Big Life

“Gyu-Min oppa, it’s here.”

“Oh, really? Where? Where?”

“Shh, quiet, or it’ll fly away.” Eun-Chae put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

Eun-Chae was now six years old, and she looked exactly the same as Lee Soo-Hee when the latter was young, except that Eun-Chae had gentle-looking eyes, unlike her mother, which resembled her father’s eyes.

“I’m going to catch it.” Nam Gyu-Min stared hard at the dragonfly resting on the tree and reached out for it slowly.

Nam Gyu-Min, who was four weeks older than Eun-Chae, had inherited his father's temperament. He would always take the initiative in everything and was unstoppable.

“Don't catch it, oppa.”

“Why not?”

“You're going to get hurt if you fail. I feel sorry for it, so let's just look at it.”

“I won't catch it since you said so.” Gyu-Min licked his lips in disappointment, withdrawing his hand. If it had been someone else, he wouldn't have listened to them.

“Eun-Chae! Gyu-Min! Come and have some fruit.”

“Yes, Auntie! Oppa, let's go.”

Eun-Chae and Gyu-Min ran across the spacious garden. It was the very same garden where Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee held their wedding, and now, it had become a great playground for the children.

“Eun-Chae, look at me.” Gyu-Min stopped running suddenly. An area had been dug up to make a swimming pool for the children, and Ha Jae-Gun had called the construction workers to begin work on it just the day before.

“I can run from here to there.”

“Don't do it, oppa. You'll get hurt.”

“I won't… look! Yaaaaa~! Ackk!”

“Nam Gyu-Min!” Ha Jae-In exclaimed. Ha Jae-In was cutting fruits on the terrace, and she stood up in shock when she saw what her son was doing.

Nam Gyu-Ho threw the newspaper in his hand and ran over. Gyu-Min rolled into the hole and was crouching on the ground, hugging his scraped knee with a deep frown.

“I told you not to do anything dangerous; why don't you listen?!”

“I wouldn't have fallen if my foot didn't get caught by a branch.” Gyu-Min pouted as he was picked up by Nam Gyu-Ho. He wanted to look cool in front of Eun-Chae, but he ended up getting embarrassed.

“What did I say? I said not to do anything dangerous right? Tell me, Nam Gyu-Min. Did you just do something dangerous or not?”

“...I did.”

“Are you going to do it again?”

“I'm going to do it without getting hurt next time.”

“You punk?! Just who do you take after?!” Ha Jae-In came out and let out a heavy sigh.

“Of course, he takes after you, who else? Gyu-Min, come here. Let's go wash the wound and apply some medication.”

“Yes, Mommy. Heeheehee.”

“Oh my, Young Master Gyu-Min. There's no need to be so happy leaving your father's side. There's the enjoyable reflection essay writing time you're spending with your mommy.”

Gyu-Min turned pale in an instant.

“I'm sorry, mommy. I won't do it again. Please forgive me. Mm? Please, Mommy.”

Ha Jae-In dragged the pleading Gyu-Min into the house. Nam Gyu-Ho shook his head helplessly and then held Eun-Chae's hand, heading back to the terrace, where Lee Soo-Hee was by herself.

“Don't scold him too much, CEO.” Lee Soo-Hee continued cutting the fruits from where Ha Jae-In had left off.

Nam Gyu-Ho sat Eun-Chae on his lap and replied, “If he were only at least a quarter obedient like Eun-Chae, it would be great. Could you really not scold him if you were in my shoes, CEO Lee?”

Nam Gyu-Ho addressed Lee Soo-Hee as CEO, as it had been three years since she had resigned from Nextion and established her own mobile game company. It seemed that it would still take a long time before they would move on to address each other on personal terms like "brother-in-law" and "sister-in-law."

“How can a boy be the same as a girl? I like how Gyu-Min is energetic.”

“Of course, of course. He's so energetic that I would always be fuming.”

They heard footsteps from afar and found Ha Jae-Gun and Park Do-Joon coming out from the basement lounge. They had gone down for a round of billiards and resurfaced with contrasting expressions on their faces. Lee Soo-Hee knew the outcome of the game after seeing how disgusted Park Do-Joon looked.

