Big Life

Chapter 255: It Has To Be You (2)

‘Editor-in-chief…?’

Ha Jae-Gun picked up his phone, the smile on his face completely wiped out. In fact, he hadn’t heard from Oh Myung-Suk in a long time.

He had just discovered that Oh Myung-Suk and Oh Myung-Hoon were blood brothers. With what had happened to Oh Myung-Hoon, things back at home had become quite unsettling, so Ha Jae-Gun hadn’t been able to contact Oh Myung-Suk first.

”Why aren’t you answering?” Lee Soo-Hee asked, smoothing out her hair which had become a mess from their playful prance earlier.

Ha Jae-Gun cleared his throat and then answered his phone. “Hello, editor-in-chief.”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. The weather’s getting hotter these days. Are you taking good care of your health?

“Yes, I’m doing great. What about you, editor-in-chief?”

— Yes, I’ve been doing well too. Thank you for asking.

As usual, the exchange about their daily lives, but Ha Jae-Gun could detect the exhaustion in Oh Myung-Suk’s voice. Oh Myung-Suk’s strained voice reminded him of a weak wind blowing through a perforated tube.

— I apologize for not contacting you earlier. I’ve been… really out of it recently.

“No, editor-in-chief. Please don’t say that.” Ha Jae-Gun turned depressed knowing what had happened. He felt the depression from Oh Myung-Suk influencing him, and he hated the short silence that followed.

“Please treat me to a meal, editor-in-chief.” Ha Jae-Gun continued in a cheerful voice, “Let’s eat at the pufferfish restaurant we went to before with the Chairman. The food there is the best I’ve had; I want to go there again. It’s thanks to you that I got to know of that restaurant, so I want to go again with you.”

— Hahaha… Okay, Mr. Ha. I contacted you because I’d like to meet you one of these days as well. I have something to tell you.”

“Same here. I have something I must tell you.”

— To me? What is it?

“It’s not suitable to talk over the phone, so I’ll tell you when we meet.”

The low gulp from Oh Myung-Suk rang in Ha Jae-Gun’s ears. He could detect the heavy tone from it, and he guessed that Oh Myung-Suk was wondering if he might want to talk about Oh Myung-Hoon.

To avoid the misunderstanding, Ha Jae-Gun quickly added, “It’s about my new novel, editor-in-chief.”

— Ah, I see. You were compositing your new novel?

“It’s not a totally new novel. You are aware of it too; I just added a few changes to it. I’ll tell you the details when I see you.”

— Sure. When would you be available then?

“I’m available tomorrow for dinner. You may decide the time, editor-in-chief.”

— Let’s settle to meet for dinner tomorrow then.

Ha Jae-Gun hung up after they had agreed on a time to meet.

Lee Soo-Hee then asked, “That was Editor-in-chief Oh Myung-Suk, right?”

“Yeah, we agreed to meet tomorrow evening.”

“What are you going to talk to him about?”

“Um, about that…” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off, scrunching his nose and looking hesitant.

Lee Soo-Hee frowned slightly with a smile then waved her hands. “You don’t have to tell me now. You can tell me when you feel like it.”

“It’s not that.” Ha Jae-Gun immediately replied with a heavy tone. “There’s nothing for me to hide from you. I just needed time to organize my thoughts.”

“Alright, Writer Ha. I’ll go ahead and prepare dinner first. Don’t push yourself too hard on the cleaning. I’ll be done in thirty minutes, so go wash up in the meantime.”

Ha Jae-Gun grabbed Lee Soo-Hee’s wrist to stop her from going to the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t be conscious of my feelings.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m really fine now. You don’t have to avoid asking me questions when you’re worried about me getting sad or avoid doing whatever you want to do.” Ha Jae-Gun pulled her into a hug. “You don’t have to be considerate to me. I’ll always put you first. Just the fact that you’re with me is already a success in my life. So you can just do whatever you want.”

“Am I that worthy?”

”You’re Ha Jae-Gun’s dream in itself.”

“…You’re such a sweet-talker.” Lee Soo-Hee gently placed her forehead on the chest of her beloved. The strong heartbeat of his revived heart rang in her ears.

She was grateful for Ha Jae-Gun getting back onto his feet without taking too long, and tears of joy unconsciously rolled down her cheeks.

***

“Editor-in-chief…” Ha Jae-Gun couldn't hide the surprise on his face even though he knew it would be rude.

Oh Myung-Suk smiled bitterly as if he had expected Ha Jae-Gun’s reaction. “I have been hearing that I've grown thinner, but seeing how surprised you are, I don’t think it’s just a little bit.”

Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t respond with a smile at Oh Myung-Suk’s attempt at turning it into a joke. It wasn’t just a little thinner, but he had turned much skinnier. His cheekbones had become hollowed, his jawline had sharpened, and his eyes had darkened. Not a single part of his face was shining.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Not at all. I actually began drinking much more during this period and have been sleeping much more as well… Anyway, I’m fine; please do not worry about me.”

Oh Myung-Suk had clearly been feeling terrible, and his haggard smile made Ha Jae-Gun’s heart tighten.

“Shall we go in then?”

“Yes, let’s go.” Ha Jae-Gun followed Oh Myung-Suk into the restaurant. A room reservation was already made. After placing their food order, Oh Myung-Suk took a sip of water and said, “I looked back at each and every memory I shared with Mr. Ha during our times working together. They were all precious memories.”

“…?” Ha Jae-Gun had a curious look. He suddenly had an ominous feeling when Oh Myung-Suk brought this up.

Oh Myung-Suk calmly continued, “I didn’t do much for you except for putting spoons next to the high-quality dishes you’ve made. Thanks to you, I’ve been recognized as a competent editor, not as the heir of OongSung Publication Group. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again.”

Oh Myung-Suk stood up and bent so deeply that the tip of his nose touched the table.

Flustered, Ha Jae-Gun pulled himself back and waved his hands. “You’re complimenting me too much again today, editor-in-chief. I didn't even know what I was cooking at all at the start. I was only eating with my bare hands without any utensils. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have improved at all.”

“You flatter me.”

“You just beat me to the chase.”

Oh Myung-Suk smiled. His cracked lips which were as dry as a desert seemed like they would crack from the slight movement.

“Editor-in-chief.”

“Yes, Mr. Ha.”

”This isn’t everything you wanted to tell me, right?”

“…” Oh Myung-Suk slowly nodded. Amidst the silence, the door opened with a knock. A staff member entered with a tray of side dishes and drinks, placing them on the table.

Oh Myung-Suk said, “I’ve returned back home.”

“I see…” Ha Jae-Gun replied, waiting for Oh Myung-Suk to continue. As expected, Oh Myung-Suk’s explanation did not stray too far from his expectations.

“My father called me back to the house. Putting it simply, I’ve completed my career as an editor, and I am getting ready to take over the company sometime soon…” Oh Myung-Suk trailed off, looking up.

Seeing his eyes that were filled with apology, Ha Jae-Gun realized how hard it must have been for Oh Myung-Suk to bring up the end of their writer and editor-in-chief relationship.

“I understand what you mean. You don’t have to explain further.” Ha Jae-Gun wrapped up the conversation and picked up the alcohol bottle, filling up each of their glasses. Both of them emptied their glasses after sharing a toast.

”Then editor-in-chief,” Ha Jae-Gun began as soon as he put down his glass. “You still remember that there’s something I need to tell you today, right?”

“Yes, of course.” Myung-Sun straightened himself.

Ha Jae-Gun opened his bag beside him. “Firstly, there’s something I have to show you. It’s the malice of someone you know. The synopsis is almost done, so I’d like you to read it.”

”Ah, yes. I was hoping for that too. You said that it’s hard to compose the story since your character isn’t complete. Have you solved that part then? I’m very curious and can’t wait to read it.”

Ha Jae-Gun pulled out a few pieces of A4 paper from his bag. Ih Myung-Suk quickly fixed his glasses and began reading.

A few minutes later…

‘This is…?!’

Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes grew wide in shock. It was a story about a man filled with malice heading toward the path of destruction. However, Oh Myung-Suk was shocked about something else; the main character felt extremely familiar to him.

Was it too much to assume that his own younger brother had been projected into that character?

“Um…” Oh Myung-Suk slowly looked up after reading the document, still stunned.

Ha Jae-Gun then said, “I hope that you'll oversee this novel, editor-in-chief.”

“Mr. Ha…”

“I understand that you’d feel burdensome, but take it that I’m selfish for asking you this favor. I hope you’ll take over this novel as your final project before ending your career as an editor. I will make it a point to complete the draft as soon as possible.”

“…” Oh Myung-Suk looked down at the synopsis once more, unable to give an answer right away.

An unknown amount of time had passed until Oh Myung-Suk finally said, “Alright,”

Oh Myung-Suk's voice contained an unmistakable firmness.

He was certain that his own younger brother was part of this new synopsis that Ha Jae-Gun had shown him. He wasn’t sure about anyone else, but Oh Myung-Suk understood that this was a request that he could never refuse.

”I will oversee this novel, Human’s Malice, for my final project as the Editor-in-Chief of OongSung Publication Group.”

