Big Life

Chapter 182: The Bombing Starts (3)

“I think they won’t get together.”

“...?”

“I think that it won’t be easy for them to close the gap between them as they’ve been living different lives. People don't change that easily, after all.” Ha Jae-Gun closed his eyes firmly before opening them again, revealing his clear eyes.

“And there’s a woman I love.”

“...?”

“I thought I should at least let you know, Ms. Ye-Seul. I’ll be getting up.” Ha Jae-Gun put Hong Ye-Seul’s legs aside and stood up.

“...” Hong Ye-Seul looked devastated as she asked, “Is it that lady called So-Mi?”

“No, it’s someone else whom I knew for longer.”

“Longer than me? How long?”

“About ten years,” Ha Jae-Gun replied to every one of her questions and picked up his phone. While he called for a driver, Hong Ye-Seul sat frozen. Ha Jae-Gun had a woman he loved? And he had loved her for over ten years now?

Hong Ye-Seul fell into a daze.

It seemed the shock was too much for her to absorb at the moment.

“The substitute driver will be coming shortly. Do you want a cup of coffee?” Ha Jae-Gun hung up the phone and asked.

“So… Oppa, are you dating her?”

“Yes, we've been dating for quite a while now.”

“Were you already dating her when you met me?”

“No, we weren’t dating back then.”

Hong Ye-Seul grabbed the necklace around her neck. She regretted running away back then. If she had stuck to him, their ending would have been different.

“There are many good men out there. I’m sure you’ll meet someone better than me.”

“I don’t need to hear that.” Hong Ye-Seul smiled bitterly and shook her head. She wore her sweater and stood up. “Oppa, you must really love that unni. Right?”

“Yes, she’s been really supportive of me.”

“You’re thinking of getting married with her, right?”

“I’m hoping to get married next year. We’re both quite busy right now.” Ha Jae-Gun said with a smile.

Every word from him was like a dagger that pierced Hong Ye-Seul’s heart. He sounded so firm that it made it clear to Hong Ye-Seul that there was no way Ha Jae-Gun had any room for her in his heart.

“I’ll wait for you upstairs, I’m going to take a breather.”

“I’ll go with you.”

The two walked out of the main gate together. As the cold air wrapped around them, Hong Ye-Seul asked, “My opinion is different from yours.”

“...?”

“The two people in Storm and Gale. They would understand each other and would eventually get together. They would then get married, have children, and live a humble but happy life.”

“Is that so…”

Their conversation ended there.

Ha Jae-Gun thought that the awkward atmosphere had come just in time. He had to draw the line between him and Hong Ye-Seul. He wanted to let her know that they were in a writer-and-actor relationship, nothing more, nothing less.

A while later, a female substitute driver came in an e-scooter.

Hong Ye-Seul hopped onto the back seat of her car, and Ha Jae-Gun gave the driver a generous tip.

“Please drive her back safely.”

“Oh, sir. Thank you for the tip. I’ll drive her back safely.”

Hong Ye-Seul’s car quickly drove out into the darkness.

Drrr.

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang as he went back into his house. It was a call from his best friend, Park Jung-Jin.

“Why are you calling at this hour?”

— Hey, Jae-Gun. I’m in trouble.

Park Jung-Jin sounded quite rough right off the bat. Ha Jae-Gun's expression stiffened. Clearly, something had happened.

“Why? What happened?”

— I met Hyo-Jin and got slapped in the face.

“Hyo-Jin slapped you? Why? What did you do to her?”

— I made a mistake. I confessed to her.

“What?”

— She asked me why I only confessed to her today and slapped me right afterward. I’m dating Hyo-Jin now! Ahahahaha!

Park Jung-Jin’s cheerful laughter rang in Ha Jae-Gun’s ears. Ha Jae-Gun grinned.

“Congratulations. But you sure took your sweet time.”

— You can’t say that to me, can you? We’re thinking of getting married this year.

“Isn’t that too fast?”

— Hey, it's been ten years since we met. We’ve been friends until now, but we already know almost everything about each other. We don't really think that there's a need for a dating period between the two of us.

“You do have a point, but you should calm down. You sound too excited right now. Is Hyo-Jin with you?

