Big Life

Chapter 173: Let’s Meet At Home (4)

A few minutes later, Ha Jae-Gun received a call from Lee Yeon-Woo and headed for the back door. Lee Yeon-Woo looked around as he stood by the car parked at the back entrance.

“You look like a spy doing that.”

“You may joke once you’re on board, hyung,” Lee Yeon-Woo said as he entered the address to the broadcasting station on the navigator.

“Ms. So-Mi is with us, so we should at least have lunch first.”

“Sure, but we should at least go somewhere near the broadcasting station for lunch. You'll be more at ease when we’re eating nearby. Deputy Jung can join me once I’m heading back to the office.” Lee Yeon-Woo looked at the passenger seat beside him.

Jung So-Mi was looking out the window.

“Deputy Jung? Are you fine with it?”

“Pardon?”

“For lunch. We’ll go to Yeouido for lunch with Ha Jae-Gun hyung first, and then we can head back to the office after.”

“Ah, sure. I’m fine with that.”

“But what’s on your mind? Why are you staring outside so intently?”

“It’s nothing. I was just preoccupied with the emotions I had from the movie earlier…”

Ha Jae-Gun appeared to be nonchalant, but in fact, he had his ears perked up. The reviews of his movies from the people close to him were of utmost importance to him.

Lee Yeon-Woo turned the steering wheel and said, “The movie was scary, right? It’s different from the novel, too.”

“Yes. But aside from being scary, the movie felt somewhat sad, too. The music that accompanied the movie helped with keeping up the atmosphere of the movie, and the child actors were so great that I got goosebumps watching them.”

Jung So-Mi then took out her phone and fiddled with it. She looked up Hong Ye-Seul, and the latter's profile and picture appeared in the search results. Jung So-Mi felt even more perplexed when she looked closely at the photo.

‘Why did she look at me like that?’ Jung So-Mi had actually noticed Hong Ye-Seul’s sharp gaze on her a couple of times in the theater ever since they first met in the washroom. Even during the movie, Jung So-Mi could feel it from the back of her head. Whenever Jung So-Mi made eye contact with her, Hong Ye-Seul would look away, but her cold expression would remain.

‘Could she be…?’

There was the possibility. There wasn’t enough evidence, but her intuition as a woman was screaming at her.

Jung So-Mi surreptitiously glanced at Ha Jae-Gun through the rearview mirror, but as usual, she couldn’t read his expression.

“Jae-Gun hyung, Deputy Jung. How about having sushi for lunch?”

“I’m alright with it. What about Ms. So-Mi?”

“Ah, sure… I like sushi, too.”

Jung So-Mi’s mind was still on Hong Ye-Seul even as they arrived at the restaurant. She eventually finished her meal dryly, not paying attention to what she had eaten at all.

“I’ll be going on my own from here then. Yeon-Woo, go back with Ms. So-Mi.”

“Okay, hyung. I’ll come back again when you’re about to end here.”

Ha Jae-Gun frowned slightly. “Did you forget what I said yesterday? You don’t have to come back.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about it. Hyung, fighting!”

Ha Jae-Gun left the group first. As he walked further away, Lee Yeon-Woo and Jung So-Mi turned to head back to the carpark.

On the way, Jung So-Mi asked casually, “Does Writer Ha have something else to do after the radio broadcast?”

“Ah, he has a dinner appointment with Ms. Park Hye-Sang later.”

Jung So-Mi looked up in surprise.

Park Hye-Sang was a widely known announcer who held stunning beauty and elegant poise. She was also the top celebrity that parents would like to have as their daughter-in-law, holding a great public image and opinion.

“Because of work?”

“No. He just said he felt grateful to her for a variety of things and decided to buy her a meal.” Lee Yeon-Woo said nonchalantly and opened the car door.

Jung So-Mi had mixed feelings as she got in the passenger seat. Her affectionate gaze followed Ha Jae-Gun as he stepped into the broadcasting station.

‘Wow, he’s in a completely different world now.’ Jung So-Mi could feel the growing distance between her and Ha Jae-Gun. It was another sense of loss compared to the corny sadness she felt on the day she had confessed to Ha Jae-Gun.

“Ah, it's raining,” Lee Yeon-Woo grumbled as he started the wiper.

The unforgettable scenes appeared one after another on the window. The day when Jung So-Mi first met him, the day when he picked up her shoe for him, and the day they shared an umbrella…

All those memories were still playing vividly in her mind. Those were precious memories precious she couldn’t tell anyone else. Jung So-Mi felt sad, knowing that those memories would soon become blurry in her mind.

