Big Life

Chapter 263. Don’t Provoke Me (4)

“Thank you, brother-in-law. If it hadn't been for your help, the wedding wouldn't have gone smoothly."

“Don’t say that. It was your wedding, so I definitely had to do it for you.” Nam Gyu-Ho smiled, patting on Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulder.

Ha Jae-Gun’s wedding had finally ended; the photo-taking session had ended as well. Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee were busy greeting their guests, who were enjoying the food. The space in the garden alone wasn’t enough, and they had to arrange seats in the living room and kitchen.

“Please enjoy the food, brother-in-law. You too, noona.”

“Yes, yes, Jae-Gun. You know that you look awesome today, right?”

“Of course, this outfit was specially picked out by a certain someone, so how could I not look awesome in it?” Ha Jae-Gun smiled and turned around.

He spotted three people sitting next to each other on the sofa in the living room. Lin Minhong, Mao Yen, and Director Chris Nolan. Ha Jae-Gun turned to Lee Soo-Hee and said, “Soo-Hee, I’m going to say hi to CEO Mao Yen.”

“Didn’t you do that earlier?”

“It’s because of the director. He came all the way for our wedding, so I thought it’d be better if I talked to them for a while more.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Take your time then; we’re all done with the other guests, anyway. I’ll go see Jung-Jin and Hyo-Jin for a while then stay with Mother and Father afterward.”

“Okay, I won’t take too long.” Ha Jae-Gun headed to the living room.

The three of them spotted Ha Jae-Gun and stood up to greet the latter with smiles.

Mao Yen’s greetings were conveyed through Lin Minhong.

“She expresses her thanks for inviting her to your wedding. She couldn't say it earlier because you seemed quite busy.”

“No, I’m happy and grateful that both CEO Mao Yen and Department Head Lin Minhong could attend, and...” Ha Jae-Gun’s gaze then fell on Chris Nolan. “I’m also very thankful to Director Chris Nolan for coming. I’m a huge fan of your works and have loved them since I was a student. I still can't believe that you're here at my wedding as a guest. I will be able to brag about this forever.”

Chris Nolan’s interpreter conveyed Ha Jae-Gun’s words. Chris Nolan grabbed his neck and pretended to die upon hearing the interpretation. Then, he laughed and responded with a question.

“Director Nolan asked what was your favorite movie amongst all his works?”

“I can’t count them with my fingers alone.” Ha Jae-Gun looked at his own fingers, taken aback. One could say that his actions were exaggerated, but he wasn't lying at all.

Ha Jae-Gun had admired Chris Nolan for the longest time, regarding him as an amazing movie director. Ha Jae-Gun folded his fingers one by one as he mentioned the movies, “Of course, we can’t leave out The Memento, The Inception, and the Bat King trilogy. The Memento was the first movie where I got to know you. The story of how a short-term amnesiac who couldn’t even remember things for over ten minutes somehow found the culprit was really...!”

Ha Jae-Gun paused for a while and let out a sigh of exclamation. The interpreter took this chance to convey Ha Jae-Gun’s words to Chris Nolan, and Chris Nolan started smiling.

“It’s such a great movie that I can watch it forever. The solid scenario and amazing direction gave it an explosive synergy in my opinion. I still have the Blu-ray disks in my study. I can even start a movie screening right away, too. Shall we go upstairs?” Ha Jae-Gun’s joke brought laughter to everyone.

As the laughter subsided, Chris Nolan spoke. “The rave reviews from the author of The Breath is as touching as the reviews from the tens of millions of the audiences’. He has enjoyed reading The Breath a lot and hopes to see part two of it as soon as possible, looking forward to seeing more of Edward and the dragon’s synergy.”

“There’s another novel that I’m working on right now, so I haven't really started on part two of The Breath

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Chris Nolan then listened to Ha Jae-Gun’s reply from the interpreter.

Just then, the eyes of Mao Yen and Lin Minhong, who had been listening to their conversation, sparkled at the same time. Lin Minhong then said something in English, and Nolan nodded.

‘What are they talking about?’ The others spoke so fast that Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t catch a single thing.

How convenient would it be if he had excellent English speaking skills like Lee Soo-Hee? As Ha Jae-Gun blamed himself for neglecting his studies in the past, Lin Minhong said, “About The Breath, Mr. Ha... Ah, but I don’t think we should be talking about work for too long on your wedding day...”

“It’s still fine. Please go ahead.”

“Director Nolan said he’d love to direct The Breath. We have also talked to Wizardry Pictures and agreed upon this after the license contract has been signed.”

“Ah...” Ha Jae-Gun smiled. He had the feeling much earlier, but this was something different. The feeling of the moment when his expectation had been realized felt extraordinary.

“That’s why Director Nolan would also like to hear the opinions of the original novel’s author on his directing...”

