Big Life

Chapter 201. What? Dragon Rider? (7)

“The movie I’m going to introduce to everyone today is Road to Perdition. It’s a story based in the States about a gangster who was betrayed during the Great Depression in 1931. The lead character is played by the renowned actor Tom Hanks.”

Ha Jae-Gun looked comfortable while looking straight into the camera while sitting on a high chair. He was currently at the studio, filming Let’s Watch A Movie.

This time, there was no interaction between panelists, and he had received a script in advance from the production team, so he felt less burdened during the filming.

“Aside from Tom Hanks, there are other legendary actors included in the cast such as Paul Newman, Jude Law, as well as the currently popular actor in Korea, Daniel Craig, who was known for the 007 series. Memories of the past suddenly came to me. When I was young, the elders would call such crime-based noir works gangster movies.”

He initially joined this program in hopes of providing some help to Do-Joon, but he was now enjoying himself. He had gained a sense of responsibility after receiving emails from readers.

“While depicting the story of how the betrayed main character regained everything he had lost and avenged himself, the story also emphasized paternal love. The journey of him and his elder son began after his wife and younger son were murdered. As the story progressed, countless variables hit the apathetic father and son pair, which was also one of the interesting parts that the movie has to offer.”

The staff in the control room switched camera angles in the studio.

Ha Jae-Gun continued reading according to the script with a relaxed tone as he took the signal.

“The scene that touched me closest to my heart was when the father and son finally understood each other. The main character explains to his elder son why he discriminates against his elder son and favors his younger son more, saying that his elder son reminds him too much of himself, and he hates it.

"Of course, the main character didn't mean to discriminate against his elder son. The main character has locked himself up in the dark world, whether it was voluntarily or not. Just how did he feel when he saw a reflection of himself in his son?”

The door to the studio opened slightly, and Producer Oh from MBS’s variety department stepped in. Producer Shin, who was overseeing the recording, noticed his presence and signaled him over with his hand.

“Is it almost over?”

“Yeah, soon. Why?”

“I’m here to see Mr. Ha for a while.”

“Ahha. It must be about that.” Producer Shin soothed his mustache and chuckled. “I don’t think he’ll agree.”

“I’ll have to at least give it a try first.”

The filming finally ended after some time. Ha Jae-Gun unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as he stepped down the stage. As he thanked the staff for their hard work, Producer Oh appeared before him.

“Hello, Mr. Ha.”

“Ah, Producer Oh? It’s been a while.” Ha Jae-Gun greeted him happily and shook hands with the man. Ha Jae-Gun recognized Producer Oh as he had appeared in I Live Alone with Park Do-Joon in the past.

“I wanted to greet you on several occasions, but you have been quite busy all this time. You were busy every time I called, so I took the liberty of coming down here to see you. Hahaha.” Producer Oh joked and chuckled as he slicked his hair back.

Ha Jae-Gun then replied with an apologetic look, “Yes, I have been busy lately.”

“Haha, yes. Um... Do you have anything on after this? I was wondering if we could have a cup of coffee together for a while...” Producer Oh trailed off as he observed Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun checked the time on his wristwatch. He was supposed to return to the writer’s office to have dinner with the others. Thinking that he was tight on time, Ha Jae-Gun replied, “I’m really sorry, but I have an appointment later.”

“Ah, I see...”

With a disappointed look clouding Producer Oh’s face, Ha Jae-Gun quickly added, “So I can’t go far, but I can have coffee with you at the lounge.”

“Ah, ahahaha...! Great, let’s go, Mr. Ha.”

Producer Oh and Ha Jae-Gun sat across from each other on the sofa in the lounge with their coffee in hand.

What Producer Oh said afterward was something that Ha Jae-Gun had been expecting.

“I’d like to invite Mr. Ha on I Live Alone as a guest.”

“What is there to share about someone like me who only writes for a living?”

“There are viewers all over the country wishing to see your personal life. We’re not expecting anything difficult from you. You may work as usual, and our cameramen will capture your life and edit it into an interesting story.”

“I’ll think over this seriously and let you know again,” Ha Jae-Gun replied with a faint smile. It was somewhat interesting to see that his popularity had increased so much that he had been invited to guest on I Live Alone.

All he had done until now was writing, but it felt like his entire world had changed. It was the same for Producer Oh sitting before him. Producer Oh had addressed Ha Jae-Gun as Writer Ha when he invited Park Do-Joon as a guest on the show.

However, he was now addressing Ha Jae-Gun politely as Mr. Ha.

“I’ll try to come to a decision as soon as possible.”

“I hope you’ll give me a positive answer, Mr. Ha.”

After Producer Oh sent Ha Jae-Gun out, he encountered a group of readers at the door. The same group of people would appear every time Ha Jae-Gun filmed Let’s Watch A Movie, and he wasn’t flustered anymore.

“You’ve cut your hair, Mr. Ha? I think you’ll look good with permed hair, what do you think? I work at a hair salon, I’ll do a great job if you come by.”

“When will we be able to see the drama for Summer in My 20s?”

