Big Life

Chapter 266. Ha Jae-Gun Isn’t A Big Deal After All (3)

Tadak! Tadadadak! Tadadak!

Ha Jae-Gun's ten fingers ran effortlessly across the keyboard. Ha Jae-Gun smiled as he drafted the email to Open House’s editor-in-chief, Eden. Now that he was completely done with Human's Malice, he felt more refreshed than ever.

“Now I’m all done,” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled to himself, and Rika reacted to him as she sat by the windowsill.

It had been five days since he decided to stay at Lee Soo-Hee’s apartment to avoid the readers. He managed to complete his work to perfection as Lee Soo-Hee’s scent lingered everywhere in the house, greatly improving his concentration.

“I should just tell Soo-Hee to come and stay here together for the time being.” Ha Jae-Gun drafted his email before looking at the clock. Lee Soo-Hee would soon return. He decided to read a book while waiting, so he walked into the study.

“Our cute Team Leader Lee.” Ha Jae-Gun chuckled as he looked at the back of the double bookshelf. He had recently found out the reason why Lee Soo-Hee was trying so hard to stop him from going into the study.

Beep, beep, beep!

The door chimed as someone typed in the password to the door. The door soon opened, and Ha Jae-Gun put the book back into its place before going back to the living room.

Lee Soo-Hee was carrying a grocery basket in her hand and was taking off her shoes.

“You should have called me to help you with it.”

“It’s not that heavy.”

“Why did you buy so much food?”

”You said you wanted to have shabu-shabu and that your noona made it for you often so you enjoyed it a lot. I may not be able to make the broth as well as her, but I’ll still do my best.” Lee Soo-Hee didn't change her clothes and simply headed straight to the kitchen with her basket in hand.

“Go change your clothes first. I’ll organize the stuff.”

”Let me start the broth first. You don’t have to help. You’ll just be in the way, so go ahead and rest.” Lee Soo-Hee went to the sink and began rinsing the ingredients.

Ha Jae-Gun watched her back in a daze. She was in a fluttering green shirt and tight jeans that accentuated her body line.

“How was the talk about Human's Malice? Did it go well?”

“Yeah, they like the edited version of the manuscript, and I’ve also sent an email to Eden from Open House.”

“You’ve worked hard, Writer Ha. I’ll whip up a delicious shabu-shabu in a bit, so eat a lot of it later and have a good rest later.” Lee Soo-Hee smiled as she turned around, then winked at him.

Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t hold himself back from her beautiful smile and walked up to her. “You’re beautiful today. Did you buy a new pair of jeans?”

“I’ve worn this before. And you should say this in the morning. You slept so well that you didn’t even toss or turn in your sleep.”

Peeking over Lee Soo-Hee’s shoulders from behind, he found her washing the lettuce. Ha Jae-Gun hugged her slender waist from behind and held her close.

“Why are you doing this when I’m cooking?”

“Let me help you.”

“There’s nothing for you to help.”

“You smell nice. Did you wear perfume?”

“Don’t you know that I don’t wear perfume?”

Of course, there was no way he wouldn’t know. Lee Soo-Hee’s bodily scent had always been addicting to him, and he would never get tired of it. Ha Jae-Gun’s lips slowly kissed her pale neck.

Smooch.

Lee Soo-Hee shuddered and said, “It’s ticklish, don’t do that.”

Ha Jae-Gun pretended that he didn't hear her and continued kissing her. He slid the collar of her shirt down her shoulder, and he began kissing her collarbones.

Lee Soo-Hee was slowly turning red. “Don’t do this.... I’m feeling weird now.”

However, her words didn’t work on Ha Jae-Gun at all, as he was already turned on.

Ha Jae-Gun slowly unbuttoned her shirt one by one from the top. Their lips met, and their tongues tangled together. Lee Soo-Hee let go of the lettuce in her hand, and she quivered ever so slightly.

“Please stop now, hmm?” Lee Soo-Hee pleaded as she took the chance when their mouths parted. Her breath was rapid and hot; her heart felt like it was about to explode as well. Her legs had weakened so much that she had to support herself with a hand on the sink.

”Hmm? Let’s continue after the meal. I’m still cook—Heup.”

Ha Jae-Gun interrupted her once more as he covered her lips with his. He unbuttoned her jeans with both hands and unzipped them. Now defenseless, she had no choice but to leave her heated body to him.

“Ha Jae-Gun.... Let’s not do this here. Let's go to the bedroom.”

“There’s no one here, anyway.” Ha Jae-Gun bent down, pulling Lee Soo-Hee’s jeans to her ankles, showing her beautiful and dazzling legs in all glory. Lee Soo-Hee held onto Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulder and lifted each foot one by one to allow him to take off her jeans more easily.

“How can anyone be so pretty,” Ha Jae-Gun exclaimed in admiration as he pulled Lee Soo-Hee—left in her lingerie—toward himself.