“What's wrong? I never thought Mr. Do-Joon would lose to my husband at billiards.”

“Yeah. I did wire action stunts for three weeks straight; my arm muscles aren't listening to me.”

“Stop with the excuses. You're ordering the black bean noodles for everyone. Brother-in-law, noona, Soo-Hee, Gyu-Min, and even Eun-Chae's portions.”

“Look at him taking advantage of me, Ms. Soo-Hee! Isn't this too much coming from someone whose name even went on The World's Billionaires list?”

Lee Soo-Hee chuckled as she watched the two men bickering against each other.

Park Do-Joon had just returned last week after filming the last trilogy for the Records series in China. The second movie that premiered last year broke China's record and became the number one box office movie. It did way much better than the first movie. Thanks to that, Park Do-Joon had become a legend in both Korea and China.

“Ha Jae-Gun, you know that we're meeting Director Yoon Tae-Sung next week, right?”

“Of course, I remember it. I've finished reviewing the scenario, too.”

They were discussing The Malice. They had brought up talks of its movie adaptation many years ago, and it was finally going into production this year. Hong Ye-Seul’s casting for the main female lead was almost confirmed as well.

“How's it going for The Breath Part Three?”

“I'm writing the last volume now. I think it'll turn into a clean ending.”

“That's a relief. Part Three should become a huge success, too. If the movie adaptation is a success this time, then it'll definitely beat Harrison Potter.” Park Do-Joon wasn't exaggerating.

The Breath series had been translated and published in 68 different languages, achieving an accumulative sales of a whopping 290 million copies. The series was selling like hotcakes even right now.

“I seriously never expected it to surpass Titanic,” Park Do-Joon said, chewing on a slice of apple. He was referring to The Breath Part Two.

The movie raked in a whopping 2.2 billion dollars in sales, becoming the second largest box office hit globally. It also swept almost all the awards in all categories at the Oscars, which was a representative award in the U.S.

“The game had also become a hit thanks to that,” Nam Gyu-Ho chimed in.

The Breath Online, developed by Nextion, was able to build a strong foundation globally thanks to the movie's huge success. It employed the use of a thousand servers globally, not just in Korea.

It had become the catalyst that led to the great revival of MMORPG games. Of course, it had also established itself as Nextion's global representative game.

“I hope Mr. Do-Joon can keep being the ambassador for The Breath Online. I don't think there's a better fit than you in this world.”

“Thank you for the compliments.” Park Do-Joon cleared his throat and gave a light bow.

Although Park Do-Joon was always labeled as the top star, he was humble before Nam Gyu-Ho due to the unapproachable aura Nam Gyu-Ho was giving off. Finding the scene amusing, Ha Jae-Gun turned away, chuckling to himself.

“Time really flies,” Lee Soo-Hee muttered as she looked in the distance while standing in the garden.

The three men followed her gaze and saw the mausoleum—Self-Assembled Milky Way—which was built to commemorate Seo Gun-Woo. The building was visible, as it stood on the foot of the mountain.

“Writer Seo Sang-Do has come back for good, right?”

“Yeah, with Ms. Yeon-Ju.” Ha Jae-Gun nodded in response.

Love came to fruition between them not too long ago. Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee attended their wedding in Gyeongju and congratulated the newlywed couple.

‘Elder, it's been five years, but I have yet to complete Great Life. It might take longer than expected; you'll understand me, right?’ Ha Jae-Gun asked as he looked at the mausoleum.

Aside from Great Life, all other works by Seo Gun-Woo had been published as complete collections and had become bestsellers. There was only one uncompleted novel left, and Ha Jae-Gun had been having a hard time filling in the blanks.

‘But I won't fret over it, as it is your work, after all. Just as how you have penned everything with a pencil… I will definitely close it properly, no matter how long it takes me. Please look forward to it.’

Ha Jae-Gun's knees suddenly felt warm. Ha Jae-Gun smiled, not even bothering to look down. Rika was curled up on his lap, the same way she did when they first met at Seo Gun-Woo’s grave during the time when he couldn't see his own future.

