Chapter 251. Just Need You Gone (2)
Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak!
As usual, loud typing sounds rang through the office today. Ha Jae-Gun was also among the writers diligently working on their writing.
“Why is Writer Ha here working with us today?” Jeon Bong-Yi whispered to Yang Hyun-Kyung beside her out of curiosity since Ha Jae-Gun would usually work alone in his own room whenever he came to the office.
Yang Hyun-Kyung glanced in Ha Jae-Gun’s direction and then whispered back, “I asked him earlier, and he seemed to be slightly depressed.”
“Depressed? Why? Did something bad happen?”
“It’s not that. I think it’s because his current work is ‘darker’ than his previous works.”
Ha Jae-Gun was oblivious to Jeon Bong-Yi and Yang Hyun-Kyung’s conversations about him and only focused on his writing.
Yang Hyun-Kyung was right. Ha Jae-Gun indeed felt mentally deprived the more he worked on his writing while holed up in his room.
‘That elder must have been a writer, too.’ As he diligently worked on his writing, the elderly man’s face surfaced in his mind. Was it because of the elderly man’s review that Ha Jae-Gun was now writing with a more detailed structure?
‘When can I see him again?’ It was his mistake to believe that the elderly man would return after going to the washroom. Still, Ha Jae-Gun somehow felt relieved. There wasn’t a basis for it, but he felt that he might be able to meet the elderly man somewhere near his house soon.
‘Shall I take a break?’
Ha Jae-Gun wrapped up his last sentence for now and stood up to stretch his body.
He spotted Lee Yeon-Woo nodding off beside him like a sick chicken.
“Why do you look so tired? Did you not sleep well last night?”
“Huh…!” Lee Yeon-Woo raised his head in surprise as Ha Jae-Gun tapped him lightly on his shoulder. Ha Jae-Gun smiled, and then he massaged Lee Yeon-Woo’s shoulders.
“I’m fine, hyung.”
“Your shoulders are so stiff. Come, let’s go have a cup of coffee.”
The two of them held a cup of coffee each and sat down across from each other at the kitchen table. Ha Jae-Gun took a sip of his cold coffee and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just didn’t sleep well.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m the healthiest person here in the office.” Lee Yeon-Woo smiled as he pulled out his phone, which had just vibrated, indicating that a notification had arrived.
“…!” Lee Yeon-Woo’s jaw dropped in shock when he saw the name of the text message’s sender. He totally forgot that Ha Jae-Gun was with him.
– This is Oh Myung-Hoon. There’s something I couldn’t tell you yesterday, afraid that it’d be disrespectful of me to say it. I mentioned that I’ve been reading your blog, and I unintentionally learned of your situation. We can arrange an officetel for you and your mother to stay in Seoul while our exclusive contract is ongoing. Please feel free to contact me if you’re agreeable to signing the contract. I’ll be waiting for your reply.
‘No way…!’ Lee Yeon-Woo’s hands trembled as he held his phone tightly. Oh Myung-Hoon had truly acknowledged him. Otherwise, why would the other party be willing to provide an officetel in Seoul for him and his mother?
The excitement that he had tried his best to suppress overnight surged and took over him once more.
A rosy future seemed to be unfolding before his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah…It’s nothing wrong.”
“What do you mean nothing? Is it from home?”
“No, I forgot that it was my friend’s birthday today. I was feeling apologetic. I’ll have to treat my friend to a meal next time. Hahaha.” Lee Yeon-Woo laughed it off. He didn’t mean to lie to Ha Jae-Gun, as great expectations would bring about the same amount of disappointment, after all.
He decided to share with Ha Jae-Gun when he had proven himself with actual results.
‘It’s not too late for me to show off once things are confirmed. This will surprise Ha Jae-Gun hyung, right?’
Imagining the exclamations of everyone, including Ha Jae-Gun, made Lee Yeon-Woo smile in delight.
Ha Jae-Gun took a step back with a strange look cast upon Lee Yeon-Woo. “You’re really weird today; why are your expressions so extreme?”
“No, I just found my friend funny and thought of the past—ah, right, Jae-Gun hyung.” Lee Yeon-Woo changed the topic and decided to ask something that he had been curious about before. “I heard that you’ve met the assistant secretary from the Ministry of Culture. What did you guys talk about for The Breath?”
“Yeah, but how should I explain it…” Ha Jae-Gun scratched his cheeks with a sigh, then continued, “They said not to continue Human’s Malice.”
“Why not?” Lee Yeon-Woo was so shocked that he stood up immediately. “I did object to it because the story was quite depressing, but why would he want you to stop working on it?”
“It’s a joke. He didn’t actually say that; he was just hoping that I would focus more attention on The Breath.”
“But aren’t you done with The Breath already?”
“Part two.”
“Part two?”
Ha Jae-Gun finished the rest of his coffee and nodded. “He asked if there was anything more to write about Edward and the dragon, wanting me to write part two of the novel.
“I was really surprised to know that he finished reading the entire novel. He gave me a lot of good feedback that could only come from those who had read the novel.”
“Wow!” Lee Yeon-Woo clapped in awe. “Korea’s greatest writer Poongchun-Yoo! Starts working on part two of The Breath after the deputy minister of the cultural department’s persuasion! Will that be the headline of the next article?”
“Stop making a fuss and sit down. We aren’t alone here.”
“Ah hyung, you’re really cool. Goodness, I never thought someone like the deputy minister would meet you personally and ask you to write a novel. It’s really awesome.”
“It’s not him requesting to meet me; I was the one who went to him. And he didn’t request me to do so; it was more like a suggestion. Lower your volume.” Ha Jae-Gun then stepped out of the kitchen. As he was heading back to his desk, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text message from Hong Ye-Seul.
– Oppa, I finished reading the entire volume 2 of the revised The Breath! It was so interesting that I almost missed my work schedule! I’ll take the book with me, so please sign it for me. In return, I’ll treat you to a meal! You know that I won’t be able to meet you as freely after your marriage, right? Hmph!
Ha Jae-Gun could imagine Hong Ye-Seul’s lively expression before him. A smile appeared on his face as he replied to her message.
***
“He replied so quickly!” Hong Ye-Seul wriggled her legs in the air excitedly while lying down. Just as she was about to check Ha Jae-Gun’s message, a call from an unknown number came in. “Who is this?”
This phone number was personal, and she hadn’t shared it with many people after becoming a celebrity. She tilted her head side to side but answered it regardless.
“Hello?”
— Is this Ms. Hong Ye-Seul?
The unfamiliar voice of a man sounded oddly cold. Hong Ye-Seul put up her guard and gripped her phone tightly. “Who…is this…?”
— It seems like I got the right number. Before I go into the topic, let me send something to your phone.
Rustling sounds came through for a while as Hong Ye-Seul waited nervously, biting on her lips.
“Please stop spam calling. I’ll be hanging up.”
— It’s not. Don’t be in such a hurry. Ah, I’ve just sent it.
“What are you send—” Her phone rang just as she was about to retort. Something was indeed sent to her.
‘But what is it that he sent?’ Hong Ye-Seul felt both annoyed and fearful as she looked at her phone screen. Whatever she saw immediately afterward made her eyes grow wide in shock.
“T-this is…?” Hong Ye-Seul couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering in fear, and even her body began to shiver as if she had just been thrown out into the cold winter.
The man had sent her a photo—more specifically, a photo of her when she was still working as a karaoke helper.
“H-how… how did…” Hong Ye-Seul muttered in shock, forgetting that she was still on the line with the unknown man.
The photo was blurry as if it were a screenshot grabbed from a CCTV.
However, it was by no means difficult to make out Hong Ye-Seul from the photo. She had on heavy makeup and donned a racy outfit. She was seen supporting a drunk customer down the hallway of the karaoke outlet.
It could also be interpreted that she was linking arms with the customer. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only photo she received. There were other photos of her past self in the same hallway or outside the building where the karaoke was located.
Hong Ye-Seul scrolled frantically through the photos. The last few photos made her gasp silently. Jae-Gun oppa…?!’
