Big Life

Chapter 184: The Bombing Starts (5)

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Team Leader, you’re the one who has worked hard. Please go back and rest early today.”

Lee Soo-Hee grabbed her bag and umbrella and then stood up from her desk.

It had been raining the entire day today, so she wore denim shorts to work. If she were in Korea, she wouldn’t have worn such an outfit. Ever since she began working in Taiwan, she became quite carefree with her work outfit.

‘Oh, it stopped raining.’ Lee Soo-Hee stepped out of the building, blending in with the people walking on the wet streets. Taipei in October was far from cold. The average temperature was twenty-four degrees, similar to the temperature in July in Seoul.

Lee Soo-Hee took off her cardigan as it felt a little hot.

‘I don’t want to go back right away…’

Lee Soo-Hee was scanning the shops at the arcade. She didn’t want to have instant food for dinner and watch a movie until late into the night alone before sleeping. Her heart had been feeling extremely empty in these past few days, and she desperately needed something to fill that emptiness.

She walked slowly, but she still reached the end of the arcade in no time. Nothing had ended up catching her attention. She didn’t feel like walking into the bookstore to read a book alone, nor having a meal alone in a restaurant. It also felt off to have a cup of coffee since she still hadn’t had any food yet.

‘Maybe I should have worked overtime and had dinner with Deputy Seo.’

Lee Soo-Hee turned in the direction of her studio and began walking over. She wasn’t one to hesitate after making her decision. She didn’t forget to get herself some instant pasta and beer to soothe her loneliness.

Bzzt!

Just then, the phone in her bag rang. Lee Soo-Hee smiled instantly at the name shown on the screen but soon scrunched her nose.

“Yeah.”

— Your voice was so cold it sent a shiver down my spine

Ha Jae-Gun’s voice had a tinge of mischief in it.

However, it only made Lee Soo-Hee angrier, and she shut her lips.

— Are you getting off work?

“Yeah.”

— What about dinner?

“Not yet.”

— What are you going to have for dinner?

“I’m going to have hotpot with my colleagues.”

— Hahaha.

Ha Jae-Gun burst into laughter on the other side of the line.

Lee Soo-Hee glared ahead in anger at Ha Jae-Gun’s sudden chuckle and asked, “Why are you laughing?”

— I just thought you were lying. Are you sure you’re not going to have instant pasta and beer while watching TV until you sleep?

Feeling the sting, Lee Soo-Hee clenched the plastic bag tightly in her hand. She then replied, “I said I’m going to have hotpot. And why are you acting like this today? Did you call just to tease me?”

— Am I the type to do that? So how about eating hotpot with your colleagues another day and having hotpot with me tonight instead?

“Sorry, but I’m not in the mood to joke.”

— Our dear Team Leader Lee Soo-Hee. You still look as beautiful as ever.

“...?” Lee Soo-Hee’s eyes flew wide open.

Ha Jae-Gun’s mischievous voice rang again in her ears.

— Why are you wearing denim shorts out of the blue? Did your thighs grow? It still looks quite smooth.

Lee Soo-Hee turned around with her phone still by her ear. The reflection of Ha Jae-Gun was seen in her eyes. The man standing five meters before her was definitely Ha Jae-Gun.

“You should come running to me and give me a hug.” Ha Jae-Gun kept his phone away and opened his arms.

Lee Soo-Hee looked at him shakily and chewed on her lips. Then, she turned around and started walking away.

“Huh? Soo-Hee?” Panicking, Ha Jae-Gun shook his huge backpack and chased after her.

“What’s wrong? Are you not happy to see me? Why are you ignoring your boyfriend, who crossed an ocean just to see you?”

“The way you said that will make anyone think that you went to the North Pole from the South Pole just to see me.”

“Let’s walk slowly and talk, Soo-Hee. My legs are tired, and they hurt. Anyway, tell me what I did wrong.” Ha Jae-Gun begged earnestly as he grabbed Lee Soo-Hee by her wrist.

Lee Soo-Hee finally stopped and looked at him with cold eyes. “You've made a mistake by inviting a woman into your house without letting me know about it.”

“Do-Joon was around, too. And I was about to tell you—”

“You allowed her to use your kitchen.”

