御宅伴侣高压版

Park Seok-Ji’s post-editing office was bustling with life as usual. There was Director Yoon Tae-Sung, head post-editor Park Seok-Ji, and the other staffers on the post-editing team who had worked tirelessly for over half a month.

They had been working overtime almost every day as the deadline was extremely tight.

“Director, here’s your coffee.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Yoon Tae-Sung took a sip from the cup of hot coffee and massaged his temples. His haggard face was covered with an unkempt beard. Yoon Tae-Sung was often told that he was all skin and bones, and his haggard look would make anyone pity him.

“Replay that part again.”

Yoon Tae-Sung kept repeating the scenes that he had already seen hundreds of times. Editing was an exhausting job, and it was even more exhausting under the pressure of a tight schedule.

The process of preparing and putting all the ingredients together just to present a delicious meal had never been easy.

Yoon Tae-Sung was thoroughly exhausted, and things were seemingly overlapping in his eyes. He had poured many drops of eyedrops into his eyes and washed his face with cold water until his skin peeled, but those were only temporary measures.

‘Why does this scene feel off?’

Yoon Tae-Sung licked his parched lips and tilted his head from side to side. He was watching the scene where a group of hostile gangsters chasing Cho Kang-Jae was going on a rampage in a restaurant.

There was something off about it, but he couldn’t quite point it out, which made him feel annoyed.

‘Just what is it?’ Yoon Tae-Sung was clearly frustrated.

His dimming vision made the video look blurry as well.

“Director, the food’s here.”

“Please start eating first.”

“Director, you got the spicy seafood noodles, so you should eat them first; otherwise, it’ll just turn soggy like yesterday.”

Yoon Tae-Sung stood up at that, but his eyes remained transfixed on the screen.

“...!!!” His eyes shot wide open at a particular frame.

“Wait! Stop the scene right there!”

The video playback stopped almost instantly at his orders. Yoon Tae-Sung then pointed at the female extra standing in the periphery of the camera view and said, "This girl stands out too much."

"Pardon?"

"Her looks are too outstanding, and her outfit doesn’t suit her as well. It makes the scene feel too artificial. She doesn\'t look like someone living in this village. Let\'s find all the scenes with her and remove them from the final copy.”

"All right."

"Shall we have some food then?" Yoon Tae-Sung asked in a refreshed voice after finding out the reason behind the anomaly.

Everyone gathered around the newspaper-covered table top.

Yoon Tae-Sung split the wooden chopsticks and asked casually to no one in particular, "Who was that lady?"

"Lady? Ah, the one you just asked to cut out from the movie?"

Everyone else looked at each other\'s faces curiously, but they only puffed their cheeks and tilted heads. Yoon Tae-Sung pulled out his phone and decided to call the assistant director. The line rang for a while before the assistant director answered it.

— Yes, director.

"I\'ve got a question about the female extra who appeared in the restaurant scene, do you know who she is? The one in flowery work pants and rubber work boots."

— Oh, mm—ah! She\'s a friend of Ms. Kim Na-Yeon, who is acting as Eun-Hee in the movie.

"Oh?"

— She appeared in the scene at Eodal Beach as well. I saw only her back in the recordings at the editing office yesterday, too.

"What does she do? Is she an actor?"

— I\'m not sure about that either. I subbed her at the last minute since Soo-Cheol, and a few other extras did not turn up for their scenes. What\'s wrong?

"She looks great on screen, and she looks charming, too. Try getting her contact number if possible."

— Okay. Oh, right. Director. Do you know where Soo-Cheol went that day? He went to The Himalayas on-site filming in Seoul. His older sister apparently gave birth there. Damn it.

"Really? These people are seriously… Alright, I get it. I\'ll talk to you again in the evening."

— Yes, good luck with the work.

Yoon Tae-Sung finished his meal and headed back to the editing room. He watched the movie once more without taking even a smoke break. The girl\'s face looked increasingly charming by the minute, which left a deep impression on him.

***

"You should eat more, hyung. Don\'t just drink the alcohol."

"I’m eating."

"Nonsense. With customers like you, buffet restaurants are going to fail."

Kang Min-Ho only smiled in response and downed another shot of soju. The cold soju taste felt unusually delicious today. Jang Eun-Young sat across from her, and she clicked her tongue disapprovingly at him while gathering all the cooked meat onto the side of the grill pan.

"Let\'s go for round two after this."

"Why?"

"We\'ve started with soju, so we should end the night with beer. There\'s a nice bar that just opened at the cross junction."

Jang Eun-Young nodded slightly instead of replying. Kang Min-Ho took the tongs from her hand and placed a few more pieces of raw meat in the grill pan, then asked, "What\'s wrong now?"

"Hyung."

"Yeah."

"I\'ve thought about it a few times, and I still think this isn\'t right."

"..."

Kang Min-Ho frowned as he poured a shot of soju.

