Big Life

“I didn’t know what’s good, so I grabbed whatever I could. It must be heavy for you to carry, so just letknow where to leave them.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ha. Please put them here.”

Ha Jae-Gun left the bags of gifts in his hands by the pillar next to the kitchen. As he straightened his back and caught his breath, Chae Yoo-Jin said, “The editor-in-chief stopped by the mart for a while to grab salcohol for you.”

“Soju is enough for me.”

“Thank you.”

Chae Yoo-Jin hummed a melody as she went to the kitchen. Ha Jae-Gun smiled at the beautiful sight of her placing a hand lightly on her round belly as she made coffee.

Was it because she had just beca mother? Chae Yoo-Jin's aura had changed, and it was a nobility any flowery language couldn't quite describe, making him smile.

Ha Jae-Gun gained something from the sight, and it felt rewarding.

The door rang, prompting Ha Jae-Gun to turn around.

When Ha Jae-Gun turned around, he saw Oh Myung-Suk opening the door with both hands carrying bags.

“Sorry, Mr. Ha. I should have prepared in advance and waited for your arrival, but I totally forgot about the alcohol. I bought salcohol accompaniments while getting the soju.”

Oh Myung-Suk headed to the kitchen and stood beside Chae Yoo-Jin, discussing when dinner would be ready. They sure looked like a newlywed couple. They were all smiles, without a speck of regret on their faces as they looked at each other.

“Go talk about work with Mr. Ha first. I’ll prep the ingredients in the meantime.”

“My baby is the best. I’ll leave it to you then.”

Ha Jae-Gun and Chae Yoo-Jin sat down at the wide table and turned on the laptop. Then, the online video meeting with Eden and Ben from Open House began.

Oh Myung-Suk stole glances at them from tto tas he prepared the meal. The meeting progressed smoothly. The manuscript was cleared, and what was left to discuss was the book cover, designs of the different versions to be made available for sale, and marketing efforts.

Ha Jae-Gun felt relieved in these areas, as both Chae Yoo-Jin and Open House were experts in them. There was nothing much he could help by stepping up, so he decided to trust them.

— We will go with Dragon Rider for the subtitle. What do you think, Mr. Ha? It’ll be like this: The Breath: Dragon Rider. Are you, uh, happy with it?

“No, it’s fine.”

Ha Jae-Gun revealed a forced smile. Catching that he had made a mistake, Eden turned serious.

— Did I make a mistake in my language? Forgiveif I did. No, no, no. Please forgive me, Mr. Ha.

“You did not make any mistakes, and your Korean is great. Compared to my English skills, your Korean skills are much better. That’s what I thought.”

Ha Jae-Gun gave a thumbs-up at the camera.

Eden smiled brightly, happy to hear a compliment from Ha Jae-Gun.

The meeting wrapped up with everyone in bright smiles and laughter. The call ended with Ben and Eden saying that they would visit Korea again soon. Chae Yoo-Jin turned off the laptop and stood up with Ha Jae-Gun.

“Thank you for today.”

“You too, Mr. Ha. Life remindsevery day of how convenient the world has become. I never imagined that we could have online meetings with Americans who live across the ocean. Isn’t this like a world in sci-fi s?”

It was now tfor the afterparty. The three of them sat around the dining table, enjoying the rest of the night.

The delicious food and a few glasses of alcohol helped to enhance the flavors. He felt his body relax under his happy mood; he kept smiling and laughing throughout the night.

“Oh my, Mr. Ha is the topic of debate in this special episode.” Chae Yoo-Jin was about to tune in to the movie channel when the TV screen showed the show host and a few panelists engaging in a debate about the pros and cons of Ha Jae-Gun’s influence in the literary circle.

[...Writer Ha Jae-Gun had the most credit in terms of crumbling the walls between the literary and genre circles. This isn’t influence, but a credit that he deserves.]