“I won’t let that happen again. I swear.” Ha Jae-Gun stood up straight and saluted.

Lee Soo-Hee raised her hands and pinched his cheeks, and then she continued angrily. “You've made a mistake by teasing me over the phone! For stalking a beautiful girl like me! For not telling me in advance that you’re coming and making me meet you like this! For only coming over to Taiwan now!”

“Ah! It’s all my fault. I’m the greatest sinner alive. I’m sorry, Soo-Hee. Please don’t be angry, hmm?” Ha Jae-Gun suddenly embraced Lee Soo-Hee after making his plea. Ha Jae-Gun felt at home as he drew in a deep breath of Lee Soo-Hee’s scent.

His home was not in Korea but in a foreign land where Lee Soo-He was.

***

[Novel Gyeoja Bathhouse hits the U.S. market. First 100,000 copies sold out, response was twice the speed of There Was A Sea]

[New York Times Book Review: Detailed and elaborate plot, a sophisticated horror novel with ubiquitous or unique emotions]

[Movie Gyeoja Bathhouse hits over 3 million audience views. Will it break the record of Korea’s number one horror movie, Red Lotus in Boots?]

‘Thank you, Yoo-Jin.’

Oh Myung-Suk thought to himself as he read the long list of articles filling his monitor screen.

He was so worried that the novel wouldn't hit it off in the U.S. But thankfully, with Yoo-Jin spearheading the promotions working with Knobble Publications, the release of Gyeoja Bathhouse went swimmingly.

Bzzt!

Oh Myung-Suk’s phone rang, showing an incoming call from Chae Yoo-Jin. He grinned and answered it happily.

“You seem to be reading what I was thinking.”

— What are you saying?

“I was reading the news about the response for Gyeoja Bathhouse. So I was just thinking about you.”

— Oh really? What were you thinking about me? Pervy thoughts?

“Well, along with a few different others?”

Both of them laughed at the same time. As the laughter subsided, Chae Yoo-Jin continued.

— It’s going to do well. Didn’t I promise you that I’m going to try to push it up to the Top 10 on the New York Times bestseller ranking? Just believe in me and don’t worry about it.

“I’m not worrying. I know best how competent Chae Yoo-Jin is…”

— It’d be great if Writer Ha could come over here. It’ll be great for the promotions and the marketing. It'll be even better if we can have him do an autograph and Q&A event at one of the large bookstores here.

“I’ll try talking to him about it one of these days over the phone.

— Okay. And there are also a few calls coming in from film companies.

“Film companies?”

— They want to buy the license for Gyeoja Bathhouse, wanting to remake it into a Hollywood version. Amongst the companies who contacted us, the largest is Paramountain. Anyway, I’ll update you again if there’s further progress on this.

“Thanks. I’ll go over to New York sometime.”

— No, don’t come.

“Why not?”

— I felt a little restless after seeing you the last time. I had a hard time holding myself back, so don’t come over.

Although Chae Yoo-Jin joked about it, Oh Myung-Suk could not bring himself to laugh along with her.

Chae Yoo-Jin noticed the silence.

— You’re putting on that serious face again, aren’t you? Let’s live with some sense of humor in our lives. Anyway, I need to shower now. I’ll call you again.

“Alright, I got it. Have a good rest, and let’s talk again next time.”

Oh Myung-Suk stared into space after ending the call. He recalled the sad look on Chae Yoo-Jin’s face just before they had to part at the hotel.

‘She’s going to kick up a fuss if I propose to get married…’

Chae Yoo-Jin was, in fact, infertile. As such, it would be a fatal disadvantage for her to get married to the eldest son of the President of the OongSung Group.

Oh Myung-Suk had revealed this fact to his father a long time ago, as he didn’t want to lie to his father before getting married. As expected, his father was furious. His father was broad-minded, but there was no way he would ignore such a flaw.

The two of them eventually broke up.

‘I feel sad.’

Oh Myung-Suk looked at the endless autumn sky outside the window, wondering why he was working so hard living out his life when he couldn’t even embrace the woman he loved.

He thought he would forget her if he worked hard and led a busy life.

However, it was all a delusion on his end. He realized this clearly the last time Chae Yoo-Jin came back to Korea. He could marry someone else, but he wouldn’t be able to forget her in this lifetime.

