Big Life

Chapter 166: Make It Up, If There’s None (10)

Ha Jae-Gun stood up like a statue with his phone still by his ear. It had been a while since he heard this voice, but he could still recognize it right away.

— How have you been…?

The low voice was wavering. Was it out of guilt that they couldn't mention their own name?

Ha Jae-Gun snapped out of his thoughts and replied, "Yes, I'm good. What about you, Ms. Ye-Seul?"

— Thanks to you, Writer Op—no, sorry. Thanks to you Writer Ha, I am doing good as well.

“You can call me like you used to.”

— I knew you were a great person in the past, but now that I’ve stepped into the acting industry, it hit me harder. So, I feel that it’s much harder for me to call you Oppa… I don’t think I can…

Ha Jae-Gun grinned. He was glad to hear Hong Ye-Seul’s unique speech style again. He excused himself from Jung-Jin and moved away to continue the phone conversation.

“I enjoyed Girls’ War.”

— Ah, you’re making me embarrassed.

“You’re really good at acting. I learned a new side of you that day.”

— It was my first time, and I didn’t have any experience, so I could only do my best under the director’s instructions. Thank you for looking upon it so favorably.

“I’m anticipating your performance in Gyeoja Bathhouse, too.”

— …

Their conversation took a pause, and silence ensued.

Ha Jae-Gun waited for her quietly to continue the conversation. Soon, a soft sigh tickled his ears.

— You’re not surprised.

“I’ve been thinking of you at times, and I've also been thinking that it’s almost time for you to give me a call.”

— I’m really sorry for calling you now.

“You don’t have to apologize.”

— I wanted to see you when I’ve succeeded; that’s why I haven’t contacted you for so long…

“I understand.”

— I heard from Director Yoon Tae-Sung today that Teencent Pictures had called him and that I’ve gotten a chance to audition for the female lead in Storm and Gale…

“Oh, really? That’s great.”

— Look at you feigning ignorance. It’s obviously you pulling the strings backstage… I’ve heard all about it, alright? I heard that you were the one who recommended me to Teencent Pictures.

Embarrassed, Ha Jae-Gun scrunched his nose. Trying to change the topic, he thought of the past and asked, “When are you going to get your necklace back?”

— Oh… Can I leave it with you for a while more?

“Until when? I think you’ve become much more confident now.”

— No, not yet. Not yet… So please hold onto it for a while more.

“Why does it sound like you just don't want to meet me?”

— I-it’s not that.

Ha Jae-Gun's joke caught Hong Ye-Seul off-guard.

— I-I wanted to see you but thought that you’d be very busy, and I’m already feeling apologetic for calling you out of the blue now, so that’s why… Why would I not want to see you?

“I was just joking. I’m not so busy to the extent that I can’t even have a meal, so call me whenever you want to.”

— Thanks a lot, Oppa. For looking out for me and—I won’t be able to repay you in this life.

“It’s because of your talent that you’re successful now, not because of me.”

Just then, Park Jung-Jin approached Ha Jae-Gun and pointed at his watch. Ha Jae-Gun then nodded in response.

“I need to hang up now, I’m having dinner with my friends today.”

— Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll call you again next time then. Enjoy your dinner, Oppa.

“You too.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and stood up.

Park Jung-Jin then shook his head disapprovingly. “Another woman? Who is it? An actress?”

“Yeah, an actress,” Ha Jae-Gun replied curtly.

He didn't add the words someone you know too out of consideration for Ye-Seul’s future. He was planning on carrying her dark past with him to his grave.

***

“Thank you so much. I will be careful when reading this, and I'll return it to you immediately once I'm done,” Ha Jae-Gun said with a grin. An old-looking book was in his hands.

It was a hot summer day, so hot that there was almost steam rising from the ground. Ha Jae-Gun was currently in a cafe located in the city center, enjoying the air conditioning.

“It’s a gift for you, so you may hold onto it,” Oh Myung-Suk said, sitting across from Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun looked up in astonishment. “You’re going to give this rare book to me? How can I accept something as precious as this…”

“Books are only valuable when people look for them. The book has been stuck in a deep corner of my study, and no one has gone looking for it until now. So don’t feel burdened and take it.”

