Big Life

Chapter 277: Is This An Internal Strife (1)

Tick tock tick tock.

The ticking of the clock hands sounded louder in Ha Jae-Gun’s ears as compared to the classic melody playing in the background. His eyes were filled with the elderly man’s face who was still with him until a while earlier.

“Jae-Gun?” Park Jung-Jin broke the silence after a while.

Park Jung-Jin’s worried look filed Ha Jae-Gun’s view as the face of the elderly man disappeared. Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes refocused, blinking rapidly as if he had just woken up from a dream.

Just what had happened? No matter how he viewed the situation, Park Jung-Jin didn’t look like he was joking at all. However, Ha Jae-Gun was also certain that the elderly man was with him earlier. They only stood a meter or two apart, so how could Park Jung-Jin have missed the elderly man?

There were only three answers: either something wrong was with Ha Jae-Gun, something wrong was with Park Jung-Jin, or this was all a joke. Ha Jae-Gun thought hard and long, but Park Jung-Jin wasn’t a friend who would joke about that. He wouldn’t be able to hold onto a joke this long either.

Just then, a slice of cake was placed on the table. “Excuse me. I’ve prepared this plate of choux cake for your friend here.”

Ha Jae-Gun did not respond with a word of thanks and only stared at the cake. Noticing the unusual tension in the air, the cafe owner left them.

“Jae-Gun, are you sure you’re alright?” Park Jung-Jin asked as he watched Ha Jae-Gun staring at the cake before them.

Now that things had come to this, he only had the cafe owner to turn to confirm things. However, he didn't say anything for the sake of his friend's sanity. Then, Ha Jae-Gun chuckled out of the blue. “Pfft.”

“Why?” Park Jung-Jin frowned, bewildered. A slight ounce of fear was in his worried look.

“Hahahaha…!” Ha Jae-Gun laughed out loud, rocking back and forth. He even clapped his hands loudly in amusement.

Park Jung-Jin had turned speechless by now. He held onto the end of the table, about to stand up, looking as if he wanted to suggest going to the psychiatrist.

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun started. “I didn’t know you’d get tricked so easily.”

“What…?” Park Jung-Jin asked with a blank face.

Ha Jae-Gun wiped the corner of his eyes as he was laughing too much, and pointed at his laptop. “You know that the response for Gyeoja Bathhouse was great, right?”

“Why would you bring up Gyeoja Bathhouse here?”

“I’m compositing another horror story recently. The scene is about a ghost that can only be seen by the main character, and he was meeting a friend.”

“What…?”

Ha Jae-Gun continued laughing while Park Jung-Jin remained speechless. “I needed a situation that could pull off this scene naturally. I’ve tried a few times, but it sounded unnatural to me.”

“So…” Park Jung-Jin seemed to have realized what Ha Jae-Gun was getting at and finally let out a sigh of relief. A few seconds later, he pulled out a piece of tissue and wiped off the sweat on his forehead. “So now… you’re saying that you needed a natural situation for the story and that’s why you used me?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll treat you to lunch.”

“You punk…!” Park Jung-Jin got up from his seat roughly and stood behind Ha Jae-Gun, then strangled Ha Jae-Gun like a pro wrestler from the U.S. “You’re turning 30 next year, and you’re still playing such pranks on me?!”

“C-cough! I’m sorry…! I didn’t know you’d fall for it so easily…! Stop it, the coffee…! The coffee’s about to spill… Cough!”

Park Jung-Jin tortured Ha Jae-Gun for a while despite his pleas and finally returned to his seat. As Park Jung-Jin massaged the back of his neck, he wasn’t wearing a look of anger. He was looking relieved to find out that it was a prank.

“I must be getting old.” Park Jung-Jin mocked. “I never thought I would get tricked by such a low-level prank. Have I become too old that I'm starting to overthink things? I must be too free, which is why I'm getting too worried about my best friend."