They were photos where she and Ha Jae-Gun were captured in the same frame, and one of them was them sitting in a bar. She had her legs on Ha Jae-Gun’s thigh, which was sufficient to make anyone mistake for them to be in some sort of relationship.
— I think you’re done looking through the photos?
The man’s low voice broke the silence.
Hong Ye-Seul tried to calm herself down and talked into the phone. “W-who are you?”
— Is that important?
“Do you know that this is a criminal offense? I’m not sure what you’re up to, but this is a threat, and I’m going to report it to the police immediately!” Hong Ye-Seul yelled into the phone, jumping to her feet.
However, all she heard was mocking laughter.
— Would you be able to report to the police? You’re going to suffer a ton of damage if these photos were leaked to the press.
“…!” Hong Ye-Seul was speechless. She had made a promise not to cry no matter how tough things got in the future, except for when she had to cry due to her acting job, so she shut her eyes tightly. However, hot tears still spilled down her cheeks.
“W-what do you… want?” Hong Ye-Seul felt utterly exhausted as she fell back onto the sofa. The ray of sunlight that was peeking through the curtain was slowly engulfed by a passing cloud.
***
— It’s getting more serious and known that you are unable to control your emotions. I shouldn’t be talking about my patient’s condition to anyone else but since it’s you, department head… I’m also worried about other complications developing as well. Did something happen to him? I don’t think he’s been taking medications regularly either.
Department Head Kang let out a heavy sigh as he stepped out of the hospital. Oh Myung-Hoon’s mental health had been deteriorating every day.
‘Where should I even begin to help him with his condition?’ He had always been Oh Myung-Hoon’s confidante since the latter was young. Oh Myung-Hoon had always told him that he was born with an unfair fate, and the unfairness of it had sprouted a hate that was growing so fast he couldn’t withstand it.
‘If that interferes with his daily life—no, it’s probably been interfering with his daily life.’ Department Head Kang let out a heavy sigh as he headed toward the carpark. He started the engine but could not bring himself to grab the steering wheel as he felt too confused and worried to the extent that he might cause an accident.
‘I need someone to stop the second young master…’
Department Head Kang had been assisting Oh Myung-Hoon for a long time in the shadows, even ignoring some laws along the way. He would do everything within his abilities to make sure Oh Myung-Hoon would get whatever he wanted.
But now… he thought that this couldn’t go on any further. Even if the current job succeeded, there was no way Oh Myung-Hoon would feel satisfied with it. He would definitely look for his next target and throw all of his hatred at them.
Bzzt!
Just then, his phone rang, making him jump. It was a call coming from the man sitting in the highest seat in his world, Oh Tae-Jin.
“Hello, chairman! This is Kang Tae-Gyu!”
— You’ve worked hard. I called because there’s something I want to ask.
“Yes, sir. Please ask.” Department Head Kang listened intently, as the chairman rarely called him.
— Is something wrong with Oh Myung-Hoon recently?
“S-second young master?”
— He seems quite stiff, doesn’t know where to look and often fidgets. It’s very strange. He keeps saying that nothing is up whenever I ask him.
“…!” Department Head Kang quickly stopped himself before a single sound could escape from his mouth. At the same time, he couldn’t help but think that a father would always be a father; nothing could escape their eyes when it came to their own child.
— I know that whenever he does this, it is a sign that he’s about to create trouble. That’s why I called you. Do you know anything about it?
”S, sir, about that…”
— What is it? Say it.
Department Head Kang looked at himself in the rearview mirror. Was this considered betrayal? Or was he going to make the right decision? As he couldn’t make his superior wait, he quickly replied, “There is actually something I should report to you, sir.”
Chapter 252. Just Need You Gone (3)
“So there was another reason you asked to meet?”
“Huh…?” Oh Myung-Hoon made eye contact while trying to conceal his motive.
Sitting opposite him was Jung-Mi, looking down at her fork with a listless look, not touching her food.
“Isn’t that it? You keep asking me how things are going with Ha Jae-Gun and what happened.”
“No, Jung-Mi. I was just curious…”
“Still, what are you exactly curious about? Aren’t you on bad terms with Jae-Gun?”
Jung-Mi asked with pure intention, but it stirred anger within Oh Myung-Hoon.
‘Stop acting like a human and just answer my questions like a robot!’ Oh Myung-Hoon yelled internally.
Had always been Jung-Mi this tactful? The Jung-Mi that Oh Myung-Hoon used to know had always been slow-witted, except for when it came to writing.
“Jung-Mi, I really didn’t mean it that way. I just…” As Oh Myung-Hoon was trying to come up with an excuse, his phone rang. His hand that was in his left pocket reached for his right breast pocket, pulling out his phone.
Jung-Mi asked with widened eyes, “You have two phones?”
“I have the second one just for company use,” Oh Myung-Hoon replied briefly and stood up. “Sorry, but I’ll be back after taking this call. It’s kind of urgent.”
“Sure, take your time.” Oh Myung-Hoon stepped out of the restaurant and scanned around the corner to check that the area was clear before answering the phone.
“You called back much faster than I had expected.”
— It’s not even something I should spend too much time pondering over.
“…?” Oh Myung-Hoon’s bleary eyes widened. The other person’s voice sounded harsh this time, unlike when they had their first tele-conversation.
— Do whatever you like.
“What do you mean by that?” Oh Myung-Hoon asked as he headed to a corner of the carpark. The other party continued as if there was a script prepared in advance.
— Like I’ve said, do whatever you want. As you guessed, I do indeed like Jae-Gun oppa—no, Writer Ha. So there’s no way I will fall for such a petty threat.
“Ms. Ye-Seul…!” Oh Myung-Hoon growled, clenching his jaws tight. “Do you really wish to end your acting career here? Do you really not care if all of these photos get exposed to the media and public?”
— I don’t care. How could you make use of the emotions people have for one another in this way? Of course, I’m upset hearing that Writer Ha is marrying another woman, but I can’t split them up, at least not because of an unknown loser like you.
“What? Did you just…call me a loser?!”
— Of course, you’re a loser. What else would I call you otherwise?
Hong Ye-Seul sneered.
— As I’ve mentioned before on broadcasts, I’ve become an actor to look for my mother. I’ll be much more famous if you share my past with everyone, and the chances of her recognizing me in the media will increase exponentially, right?
“I’m really going to expose you!”
— Woah, woah. Calm down, Mr. Loser. I’m proud of myself. I haven’t done anything dirty when I worked as a karaoke helper back then. It’s also thanks to Writer Ha that I was able to get out of that life quickly. This is all I have to say. Bye.
“H-hello? Hello? That damn bitch!” Oh Myung-Hoon smashed his phone when he realized the call had ended unilaterally, and then he stomped with his feet, roaring like a madman, “How dare you hang up on me first when I haven’t finished saying my piece! I won’t let this go!”
Passers-by threw judging looks at him, but Oh Myung-Hoon was oblivious to them as he was still seething in anger.
“Haa…! Haa…!” He soon ran out of breath. He bent down with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. As sweat gathered at the tip of his nose, his phone rang once more. However, he couldn’t ignore it, as it was a call from his father.
“Yes, Father.”
— Where are you right now?
“I’m out meeting my friend because of work.”
— I have something to tell you, so come back home.
A series of questions flashed across his mind. Why was his father looking for him? His father’s tone was so dry that he couldn’t detect any emotion in his words.
— You can come back early, right?
“I’ll be able to go home in about two hours. But what is it about?”
— I want to talk to you about it face to face. So come back earlier if you can.
“I understand.” Oh Myung-Hoon slid his phone back into his pocket and took a few steps toward the restaurant but changed his mind. He found that there was no need for him to go back to the restaurant where Jung-Mi was waiting for him.
‘She’s useless to me, anyway. I’m a fool for expecting anything from her.’ He even skipped letting her know that he was leaving, thinking he wouldn’t need to meet her again.
Moments later, he drove out of the building’s carpark, leaving Jung-Mi waiting for him with their pasta served on the table, not knowing that Oh Myung-Hoon wouldn’t be coming back.
***
Smack!
“Argh!” Oh Myung-Hoon screamed, falling to the ground. Oh Tae-Jin’s palm, which was as large as a pot lid, had just slapped him across his face.
