Big Life

Chapter 194. The Bombing Starts (15)

"Hicc, Writer Ha. Let’s have one more glass, yes? I know of a good bar, and there’s a good vodka that I kept with them the last time I was there—Hicc!”

“You’ve drank a lot. Let’s stop here for today.” Even Ha Jae-Gun’s legs were trembling slightly as he turned her down.

He was led on by Chae Yoo-Jin’s personality and momentum, making him drink a lot tonight, and it was already past midnight in the blink of an eye.

“There’s no next time! Mr. Ha, hicc! I live in the States. So don’t be like this, and let’s just have another~ glass.” The drunk Chae Yoo-Jin did not back down and continued urging for another round.

“Wake up, why did you drink so much, Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin?”

“And you’re being so formal with me now. Hey! Oh Myung-Suk! Do you have a death wish?!”

“I’ve told you countless times that Mr. Ha is with us, and this isn’t a private meeting, so please...”

“Ah, I don’t know! I can’t hear you! Can’t hear you! Please hold me, Oh Myung-Suk. I think I’m going to fall... Ahaha!”

Ha Jae-Gun helped support Chae Yoo-Jin by grabbing onto her other arm. He then said softly to Oh Myung-Suk from behind her, “She must be happy to see you tonight, editor-in-chief.”

“I’m really sorry. She doesn’t usually drink this much...”

“She might be more excited than usual since she’s enjoying herself. I’ll leave her to you and get going first, then.”

“I’ve called a driver for you, Mr. Ha. They will arrive in a few minutes.”

However, Jaw-Gun rejected the offer with a smile. “I want to take the chance to walk for a while to sober up. Thanks a lot for today, editor-in-chief. Thanks to you, I was able to clear two large issues at once.”

“You’re most welcome, Mr. Ha. You’re the incredible person here, I didn’t do much at all.”

Ha Jae-Gun reached out his hand for a handshake. Oh Myung-Suk grabbed it, and they slowly shook hands.

Ha Jae-Gun said, “I apologize for being nosy, but if something bad had happened, I hope it’d get resolved soon. You don’t look that good today.”

“Was it... that obvious?”

Ha Jae-Gun only smiled and let go of the handshake instead of replying. He decided to skip saying goodbye to Chae Yoo-Jin since she seemed to be asleep and was already leaning on Oh Myung-Suk for support.

‘Ow, my head. I should probably get myself a hangover cure.’

Bzzt!

As Ha Jae-Gun was headed to the convenience store nearby, his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he hesitated for a moment before finally answering the call.

“Yes, Ms. Ye-Seul.”

— Sorry for calling you at this hour. I called, thinking that you’d still be awake as I’ve got something to tell you.

“Go ahead.”

— I... It’s not official yet, but I think I’ll be cast as the female lead for Storm and Gale. The casting director dropped a small hint for me. That’s why, that’s why I called.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled as he opened the door to the convenience store. He had already heard of this news from Yoon Tae-Sung a few days ago, but he pretended that he had no idea and congratulated her.

“Really? That’s great! I hope you’ll do well and get good results.”

— Thanks a lot, Oppa. This is all thanks to you. Regardless of the results, this is going to be the best gift ever. I’ll never forget it in this lifetime of mine.

“It’ll be a box office hit, and your mother will definitely watch the movie.”

— I really hope that happens.

Their conversation came to a lull. During the pause, Ha Jae-Gun found the drink he was looking for and placed it at the cashier. The part-timer working there recognized Ha Jae-Gun and smiled shyly while scanning the item he had purchased.

— Um, Oppa!

Hong Ye-Seul raised her voice over the phone as if trying to say something. However, before Ha Jae-Gun could say anything in response, she quickly added softly.

— No, it’s nothing... I’ll hang up now. Ah, Oppa, I’ve also read the licensing rights news with Paramountain on the internet; congratulations. I’ve forgotten about it with my good news in mind.

“Thank you. You should sleep early, too, Ms. Ye-Seul.”

— You too, rest well and sweet dreams....

Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call.

As he drank the drink he bought, a new message came in.

- $1.8 million writer Mr. Ha, I’ve just finished work. I’m worried that you’re already asleep, so I’m sending you a message first.

Ha Jae-Gun grinned, revealing his teeth. Unlike the hesitation he had shown earlier when picking up Hong Ye-Seul’s call, he immediately made an outgoing call this time.

— Oh my, you're still awake?

“Did you watch a historical drama? Why are you speaking like that today?

— I’m learning it. I started watching all the historical dramas in my backlog as soon as I got home.

Lee Soo-Hee chuckled. Her chuckle sounded like a sweet giggle from an angel to the happily drunk Ha Jae-Gun.

“Soo-Hee.”