“Um, Deputy Jung.” Lee Yeon-Woo cleared his throat as they stopped at a red light and suggested to Jung So-Mi, “Since it’s raining, how about having a cup of hot coffee together?”

“…Sure.” Jung So-Mi replied while lost in thoughts, looking down.

Lee Yeon-Woo turned to his left and smiled in delight.

Bzzt!

The phone in Jung So-Mi’s hand rang.

She let out a sigh and read the message that just came in.

It was from Ha Jae-Gun.

- I just met Mr. Na-Oul from Brown Eyed Soda. He said they just released a new single and gave me a copy of their album. You like them, right? Should I ask them to sign with your name?

A light smile appeared on Jung So-Mi’s gloomy face. She slowly typed out her reply to Ha Jae-Gun.

- No, Writer Ha. You’re already so busy; you don’t have to do this for me.

- How is it a hassle when it’s just one sentence? You’re going to work till late tonight at the office, right? I’ll bring it over later.

- You don’t have to come all the way here if it’s just for the album.

- I’m going because I want to see Rika. Shall we have braised monkfish for supper?

Jung So-Mi couldn't hold herself back and grinned. Moments later, she realized that she was entertaining a foolish thought. They were still in the same world, and what they had shared together weren't blurry memories just yet.

In addition, they would share more memories later down the road.

-S-sure…!

Jung So-Mi looked up after sending out that last message. The late summer rain that was beating down on the car windows had already stopped. The sun that had replaced the rain was shining brightly on Jung So-Mi’s face.

“Deputy Jung, shall we drop by the cross junction?”

“What? Why?”

“We agreed to have coffee earlier, didn’t we? I saw a newly opened cafe that looked quite welcoming.”

“Don’t they all taste the same, though? It’s going to be tough finding parking, so let’s just go back to the office. We can just grab coffee from the cafe on the first floor and head back up.” Jung So-Mi was just anxious to return to the office to start working.

She had made a pathetic comparison for a moment. The person she had to defeat was not Park Hye-Sang but herself. She just had to do her best in her own field.

“Writer Lee, the traffic light has turned green.”

“Ah… Yes.” Meanwhile, Lee Yeon-Woo answered meekly with a pout.

Jung So-Mi was usually considerate of others’ feelings, but she did not have the luxury to do so right now.

***

Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak!

Ha Jae-Gun was working on the drama script, sitting comfortably in a chair that was prepared for him in the writer’s room at MBS Broadcasting Station.

‘Nice. Here on, Jae-Goo and Yeon-Ha coincidentally meet at a pocha[1] and…’

Ha Jae-Gun’s fingers did not rest for a moment as they typed away on the keyboard. He had completed the script for the security guard’s story; he was now working on the glutinous rice cake seller’s script.

The second script didn't take him a lot of time, as the security guard’s story was quite distinct and independent when compared to the other stories.

However, the glutinous rice cake seller and the movie director’s story were different when adapting them into a drama script. As there were more connections between the main characters in the story, it also meant that there were more points of contact that he had to handle in the script. He had decided to work in the broadcasting station for efficiency's sake and to ensure quick communication with the producer.

‘Still, I should be done in at most two days.’

The agreed timeline was to finish the script in four days and hand it over to the production team. Although there was more than enough time, Ha Jae-Gun still decided to focus on finishing it and head home earlier.

Rika’s face surfaced in his mind. If he could only bring Rika along, he would have her curled up on his lap right here right now with him.

‘Oh? Look at the time.’

Ha Jae-Gun looked at the wall clock, which was already showing noon. Ha Jae-Gun turned around in his chair and saw a woman in her mid-twenties sitting upright in another corner of the room.

“Please sit comfortably,” Ha Jae-Gun said with a gentle smile.

She was Won Ji-Yeon, an assistant writer sent to help him.

“Oh, no. I’m fine, Mr. Ha,” Won Ji-Yeon replied with a flustered blush on her face. However, her legs, shoulders and waist were full of tension.

“I’ve said countless times that you don’t have to stay here. If there’s something I need from you, I’ll make sure to call you.”

“…” Won Ji-Yeon looked down at her phone and clutched it tightly. Her role was just to deliver the manuscript, make edits and proofread, or run errands for him.

However, she still hadn't received any instructions from Ha Jae-Gun.

‘Sigh, this is putting me in a spot…’

Ha Jae-Gun had mentioned right at the start that he didn’t need someone else, but they still sent an assistant writer for him, which made him feel quite burdened.

He also found it uncomfortable knowing that Won Ji-Yeon was staring at his back. She had never made a loud enough sound to disturb him, but her existence alone was enough to bother him.

