Big Life

Chapter 256: It Has To Be You (3)

[Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s fantasy story, The Breath, is extremely popular. The revised edition sold almost 15 million copies in the U.S. Reviews aside, its popularity had long surpassed all records in Korea.]

The anchor’s excited voice played through the speakers. Chae Yoo-Jin sat on the sofa watching the show. Oh Myung-Suk sat beside her with a large suitcase that they had packed in advance. Today, they'd move to their new place of residence.

[The Breath is now being distributed in the UK, France, and even Germany. Agencies all over Europe are even competing with each other to get their hands on the license. But what’s the secret to its popularity? This is correspondent Pyo Sang-Woon from Paris, France.]

A video of a large bookstore in France appeared on the TV screen. A huge mountain of the French edition of The Breath showed on the screen. Meanwhile people of various skin colors were queuing up starting from the bookshelves, clearing the stocks every time there was a restock.

[Stephen LeBlush/41/French Professor: I read volume one that my colleague had and fell for the story, so I’m here on my day off to get the book. It felt like I was sucked into the story, it was really interesting.]

[Luca/17/Student: Edward is so cool, and the dragon is so lovable. It’ll be one of the novels I'll read and read again for life. I hope it gets adapted to a movie, too.]

[Sammy/24/Office worker: I usually enjoy fantasy or sci-fi novels. This is my first time reading a novel written by a Korean author. At first, I was worried that the novel would fall short of my expectations, but it was just me being biased. I hope it will be made known to more people.]

The interviewed readers sang high praises. Chae Yoo-Jin couldn’t stop smiling even though she thought that they would use just a single praise during editing.

“Honey, look at this.” Chae Yoo-Jin gestured for Oh Myung-Suk to come over.

However, Oh Myung-Suk could not respond, as he was still on the call with Ha Jae-Gun.

“Yes, Mr. Ha. I’ve read the synopsis you’ve revised. The issue here, I think, is that the character isn’t clear enough. It’s provoking and interesting, but he’s kind of talkative.

"Pardon? Ah, of course, this is just the synopsis. It might change when you start working on the manuscript but for now…” Oh Myung-Suk scanned through the manuscript and continued without pausing. The temperature in the room was just nice, but sweat was rolling down his hollow cheeks.

“…Yes, yes. So, I think it’s better to receive the manuscripts by chapter this time. Let’s discuss it every time you send me a chapter. Yes, thank you.

"You’re going to change the title as well, right? What? We’re going with this? Mr. Ha, I’m not saying that this is a bad title, but your naming sense has always been quite direct. In my opinion…”

Somehow, Chae Yoo-Jin’s attention had shifted from the TV to Oh Myung-Suk, watching him with a smile of satisfaction. He had been feeling down ever since the incident with his younger brother, but thankfully, he had recovered somewhat.

“Of course, I will think over it. Please rest well, and I will contact you again. Yes, goodbye.” Oh Myung-Suk hung up the call but resumed typing away on the keyboard without rest. He was organizing the additional opinions to be sent over to Ha Jae-Gun. Chae Yoo-Jin tiptoed over to him, hugging him from behind.

“Why are you so busy that you didn’t even hear me calling you?”

“Ah, you called me?” Oh Myung-Suk turned around.

Chae Yoo-Jin pinched his flat cheeks, smiling bitterly. “Look at how thin you’ve become. I’m feeling nervous living with such a weak-minded man like you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back to my old self soon,” Oh Myung-Suk replied with confidence. He was brimming with confidence and gained back his weight. He had also returned to being a reliable man to Chae Yoo-Jin. He had also become quite busy editing the novel that Ha Jae-Gun had written.

“You’d get much busier than me now, I guess?”

“Most probably. Mr. Ha is usually fast when he gets to writing his novels up until now. He has a wedding upcoming and should be quite busy with his work in China. But I think the draft should be done in half a year.”

“Will you be okay?”

“Of course, it’s my original job anyway.”

Chae Yoo-Jin let go of him, then began massaging his shoulders, murmuring, “I’m asking about you, not your work.”

“About me?”

“I’m worried, wondering if you’re really fine. I’m happy to see you working with so much enthusiasm, but if you're forcing yourself…”

“I’m not forcing myself to overdo it.” Oh Myung-Suk cut Chae Yoo-Jin off. He stopped working and stood up, saying, “I’m just doing my work. And it’s something I enjoy. I’m enjoying myself right now. I’m sorry for making you worry all this while.”