“Thank you so much. What about having lunch together? Please let me know what you’d like to have. I’ll buy you a good meal.”

“Haha, shall I? I’ll make sure to squeeze your wallet dry today, Mr. Ha.”

The two men burst into jolly laughter.

Oh Myung-Suk then took a sip of his coffee and said, “You should be getting busy again, Mr. Ha.”

“I don’t think so. There’s nothing else that I’m working on aside from the scenarios for Storm and Gale and Oscar’s Dungeon. I think others around me are much busier than I am.”

As the faces of the staff, including Oh Myung-Suk, surfaced in his mind, Ha Jae-Gun continued. “It’s been strange for me lately. I haven’t been doing anything, but everything is falling into place; things are progressing swimmingly.”

“I think I understand what you mean.”

“Gyeoja Bathhouse is being adapted into a game and into a movie. Oscar’s Dungeon novel is being translated into Mandarin and distributed through Teencent, and you'll oversee the distribution of There Was A Sea in the U.S. market. Listing it out like that makes others think that there’s a lot going on, but as the original author, I’m actually quite free.”

“Oh, no. If you’re so free, how about working on your next novel?” Oh Myung-Suk asked jokingly with a chuckle.

Ha Jae-Gun pondered for a while before asking carefully, “Actually, I am writing something, but bit by bit.”

“Ah, really?” Myung-Suk’s eyes widened, and straightened himself up. He was definitely interested in Ha Jae-Gun’s next novel as the editor-in-chief of OongSung Group.

“Yes, I’ve actually been working on one out of practice, so I haven’t told anyone else except for my father. But as I worked on it, its length just kept increasing. So I thought of just letting you know first.”

“What kind of story is it? I would love to read it right away.”

“It’s a picaresque short story. Various characters appear in the novel, with the market as the main background. Would you like a glimpse?”

“Ah, you have it with you right now? I would love to read it.”

Ha Jae-Gun pulled out a Tablet PC from his bag. After opening the document, he pushed the device toward Oh Myung-Suk and said, “I’ve just finished two stories. Please take a look.”

Oh Myung-Suk turned his attention to the screen.

The first words he read were the title—The Market and Its People. Beneath it was the first short story, The Market’s Security Guard, and the title of the second short story was The Market’s Glutinous Rice Cake Seller.

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll begin reading it then.” Oh Myung-Suk fixed his glasses and began to read both the short stories right there and then. It wasn't particularly long, so he was able to read them carefully without rushing.

‘He must have had a hard time.’ Oh Myung-Suk had noticed what was going through Ha Jae-Gun’s heart and mind while reading the first short story.

Like Ha Jae-Gun’s father, the security guard in this short story was slapped by the new building owner. Oh Myung-Suk soon finished reading the first story and continued on to read the second.

The main character of the second short story was a man selling glutinous rice cakes. Despite suffering from tyrannical acts like the security guard, he remained resilient in life.

‘This is good…’ Oh Myung-Suk nodded unknowingly. Ha Jae-Gun’s latest work did not disappoint him either. The simple and calm sentences were permeating his heart.

“They're great.” Oh Myung-Suk looked up. “I have a good feeling about this, too. The main characters are different; they are both from the same place, so having their stories connected organically made it into an interesting story.”

“Thank you. I was actually worried that you wouldn't find it as good.”

“How many short stories are you looking to write?”

“I’m looking to write around ten to twelve of them. However, I’m actually stuck right now. It’s not easy trying to fix the main characters of each story. Jobs aside, I hope that their jobs and the harshness they face in reality would naturally connect with the market. And it’s hard for that synergy to happen.”

“Please don’t hurry and take your time to think about it. The entire world knows that you are good at writing, so I’m not worried about that either,” Oh Myung-Suk encouraged, then belatedly snapped his fingers as something came to his mind.

“I just thought of this, but how about adding a creator?”

“A creator?”

“Yes. It doesn't matter whether they're a creator of a novel, webtoon, or movie, as long as they’re related to this market. it’s not a bad idea to write about the life of a poor writer, too.”

Oh Myung-Suk began tapping his finger on the table as he continued. “But I think you’ll have to develop the writer’s character well. Regardless of how poor or tough a life the writer is leading, it'll be tough for the readers to relate or feel sympathetic if the writer focuses only on writing."

