# Chapter 91
Manager Yoon Hyesu arrived at the shop five minutes earlier than the agreed time. Mo Eunje’s makeup and hair were just being finished. Since there wasn’t anything in particular they needed to discuss alone, only quiet classical melodies filled the car. Eunje had prepared answers in case she asked why Tae Igyeol hadn’t come, but his name didn’t even come up.
Thinking he might look over the script again, Eunje lowered his gaze. He was only holding his phone in his hand. It wouldn’t matter since he’d receive cue cards at the studio anyway, but he couldn’t help but laugh at himself—how distracted by Tae Igyeol must he have been to forget even the printed script he had prepared? No, come to think of it, the one who had been taking care of the script all this time wasn’t him but Igyeol.
Sitting in the passenger seat looking out the window, the path to the studio without Tae Igyeol suddenly felt unfamiliar. His hand, holding only his phone, felt empty. He had jokingly told Song Yeonhwa that he had trained Igyeol well over the past 26 years, but perhaps he was the one who had actually been trained.
“By the way, Writer-nim, when might you be available?” Manager Yoon broke the silence with a calm voice after turning off the music.
“Available for what?”
“The CEO mentioned wanting to have a meal with you sometime soon when you’re free.”
“He wants to talk about contract renewal, right?”
“Among other things.”
With his head so full of thoughts about Tae Igyeol that he couldn’t even conceptualize a new work, Eunje wondered if contract renewal would even be meaningful. Having an agency was certainly convenient for various events and schedules apart from writing new work, but right now he didn’t feel a pressing need for an agency since he didn’t think he could write a single word until Igyeol’s problem was resolved. New schedules would only come after publishing a new work anyway.
“Manager-nim, I’m sorry, but I can’t guarantee I’ll publish a new work this year.”
“Regardless of new work, there have been many casting requests for you lately.”
“Casting requests?”
“Yes. Since you became a regular MC for ‘This Month’s Book,’ the number of viewers watching the live broadcast has noticeably increased, and the number of views for edited versions has more than quadrupled.”
Though there were limits to how many viewers a live broadcast featuring pure literature authors could attract, the fact that more people were showing interest was a meaningful achievement and something to be grateful for. Moreover, it was fulfilling and moving to think that he had contributed to this.
“The biggest request among those that have come in is whether you could be a regular panelist on a new reading entertainment program being launched by a cable channel.”
“Ah… I appreciate the offer, but it’s a bit burdensome.”
Mo Eunje had always thought his parents were incredibly diligent and impressive when he watched them appear as expert panelists on programs dealing with plastic surgery or skincare items. Whenever his parents recorded once every two weeks, they would have pre-interviews with the program writers over the phone, which took at least an hour each time.
He was only doing the ‘This Month’s Book’ live broadcast because it was once a month; if it had been a weekly broadcast, he would have refused. Moreover, he had to be careful about every word he said and take responsibility for what came out of his mouth, which required caution. This was accompanied by considerable tension and resulted in high mental fatigue.
But now he realized that when Tae Igyeol accompanied him to schedules, he had been able to enjoy the filming comfortably without tension or stress. Both mentally and psychologically, he had depended on Igyeol a lot, and perhaps he had been unconsciously and instinctively bothering him by always begging him to come along to every schedule.
“People hardly read books these days, you know. Even regular readers go through ‘book fatigue,’ as they say. The program’s concept is to help people develop a habit of reading even just 10 minutes a day, so they said current novelists and celebrities will recommend interesting books. For now, it’s just a verbal proposal, and they said they’ll send the detailed plan once it’s organized, so I’ll share it with you via email when I receive it.”
The concept sounded worthwhile just from hearing about it, and Eunje wanted to help without hesitation. It would be an honor if he could lend a hand, even in a small way. However, objectively speaking, there were many senior novelists with better influence than him, so he wondered why the offer had come to him. Looking at his career alone, he was just a rookie novelist in his third year since debut, having published only two collections of short stories and one full-length novel.
“Regarding the reading entertainment program, I’ll think about it when you send me the proposal.”
