Big Life

Chapter 204. What? Dragon Rider? (10)

“...?”

Chae Yoo-Jin held onto her still-ringing phone tightly, almost as if she was trying to crush it. She didn’t have the courage to answer it. Just looking at the name that had appeared on the screen was enough to paint a serious look on her face.

Ha Jae-Gun felt that something was wrong and decided to give her space. He suggested to Kwon Tae-Won, “President Kwon, shall we go have another round of coffee elsewhere?”

“Ah, sure. There’s a cafe over there. I’ll get us three cups of coffee.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won headed over to the takeout coffee place that was located after the car park. Chae Yoo-Jin was still standing at the same spot in a daze; the ringing of the call that she wasn’t willing to answer finally came to an end.

However, the same person dialed again. Knowing that she couldn’t avoid them, Chae Yoo-Jin took a deep breath. She needed to prepare herself mentally when facing them.

“Hel...lo?” Chae Yoo-Jin then realized for the first time that such a helpless tone could come from her.

An unexpected heavy sigh came from the other side of the line.

— Is this Chae Yoo-Jin?

“Yes, it is...” Chae Yoo-Jin felt faint and wrapped her forehead with her hand. She gently stood leaning against the wall of the car park with her coat still on.

“How are you doing, President...?”

— Yeah, I’m healthy and well. How have you been?

“I am doing well thanks to you...”

— I called the agency, and they said you’re in Korea.

“Yes, I’m back for a few days to handle a contract.”

— When are you going back to the U.S.?

“I don't have a fixed return date yet.”

— I see.

Their conversation paused for a moment, and silence followed. Chae Yoo-Jin swept her bangs and set her gaze across the street. Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won were still looking at the menu, choosing their coffee.

— Are you meeting Oh Myung-Suk while you’re here?

A question came out of the blue. Even if no one was watching her, Chae Yoo-Jin nodded and replied, “We met at least once.”

— Is it because of work?

“No, it’s not.”

— Then don’t meet him.

Oh Tae-Jin’s firm words seemed to have shot an arrow into Chae Yoo-Jin’s chest.

— Oh Myung-Suk is no longer a child, and I'm soon going to step down. As his father, I get extremely worried every time I see him.

“...”

— He’s both emotional and soft-hearted; he doesn’t know how to cut off ties properly. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?

“President...”

— Please answer me, do you understand?

Hot tears welled up in Chae Yoo-Jin’s eyes. Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun and Kwon Tae-Won were now heading back to her. Afraid that her makeup would smudge, Chae Yoo-Jin didn't dare to close her eyes. She looked down at the ground, and her tears were pulled by gravity to the asphalt ground.

— Does your lack of answer mean that you can't give him up?

“No, no... President, it’s not like that...”

— Please, I beg you. Please don’t become a burden to him, he has a bright future ahead of him. He’s my eldest son, and he has to lead the OongSung Group in the future.

Chae Yoo-Jin pulled her phone away from her mouth as her breathing became ragged. There was nothing she could say to Oh Tae-Jin. If it weren’t for that particular night... if it weren’t for her body, she could have given him an answer right away.

Just then, something happened on the other side of the line.

Oh Tae-Jin continued.

— Let’s meet and have a talk. I’ll contact you again.

“Yes, President. Please enjoy yo—”

Beep!

The call ended even before Chae Yoo-Jin could finish her sentence. The last of her tears dropped from her eyes, with her head still hanging low. Meanwhile, the sight of Kwon Tae-Won and Ha Jae-Gun crossing the road came into her view.

“Hoo...!” Chae Yoo-Jin quickly turned around and fixed her expression. She took in a few deep breaths and was soon able to calm herself down.

The two men arrived behind her at the same time. “Ms. Yoo-Jin, we’re unsure what you’ll like, so we bought three different drinks. There’s Americano, Cafe Latte, and Mocha Latte. Go ahead and choose what you like first.”

“Ah, thank you. I’m fine with anything.” Chae Yoo-Jin smiled brightly and took one of the cups handed to her.

Ha Jae-Gun noticed her red, puffy eyes but decided to feign ignorance. “President Kwon, will you be leaving from here?”

“Yes, I’ll return the van first and return to the office with Deputy Kim and begin working right away. What about you, Writer Ha?”

“I’m going to head back to the Bucheon office.” Ha Jae-Gun then turned to Chae Yoo-Jin. The question in his looks got Chae Yoo-Jin thinking for a moment.

“If you’re going to Bucheon... Can you drop me off at the subway station nearby?”