“I think so too. Hmm, I like your idea, editor-in-chief. I should use that, then.”

Ha Jae-Gun was already lost in thoughts. Oh Myung-Suk sat quietly, waiting for Ha Jae-Gun to emerge from his reverie. He looked out the window to see office workers streaming onto the streets for lunch.

***

“Huh? Why is the number unavailable?” Yoon Tae-Sung mumbled, looking puzzled.

It was the last day of filming for Gyeoja Bathhouse. He had just called his friend after a long time whom he was close with back in university, but what he heard was a mechanical voice telling him that the number was unavailable.

“That’s weird. There’s no way he would change numbers without letting me know.” Still mumbling to himself, worries filled Yoon Tae-Sung’s mind.

Like him, his friend had dreamt of becoming a movie director as well.

Unlike Yoon Tae-Sung, however, his friend hadn’t been able to fulfill their dream.

‘Did something happen?’

Yoon Tae-Sung tried to recall the address of that friend’s house, which he had visited back then.

It was a basement room of a shabby-looking house. The dampness and mold in the room surfaced in his mind once more. It was a tough period for both Yoon Tae-Sung and his friend.

“Please wrap things up here. I have somewhere I have to be.”

Yoon Tae-Sung stood up after a moment of consideration. He couldn’t look the other way for this friend. Yoon Tae-Sung immediately got into his car and started the engine.

It didn’t take him long to reach his destination in Sinrim-dong. Yoon Tae-Sung parked his car at a nearby carpark as it was difficult for him to drive through a winding alley.

“It should be somewhere here…” Yoon Tae-Sung continued relying on his memory and retracing his steps, wandering through the alley lined with old houses. After a while, he spotted a familiar-looking house and hurried over with a smile.

“This is it.”

The moment he opened the rusty gate, vivid memories fleeted across his eyes. Yoon Tae-Sung went down the stairs located at the corner of the yard and knocked on the door to the basement room.

“Eun-Ha? It’s me, Yoon Tae-Sung.”

However, he heard no reply.

Yoon Tae-Sung knocked on the door once more to no avail.

There was only silence coming from the other side of the door.

Yoon Tae-Sung reached for the doorknob. He turned it and found the door unlocked. A sense of foreboding swept over him as he slowly pushed the door open.

The dark room instantly filled his view.

“Huh? Lee Eun-Ha!”

A girl lay motionless in a corner of the room. She was Yoon Tae-Sung’s precious friend—Lee Eun-Ha. Astonished, Yoon Tae-Sung jumped to her without even taking off his shoes.

“Hey, Eun-Ha! Lee Eun-Ha! Wake up!”

Lee Eun-Ha’s pale face showed when Yoon Tae-Sung lay her down on the floor. Her limbs were thin, and her breathing felt so feeble that it seemed like she would stop breathing soon.

Yoon Tae-Sung could immediately tell that she was seriously malnourished.

“You punk, why didn’t you contact me when you’re in such a state?!”

Yoon Tae-Sung piggybacked his friend, who was now basically akin to a corpse. She was extremely light, like a child, and it almost made him cry. A wave of regret struck Yoon Tae-Sung. He hadn't been able to contact her, as he was too busy recently.

“Who are you?”

When Yoon Tae-Sung stepped out of the basement, he bumped into the owner, who was in her fifties. The lady stared at him with wary eyes.

“I’m her friend. I’m sending her to the hospital since she doesn’t look too good.”

“Really? She hasn’t paid rent for two months, so help me ask her about it when she wakes up.”

Yoon Tae-Sung clenched his teeth and glared at the lady. He then pulled out a million-won cheque and put it in her hand, and then he coldly spat. “We should strive to be humane while we're living in this world.”

“Huh? What did I do…?”

“Get out of my way.”

Yoon Tae-Sung ran with Lee Eun-Ha on his back. He was exhausted, but he didn't slow down.

When Yoon Tae-Sung spotted his car in the distance, Lee Eun-Ha came to her senses and opened her eyes. She immediately realized that Yoon Tae-Sung was the one carrying her and closed her eyes again with a bitter, scornful smile directed at herself.