Oh Myung-Suk caressed Chae Yoo-Jin’s belly. He steeled his resolve as he felt the warmth on his hand: He would become a much stronger person to protect the things and people precious to him.

“Shall we get going then?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Oh Myung-Suk pulled the luggage along and headed for the porch. Two men in suits were seen waiting outside. They greeted him respectfully with hands gathered in front of them.

“Sir.”

“I said we’ll go on our own… Seriously, the department head…”

Oh Myung-Suk smiled, defeated, patting one of the man’s shoulders. These men were sent by his father. The men quickly collected the luggage and pressed the button to the elevator.

“I like this house quite a lot though,” Chae Yoo-Jin mumbled as they stepped into the elevator. She had considered this house their newlywed house, and she had created quite a number of memories during their short time there.

“We’ve decided to use this as our workspace anyway, so we can come back anytime we want,” Oh Myung-Suk said and placed a hand on Chae Yoo-Jin’s back.

The elevator doors closed and began descending to the underground carpark.

***

“Ughh… Look, it’s not my fault…”

Amber lights gently illuminated a corner of the spacious study. Oh Tae-Jin had fallen asleep on his rocking chair and was suffering from a nightmare within minutes.

”It’s not my fault… Ughh… I didn’t hurt you… Don’t come over… Stop looking at me with those eyes…”

The door to the study opened, and Oh Myung-Suk entered. He had knocked on the door a few times but didn’t hear a response, which was why he entered the room without permission. He found his father sweating buckets in his sleep, so he strode over in a hurry.

“Father, are you alright?”

“Ughhh… Please don’t… Please don’t hate me…”

“Father, what’s wrong with you? Please wake up.” Oh Myung-Suk tried shaking his father awake by grabbing onto his shoulders. Oh Tae-Jin finally woke up from his nightmare, his eyes opening wide in shock.

“Myung-Suk…”

“Are you awake? Did you have a nightmare, father?”

Oh Tae-Jin lifted his head back and let out a long sigh. Just seeing his eldest son made him feel extremely relieved.

“Have some water, Father.”

“Thanks.” Oh Tae-Jin took the cup of lukewarm water from Oh Myung-Suk and emptied it on the spot. He then wiped the sweat off his face with a towel and asked, “You just arrived?”

“Yes, I’ve just arrived with Chae Yoo-Jin. I knocked on the door for a while but didn’t hear a response so I just entered without permission.”

Oh Tae-Jin rubbed his face with his hands as if he were washing his face. He was reassured to see his reliable eldest son back at home, and he felt like he would be able to escape from this nightmare soon.

”You should probably go on a trip, Father.”

”I was about to go on one when you return.”

“Where are you planning on going?”

“Most likely Gyeongju. Let’s talk about it over the meal. I should go see Yoo-Jin too.” Oh Tae-Jin stood up from his rocking chair.

As he headed for the door, Oh Myung-Suk said, “Father, there’s something I would like to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I would like to delay my promotion as an executive for a while more.”

“…?” Oh Tae-Jin turned around, his eyes narrowed. Had his eldest son decided to go back on his word after agreeing to go according to his wishes?

Oh Myung-Suk then continued, “It’s nothing that you should worry about. I’m requesting this because there’s one last thing I have to do as an editor-in-chief.”

“Something you have to do as editor-in-chief?”

“Yes, I would like to oversee another new novel written by Writer Ha Jae-Gun.”

“Ha Jae-Gun…?” The question Oh Tae-Jin muttered was not directed to his eldest son, but to himself. He still wasn’t able to work on his novel after hearing Ha Jae-Gun’s harsh feedback.

The harsh feedback was that the second half of the novel seemed to have been written by a completely different person. Oh Tae-Jin hadn't been able to move on from that feedback, which was different from what he had heard from other fellow writers.

“Father?”

“Ah, mm… Okay.” Oh Tae-Jin snapped out of his thoughts. Somehow, he began suffering from the nightmare ever since he had heard Ha Jae-Gun’s feedback.

“Sure, do as you want.” Oh Tae-Jin agreed to Oh Myung-Suk’s request. “I hope you’ll be part of the board as soon as possible, but if you really want that, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s go.”

The father and son stepped out of the study together. As they walked down the hallway, Oh Tae-Jin asked, “Is Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s new novel looking good this time as well?”

”Yes, it’ll become a huge hit.” The confidence in Oh Myung-Suk’s voice made Oh Tae-Jin pout, knowing that his eldest son wasn’t the kind to fuss about such things.

