Big Life

Chapter 251: Just Need You Gone (2)

Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak!

As usual, loud typing sounds rang through the office today. Ha Jae-Gun was also among the writers diligently working on their writing.

“Why is Writer Ha here working with us today?” Jeon Bong-Yi whispered to Yang Hyun-Kyung beside her out of curiosity since Ha Jae-Gun would usually work alone in his own room whenever he came to the office.

Yang Hyun-Kyung glanced in Ha Jae-Gun’s direction and then whispered back, “I asked him earlier, and he seemed to be slightly depressed.”

“Depressed? Why? Did something bad happen?”

“It’s not that. I think it’s because his current work is 'darker' than his previous works.”

Ha Jae-Gun was oblivious to Jeon Bong-Yi and Yang Hyun-Kyung's conversations about him and only focused on his writing.

Yang Hyun-Kyung was right. Ha Jae-Gun indeed felt mentally deprived the more he worked on his writing while holed up in his room.

‘That elder must have been a writer, too.’ As he diligently worked on his writing, the elderly man's face surfaced in his mind. Was it because of the elderly man's review that Ha Jae-Gun was now writing with a more detailed structure?

‘When can I see him again?’ It was his mistake to believe that the elderly man would return after going to the washroom. Still, Ha Jae-Gun somehow felt relieved. There wasn’t a basis for it, but he felt that he might be able to meet the elderly man somewhere near his house soon.

‘Shall I take a break?’

Ha Jae-Gun wrapped up his last sentence for now and stood up to stretch his body.

He spotted Lee Yeon-Woo nodding off beside him like a sick chicken.

“Why do you look so tired? Did you not sleep well last night?”

“Huh…!” Lee Yeon-Woo raised his head in surprise as Ha Jae-Gun tapped him lightly on his shoulder. Ha Jae-Gun smiled, and then he massaged Lee Yeon-Woo’s shoulders.

“I’m fine, hyung.”

“Your shoulders are so stiff. Come, let’s go have a cup of coffee.”

The two of them held a cup of coffee each and sat down across from each other at the kitchen table. Ha Jae-Gun took a sip of his cold coffee and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m the healthiest person here in the office.” Lee Yeon-Woo smiled as he pulled out his phone, which had just vibrated, indicating that a notification had arrived.

“…!” Lee Yeon-Woo’s jaw dropped in shock when he saw the name of the text message's sender. He totally forgot that Ha Jae-Gun was with him.

- This is Oh Myung-Hoon. There’s something I couldn’t tell you yesterday, afraid that it’d be disrespectful of me to say it. I mentioned that I've been reading your blog, and I unintentionally learned of your situation. We can arrange an officetel for you and your mother to stay in Seoul while our exclusive contract is ongoing. Please feel free to contact me if you’re agreeable to signing the contract. I’ll be waiting for your reply.

‘No way…!’ Lee Yeon-Woo’s hands trembled as he held his phone tightly. Oh Myung-Hoon had truly acknowledged him. Otherwise, why would the other party be willing to provide an officetel in Seoul for him and his mother?

The excitement that he had tried his best to suppress overnight surged and took over him once more.

A rosy future seemed to be unfolding before his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah…It’s nothing wrong.”

“What do you mean nothing? Is it from home?”

“No, I forgot that it was my friend’s birthday today. I was feeling apologetic. I’ll have to treat my friend to a meal next time. Hahaha.” Lee Yeon-Woo laughed it off. He didn’t mean to lie to Ha Jae-Gun, as great expectations would bring about the same amount of disappointment, after all.

He decided to share with Ha Jae-Gun when he had proven himself with actual results.

‘It’s not too late for me to show off once things are confirmed. This will surprise Ha Jae-Gun hyung, right?’

Imagining the exclamations of everyone, including Ha Jae-Gun, made Lee Yeon-Woo smile in delight.

