Chapter 58: A Fishing Trip and Controversy

“I’m deeply moved. I can’t believe you’ve come this far.”

Since I knew exactly what Changsoo meant, especially with his cheeks already a little flushed from a glass of draft beer, I just laughed and nodded.

‘Back then, I was a terrible writer.’

In truth, I’d scraped by as a writer with nothing but a messy resume to my name. “Full-time writer” never fit me as well as “the chaebol son-in-law”—that’s what I was better known for.

Living like a moth clinging to the dazzling lights of my wife’s powerful family, with nothing of my own, I eventually took a huge blow to the back of the head and got divorced.

Then, as if to compensate for that cold ordeal, I stumbled upon Godflix.

And because of that, I made four billion won just from my writing income and became a VVIP at a bank that only the rich can even join.

And now, here I am—recognized by Writer Park Eunsook and writing foreign dramas. Who could have imagined?

But maybe I wasn’t the only one getting sentimental tonight; Jo Daepal, face flushed with excitement, raised his glass high.

“Changsoo, thank you for introducing me to Writer Lee Junghyuk. Thanks to him, I’m getting promoted this time.”

“Really? Congratulations, Manager Jo, you rascal.”

“Hahaha! Don’t call me Manager Jo anymore—call me Deputy General Manager Jo!”

“Congratulations, Deputy General Manager Jo.”

Getting a brand-new client to put in over three billion won just to reach VVIP status was a ridiculous feat—and all in such a short time.

Managing that much money without a single big mistake also played a big role in his promotion, so Manager Jo—no, Deputy General Manager Jo—regaled us with his stories for a while.

While I listened with genuine joy, my phone, which I’d left on the table, started to buzz.

Bzzzz—bzzzz—

“Excuse me, I need to take this call.”

“Go ahead, don’t mind us.”

I stepped outside to take the call.

“Yes, this is Lee Junghyuk speaking.”

-Hello, Writer Lee, how have you been?

It was actor Park Hyungjun, whom I’d met through Macho Restaurant.

Funny enough, there was an ad for beer starring Park Hyungjun plastered on the izakaya door right where I stood to take the call.

“Haha, I’ve been well. But what’s up? Why the call at this hour?”

-I’m near your neighborhood right now. If you’re free, I’d love to grab a drink with you.

Park Hyungjun’s hearty voice boomed with an invitation for drinks.

Come to think of it, I’d heard he was the type to approach anyone he worked with—staff, writers, directors, or actors—without hesitation.

Normally, I’d feel awkward about meeting someone I didn’t know well, but maybe because of the drinks, I found myself lightheartedly accepting his offer.

“I actually have nothing on tonight and was already having a drink with some friends. I’ll check with them, and if it’s all right, why don’t you join us here?”

-Sounds great, hahaha. I’m good with anyone, so if your friends are okay with it, just send me the address.

“Will do.”

After hanging up, I went back to the table and immediately asked Changsoo and Deputy General Manager Jo for their opinion.

“I have a friend who wants to join us. Would that be okay?”

“Who is it? Don’t tell me it’s Seo Jiwon?”

“Gasp, I’m a fan of Seo Jiwon!”

“No, not Jiwon. Do you know the actor Park Hyungjun?”

As soon as I mentioned Park Hyungjun’s name, Changsoo jumped up and shouted.

“P-Park Hyungjun? The Park Hyungjun, who lives and dies by loyalty—is he really coming here?”

“He wants to join us, but Deputy General Manager Jo, if you’re uncomfortable, just let me know. We don’t have to invite him.”

“Are you kidding? What guy our age in this country would refuse a drink with Park Hyungjun?”

With both of them on board, I messaged Park Hyungjun the address of our drinking spot.

A little while later—

“This way, Mr. Park Hyungjun.”

“Ah~ Writer Lee Junghyuk, long time no see~ Oh, one moment.”

With his trademark hearty laugh, actor Park Hyungjun entered.

As soon as he walked in, the other tables recognized him and started whispering and trying to get his attention.

Park Hyungjun, for his part, greeted every single person warmly—no trace of annoyance. He even posed for photos and gave autographs.

So it took him more than ten minutes just to reach our table.

“Ah, I hope I’m not intruding and making things awkward for your friends, Writer Lee.”

Park Hyungjun joined us with the same friendly grin, acting as if nothing could possibly be uncomfortable.

“Not at all! Hello, I’m Kim Changsoo, I run a urology clinic in Mapo. For reference, I helped Jung Hyuk here with his, ah, whale problem.”

“Ahem, Changsoo, stop with the unnecessary details.”

Deputy General Manager Jo also jumped up and offered Park Hyungjun a handshake.

“I’m Jo Daepal, Deputy General Manager at Banguk Bank, in charge of Writer Lee Junghyuk’s finances.”

“Wow, you do important work. If you’re Deputy General Manager at Banguk Bank, could I consult you about something sometime?”

“Of course, of course. I’ll make sure to treat you like a VIP.”

Thanks to Park Hyungjun’s charm, it didn’t take long before everyone at the table was thoroughly enjoying themselves.

He even pulled off his beer commercial catchphrase after downing a whole glass of draft beer in one shot, sending everyone wild.

“Smooth but strong! Cass!”

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m seeing this in real life and not on TV!”

Watching the three of them grow even closer—practically like brothers—I sipped my drink with satisfaction.

‘Actor Park Hyungjun really is a warm and kind person. No wonder he’s so well-connected and respected in the entertainment industry.’

As everyone reveled, Park Hyungjun clapped his hands and made a suggestion to the table.

“Do you all like fishing, by any chance?”

