Big Life

“Jae-Gun, what did you tell him?” Lee Soo-Hee asked. She had quietly walked up to Ha Jae-Gun and quickly caught on to the situation.

Ha Jae-Gun turned around and nodded at her. “He appeared with Mr. Liu Bao on that day, and he was definitely introduced as Mr. Han Sanping, an entrepreneur in the content industry…”

Ha Jae-Gun was still in shock. He recalled the time when they got a free pass on the usual immigration route at the Beijing International Airport.

As if reading Ha Jae-Gun’s mind, Woo Tae-Bong said, “I get it now. If they are confirmed as the next president in line, things like giving out free passes aren’t that difficult anymore. I had my reservations back then.”

“Why are you pretending that you know everything now? Hyung, stop with your bluffs.” Park Do-Joon and Woo Tae-Bong broke out into a scuffle.

Ha Jae-Gun suddenly felt warm as he stood beside them. Lee Soo-Hee had grabbed his arm. Just then, a heavy feeling shot through Ha Jae-Gun’s abdomen; it felt different from the love he felt for his beautiful wife.

‘I’ve only been writing all this while…’ Ha Jae-Gun swallowed as he stared at the TV. Wu Dawang emphasized the importance of the Korea-China cultural relations, repeatedly preaching the advice he had received from Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun realized a few things while staring at Wu Dawang on the screen.

“What are you thinking so deeply about while staring at the TV?”

“Soo-Hee unni, and oppas, come back. Are you guys going to play the game tomorrow?”

Ha Jae-Gun returned to his laptop, but he was still deep in thought. He felt apologetic to everyone else, but he couldn’t concentrate on the game at all, playing it half-heartedly.

Everyone else returned to their own homes as midnight approached.

Once Ha Jae-Gun had sent everyone off and closed the door, Lee Soo-Hee walked up to Ha Jae-Gun and asked, “What were you thinking the entire time?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Are you trying to hide from me now, too? You turned weird ever since that man Wu Dawang appeared on TV.”

“Did I…” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled and looked down at Eun-Chae sleeping soundly in Lee Soo-Hee's arms. He rubbed his nose against Eun-Chae's cheeks and said, “Well, I just had the thought that… I'm no longer the young man holed up alone in his room writing his novels. I also realized how much weight my words carried now…”

“Hmm…?”

“The speech Wu Dawang made earlier about the Korea-China culture relations were all words I told him when we met. Of course, it could just be a coincidence, but realizing that my words could also influence others made me feel somewhat—” Ha Jae-Gun paused. He glanced at Eun-Chae before raising a hand to massage his temple. “...I can feel a new sense of responsibility deep inside me...”

“I think I can understand that.”

“It's also related to both you and Eun-Chae. I'm also the breadwinner and head of the household, and I have to take care of my wife and daughter, so…!”

“Shh!” Lee Soo-Hee put a finger over Ha Jae-Gun's lips and smiled. “You'll wake her up. Let's come back after putting her in bed.”

“Give her here, I'll do it.”

As soon as they put Eun-Chae into her cot, the couple hugged each other. Their lips met, and their hot breaths mixed.

“Can we… do it today?”

“If you're confident about not touching my breasts.” Lee Soo-Hee whispered with a flushed face.

Ha Jae-Gun lost his mind and lifted Lee Soo-Hee up by the thighs. Her legs reflexively wrapped around his waist, clinging onto him. Her shirt, skirt, and lingerie were thrown behind them one by one, making a pathway.

“Where are you going? This is the study.”

“I can't hold back until we get to the bedroom. The rocking chair is comfortable, too.”

“You must be crazy, seriously. Haa…!”

“Ugh, I'm sorry. I said I wouldn't touch them, but I still unknowingly… there's tissue here somewhere.”

A pair of eyes shining in a dark corner quickly disappeared. The study that was supposed to be always dry had hit its peak humidity that night.

***

[The Breath Online has also been officially released in both China and Taiwan. There have been countless MMORPG games released in the last few years, but none of them has really achieved great results. Reporter Koo from Game World, how is it looking for The Breath?]

[Frankly speaking, it's alarming. The FPS and RTS genres have been dominating the market recently, but it's hit 6.5% market share for internet cafes, ranking fourth overall. Of the top 10 games, only Maple Saga in seventh place, and Royal Lineage in ninth place are of the same game genres as The Breath.]

[That's right. It's only had positive reviews since the beta testing phase up until the official release. What do you think are the strengths unique to The Breath?]

[Firstly, it's a relatively large-scale game compared to the length of its development, which means that the content was developed. It is well optimized as well, and there are almost no bugs; the jobs are well-balanced, too.]