He understood what Jang Eun-Young was talking about.

"I\'ve said it before—being a divorcee is not that unusual in these trying times."

"Hyung, I don’t think everyone will think the same as you. And there\'s your mother, too. It\'s not like I don\'t know her and all."

"She\'ll give us her blessings. She\'s not a traditionalist." Kang Min-Ho did not yield.

He had already decided on that fateful night that he would get married to Jang Eun-Young no matter what.

"Hyung, should we just forget about that night?"

"Is that possible?"

"Humans do get lonely after living alone for an extended period of time. And we\'re adults as well."

Tap!

Kang Min-Ho\'s face distorted, and he made sure that his glass would make a sound the moment he placed it down on the table.

Jang Eun-Young flinched at the loud noise.

Kang Min-Ho then continued, "You like me, right?"

"Hyung…"

"Do you? Or do you not?"

"I like you."

"I like you as well. I loved what happened on that night as well. The thought of doing that again with you has always been on my mind since then."

Jang Eun-Young’s cheeks flushed red.

Kang Min-Ho drew in deep breaths, and he sounded furious as he said in a loud voice, "And you\'re asking me to forget about it? What should I do if I want to hug you in my arms again? Should I ask you for permission, then? \'Ah, Jang Eun-Young. I\'m feeling lonely. We\'re adults, so can we just do that, no strings attached?\'

”Should I beg you like that every time?"

"Lower your voice. What\'s wrong with you?"

Kang Min-Ho slid his hands underneath his clothes and pulled out a small box.

"Decide."

"What\'s this?"

"You know full well what it is, so why are you even asking? You\'ll know what it is for sure once you open it," Kang Min-Ho said blandly and placed the box on the table.

Jang Eun-Young took the box and opened it.

An elegant gold ring was sitting in the box.

"Ah!" Jang Eun-Young hurriedly covered her mouth. Hot tears welled up in her eyes.

Kang Min-Ho made a sidelong glance at her before saying, "I didn’t want to give you that here, but you kept on provoking me."

A teardrop rolled down her cheek.

She picked up the ring with trembling fingers.

She had to make a decision right there and then.

She would go past the road of no return once she slipped that ring onto her finger.

"Let\'s live together—as ink slingers," Kang Min-Ho said calmly, but he looked anxious.

Jang Eun-Young sniffled and slowly looked up. She stared wordlessly at Kang Min-Ho for quite a while before she opened her mouth and asked, "Will you prepare the meals and clean the house whenever I\'m rushing to meet deadlines?"

"Of course."

With that, Jang Eun-Young slipped the ring onto her finger, and it fit snugly.

Jang Eun-Young raised her hand up to eye level, admiring the ring on her finger.

"Wow, it\'s really pretty. My finger, I mean."

"I don’t know what to say."

Pffft. Jang Eun-Young burst out laughing.

Just then, the phone left on the tabletop rang. It was a call from Yang Hyun-Kyung.

"Yeah, Hyun-Kyung."

— Noona, where are you? Writer Ha dropped by the office for a visit. We\'re about to head out for dinner together.

"Oh my, really? Min-Ho hyung, he said that Writer Ha is at the office. He wants to have dinner together; shall we join them?"

"Sure. We haven\'t seen him ever since he came back from Donghae."

Jang Eun-Young and Kang Min-Ho settled the bill and left the restaurant. They hooked arms while walking down the street, which made Kang Min-Ho numb to the harsh winter wind.

***

\'Ahh...!\'

Ha Jae-Gun held his nose bridge and swallowed a groan. He wasn\'t alone, and he didn’t want to show anyone else his crying face.

\'Ah, seriously… it\'s so sad.\'

However, he failed, and his breathing felt increasingly hotter the more he tried to suppress his sobs. His watery eyes made the screen look blurry.

Soon, the movie ended.

Ha Jae-Gun watched the rolling credits as he recalled the strong emotions he felt while watching the movie. It seemed that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the void in his heart for quite a while after watching the movie.

"What\'s wrong with you?" Park Do-Joon asked in surprise.

The lights had turned back on, and Park Do-Joon was sitting next to Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun awkwardly smiled and wiped the tears in the corner of his eyes with a tissue.

"Hey Jae-Gun. What\'s wrong? This is a movie made from your own novel."

"It\'s just too touching. It\'s been a while since I felt like this while watching a Korean movie."

"Are you kidding me? I can\'t believe that an adaptation has even made the original novel author cry. The movie will definitely be a huge hit."

The men were at the movie preview for There Was A Sea. Ha Jae-Gun felt entirely different compared to Summer in My 20s. His legs had gone weak from watching the movie, and he found it difficult to even stand.

\'This is enough…\'

Ha Jae-Gun placed a hand on his heart and revealed a gratified smile.

He hadn\'t felt a single ounce of dissatisfaction throughout the movie.