He stroked Rika, and soon, two smaller cats leaped onto his lap, one after the other.

However, Nun-Sol, their father, was nowhere to be found. Nun-Sol had to be away somewhere in a corner, napping as always.

On that same evening, Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee went to bed earlier than usual after putting Eun-Chae to sleep. The duvet was slightly thicker for October's weather, and Lee Soo-Hee pulled it up to her chest before asking, “Are you not worried at all?”

“About what?”

“Didn't you watch the news?”

“I don’t really watch TV. Why? What news is on now?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Why? What is it?”

“It’s really nothing. Let’s sleep.” Lee Soo-Hee changed the subject and hugged herself in Ha Jae-Gun’s embrace.

Ha Jae-Gun didn't probe any further, but he laughed and became his wife’s arm pillow.

“Right… Are you meeting Vice President Wu Dawang?”

“Of course. He wants to meet me so badly, but thanks to him, the Korea-China content business is going well, too.”

“He must like you a lot, saying that the project won’t go on without you. He even said that to the media. Even the Ministry of Culture was flustered about it. you’re really… incredible…” Lee Soo-Hee’s voice grew increasingly lower, and she eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Ha Jae-Gun pecked her cheek and turned off the night light.

Just as he was about to fall asleep in the darkness…

Bzzt!

His phone on the nightstand vibrated briefly, which meant that he had just received a text message. Ha Jae-Gun turned around carefully and grabbed his phone. The name shown on the screen made his sleepiness go away.

‘Oh Myung-Hoon…?’ He had long forgotten that name. It was a name that had been buried deep in his contact list, and it reflected vividly in his eyes. The last time he saw Oh Myung-Hoon was when the latter fell into the river, and Ha Jae-Gun was reminded of that scene.

‘I wonder what’s up?’ Ha Jae-Gun swallowed nervously as he opened the text message and was instantly dumbfounded. The text message contained only one word.

- Congratulations.

‘Congratulations? Why…?’

Ha Jae-Gun racked his brains, trying to understand what Oh Myung-Hoon was congratulating him for, but nothing came to mind. He was exhausted from the day’s activities and came to a conclusion.

‘He must have sent it to the wrong person.’

With that assumption, Ha Jae-Gun chuckled. After all, Oh Myung-Hoon hated him so much, yet Oh Myung-Hoon’s phone number had never changed.

Ha Jae-Gun put down his phone, trying to sleep. However, was forced to open his eyes less than a minute later. This time, it wasn’t a message but a phone call.

‘Huh? Why is Reporter Hyun calling at this hour?’

Ha Jae-Gun received an incoming call from Hyun Sung-Beom, a reporter at Weekly Trends, who had been promoted to the position of Editor-in-chief. Hyun Sung-Beom was always polite and would never call at such a late hour without a good reason.

Thus, Ha Jae-Gun answered the phone immediately.

“Yes, Reporter Hyun.”

— I apologize for calling so late. Were you sleeping?

“It’s fine, please speak. What’s the matter?” Ha Jae-Gun spoke so softly, afraid that he would wake Lee Soo-Hee up.

Hyun Sung-Beom responded in the same volume as well.

— Congratulations, Writer Ha.

“What do you mean?”

— Haha, what else is there to congratulate you now? I called you as soon as I saw the breaking news.

“Reporter Hyun, what are you congratulating me for?”

— Eh? Mr. Ha, do you really not know? You’re not joking, right?

“I’m not joking.”

— Aigoo, you’re really clueless. I think it’ll be hard for you to fall asleep tonight, Mr. Ha. You’ll be getting calls coming in from everywhere, as you’re the Nobel Prize winner in Literature.

“What…? Reporter Hyun, what did you just say…”

— The Nobel Prize, Mr. Ha. The Malice has been selected as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. All the nominated works were strictly confidential, but wow…! Congratulations! You’re not only the first Korean writer to win it, but you’ve also broken the record of Albert Camus as the youngest to win the prize.

“Ah, I see… Ahaha… Thank you,” Ha Jae-Gun replied with a smile. Ha Jae-Gun felt strangely calm. He was excited, but why was he calm as well? Even Ha Jae-Gun was surprised at himself.