“Thank you.”

“Sorry?”

”I can’t believe that Director Nolan would be personally directing the movie adaptation of The Breath in Hollywood. I'm looking forward to working with you.”

It was usually difficult for the original work’s author to intervene in the movie production in the U.S., like how it was in Korea. It was the reason Ha Jae-Gun was prepared to completely let go of everything—from the director to the production team—if he were to sign a contract with Wizardry Pictures.

Just as he had done for Gyeoja Bathhouse, which Paramountain had purchased the licenses for much earlier.

However, they were planning to let Director Nolan direct the movie. The great director of Hollywood, who was not only good at directing but also talented at scripting, had attended his wedding and had even volunteered to shape the movie.

What could hold back Ha Jae-Gun at this point? Ha Jae-Gun was feeling emotional and thankful to the director for asking for his opinion first.

“Department Head Lin Minhong, I have a pen with me.”

“Pardon? What do you mean...?”

“Since we’ve come to an agreement, why don’t we sign the contract right away? Ms. Yoo-Jin and President Kwon should be here somewhere, so I’ll bring them over.”

The group burst into laughter as they belatedly realized that Ha Jae-Gun was only joking with them. Ha Jae-Gun was completely at ease and had lifted his hands off of the Records series and the movie adaptation for The Breath.

Ha Jae-Gun looked out the window—all that was left was his honeymoon trip.

***

[Ha Jae-Gun spotted on a honeymoon trip after his wedding]

[Posted on social media: Thank you, everyone, for your congratulations]

[Hollywood's great director, Chris Nolan, revealed to have attended Ha Jae-Gun’s wedding; has no comment on the motive for his attendance]

[Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s crazy connections: Nam Gyu-Baek’s appearance at his wedding and his daughter-in-law who is also Ha Jae-Gun’s older sister]

Articles related to Ha Jae-Gun, his wedding, and his honeymoon, which lasted for ten days, flooded the Internet.

During the scorching heat of the midsummer day, Park Do-Joon was taking a break during the filming of a commercial for an instant coffee brand when he answered a call.

“Yeah, did you rest well? It's been hectic for me the past two days, so I wasn't able to call you. How was your honeymoon? Did you buy lots of gifts for the global top star? What? Hey, you can keep that weird outfit to wear on your own.

"Did you not get me a proper gift? Don't lie. Are you serious? That's too much. Think about all the gifts I've given you so far.”

However, Park Do-Joon was all smiles as he continued speaking on the phone. The staff watching him from a distance found the sight weird as he looked unpleasant after the countless NGs called out during the filming.

“Who is he talking to on the phone? Why is he so happy?”

“I think it's Writer Ha Jae-Gun, I overheard him mention 'honeymoon.'”

“I heard they're very close friends. Is that true?”

“Just look at him on the phone. He totally looks like he's talking to his lover.”

Park Do-Joon hung up and turned around a few moments later. The flustered murmuring staff turned silent instantly and looked away to continue what they were doing.

“Mr. Do-Joon, shall we continue?”

“Yes, I’m prepared.”

The filming resumed and proceeded much smoother than before.

Park Do-Joon filmed with a much more natural smile and was soon given the all-OK signal.

“Hey, Do-Joon. You're done with the recording?” Woo Tae-Bong appeared at a scary time as soon as the recording ended.

Park Do-Joon threw down the towel he had used to wipe the sweat away from his face and nagged, “Where did my manager disappear? How come he only showed up now?”

”I had a stomach ache, and I was only away for fifteen minutes for your information. It’s all because of you. I think you gave me a spoiled yogurt drink. Anyway, let’s go now. We’re going to be late for the broadcast.”

Park Do-Joon and Woo Tae-Bong got in the car and left the filming site. Another breaking news about Ha Jae-Gun appeared on the Internet as they headed to the broadcast station.

Park Do-Joon took the chance to sleep a wink on the ride to the broadcasting station, so he didn't get to read the breaking news. It was a relief he did that ahead of the live broadcast, as it wasn’t a good piece of news.

***

[...News that the National Tax Service has launched a tax investigation on Writer Ha Jae-Gun. It must have come as a surprise for Writer Ha Jae-Gun, who had recently returned from his honeymoon trip after his wedding. What are your comments on this, Reporter Choi?]

[Let’s summarize everything that has been shared with me. Firstly, this tax audit wasn’t conducted with prior notice by the Second Investigation Unit. It’s quite an unusual case for them to conduct tax audits on a specific individual instead of a company.]

[Indeed. Don’t they usually conduct tax investigations only when they notice suspicious illegal activities such as tax evasion or slush funds? How come the National Tax Service made that decision?]