“I never knew you were such a terrifying son…!”
“F-Father…!”
“No wonder Department Head Kang had to prepare himself to confide in me! You psychopath!”
“…!”
“You psychopath! Do you not have any idea that you’re committing a crime?! Why did I even entrust the company to someone like you!”
Oh Myung-Hoon kept silent, biting on his lips, unable to come up with any form of excuse. The rising emotions of betrayal and anger surged within him at this moment.
Department Head Kang, whom he had trusted for the longest time had just stabbed him in the back.
“Take your hands off of everything related to the company from now on.”
“F-father.”
“I’ve made up my mind. I’ll let your older brother take care of the company.”
Oh Myung-Hoon stood up in a hurry, horrified. “W, what do you mean by that? I have been doing so well up until now. You even acknowledged my work performance, didn’t you?”
“I’m utterly disappointed in you!” Oh Tae-Jin’s thundering roar cut Oh Myung-Hoon off. “You should be going to the hospital instead of the office! Don’t even dream about the company! If you don’t want to be chased out of this house, then you better go to the hospital regularly! Your older brother isn’t around at home, and you’ve become such a messed up—aaah!”
Oh Tae-Jin looked like he wanted to spit on Oh Myung-Hoon’s face. Oh Myung-Hoon’s chin trembled visibly as his head hung low. His father’s contemptuous eyes hurt him greatly.
“I don’t want to see you around, so leave!” Oh Tae-Jin roared. Then, he turned his back on Oh Myung-Hoon.
~
Oh Myung-Hoon ruffled his hair with both hands in frustration. Why on earth was no one standing on his side in this vast world? He had had this burning question for a long time now, but it was still unanswered.
***
“I’m not sure why you’re here, but get to the point.”
“Let’s not do this here and go to a cafe instead.”
Lee Soo-Hee shook her head firmly, crossing her arms. Oh Myung-Hoon had come to find her, and he wasn’t the kind of person she would agree to have a conversation with at a cafe.
“Sorry, but I don’t have the time for this. Let’s just talk it out here.”
“If you want that…” Oh Myung-Hoon trailed off. He slid his hand into his pocket.
Lee Soo-Hee squinted as she observed his actions.
‘Why is he sweating so much?’ Lee Soo-Hee belatedly realized that Oh Myung-Hoon’s face was drenched in sweat. Was it because of the lighting in the carpark? He looked pale like a sick person.
Oh Myung-Hoon pulled out his phone and said, “Let me ask you something first.”
“…?”
“What’s… so good about Jae-Gun?”
Lee Soo-Hee’s mouth slowly opened, but only for a brief moment. She then turned around, finding his question a waste of her time.
“Soo-Hee.”
“Don’t call me that. I think you’re here trying to talk some nonsense, so I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” Lee Soo-Hee quickened her pace toward her car.
Oh Myung-Hoon wiped the sweat rolling down the bridge of his nose and hurried after her. Then, he stood in front of her.
“Wait, I haven’t even started what I wanted to talk about.”
“So what is it?”
“Do you know that your beloved Ha Jae-Gun, is in a secret relationship with a karaoke helper?”
“What?” Surprise painted Lee Soo-Hee’s face for the first time.
Oh Myung-Hoon watched her expression, feeling triumph.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“You can decide if I’m speaking nonsense or not after looking at these photos.” Oh Myung-Hoon handed his phone to her.
Lee Soo-Hee hesitated for a moment, and then she ultimately decided to take it.
A photo was on the screen.
“Isn’t that Ha Jae-Gun?”
“…”
“That’s the kind of relationship they’re in. And the girl is an actress now. I think her name was Hong Ye-Seul? Look at them; don’t you think that they’re very close?”
“…” Lee Soo-Hee scrolled through the photos with a look of complete indifference. She looked at a couple more photos before looking up at Oh Myung-Hoon. “So?”
“What do you mean by ‘so’?”
“These are all in the past. I wasn’t dating Jae-Gun back then.”
Oh Myung-Hoon gulped, flustered at Lee Soo-Hee’s reaction.
Lee Soo-Hee then continued calmly, “I know of their meetings, too.”
“You know?”
“Jae-Gun usually does thorough interviews for his novels. I’ve heard of their meetings when he was working on Storm and Gale.”
“Soo-Hee…!”
“I don’t care why you’re here showing me all these photos. I can leave now, right?” Lee Soo-Hee returned Oh Myung-Hoon’s phone and turned around.
As she reached out for the car door, Oh Myung-Hoon yelled with malice, “Jae-Gun is tricking you! His mind thinks differently from how he acts! And I’m pretty sure he’s still seeing that karaoke helper even now. Who knows? Maybe they’re together in some bed naked—”
Lee Soo-Hee turned around before Oh Myung-Hoon could finish his sentence.
The fierce light in Lee Soo-Hee’s glare made sparks between them as their gazes met in mid-air.
Slap!
Oh Myung-Hoon’s head turned sideways. Lee Soo-Hee’s palm was printed red on his sweaty face.
“Trash,” Lee Soo-Hee muttered bitterly with her plump, pretty lips. “I’m ashamed of myself for treating a human trash like you as my classmate. I’m finally certain that you’re an irredeemable trash.”
Oh Myung-Hoon trembled, holding the cheek where Lee Soo-Hee had slapped him. It felt dozens—no, hundreds of times more painful than when his father had slapped him earlier. This was the most painful moment of his entire life.
“I’m sorry for hitting you. I think my ears are going to rot even further if I listen to you anymore, but I couldn’t find a nice way to stop you.”
Lee Soo-Hee got into the driver’s seat and added, “Go ahead and sue me if you want. I don’t want to see you anymore. I won’t be sending you a wedding invitation, either. Goodbye.”
Lee Soo-Hee then drove away. Oh Myung-Hoon stood there in a daze, watching her car disappear in the distance.
“Ughh…Arghhhhhh!” Oh Myung-Hoon’s desperate roar soon echoed throughout the carpark. It was completely over for him now. He had lost something several times much bigger than the company. His bloodshot eyes were filled with angry tears.
“Ha Jae-Gun…! Ha Jae-Gun, you bastard! Sure, take everything away from me!” Oh Myung-Hoon collapsed to the ground on his knees, bawling for a while. When no tears could come out from his eyes anymore, a strand of emotion returned to Oh Myung-Hoon’s mad eyes.
He knew this feeling—the feeling of being alive.
The hatred in Oh Myung-Hoon stirred and manipulated him.
***
“Doesn’t it look good?” It was a rhetorical question.
Oh Myung-Hoon gulped down whiskey straight from the bottle and continued, “Do you know why I called you here? Do you see the park over there? Professor Han Hae-Sun held a class on novels one day during our first year. And you won the best novel that day. That was the first time I, Oh Myung-Hoon, tasted the bitter taste of defeat in my life.”
Oh Myung-Hoon mocked himself before taking another gulp of whiskey. Then, he shook the bottle in front of the listening party and continued, “This is a 30-Year Kingdom[1]. You still have to pay hundreds of thousands even if you got it duty-free. If you want to purchase from the market, it’ll cost you at least a million won.
“While you were opening cheap soju bottles at some cheap pork restaurant with kids like Jung-Jin, I was already drinking these expensive whiskies.”
“What do you want to say?”
“I’m asking if you want a glass.”
“No, forget about the alcohol.”
A long sigh cut between them. The Han River at night was infinitely dark. Even the colorful city lights could not light up the darkness.
“Why did you ask to meet out of the blue? And at the Han River of all places.”
“I wanted to give you an unforgettable gift,” Oh Myung-Hoon replied in a heartbeat. His eyes glazed over as an insidious smile tugged at his lips. His free hand then slipped into his breast pocket.
Chapter 253. Just Need You Gone (4)
“I met a quack doctor,” Oh Myung-Hoon said as he pulled out a bottle of medication from his breast pocket. Looking at it, he added, “I will get better if I view life positively, think of only good things, and take my medicine regularly?”
”What medicine is that for?”
