun.
"Didn't he say he didn't have a car?"
"Yeah, he didn't mention anything about a car until a few days ago."
"He must've bought it after getting his settlement. I heard he made a fortune shooting that Kakao Page ad."
"He didn't tell me the exact amount, but he said it was huge. He bought me this bag, too."
Lee Ji-sook and Hwang In-hye's eyes went wide as they belatedly noticed the Louis Vuitton bag next to Kim Kyung-ae.
It wasn't the most expensive model, but it sure wasn't something you could pick up at a supermarket either.
Moon Ji-eun's lips trembled as she stared at the bag.
Her son had gotten promoted, but that wasn't enough to casually buy a bag like that.
"Mom?"
Meanwhile, Woo Ji-hyun, who had just picked up his brand-new Porsche yesterday, spotted Kim Kyung-ae as he approached the building and took off his sunglasses.
He hadn't expected to run into his mother here of all places.
"What brings you here? And what's with the car?"
"Oh, I have a meeting with the agency. I just got the car—figured if not now, I might never get to drive a sports car. A sports car in your twenties feels different from one in your thirties, you know? It was my dream, too."
"You didn't go into debt for it, right?"
"It's a lease. And you know me—I hate debt, so I don't even take out loans."
As soon as Woo Ji-hyun finished speaking, the four aunts' eyes lit up in unison.
They all alternated jealous glances between Woo Ji-hyun and Kim Kyung-ae.
Lee Ji-sook's gaze was especially intense.
'That lady hasn't changed a bit.'
Unlike Lee Ji-sook, who was shooting him an almost burdensome stare, Moon Ji-eun was glaring daggers with a face full of jealousy that didn't suit her refined appearance.
As if everything about him rubbed her the wrong way.
But Woo Ji-hyun felt the same about Moon Ji-eun.
'There's a limit to bragging about your kids.'
He could understand her wanting to play queen bee at these gatherings.
He could even tolerate the kid-bragging to a point.
A mom without the joy of boasting about her child probably wouldn't have much fun in life.
But there were limits.
No matter how great your own kid was, you didn't put down someone else's.
'If your child is precious, you should know everyone else's is too.'
Ignoring Moon Ji-eun's murderous glare despite only meeting a few times, Woo Ji-hyun headed into the restaurant.
It felt awkward talking through the window, so he went inside and approached his mother's table.
He had a meeting here anyway.
"You're meeting here today?"
"Yeah, the food's pretty good. Didn't think you'd know the place, though. Young people usually go for pasta or pizza."
"I like Korean food too. I just don't make it myself because it's a hassle."
"Still, don't eat too much instant stuff. It's bad for you."
Kim Kyung-ae continued proudly.
Whoever's son he was, he looked impressive.
He might not match Ko In-seok in looks, but when it came to ability, her son was the best.
"You know my freezer's stocked with chicken breasts. I manage my diet fine. But your meals look a bit plain."
"Huh?"
"I'll upgrade you right away. Eat up and enjoy. Excuse me?"
Woo Ji-hyun glanced at the table.
It looked like lunch sets from the menu.
So he immediately switched them to the most expensive course.
And he made sure to pay with his own card.
"No, you don't have to..."
"It's my way of asking you to take good care of my mom. Enjoy your meal and have a great time."
Woo Ji-hyun gave a relaxed smile as he watched Lee Ji-sook and Hwang In-hye's lips twitch despite their protests, then looked at Kim Kyung-ae.
It was a wink telling her to enjoy the food.
With that, he left without lingering.
"Ji-hyun's really grown up. He even knows how to give his mom face."
"Right? He's even better as a son-in-law prospect."
"But will Eun-kyung catch his eye?"
"What?"
Hwang In-hye and Lee Ji-sook started bickering.
Kim Kyung-ae laughed and mediated between them.
But Moon Ji-eun bit her lip so hard it nearly bled, staying silent and not joining the conversation.
She just glared at the spot where Woo Ji-hyun had been.
Click.
Having fully played the role of the successful son, Woo Ji-hyun moved to his reserved seat.
It was a room with sliding doors, and surprisingly, Jo Jin-gu was already there.
"Ah, Writer."
"You're earlier than me? We've still got over 20 minutes till the meeting time."
"Haha. I wanted to come early and look around a bit more."
"The webtoon?"
"Yeah."
Jo Jin-gu held up his tablet PC.
It was the webtoon by the artists they were set to meet here.
The skill was still very much beginner-level, far from professional webtoon quality, but one thing was clear.
The potential.
"The art style's good, right?"