Lee Soo-Hee was now in a state of excitement and could not gather the strength to reply to him. She hooked her arms around Ha Jae-Gun’s neck, and they locked lips as Ha Jae-Gun lifted her up to sit by the sink.

Bzzt!

“Gasp! Y-you have a call.”

“I can’t answer it right now.” Ha Jae-Gun said as he buried his face into Lee Soo-Hee’s cleavage. Lee Soo-Hee gathered her last ounce of sanity and pushed Ha Jae-Gun away just before her bra was unhooked.

“You sent an email to Open House, right? What if it’s from Eden?”

“It’s probably dawn in the U.S.; there’s no way he’d call.”

“But it could also be some other important call. Just go and check your phone. Hurry up.” Defeated, Ha Jae-Gun turned around. He checked the caller ID on his phone which was left on the dining table and found that Lee Soo-Hee was right. It was a call from Eden.

“Hello? Editor-in-chief Eden?”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. I called after reading your email. Ah, I’m sorry. I called you immediately.

“You don’t have to focus too much on your Korean expressions; it’s fine. But you’re awake quite early. It should be dawn right now.”

— No, I pulled an all-nighter reading Human's Malice. It’s a great novel. You’re amazing, Mr. Ha. Awesome and cool too. You’re really a great writer.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled as he turned around to see Lee Soo-Hee in the kitchen. He signaled to her with his eyes that it was a call from Eden. She nodded, and then she disappeared to change into another set of clothes.

— Thanks a lot, Mr. Ha, for leaving Dragon Rider and now Human's Malice to us? No, in our hands. Open House will do a great job, and we will definitely earn a lot of money.

“Thank you. But I’m not sure if this novel will really sell well. It has a grim and heavy side to it.”

— I think it’ll suit the Westerners’ taste very well. It personally touched my heart, as I can relate to it very well because of the similarities in our birth backgrounds.

“I see....” Ha Jae-Gun smiled awkwardly.

The main character of Human's Malice was Korean, but he was adopted by a white family in L.A. at a young age. In fact, Eden had gone through almost the same things as the main character did, and he became a U.S. citizen.

— I struggled with the loneliness left by my parents who abandoned me. I craved only success, and I also got lost while finding my own identity. I suffered a lot from discrimination, too. I didn’t look away even for a single moment until I finished reading the manuscript. I didn’t even leave for a brief toilet break and finished it in one sitting. Thank you for writing such a great book. Thank you, Mr. Ha.

“Hearing your high praise made me have no regrets even if it was a flop, Eden.”

— It won’t flop, so leave it to us, Mr. Ha. We’ll begin marketing in L.A.

“L.A.?”

— Although Dragon Rider gained popularity there, there’s also a huge community of Koreans there. We will do proper promotion through newspapers, magazines, and Amazon. It’s great that the story was widely spread in L.A.

“Thank you.”

— I should be the one thanking you. And our CEO, Ben, likes it too. About your English pen name.

“Ahaha... It’s hard to come up with a pen name, so I’m ashamed. Did he recognize it right away?”

— He wondered why it sounded so familiar and was belatedly surprised. It’s our honor, so you don’t have to be ashamed, it’s good.

After discussing Human's Malice, they moved on to talk about The Breath. They discussed its sales, movie adaptation status, and Director Chris Nolan. Then, the call finally ended.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah.” Ha Jae-Gun turned around.

Lee Soo-Hee was in the middle of preparing the broth while wearing a comfortable T-shirt and shorts. Ha Jae-Gun let out a regrettable sigh.

“You changed already?”

“Are you kidding me? You talked on the phone for over twenty minutes. Dinner’s almost done, so come over.”

Instead of sitting down, Ha Jae-Gun turned off the stove where the broth was boiling. Then, he lifted Lee Soo-Hee in a heartbeat and held her in his arms.

“We should continue with what we were doing.”

“Is it that hard to control yourself? You’re such a beast.”

The lights that were shining on Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee went out as the two began expressing their affection for each other.

Meanwhile, Eden gave up on his sleep and began working.

Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee finished their dinner and watched a movie. Just as they were about to head to bed, Eden was still about to begin editing the manuscript.

The next day at 7 p.m. in Korea, Ha Jae-Gun received the proposed covers from Open House.

The title of the English edition was The Malice, and the author was Eden Smith. Needless to say, the name was put together using the names of Open House’s CEO Ben Smith, and Editor-in-chief Eden Couper.

***

“Michael, what are you so engrossed in reading? The Malice?”

“It’s a newly published book, just released last week! I was interested in it since it was published by Open House, which published Dragon Rider too.”

“What is it about? Is it a fantasy story?”

“No, it’s about a cold and evil protagonist with only eyes for his own success. It’s dark and has depth.”

“Ugh, I hate those novels the most.”

“But it's so appealing. It's heavy without being boring. You’ll like it too since you're Korean.”

“What has that got to do with me?”