“Where are you going?”

“I have something to do in Incheon.”

“I understand. Let’s take my car then.”

The three of them finished their coffee and said their goodbyes. Kwon Tae-Won left first with the Laugh Books employee. Ha Jae-Gun and Chae Yoo-Jin ten got into Ha Jae-Gun’s car.

“How far are you heading into Incheon?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he fastened his seatbelt. “I’ll drop you off at your destination.”

“It’s enough if you could drop me at the nearest subway station.”

“It’s nearby anyway, so it’s not that far off to drive over. Where are you heading to?”

“Mm, can you drop me at Oido then?”

"Of course." Ha Jae-Gun nodded with a smile. “Oido is nearby, we’ll be there in no time. Let’s go then.”

Ha Jae-Gun started his car. As the car began driving slowly, Chae Yoo-Jin looked around the car’s interior and mumbled, “Your car is nice.”

“Editor-in-chief Oh Myung-Suk bought it for me.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard about this before.”

“Are you not meeting him on this trip?” Ha Jae-Gun asked. He wasn't showing it on the surface, but Ha Jae-Gun had been worrying about her since he noticed her tears earlier at the car park, thinking that it was somehow related to Oh Myung-Suk.

“There’s no reason for us to meet.”

“People aren’t machines that only do work. I know that you’ve known each other for a long time since university.”

Chae Yoo-Jin smiled faintly instead of giving a reply. As Ha Jae-Gun could not continue the conversation, he placed his focus on the road instead.

They soon drove out of Seoul and entered Bucheon. As they stopped momentarily at the red light, Chae Yoo-Jin broke the silence and asked, “Writer Ha, if you’re not busy today, would you like to join me for drinks?”

“Drinks...?”

Ha Jae-Gun understood her invitation, but he still contemplated it.

His original plan was to meet Lee Soo-Hee after dropping by the office.

“I feel like having some drinks today. I’m sorry for putting you in a spot. It’s fine if you can’t join me.”

“No, hmm... I can join you.” Ha Jae-Gun replied after a while. He wasn’t sure when Chae Yoo-Jin would return to the U.S., and since he was quite grateful to her, he thought that he should give her some support as well.

On top of that, her tears earlier were still on his mind.

“Where shall we go then?”

“I think we can go straight to Oido.”

Ha Jae-Gun realized that she wanted to go there for drinks and asked, “Shall I call Editor-in-chief Oh along?”

“No, it’s fine. We’re going to meet him now, actually.”

“Ah, is that so? You should have said so earlier.” Ha Jae-Gun smiled ludicrously and shook his head.

Just then, the traffic lights turned green, and the car drove smoothly on the road.

***

“How does it taste?”

“It’s fresh and delicious. Thank you for letting me have grilled clams after a long while, Ms. Yoo-Jin,” Ha Jae-Gun said as he flipped the clams on the grill with his gloved hands.

There was a red lighthouse located by the beach outside the window.

“Don’t just grill the clams; have some drinks, too.”

“Thank you. I would like to pour you a glass, too, but since I’m wearing gloves, I'll pass for now!”

The two made a toast and downed the cold soju down their throats. The fire before them was warming them up nicely amidst the cold winter. The sparks flew as the fire cooked the clams, turning them into a delicious meal.

“But... When is the editor-in-chief coming?” Ha Jae-Gun asked as he glanced at the emptying bottle. They had arrived here well over thirty minutes ago, but Oh Myung-Suk was still nowhere to be seen.

“He’ll be here when it’s time. Don’t be concerned about him and let’s enjoy our dinner. Unni, please give us another bottle of soju here.” Chae Yoo-Jin’s drinking speed was relatively fast compared to normal.

She had already completed her second bottle and had just ordered a third.

“I think you’re drinking too fast.”

“The soju tastes sweet today. I’ll slow down.”

Bzzt!

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ha. I have to answer this call.”

“Sure, please take your time.”

Chae Yoo-Jin stumbled away and headed out of the restaurant. She answered the call in the cold. “Why is Mr. Myung-Hoon calling me out of the blue?”

— Noona, I heard that you’re back in Korea?

“Yeah, of course. Did you call because you missed me? You didn’t even arrange to meet me in New York for a meal with the excuse that you’re busy with work.”

— Hearing your tone, you must have been drinking for some time. Are you not going to meet my brother?

“There’s no reason for us to meet this time round. He should be busy as well.”

— Shouldn’t you at least come up with a reason to meet?