— Please speak. I’m listening.

“I’ve mentioned this in Taiwan as well, but let’s get married as soon as you return from Taiwan.”

— You really mean it...?

Surprised, Lee Soo-Hee’s weird speech returned to normal.

Ha Jae-Gun nodded as if Lee Soo-Hee was standing before him.

“I drank a lot today. I just left the group and am walking about Myeongdong, trying to sober up... I’m thinking of going to the office instead of back home, it’s lonely without you at home.”

— I’ll be going back soon. Just a few days more.

“Let’s get married. Let’s meet your parents immediately when you return. I want to greet them officially and set a date for our marriage.”

— I’ll think over this seriously. And see how your proposal is...

“I’m proposing to you now.”

— What? Over the phone? No, I can’t accept this. But are you still walking? Didn’t you say you’re in Myeongdong? Take a taxi.

“I’m going to walk for a while longer. I’ll walk past Seoul station, Namyeong, and Yongsan... I’ll also walk past Noryangjin, Yeongdeungpo, my house, and then... I'll walk all the way to Taiwan.”

— You really are drunk. Are you not going to take a taxi? You’re making me worried.

Ha Jae-Gun chuckled as he continued walking away. Every time he took a step, the darkness would slowly disappear, and Lee Soo-Hee would get closer and closer to him. Tonight was when he displayed his drunk tactics to Lee Soo-Hee, which he had done even once to his best friend, Park Jung-Jin.

Ha Jae-Gun felt like he no longer had to worry about anything.

***

At the same time, Oh Myung-Suk and Chae Yoo-Jin had just arrived at Chae Yoo-Jin’s hotel room.

“Take off your coat. Come here, I’ll do it for you.”

“I’m not that drunk. I can do it on my own.” Chae Yoo-Jin took off her own coat. Oh Myung-Suk took the coat from her and hung it on the hanger.

Chae Yoo-Jin smiled mischievously at him and said, “You finally came into my room tonight. You left me at the hotel entrance the last time.”

“...Because you’re too drunk. Do you want a cup of coffee?”

“Only if you’re going to drink it, too.”

“Okay, let’s have a cup each.”

Oh Myung-Suk made two cups of coffee from the capsule coffee machine and sat back down on the sofa. He heard some ruffling sound and turned around to see Chae Yoo-Jin taking off her sweater.

"What do you think? My body's still got it, right?" Chae Yoo-Jin was now in a sleeveless top, twirling for Oh Myung-Suk.

Oh Myung-Suk looked away expressionless and took a sip of his coffee.

"What, you're not even going to look now?"

"I'm afraid that I'll pounce on you instead," he replied. Although he said it like a joke, it was true to a certain extent. He was confident that Chae Yoo-Jin wouldn't reject him if he were to reach out to her, knowing that her heart wouldn't change at all.

However, he didn't want to use her feelings for him and their current relationship to fill his loneliness. In addition, everything would return to its original state. He didn’t want to experience the pain of a breakup twice.

“Come have coffee. I’ll finish this cup and leave—”

Oh Myung-Suk couldn't finish his sentence as Chae Yoo-Jin embraced him from behind.

“Stay with me for tonight.”

“What are you saying?”

“I couldn’t sleep at all on the day you just left like that. I’m not asking for anything else; you know me. Just stay with me for tonight; that’s all I’m asking.”

Chae Yoo-Jin let go of Oh Myung-Suk and went to sit next to him on the sofa. Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching. They could even see each other's reflection in each other's eyes.

There was no saying who went first; their lips met, and their tongues tied together in an instant. Their rationale, which had been pulled taut, had finally broken.

Oh Myung-Suk grabbed Chae Yoo-Jin’s neck and slowly traveled down along her back and spine. It was his first time touching her body in several years, and it still felt as beautiful and familiar to his touch.

“Turn off the lights.”

“No.”

Oh Myung-Suk carried Chae Yoo-Jin and laid her roughly on the bed. The clothes taken off them were strewn all across the room. The over-accumulated thirst exploded, and their bodies became one.

***

— You can never win regardless of what you do, Mr. Park Do-Joon. Whether she received a check or went through the CCTVs from the cafe, they don’t prove anything. It’ll just turn into a huge mess if you counter-sue them. It's a rigged fight, and Chae Bo-Ra is going to win it.

“Haa...!”

Park Do-Joon shook his throbbing head as he recalled the words he had heard at the lawyer’s office. Meanwhile, news about Paramountain purchasing the licensing rights to Gyeoja Bathhouse was showing on the TV.

[...The licensing fee of $1.8 million dollars is worth 2.1 billion Korean won. It’s the highest amount of all Korean movies exported to Hollywood so far.]