“The protagonist is a Korean; he was adopted into the U.S. when he was young. I’m almost done reading this, so I’ll lend it to you after.”

“Really? Thanks. I should give it a try then.”

The Malice started out without any fanfare. It had been three or four days since its publication, but no one had mentioned it on the Internet. Almost no readers were interested in the novel written by an unfamiliar author called Eden Smith.

Of course, Open House did not put any hope that the novel would see results in the near future. They only continued the marketing efforts that they had promised Ha Jae-Gun.

Was it thanks to The Breath that the recognition they had gained in the market, especially in L.A., had increased significantly? Or was it because the protagonist of The Malice was a Korean adopted to the U.S.?

As time passed, news of the novel began spreading in the local Korean community through word of mouth. The Americans who had read The Malice began uploading their reviews on their own social media or blogs.

- Wow, having such a rude and trashy guy as the protagonist! I really hoped that he would just drown at the end.

- Who is Eden Smith? I can say with certainty that this person isn't a new writer. This must be a famous writer publishing under a new pen name just to test their skills.

- This novel has pierced through my chest and into my heart! It's almost like our lives, terrifying, profound, light, and pleasant!

- Why did such a great novel like this not get printed in hardcover? Are the employees of Open House all dumb?

- I’m a 39-year-old housewife residing in California. This novel written by Eden Smith has become my life's book. Are they really a new writer? Otherwise please reveal your real identity. I'd like to read all your previous books.

As the readers' reviews spread through the Internet, more and more people learned about The Malice.

The Malice began seeing more sales day by day as it was sold through the large bookstores and online shopping malls.

Ha Jae-Gun was already aware of the U.S. readers’ responses. Lee Soo-Hee had been looking up their responses daily, so there was no way he wouldn't know about it.

“There are only praises for it even on Facebook.” Lee Soo-Hee smiled brightly as she looked at the monitor screen. As usual, she sat on Ha Jae-Gun's lap after returning home from work immediately and looked up new readers' responses.

“Having a professional translator is indeed different. They were able to retain the original work’s charm. You must be happy, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun.”

“Of course. I should give them a call one of these days to express my thanks.”

Bzzt!

“Oh, it's Professor Han Hae-Sun.”

“Oh my, Professor Han?” Lee Soo-Hee jumped out from Ha Jae-Gun's lap immediately.

Ha Jae-Gun reached out for his phone and answered the call. “Yes, Professor Han. This is Ha Jae-Gun.”

— Have you had dinner?

“Not yet. Have you eaten, Professor?”

— Of course, I have. How's life as a newlywed?

“It's great.”

— I can tell just by listening to your voice. Your voice is dripping with honey.

Ha Jae-Gun and Han Hae-Sun broke into chuckles at the same time. Lee Soo-Hee listened intently, curious about their conversation.

— Responses for The Malice in the U.S. seem quite good.

“Ah, you've seen it, Professor?” Ha Jae-Gun replied happily. Han Hae-Sun was one of the very few people to know that The Malice was his work.

— Of course, I have to read it since it's a novel written by my best student. And this is the best novel you've ever written amongst all your works. There's nothing more for me to teach you; I should be learning from you instead.

“Please don't say that. You should guide me for the rest of my life.”

— I'm proud of you. Ah, I called because I was wondering when it'll be published in Korea.

“Ah, it should be sometime next week. There won't be any pre-orders for it, though.”

— Okay. I hope it is published early so that I can share my book review with others.

Ha Jae-Gun's eyes widened instantly. “You wrote a review?”

— Why do you sound so surprised? I'll be sharing it through Smashing Literacy, so just be aware of it. Ah, I'm not showing off just because I adore you. So don't feel burdened or misunderstand anything. I just wrote a review because The Malice is a good novel. Hohoho.

“Professor... Thank you so much for always looking out for me.”

— Buy me a delicious meal tomorrow, then.

“Of course, Professor. Please let me know what you'd like to have.”

— Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then. How is Lee Soo-Hee doing?

Just as Han Hae-Sun brought Lee Soo-Hee up, Lee Soo-Hee butted into the conversation at the same time.

“Professor~ I was afraid that you'd hang up without asking about me.”

— Oh my my, Lee Soo-Hee was with Ha Jae-Gun the entire time?

“Hahaha. Professor, I'll hand the phone to Lee Soo-Hee now.”

On that same night, The Malice was mentioned on L.A.Times. It wasn't an advertisement sent out by Open House, but it was mentioned in an article written by L.A. Times. It included a brief summary of the novel and a few unusual responses from the readers.

And the happiest person about all this was OongSung Publication Group’s editor-in-chief, Oh Myung-Suk...

He was still contemplating how he was supposed to do marketing for a novel that was published under the name of Eden Smith, which was an unfamiliar name to just about anyone. However, he finally had an idea, all thanks to the article from L.A. Times.

He came up with a promotional tagline that he could use on the book’s ribbon.