“Of course, it's well done. It's a game made by my daughter, after all. Wait, don't they know such basic information as the host of a game show?”

“Seriously. Would you be happy if they advertised that this game was created by Lee Soo-Hee? And is she only your daughter? She’s my daughter too.”

Lee Kyung-Wook didn't even pay any attention to Yeon-Ok, who was cutting fruits for him. As Lee Kyung-Wook watched the TV in a trance, the computer placed beside him showed that the game he was playing had just been updated.

Bzzt!

Lee Kyung-Wook’s phone rang, showing a call coming in from Ha Suk-Jae. Lee Kyung-Wook answered the call in delight as if the delivery man had come with his much-awaited package.

“Aigoo, in-law. How are you? Did you sleep well last night?”

— Yes I did. Have you had lunch? We’re going on a long grind today.

“My game is updating now. When will you be coming online? I can go on immediately. I must clear the spirit dungeon today.”

— I’ll trust in your tank skills and follow your lead. I don’t know how you’re so quick with your fingers.

“I used to play Royal Lineage when I was younger. My fingers are still good with the keyboard and mouse. Hahaha!” Lee Kyung-Wook burst into laughter while on the phone.

Yeon-Ok was shaking her head, speechless. Her husband, whose only world was chess or fishing, now had a new hobby. He was supposed to just enjoy it on his own, but he even made Yeon-Ok create a character and brought her along on farming sessions or raids. Thus, Yeon-Ok even started playing games, even though it wasn't really a part of her daily life.

“Honey, where are you going? You should join us, too.”

“You can go enjoy the game with In-law. I need my rest today; I get so nauseous just staring at the screen while running around.” Yeon-Ok left the room with the tray in hand, and loud laughter rang throughout the room behind her. The adventure of Lee Kyung-Wook’s character, Sarangbang Ssamba Uncle, and Ha Suk-Jae’s character, Bravo My Live, had just begun.

***

“I heard the game has expanded into Europe too. I’m glad that it’s doing so well.”

It had been a while since they hung out at Park Do-Joon’s place. As usual, Park Do-Joon brought up Ha Jae-Gun’s most popular work first while Ha Jae-Gun sat on the sofa, admiring the cold December scenery with a smile.

“What’s with that knowing smile?”

“I came because there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Ask me?”

“But before that…how’s your schedule like recently?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just tell me.”

“Well, I’ll be heading to China to film part two of the Records series. Then, there’s the commercial for hiking shoes, suits, and fridges… There’s nothing else aside from that.” Park Do-Joon sat down beside Ha Jae-Gun and added, “I’ve become very free after stopping all appearances on variety shows. It’s not very world star-esque, but otherwise how can I get to full level on The Breath so soon?

“Hahaha…”

“Stop laughing and tell me. What did you want to tell me?”

“Do-Joon.”

“Enough with the glare.”

“You said you enjoyed The Malice, right?”

“...?” Park Do-Joon’s eyes squinted as suspicion grew. It didn’t take long for him to guess what Ha Jae-Gun was about to discuss with him. “Jae-Gun…”

“You must have guessed what I’m going to say. The main character for The Malice wouldn’t be complete if you weren’t the main lead. That’s why…” Ha Jae-Gun smiled sheepishly and patted Park Do-Joon’s back. “I just hope you’ll keep that in mind. The Malice will eventually get adapted into a movie, and I hope to see you in the role of the main lead at the movie press conference when the time comes.”

“That’s a given.”

“We’re definitely going to accommodate your work schedule. I’m sorry for bringing it up now.”

“You know that I don’t feel burdened by it, so why are you acting like this?”

As their eyes met, the two of them broke out into grins. In fact, Park Do-Joon always found joy when acting in Ha Jae-Gun’s works. It was a separate matter from their friendship, as he always felt that Ha Jae-Gun’s novels were like his customized suits, all tailored for him.

‘There’s something in your novels that makes my heart flutter…’ Unfortunately, this was something that Park Do-Joon was too embarrassed to say out loud. He swallowed his words and naturally changed the topic of their conversation.

“I wonder how Director Yoon Tae-Sung and Director Lee Eun-Ha are doing these days. I haven’t seen them at all since their wedding. Since we’re on the topic of The Malice now, why don’t we give them a call?”

“It’s too early. I just decided to let you know first. I’ll give them a call later.”

Park Do-Joon pouted and put his phone away. The brief silence that followed brought up a memory from the day before. “Come to think of it, I got a call from One Film; they've asked me if I can do a special appearance.”