Ha Jae-Gun said, “Please go and have lunch, Writer Won.”

“Ah, I had a late lunch, so I’m alright.” Won Ji-Yeon’s voice wavered like a person thrown out in the cold.

Ever since she had graduated from university and entered the broadcasting station, she had been well aware of Ha Jae-Gun’s reputation. She couldn’t believe that she was spending time with Ha Jae-Gun in the same space. She even felt breathless at the fact that they were making eye contact.

“M-Mr. Ha… Are you not going to have lunch?”

“Mm, I am slowly getting hungry, but…” Ha Jae-Gun then stood up after some pondering.

It was a lie that he felt hungry. He wanted to finish working on the script, but he decided to delay it for a while as he felt apologetic to Won Ji-Yeon. Looking back, he had been busy all this time and did not get to have any proper conversation with her.

“Do you want to join me?”

“Pardon…?”

“Why are you surprised? Let’s have lunch together. Come on.” Ha Jae-Gun gestured with his hand.

Won Ji-Yeon stood up with a puzzled look and picked up her coat in a blur, and then she left the office with Ha Jae-Gun.

“Did you say you were twenty-six this year, Ms. Ji-Yeon?”

“Yes… I was busy earning money for my tuition fee, so I graduated later than my batchmates.”

Their conversation continued as they walked down the hallway. Ha Jae-Gun continued with his questions, and Won Ji-Yeon answered him swiftly and shyly.

“Was your dream to become a drama script writer?”

“Yes, it’s because I love dramas…I chose to major in creative writing because of that.”

“But this job is really tough, isn’t it? I’ve got a few friends from university who wanted to become a drama script writer but lost their passion down the road. You’re incredible, Ms. Ji-Yeon.”

“I’m just a rookie, but thank you.”

Just then, a lady about to walk out of the washroom where Ha Jae-Gun and Won Ji-Yeon were passing by hurriedly hid behind a wall. She was none other than Bo-Ra.

‘Isn’t that Won Ji-Yeon, who works with Myung-Sook unni? She’s attached to Ha Jae-Gun?’ Bo-Ra snuck her head out. As she watched the two leave, evil thoughts began growing in her mind.

‘So that’s what it is, huh…’ She grinned mischievously. There was no such thing as calculated malice intentions for her. The gears in her mind began to turn as she walked in the opposite direction.

On that same night, Bo-Ra met up with Won Ji-Yeon in a cafe. Unbeknownst why Bo-Ra had asked to meet her, Won Ji-Yeon only shrugged in her seat.

“Unni, you know me, right? We met through Myung-Sook unni back at Five Wheels Studio.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.” Despite Bo-Ra being five years younger and talking to Won Ji-Yeon casually, which shouldn't be the case, Won Ji-Yeon still replied politely to the younger girl.

Won Ji-Yeon felt intimidated by the younger girl as they sat across from each other. Bo-Ra was well-dressed, while Won Ji-Yeon looked shabby in her loose top and jeans.

“I called you because you came to mind out of the blue. Plus, I did do you wrong before due to a small mistake I made, so I wanted to apologize as well.”

“...” Won Ji-Yeon’s fingers trembled under the table.

How was that a small mistake? Bo-Ra splashed a cup of cold water on her face just because she had brought the coffee a few minutes late. Won Ji-Yeon recalled crying all night due to the humiliation she had suffered at the time.

She had even thought of exposing the incident on the Internet and quitting her job right there and then, but she didn't do it after receiving a sum of money to keep the incident under wraps. She had accepted the money back then as her salary was quite low, and she needed the money to survive.

“Unni, you’re still suffering these days, right?” Bo-Ra asked softly, “Is your salary still 700,000 won monthly? Or did it go up? I’m not so sure. Maybe 800,000 won?”

“...”

“How do you live with that amount? I’d spend 100,000 won easily just drinking for a day. Do you do part-time jobs on the side?”

“...” Won Ji-Yeon gnashed her teeth. Her daily life was already tough, and yet Bo-Ra was rubbing salt in her wound. Was wanting to apologize just an excuse? Just how much humiliation did she need to inflict on Won Ji-Yeon for her to be satisfied?

“Unni.”

“...”

“Why aren’t you responding? Look at me.:

“I’m… listening.” Bo-Ra sucked the drink from her straw noisily and clapped her hands with a bright look on her face. “Should I help you get a spot in ICU as a main writer?”

“...?!”

Won Ji-Yeon looked up with her eyes wide.

Bo-Ra chuckled in amusement as Won Ji-Yeon’s expression turned to that of astonishment.

1. pojangmacha. A street stall that sells popular street foods in Korea ☜