Deputy General Manager Jo, whose only real pleasure in life was secretly saving up for new fishing rods, of course nodded so hard his head nearly fell off.

Changsoo, who had become close friends with Jo through a fishing club, nodded just as enthusiastically.

“We’re nuts for fishing. Do you like it too, Hyungjun?”

“Don’t even ask—of course.”

Just as he’d expected from his reading of our faces, Park Hyungjun said we all looked like we could land a big catch and gave a delighted round of applause, then glanced at me.

“I have a little group that goes fishing now and then. If you have the time, would you like to join?”

Kim Changsoo and Deputy General Manager Jo immediately said they’d make time no matter what.

I could tell that Park Hyungjun was really hoping to draw me in, and I didn’t see any reason to reject someone so genuinely trying to befriend me.

“Sure, let me know when and I’ll come along.”

“Fantastic. You’ll find that, since we’re all actors and people in the industry, you’ll meet some good people and broaden your network.”

“Thank you for thinking of me.”

And so, the drinking party went on.

By the time night had turned to early morning, Changsoo and Deputy General Manager Jo were totally out cold, way past their limits.

By contrast, I was fine since I’d paced myself—and Park Hyungjun, despite drinking a ton, seemed unfazed thanks to his monstrous tolerance.

I’d assumed he’d leave right after, but Park Hyungjun made sure to see both guys into their cabs with designated drivers, only calling his own ride after making sure they were safely on their way.

“I’ll see you next time when we go fishing.”

“Thank you for tonight. Get home safe.”

After watching everyone head home, I hailed a taxi and returned alone to my studio at The Shop Officetel.

Even though I’d drunk in moderation, the night went late, so I was exhausted, and the moment I lay down in bed I passed out cold.

***

The next day.

It was nearly 10 a.m. by the time I finally woke up.

Judging from the noises outside, Im Seonghee and Jeong Taemi had already arrived and started work on their own.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes, gave my hair a quick brush, and came out of my room.

“Oh, you’re all here already.”

Normally, those two would have greeted me warmly and asked how I was, but today they both seemed strangely down.

I opened the fridge, poured myself a cold glass of heotgae water, gulped it down, and asked,

“Did something happen? Are you two all right?”

At last, looking hesitant, Im Seonghee cautiously asked back,

“Writer, did you come in late last night?”

“Yeah, I had drinks with some friends and actor Park Hyungjun. He really lives up to his reputation—he can drink a lot.”

“I see. So you haven’t seen the news yet.”

“News? What news?”

Im Seonghee waved me over to her laptop and showed me a headline.

[“Korean Writers Flee to Japan!”]

[As K-dramas begin to spread worldwide, Korean writers are in the spotlight. In particular, the queen of K-dramas, Park Eunsook, and rising genius writer Lee Junghyuk, are drawing heated attention. As the direction of K-drama now hinges on their next moves, these two star writers have suddenly chosen Japan instead of Korea……]

The article’s content was this:

A Korean writer who rose to fame at home wasn’t trying to spread K-content globally, but rather, had used the domestic market as a springboard to go abroad on their own.

Of course, I’d chosen to do a drama collaboration in Japan for a bigger future, but I’d never once considered “abandoning” the Korean market. To me, this article was nothing but provocation and fabrication.

But.

- Is this really a problem? Of course a writer should choose whoever pays more.

- If all the star writers end up moving to J-dramas, it’ll just make J-dramas stronger, not K-dramas. Isn’t this basically like leaking national secrets?

- It’s not like they leaked state secrets. According to capitalism, it’s right to choose the better market, so why blame the writers?

- If that’s the case, then we’re also free to criticize writers who choose Japan over Korea, aren’t we? ㅇㅇ

It seemed public opinion was divided over the fact that my next project was contracted with Japan, not Korea.

Honestly, I wondered why this was even a source of conflict.

‘Could this be CL’s doing?’

Thinking a bit further, I realized this kind of divisive, manipulative reporting was exactly the kind of public opinion control CL Media specialized in.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one who’d seen the article—soon after, Park Eunsook reached out to me first.

When I answered, I asked how she was, my face clouded with worry.

“Are you all right, Writer Park Eunsook?”

-“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You must have seen the article. The public reaction’s pretty negative.”

-“Well, you and I both know people like us don’t pay much attention to that stuff, right?”

Park Eunsook’s voice was as calm and steady as ever, not the slightest hint of concern.

-“Do you think, at my age, after all my years writing, that I haven’t heard worse? I see people calling us traitors, but believe me, I’ve heard far harsher words hundreds of times over.”

I really did find Park Eunsook amazing, and I was curious—how could she be so unshaken by all this?

Her answer was clear and simple.

-“Once our work comes out, all this crap disappears.”

“Why’s that?”

-“Why? Because my—no, our work will be good. When something is good, everyone wants to see it regardless of nationality, and those who enjoy it never say anything bad.”

“I see.”

I wanted to ask what would happen if it wasn’t good, but I couldn’t get the words out. Park Eunsook gave a little snort, as if she knew what I was thinking.

-“Well, I expected it, but Writer Lee Junghyuk really is something else.”

“What do you mean?”

-“I’ve been through it all, so I can take it, but how can someone your age be so unfazed?”

“Heh, heh…”

No.

Honestly, it wasn’t that I agreed with Park Eunsook’s tough-as-nails outlook—I was just at a loss for words.

But Park Eunsook had already taken my silence as a sign of something completely different, and it was too late to correct her.

After hanging up, I went back to my room, pulled the blanket over my head, and muttered quietly to myself.

“This is bad…”