Big Life

Chapter 287: You Are Leaving When They Are Applauding? (6)

Thud!

Oh Myung-Suk lost his balance and barely caught himself on the railings. Ha Jae-Gun’s feedback was exactly the same as his feedback. Oh Myung-Suk had indeed felt like his father's writing had regressed.

Ha Jae-Gun added, “The most problematic issue here is that there was too little evidence to support the main character’s motive to murder. Of course, I agree that humans may choose to murder others without any reason since there exist all sorts of people in this world.”

Oh Myung-Suk stood quietly in a corner of the stairway, listening to Ha Jae-Gun’s feedback. Oh Tae-Jin seemed to be allowing Ha Jae-Gun to speak as well, as he remained silent. “But this is a novel. If there’s no evidence, it should at least be entertaining.

"However, the story is dry overall and is only filled with boring information. Not only that, most of the information is wrong too. I have brought some materials that should be of some use to you, Chairman. Please give me a moment.”

Ha Jae-Gun’s advice was forthcoming. Oh Myung-Suk couldn’t see it, but he could guess what Ha Jae-Gun would be like now. Ha Jae-Gun always forgot about everything else when it came to discussions about novels and writings. It didn’t matter even if the other party was a former chairman of a large conglomerate.

‘This… is this good for him?’ Ha Jae-Gun’s points continued to shoot like ammo. Oh Myung-Suk leaned his head against the wall, biting on his lips. He could sympathize with the pain his father was feeling as a writer, and it was heart-wrenching for him.

“And this is material I organized when interviewing a karaoke helper when I wrote Storm and Gale back in the day. These are materials I obtained through a forensics scientist when I wrote Summer in My 20s. I’ll give them to you, so please go ahead and reference from them.”

“Thank you… so much… Writer Ha…” Oh Myung-Suk finally heard his father’s voice for the first time during this entire conversation, which was filled with intimidation.

***

[Records of the Modern Master written by Ha Jae-Gun and starring Park Do-Joon has exceeded 120 million viewers in China alone. The ginormous number has rewritten the box office history in China, confirming that it’s the top box office in China’s film history…]

[It has recorded 3,789 billion Chinese yuan, which is around 640 million Korean won so far, and there are still public visiting the cinemas to watch the movie…]

[The movie’s response is no different in Korea. It has exceeded 15 million viewers, solidifying its position as the movie with the second-highest box office in Korea’s history. The number of screenings nationwide isn’t being reduced, but is increasing instead…]

[In other news, Ha Jae-Gun’s The Breath: Dragon Rider will be released soon. It will be released in over 30 countries around the world, excluding North America. Movie director Chris Nolan has shown great confidence in this movie through a recent interview.]

~

Tadak! Tadak! Tadadak!

News began playing from the wall-mounted TV, but Oh Tae-Jin’s fingers didn’t seem like they would stop typing anytime. He had intentionally left the TV on, as he wouldn't be able to concentrate on writing if things got too quiet today.

‘Yes, I got to show the main character’s hatred for this scene here…’

Oh Tae-Jin wiped away the sweat from his forehead while he was engrossed in his writing. The endless news related to Ha Jae-Gun could not even distract him. In fact, news of the movie performing well and getting the top box office in China did not attract Oh Tae-Jin’s attention at all.

The retired chairman wanted not commercial success but genuine compliments from fellow writers, including his eldest son.

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking on the door came from behind, but Oh Tae-Jin did not hear it. The door opened slightly, and his wife stepped in cautiously.

“Honey, it’s time for lunch.”

“Ah… Alright. I didn’t know that's already the time.”

Oh Tae-Jin filled in the period on the last sentence and stretched his body. His wife came up from behind and gave him a shoulder massage. She was beautiful, and she looked at least fifteen years younger than Oh Tae-Jin.

Moreover, she still didn't have any children of her own even now.