Oh Myung-Hoon continued his own narrative, pretending not to hear Ha Jae-Gun. “I took my medicine regularly, yeah. I did everything the doctor asked of me. But this damn condition of mine did not get any better at all. Regardless of what I do…”
Oh Myung-Hoon gripped the medicine bottle so tightly to the point that it would break anytime, and then he slowly raised his head. His bloodshot eyes were filled with anger. “My hatred toward you is not going away, not for a single bit…!”
“Myung-Hoon!” Ha Jae-Gun gulped nervously and took a step forward.
Oh Myung-Hoon retreated at the same distance as he shook his head. “Don’t come near me.”
“What did I do wrong? I want to know too. From when did you start hating me so much?”
“I said not to come near me!” Oh Myung-Hoon spat and yelled.
When Ha Jae-Gun stopped, Oh Myung-Hoon poured the entire contents of the medicine bottle into his mouth and then began drinking from the whiskey bottle again.
“Keugh…! How refreshing…!” Saliva and whiskey drenched his lips. Oh Myung-Hoon stumbled and held onto the railing for support to stand upright. “I said don’t come near me… Don’t think of coming closer to me. Ha, seriously… I just need you gone… then everything will be solved…”
“…” Complicated feelings filled Ha Jae-Gun as he wrapped his forehead with his hand. He looked away and saw the park in question in the distance. The scene of him and his classmates writing novels back then surfaced in his mind.
He never thought that his novel would be the best back then.
Professor Han Hae-Sun was a strict mentor, and all of his classmates back then had excellent writing skills. He was in no position to belittle anyone. All of them gathered together in the Creative Writing major with dreams of becoming a writer.
Ha Jae-Gun only focused on writing his novel diligently. He followed Professor Han’s instructions, detailing the scene before him into a proper novel composition. He still remembered how much he regretted not having the time to revise his work. It was also that very same day when he got closer to Park Jung-Jin.
~
“You’re Jae-Gun, right? When did you start writing novels? You’re really great at them. I was surprised after reading your work. Hey, let’s not stand around here. I know of a great pork restaurant nearby. Let’s go there and have a drink, shall we?
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Jung-Jin, Park Jung-Jin. Anyway, I’ll be calling the girls along, so you’re going to come along, right? Who? Soo-Hee and Hyo-Jin. You must know them at least, right? They’re so pretty, right? Eheheh, I’m already excited thinking about drinking with them later.”
~
On that day, the four of them drank until after midnight. It was an extremely happy day for Ha Jae-Gun. He gained lifelong friends and even found the courage to face the uncertainty of the future as a writer.
It was a nostalgic night for him; he missed his friends who were right next to him on that day and were sharing drinks with him. Ha Jae-Gun felt like crying. The memories of that day still remained in Ha Jae-Gun’s mind and diary.
However there were no traces of Oh Myung-Hoon anywhere. He tried scouring through his memories, but he failed to see Oh Myung-Hoon in any of them.
Just then, a rustling sound pulled Ha Jae-Gun back to reality. Ha Jae-Gun turned around to find Oh Myung-Hoon on the other side of the railing.
“Myung-Hoon!”
“I’m going to let go if you come any nearer!”
“Hey! T-that’s too dangerous!”
“Don’t come near me!” Oh Myung-Hoon yelled. His hands trembled as he held onto the railing, and his feet standing on the edge were quivering as well. He wasn’t trembling because he was feeling cold. He had sobered up after stepping over onto the other side of the railing, and fear had gripped his heart.
“I… I said that I would give you an unforgettable gift, right?”
“Myung-Hoon…!” Ha Jae-Gun’s face turned pale.
Despite his teeth chattering in fear, Oh Myung-Hoon did not lose his smile. “This is my gift for you, Jae-Gun. I’m going to die because of you. You’ll suffer for life! You’ll keep blaming yourself for this, as you’re a pathetic man! And I know you for how pathetic and weak you are!”
“Please, Myung-Hoon. Calm down…!” Ha Jae-Gun approached carefully with his hands raised.
“Let’s calm down and talk about it. Let’s talk and unravel any issues between us. Tell me everything—tell me why you hate me. I’ll do anything I can do to fix it.” Ha Jae-Gun tried to reassure Oh Myung-Hoon as much as possible. His mind turned blank, and he couldn’t think of anything else to say. All the vocabulary that would come out smoothly whenever he was working suddenly vanished.
“Myung-Hoon, let’s not do this, all right? Come down. I’ll go over, alright? I’ll go closer to you so grab my hand.” Ha Jae-Gun reached out slowly.
Just then, one of Oh Myung-Hoon’s feet slipped, and he fell down. “Arghhhh!”
“Oh Myung-Hoon!”
Oh Myung-Hoon’s hand instinctively reached out and grabbed the bottom of the railing while Ha Jae-Gun quickly dashed forward and knelt down to hold onto Oh Myung-Hoon’s arm. “Hold on tight! I’ll hold onto you, so put your other hand up, too! Hurry!”
Oh Myung-Hoon turned pale, but he looked up at Ha Jae-Gun in a daze. His world had stopped as he hung by the railing. He couldn’t even hear the passing wind or the blaring horns on the road.
“You’re still the one killing me at the end.”
“What are you saying, you dumbass?! Grab me! Hurry!”
Oh Myung-Hoon smiled faintly. He struggled to raise his other hand, but he didn’t grab the railing. Instead, Ha Jae-Gun grabbed his hand.
“If I ever hear people saying that you’ve saved me… Committing suicide hundreds and thousands of times wouldn’t even be enough to wash away that humiliation.”
”Hey, Myung-Hoon!”
“Let’s not see each other ever again.” Oh Myung-Hoon grabbed Ha Jae-Gun’s hand and twisted it. Unable to withstand the pain, Ha Jae-Gun let out a yell and let go of Oh Myung-Hoon’s hand.
“Myung-Hoon!”
Unfortunately, Ha Jae-Gun’s outreached hand was infinitely short—too short to grab the falling Oh Myung-Hoon. He saw the smile on Oh Myung-Hoon’s face as the latte fell into the dark sea.
At the same time, Oh Myung-Hoon raised his middle finger at Ha Jae-Gun.
Splash!
For some reason, tears began falling down Ha Jae-Gun’s face.
***
“Hello, Mr. Lin Minhong. Yes, I’m Park Do-Joon’s manager, Woo Tae-Bong. Pardon? About the Records series? Ahaha, yes! Aigoo, Do-Joon has indeed been quite busy recently, but since this work is related to Teencent Pictures, we will definitely make time for it. Ah, you enjoyed Dried Tofu? Isn’t Park Do-Joon great at acting as a Chinese? Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
Woo Tae-Bong had strongly opposed Park Do-Joon’s participation in Dried Tofu, and he still didn’t know that Park Do-Joon’s appearance in Dried Tofu was mostly thanks to Teencent Pictures’ CEO Mao Yen.
“I understand, yes! I’ll do that! I’ll contact you again. The weather is getting hotter, so please take care of your health!” Woo Tae-Bong jumped excitedly after hanging up.
The mention of the Records series only meant one thing, and it was one of the biggest issues so far.
“Hey, Do-Joon! You heard everything, right?” Woo Tae-Bong shouted as he ran to the living room.
Park Do-Joon nodded with his eyes on the TV screen. He was watching Let’s Watch A Movie, which Ha Jae-Gun was no longer hosting.
“It seems like Teencent Pictures is hastening their moves.”
“Jae-Gun is soaring in the U.S. after all.” Park Do-Joon lowered the volume and added, “His entry into the UK and France are quite successful, and he even signed a contract for 100,000 copies in Germany.”
“Where did you hear that? You haven’t met Writer Ha recently, haven’t you?”
“News about him keeps popping up on the internet.”
“Oh, right.”
“Another piece of news today shared that Japanese publishing companies have been sending in contract offers as well. Japanese companies are known for being stingy about contracts when it comes to overseas writers, but they offered a huge royalty this time,” Park Do-Joon said, but his smile soon vanished.
The happy news made him recall the depressing update about his friend.
Reading Park Do-Joon’s mind, Woo Tae-Bong asked, “Is Writer Ha still the same?”
“Yeah.”
Ha Jae-Gun had cut off all ties with everyone else and had been holing up in his house over the past three weeks. The official reason was that he wanted to focus on his writing, explaining that he needed time alone to organize his thoughts and come up with the composition for his novel.