— Yeah. We’re going to drink to our heart's content tonight. We’re at Hongdae.

“Drink moderately. Only then can I treat you guys to drinks later.”

— Wow, I’m looking forward to drinks bought by our amazing writer. Hey, Jae-Gun, let’s hang up. We’re going to pay and go for round two.

“Alright, enjoy yourselves and be careful on the way home.”

After hanging up, Ha Jae-Gun turned around and walked the streets of the night instead of going back to his house. His best friend had finally found a partner, and the realization made Ha Jae-Gun miss Lee Soo-Hee.

***

“The Popular Arts Award? Jae-Gun, I really can't believe that you've grown huge enough for that.”

“I’m embarrassed, Professor. Please don’t say that.”

Ha Jae-Gun was currently at research lab room 403 of Myungkyung University of the Arts. He sat across from his most respected professor, Han Hae-Sun, enjoying a cup of coffee together.

An old book was on the table, and it was none other than Seo Gun-Woo's Great Life.

Ha Jae-Gun had loaned it to her a while back.

“The story was electrifying.”

Hae-Sun pushed the book back to Ha Jae-Gun and said, “There wasn’t a single unnecessary sentence found in the entire book. The quality was high, and the scenes that the writer was trying to portray made complete sense despite the complexity of the novel," said Han Hae-Sun, sounding excited.

Ha Jae-Gun was happy and surprised at the same time. It was his first time seeing the professor praising someone’s work to this extent.

“The symbols and metaphors used were like gemstones; they were neither excessive nor lacking. The writing that kept to its subject while narrating different stories in accordance with the changes in the main character’s psychology and surroundings made me shudder. I'm really glad you've let me read such a great novel. Thank you, Jae-Gun.”

“No, Professor. Thank you for taking the time to read and share your reviews with me when you’re so busy.”

Han Hae-Sun held a cup in hand and took a sip of her coffee. She shook her head, seemingly not understanding something. “But I can’t believe that such writing is missing in the world outside. It is astounding.”

“I feel the same. Plus… it’s incomplete, so it's really a pity.” Ha Jae-Gun looked down at the notebook. Great Life was still an incomplete novel. It had around 70,000 characters. Considering the story’s pace and the usual length of a normal novel, it still needed at least 80,000 characters for it to be considered complete.

“Why don’t you continue working on it?” Hae-Sun suggested out of the blue.

Ha Jae-Gun looked up, bewildered. Asking him to complete Seo Gun-Woo’s work with his own hands? He had never thought of it before.

“You’ll have to obtain the copyrights, and you'll have to deal with many different issues. I was just suggesting in passing, so you don’t have to think too deeply about it.”

“Yes, Professor….” Ha Jae-Gun nodded. However, the new possibility had just taken root and sprouted in his heart.

Seo Gun-Woo’s name alone made his heart start beating even faster than before.

“You must have been busy working on Market Place.”

“The schedule isn't that tight. I’ve finished writing the drama script, and I’m working on the composition for the fourth story for the short novel. I’m not sure how long it’ll take, though. I’m actually spending more time working on the scenario for Storm and Gale.”

Ha Jae-Gun took his empty cup and headed to the sink before asking, “But professor, do you really think that the title Market Place is better than the Market and Its People?”

“Of course. The current era prefers brevity over purple prose, so Market Place is a better title.”

“Ahaha…”

Ha Jae-Gun spent some more time with Han Hae-Sun before leaving the campus.

Lee Yeon-Woo was waiting for him in the car at the main gate.

“I already said that you don’t have to come here, so why did you follow me here?” Ha Jae-Gun nagged as he opened the door to the backseat of the car.

Lee Yeon-Woo grinned as he turned around to look at Ha Jae-Gun while working on his laptop in the driver’s seat.

“I should stay faithful to my job as the driver in addition to my job as a writer.”

“I’ve said this countless times, but it’s more important for you to focus on your novel," Ha Jae-Gun retorted.

“I came out to take a breather as well. Your car is so good that I’m much more efficient writing in your car than back at the office.” Lee Yeon-Woo put his laptop aside and started the car engine. As they hit the road, Lee Yeon-Woo continued. “Hong Ye-Seul has become quite popular recently.”

“Really?”