"It's a bit rough around the edges, but you wouldn't guess it's amateur work. The story feels lacking, though—maybe because she's so new, or maybe it's inherently weak. Doesn't seem like she learned synopsis writing at all."
"That's why they haven't blown up yet, huh?"
"Pretty much."
Jo Jin-gu smiled awkwardly, his face full of regret.
He realized too late that he'd judged by pro standards.
What they needed now wasn't a top pro.
"But aren't you overdoing it? This place is pricey. Even the lunch set's a stretch for early-twenties folks for one meal."
"This is fine. Plus, I wanted to treat you to a good meal, Woo Ji-hyun Writer. And promote our agency while I'm at it."
"A startup pulling off meetings here?"
"Exactly."
Jo Jin-gu grinned and nodded.
Woo Ji-hyun really caught on quick, he thought.
"There should be some payoff to meeting at a nice spot like this."
"For me, the vibe's good so far. I only heard their voices, but they didn't come off rude or arrogant."
"Could be shock. You know all about amateurs' arrogance."
"Yeah, there's quite a few like that."
You couldn't blame them for not realizing their talent was superior.
And though rare, there were amateurs better than pros.
But while superior amateurs existed, none could beat pros.
Yet in this field, tons acted high and mighty on talent alone, oblivious to that.
'Full of overconfidence that they can do anything.'
The younger they were, the more their awareness of their own talent led to arrogance over humility, which is why Woo Ji-hyun worried about that exact thing.
"We'll know for sure once we meet them."
"The skill's definitely there. Hard for me to find better. And luckily, we have a few options."
"I'm checking those too. If nothing comes from today, we'll go with the next best."
"As expected from the president—thorough as ever."
"Not as much as you, Woo Ji-hyun Writer. Haha."
Jo Jin-gu waved it off.
Compared to Woo Ji-hyun's foresight, he had a long way to go.
Knock knock knock.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Moments later, the sliding door opened, revealing a young man and woman with awkward expressions.
"Hello."
"Ah, hello?"
Jo Jin-gu and Woo Ji-hyun stood as the pair, who oddly resembled each other, entered.
Jo Jin-gu especially smiled warmly and ushered them inside.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jo Jin-gu from Frontier Management."
"I'm Lee Hye-seong."
"I'm Lee Ji-seong."
They seemed to recognize him from the call, greeting Jo Jin-gu politely.
Jo Jin-gu bowed back in kind and gestured to Woo Ji-hyun.
"This is Woo Ji-hyun Writer, one of our agency's contracted authors."
"Hello."
"I know him. The one who did the Kakao Page ad with Lee Woo-hyung from Maestro on the Field, right? Loving God of Martial Arts, Return too."
"Thanks."
Woo Ji-hyun smiled slightly at Lee Hye-seong recognizing him right away.
It felt good that she enjoyed his work.
He also clocked that she read commercial novels too.
"Have a seat for now."
"Yes."
The two, still a bit youthful, sat across from Woo Ji-hyun and Jo Jin-gu.
But they clearly weren't used to this kind of meeting—their expressions and postures were stiff.
Anyone could see they were uncomfortable.
"Shall we eat first?"
"Ah, yes."
Lee Hye-seong, who looked like the older brother type, answered reflexively.
Lee Ji-seong seemed shy, head down and fidgeting with her hands, so Lee Hye-seong handled most responses.
"Wow."
Moments later, as dishes started arriving, Lee Ji-seong's eyes sparkled.
Her gaze was stolen by the cute, artfully plated food.
"The food's not just pretty—it's delicious too. Give it a try."
"Yes."
At Jo Jin-gu's words, Lee Ji-seong murmured and picked up her chopsticks.
Lee Hye-seong then slowly began eating as well.
"Your 'Child of Ifrit' series is really fun."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's not super long yet, but I enjoyed it. You can tell a lot of thought went into it."
"We obsessed over it. We never formally studied webtoons, so we're just trial-and-erroring it. But story's so hard."
"Especially the synopsis."
With stomachs full and time passed, Lee Ji-seong finally spoke up.
She still avoided eye contact.
But Jo Jin-gu was glad she voiced her thoughts first.
"It's not easy, especially without formal training. But you two definitely have talent. I think so, and Woo Ji-hyun Writer agrees. By the way, he's the one who found you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'm into webtoons too. Sadly, deadlines keep me from reading much."
Lee Hye-seong nodded.
She'd sensed Woo Ji-hyun's insane pace since Maestro on the Field.
To stockpile that much, he'd probably be glued to his monitor pounding the keyboard all day.
"If it's not too rude, mind if I ask if you two are contracted anywhere?"
With the mood warmed up, Jo Jin-gu asked carefully.
He could guess from them showing up, but just in case.