Ha Jae-Gun took a step back with a strange look cast upon Lee Yeon-Woo. “You're really weird today; why are your expressions so extreme?”

“No, I just found my friend funny and thought of the past—ah, right, Jae-Gun hyung.” Lee Yeon-Woo changed the topic and decided to ask something that he had been curious about before. “I heard that you've met the assistant secretary from the Ministry of Culture. What did you guys talk about for The Breath?”

“Yeah, but how should I explain it…” Ha Jae-Gun scratched his cheeks with a sigh, then continued, “They said not to continue Human's Malice.”

“Why not?” Lee Yeon-Woo was so shocked that he stood up immediately. “I did object to it because the story was quite depressing, but why would he want you to stop working on it?”

“It's a joke. He didn't actually say that; he was just hoping that I would focus more attention on The Breath.”

“But aren't you done with The Breath already?”

“Part two.”

“Part two?”

Ha Jae-Gun finished the rest of his coffee and nodded. “He asked if there was anything more to write about Edward and the dragon, wanting me to write part two of the novel.

"I was really surprised to know that he finished reading the entire novel. He gave me a lot of good feedback that could only come from those who had read the novel.”

“Wow!” Lee Yeon-Woo clapped in awe. “Korea’s greatest writer Poongchun-Yoo! Starts working on part two of The Breath after the deputy minister of the cultural department’s persuasion! Will that be the headline of the next article?”

“Stop making a fuss and sit down. We aren’t alone here.”

“Ah hyung, you’re really cool. Goodness, I never thought someone like the deputy minister would meet you personally and ask you to write a novel. It’s really awesome.”

“It’s not him requesting to meet me; I was the one who went to him. And he didn’t request me to do so; it was more like a suggestion. Lower your volume.” Ha Jae-Gun then stepped out of the kitchen. As he was heading back to his desk, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text message from Hong Ye-Seul.

- Oppa, I finished reading the entire volume 2 of the revised The Breath! It was so interesting that I almost missed my work schedule! I’ll take the book with me, so please sign it for me. In return, I’ll treat you to a meal! You know that I won’t be able to meet you as freely after your marriage, right? Hmph!

Ha Jae-Gun could imagine Hong Ye-Seul’s lively expression before him. A smile appeared on his face as he replied to her message.

***

“He replied so quickly!” Hong Ye-Seul wriggled her legs in the air excitedly while lying down. Just as she was about to check Ha Jae-Gun’s message, a call from an unknown number came in. “Who is this?”

This phone number was personal, and she hadn't shared it with many people after becoming a celebrity. She tilted her head side to side but answered it regardless.

“Hello?”

— Is this Ms. Hong Ye-Seul?

The unfamiliar voice of a man sounded oddly cold. Hong Ye-Seul put up her guard and gripped her phone tightly. “Who…is this…?”

— It seems like I got the right number. Before I go into the topic, let me send something to your phone.

Rustling sounds came through for a while as Hong Ye-Seul waited nervously, biting on her lips.

“Please stop spam calling. I’ll be hanging up.”

— It’s not. Don’t be in such a hurry. Ah, I’ve just sent it.

“What are you send—” Her phone rang just as she was about to retort. Something was indeed sent to her.

‘But what is it that he sent?’ Hong Ye-Seul felt both annoyed and fearful as she looked at her phone screen. Whatever she saw immediately afterward made her eyes grow wide in shock.

“T-this is…?” Hong Ye-Seul couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering in fear, and even her body began to shiver as if she had just been thrown out into the cold winter.

The man had sent her a photo—more specifically, a photo of her when she was still working as a karaoke helper.

“H-how… how did…” Hong Ye-Seul muttered in shock, forgetting that she was still on the line with the unknown man.

The photo was blurry as if it were a screenshot grabbed from a CCTV.

However, it was by no means difficult to make out Hong Ye-Seul from the photo. She had on heavy makeup and donned a racy outfit. She was seen supporting a drunk customer down the hallway of the karaoke outlet.