“Aren’t you being too harsh with that last line?”

“Shut it, you punk. What kind of friend are you? Forget it; treat me to lunch.”

“Sure. I was getting hungry anyway. Let’s go.”

The two left the cafe and had lunch, watched a movie, and even dropped by the bookstore as they spent the afternoon together. However, it was a torturous few hours for Ha Jae-Gun as he had to conceal the discomfort and put on a cheerful front before his best friend.

“It’s already past 5 pm. Your next appointment is at 7 pm, so let’s part ways here.”

“Alright. Say hello to Hyo-Jin for me. I’ll see you again soon.” Ha Jae-Gun sent Park Jung-Jin off first, then rushed back to the cafe. He was still pondering on how he should ask his question as he arrived at the cafe.

Creaaak.

“Oh? Mr. Ha? Why have you come back?” The cafe owner turned around in surprise while washing dishes.

Ha Jae-Gun was organizing his thoughts as the cafe owner approached while drying his hands.

“Did you leave something behind? I didn’t see anything in particular at your table earlier when cleaning up.”

“No, I have something I would like to ask.”

“To me? Sure, please go ahead.”

“The other day when you gave me a plate of choux cream cake…”

“Choux cream cake?” The cafe owner recalled and nodded. “Are you referring to that day when I asked you to try it for me?”

“Yes, that’s right. But that day…” Ha Jae-Gun scratched the back of his head. He looked around the cafe and saw a few customers whispering among themselves at their tables. Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t think of a roundabout question and decided to ask directly, “There was an elderly man with me at the time.”

“An elderly man?”

“Yes, he was sitting across from me when you served the plate of cake.”

“Pardon?” The cafe owner frowned, looking perplexed. “Weren’t you alone that day?”

“I was alone?” Ha Jae-Gun felt like his world had come crashing down on him.

The cafe owner continued nonchalantly. “I was going back and forth between the kitchen and pantry because of the cake, so I can't really say for sure. However, there's one thing I'm sure of: when I went to ask you if you would like to have some cake, you were alone.”

“Then…!” Ha Jae-Gun took a step forward as he raised his voice. “I asked the elderly man at that time too, asking if he’d like to have something sweet. The elderly man replied that he didn’t like sweets, but you only served me, right?”

“I remember that, but weren’t you on the phone that time?”

“I was on the phone?”

“You had a headset on back then, so I thought you wanted to prepare another slice for your guest who was on the way.” The cafe owner pointed at his own ears. His face slowly turned dark at the strange conversation they were having. “And that's why I asked if you would like wheat cake instead. I thought the elderly man you were talking to didn’t like sweets…”

“...”

“I’m not sure if the elderly man came while I was at the pantry. Have they already left? They didn’t have any drink, right?” Ha Jae-Gun looked up with a forced smile. He had confirmed everything he needed to confirm. It wasn’t just Park Jung-Jin; even the cafe owner also couldn’t see the elderly man.

“Probably. Anyway, it wasn’t that important. I was so busy working on my novel that I must have mixed up that I was both on the phone while you were talking to me.”

“Is that so? I sometimes don't notice customers walking into my cafe because of this cafe's layout.”

“Anyway, I’m back here because of the cake. Could you pack a few slices of that wheat cake for me?”

“Aigoo, I will. I shouldn’t have taken up so much of your time. Please wait a while; I’ll be quick.”

A while later, Ha Jae-Gun exited the cafe with a box of wheat cake. Darkness soon filled the surroundings. Ha Jae-Gun let out a sigh as he watched the working class leave the nearby office buildings.

Had he become numb? Ha Jae-Gun was unsure, but he didn’t feel any fear. Instead, he had gotten more curious about the elderly man’s identity.

‘Going through that miracle that night at Elder’s grave… Maybe I’ve gotten used to such events.’