“I heard that you’re playing Oscar’s Dungeon, too, right? What level are you at now?”

The readers asked him various questions while requesting a few autographs and photos with Ha Jae-Gun. Ha Jae-Gun replied to them one by one while acceding to their requests without rest.

He didn’t find them troublesome at all. He was grateful to them. They were the reason he could stand here today.

‘Ah, it’s already so late.’

Thirty minutes had passed after he had barely finished responding to the readers’ requests. Ha Jae-Gun hurried to the parking lot. The moment he reached out to open the car door...

“Can you give me an autograph as well?” a feminine voice echoed behind him.

“...!” Ha Jae-Gun’s hand froze, and he flinched in surprise. He had just heard the most beautiful voice in the world that he could never forget.

“Soo-Hee...?” Ha Jae-Gun turned around in shock, and his jaw dropped to the floor.

Lee Soo-Hee stood smiling at Ha Jae-Gun, with her cheeks and nose looking rosy in the cold. She was holding the final volume of Oscar’s Dungeon.

“Are you going to sign this for me, Writer Ha?”

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you’ll only be back in two weeks?”

“Revenge.”

“Revenge? What revenge?”

“You did this to me when you visited Taiwan, too. Huhu, I wanted to give you a surprise; it seems like I’ve succeeded.”

Ha Jae-Gun took a step forward, still in disbelief. He then suddenly pulled Lee Soo-Hee into a hug, causing the book in her hands to fall to the ground.

“Wait! The book fell.”

“Who cares about that? All that matters is that you’re here.”

“We’re still outside. What if someone took a photo and uploaded it onto the internet?”

“So what? We’re getting married anyway.” Ha Jae-Gun hugged her tighter.

The weather was so cold that white condensation came out of their mouths, but it didn’t affect him as Lee Soo-Hee’s warmth was much stronger than the cold winds.

“How did you know that I’m here?”

“I asked your manager.”

“Ah, you called Yeon-Woo?”

“Yeah, I heard you’re going to have dinner with the writers?”

Ha Jae-Gun gently pulled away from the hug and stared at her plump and round lips.

He smiled and said, "Let's have dinner together instead."

"What about your dinner appointment with the others? You don't have to worry about me. It's good enough that we got to see each other today; we can meet again tomorrow."

"It's cold; let's get in the car first." Ha Jae-Gun opened the front passenger door and let Lee Soo-Hee get in the car first.

Ha Jae-Gun took the driver’s seat and pulled out his phone, giving a call to Lee Yeon-Woo.

“Yeah, Yeon-Woo. Sorry, but I can’t attend the company dinner tonight. Yeah, thanks for understanding. I’ll send some money to your account, so have a good meal with the others.

"No, it’s fine. I was the one who asked to have the company dinner and couldn’t make it in the end, so I should be punished for it. Yeah, bye.” Ha Jae-Gun then started the car engine.

Lee Soo-Hee put on her seatbelt and said, “I’m really fine...”

“I’m not fine with it.”

Actually, Ha Jae-Gun could also bring Lee Soo-Hee along for the company dinner tonight, but he didn’t do it out of consideration for Jung So-Mi.

“You’re going back to your family’s house to see your parents, right? Then we shouldn’t have alcohol, what do you want to eat? Tell me.”

“I want to cook at home...”

“Huh? What?”

Lee Soo-Hee smiled shyly, and then she leaned closer to Ha Jae-Gun’s ear and whispered, “My family thinks that I’ll only be back in Korea tomorrow.”

“Ah...”

“I wanted to be with you today.”

Ha Jae-Gun could not wait any longer. He stopped entering the address into the navigator and pulled Lee Soo-Hee in roughly for a deep kiss. Lee Soo-Hee’s fingers dug into Ha Jae-Gun’s back.

***

“Ms. So-Mi, you’re drinking too quickly today,” Jang Eun-Young commented.

“Not at all, hicc. Writer Jang, let’s have another toast.”

Aside from Ha Jae-Gun, the writers and everyone else were gathered in the large sashimi restaurant near the office. Kang Min-Ho, Jang Eun-Young, Lee Yeon-Woo, Yang Hyun-Kyung, Lee Eun-Ha, and even Jung So-Mi were making toasts one after another.

“Ms. So-Mi, did something happen today? I think you’re drinking too fast today.” Even Lee Eun-Ha asked, her tone full of worry. It hadn’t been thirty minutes since they started dinner, and yet Jung So-Mi had already emptied an entire bottle of soju on her own.

Jung So-Mi smiled as if it was no big deal and replied, “It’s been a while since I drank, so the soju tastes sweet to me. Plus, I like sashimi as well, I’m the daughter of the sea, after all.”

“Right, Ms. So-Mi’s hometown is in Donghae. Please accept a glass from me, Donghae girl.”

“Hehe, Donghae girl sounds good. Thank you, Director Lee.”

The chatty and amicable atmosphere lasted for two hours. The plate of fresh sashimi and the pot of spicy fish stew were just about to get emptied, but around ten bottles of soju had already been emptied.

