Big Life

“So there was another reason you asked to meet?”

“Huh…?” Oh Myung-Hoon made eye contact while trying to conceal his motive.

Sitting opposite him was Jung-Mi, looking down at her fork with a listless look, not touching her food.

“Isn’t that it? You keep askinghow things are going with Ha Jae-Gun and what happened.”

“No, Jung-Mi. I was just curious…”

“Still, what are you exactly curious about? Aren’t you on bad terms with Jae-Gun?”

Jung-Mi asked with pure intention, but it stirred anger within Oh Myung-Hoon.

Had always been Jung-Mi this tactful? The Jung-Mi that Oh Myung-Hoon used to know had always been slow-witted, except for when it cto writing.

“Jung-Mi, I really didn’t mean it that way. I just…” As Oh Myung-Hoon was trying to cup with an excuse, his phone rang. His hand that was in his left pocket reached for his right breast pocket, pulling out his phone.

Jung-Mi asked with widened eyes, “You have two phones?”

“I have the second one just for company use,” Oh Myung-Hoon replied briefly and stood up. “Sorry, but I’ll be back after taking this call. It’s kind of urgent.”

“Sure, take your time.” Oh Myung-Hoon stepped out of the restaurant and scanned around the corner to check that the area was clear before answering the phone.

“You called back much faster than I had expected.”

— It’s not even something I should spend too much tpondering over.

“...?” Oh Myung-Hoon’s bleary eyes widened. The other person’s voice sounded harsh this time, unlike when they had their first tele-conversation.

— Do whatever you like.

“What do you mean by that?” Oh Myung-Hoon asked as he headed to a corner of the carpark. The other party continued as if there was a script prepared in advance.

— Like I've said, do whatever you want. As you guessed, I do indeed like Jae-Gun oppa—no, Writer Ha. So there's no way I will fall for such a petty threat.

“Ms. Ye-Seul…!” Oh Myung-Hoon growled, clenching his jaws tight. “Do you really wish to end your acting career here? Do you really not care if all of these photos get exposed to the media and public?”

— I don't care. How could you make use of the emotions people have for one another in this way? Of course, I'm upset hearing that Writer Ha is marrying another woman, but I can't split them up, at least not because of an unknown loser like you.

“What? Did you just…calla loser?!”

— Of course, you're a loser. What else would I call you otherwise?

Hong Ye-Seul sneered.

— As I’ve mentioned before on broadcasts, I’ve becan actor to look for my mother. I’ll be much more famous if you share my past with everyone, and the chances of her recognizingin the media will increase exponentially, right?

“I’m really going to expose you!”

— Woah, woah. Calm down, Mr. Loser. I’m proud of myself. I haven’t done anything dirty when I worked as a karaoke helper back then. It’s also thanks to Writer Ha that I was able to get out of that life quickly. This is all I have to say. Bye.

“H-hello? Hello? That damn bitch!” Oh Myung-Hoon smashed his phone when he realized the call had ended unilaterally, and then he stomped with his feet, roaring like a madman, “How dare you hang up onfirst when I haven’t finished saying my piece! I won’t let this go!”

Passers-by threw judging looks at him, but Oh Myung-Hoon was oblivious to them as he was still seething in anger.

“Yes, Father.”

— Where are you right now?

“I’m out meeting my friend because of work.”

— I have something to tell you, so cback home.

A series of questions flashed across his mind. Why was his father looking for him? His father’s tone was so dry that he couldn’t detect any emotion in his words.

— You can cback early, right?

“I’ll be able to go hin about two hours. But what is it about?”

— I want to talk to you about it face to face. So cback earlier if you can.

“I understand.” Oh Myung-Hoon slid his phone back into his pocket and took a few steps toward the restaurant but changed his mind. He found that there was no need for him to go back to the restaurant where Jung-Mi was waiting for him.

Moments later, he drove out of the building’s carpark, leaving Jung-Mi waiting for him with their pasta served on the table, not knowing that Oh Myung-Hoon wouldn’t be coming back.

***

“I never knew you were such a terrifying son…!”

“F-Father…!”

“No wonder Department Head Kang had to prepare himself to confide in me! You psychopath!”

“...!”

“You psychopath! Do you not have any idea that you're committing a crime?! Why did I even entrust the company to someone like you!”

Oh Myung-Hoon kept silent, biting on his lips, unable to cup with any form of excuse. The rising emotions of betrayal and anger surged within him at this moment.

Department Head Kang, whom he had trusted for the longest thad just stabbed him in the back.

“Take your hands off of everything related to the company from now on.”

“F-father.”

“I’ve made up my mind. I’ll let your older brother take care of the company.”

Oh Myung-Hoon stood up in a hurry, horrified. “W, what do you mean by that? I have been doing so well up until now. You even acknowledged my work performance, didn’t you?”

Oh Tae-Jin looked like he wanted to spit on Oh Myung-Hoon's face. Oh Myung-Hoon’s chin trembled visibly as his head hung low. His father’s contemptuous eyes hurt him greatly.

“I don’t want to see you around, so leave!” Oh Tae-Jin roared. Then, he turned his back on Oh Myung-Hoon.

~

Oh Myung-Hoon ruffled his hair with both hands in frustration. Why on earth was no one standing on his side in this vast world? He had had this burning question for a long tnow, but it was still unanswered.

***

“I’m not sure why you’re here, but get to the point.”

“Let’s not do this here and go to a cafe instead.”

