Thinking about this, Kim Soseong's attention drifted a bit.
At that moment, he noticed that the expressions of those people around him had grown more serious, their postures looked more upright.
Looking ahead, he saw that the important figure in the center of the stage had begun to speak.
This person was a highly respected figure in the cultural world and had often appeared on news channels in recent years.
This was the closest Kim Soseong had ever been to someone so important.
Focusing all his attention, Kim Soseong listened as the notable figure spoke into the microphone: "Originally, I had prepared a speech, but I came across an article that I found even better than my prepared remarks. This article was written by Im Giseok, a graduate of the XX class of our school. I'd like to share it with you all now."
A low murmur of conversation spread throughout the auditorium.
The moment Kim Soseong heard Im Giseok's name, he felt a buzzing sound in his ears, and he could no longer hear what the article was about.
When he finally came to his senses, thinking that the important figure had just come across the article by chance, he heard the person ask, "Is there anyone here who pays a writer only 900,000 won for a single episode script?"
The moment those words were spoken, Kim Soseong felt like the previously spacious and airy auditorium had suddenly become stifling, making it hard for him to breathe.
Whether it was his imagination or not, it felt like all eyes around him were looking at his direction, mocking him.
"I hope none of you do that. Back when I wrote scripts, they paid me more than that, and that was decades ago."
The important figure's words sparked a wave of laughter, but Kim Soseong felt his whole body burning with embarrassment, and he just wanted to leave the auditorium quickly.
When Im Giseok woke up, his head felt heavy, and he regretted not setting his phone to silent mode.
He couldn't remember exactly when it started, probably around 4 or 5 in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten.
Suddenly, his phone began vibrating nonstop.
At first, Im Giseok thought it was his alarm and turned it off, but it kept ringing, so he angrily shut it down completely.
Im Giseok had a habit of getting grumpy when woken up, especially after staying up late to write the night before.
If he didn't get enough sleep, he could snap at any moment.
But with all the noise, he couldn't fall back asleep.
After tossing and turning for a while, he reached for his phone, which had ended up far away.