However, Park Do-Joon did not believe that version.
Something else was bothering Ha Jae-Gun.
Park Do-Joon was lost in his thoughts for a while, and then he looked at Woo Tae-Bong, asking, “Teencent Pictures wants to arrange a meeting, right?”
“Yeah.”
“They’ll have to ask Ha Jae-Gun to join in the meeting.”
“Of course, the author of the original work should definitely appear. They must have contacted him as well.”
“Okay.”
It was an opportune excuse for him to contact Ha Jae-Gun. Park Do-Joon stood up from the sofa and headed to the shower.
***
‘The weather has gotten a lot hotter…’ Ha Jae-Gun tried cooling himself by grabbing the front of his shirt and flapping it against his chest. He had just stepped onto the escalator that was bringing him out of the subway station.
Lee Soo-Hee had forcefully asked him out of his house, saying that it wasn’t good for his health to stay in his study all day and night working on his writing; she pleaded with him to step out of his house for a breather.
Ha Jae-Gun didn’t want to make his beloved woman worry, so he still left the house eventually.
His destination today was the cafe where he had written The Breath. He found it troublesome to go somewhere further out, and he also couldn’t think of anywhere else to go either.
‘Hmm, I think Jung-Jin said it was his day off today as well.’ Ha Jae-Gun recalled as he headed to the cafe. Messages had been coming in regularly during his downtime. Park Jung-Jin wasn’t the type to express himself well, but he was definitely worried about Ha Jae-Gun.
Ha Jae-Gun suddenly missed his close friend and pulled out his phone.
— Yeah, Jae-Gun?
“How did you even answer even before the color ring began?”
— I answered immediately out of surprise. Hey, are you… fine now?
“Well, what’s there to be sad about? It’s your day off today, right? What are you doing?”
— It’s been a while since I had my solo day off, so I’ve been on my PlayStation the entire time. What about you?
“I came out for a breather. Do you want to hang out?”
— You don’t have to ask; just tell me where to go, you punk.
Ha Jae-Gun shared with Park Jung-Jin the name of the cafe and its rough location before hanging up. He slowly made his way to the cafe and arrived a while later.
“Hello.”
“Welcome, Writer Ha Jae-Gun. You should come more often; why haven’t you come around in so long?” The cafe owner was happy to see Ha Jae-Gun. They immediately made a cup of iced americano for Ha Jae-Gun. “The Breath is a huge success. I’ve been bragging to my friends that you’re a regular of my cafe whenever I see my friends recently. Everyone knows of you, Writer Ha.”
“Thank you.” Ha Jae-Gun forced a smile. In fact, he didn’t look very energized after staying too long at home. The cafe owner seemed to have caught on quite fast and ended their conversation promptly.
Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak!
Ha Jae-Gun sat at his usual table and opened up his laptop before working away. He was working on the manuscript of Human’s Malice which he had been working on for the past three weeks. He worked on it for over ten full hours every day, but he ended up not writing much. He hadn’t been able to make any huge improvements on it, even though he had taken full advantage of Seo Gun-Woo’s these days.
‘Should I just give up?’ The idea was tempting; he knew he’d feel better if he simply gave up. Ha Jae-Gun even started wondering whether he had made a mistake choosing an emotion as dark as human’s malice as the subject of his new work.
The constant self-doubt made him eventually recall the scene of Oh Myung-Hoon falling into the water.
~
Evil itself.
~
It was by far the worst of it he had ever felt in his life.
Oh Myung-Hoon was the pinnacle of evil in Ha Jae-Gun’s mind.
‘I should stop here today. Jung-Jin would be arriving soon anyway.’ Ha Jae-Gun saved the document and then closed the program. When he looked up, he made eye contact with the person at the next table. It was that elderly man.
“Ah! Hello, sir. When did you arrive?” Ha Jae-Gun greeted him with a smile.
This was the third time he met the elderly man.
As usual, the old man donned a navy custom-made hanbok.
“We met here the previous time as well, you seem to visit this cafe often?”
“I mentioned that it’s near where I live, didn’t I?”
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Your lines are always the same, like a parrot. Forget about tea, why don’t you continue writing?” The elderly man signaled to Ha Jae-Gun’s laptop with a glance.
Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly and hesitated for a while before replying, “I couldn’t concentrate. Thanks to your feedback the last time, I was able to write smoothly, but I’ve hit a wall recently.”
“I told you so.” The elderly man snorted. “When you think about such things, you’re bound to be influenced by it. There’s no way you’ll stay sane from it.”
“Hahaha, it’s not that bad…”
Silence ensued for a few moments. As soft music filled the cafe, the elderly man let out a silent sigh and looked into space. “You’ll inevitably look back on yourself when you write something like that. Am I proud of myself? Am I really qualified to talk about others’ malice?”
“…?”
”You’d have remembered it as you continued on this route, realizing that you also have a great deal of malice in yourself. You would be jealous of those better than you, making you unable to overcome your inferiority complex.”
“Then, you’d begin to undermine yourself. However, you’ll always pretend like you’re smart and superior to everyone else on the surface…”
Ha Jae-Gun gulped as he looked at the elderly man. The elderly’s wrinkled face was filled with unidentifiable remorse.
“Sir, how did you—” Just as he was about to pose a question, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang.
Bzzt!
Ha Jae-Gun shook his head and excused himself apologetically. “I’m sorry, I agreed to meet my friend here; it seems like he’s arrived.”
“It’s okay. I should get going as well.” The elderly man stood up with a grunt. Ha Jae-Gun followed behind and added with a hint of regret, “You are leaving already?”
“I only stopped by for a while after seeing you here. I should leave earlier today since I’m supposed to go home.”
”Home? Where do you stay?”
“Gyeongju.” The elderly man straightened his clothes and turned around. Ha Jae-Gun hurried after him, but the elderly man only waved his hand. “We should leave by seeing each other coincidentally. Stop bothering me with any more questions.”
“But, sir…”
“I’ll be going now. Don’t give up on writing that. Show it to me once you’ve completed it.” The elderly man turned the corner and disappeared toward the exit of the subway station. Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t bear to speak anymore and sat back down at his table.
Chapter 254 – It Has To Be You (1)
While Ha Jae-Gun was pondering hard over the elderly man’s words, the cafe doors opened, and Park Jung-Jin walked into the cafe.
Ha Jae-Gun remained lost in his thoughts until Park Jung-Jin sat opposite him.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Oh, you’re here?”
The two smiled brightly at each other, as it had been a while since they last met. Ha Jae-Gun was still wondering what to say earlier, but he leaned forward and said, “What do you want to drink?”
“Are you serving me? Sure, I’ll have a mocha latte.”
However, the best friends did not speak until their drinks were nearly finished. Park Jung-Jin did not let go of the straw he was biting on while Ha Jae-Gun continued typing away on his laptop.
“What are you writing?” Park Jung-Jin asked, pushing his cup away.
Ha Jae-Gun had also just wrapped up his last sentence for the day and replied, “Malice.”
“Oh, that.” Park Jung-Jin nodded solemnly. Ha Jae-Gun was his best friend, so of course, he would be aware of what his best friend was working on.
“I recently met an elderly man on the streets coincidentally. He said his home is in Gyeongju, but he seems to have a residence somewhere nearby as well. And I think he might have been a writer before.”
“Really? But what do you mean by ‘before’?”
“Because he didn’t share much about himself, but he gave quite a bit of feedback after reading Human’s Malice. But this is all just my own guesses.”
“I see,” Park Jung-Jin replied insincerely; he currently wasn’t interested in an elderly man whom he had never met before.
“Jae-Gun.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you really fine?” Park Jung-Jin was one of the few who knew what actually happened. He was worried about Ha Jae-Gun, who had been staying alone for a long time after that incident with Oh Myung-Hoon.
Ha Jae-Gun was an extremely emotional and sensitive person, after all.
“I’m alright.”
“I’m saying this because you don’t look fine at all.”
“Well…” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off, hesitating.
Park Jung-Jin did not probe but laid his chin on his hand and looked down, waiting for Ha Jae-Gun to organize his thoughts.