Bzzt!

Oh Myung-Suk’s phone rang in his pocket. He continued looking at the sky and answered the phone without checking the caller's name.

“Yes, hello?”

— Have you had lunch, hyung?

Oh Myung-Suk came to his senses and grabbed his phone properly.

“Oh, Myung-Hoon?”

— Did you delete my number?

“No, I was just lost in the autumn vibes and didn’t check the caller's name before answering. You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?” Oh Myung-Suk asked with a smile.

Oh Myung-Hoon was wrapping up his work in the U.S. and was returning to Korea. He missed his childish and troublemaking younger brother.

— I called to tell you about it, but I might go back a few days later, probably a week later?

“Why all of a sudden?”

— I’ve been working for so long, so I wanted to go somewhere else to look around and travel for a while.

“I’m all for it if that’s the case. I’ll tell Father about it, so don’t worry and enjoy your rest.”

— …Thank you, hyung.

Oh Myung-Hoon mumbled softly.

Oh Myung-Suk couldn’t stop smiling at those words, feeling proud of himself.

“But where are you going?”

— I haven’t decided yet. I don’t want to travel too far from Korea, so probably around China or Japan…? I’ll let you know again once I’ve decided.

“Alright. Take care of yourself, and don’t get hurt.”

— Am I a child? Bye now.

“Mm.”

Oh Myung-Suk hung up, and then he opened the desk drawer to pull out a photo.

The brothers in their younger days were smiling brightly even now.

In Oh Myung-Suk’s heart, Oh Myung-Hoon would always be his cute younger brother.

***

“You’re really like a beast. How can you keep going without resting for the entire day?”

“It’s your fault for being so beautiful. Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to prepare breakfast, of course.”

“Let’s just dine out later. Come here.”

“Seriously…” Lee Soo-Hee grumbled, but her expression didn't show any displeasure. It was a peaceful morning, with the sunlight peeking in through the window to illuminate the clothes strewn all over the floor. Ha Jae-Gun hugged Lee Soo-Hee tightly on the bed while enjoying the lingering emotions from last night.

“Shall we get married next year?”

“Next year?”

Ha Jae-Gun began kissing Lee Soo-Hee loudly all over her face before nodding and saying, “Hyo-Jin and Jung-Jin are fussing about getting married this year, so we should do it soon, too.”

“What about Jae-In unni?”

“It might take noona a few more years to get married. I think I should get married first, lest you end up running away from me.”

Just then, the alarm on Lee Soo-Hee’s phone rang. She quickly picked it up and stopped the ringing.

Ha Jae-Gun was around, so there was no need for her to wake up early.

“There’s more news about you today.” Lee Soo-Hee said as she accessed the Internet.

Ha Jae-Gun kept his eyes closed and smiled. “What is it about? Gyeoja Bathhouse? The novel? Or the movie?”

“No, with Park Hye-Sang.”

“...?” Ha Jae-Gun frowned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Lee Soo-Hee, whose expression was extremely cold.

“It’s an article about her interview, but she mentioned you in it.”

“What’s it got to do with me?”

“She said there’s a man in mind recently, and they brought up how you and she had a meal and even met at the Baeksong Arts Awards.”

“Sigh, do those reporters have nothing else to write about?” Ha Jae-Gun clicked his tongue disapprovingly and closed his eyes again.

Lee Soo-Hee put her phone down and turned to face Ha Jae-Gun. She tapped her fingers on Ha Jae-Gun’s abdomen and mumbled, “Was she referring to you?”

“Stop it, Team Leader Lee. Does that even make sense? I’ve only worked with her a few times and had a meal with her. That was all.”

“She may have gotten hooked on you after that single meeting.”

“Anyway, Ha Jae-Gun only has Lee Soo-Hee. Let’s think of what to eat for breakfast.” Ha Jae-Gun pulled the blanket over his head and pulled Lee Soo-Hee under with him. Immediately afterward, Lee Soo-Hee started laughing.

“S-stop it! Stop tickling!”

“I’m going to keep going if you don’t decide on what to eat.”

Bzzt! Bzzt!

“Someone's calling! I have to answer it, so stop!”

Lee Soo-Hee quickly turned around and reached for her phone.

However, the name on the screen cleanly erased the smile on her face.