It could also be interpreted that she was linking arms with the customer. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only photo she received. There were other photos of her past self in the same hallway or outside the building where the karaoke was located.

Hong Ye-Seul scrolled frantically through the photos. The last few photos made her gasp silently. Jae-Gun oppa…?!’

They were photos where she and Ha Jae-Gun were captured in the same frame, and one of them was them sitting in a bar. She had her legs on Ha Jae-Gun’s thigh, which was sufficient to make anyone mistake for them to be in some sort of relationship.

— I think you’re done looking through the photos?

The man’s low voice broke the silence.

Hong Ye-Seul tried to calm herself down and talked into the phone. “W-who are you?”

— Is that important?

“Do you know that this is a criminal offense? I’m not sure what you’re up to, but this is a threat, and I’m going to report it to the police immediately!” Hong Ye-Seul yelled into the phone, jumping to her feet.

However, all she heard was mocking laughter.

— Would you be able to report to the police? You're going to suffer a ton of damage if these photos were leaked to the press.

“…!” Hong Ye-Seul was speechless. She had made a promise not to cry no matter how tough things got in the future, except for when she had to cry due to her acting job, so she shut her eyes tightly. However, hot tears still spilled down her cheeks.

“W-what do you… want?” Hong Ye-Seul felt utterly exhausted as she fell back onto the sofa. The ray of sunlight that was peeking through the curtain was slowly engulfed by a passing cloud.

***

— It’s getting more serious and known that you are unable to control your emotions. I shouldn’t be talking about my patient’s condition to anyone else but since it’s you, department head… I’m also worried about other complications developing as well. Did something happen to him? I don’t think he’s been taking medications regularly either.

Department Head Kang let out a heavy sigh as he stepped out of the hospital. Oh Myung-Hoon’s mental health had been deteriorating every day.

‘Where should I even begin to help him with his condition?’ He had always been Oh Myung-Hoon's confidante since the latter was young. Oh Myung-Hoon had always told him that he was born with an unfair fate, and the unfairness of it had sprouted a hate that was growing so fast he couldn't withstand it.

‘If that interferes with his daily life—no, it's probably been interfering with his daily life.’ Department Head Kang let out a heavy sigh as he headed toward the carpark. He started the engine but could not bring himself to grab the steering wheel as he felt too confused and worried to the extent that he might cause an accident.

‘I need someone to stop the second young master…’

Department Head Kang had been assisting Oh Myung-Hoon for a long time in the shadows, even ignoring some laws along the way. He would do everything within his abilities to make sure Oh Myung-Hoon would get whatever he wanted.

But now… he thought that this couldn't go on any further. Even if the current job succeeded, there was no way Oh Myung-Hoon would feel satisfied with it. He would definitely look for his next target and throw all of his hatred at them.

Bzzt!

Just then, his phone rang, making him jump. It was a call coming from the man sitting in the highest seat in his world, Oh Tae-Jin.

“Hello, chairman! This is Kang Tae-Gyu!”

— You’ve worked hard. I called because there’s something I want to ask.

“Yes, sir. Please ask.” Department Head Kang listened intently, as the chairman rarely called him.

— Is something wrong with Oh Myung-Hoon recently?

“S-second young master?”

— He seems quite stiff, doesn't know where to look and often fidgets. It’s very strange. He keeps saying that nothing is up whenever I ask him.

“…!” Department Head Kang quickly stopped himself before a single sound could escape from his mouth. At the same time, he couldn't help but think that a father would always be a father; nothing could escape their eyes when it came to their own child.

— I know that whenever he does this, it is a sign that he's about to create trouble. That’s why I called you. Do you know anything about it?

”S, sir, about that…”

— What is it? Say it.

Department Head Kang looked at himself in the rearview mirror. Was this considered betrayal? Or was he going to make the right decision? As he couldn’t make his superior wait, he quickly replied, “There is actually something I should report to you, sir.”