His written script was fully reflected in the movie, and there was not a single area that deviated from what he had in mind when writing the novel.

He was satisfied. Ha Jae-Gun wouldn’t have any regrets, even if the movie failed. However, Yoon Tae-Sung had put so much effort into the movie that the movie had to succeed no matter what.

“Hello, Writer Ha. I’m the post-editor Park Seok-Ji,” Park Seok-Ji approached and greeted Ha Jae-Gun with a smile.

Ha Jae-Gun stood up and exchanged handshakes.

“Hello, you did the post-editing for Summer in My 20s, too, right? It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for doing such a great job on the movie.”

“Woohoohoo, it’s not my first time meeting you. I saw you during the preview for Summer in My 20s as well, but you left in a hurry back then.”

“Ahh, I see…” Ha Jae-Gun mulled over the depressing moment back then and smiled bitterly. Park Seok-Ji looked around briefly, then leaned in to whisper into Ha Jae-Gun’s ears. “The recordings this time were incomparably fresh as compared to Summer in My 20s.

”I feel that There Was A Sea is going to be a huge hit, so you’ll have to be mentally prepared for how busy you’ll become in the near future.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Park Do-Joon loomed over the two with his towering height.

“Let’s go have some food. Seok-Ji noona, join us too.”

“Should I? But what about your interview, Do-Joon?”

“I’m free for two hours. There’s a place that sells delicious soy-marinated crab[1], so let’s have that. You know how to eat it, right?”

“Yes, I just couldn’t afford it before.”

They rode a car together to the restaurant. Park Do-Joon’s manager, Tae-Bong, congratulated Ha Jae-Gun.

“There Was A Sea sold over 800,000 copies. I think it’ll hit a million copies after the movie premieres.”

Park Seok-Ji then added, “When the movie becomes a big hit, we should be able to hit the red carpet at the end of May. For Baeksong Arts Awards. The Best Director, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, I think we should be able to bag all of those.”

“Noona, why did you leave out the Best Actor?”

“Oh my, I haven’t really thought about that…”

“I won’t be paying for your share, noona.”

Everyone else burst into laughter aside from Park Do-Joon.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled, then pulled out his phone from his pocket. A call had come in, and it was from Lee Soo-Hee.

“Yeah, Soo-Hee.”

— How was the movie preview? Did the movie turn out well?

Lee Soo-Hee had skipped the small greetings and went straight to the point, asking about the movie.

Ha Jae-Gun turned toward the window and answered in a low voice, “I personally like it a lot. I’m not so sure how the others like it, though.”

— All’s good as long as the original author approves of it. That’s great news. I’m looking forward to it.

Lee Soo-Hee’s bright voice melted all the fatigue in Ha Jae-Gun. Ha Jae-Gun nodded as if Lee Soo-Hee were around and was watching him from somewhere.

“Now that the movie is all done, I’m going to focus on Oscar’s Dungeon.”

— I like the summary of the scenario you sent over, I think we can proceed with this. The director likes it, too.

“Really? That’s great. How about the webtoon?”

The webtoon needed more time, but Jung So-Mi had been trying her best to finish the webtoon. Fortunately, the release of the game itself was still quite some time away.

— It’s not bad. Looks alright.

Lee Soo-Hee’s reply made Ha Jae-Gun wonder. ‘Huh? What did she mean by not bad?’

Lee Soo-Hee had always been the type to not settle for less. As someone who was usually clear about whether she liked or disliked something, her reply was not as straightforward as Ha Jae-Gun had expected.

— Anyway, Ha Jae-Gun. I wanted to ask if you could work on the scenario at our office.

“At Nextion?”

— Yeah, isn’t it better since we can discuss things during meetings and all? Of course, you must be busy as well, so I’m not asking you to come every day, maybe just twice a week?

“It’s not that difficult, but…” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off. Oh Myung-Hoon’s face surfaced in his mind. He already felt exhausted just thinking of seeing Oh Myung-Hoon’s face in person.

— I’ll make sure that you’ll always be comfortable.

Lee Soo-Hee added as if she had read his mind.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll do it then.”

— Thank you. Enjoy your lunch. I’ll call you again.

“Yeah, you, too.”

Park Seok-Ji looked at Ha Jae-Gun through the rearview mirror and mumbled, “It must be from a woman you like.”

“No, she’s just a batchmate from university. We’re working together because of the game adaptation.”

“Lies. It usually shows on your face when you’re talking with someone you like.”

“Hey, Jae-Gun. Is Seok-Ji noona speaking the truth? Is she pretty? Who is it?”

“She’s my university batchmate.”

The traffic light turned green, and the car ran once more.

Ha Jae-Gun stretched in the running car. He felt that he had just overcome a huge mountain range once more, and he no longer had anything to worry about There Was A Sea.

1. Marinating fresh raw crabs either in soy sauce or in a sauce based on chili pepper powder. ☜