Big Life

Chapter 165: Make It Up, If There’s None (9)

Oh Tae-Jin let out a long sigh and said, "There was a man I once knew, and he was a novelist."

Department Head Gu loosened his necktie, realizing that Oh Tae-Jin's story was going to take some time.

"He was a single-minded person; all he was concerned about was his writing, and he was great at it. He wrote all sorts of novels, regardless if they were full-length novels or short stories. He won all the best literature awards in Korea and was highly praised by the literary world after becoming a famous writer around the age of forty.

"His novels are often written in modern settings with realism included, and his thematic awareness or even lawlessness were much more…"

Oh Tae-Jin trailed off and looked at Department Head Gu with a smile.

"Sorry, I unknowingly said too much…"

"No worries, President."

"Anyway, he was an incredible writer. He was a professor and had countless students learning from him. And… he showed exceptional favoritism to one of them."

Oh Tae-Jin closed his eyes and took a moment to organize his thoughts, then continued, "...Let's call him A for convenience. A was a youth with high potential to become a writer. Everything in his life was pointing at him becoming a writer."

Department Head Gu became curious as he continued listening to Oh Tae-Jin's story. How was A related to Oh Tae-Jin?

"A would never look upon anything lightly. He would always observe, ponder, experience, and then solve them with writing on a daily basis. Even his mentor admitted that he could not present his business card to A.”

“If the mentor said that about A, it would mean that he was that hardworking.”

Oh Tae-Jin leaned back onto the sofa and shook his head.

“Hardworking isn’t enough to express it. Before he became a university student, he had already written over three thousand short stories on his own.”

“Three… thousand?” Department Head Gu was dumbfounded.

How could anyone write three thousand short stories as practice before turning the age of twenty? If one were to write one short story every day without rest for a whole year, it would only amount to 365 of them. It was unbelievable.

“The mentor did his best to teach that student. Perhaps he was happy to see his past passionate self in A. A also did his best in order to reciprocate the love that his mentor had showered him. He respected his mentor from the bottom of his heart to the point that he regarded his mentor like a father since he had lost his parents early in his life.

"The mentor’s meticulous guidance and advice helped A’s writings improve and grow more sophisticated as days went by.”

Oh Tae-Jin drank a sip of water. Meanwhile, Department Head Gu was so immersed in the story that he was watching Oh Tae-Jin closely, waiting for the story to continue.

“A’s writings were incredible. While freely breaking down the walls of a fixed genre that were already set by traditions, he cherished every little subject he had obtained with his blood and sweat.

"If his mentor were a writer who had done everything within his means with the boundaries given, then A would do one better and build his own world setting for a novel.”

“So there’s a student that does much better than his own mentor.”

“Yes. And I think that was the start of the problem. From the moment A crushed the walls and stepped out into the world…”

“…?”

Another flash and thunderous roar followed. The night’s darkness was cast over Oh Tae-Jin’s face.

“The mentor then suddenly realized that the student whom he had taught and poured his heart over had surpassed him. The roles had reversed; he now had to learn from his student rather than the other way around. What do you think the mentor felt at the time?

Department Head Gu pondered.

Oh Tae-Jin continued. “Like what I’ve said earlier, the mentor always did his best in everything. However, he had a massive flaw—he had always insisted on implementing the conservative way when teaching and even put up walls around himself. He probably wanted to escape from the newfound fact but could not find the right method to do so.”

“I’m not familiar with writing, so I find it difficult to answer your question, President.”

“That’s not that important, so you can let it slip. The most important thing was… from that moment on, the mentor’s love for his student had turned into jealousy. Even when A went to his mentor for advice, the mentor would find excuses to avoid meeting him and even avoid making eye contact with A during lessons.”

“That’s quite unfortunate to hear.”

“Of course, A was upset; he had no idea what went wrong. He could only blame himself, thinking that his mentor had gotten tired of him.”

Oh Tae-Jin’s eyes laid on the bottle of wine on the table. After a short pause, he asked Department Head Gu, “Sorry, but could you grab a glass for me?”