— You don’t sound very excited. You’re indeed different, Mr. Ha. You’ve been awarded such a huge award, yet you can still stay composed. However, my heart is racing at the news; my hands and legs are shaking.

“Thank you for telling me. I wouldn't have known until tomorrow if you hadn't told me,” Ha Jae-Gun said. The two proceeded to have small talk for a while longer before the call finally ended.

Just as he had turned his phone into silent mode, Lee Soo-Hee turned over and slowly opened her eyes.

“Mm… Who called?”

“Oh, it was Reporter Hyun Sung-Beom.”

“What did he say?”

“I’ve been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.”

Lee Soo-Hee chuckled softly as she slowly dozed off again, treating Ha Jae-Gun’s words as a joke.

“Congratulations…”

“Thank you. Go back to sleep.” Ha Jae-Gun stroked Lee Soo-Hee’s back, and Ha Jae-Gun thought of the bad blood between him and Oh Myung-Hoon since their university days. He finally understood what the "congratulations" meant.

‘He’s still the same, making others speechless.’

Ha Jae-Gun never imagined he would receive congratulations from the person who hated him the most. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. It was bitter, but it did not leave an aftertaste.

‘I probably won’t be able to see you decades later until you die… But I wish you well. Thank you, Myung-Hoon.’

Bzzt!

“Ah, who is it at this hour…” Lee Soo-Hee frowned, turning away. It was a call from her mother, Yeon-Ok.

“Mom, what’s wrong…? Hm? Mm…? What? What did you say? Really?!” Lee Soo-Hee’s eyes widened, sitting up in bed immediately.

Ha Jae-Gun tilted his head, wondering what happened.

But not long after, Lee Soo-Hee yelled at him. “You’re bad!”

“Whoa, Lee Soo-Hee!” Ha Jae-Gun exclaimed.

Lee Soo-Hee had thrown her arms around Ha Jae-Gun, pulling her into a hug. Nun-Sol and Rika came in through the door which was left ajar, running in like a train.

***

Click, click, click!

Rain and snow were both falling on the ground on this particular December day, but the Incheon International Airport was brimming with reporters despite the weather, and one could see camera flashes everywhere.

Their target was only one person.

“Mr. Ha Jae-Gun! Please give a comment! How do you feel right now?”

“Are you working on your next novel? The novel that you mentioned on the radio literature broadcast, which was hosted by Announcer Park Hye-Sang. Can you tell us the title?”

“What is your life motto? Could you share it for the sake of your readers?”

“You’ve prepared an acceptance speech, right? Could you share a little bit of it?”

Having been Immediately surrounded by reporters, Ha Jae-Gun took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was on his way to the Sweden Academy, and Lee Soo-Hee stood next to him.

“Please, Mr. Ha. Please say something.”

Ha Jae-Gun scratched his head awkwardly with a smile as he stood in the large crowd of reporters. There was no way he could answer all of their questions.

“Big Life,” Ha Jae-Gun finally said.

The reporters stared at him blankly.

“Mr. Ha? What did you just say?”

“I said, Big Life.”

“Big Life? Sorry, but what is that?”

“That’s the only answer I can give to all of you here. I’m sorry that I can’t comment on anything else.” Ha Jae-Gun held Lee Soo-Hee’s hand and turned around to leave.

As they walked away, Seo Gun-Woo’s voice seemed to echo in his head.

- Did you really need to introduce it in English?

- It’s the global era, Elder. I’ll be publishing it as Great Life in Korea and Big Life overseas.

- Don’t get ahead of yourself. You can’t even complete it, so don’t talk about publishing overseas. I don’t know anymore—do whatever you want.

- Hahaha, please rest well and watch over me.

Ha Jae-Gun passed the gate briskly as if he had wings on his back. It felt like Seo Gun-Woo’s soul was giving him a push.

“You look really happy.”

“Of course.”

Ha Jae-Gun was so grateful that his eyes turned red, and he suddenly felt like screaming at the top of his lungs to let those—who were living their life to the fullest right now—hear that there was always a better tomorrow and that they should not forget that the happiness of those who were kind would last forever—Big Life.

<The End>