[I agree. Look, it’s been known that categorizing mainstream genres has been meaningless since the 2000s. If the publication industry wants to escape from this slump, we’ll have to rework from the foundation and change our mindset on it. Right? Everyone knows the it-shall-not-be-named literary club, right? They should be the ones changing their mindset first. But they didn’t do that, and this is why we can claim that Ha Jae-Gun has had a huge impact on the industry.]

Both Oh Myung-Suk and Chae Yoo-Jin turned around to look at Ha Jae-Gun, beaming with pride. Ha Jae-Gun turned awkward and took a sip of the soju, saying, “I don’t think it’s entertaining; let’s watch something else.”

“Hahaha, why, Mr. Ha. I find it an interesting topic.” Chae Yoo-Jin held onto the remote, unwilling to accede to Ha Jae-Gun’s request.

A while later, the camera shifted to the opposition and zoomed in on one of the men on the team.

[Anyway, I don’t think it’s good to view Ha Jae-Gun’s appearance as fully positive. There’s a common saying, “Not everything is the best.” Otherwise, why would pure literature be separated from the other genres?]

The man seemed to have forgotten that they were broadcasting live, as his words were relatively harsh.

“Why would a director not be producing movies and appear in a debate…?” Oh Myung-Suk trailed off and secretly glanced at Chae Yoo-Jin, thinking that Ha Jae-Gun would feel uncomfortable.

After all, Woo Jae-Hoon would most likely be spouting negative words that he felt were true. However, Chae Yoo-Jin did not catch his signal and glared at the screen, gritting her teeth.

[It’s obvious looking at the situation online. The media and inteare complimenting him too much. It’s as if there are no other writers in Korea other than him.]

[I’m not sure what you’re trying to drive at, Director Woo Jae-Hoon. And strictly speaking, isn’t it normal to be praising him for his works? His original s were readapted into webtoons, games, and even dramas, and they have all been proven a huge success.]

[Which is why I’m saying, how is all that possible with Ha Jae-Gun’s power alone! How could you not get what I’m saying when you’re a critic.]

[That’s a personal attack!]

[Oh my, Director, I think you’re getting too agitated. You should direct that on the ring instead. We're debating, so you should have evidence to support your claims. Is there something that you have against Writer Ha Jae-Gun that we don't know about?]

[What? Are you mocking me?!]

[Now, now. Please calm down, everyone. We’re broadcasting live… this is a live broadcast.]

Woo Jae-Hoon was making a huge fuss on TV. He got up in a hurry like a fuming bull and even looked around the studio. His ill temperament made Ha Jae-Gun realize that a leopard would never change its spots.

Woo Jae-Hoon soon returned to his seat after a while and showed a finger to the opposite team.

[Your example is quite weird; who else in Korea has shown such results after entering the U.S. market?]

[You’re just saying whatever you want now. I’m giving up on this debate.]

Oh Myung-Suk couldn’t stand it any longer and silently took the remote from Chae Yoo-Jin. It was only then that Chae Yoo-Jin realized that Ha Jae-Gun was with them and revealed an "Ah, right!" expression.

However, the next thing that happened on screen made Oh Myung-Suk unable to switch the channel.

The audience present looked around the room to find no one raising their hands. Woo Jae-Hoon laughed haughtily, proud of the results and continued.

[No one has heard of them, right? They’re a very small company. They’re a cheap company that runs by publishing pulp fiction. And Ha Jae-Gun is a globally known writer that produces good works, right? If so, why is he working with a company like Open House?! Am I wrong?!]

Just as Woo Jae-Hoon was about to continue on, the show host stepped up and announced a break. The screen soon changed into a TV commercial.

“I’m fine, so please don’t be concerned,” Ha Jae-Gun said just then, smiling.

Woo Jae-Hoon’s words did not affect Ha Jae-Gun at all, as Woo Jae-Hoon's words contained not a single truth in them. On top of that, Ha Jae-Gun had a reason for choosing a small company like Open House instead of a large publication company.