“Yes, President.” Department Head Gu soon returned with a glass.

Oh Tae-Jin pulled the bottle toward him and said, “As the cold winter season passed and spring came in year two, A went to his mentor with a newly completed full-length novel in hand.

"The mentor wasn’t around at that time, so A left his manuscript and a letter on the table. The mentor who then read the manuscript was astounded.”

“Could it be… a novel that slanders his mentor?”

“No, it’s because the novel was too outstanding. He shuddered at the thought of A’s continuous growth without limits.”

“I see…”

“But the mentor concealed those feelings entirely and abused A’s infinite trust in himself. He harshly criticized the novel A had written.”

“That’s a bit…!” Department Head Gu raised his voice unknowingly.

Oh Tae-Jin smiled bitterly and looked out the wet window.

“A was a great writer, but he was too naive. Just because the mentor was someone he respected with all his heart, he accepted the criticism and strove to improve it. He wrote diligently and showed it to his mentor repeatedly, and every time, his mentor would trample on him.

"In the end, he failed to earn his mentor's acknowledgment, even after his graduation."

“The human heart is scary. So… what happened next?”

“Years after A’s graduation, the mentor entered a certain literary contest using a certain novel. The novel did great; it became a huge sensation. Critics said that it was his masterpiece amongst all his past works.”

Department Head Gu's expression stiffened. He could already guess it.

Oh Tae-Jin continued. “Yes… You should be able to guess by now. That was A’s novel. He gathered all the good parts of the novels A had handed him throughout the four years and combined them all into one. It was even safe to say that some parts of that novel were entirely taken from a few of the short stories A had written.”

“That’s ridiculous…! How could the mentor plagiarize his student’s work!? And… and A just watched from a distance?” Department Head Gu asked, sounding indignant.

He had inherited the trait of distinguishing right and wrong from his late father, and he couldn't forgive the mentor in Oh Tae-Jin's story.

“A shut himself in his own room. His friends who went to visit him back then said that he was out of his mind. They said A would only stare blankly into space with unfocused eyes and would not utter a single word.”

“Of course, he would be shell-shocked. I understand him. He turned to loathe that mentor of his, right?”

“What do you think?” Oh Tae-Jin returned with a vague question. His thick hands reached for the bottle of wine once more.

“A eventually emerged from his isolation and went to look for his mentor. He brought a bottle of ginseng wine that he personally made as a gift, which was the wine that his mentor liked the most.”

“…?” Department Head Gu’s eyes went from Oh Tae-Jin to the bottle on the table.

In the bottle were a few stalks of ginseng.

“A did not utter a single word of resentment to his mentor. He only said to his mentor that he would be leaving to learn more and apologized that he would not be able to see him for a long time. He left that bottle of ginseng wine and bade his farewell.”

Oh Tae-Jin finally opened the bottle. The bottle was finally opened after decades, and the fragrance that came along with the aged wine spilled into the air.

“The mentor hadn't once touched the bottle of wine that A gave as he couldn’t understand why A had left after giving him his favorite drink. He couldn't understand why he didn't hold even an ounce of resentment toward him.”

“President, are you possibly…”

“The mentor’s other student watched the mentor until his deathbed. Before he passed, the mentor confessed while in a delirious state, saying that he couldn't muster the courage to drink the wine. He wasn’t sure if he could handle the result.

"When the mentor passed, that other student claimed ownership of that bottle of wine.”

Department Head Gu was in a daze. He didn't even realize that Oh Tae-Jin had picked up the bottle and poured himself a glass.

It was only after he was certain that the President was the other student of that mentor that he snapped back to reality.

“P-president? You shouldn’t drink that!” Department Head Gu jumped up from his seat.

However, Oh Tae-Jin had already downed that glass. He himself knew clearly what kind of person A was, so he had nothing to hide.

“Don’t worry.” Oh Tae-Jin shook his hand dismissively after putting the glass down.

“Nothing will happen.”

“B-but President…! That wine might be…!”