“One Film? What project is that?”

“Five Dreams. The role of the man whom the female teacher loves.”

“Ah…” Ha Jae-Gun nodded.

Oh Tae-Jin’s Five Dreams was currently occupying the first place on the bestseller list in all major bookstores and had sold around 700,000 copies. News of its movie adaptation and pre-production had already begun. Oh Tae-Jin was famous for his outstanding contributions to both the literary world and the publishing industry.

He had been receiving high praises from the public in his capacity as a writer, and it was all thanks to his exceptional novel. Oh Tae-Jin need not be envious of the praises that Ha Jae-Gun had received from The Malice.

“You've read the novel right? It's great, isn't it?”

“Yeah, it's great,” Park Do-Joon said with a broody look, “You said it was a very touching story. I was shocked when I learned that it was Five Dreams. It was really well-written. If I were still in my teens, I would have been cast as one of the five boys.”

“I had the same thought, too. It's a really great novel. It made me wish that I had written a novel like that, too.”

“You can just write one. What's there to wish for with that great penmanship of yours?”

“Nah, I don't think I can write something like that with my skills.” Ha Jae-Gun leaned back and let out a sigh. He didn't want to whine before his friend, but he didn't want to fake anything either.

“But why was it published with Literature Travel instead of Oongsung…?”

“What? I didn't hear you.”

“It's nothing. I'm hungry, Do-Joon. Let's go out and grab a bite. I saw a new tonkatsu restaurant on the second floor; the food there looks delicious.” Ha Jae-Gun pushed Park Do-Joon up.

They had just stepped outside when the first snow of this year finally fell.

***

[The old Chairman is still going strong! The great writer of the Korean literature world Oh Tae-Jin’s glamorous return!]

[Five Dreams movie confirmed! Sales will soon hit one million copies]

[Writer Oh Tae-Jin chose not to publish with Oongsung: I want to work with a cherished junior]

[New York Times, who praised Ha Jae-Gun’s The Malice, also gave favorable reviews for Oh Tae-Jin’s Five Dreams]

Lee Young-Shik, CEO of Literature Tavel, was all smiles. The company's efforts had been greatly rewarded. Five Dreams’ performance was so impressive that their company’s finances, which had been in the reds, were finally looking better.

The company was ramping up marketing efforts, and even Lee Young-Shik himself was extremely busy.

He made use of the connections he had made throughout his career to clinch deals, and he even traveled down to the larger bookstores in neighboring provinces when necessary. He was committed to doing his best for Oh Tae-Jin as per his promise.

***

The cold winter had just hit Gyeongju, which was a few hours' drive from Seoul on a cold January evening. The New Year’s had passed, but it was still cold. People on the streets were burying their noses into their thick winter coats with shivering shoulders, hurrying back to their warm houses.

“Uncle, you should stop drinking.”

“Just one more bottle. One more,” pleaded a man with a flushed face and unfocused eyes in a certain rice soup restaurant down an alley. Two empty soju bottles were on the table, and he had yet to touch the food that he had ordered.

“I’m scared that the news of someone’s death would appear. If you’re going to drink so much, then at least have some of the rice soup, too. You didn’t even touch your food at all again today.”

“I—hicc… had a lot earlier before coming here. Just give me one more bottle.”

“Aigoo, I don’t care anymore.”

The man opened the third bottle of soju served to him and started drinking from it. After thirty minutes of drinking, the man finally stood up and said, “Thank you for the food.”

“Uncle, take this with you.”

“What’s that?”

“Kimbap. I made more while making it for my kid. Have this in the morning when you wake up.”

“I’m fine.”

“Take it. People who drink will always feel hungry at dawn. You stay at the inn down there, right? There’s nothing much to eat around here except for the convenience store anyway, so take it.” The female owner forced the bag of kimbap into his hands.

The man stumbled and bowed, expressing his thanks before leaving the restaurant. “Fuck… I’m feeling so hot now after finishing three bottles.”

The man proceeded to take off his jumper. The passers-by, who could tell that he was drunk, avoided him on both sides of the street. The man paid them no heed and walked down the streets for an unknown length of time before stopping in front of a small stationery and bookstore. The bestseller list shown behind the glass window caught his attention like a magnet.

1. Five Dreams - Oh Tae-Jin

2. The Malice - Ha Jae-Gun

“...”

The man sniffled once before walking away. However, he came to a halt and turned around even before he could take ten steps away. He had decided to give up everything as a writer, and he was proud of having no regrets about the decision he had made.

However, there was a certain name that he could not ignore.

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