“What are you trying to say?” Chae Yoo-Jin stopped joking and asked in a serious tone. Oh Myung-Hoon did not hesitate and continued,

— Why are you not answering his call? I think he has called you a few times.

“It’s not something you should be concerned about.

— I’m not sure what’s happening, but can you keep avoiding it?

“Don’t you think you’ve been nosy? I’m tired today, so let’s talk again next time. Bye.” Just as Chae Yoo-Jin was about to hang up, Oh Myung-Hoon added hurriedly.

— I have a meeting with the family of Daemyung Group the day after tomorrow.

“...?!”

— Do you understand what that means? He's going to meet their youngest daughter. Once things get rolling, it’s going to be difficult for him to turn things around. His own will would become useless by then.

“Why... are you telling me this?”

Oh Myung-Hoon snorted. His following words came through the crashing waves on the beach.

— I hate to see my brother in pain.

“...”

— Please take care of him or answer his call at the very least.

“I’ll... hang up.”

Chae Yoo-Jin hung up and walked around aimlessly, leading her in the direction away from the restaurant. It was only when she bumped into others while walking that she realized and turned around to head back to the restaurant.

“I’m sorry, the call took a while...”

“No, it’s fine. Please sit.”

As soon as Chae Yoo-Jin sat back down, she downed another glass of soju that she poured for herself. The words Oh Myung-Hoon said earlier were ringing in her ears.

‘He shouldn’t have brought it up, now I can’t even say my piece.’ If she were the youngest daughter of the Daemyung Group, Chae Yoo-Jin was aware of her identity.

Chae Yoo-Jin had read the news on how the girl had recently finished her overseas studies in the States and began taking business management classes. She seemed to be twenty-seven this year. She was a much better choice than Chae Yoo-Jin.

“Ms. Yoo-Jin, I’ll give the editor-in-chief a call,” Ha Jae-Gun said cautiously, as he could not watch her like this any longer. She might get totally drunk even before Oh Myung-Suk arrives.

“Please don’t...” Chae Yoo-Jin hurriedly waved her hand, her eyes glazed.

“Myung-Suk is already here.”

“What are you saying? Are you drunk?”

“Yes, I'm drunk. But Myung-Suk is really here. He's sitting here with us right now—the Myung-Suk in my memories.”

“...!” Ha Jae-Gun’s jaws dropped in bewilderment. He finally realized that Chae Yoo-Jin and Oh Myung-Suk had been here before.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Mr. Ha...” Chae Yoo-Jin said between sobs as she rested her head on the table. Ha Jae-Gun called a waiter to put out the fire so as to prevent her from getting hurt. With a heavy heart, he quietly poured her another glass of soju.

Bzzt!

Chae Yoo-Jin’s phone vibrated. The caller ID—Mr. Kang—showed up on the screen.

“Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin, there’s a call for you. Ms. Chae Yoo-Jin.” Ha Jae-Gun was speechless when Chae Yoo-Jin was unresponsive. He didn't expect her to fall asleep in less than ten minutes after resting her head on the table.

Ha Jae-Gun had always thought of Chae Yoo-Jin as the epitome of calmness, so he couldn't help but find it strange how she was so out of character today.

‘The phone is still ringing.’ The calls were coming from the same person, so Ha Jae-Gun thought that it could be something urgent. He pondered briefly before finally deciding to answer it in her stead.

“Hello, this is Ms. Yoo-Jin’s phone.”

— Hello? Is this Ms. Yoo-Jin’s phone?

The voice of an elderly woman came through the line. Ha Jae-Gun shook Chae Yoo-Jin's shoulders as he replied, “Yes. I’m her friend, but she’s not in the state to answer the phone now, so I answered it for her.”

— Please wake her up if she’s sleeping.

“She just had some drinks. If you could tell me, I’ll convey the message to her later. Is it something urgent?”

— Mm...!

The unpleasant grunt dug into Ha Jae-Gun’s ears. Just as Ha Jae-Gun was about to ask questions, the lady continued.

— You said you're her friend?

“That’s right...”

Ha Jae-Gun sat upright when the lady on the other line addressed him without honorifics. Soon afterward, an unexpected yell came through the line.

— Look here! As a friend, how could you just watch your pregnant friend get drunk?!

“Pardon...?”

Ha Jae-Gun felt like he was hit in the back of his head by a steel pipe. His vision started to get blurry as he cast a dumbfounded gaze upon the sleeping Chae Yoo-Jin.