“The air in here is quite murky; we should ventilate the room.” His wife drew all the curtains and opened the windows. The dark study turned bright within moments as the sunlight in May poured into the room.

Oh Tae-Jin became drowsy as he leaned back into the chair.

“How is your writing? Is it going well?” asked his wife.

“I’m not sure,” Oh Tae-Jin replied with a stiff expression. He had been writing with ardent fervor, but he didn’t feel satisfied at all. Ha Jae-Gun was right; his writing was regressing day by day. He wasn't sure whether it was because of his anxiety or not, but he hadn't been able to eat properly these days as well.

“My heart aches to see you hole up in your study as soon as you retire. Isn’t it great to go traveling instead when the weather is so good? Or maybe visit Myung-Hoon—”

“Forget it.” Oh Tae-Jin shook his head, cutting off his wife. “You should go visit him with Myung-Suk one of these days instead.”

“…”

“Why that expression? You’ve been living with him for so many years, so why are you still so distant to Myung-Suk?”

“It’s not that… I just find him difficult…”

“I can’t believe I just heard that from you.” Oh Tae-Jin clicked his tongue, expressing his annoyance. When he was about to step away for dinner, the TV screen changed, and the newscaster’s voice played.

[Breaking news. Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s The Malice has been honored in the international category of the Man Booker Prize in the U.K.]

“…?!” Oh Tae-Jin gulped nervously, afraid to even look at the screen. First, the Prix Goncourt and now, the Man Booker Prize? The breaking news played on the TV, seemingly ignoring Oh Tae-Jin's complicated emotions.

~

[The editor-in-chief of Open House, who held the license to The Malice in the U.S., is here at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where the award ceremony and official dinner is being held. Writer Ha Jae-Gun did not attend as he was worried about his pregnant wife…]

~

Pat!

Oh Tae-Jin’s wife turned off the TV. Oh Tae-Jin turned around in anger, making her flinch in fear. “I turned it off because we’re leaving the room. Should I turn it back on?”

“…”

“Honey…?” Her eyes grew as she sensed the unusual tension in the air.

The angered Oh Tae-Jin was not looking at her but glaring at the TV that was now turned off.

“I just thought of the old days.”

“What do you mean?”

“I love my subordinates who were outspoken. They aren’t extremely careful about others, don’t flatter others, and boldly put their opinions forward for the company’s development. I would generously support them and use them well to grow Oong Sung to where it is now.”

Why was Oh Tae-Jin bringing that up now? His anxious wife listened to him in silence.

“But my thoughts changed slightly after my retirement. Perhaps it’s because of my old age? I like those who are able to moderately entertain me, and so those who would sometimes hurt others with their words… I am too exhausted to experience those tiring emotions.”

“Honey…?”

Oh Tae-Jin shut his eyes tight and dropped his head. The image of Ha Jae-Gun sitting before him dismantling this work appeared in his eyes. He would not be able to forget the shameful memory of himself being thrown out into the cold while naked until the day he lay on his deathbed.

“Just one is fine… I can’t believe I’m only allowed that one honor throughout my life that isn't even considered short…”

He sighed briefly—so brief that his wife didn’t even hear it. Oh Tae-Jin then slowly looked up at his wife who could not utter even a word of consolation. “Have lunch without me.”

“Sorry?”

“I need to organize my thoughts first.”

“But, honey, you haven't been able to eat properly since breakfast…”

A blaze burned in Oh Tae-Jin’s eyes. “Didn’t I say that I need some time to organize my thoughts?!”

“A-alright. I’m sorry, honey…” His wife went out of the study as if running from him.

Now alone, Oh Tae-Jin took a while to calm down his rough breathing. Then, he headed for the safe tucked away in a corner of his study as soon as he calmed down.

Creaaaak.

The safe opened and showed a pile of old notes. Most of them were unpublished works written by Oh Tae-Jin himself. Aside from the notes, there were also faded photos and letters, memories that he had difficulty bringing up to his family.