“I… actually have a question.”
Park Jung-Jin looked up after a while. This time, Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes were looking elsewhere. “Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you about.”
“…?”
“Not really, it’s more that I couldn’t tell you about it.”
“So what is it?”
“When Myung-Hoon fell…” Park Jung-Jin straightened himself up subconsciously while Ha Jae-Gun recounted calmly. “He looked at me and kept smiling as he fell.”
“Myung-Hoon?”
”He even raised a middle finger at me. That murderous look he gave even at the face of death as he fell…” Ha Jae-Gun looked back at the incomplete manuscript on his laptop. “I can’t figure out what his malice was. That’s why I’m having a writer’s block now. I’m not distressed; I’m fine, so don’t worry.
“It’s just that my mind has come to a halt. My mind automatically plays the scene when Oh Myung-Hoon was falling whenever I close my eyes, and I’m just tired because of that.”
“It’s all over now, and you don’t have to get caught up with him any longer,” Park Jung-Jin said firmly with indignation. “He was usually that kind of person, very self-centered. And he viewed you as the final boss—He wanted to be the best and the strongest in his world, get married to the best princess, and obtain the highest honor. However, he failed all because of you.”
“Are you afraid that people wouldn’t know that you’re a game developer? Even your example is game-related.” Ha Jae-Gun joked.
However, Park Jung-Jin stood up all of a sudden. “Come.”
“Where are we going?”
“We need to eat. I’m going to decide on the menu and place.” Park Jung-Jin did not give Ha Jae-Gun a chance to say anything and forced Ha Jae-Gun onto the front passenger seat of his car. He started the engine and then drove onto the road without hitting an address in the navigation.
“Can’t you at least tell me where we’re going?”
“You’ll find out when we get there. It won’t be too long.”
The place they arrived at in less than twenty minutes was the Hangang Citizen Park. Ha Jae-Gun alighted from the car, stunned. Both the park and the Hangang Bridge in the distance were familiar to him. It was the very same place where Oh Myung-Hoon had thrown himself off.
“What do you want to eat?” Park Jung-Jin asked as soon as they found an empty bench to sit on. “There’s kimbap, cup ramyun, boiled eggs, hamburger, or sandwich. There’s everything here, so tell me what you want.”
“I’ll have the same as what you’re having.”
Park Jung-Jin then strode over to the store. After a while, he returned with his arms full of food that he had just mentioned.
“Hey, how are we going to finish all of these?”
“We can. Do-Joon is joining us, too.”
“Do-Joon, too?” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes grew while Park Jung-Jin tore off the packaging of the kimbab calmly.
“He called when I was on the way to the cafe. He said he went to your house, but no one was home. He was worried about you and called me, as you aren’t really in your best condition. That’s why I asked him to join us. Do-Joon is usually punctual, so he should be here in ten minutes.”
“…?” Ha Jae-Gun only had more questions in his mind. Didn’t that mean that Park Jung-Jin had chosen this place earlier?
“You remember that we had a class here, right?” Park Jung-Jin looked around, smiling as he reminisced the memories. “The novel class that Professor Han Hae-Sun held at the start of the school term. All of us took a seat and wrote our short stories here, and you got first place. Thanks to that, I got to know you, Jae-Gun.”
”Yeah, and we drank till we collapsed at the bar you brought us to. Soo-Hee and Hyo-Jin were with us at the time.”
”Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about that. Hey, looks like it’s because of me that you got together with Soo-Hee. You gotta pay up.” Park Jung-Jin hooked an arm around Ha Jae-Gun’s neck and pulled him back, falling backward.
The two men burst into laughter as they collapsed to the ground.
”Anyway, I wanted to talk about this; that’s why I brought us here.” Park Jung-Jin continued after they warmed up, “I’m not sure what’s on your mind since you were always quiet, but you emerged at the top that day.
“To be honest, I thought it’d be either Lee Soo-Hee or Oh Myung-Hoon, as they’ve always been so outstanding since the start of the school term.”
Park Jung-Jin handed Ha Jae-Gun a cup of hot ramyun. Clouds of hot steam rose as Ha Jae-Gun opened the lid, moistening Ha Jae-Gun’s face.
“You were really dazzling on that day; it’s simply unbelievable. You looked so cool, and I still think the same now.”
”Why are you so emotional when we aren’t even drinking?”
“It’s true, you punk. When else will I say this to you?” Park Jung-Jin stretched himself out of the blue, seemingly trying to avoid feeling the awkwardness. He then stuffed kimbaps one after the other into his mouth for a grand total of three kimbaps. It took him quite a while to chew all of them.
“Do me a favor, don’t crumble,” Park Jung-Jin finally said.
“…”
“Keep writing even if you have a writer’s block. Don’t stop writing just because of the incident with Myung-Hoon. If you’re going to give up, then find another reason that you can agree and accept. You’re the only one who can end your own work.”
Ha Jae-Gun stirred the noodles in the cup ramyun with his chopsticks. He didn’t have the courage to pick up the noodles, feeling choked as Park Jung-Jin patted his shoulder.
“It has to be you.” A single line of comfort coming from his best friend ran through Ha Jae-Gun’s body from head to toe. Ha Jae-Gun clenched his jaws while smiling, but his head was lowered. It would be terrible if his friend saw his eyes getting teary and red.
Of course, Park Jung-Jin already knew.
“You better clean up before Do-Joon arrives. How can a famous writer be such a crybaby?”
“Shut up.” Ha Jae-Gun wiped his tears. He disliked leaving unfinished food, but he couldn’t seem to finish the ramyun at all; he was busy trying to hold back his tears.
Just then…
“Aish, why are we eating here?” An angry voice echoed behind them.
Park Do-Joon appeared with a hat and sunglasses, his hands tucked into his pockets.
“I’m a global star. How can I eat here in such an open setting? When hundreds of my fans surround us, both of you will have to make way for me, whether it’s using Top Blade Attack or Friendship’s Double Shoot.”
“Wow, Jae-Gun. Did you hear him? Friendship’s Double Shoot. Do-Joon, are you sure you didn’t fake your age? Are you sure you aren’t my uncle’s age?”
“Are you belittling Danpei[1]? It’s the masterpiece of all masterpieces. I still watch it occasionally with Tae-Bong hyung now while having drinks.” Park Do-Joon glared at Park Jung-Jin.
Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t hold back and burst into another round of laughter. It was comforting just watching his friends arguing.
”I’m not joking. If you guys are done, let’s go. I found an Izakaya with a great atmosphere. Let’s go drink there instead. We can pack these and have them later.”
”And it’s the global star’s treat, right?”
”Of course. I have to bootlick Ha Jae-Gun today, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
”Teencent Pictures contacted me. Why else would they reach out? Hey, Jae-Gun. Go all-out when writing the main character for the scenario, okay?” Park Do-Joon grabbed Ha Jae-Gun’s arm, pulling the latter up to his feet.
Ha Jae-Gun blamed himself as he stood amongst his two chattering friends. If only he had met them much earlier, he wouldn’t have been living this life alone for so long.
The sun shone brightly without a fluff of cloud in the sky.
***
‘There’s still quite a bit of groceries left, so I’ll make a stew and grill a mackerel for today.’
It was 5 p.m., and the sun was beginning to set. Lee Soo-Hee was in a hurry as she hopped into her car, worried about Ha Jae-Gun who was working in his study alone.
Lee Soo-Hee was putting her best foot forward, hoping to see him recover as soon as possible. Their upcoming wedding wasn’t the issue. She just didn’t want to see Ha Jae-Gun hurting by himself.
She had brought it up a few days back after a long period of pondering, telling him to stop writing if it felt torturous for him. She even said that he was more important to her than his writing. At the time, Ha Jae-Gun responded with a bitter smile.
‘I’ll need to do some deep cleaning this weekend. The house is quite huge, so hiring some external help would be good.’
It was still before off-office hours, so the road wasn’t that congested. She soon arrived back home.
‘Hmm?’ As she stepped out of the garage and onto the front yard, she found the door at the porch wide open. Lee Soo-Hee’s eyes narrowed, wondering why Ha Jae-Gun would leave the door open like that.
