346 Bet On Coin And Yun Woo 1 (1/2)
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
”I thought I'd have to sleep in my car! So, this is the world-famous bacon cooked by Kelley Coin himself.”
When Juho came downstairs in the morning, the first thing that he saw was the disgruntled look on Coin's face and Jenkins making a fuss about Coin's cooking. Instead of joining them, Juho walked over to the living room to join Susan. Having already eaten, she was enjoying herself a cup of tea on the couch.
”How'd you sleep?” she asked peacefully.
”Slept like a baby,” Juho replied, walking over to Coin, whose voice was starting to get louder. ”I'd like some too, please.”
”Good morning!” Jenkins greeted the young author, and Juho nodded haphazardly. ”So, I had dinner with a friend of mine, and he kept talking about boring stuff like film festivals. He just made it so obvious that he's got a fat paycheck. That's why eating with someone else in the industry gets tiring really quick,” the director said, biting into a tomato. As its red juice flowed down his wrist, Jenkins pulled out his tongue and pulled his hand up to his mouth, licking it.
”That's disgusting.”
”What? It's my hand.”
At that moment, a drop of hot oil from the pan splashed on Jenkins, making him jerk. However, Coin seemed indifferent about what had happened.
”I'll go get the bread,” Juho said, removing himself from the situation so as not to get dragged into it.
”So, this is your writing s.p.a.ce.”
After breakfast, Jenkins peeked his head in just as Coin went into his room. However, Coin didn't even consider Jenkins a hindrance. Walking over to the door, the author started pus.h.i.+ng the door close while Jenkins was still peeking his head in, choking the director. In the end, Juho stepped in to help Jenkins pull his head out of the door. A director who recklessly peeks his head into a closing door in the same place as an author who's strong and ruthless could only mean one thing: Trouble.
”This place is filled to the brim with things,” Jenkins said, looking around the room, the coffee stains, the torn-up wallpaper and Coin's untidy desk.
”Yet, I don't see your next work,” the director said, smacking his lips and sitting on Coin's bed. ”You two have a lot in common,” he added, repeatedly tossing something up into the air and catching it.
Juho watched him quietly.
”Although, I could probably get a lot more information out of Mr. Woo here.”
”That'll be four hundred dollars,” Coin said.
”Four hundred!? You mean this baseball!?”
Rolling the baseball around in his hands, Jenkins thought about the stark contrast between the two authors in front of his eyes. The director had been visiting the young author in his hotel room. Whenever Jenkins had visited, Juho had been writing either on a laptop or on ma.n.u.script paper. Writing was just about the only thing the director recalled Juho ever doing in his hotel room. Similarly, the director was also aware of Coin's prolific character. However, there were also other things in his room, things that had nothing to do with writing, such as the baseball. By contrast, Juho seemed like someone who was investing his entire life into his writing, and Jenkins simply couldn't understand that.
”Can I ask you something?”
”What?”
”What's your net worth?” the director asked Coin, wondering if the difference came from their wealth.
”What!?”
Looking at Coin, who was blatantly expressing his discomfort, Jenkins was reminded that Yun Woo couldn't possibly be poor. Pointing at Juho, the director asked, ”You don't wear any designer clothing, do you? That T-s.h.i.+rt of yours is made by some budget, casual clothing store, isn't it?”
Looking down at the clothes he was wearing, Juho nodded.
”You don't wear a watch or any sort of accessories, or own a car. On top of that, the hotel you were staying in isn't exactly the best either. You don't even collect anything, right? Shoes, toys, puzzles, bags, wallets, art pieces, medals, insects, etc. You don't spend a penny on a hobby, if you even have one, that is.”
”Are people around you into collecting things like that, Mr. Jenkins?”
”You don't have a hobby, do you?”
”I do,” Juho said, putting his brain to work in order to think of an answer. ”I watch sports on TV, and I exercise regularly. I also enjoy reading and listening to music.”
”Do you gamble?”
”I do not.”
”Do you have a business?”
”Nope.”
”Then what do you do with your money? Maybe you don't know what to do with it. In which case, I can teach you all about it!”
”What's with you all of a sudden?”
”I'm worried for you, Mr. Woo! I didn't realize there were authors like you!”
With that, Jenkins lay completely flat on Coin's bed, repeatedly throwing the baseball right above his face and catching it. Catching the ball mid-air, Juho said, ”I spend over ninety-percent of my yearly earnings, so don't you worry.”
”Make sure you have enough saved up to get by until you're done writing your next book. You can't write anything if you're homeless.”
”I'm aware,” Juho said, fully aware of what Coin was talking about.
Seeing the young author calm and unfazed, Jenkins interjected in a hurry, ”Hold on! That's important information! Do you guys even have a way of confirming any of this? Where are you guys investing!? Stock, perhaps? In that case, I'd be much obliged if you shared some information about them.”
”I'm not investing in anything. I got nothing to tell you.”
”You're up to something shady, aren't you?”
”You have a very active imagination, Mr. Jenkins.”
At that, Jenkins pulled back, narrowing his eyes and glaring up at the ceiling.
'What's he thinking now?' Juho thought to himself, tossing the ball into the air just like Jenkins had done.
”Do you donate?”
At that moment, Juho dropped the ball, staring at it as it rolled on the floor.
”You do, don't you!?” Jenkins asked with an unpleasant smile.
Standing awkwardly, Juho replied, ”I don't know.”
”Now, I get it.”
In the end, Juho sighed, realizing that the director had discovered what he did with his money. Meanwhile, Jenkins had his chin raised up high with confidence. However, it wasn't long before that confident look turned into a puzzled one.
”That is admirable! Why didn't I know about it?” Jenkins asked.