A faint smile formed on Oh Tae-Jin’s face. The smile looked affectionate and in peace. He was reminiscing about that old friend who was so incredible and brilliant, but his mentor couldn't embrace him.

“I can’t recall his face clearly today. It’s as if I’m looking through that wet window…” Oh Tae-Jin murmured. After a while, he picked up the bottle and offered a glass to Department Head Gu.

“The wine tastes great. Do you want a glass? What I said just now was just fiction.”

“President…”

Despite being suspicious, Department Head Gu still accepted a glass. Oh Tae-Jin put down the bottle, leaned back into the sofa and savored the lingering bitterness of the wine in his mouth.

***

“Yes, Ms. Hye-Sang. Hello.”

Ha Jae-Gun put aside the cue stick in the midst of his billiard game and answered the call from Park Hye-Sang. Meanwhile, Park Jung-Jin looked at him in surprise from the other side of the table.

“I’m good. Yes, it’s getting hotter now that it’s August. Ah, you’ve seen the article? Thank you. As it’s happening in China, it still feels quite surreal to me. I will only learn about the performance sometime later.”

Park Jung-Jin approached and mouthed his question, "Is it Announcer Park Hye-Sang?"

Ha Jae-Gun nodded and pretended to retreat.

“Yes, I’m going to do a radio broadcast near Gyeoja Bathhouse's premiere. Let’s have dinner together, then. Yes, I’ll see you then.”

As soon as Ha Jae-Gun hung up, Park Jung-Jin grabbed his arm and asked, “Hey, what’s this? Was that really EBC Announcer Park Hye-Sang? You’re going to have dinner with that beautiful Park Hye-Sang?”

“I owe her a lot, so I think it's just right for me to treat her to dinner.”

Park Jung-Jin grabbed his head and groaned. “Wow… I see it now! Aside from the novel, game, movie, and entering the market in China, huh?! That call from Park Hye-Sang just now has finally made me realize that you've become extremely popular!

"When did my best friend become so popular?!”

“Stop kicking up a fuss. It’s my turn now, right?”

“How is the game important now? Wow, I’m really envious of you, Jae-Gun. It’s my lifelong wish to have dinner with Hye-Sang.”

“I’m going to tell on you to Hyo-Jin.”

Clack!

The ball was hit by a resounding sound and rolled out. It fell short of hitting its target, making Ha Jae-Gun lick his lips in disappointment.

“Did it slip because I chalked it too much?”

“Those without skills would only blame it on the equipment. Like you.” Park Jung-Jin clicked his tongue and hit the ball. The ball successfully hit three cushions, making Park Jung-Jin punch the air.

“I won, right? Sashimi for dinner tonight is on you.”

“Why sashimi on a rainy night? Ah, call Hyo-Jin along; let’s have dinner together.”

“Hehehe, really?”

Park Jung-Jin called Cheon Hyo-Jin.

Cheon Hyo-Jin said that she would get ready and leave soon.

“When are you going to confess to her? Didn’t you say that you would do it after your promotion?”

“Yeah. I thought we would get together before you and Lee Soo-Hee, but the right timing is just too difficult to come by.”

Park Jung-Jin was one of the few who knew of his relationship with Lee Soo-Hee.

However, Park Jung-Jin wasn't even surprised when he heard of it from Ha Jae-Gun.

It seemed he knew that they would eventually get together.

“It’s a pity that you’re just turning thirty next year, Jae-Gun. If you waited for another year, you would have become a wizard.”

“What nonsense is that?”

“Thinking back, there’s no problem regardless of the ladies who are interested in you. Lee Soo-Hee is the best goddess out of all of them.”

“I know, right.”

“Look at this happy punk. Anyway, just be careful and make sure that rumors don’t spread. You have a clear conscience, I know, but Lee Soo-Hee will feel hurt if she sees them in the news.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll be careful.”

Bzzt!

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang. It showed an unknown number.

Thinking that it could be a request for a media interview, Ha Jae-Gun hesitated for a while before answering, “Hello?”

— Hello…