Big Life

Chapter 136. I’m An Earthling (6)

The dark sky started pouring heavily. Oh Myung-Hoon drove through the rain and soon arrived at his destination. He stopped outside the locked garage and alighted from his car.

He found his way back to the family home, which he hadn't visited for a long time.

Ding! Dong!

Oh Myung-Hoon rang the doorbell and stood outside in the downpour without an umbrella. He cut a desolate figure as he stood drenched in the rain with water dripping down his hair.

— Is it Myung-Hoon?

Oh Myung-Suk's surprised voice echoed through the intercom. Soon, the door was opened remotely. Oh Myung-Hoon entered and hurried through the huge garden.

"How dare you show yourself here!" A furious voice echoed.

Oh Tae-Jin donned a sports outfit and was standing beneath the eaves of the terrace. A long golf club was in his hand.

"Father, please calm down." Oh Myung-Suk tried to assuage his father’s fury to no avail.

Oh Tae-Jin shook Oh Myung-Suk's hand away and pointed the golf club at Oh Myung-Hoon's face. "You ignored your parents and said bad things to your own brother! How dare you punk come crawling back after getting all complacent and acting like a jerk?! Get out now!”

Oh Myung-Hoon stood frozen beneath the rain. He wasn’t trembling from the cold in the rain but from his heavily pounding heart. He barely managed to say, “I’m sorry, Father.”

“Don’t call me your father!”

“Please give me another chance. I’ll become a better son.”

“Words aren’t enough! Get him out of the house now! Chauffeur Kang! Where is Chauffeur Kang?!”

Oh Tae-Jin threw his golf club and looked around. Oh Myung-Suk felt like stomping in helplessness. He was the eldest son, but he was powerless to stop his furious father.

Plop!

Oh Myung-Hoon dropped to his knees on the cold marble floor.

Oh Tae-Jin glared back at his youngest son in anger.

Thunder echoed as lightning suddenly illuminated the world.

“I…” Oh Myung-Hoon said as rainwater flowed into his mouth. “I will do everything you ask of me, even if you ask me to become a low-level employee. You can put me at the warehouse or let me manage some distribution businesses in the rural cities. I’ll do it without hesitation.”

“You, you…! Why are you getting ahead of yourself?”

“Please accept me as an employee of OongSung instead of your son. I believe that you would also acknowledge that my skills aren’t that bad. I’ll make sure to improve myself from now on. And… I’ll treat Mother better, too.” Oh Myung-Hoon then put his forehead to the ground, shutting his eyes tight.

He said whatever he could say right there and then.

Now, the decision was in his father’s hands.

He was not going to deny the power given to him since birth.

Most adults had been treating him politely when he was young, he didn’t have to take public transportation when going to school and could also get whatever he wanted without having to work for it.

He had everything since he was born.

Oh Myung-Hoon had decided that he was going to discard all the pent-up resentment he had up until now. He would use everything he could to grow even further, even if it were for his own mother or to maintain his own personal space in his heart.

“Send him away!” Oh Tae-Jin roared before walking away.

Oh Myung-Suk couldn’t do anything as Oh Tae-Jin yelled once more, “Come back in if you don’t want to get chased out as well!”

“Yes, yes, Father.”

Oh Myung-Suk was forced back into the house.

The door closed, and the lights went out.

Oh Myung-Hoon remained unmoving even as darkness enveloped the garden.

The rain felt strangely hot as he closed his eyes.

The night passed, and dawn arrived.

The pouring rain continued throughout the night, and it thinned out at daybreak.

The chilly winter night made the night feel extremely long.

It was already about seven in the morning, but the world was still dark.

Oh Myung-Hoon was still kneeling in the garden. He felt numb all over, but he didn’t move an inch, as he only had two choices here—either he would die, or he would eventually get into the house.

After a while, Oh Tae-Jin sighed and muttered, “What a tough punk…”

Oh Myung-Hoon heard Oh Tae-Jin’s remark just as he was about to pass out.

“That’s enough. Go in and rest.” Oh Tae-Jin finally caved in.

Oh Myung-Hoon collapsed to the ground.

Oh Myung-Suk and the housekeepers ran out to help Oh Myung-Hoon.

The world was starting to get brighter.

***

“Happy New Year!”

Ha Jae-Gun and Ha Jae-In both made their New Year’s bow and sat down in their seats.

Across from them were Ha Suk-Jae and Myung-Ja, dressed beautifully in the Hanbok[1] gifted by Ha Jae-Gun in time for the new year.

“Aigoo, son, I hope you’ll gain a bit more weight. Fortunately, you look much better than last year. You look handsome, dearie.” Myung-Ja leaned out and hugged Ha Jae-Gun, then hugged Ha Jae-In as well and patted her on the back. “Ha Jae-In, it’s great to see how well things have turned out for you, too. You’re a really good daughter and sister.