His phone rang in his pocket. It was an alarm that reminded him of his next appointment an hour later. Ha Jae-Gun took in a deep breath. He would eventually meet the elderly man again as long as he continued on the path.

***

An unprecedented tension filled the air in the kitchen of the luxury restaurant, Cheonrihyang, that overlooked the cityscape.

A table of VIPs had arrived for dinner: The best writer in Korea, Ha Jae-Gun, and the CEO of the movie production company Teencent Pictures’ Mao Yen.

“Be extremely! Careful! Make sure that the taste and appearance of the food are maintained! Do not delay in the cooking process!"

The owner of Cheonrihyang, Wang Jin-Saeng, supervised the kitchen and even cooked the dishes personally. He was extremely cautious while serving the distinguished guests of his restaurant. A spread of luxurious and appetizing dishes was put together one after another.

Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun, Mao Yen, and Lin Minhong had just arrived at the private room arranged for them; the three exchanged greetings.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Ha. Thank you so much for giving us your precious time.”

“Don’t say that. I should be thanking both of you for coming all the way to Korea. I’m thankful that it wasn’t any sooner. Let me treat you to a Korean restaurant in the next few days.”

“Thank you. Please take a seat, Mr. Ha.”

Ha Jae-Gun sat down. Mao Yen was sitting across from Ha Jae-Gun, and she filled his cup with tea. Mao Yen was wearing a white qipao that accentuated her curves.

The word "sexy" wasn't exactly apropos to describe her; she looked more like a dignified and elegant middle-aged woman. Ha Jae-Gun found it refreshing to see her in a qipao, as he had gotten accustomed to seeing her in normal dresses.

The three of them exchanged some small talk, but Ha Jae-Gun did not keep his expression in check. His expression had been quite stiff even though he was smiling. Was it because the elderly man’s identity was tugging at the back of his mind?

“Um, I apologize for cutting in so suddenly…” Ha Jae-Gun leaned forward with a perplexed smile. “I’ll need to excuse myself to the washroom for a moment.”

“Sure, Mr. Ha. Please take your time.”

Ha Jae-Gun then left the room.

Mao Yen finally released the smile she had put on and blinked several times. Knowing that it was an expression she had whenever she felt flustered, Lin Minhong asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s bugging me.”

“What about…”

“About Mr. Ha Jae-Gun.” Mao Yen kept her sharp eyes on the door that Ha Jae-Gun had walked through earlier. “His expression looks quite stiff. Didn’t you feel it?”

“I did, actually… Could he be feeling sick or maybe something else was bothering him?”

Mao Yen tapped her toes nervously. Lin Minhong was feeling the same. Ha Jae-Gun had now become a big shot globally. All he had to do was say the word to determine if Teencent Pictures could get the copyright to The Malice. Mao Yen did not come all the way to Korea just to kill time.

“Department Head Lin.”

“Yes, CEO.”

“Did I make any mistakes to Mr. Ha so far?”

Lin Minhong shook his head firmly. “Not at all. You have done everything you could to make sure that his dignity wouldn't be tarnished; I can guarantee you that.”

“Thank you, that makes me feel slightly relieved.” Mao Yen took a sip of the cooling tea before adding, “Anyway, I don’t think he will give us a positive response today, so we can only hope that he doesn’t give us a negative response.”

“Mr. Ha will never do that.”

“Oh, the present. What about the present for him?”

“I’ve kept it well there. Don’t worry about it.”

As soon as Lin Minhong replied, Ha Jae-Gun entered the room. He looked much better than before, allowing Mao Yen and Lin Minhong to feel relieved.

“CEO Mao Yen.”

“Yes, Mr. Ha. Please speak.”

“I have a question about The Malice.”

“...?” Mao Yen who was always good with managing her facial expressions, flinched briefly. Even Lin Minhong was flustered at Ha Jae-Gun’s sudden question. They hadn’t expected Ha Jae-Gun to bring up the topic at hand. After all, the dishes were yet to be served.