Since it would be impolite to refuse outright, he deflected for now. He could refuse after seeing the proposal if needed.
“I’ll email you a list of other casting requests that have come in. Please check and let me know if there are any you’re interested in.”
“Alright. And regarding the meal with the CEO… may I get back to you once I’ve organized my thoughts about the contract renewal?”
“Of course, Writer-nim. I don’t mean to pressure you, but please do consider it in a positive direction.”
“Yes, I will.”
After the business-like conversation ended, silence continued until they reached the studio. He missed Tae Igyeol’s car, where the silence had been comfortable rather than awkward.
Mo Eunje entered the studio with Manager Yoon Hyesu precisely at 10:30, the standby call time. Manager Yoon was someone who had always arrived ahead of time when Eunje was accompanied by Tae Igyeol, but today she came exactly at the call time.
Today’s guest, the poet Jang Jiha, had already arrived. Though they weren’t late, Eunje unconsciously thought that if he had come with Tae Igyeol, they would have arrived at least 15 minutes earlier. Manager Yoon was a person who did her job excellently without unnecessary talk, yet Eunje couldn’t understand why Tae Igyeol kept coming to mind.
“Eunje-ya.”
“Jiha hyung, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”
Mo Eunje greeted Jang Jiha with a bright smile and embraced him lightly. Jang Jiha was a poet who had debuted 7 years ago and had just published his fifth poetry collection, “Containing You.” The two had a considerable age difference of 12 years, but they had naturally built a friendship through frequent encounters at literary events, and they quickly became close due to their similar taste in works.
“I’m the same as always. But have you lost weight? Your already small face is now on the verge of disappearing.”
“Really? I’m not sure if I’ve lost weight.”
Perhaps he had become gaunt from the mental energy he’d been expending thinking only about Tae Igyeol lately. He had heard similar comments from the makeup artist and hair designer at the shop earlier.
“MC, Guest, please put on your microphones and we’ll begin rehearsal!”
Having arrived just at the standby call time, they had only exchanged brief greetings before having to prepare for the broadcast. However, they weren’t disappointed since they had planned to have a meal together afterward.
“Manager-nim, let me leave my phone with you.”
“Yes, please.”
Mo Eunje checked the lock setting on his phone and handed it to Manager Yoon. Then he went up to the stage, which was set up with a café concept, with Jang Jiha and began the rehearsal. Though he was worried because his concentration was at rock bottom, the hosting went smoothly, perhaps because he had a personal relationship with the guest. Mo Eunje made a conscious effort to push the thoughts of Tae Igyeol out of his mind and focus on the live broadcast.
Perhaps because of their personal connection, their conversation flowed so well that they lost track of time during the broadcast. Only after it ended did Eunje realize that they had gone on for about 30 minutes longer than the usual live broadcast, which typically lasted about an hour. However, since there wasn’t a set time limit for the live broadcast, and the PD had told him not to worry about the time because the response was good, Eunje had comfortably chatted with Jang Jiha.
After the live broadcast ended, the PD came over laughing heartily and subtly pressured them about when they would have a team dinner, but fortunately, Manager Yoon Hyesu controlled the situation well by using the agency CEO’s schedule as an excuse. Thanks to her, Mo Eunje was able to leave the studio with Jang Jiha without much trouble.
The place they drove to in Jang Jiha’s car for lunch was a fine dining restaurant with such exorbitant prices that Eunje had only gone there when treated by his parents or when splurging with Tae Igyeol for a special occasion. It was also where he had come with Tae Igyeol about two months ago to celebrate his big achievement in the stock market.
That day, they had taken bright commemorative photos centered around the birthday gifts they had bought for each other, and they had even received a complimentary 26th anniversary of friendship cake. The superficial reason for begging and pleading while making the reservation to order a commemorative cake was that he wanted to taste a special cake, but in truth, his greater desire was to continue the friendship that had kept him closest to Igyeol for 26 years for 36 years, 46 years, 56 years, and beyond. It meant wanting to stay by Tae Igyeol’s side for life in the safest way possible. Mo Eunje shook his head at the thought that suddenly came to him as they were being guided to their room.