Oh Tae-Jin’s fingers tingled at the deepest corner of the safe. He even struggled briefly in conflict, which felt like a bolt out of the blue. He felt suffocated when his fingers touched it.

‘Just once…’ Oh Tae-Jin finally pulled it out from the safe. It was a USB stick that was the size of his pinky finger.

It was the first time he had ever taken it out of the safe after keeping it in there many years ago. Back then, his friend’s ribs had been crushed by an electric shock, and that was how he had obtained it.

Bzzt!

Just then, his phone rang on the table. It was a call from Oh Myung-Suk, who was working at the office. Oh Tae-Jin closed the safe and flipped his phone. He did not have the confidence to talk to his eldest son right now.

***

“Ahh… Ah… Ugh…” Ha Jae-Gun could not utter a single word. He felt his insides bloat as if he had swallowed a whole burning tofu; he couldn’t even hear himself as hot tears welled up in his eyes.

“Seriously… Soo-Hee, this is really… This isn’t a dream, right?”

Lee Soo-Hee was in bed with a bright smile. Despite that, she looked blue under all the sweat in her hair and an already wet towel. It was indeed the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. However, the pain was gone, and all that was left was happiness.

“It's been really hard on you. Thank you… Really, thank you…”

“You should be smiling if you're happy. Why are you crying?”

“I'm just too happy… too happy… that I…”

Ha Jae-Gun's tears could not defy gravity and eventually fell on his child's cheeks, whom he was holding in his arms. Ha Jae-Gun was caught by surprise and quickly wiped away the tears from his eyes.

“Sorry, Eun-Chae. You must be shocked, right?” This was the first time Ha Jae-Gun called out his daughter’s name. It was a name he had come up with after discussing it with Lee Soo-Hee a few months back.

They did not prepare another name just in case they had a baby boy. Ha Jae-Gun only hoped that they would give birth to a daughter looking exactly like Lee Soo-Hee.

“Daddy is sorry. Daddy is being weird now. I keep trembling and crying. I should be smiling, but I can't help it. Please understand Daddy, dearie.”

Lee Soo-Hee raised her hand to wipe tears from the corner of her eyes as well. She cried at the sight of her husband unable to control himself from the bundle of happiness he had in his arms.

They came to the ER a few times because of the contractions before Lee Soo-Hee went into labor. Now, the hardships had become a precious memory that they could look back on with smiles.

“You tortured Mommy so much while you were in her tummy yet now you're so obedient?”

“Hahaha, I know right? Why is our daughter so pretty? How did she get that perfect smile at all? Soo-Hee, she's a splitting image of you.”

“Do you see yourself saying that?”

“Yeah, it's so clear to me. I really see you in her.”

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun's phone rang; it was a call from his older sister, Ha Jae-In. Ha Jae-Gun laid Eun-Chae down with Lee Soo-Hee and picked up his phone.

“Yeah, noona.”

— Congratulations, Ha Jae-Gun! To think that you've finally become a father! I still can't believe it!

“I also found it unrealistic to see Noona being a mother four years back.”

— How dare you. I can't move my entire body right now. Mom and Dad are visiting in my stead; they are on the way over. Is Soo-Hee okay?

“Yeah, she's fine. Noona, how should I express my feelings to you now? Did you feel the same way back then?”

— Why, did you just feel the happiness the main characters in novels or dramas felt when they gave birth to their child?

“It's amazing, noona. This is like… yeah, like all the worlds I have come into contact with are all in Eun-Chae now. Eun-Chae is me, and I am Eun-Chae. Do you understand what I'm saying, Noona? You know it, right? Yeah? You understand, right?”

— This boy is going crazy. Now that Ha Jae-Gun has become a fool for his daughter, can you even write properly at this rate?

3rd August, 5.17 pm…

It was a midsummer day, a week after the movie, The Breath, was released. Ha Jae-Gun held his August baby in his arms, and there was nothing else he could ask for in this world.