“Related keywords about her would come up when you look up Gyeoja Bathhouse on the portal sites. Gyeoja Bathhouse female high school student, Gyeoja Bathhouse scene-stealer, Hong Ye-Seul age, etc… Her role wasn't that significant, but she left a strong impression on everyone.”

“Yeah. I hope she’ll continue to get even more popular.”

“She definitely will. I think she’s reaped the most amongst the entire cast of Gyeoja Bathhouse. I heard that she’s signed a commercial with Jwi-Market and is even doing a pictorial with Maximum.”

“Maximum? Isn’t that a high-profile magazine?”

“That’s why our readers like her. Hahaha.”

Bzzt!

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun received a call from Kwon Tae-Won. Lee Yeon-Woo swiftly turned down the volume of the radio and let Ha Jae-Gun answer the call.

“Yes, President?”

— Hello, Writer Ha. Are you heading somewhere now?

“I’ve got a radio broadcast, so I’m on the way over now. But did something good happen? You sound quite happy.”

— Are you clairvoyant? I actually just got off a call with Editor-in-chief Oh Myung-Suk.

“Oh? Editor-in-chief Oh Myung-Suk called you?” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened.

The call was definitely about him, but Ha Jae-Gun was curious as to why Oh Myung-Suk didn't contact him directly and went through Kwon Tae-Won instead.

— Wizardry Pictures from the U.S. contacted us. You remember them, right? Teencent Pictures are collaborating with them to distribute the movie in the local market there.

“Yes, of course. But how did the connection…?”

— I think there’s some connection between Wizardry Pictures and the novel’s publisher, Knobble. Now, here’s the important thing. They talked about The Breath.

“...?!”

— The Breath, Writer Ha! They had read the text version of The Breath in LA. They said that they would like to discuss more about The Breath with us!

Ha Jae-Gun finally realized why Oh Myung-Suk had gone through Kwon Tae-Won to convey the news.

Grin.

Ha Jae Gun broke out into a grin as he looked out the car window.

— Writer Ha, are you listening? Hello?

“Yes, I am. I was just stunned. I didn't expect that something like this would happen.”

— Me, too. Seems like good things come in droves. Writer Ha, do you know what’s on my mind right now? I was even imagining that The Breath could one day go global like Harrison Potter or even Demon Lord of the Rings.

“Aigoo, President Kwon. You're overestimating it?”

— What else is impossible now? The Breath is a fantasy story, and it's good enough for everyone in the world to like it. Who knows how high the heights The Breath can reach? Look at the bestselling novel in Korea. It’s not by Writer Ha Jae-Gun but by Writer Poongchun-Yoo!

Ha Jae-Gun laughed heartily.

In fact, Kwon Tae-Won was right, and Ha Jae-Gun had nothing to refute him.

The Breath was the work that earned him the most profit out of all his works so far. Its sales performance had remained steady in both e-books and physical books until now. It had been quite a while since it had hit the shelves, but it was still first place in the domestic genre novel section.

— I’m sorry, I’ve been so excited… Anyway, how about continuing this conversation sometime over dinner soon?

“Sure, President. Let’s have something delicious for dinner. How does tomorrow evening sound?”

— Sure. Alright, good luck with your radio broadcast, and I’ll call you again.

“Yes, President. As always, thank you for everything.”

After hanging up the call, Ha Jae-Gun wrote a thank you message to Oh Myung-Suk.

Lee Yeon-Woo looked at Ha Jae-Gun through the rearview mirror and asked, “Hyung, what were you guys talking about? I heard a little since President Kwon was loud. Was it regarding The Breath?”

“Yeah. Wizardry Pictures and Knobble from the U.S. seemed to like The Breath a lot. They said they would like to meet and discuss it in the near future.”

“What? Really?! Really?”

“Hey, pay attention on the road.”

“Wow, hyung. My heart is pounding! It’s The Breath! Is Poongchun-Yoo finally going to enter the U.S. market and go for a global All-Kill?!”

“Alright, enough. I’ll drive instead. Let’s switch places.”

However, the traffic light turned green just in time.

Poongchun-Yoo’s number one fan didn't stop talking until they arrived at the broadcasting station.

J. Andie's Thoughts

How was everyone's Valentine's Day? Mine was spent alone t.t