‘I wonder what happened?’ An ominous foreboding loomed over. Lee Soo-Hee hurried back into the house. Her eyes grew wide in shock as she saw the scene before her in the living room.
“What’s all this…?”
“Oh, you’re back early today.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled brightly, welcoming her as he vacuumed the floor. Ha Jae-Gun was drenched in sweat, and all the furniture was pushed aside into a corner of the house.
“Jae-Gun, what are you doing now?”
“Can’t you see? I’m deep cleaning. The house is huge, so there’s a lot of dust, too. Go up and rest. I opened all the windows, but the air still isn’t good down here.” Ha Jae-Gun resumed vacuuming the floor. Despite the sweat rolling down his face, he still had a beaming smile.
Lee Soo-Hee stood in a daze for a few moments before approaching him as something tugged at her.
“What’s wrong? Go on up.”
“Let’s clean together.”
”I’m almost done; I started this morning. You should go shower and change into clean clothes. I’ll prepare dinner later, so don’t lift a single finger later.” Ha Jae-Gun pushed Lee Soo-Hee toward the bathroom.
However, Lee Soo-Hee did not yield. She put strength in her feet and looked at Ha Jae-Gun.
“Why is the team leader not obedient today? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you’re cute…”
“What?” Lee Soo-Hee pulled Ha Jae-Gun into an embrace. Ha Jae-Gun let go of the vacuum cleaner and flailed his dirty arms in the air.
“I’m dirty now. There’s so much sweat and dust on me.”
“No, you smell good.” Lee Soo-Hee pressed her face against Ha Jae-Gun’s chest. She leaped and wrapped her legs around his waist. Ha Jae-Gun reflexively held Lee Soo-Hee’s thighs. “You’re heavy…!”
“What did you just say? Ahh~ Is it because I’m yours and you can now say whatever you want? We’re not married yet, though.” Lee Soo-Hee pinched Ha Jae-Gun’s cheeks, pulling in all directions. Ha Jae-Gun immediately flung Lee Soo-Hee over his shoulder and spun round and round on the spot.
“Kyaa! Stop it! I was wrong! I was wrong, Writer Ha!”
“Too late!”
Screams mixed with laughter and cries rang through the messy living room. There was no need to say further, and Lee Soo-Hee needn’t ask more. Looking at each other’s gazes alone was enough to complete the conversation.
Bzzt!
Ha Jae-Gun finally put Lee Soo-Hee down when the phone on the table rang. As Ha Jae-Gun caught his breath, he saw Oh Myung-Suk’s name appear on the screen.
Chapter 255. It Has To Be You (2)
‘Editor-in-chief…?’
Ha Jae-Gun picked up his phone, the smile on his face completely wiped out. In fact, he hadn’t heard from Oh Myung-Suk in a long time.
He had just discovered that Oh Myung-Suk and Oh Myung-Hoon were blood brothers. With what had happened to Oh Myung-Hoon, things back at home had become quite unsettling, so Ha Jae-Gun hadn’t been able to contact Oh Myung-Suk first.
”Why aren’t you answering?” Lee Soo-Hee asked, smoothing out her hair which had become a mess from their playful prance earlier.
Ha Jae-Gun cleared his throat and then answered his phone. “Hello, editor-in-chief.”
— Hello, Mr. Ha. The weather’s getting hotter these days. Are you taking good care of your health?
“Yes, I’m doing great. What about you, editor-in-chief?”
— Yes, I’ve been doing well too. Thank you for asking.
As usual, the exchange about their daily lives, but Ha Jae-Gun could detect the exhaustion in Oh Myung-Suk’s voice. Oh Myung-Suk’s strained voice reminded him of a weak wind blowing through a perforated tube.
— I apologize for not contacting you earlier. I’ve been… really out of it recently.
“No, editor-in-chief. Please don’t say that.” Ha Jae-Gun turned depressed knowing what had happened. He felt the depression from Oh Myung-Suk influencing him, and he hated the short silence that followed.
“Please treat me to a meal, editor-in-chief.” Ha Jae-Gun continued in a cheerful voice, “Let’s eat at the pufferfish restaurant we went to before with the Chairman. The food there is the best I’ve had; I want to go there again. It’s thanks to you that I got to know of that restaurant, so I want to go again with you.”
— Hahaha… Okay, Mr. Ha. I contacted you because I’d like to meet you one of these days as well. I have something to tell you.”
“Same here. I have something I must tell you.”
— To me? What is it?
“It’s not suitable to talk over the phone, so I’ll tell you when we meet.”
The low gulp from Oh Myung-Suk rang in Ha Jae-Gun’s ears. He could detect the heavy tone from it, and he guessed that Oh Myung-Suk was wondering if he might want to talk about Oh Myung-Hoon.
To avoid the misunderstanding, Ha Jae-Gun quickly added, “It’s about my new novel, editor-in-chief.”
— Ah, I see. You were compositing your new novel?
“It’s not a totally new novel. You are aware of it too; I just added a few changes to it. I’ll tell you the details when I see you.”
— Sure. When would you be available then?
“I’m available tomorrow for dinner. You may decide the time, editor-in-chief.”
— Let’s settle to meet for dinner tomorrow then.
Ha Jae-Gun hung up after they had agreed on a time to meet.
Lee Soo-Hee then asked, “That was Editor-in-chief Oh Myung-Suk, right?”
“Yeah, we agreed to meet tomorrow evening.”
“What are you going to talk to him about?”
“Um, about that…” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off, scrunching his nose and looking hesitant.
Lee Soo-Hee frowned slightly with a smile then waved her hands. “You don’t have to tell me now. You can tell me when you feel like it.”
“It’s not that.” Ha Jae-Gun immediately replied with a heavy tone. “There’s nothing for me to hide from you. I just needed time to organize my thoughts.”
“Alright, Writer Ha. I’ll go ahead and prepare dinner first. Don’t push yourself too hard on the cleaning. I’ll be done in thirty minutes, so go wash up in the meantime.”
Ha Jae-Gun grabbed Lee Soo-Hee’s wrist to stop her from going to the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t be conscious of my feelings.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m really fine now. You don’t have to avoid asking me questions when you’re worried about me getting sad or avoid doing whatever you want to do.” Ha Jae-Gun pulled her into a hug. “You don’t have to be considerate to me. I’ll always put you first. Just the fact that you’re with me is already a success in my life. So you can just do whatever you want.”
“Am I that worthy?”
”You’re Ha Jae-Gun’s dream in itself.”
“…You’re such a sweet-talker.” Lee Soo-Hee gently placed her forehead on the chest of her beloved. The strong heartbeat of his revived heart rang in her ears.
She was grateful for Ha Jae-Gun getting back onto his feet without taking too long, and tears of joy unconsciously rolled down her cheeks.
***
“Editor-in-chief…” Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t hide the surprise on his face even though he knew it would be rude.
Oh Myung-Suk smiled bitterly as if he had expected Ha Jae-Gun’s reaction. “I have been hearing that I’ve grown thinner, but seeing how surprised you are, I don’t think it’s just a little bit.”
Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t respond with a smile at Oh Myung-Suk’s attempt at turning it into a joke. It wasn’t just a little thinner, but he had turned much skinnier. His cheekbones had become hollowed, his jawline had sharpened, and his eyes had darkened. Not a single part of his face was shining.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Not at all. I actually began drinking much more during this period and have been sleeping much more as well… Anyway, I’m fine; please do not worry about me.”
Oh Myung-Suk had clearly been feeling terrible, and his haggard smile made Ha Jae-Gun’s heart tighten.
“Shall we go in then?”
“Yes, let’s go.” Ha Jae-Gun followed Oh Myung-Suk into the restaurant. A room reservation was already made. After placing their food order, Oh Myung-Suk took a sip of water and said, “I looked back at each and every memory I shared with Mr. Ha during our times working together. They were all precious memories.”
“…?” Ha Jae-Gun had a curious look. He suddenly had an ominous feeling when Oh Myung-Suk brought this up.
Oh Myung-Suk calmly continued, “I didn’t do much for you except for putting spoons next to the high-quality dishes you’ve made. Thanks to you, I’ve been recognized as a competent editor, not as the heir of OongSung Publication Group. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again.”