”It’s all because of you that Ha Jae-Gun’s doing so well...”

“Stop it, Mom. What did I even do?”

Ha Suk-Jae cleared his throat. “I only wish one thing for both of you—stay healthy.”

“Yes, Father.”

“But um… since we’re on the topic, you guys, uh, should start dating, too.”

The siblings looked at each other and grinned.

As if on cue, Myung-Ja said, “You guys dare to laugh? Hey, Ha Jae-In. You’re already thirty-two. You’re much more of an issue compared to Jae-Gun. Are you not going to get a boyfriend?!”

“You scared me, Mom. Why are you raising your voice? I’ll meet the right person when the time comes.”

“Look, look. She’s so calm because she still hasn’t realized that she’s already so old. Tsk, tsk, tsk…!” Myung-Ja clicked her tongue and leaned back in her seat. She suddenly recalled something and slapped her knee before turning to look at Ha Jae-Gun and asking, “Oh, Jae-Gun. Are you still meeting that girl Soo-Hee? You know, your batchmate I met during the Digital Literature Award ceremony.”

“Mm, yeah, well…”

“Are you not interested in her at all? Isn’t she twenty-nine as well if you’re both of the same age? Females are different from males. Do you really think she only has one or two men around her when she’s such a beauty?

”What if she gets taken away by someone else, what are you going to do then?”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled shyly and shook his head helplessly.

Ha Suk-Jae couldn’t hide his curiosity and asked Myung-Ja, “What kind of girl is she?”

“She’s a batchmate of Jae-Gun, very pretty. I think you’ll like her when you see her, too. I heard from Jae-In that she’s quite talented as well. She’s good at cooking, and she can do anything.”

Ha Jae-Gun looked at his older sister wide-eyed.

Ha Jae-In feigned ignorance and looked away, sweeping the dust-free floor.

Ha Suk-Jae said, “You should bring her home, then.”

“Home?”

“If it’s awkward just to have her over, you can also invite Jung-Jin and some other friends over as well,” Ha Suk-Jae said, seemingly interested.

Speechless, Ha Jae-Gun kept quiet and looked away. After their New Year greetings, Ha Jae-In began washing the dishes. Ha Jae-Gun approached Ha Jae-In. He growled lowly into her ears and whispered, “You snitch.”

“What did I do?”

“See if I’ll still tell you anything in the future.”

“Hey, Ha Jae-Gun. Mom’s not wrong. If you don’t get hold of Ms. Soo-Hee, you’ll just lose her to someone else. You like her too, right? I’m sure you’re not blind, so don’t you think she’s pretty?”

“That’s my problem to deal with.”

“So what’s the problem exactly? Tell me, hmm?”

“No, I’m not falling for it, Madam Ha Jae-In.”

Ha Jae-Gun spent the entire day comfortably at his parent’s house.

He woke up refreshed the next morning. With a cup of coffee before him, Ha Jae-Gun checked the notifications on his phone and saw a text message from Jung So-Mi.

- Writer Ha, I hope you’re enjoying your holiday. I apologize, but I’m not feeling my best, so I’m not sure if I can discuss Oscar’s Dungeon webtoon tomorrow with you. I’m really sorry.

Ha Jae-Gun stiffened, and he tilted his head. He found the message weird, as Jung So-Mi wasn’t the kind to break her promise to someone just because she wasn’t feeling well.

It was either she was really sick, or something else happened.

He looked at the wall clock, which showed it was well past 9 AM.

Ha Jae-Gun headed to the vegetable patch in the garden and made a call. Jung So-Mi usually answered within the first few rings, but it was different today.

The constant ring felt long and boring.

‘Is she still sleeping?’

Just as Ha Jae-Gun was about to hang up, the call was connected.

Jung So-Mi’s slightly trembling voice came through the speaker.

— Yes, Writer Ha…

Ha Jae-Gun could tell immediately that Jung So-Mi was feeling extremely sick.

“How are you feeling? What are you down with?”

— I think… it’s just a cold… I’m sorry… I should be picking up the pace…

“The webtoon pace is fast enough right now. You’re back in Seoul, right? Have you had medicine? It’s best if you visit the hospital, I think they’re still open, even though today is a public holiday.”

— I’ll feel better after a good sleep… I’m really sorry for… making you worry…

Ha Jae-Gun kneaded his forehead as he listened to Jung So-Mi’s weakening voice. He could not bear to leave Jung So-Mi all alone in Seoul, knowing that she was living alone in the city. Plus, she was his collaborator.

“I’ll be going over to your place.”

— What?

