Big Life

Chapter 150. Tremble in Fear (9)

— I’ll let you know of the details after I’ve ironed them out. I’ve held you up for too long since you’ve got an autograph session to attend. I’m sorry, Writer Ha.

“No. Please call me anytime, and have a good day.”

Ha Jae-Gun then hung up. Lee Soo-Hee came to him and dusted his shoulders, then asked, “Something good happened?”

“It’s the President of Laugh Books. I think Oscar’s Dungeon is going to be released in China as an ebook. He said Teencent proposed it, do you know anything about this?”

Lee Soo-Hee responded with an ambiguous smile instead of a verbal reply. She stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around Ha Jae-Gun’s neck, pulling him in.

“Seems like our Writer Ha is going to conquer China first.”

“You already knew that, didn’t you? Tell me, quick.”

“S-stop it. Ahaha!” Lee Soo-Hee couldn’t hold back her laughter and squatted down on the ground.

Ha Jae-Gun went behind her and started tickling her on the sides. Meanwhile, Rika was standing by his feet and was looking up at the lovey-dovey couple.

These were happy times. It wasn’t in the past but in the present.

His beloved Lee Soo-Hee was within his reach, and that was more than enough for him. There was nothing else Ha Jae-Gun could wish for.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Ha Jae-Gun said as he pulled her into a hug after all the fun and laughter.

“I’m so happy that I’m feeling anxious.”

“Why are you saying this…” Lee Soo-Hee only glossed over it, unable to continue her words. She realized his words pricked her conscience.

She had planned to tell him about it after dinner tonight, afraid that Ha Jae-Gun would worry needlessly.

“You’re dazzling today as well, Lee Soo-Hee. You’re still the number 1 Queenka of Myungkyung University of the Arts.” Ha Jae-Gun complimented her as he fixed her collar.

She had on an elegant dress, but it wasn’t because of the autograph event.

There was a much more important appointment waiting for them tonight.

“Shall we head out now?”

“Of course. We’re bringing Rika along, right?”

“Yeah, Yeon-Woo is going to look after her. We’re going to meet at the bookstore.”

Like before, the autograph session for Gyeoja Bathhouse was being held at Bandi & Lunia. It was also a huge success. His avid fans grabbed a copy of his latest novel and stood in line.

Some of them had even flown in from Jeju Island, and their efforts touched his heart.

‘This is why I can’t do a sloppy job.’

He would look back into his part and compare it with the present every time he had an autograph event. He would also reflect upon himself every time he gave an autograph and grow from there. Ha Jae-Gun liked this feeling a lot.

“Mr. Ha, There Was A Sea is going to the Baeksong Arts Awards, right? I hope you will receive the Best Scenario Award.”

“Your latest novel was both scary and sad, too. I only talk about Gyeoja Bathhouse with my friends these days.”

Every fan in the line gave him words of encouragement and support, there were even some familiar faces as well.

“Senior, we’re here again! Please give us your autograph and take a photo with us again!”

“Seo Ji-Soo, Jung Ye-In. Are you guys dating? You look prettier than before.”

“No way. A week flies by when we’re just doing assignments. When will you drop by the school again? Please come again, Senior!”

Meanwhile, Lee Soo-Hee sat in a cafe a distance away from the bookstore, watching the autograph event. She had already been labeled as the one-piece girl, and she didn’t want to bring more attention and speculation by going over there.

‘Did he really change?’

Lee Soo-Hee suddenly thought of Oh Myung-Hoon, who had left for America. She had been hiding her relationship with Ha Jae-Gun from Oh Myung-Hoon.

Oh Myung-Hoon was in charge of the marketing for There Was A Sea in the US Market. Lee Soo-Hee could not guarantee that Oh Myung-Hoon would not jeopardize Ha Jae-Gun’s novel if his temper were to flare up.

Moreover, Oh Myung-Hoon was the second son of OongSung Publication Group.

Once he was finished with his studies, he would become part of the executive team and would have the authority to trample on any particular writer he disliked.

“I might be just overreacting…” Lee Soo-Hee muttered.