[Nothing has been confirmed yet. If no one called in a report, it would mean that he had chosen him specifically. Although Writer Ha Jae-Gun has been rolling in the big bucks, they don’t usually pick high-income people. This procession is actually quite strange. On top of that, this period is also the period when Ha Jae-Gun—sorry, Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s return from overseas. They seem to be waiting for this opportunity.]

“What nonsense is this...?” Kang Min-Ho murmured, glaring at the TV screen. Even Jang Eun-Young, who was eating her cereal and milk, had put down her spoon to glare at the TV.

“Min-Ho hyung, this is a live broadcast, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Didn’t you talk to Writer Ha earlier in the morning? He didn’t mention anything about this, right?”

“He probably chose to not talk about it, just in case we’d get worried,” said Kang Min-Ho. His throat felt dry as if it were burning.

He knew that Ha Jae-Gun wasn't the type to do any tax evasions. However, the Internet had always been a place rife with incitement and fabrication, so Kang Min-Ho was worried if Ha Jae-Gun's pride could hold out.

“People will already find it weird to hear that he’s been investigated for tax issues. I can already foresee the public spreading rumors about how he’s being investigated because the National Tax Service had picked up 'something' somewhere.”

“Let’s give him a call first.” Kang Min-Ho fumbled beside the sofa and picked up his phone. A voice message saying that Ha Jae-Gun was currently talking to someone else echoed from the other end of the line as soon as he dialed Ha Jae-Gun’s number.

He called again moments later, but the result was the same.

“The line is busy; he's talking to someone else.”

“That’s not surprising. The news just appeared after all—huh?!” Jang Eun-Young exclaimed. The news crawl on the TV screen showed a line of text. She pulled out her phone and looked it up on the Internet. “Min-Ho hyung, look at this.”

Kang Min-Ho stared at Jang Eun-Young’s phone, and an official statement from Ha Jae-Gun filled the screen.

***

[I just learned a while ago that a tax investigation will soon be done on me. This is true. I heard of it immediately after I returned from my honeymoon. I wasn’t planning on talking about this, afraid of the countless speculations. However, it’s already all over the news, so I’d like to express my stand as well. I’m not hiding anything, and I’m also comfortably working on my novels. I promise everyone that I have never evaded tax for even a single Korean won.]

“Wow, he handled it fast.”

“Yeah, he’s done a good job. I hope Writer Ha doesn’t get too upset over this.”

Kang Min-Ho and Jang Eun-Young both let out a sigh of relief as they watched the newscaster and panelist continue in a heated conversation over the breaking news related to Ha Jae-Gun that had just appeared.

***

‘Goodness...!’ Kwon Sung-Deuk’s aide was speechless. The words from the investigation team’ representative rang in his ears.

"He’s clean. I even grew double wicks in my eyes, but I couldn't find anything. Even the 100 million he had spent on his card last year were all used on the writers at the office. Buying them food, equipment needed for their work, and some other stuff. It was the same for Laugh Books."

‘How is it possible that he hasn't committed even a single suspicious activity after earning so much money?’

Of course, it was possible. South Korea had a population of over fifty million people, so there were bound to be those squeaky clean with a conscience.

However, the aide didn’t have anyone like that in his social circle. To make matters worse, the assemblyman whom he had been serving as his employer had been embezzling his salary for other uses.

Bzzt!

“Eek!” The aide flinched when his phone vibrated all of a sudden. The ominous feeling he had came true; the caller ID showed on his phone screen was Kwon Sung-Deuk’s name.

“Yes, Assemblyman.”

— How is it?

“Um... There’s not even a speck of dirt on him.”

— How is that possible?! Are they even doing their investigations properly?!

The aide felt like he had just gone deaf upon hearing Kwon Sung-Deuk’s scream. However, Kwon Sung-Deuk had always been like that. Kwon Sung-Deuk would rage whenever he failed to receive the answer that he wanted to hear. It didn't matter whether he was in the right or not, and the aide was long tired of his antics.

The aide couldn’t stay silent forever, and he was aware of it as well. Thus, he broke out into a cold sweat and stammered, “About the investigation targets, I heard that Ha Jae-Gun had moved a few publishers when his earlier works were published.

"They're Haetae Media and Star Books... On the contrary, we discovered quite a few problems with these companies.”

— Why are you spouting nonsense?! That’s not dirt on Ha Jae-Gun, but the publishing companies!

“I, I’m sorry...! I’m sorry, Assemblyman!” The aide bowed profusely to the empty space in front of him, apologizing for his mistake. It was also part of his job to admit to something he hadn’t done wrong and beg for forgiveness.

***

A week later, Ma Jong-Goo thought he'd experience the same routine work as he showed up for work at Haetae Media today.

However, he heard a huge ruckus in the CEO’s office. Ma Jong-Goo went as white as a sheet, but it was still within his expectations.

In fact, he was more worried if he could still find another company to work in the same industry once Haetae Media was bankrupt.