“That’s how great it’s going to be, huh?”

“At least that’s how I see it. We can’t miss this; it must be published under OongSung Publication Group,” Oh Myung-Suk said firmly.

Oh Tae-Jin nodded with satisfaction and felt envious of Ha Jae-Gun at the same time. It was also his lifelong wish to hear praises from his eldest son as a writer, but he was now at the age of retirement. He had walked a long way in this life.

‘There’s something good about being old at least,’ Oh Tae-Jin muttered to himself as they went down the stairs. Although he would get angry like when he was younger, he was still able to compose himself and control those painful feelings.

The face of his friend, which he could never overlook, appeared in his mind once more. Oh Tae-Jin smiled in agony.

***

“I received an email from Tae-Jung.”

“About what?” Lee Soo-Hee paused from her meal and looked up. It was a name she associated with the person who had anonymously slandered Ha Jae-Gun instead of being her classmate.

“He only asked how I was doing, saying that he was thankful to me for dropping the charges. He said he’s also working hard to prepare for the civil service exam while working part-time.

"He said he was shameless, but he’d like to attend when we get married,” Ha Jae-Gun said with nonchalance as he picked up another spoonful of soup.

Lee Soo-Hee slowly nodded and said, “People don’t change that easily.”

Unsure how Ha Jae-Gun thinks, Lee Soo-Hee wasn’t able to forgive Tae-Jung and Jung-Mi. What they had done was mean, which she found incomprehensible given her confident personality.

“You’re not going to send him the invitation, right?”

“Huh?”

Ha Jae-Gun laughed. “I can’t even if I want to. We’ve already decided to invite only our families and close friends.”

“Oh my, what’s wrong with me.” Lee Soo-Hee hit herself lightly on the head, revealing an awkward smile. She would always forget about other things once she became fixated on one thing.

Just then…

“Who is it?” Ha Jae-Gun went to pick up his phone that was ringing in the living room. His eyes narrowed when he saw the name on the screen.

‘Why is she calling me?’ Ha Jae-Gun hadn’t changed his number once, and he never had to erase anyone’s number from his contacts at all. It didn't matter even if he was on bad terms with someone; he'd keep their number to prevent any unknown trouble from popping up.

Ha Jae-Gun turned around to look at Lee Soo-Hee before answering, “This is Ha Jae-Gun.”

— Hello… Mr. Ha Jae-Gun.

”I can’t hear you. Please speak louder.”

— H, hello…! Hello, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. Sobbb… sobbbbb…!

She began sobbing even more before she could get to the point. Ha Jae-Gun frowned. He could already tell why she had called him. Who would have known that she was the person behind the malicious comments that had been angering Lee Yeon-Woo these days?

— I-I was out of my mind, Mr. Ha. I don’t remember writing those things at all. While I worked as a manager of a goshiwon, I was diligently preparing for the civil service exam. But I was drinking because my studies weren’t going smoothly, and I accidentally got drunk… Sobbb…!

“What are you trying to say?”

— Please forgive me this once, Mr. Ha. L-let me go on my knees to ask for your forgiveness. Please take pity on me and forgive me.

Ha Jae-Gun was at a loss for words. The girl couldn’t stand the silence and continued anxiously.

— It’ll be the end of my life if I can’t become a public servant…! Please, Mr. Ha. I’m begging you…!

“Look,” Ha Jae-Gun finally spoke. “I know that people’s nature doesn't change that easily. But I also think that it’s up to people to change their own bad habits.”

— M-Mr. Ha…!

“I don’t think I should do a favor to a person who does not know how to change. Do you understand me, Ms. Won Ji-Yeon?” Ha Jae-Gun spat. “I won’t agree to a settlement. The idea of you becoming a public servant just irks me.”

— M, Mr. Ha…! Sobbb…! Please! I’ll do everything you ask of me! Just please… drop the charges. Sobbb…!

Ha Jae-Gun hung up, not wanting to hear more of her sobs. Won Ji-Yeon called once more, and he blocked her number right away.

As Ha Jae-Gun returned to his seat, Lee Soo-Hee asked, “Won Ji-Yeon? It was that assistant writer?”

“Yeah, it’s like you said, people don’t change easily.”

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang once more. Was Won Ji-Yeon calling him using someone else’s number? Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his phone with a frown, but his frown vanished instantly the moment he saw the name on the caller ID.