Lee Soo-Hee shook her head firmly, crossing her arms. Oh Myung-Hoon had cto find her, and he wasn’t the kind of person she would agree to have a conversation with at a cafe.

“Sorry, but I don’t have the tfor this. Let’s just talk it out here.”

“If you want that…” Oh Myung-Hoon trailed off. He slid his hand into his pocket.

Lee Soo-Hee squinted as she observed his actions.

Oh Myung-Hoon pulled out his phone and said, “Letask you something first.”

“...?”

“What’s… so good about Jae-Gun?”

Lee Soo-Hee’s mouth slowly opened, but only for a brief moment. She then turned around, finding his question a waste of her time.

“Soo-Hee.”

“Don’t callthat. I think you’re here trying to talk snonsense, so I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” Lee Soo-Hee quickened her pace toward her car.

Oh Myung-Hoon wiped the sweat rolling down the bridge of his nose and hurried after her. Then, he stood in front of her.

“Wait, I haven’t even started what I wanted to talk about.”

“So what is it?”

“Do you know that your beloved Ha Jae-Gun, is in a secret relationship with a karaoke helper?”

“What?” Surprise painted Lee Soo-Hee’s face for the first time.

Oh Myung-Hoon watched her expression, feeling triumph.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“You can decide if I’m speaking nonsense or not after looking at these photos.” Oh Myung-Hoon handed his phone to her.

Lee Soo-Hee hesitated for a moment, and then she ultimately decided to take it.

A photo was on the screen.

“Isn't that Ha Jae-Gun?”

“...”

“That’s the kind of relationship they’re in. And the girl is an actress now. I think her nwas Hong Ye-Seul? Look at them; don’t you think that they’re very close?”

“...” Lee Soo-Hee scrolled through the photos with a look of complete indifference. She looked at a couple more photos before looking up at Oh Myung-Hoon. “So?”

“What do you mean by ‘so’?”

“These are all in the past. I wasn't dating Jae-Gun back then.”

Oh Myung-Hoon gulped, flustered at Lee Soo-Hee’s reaction.

Lee Soo-Hee then continued calmly, “I know of their meetings, too.”

“You know?”

“Soo-Hee…!”

“I don’t care why you’re here showingall these photos. I can leave now, right?” Lee Soo-Hee returned Oh Myung-Hoon’s phone and turned around.

As she reached out for the car door, Oh Myung-Hoon yelled with malice, “Jae-Gun is tricking you! His mind thinks differently from how he acts! And I’m pretty sure he’s still seeing that karaoke helper even now. Who knows? Maybe they’re together in sbed naked—”

Lee Soo-Hee turned around before Oh Myung-Hoon could finish his sentence.

The fierce light in Lee Soo-Hee's glare made sparks between them as their gazes met in mid-air.

Oh Myung-Hoon’s head turned sideways. Lee Soo-Hee’s palm was printed red on his sweaty face.

“Trash,” Lee Soo-Hee muttered bitterly with her plump, pretty lips. “I’m ashamed of myself for treating a human trash like you as my classmate. I’m finally certain that you’re an irredeemable trash.”

Oh Myung-Hoon trembled, holding the cheek where Lee Soo-Hee had slapped him. It felt dozens—no, hundreds of times more painful than when his father had slapped him earlier. This was the most painful moment of his entire life.

“I’m sorry for hitting you. I think my ears are going to rot even further if I listen to you anymore, but I couldn’t find a nice way to stop you.”

Lee Soo-Hee got into the driver’s seat and added, “Go ahead and sueif you want. I don’t want to see you anymore. I won’t be sending you a wedding invitation, either. Goodbye.”

Lee Soo-Hee then drove away. Oh Myung-Hoon stood there in a daze, watching her car disappear in the distance.

“Ha Jae-Gun…! Ha Jae-Gun, you bastard! Sure, take everything away from me!” Oh Myung-Hoon collapsed to the ground on his knees, bawling for a while. When no tears could cout from his eyes anymore, a strand of emotion returned to Oh Myung-Hoon’s mad eyes.

He knew this feeling—the feeling of being alive.

The hatred in Oh Myung-Hoon stirred and manipulated him.

***

“Doesn’t it look good?” It was a rhetorical question.

Oh Myung-Hoon gulped down whiskey straight from the bottle and continued, “Do you know why I called you here? Do you see the park over there? Professor Han Hae-Sun held a class on s one day during our first year. And you won the best that day. That was the first tI, Oh Myung-Hoon, tasted the bitter taste of defeat in my life.”

Oh Myung-Hoon mocked himself before taking another gulp of whiskey. Then, he shook the bottle in front of the listening party and continued, "This is a 30-Year Kingdom[1]. You still have to pay hundreds of thousands even if you got it duty-free. If you want to purchase from the market, it’ll cost you at least a million won.

"While you were opening cheap soju bottles at scheap pork restaurant with kids like Jung-Jin, I was already drinking these expensive whiskies.”

“What do you want to say?”

“I’m asking if you want a glass.”

“No, forget about the alcohol.”

A long sigh cut between them. The Han River at night was infinitely dark. Even the colorful city lights could not light up the darkness.

“Why did you ask to meet out of the blue? And at the Han River of all places.”

“I wanted to give you an unforgettable gift,” Oh Myung-Hoon replied in a heartbeat. His eyes glazed over as an insidious smile tugged at his lips. His free hand then slipped into his breast pocket.

1. Scotch whiskey ☜

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