“I’ll personally go over and take a look at you. I’ll see for myself if I really don’t have to worry about you. I’ll be there in an hour and a half. See you.”

— W-writer Ha…?!

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and quickly prepared to leave. He briefly explained the situation to his family, and they swiftly understood the circumstances and allowed him to leave.

“Drive safely. Give us a call, too.”

“I got it, noona. Father, Mom, please head back in.”

The road back to the metropolitan city was empty during the major public holiday. Thanks to that, Ha Jae-Gun was able to drive at a high speed, and he soon arrived at Noryangjin, where Jung So-Mi lived.

‘This is the place, right?’

Ha Jae-Gun had learned of Jung So-Mi’s residential address a long time ago through work. He could have asked Kwon Tae-Won for it, but didn’t want to worry the man and instead searched through his email for it.

He parked his car and alighted, then quickly headed up the stairs to the third floor.

Arriving at Apartment 301, he pressed the doorbell, and the door soon opened.

“Hello, Writer Ha…”

Jung So-Mi was drenched in sweat. Her flushed face and the heat she was radiating made Ha Jae-Gun feel hot as well. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared at Ha Jae-Gun.

“Are you sure you’re fine? Let me see.”

Ha Jae-Gun placed his own hand on Jung So-Mi’s forehead. Her burning hot forehead made him wince. He immediately took off his coat and wrapped it around Jung So-Mi.

“Come, let’s go to the hospital. I’ve said this before, but don’t give me any excuses.”

Ha Jae-Gun supported Jung So-Mi to his car and started the engine. He inputted the address to the nearest university hospital’s emergency room into the navigator and stepped on the accelerator.

***

“She just has to rest a while here.”

“I see, thank you.”

Jung So-Mi was sleeping soundly on the bed after getting a fever-reducer shot. A bag of IV drip was fixed to her. Ha Jae-Gun stayed by her side, watching her sleeping face.

He recalled all the things they had gone through together, and he could still remember how she was worried over his health, so how come she hadn’t been taking care of her own health?

‘It’s great that I’m around.’

Ha Jae-Gun was relieved.

He was glad that he finally had the opportunity to repay her kindness to him.

Bzzt!

Jung So-Mi’s phone rang. The phone was in the pocket of her cardigan. He took it out, and the screen said: Lee Soo-Jung Unni.

‘Who is this? The name sounds familiar.’ Ha Jae-Gun wondered, but he didn’t answer the phone, as it wasn’t his place to answer Jung So-Mi’s phone calls.

After a while, a text message came in.

- Jung So-Mi! Just how sick are you, really?! Why aren’t you answering the phone? I’m heading back to Seoul now, I’ll be there soon!

Ha Jae-Gun read the message and eventually picked up her phone.

He called Lee Soo-Jung.

— Hello? Jung So-Mi?!

“Ms. So-Mi is currently in the A&E. She’s sleeping with an IV drip, so I’m answering the call on her behalf.”

— Ahhh, that’s a relief to hear. Ah, I’m Jung So-Mi’s ex-colleague. Sorry, but who is this…?

Ha Jae-Gun finally remembered the person on the other line and smiled. “Oh, you’re Deputy Lee Soo-Jung from Star Books. I’m Ha Jae-Gun.”

— Oh my! Oh my! It’s Writer Ha Jae-Gun?! No wonder I found your voice sound so familiar! How have you been?! I haven’t even said Happy New Year, I’m sorry!

“I’m sorry as well. You have been well, right? Is everything fine at Star Books?”

— I’m doing well. I think it would have been better if you had asked what else happened today at Star Books instead.

“Ahaha… I see.”

— Anyway, I’m relieved to know that you’re with her, Writer Ha. I can drive safely now. Ohoho…! Jung So-Mi always does her best as long as it’s related to Writer Ha. We always talk about you when we talk on the phone. Aigoo, I’ve been talking too much. I’ll leave her in your good hands then.

“Yes, let’s meet one day as well,” Ha Jae-Gun said.

— I’ll definitely show up if you give me a call! Ohoho, I’ll be hanging up then, Writer Ha.

The phone call ended, and Ha Jae-Gun returned Jung So-Mi’s phone into the pocket of her cardigan.

The moment he was about to retract his hand from her pocket, Jung So-Mi’s hand grabbed his wrist.

“Are you awake? Are you feeling better now?” Ha Jae-Gun asked.

Jung So-Mi’s unfocused eyes were looking straight at Ha Jae-Gun.

“Please don’t go.”

“Pardon…?”

“Please don’t leave. Please stay with me.”

The door to the emergency room opened, and a new patient was pushed in.

However, not even the slightest noise registered in Ha Jae-Gun’s ears as he met Jung So-Mi’s gaze.

1. Korea’s traditional costume. ☜