Oh Myung-Suk stood up and bent so deeply that the tip of his nose touched the table.
Flustered, Ha Jae-Gun pulled himself back and waved his hands. “You’re complimenting me too much again today, editor-in-chief. I didn’t even know what I was cooking at all at the start. I was only eating with my bare hands without any utensils. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have improved at all.”
“You flatter me.”
“You just beat me to the chase.”
Oh Myung-Suk smiled. His cracked lips which were as dry as a desert seemed like they would crack from the slight movement.
“Editor-in-chief.”
“Yes, Mr. Ha.”
”This isn’t everything you wanted to tell me, right?”
“…” Oh Myung-Suk slowly nodded. Amidst the silence, the door opened with a knock. A staff member entered with a tray of side dishes and drinks, placing them on the table.
Oh Myung-Suk said, “I’ve returned back home.”
“I see…” Ha Jae-Gun replied, waiting for Oh Myung-Suk to continue. As expected, Oh Myung-Suk’s explanation did not stray too far from his expectations.
“My father called me back to the house. Putting it simply, I’ve completed my career as an editor, and I am getting ready to take over the company sometime soon…” Oh Myung-Suk trailed off, looking up.
Seeing his eyes that were filled with apology, Ha Jae-Gun realized how hard it must have been for Oh Myung-Suk to bring up the end of their writer and editor-in-chief relationship.
“I understand what you mean. You don’t have to explain further.” Ha Jae-Gun wrapped up the conversation and picked up the alcohol bottle, filling up each of their glasses. Both of them emptied their glasses after sharing a toast.
”Then editor-in-chief,” Ha Jae-Gun began as soon as he put down his glass. “You still remember that there’s something I need to tell you today, right?”
“Yes, of course.” Myung-Sun straightened himself.
Ha Jae-Gun opened his bag beside him. “Firstly, there’s something I have to show you. It’s the malice of someone you know. The synopsis is almost done, so I’d like you to read it.”
”Ah, yes. I was hoping for that too. You said that it’s hard to compose the story since your character isn’t complete. Have you solved that part then? I’m very curious and can’t wait to read it.”
Ha Jae-Gun pulled out a few pieces of A4 paper from his bag. Ih Myung-Suk quickly fixed his glasses and began reading.
A few minutes later…
‘This is…?!’
Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes grew wide in shock. It was a story about a man filled with malice heading toward the path of destruction. However, Oh Myung-Suk was shocked about something else; the main character felt extremely familiar to him.
Was it too much to assume that his own younger brother had been projected into that character?
“Um…” Oh Myung-Suk slowly looked up after reading the document, still stunned.
Ha Jae-Gun then said, “I hope that you’ll oversee this novel, editor-in-chief.”
“Mr. Ha…”
“I understand that you’d feel burdensome, but take it that I’m selfish for asking you this favor. I hope you’ll take over this novel as your final project before ending your career as an editor. I will make it a point to complete the draft as soon as possible.”
“…” Oh Myung-Suk looked down at the synopsis once more, unable to give an answer right away.
An unknown amount of time had passed until Oh Myung-Suk finally said, “Alright,”
Oh Myung-Suk’s voice contained an unmistakable firmness.
He was certain that his own younger brother was part of this new synopsis that Ha Jae-Gun had shown him. He wasn’t sure about anyone else, but Oh Myung-Suk understood that this was a request that he could never refuse.
”I will oversee this novel, Human’s Malice, for my final project as the Editor-in-Chief of OongSung Publication Group.”
”Thank you so much. I will do my best.” Ha Jae-Gun picked up his glass and emptied it once more.
Oh Myung-Suk’s judgment was right. The main character of this new synopsis was Oh Myung-Hoon. On top of that, the model of the other party in the story whom Oh Myung-Suk hated the most was none other than Ha Jae-Gun himself.
Ha Jae-Gun completed the outline of the novel after hearing the words of his best friend, Park Jung-Jin.
“You’re the final boss in his eyes, and he’s supposed to be the strongest person in his world.”
Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly as he recalled Park Jung-Jin’s words. Then, he thanked Oh Myung-Hoon in his heart as well.
‘Thank you, Myung-Hoon. Thank you for giving me the experience to write a new story.’
The emotions that many people had sent to him were all his own to experience. Ha Jae-Gun would embrace both good and bad intentions with open arms, using them as a stepping stone to develop himself further. Ha Jae-Gun became much stronger as a writer after that incident.
‘So you don’t have to feel apologetic to me, editor-in-chief.’ Ha Jae-Gun said silently.
His thoughts about Oh Myung-Suk hadn’t changed at all ever since Ha Jae-Gun first met him. It didn’t matter to him if Oh Myung-Hoon and Oh Myung-Suk were real brothers.
***
“Shall we have another round, Mr. Ha?”
“We’ve had too many drinks today. It’s my first time seeing you drink so much today. Let’s end it here tonight.” Ha Jae-Gun supported the stumbling Oh Myung-Suk toward the carpark. Surprised, his chauffeur hurried over to help.
”Mr. Ha, I’d like to have more drinks with you today. When have I ever—hicc, asked so much from you before?”
“Yes, I know. But you’ve had too much today. I’m worried about your health. How will you oversee the new novel if you fall ill?”
Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes lit up at the mention of Human’s Malice. He soon stood up straight and slapped his chest with confidence. “I will take responsibility for Human’s Malice. I will never disappoint you. It is a necessary process for me to complete my tenure with a bang.”
Perhaps it was because of the alcohol’s influence, but Oh Myung-Suk’s words were smeared with personal feelings that he had never really shown Ha Jae-Gun before until now. Oh Myung-Suk shook off his chauffeur who was trying to put him in the car and said to Ha Jae-Gun, “He’s my younger brother from a different mother.”
“…” Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened in surprise.
Oh Myung-Suk let out a long sigh which smelled strongly of alcohol before continuing, “He has been quite the lonely child since he was young. He hadn’t really been able to get along with others, and he often created trouble.
“However, he still followed me quite well. I’m quite happy with him as his older brother.”
Ha Jae-Gun listened to Myung-Sun quietly.
“I tried everything in my power to get rid of his twisted thoughts. Of course, there were many wrong solutions implemented as well.”
Oh Myung-Suk looked at the dark sky briefly then returned to look at Ha Jae-Gun. “I’m not sure if you still remember what I’ve mentioned to you before.”
“Which is it…?”
“I said that I wasn’t qualified to be both a writer and editor… That’s why I was trying to escape into doing business management.”
”Ah… yes. I remember that.”
It was the night he had dinner with Myung-Sun after the recording for the show, A Writer’s Study. It was also the same day he had introduced Oh Myung-Suk’s novel, You, The Desert, on the program.
Oh Myung-Suk sneered at himself and nodded. “I did the wrong thing by helping my brother who was also a writer. There were times when my actions went against my conscience. That’s why I told you that.”
“…” Ha Jae-Gun turned solemn and speechless.
Oh Myung-Suk was now confessing all of his thoughts and feelings to him. Ha Jae-Gun felt both grateful and sorry for Oh Myung-Suk who was struggling internally.
“Mr. Ha’s writing was usually great, so I suppressed my weakness and showed my greed all this time. Now that I’ve shown my greed, I’ll make sure to clean it up after developing Human’s Malice to its fullest potential.”
”I’ll welcome your kind of greed with open arms if that’s what you are looking at.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled at Oh Myung-Suk’s joke.
After a few moments of pondering, Ha Jae-Gun asked, “Now that we’re on the topic, I’ve been afraid to ask, but how is Oh Myung-Hoon doing?”
“He is recuperating at the place where his mother is right now.”
“I see…”
“I think it’d be hard for him to recover in the short period. But of course, it’s something that he will have to overcome on his own.”
Oh Myung-Suk stumbled once more. Ha Jae-Gun supported Oh Myung-Suk’s infinitely thin frame firmly. It was Ha Jae-Gun’s turn to support him, as Oh Myung-Suk had done the same for him in the past.
-------------------------------------------
⌚Every ★Saturday / Wednesday ★-------------------------------------------
---------Ads----------