“Chae-Rin’s here!”

“Where? Where!”

The sudden commotion made Lee Soo-Hee turn around. She saw a huge commotion at the autograph event site. Someone had just discovered Chae-Rin in the crowd with a mask on her face waiting to get an autograph from Ha Jae-Gun.

***

“Hello, sir. I’m Lee Soo-Hee. Thank you for having me over,” Lee Soo-Hee greeted respectfully with her hands gathered in front of her.

Ha Suk-Jae stood unmoving while staring at Lee Soo-Hee in astonishment.

“Father, where are Mom and Noona?” Ha Jae-Gun asked.

Ha Suk-Jae finally snapped back to reality and cleared his throat. “Ah, um… They went to the supermarket. They forgot to buy oysters and mackerel. They said they’ll return soon…”

Ha Suk-Jae sounded quite uncomfortable, making Ha Jae-Gun worry as well.

Even Ha Suk-Jae’s neck looked stiff, making it look as if something had gone wrong. Did something happen at home?

Ha Jae-Gun looked beyond his father’s shoulders and peered into the living room.

The living room, brightly lit by the TV, looked warm and welcoming like usual.

“Father, is something wrong?”

“No, nothing. Um, please come in.”

“Then, please excuse me.”

Ha Suk-Jae took a cushion and placed it on the floor.

Lee Soo-Hee sat down on her knees on the cushion, and Ha Jae-Gun whispered to her, “Just sit comfortably.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

Ha Suk-Jae sat on the cushion next to her with his legs crossed, watching the weather forecast playing on the TV. He then said, “The weather forecast seems to be wrong these days.”

“Ah, yes, sir.”

“Even though science and technology have advanced so much.”

“I thought it was quite strange as well.”

“The economy isn’t doing well, too…”

“Yes, indeed.”

“The shipbuilding industry is also experiencing a severe recession…”

Ha Suk-Jae was doing his best to talk to Lee Soo-Hee, but it wasn’t going well. Sure enough, Ha Suk-Jae stood up with his usual blunt look and disappeared into his room.

Ha Jae-Gun finally burst out into laughter after suppressing it for so long.

“Why are you laughing?”

“My father’s cute. He doesn’t know what to say because he’s so nervous.”

“Are you sure it’s not because he doesn’t like me? Did I do something wrong?”

“No way. He must be flustered seeing how beautiful you are.”

Ha Suk-Jae came out of his room a few minutes later. Ha Jae-Gun stole a glance at his father as he sat back down on the same spot, almost bursting out in laughter again.

Ha Suk-Jae had changed into a neat shirt and cardigan.

“Should I change the channel?”

“No, please watch whatever you like.”

“I’m always watching the news, anyway…”

Ha Suk-Jae hesitated with the remote control in hand before putting it down again. Ha Suk-Jae seemed like an interviewee, sitting with his back upright, looking dignified.

He maintained that pose even when Myung-Ja and Ha Jae-In were already back home.

“Oh my! Ms. Soo-Hee, you’re here already?!”

Lee Soo-Hee took the shopping bags from them and said, “Yes, ma'am. I hope you’ve been well since the last time I met you.”

“You’re very pretty today, Ms. Soo-Hee. Jae-Gun, is she alone? Where’s Jung-Jin?”

“Yeah. Jung-Jin said he’s busy today, so he’ll drop by next time.”

Myung-Ja’s face brightened immediately, and he clapped her hands.

“I should hurry up and prepare dinner for everyone then. Ms. Soo-Hee should be starving too.”

“I’ll help out, ma’am.”

“No, no. You’re our guest.”

“Please let me help. I’m confident that I won’t become a nuisance.”

“Yeah, Mom. She’s great at cooking. I already told you about it.”

“Ohh, right. Hohoho, then can you make the grilled fish, Ms. Soo-Hee?”

The ladies brought the shopping bags with them to the kitchen. Soon, laughter rang from the kitchen, filling the house. Ha Suk-Jae then said to Ha Jae-Gun, who was smiling, “If you’ve decided to marry her, you’d better hurry.”