”Thank you so much. I will do my best.” Ha Jae-Gun picked up his glass and emptied it once more.

Oh Myung-Suk’s judgment was right. The main character of this new synopsis was Oh Myung-Hoon. On top of that, the model of the other party in the story whom Oh Myung-Suk hated the most was none other than Ha Jae-Gun himself.

Ha Jae-Gun completed the outline of the novel after hearing the words of his best friend, Park Jung-Jin.

"You’re the final boss in his eyes, and he's supposed to be the strongest person in his world."

Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly as he recalled Park Jung-Jin’s words. Then, he thanked Oh Myung-Hoon in his heart as well.

‘Thank you, Myung-Hoon. Thank you for giving me the experience to write a new story.’

The emotions that many people had sent to him were all his own to experience. Ha Jae-Gun would embrace both good and bad intentions with open arms, using them as a stepping stone to develop himself further. Ha Jae-Gun became much stronger as a writer after that incident.

‘So you don’t have to feel apologetic to me, editor-in-chief.’ Ha Jae-Gun said silently.

His thoughts about Oh Myung-Suk hadn’t changed at all ever since Ha Jae-Gun first met him. It didn’t matter to him if Oh Myung-Hoon and Oh Myung-Suk were real brothers.

***

“Shall we have another round, Mr. Ha?”

“We’ve had too many drinks today. It’s my first time seeing you drink so much today. Let’s end it here tonight.” Ha Jae-Gun supported the stumbling Oh Myung-Suk toward the carpark. Surprised, his chauffeur hurried over to help.

”Mr. Ha, I’d like to have more drinks with you today. When have I ever—hicc, asked so much from you before?”

“Yes, I know. But you’ve had too much today. I’m worried about your health. How will you oversee the new novel if you fall ill?”

Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes lit up at the mention of Human’s Malice. He soon stood up straight and slapped his chest with confidence. “I will take responsibility for Human’s Malice. I will never disappoint you. It is a necessary process for me to complete my tenure with a bang.”

Perhaps it was because of the alcohol's influence, but Oh Myung-Suk's words were smeared with personal feelings that he had never really shown Ha Jae-Gun before until now. Oh Myung-Suk shook off his chauffeur who was trying to put him in the car and said to Ha Jae-Gun, “He’s my younger brother from a different mother.”

“…” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened in surprise.

Oh Myung-Suk let out a long sigh which smelled strongly of alcohol before continuing, “He has been quite the lonely child since he was young. He hadn't really been able to get along with others, and he often created trouble.

"However, he still followed me quite well. I’m quite happy with him as his older brother.”

Ha Jae-Gun listened to Myung-Sun quietly.

“I tried everything in my power to get rid of his twisted thoughts. Of course, there were many wrong solutions implemented as well.”

Oh Myung-Suk looked at the dark sky briefly then returned to look at Ha Jae-Gun. “I’m not sure if you still remember what I’ve mentioned to you before.”

“Which is it…?”

“I said that I wasn’t qualified to be both a writer and editor… That’s why I was trying to escape into doing business management.”

”Ah… yes. I remember that.”

It was the night he had dinner with Myung-Sun after the recording for the show, A Writer’s Study. It was also the same day he had introduced Oh Myung-Suk’s novel, You, The Desert, on the program.

Oh Myung-Suk sneered at himself and nodded. “I did the wrong thing by helping my brother who was also a writer. There were times when my actions went against my conscience. That’s why I told you that.”

“…” Ha Jae-Gun turned solemn and speechless.

Oh Myung-Suk was now confessing all of his thoughts and feelings to him. Ha Jae-Gun felt both grateful and sorry for Oh Myung-Suk who was struggling internally.

“Mr. Ha’s writing was usually great, so I suppressed my weakness and showed my greed all this time. Now that I’ve shown my greed, I’ll make sure to clean it up after developing Human’s Malice to its fullest potential.”

”I’ll welcome your kind of greed with open arms if that’s what you are looking at.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled at Oh Myung-Suk’s joke.

After a few moments of pondering, Ha Jae-Gun asked, “Now that we’re on the topic, I’ve been afraid to ask, but how is Oh Myung-Hoon doing?”

“He is recuperating at the place where his mother is right now.”

“I see…”

“I think it’d be hard for him to recover in the short period. But of course, it’s something that he will have to overcome on his own.”

Oh Myung-Suk stumbled once more. Ha Jae-Gun supported Oh Myung-Suk’s infinitely thin frame firmly. It was Ha Jae-Gun’s turn to support him, as Oh Myung-Suk had done the same for him in the past.