Ha Jae-Gun had no regrets following his convictions a single bit.

“I’m really fine.”

Oh Myung-Suk and Chae Yoo-Jin smiled bitterly, unable to say anything.

Ha Jae-Gun tried to change the topic to lift the mood.

“I’m not sure how news of Open House got leaked, but that doesn’t really matter. I’m just surprised that Director Woo Jae-Hoon would appear on the show that is related to me. It is quite surprising, after all.”

“That’s true. He has been keeping a low profile after his most recent movie failed soundlessly without any form of news. I heard that he couldn’t even find any investors for his movie, so I was curious about how he was doing. To think that we’d see him on TV instead.”

Chae Yoo-Jin turned off the TV immediately and added, “I feel apologetic. It’s a waste of tto be concerned about all this, so please don’t take that trash’s words to heart.”

“Mr. Ha, shall we have srefreshing beer, just the two of us?”

“Wow, you’re so hateful. This is what he does every day now. Maybe I should give him a beating.”

“Hahaha.”

After enjoying srefreshing beer, Ha Jae-Gun finally stood up to leave. Chae Yoo-Jin could only send him off at the door, as she couldn't quite move properly due to her big belly.

Oh Myung-Suk walked Ha Jae-Gun to the taxi pick-up point.

“Thanks for the food tonight. I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”

“It’s nothing much. Oh, and Mr. Ha…” Oh, Myung-Suk carefully began, “I’m sorry I couldn't attend the wedding.”

“No, don’t worry about that.”

Oh Myung-Suk looked like he wanted to say something but was hesitant to bring it up. In fact, he had ssort of an inkling that Ha Jae-Gun had already met his father and younger brother at the wedding.

“Actually, Mr. Ha—”

A taxi soon stopped in front of them.

Ha Jae-Gun bowed respectfully, expressing his thanks before they parted.

Oh Myung-Suk returned the bow as well.

The moon shone brightly that night.

***

[Director Woo Jae-Hoon targeting Ha Jae-Gun on a debate program: Ha Jae-Gun is a frog in a well]

[Why did Ha Jae-Gun decide to sign a contract with a small publishing company, whose sales last year were only slightly over $60 million?]

[Writer Ha Jae-Gun stopped all broadcasting activities rejects telephone interview]

“I’m boiling with anger again today because of that wretched bastard…!” Lee Yeon-Woo muttered, clutching his stomach.

A deluge of articles inundated the inteover the last few days. The reporters had a field day writing articles about Woo Jae-Hoon's belittling remarks about Ha Jae-Gun.

“That's why he's bound to fail. Humans need to be kind to others in order to reap good results.”

“Stop it now, Yeon-Woo. Why would you anger yourself like that by reading those articles? Calm down and focus on your s.”

Jung So-Mi tried her best to suppress a chuckle as she watched the angry Lee Yeon-Woo. Jung So-Mi and Lee Yeon-Woo shared an amicable relationship after the funeral, and much of the awkwardness in their relationship had disappeared as well.

“Yes, unni. Volumes 1 and 2 are done, and this is going into vol3. What do you think, unni?”

“Your illustrations are always the best. Edward looks so cool. I wonder who will act as Edward when the movie is being produced?”

A sigh mixed with nervousness and fear escaped his lips. It was probably just today, but he couldn't concentrate at all. The expectations of everyone around him felt too burdensfor sreason.

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang, and Chae Yoo-Jin’s nappeared on the screen. He swallowed nervously before answering the call.

“Hello, this is Jae-Gun.”

— The delivery has just started, Mr. Ha.

Ha Jae-Gun closed his eyes. He had done his best preparing the manuscript, so what was left was the reader’s decision.

Just then, a loud clatter resounded through the office as Jeon Bong-Yi inadvertently dropped the pot lid while preparing supper.

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