“…How did you know?” Ha Jae-Gun looked back at his father in surprise.

Ha Suk-Jae kept his eyes on the TV with indifference.

“I’m already old, but I’m not senile.”

“…”

“You should always treat her well. You should always treat her well so that you’ll live comfortably until you’re old, like me.”

“Yes, Father.”

Their conversation stopped there.

However, their conversation seemed to continue in silence. Ha Jae-Gun was thankful to his family for liking Lee Soo-Hee, and he couldn’t help but keep on smiling.

The ladies’ laughter in the kitchen continued for a long time.

***

“Director…?!”

Director Yoon Tae-Sung and Ye-Seul sat across from each other in one of Newdon’s many offices.

Ye-Seul’s hands were trembling as she held onto an envelope of cash, which she had just received from Yoon Tae-Sung. It wasn’t her small casting fee; it had come from Tae-Sung’s personal wallet.

“You wouldn’t be suffering for a while with this amount of money. Make sure you quit working at the convenience store. I’ll be calling you more often for acting gigs.”

“Thank you, Director. But I’m not sure if I can accept this money…”

Yoon Tae-Sung’s eyes turned grim. “Focus when you should. I picked you myself, Ms. Ye-Seul. If you’re going to ruin my reputation with trash acting, you should just quit right now. The amount isn’t that huge either; others might even think that I gave you a car in exchange for your acting.”

Yoon Tae-Sung clicked his tongue and stood up. He wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible, which was why exactly he was so straightforward. However, Ye-Seul understood the motive behind his actions, and she went silent.

“I should get going soon. I’m going to meet Mr. Do-Joon. You should leave first,” Yoon Tae-Sung said as he took out his phone.

Ye-Seul stood up hesitantly. She was about to express her gratitude when Yoon Tae-Sung looked up at her and said, “I’m going to make a call, so don’t talk to me.”

“…Yes, Director. Thank you so much.”

“I already said not to talk to me.”

Ye-Seul turned around and opened the door with a forced smile. While she walked through the long walkway to the exit, Ye-Seul steeled her resolve to become an actress. Even if it was for Yoon Tae-Sung’s sake, who had put his trust in her.

Just as Ye-Seul was about to go through the main entrance, a group of people standing by the entrance spotted her, and amongst them was Director Woo Jae-Hoon.

“Who is she?” Woo Jae-Hoon asked as he put a cigarette stick into his mouth.

The manager beside him lit up the cigarette and said, “She’s Hong Ye-Seul. She got the role of a female high school student in Gyeoja Bathhouse.”

Woo Jae-Hoon frowned. Gyeoja Bathhouse was Ha Jae-Gun’s novel, and its director was Yoon Tae-Sung. In other words, the woman was a member of the group of people he disliked.

“Yoon Tae-Sung seems to like her a lot. He even cast her as the female lead in Girls’ War,” said the deputy of the production team.

“I heard she’s extremely close with Kim Na-Yeon.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She got to be an extra in There Was A Sea because of her connection with Kim Na-Yeon when they went to the set together. Kim Na-Yeon is laying low right now, right?”

“I heard she went back to her hometown after that host girl scandal. Could Hong Ye-Seul be from the same circle? What do you think, Director?”

Woo Jae-Hoon let out a huge puff of smoke before revealing a sleazy smile.

“Who knows, she might even be worse. Birds of the same feather flock together; who knows what they’re made of?”

Woo Jae-Hoon then tossed the used cigarette to the ground.

Just then, someone’s shadow was cast over him.

Woo Jae-Hoon looked up, shuddering in fear.

The shadow belonged to Yoon Tae-Sung, and the latter was staring down at him coldly.

“You better watch what you say.”

“…?!”

“I won’t let you off lightly if you dare to spread any groundless rumors.”

“W-what…?! What did you just say?! Huh?!”

“Aigoo, Director. Please calm down.”

The manager and deputy held Woo Jae-Hoon back.

Yoon Tae-Sung turned around calmly and headed to his car. He didn’t need to say anything more, as directors talked to each other with their portfolios rather than their mouths.