“Shall we move somewhere else for round two?”

“Sure, where shall we go? How about Junkko? We can sing there as well.”

“Okay! Let’s go to Junkko!” Jung So-Mi cheered enthusiastically at Lee Yeon-Woo’s suggestion.

The others also nodded in agreement.

“Ms. So-Mi, aren’t you too drunk? Walk with me.”

“I’m fine, Director Lee. Ah, thank you for holding me. Heehee.”

Lee Eun-Ha and Jang Eun-Young supported Jung So-Mi on both sides. Thankfully, their destination wasn’t that far. They sat down in the spacious room with a karaoke machine, and then they ordered a few snacks to go with their alcohol for round two.

‘What could he be doing now...’

The writers’ singing didn't reach Jung So-Mi in her unfocused eyes. All she could think about was Ha Jae-Gun, who did not appear for the company dinner.

However, she knew why he wasn't here. She knew that Lee Soo-Hee had returned to Korea today and that both of them were dating. She even knew that they were planning to get married. She had accepted it and was supposed to let him go, but letting go wasn’t as easy as she initially thought.

“Wow, what a scam. How can my song only get seventy points? Isn’t there a problem with this machine?” Yang Hyun-Kyung was speechless at the low score shown on the screen after finishing his song. Lee Yeon-Woo took over the microphone and stepped up front with confidence.

“I can’t help but step up after hearing Hyun-Kyung hyung complaining about the innocent machine. 0.8 Naul, Yeon-Woo, will sing a song for everyone here.

“Wow, look at him claiming himself to be 0.8 Naul[1].”

“Director Lee is belittling me. Let me prove it to you.”

Lee Yeon-Woo entered the song number and pressed the start button. A melancholy melody played at the introduction. Lee Yeon-Woo cleared his throat and started singing.

“You don’t have to~ I can still understand you~ Even though you are with someone else~ and it’s still a little awkward~”

“Oh, my, Writer Lee really sings quite well. He’s 1 Naul instead of 0.8 Naul.” Lee Eun-Ha exclaimed in surprise while enjoying the song.

Excited from the praise, Lee Yeon-Woo began singing with more sincerity. Not before long, his singing entered Jung So-Mi’s ears, who had been lost in thoughts for a while.

‘It’s this song again...’ Jung So-Mi had been listening to this song a lot recently after suffering from a heartache because of Ha Jae-Gun.

Was it because of the alcohol? For some reason, she could sympathize more with the emotions portrayed in the lyrics than usual. Jung So-Mi burst into tears with the added immersion.

“...Ms. So-Mi?” Jang Eun-Young approached her after spotting tears flowing on Jung So-Mi’s face. It was only when Jang Eun-Young took a few pieces of tissues and wiped the tears off Jung So-Mi’s face that she realized what was happening.

“Ahh, I’m sorry. I’m not sure why...”

“Ms. So-Mi, you’re really off today, what happened? Hmm?”

Jung So-Mi hurriedly wiped her tears and forced a smile.

Even Lee Yeon-Woo stopped singing and watched Jung So-Mi, his face full of worry.

“No, the song was so sad that it made me emotional. I’ll take a walk outside for a bit.” Jung So-Mi opened the door and left the room.

After a moment of hesitation, Lee Yeon-Woo left the microphone on the table and followed after Jung So-Mi. “I’ll check up on her.”

“Okay, Yeon-Woo. Please look after her. She doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today.”

Jung So-Mi was already walking further away down the hallway, and Lee Yeon-Woo hurried behind her.

“Where are you going?”

“Oh, Writer Lee. I’m going to grab a coffee from the convenience store downstairs...”

“I’ll go with you, you drank a lot earlier.”

“Hehe, thank you~”

The elevator brought the two of them down without stopping. Lee Yeon-Woo went into the convenience store and grabbed a can of hot coffee for Jung So-Mi.

Jung So-Mi stood outside in the cold wind in an effort to combat the alcohol's influence on her.

“Here, I bought you a hot coffee since it’s cold outside.”

“Thank you.”

“You seem to have some trouble.”

“No... It’s really nothing.”

Lee Yeon-Woo smiled, nodding in silence. He guessed why Jung So-Mi was wearing a skirt today when she usually preferred to wear jeans.

The two of them stood and watched the streets silently while drinking their coffee. Just as Jung So-Mi was about to put her empty can into the recycling bin, Jung So-Mi’s heel got caught in the stairs, and she stumbled. She lost her balance, but Lee Yeon-Woo quickly grabbed her and helped her up.

“Are you okay?” Yeon-Woo asked as he held her by the waist. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other’s hot breath.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m fine.”

“But I’m not.”

“Pardon...?”

“I actually like you, Deputy Jung. So I’m not feeling good seeing how depressed you are.”

“...!” Jung So-Mi’s eyes slowly widened in surprise.

While she was sobering up, Lee Yeon-Woo slowly let go of her while putting up a bitter smile.

The cold winter wind cut through both of them.

1. Naul is a singer, and 0.8 means 80% of that person ?