[That’s right. Gyeoja Bathhouse had ended its screening with 3.7 million views in Korea, an all-time high, and is about to enter China, right?]

[Yes, even Teencent Pictures, its distributor in China, said that they are confident in breaking Korea’s record in three days. They said that they would do their best to help Gyeoja Bathhouse attain the best results. Let’s watch the video.]

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The door opened after the beeps. Knowing that Lee Chae-Rin was supposed to come, Park Do-Joon did not once look in the direction of the door and continued watching the TV.

“Shouldn’t you at least pretend to look at the door when someone is entering your house?”

“We met three hours earlier anyway.”

“Wow, you’re making me lose interest in you. Isn’t that right, Jae-Gun oppa?”

“...?!” Park Do-Joon flinched.

Lee Chae-Rin didn’t come alone. Ha Jae-Gun was beside her, smiling with a slight frown between his brows.

“Hey, Jae-Gun. Why did you appear without notice...”

“I came to see if you’re really busy since you’ve been refusing to meet me these days. So you lied to me, seeing that you’re at home watching TV and drinking vodka by yourself. Give me some, too.”

Ha Jae-Gun sat down next to Park Do-Joon. Meanwhile, Park Do-Joon glared resentfully at Lee Chae-Rin from over his shoulders.

Lee Chae-Rin feigned ignorance and turned to the kitchen. “I’ll bring some snacks over, Oppa.”

While Lee Chae-Rin was rummaging through the kitchen, Park Do-Joon filled Ha Jae-Gun’s glass with alcohol.

Ha Jae-Gun mumbled as he brought the glass to his lips, “Thank you.”

“...That Chae-Rin, she’s not loyal at all.”

“Don’t blame her, it’s Tae-Bong hyung who told me first.”

“What? Really?”

“Think of how worried he must have been to tell me the truth, but you should stop. I understand where you’re coming from, and am grateful to you for helping, but I don’t want you to waste your precious time on this.”

The two skipped the toast and emptied their glasses.

Lee Chae-Rin returned to the living room with a tray of fruits and cheese, pouting slightly while reading the atmosphere in the room.

Park Do-Joon threw a glance at her and said bluntly, “I want apples.”

“Okay. I’ll peel one for you first! Hehe.”

Raising his glass high, Ha Jae-Gun said to Park Do-Joon, “You must swear that you will focus on filming Storm and Gale.”

“You too? And don't you have to attend the Popular Arts Awards ceremony tomorrow? Can you still drink at this hour?”

“That’s my problem to deal with, so don’t change the topic. Quick, swear it.”

“How childish, making me swear on these. Alright, I swear. We done? Now, let’s just drink already. Let’s make a toast to you for getting the Minister of Culture’s commendation.”

The duo clinked glasses and drank their alcohol. Despite smiling on the outside, both of them were seriously contemplating what they could do for each other on the inside.

***

[Writer Ha Jae-Gun awarded Minister of Culture commendation. Public’s response: Good gracious?]

[Controversy on Ha Jae-Gun’s Minister of Culture commendation. What is the standard for the artists’ contribution to the development of the local pop culture?]

[Professor Han Hae-Sun criticizes the literary world for being conservative once again.]

[Tele-interview with Ha Jae-Gun: The award isn’t important at all. Only the readers reading my works are precious to me.]

“The internet is going crazy as expected.” Oh Myung-Suk laughed mockingly as he read the news articles. The results were as he had predicted. Media outlets were writing negative views on Ha Jae-Gun being awarded the Minister of Culture commendation rather than the Prime Minister’s commendation.

“And it has buried all the news related to Father...”

The news about Oh Tae-Jin getting awarded the Geumgwan Order of Culture Merit, which was also the highest-recognized award in the ceremony, was not seen at all in the search results.

The media and public only had eyes on the monster rookie writer Ha Jae-Gun.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Oh Tae-Jin walked in.

Surprised by his appearance, Oh Myung-Suk hurriedly turned off his monitor and stood up to greet his father.

“Father, why are you here in the office and not at home?”

“I didn’t want you to travel to and fro, so I thought it would be nice to head back together.”

Oh Tae-Jin was holding a manuscript. It was a new full-length novel that he had recently completed and revised. He brought it along to listen to the opinions from other writers other than his own son.

“Thinking that I’ll be showing this to Writer Ha instead of you is making me feel more nervous. I feel scared like back when I was in school.”

“It’s a good novel, Father. I’m not exaggerating when I said that I was extremely impressed after reading it. I’m sure you’ll hear good things from Writer Ha as well.”

“Mm... I hope so, too....” Oh Tae-Jin mumbled, as if trying to reassure himself. He added strength in his hands, crumpling the manuscript slightly. The numerous stories that he had accumulated over the decades added weight to the thick stack of papers.