Big Life

Chapter 208. What? Dragon Rider? (14)

[Weekly Trends Exclusive! Identity of Ha Jae-Gun's woman gets revealed!]

[Ha Jae-Gun's woman is actually a spectacular[1] woman? A career woman working as a team leader at a leading game company in Korea]

[Photos of the very same one-piece girl from Ha Jae-Gun's past autograph event resurfaces; her stunning beauty results in explosive reaction on social media]

[Exclusive phone interview with Writer Ha Jae-Gun: Love since university will come to fruition with marriage]

Chae Bo-Ra felt particularly uncomfortable today. She had been grounded in her own studio for a few days now, and it was beginning to suffocate her. On top of that, she had just decided to surf the internet to distract herself, but Ha Jae-Gun was all over the news.

'Why is everyone so interested in a normal person's love affair?'

Ha Jae-Gun was just a writer, and she was a celebrity. Their status and positions were entirely different, but Chae Bo-Ra still had every reason to be angry. News of her appearing on Five Wheels had made it to the real-time search rankings, but it was buried instantly after Ha Jae-Gun's news broke out on the internet.

'Everyone is just going on about Ha Jae-Gun, Ha Jae-Gun! I really want to smash this phone. Argh!'

Why was it always Ha Jae-Gun? Chae Bo-Ra's anger and hatred toward him skyrocketed.

Whatever mistakes she had made in the past were not important now, as they were all in the past. At this moment, she only viewed Ha Jae-Gun as a huge obstacle standing in the way of her bright future, and her insides were boiling in anger.

'Argh, seriously!'

Chae Bo-Ra threw her phone to a corner on the sofa and turned on the TV. The channel was still on the entertainment program of a certain entertainment program that she was watching last night. She turned up the volume as she watched the female host and a reporter engage in a talk.

"...a woman he has liked since university? I think it’s a beautiful story, even if it took him a long time to step into the next chapter. How did you get this information, Reporter Hyun Sung-Beom?"

"Actually, about this... It’s an interesting story. I was at the airport covering for another story when I happened to bump into Writer Ha Jae-Gun. As a reporter, I couldn’t just let the chance slip past, so I approached him and asked about the photos that had become a hot topic recently."

Chae Bo-Ra’s face distorted so much as if she had just drank a huge bowl of dirty water. The TV was talking about Ha Jae-Gun again. The mask she had on her face was wrinkling and falling off.

[I see. So, Writer Ha Jae-Gun told you everything in detail on the spot?]

[No. He was actually busy at that time, so he told me that he would contact me if I left him to his work, and he would also tell me everything in detail. Something like that....]

[So you left the busy man and got a call from him later?]

[Yes, he really called me on my phone a few days later and answered all of my questions in detail. He had also said a few words that left a deep impression, saying that he had never broken a promise in his life before.]

Tzz!

The TV was turned off, and Chae Bo-Ra threw the remote control to the floor, and it rolled on the rug laid out in the living room. She removed the face mask and stood up from the sofa. “Are you done yet?!”

“A-almost done!”

“It’s just a salad; why are you taking so long?!”

“Sorry, I forgot that we’ve run out of chopped cabbage. Give me a few minutes more.” Yu-Na replied apologetically as her head peeked out from the kitchen.

Chae Bo-Ra returned to the sofa with a slightly softened face now that she had let out some of the anger that had built up in her.

‘Well, whatever. It’s not like my life is alternating between happy and sad. I’ve got a lot of people on my side, too.’

Up until now, there were still countless fans sending words of encouragement to Chae Bo-Ra through social media. Most of them thought that Chae Bo-Ra was taking a break from her activities after receiving shock from the controversy a while back. The flooding mentions on her social media brought a smile to her face.

‘This is my win, and the winner is never at fault.’

She had deceived the public with her outstanding acting through various media outlets and video platforms. Fortunately, the world was on her side. The issue of her manipulating Won Ji-Yeon to delete Ha Jae-Gun’s manuscript had fizzled as there wasn’t any evidence to back it up.

‘That foolish and cheeky bitch, How dare she act up?’ Won Ji-Yeon should be trembling in fear of facing a huge settlement fee after being blamed for all the crimes Chae Bo-Ra had committed.

Chae Bo-Ra felt thrilled just imagining that sight.

“Bo-Ra, it’s all done now. Come over and eat.”

“Okay.” The plate of salad and a drink was set up on the dining table.

Chae Bo-Ra sat down and picked up the fork. As she took a bite of the salad, she noticed Yu-Na’s phone left on one end of the table.

“Unni, you bought a new phone?”

“Ah, yes. The contract for my previous phone ended, so I got a new one.”

Chae Bo-Ra grabbed her phone without permission. As she pressed the unlock button, paragraphs of text filled the screen.

“What’s this? Novel?”

“Oh, yes. I just read whenever I’m bored....”

“What novel is this?”

“It’s just an ordinary novel. It has a bit of romance in it,” Yu-Na without much thought. She was quite the bookworm, but he didn’t have much time to drop by the library, so she had to purchase ebooks through her phone to read them.

“Reading as a hobby for an idol group trainee? That doesn’t suit your image.”

“Really...? I just like reading.”

“Anyway, reading books hurts my head, so I don’t read them. I would choose webtoons over books; why would I want to torture myself by reading? You want to get popular through books? Like Chae-Rin from AppleT?”

“No, I’m just blindly choosing something to do. I have nothing else to do.” Yu-Na smiled awkwardly. It was better for her not to say anything that might rub Chae Bo-Ra the wrong way.

“I heard that the showcase is getting delayed. Instead of reading things like this and wasting your time, you should practice more.”

“You’re right....” Although that was what she said, Yu-Na was seething with anger internally. Chae Bo-Ra was spouting blatant nonsense when she was the one who had called a tired person to play as her housekeeper.

Bzzt!

“It should be Oppa. Get my phone for me.”

“Mm.” Yu-Na went to the living room like an obedient little dog and brought Chae Bo-Ra her phone.

Chae Bo-Ra answered the phone while chewing a mouthful of salad. “Yeah.”

— Bo-Ra, are you at home now?

“Of course. Who’s the one who grounded me?”

— Bo-Ra, I’m sorry. Aish, there’s some bad news.

Her manager’s tone sounded unusual. Still calm, Chae Bo-Ra took a sip of her drink and asked, “Bad news? Are they going to counter-sue Won Ji-Yeon at all? Or is this about Ha Jae-Gun?”

— No, Bo-Ra. Please don’t explode after hearing me out. I should go and ask them about it but the situation now....

Chae Bo-Ra finally understood the seriousness of the situation and put down her fork. The moment she was about to yell at her manager to tell her the news quickly, he continued speaking

— Your appearance on Five Wheels has been canceled, Chae Bo-Ra....

“What...?!” The color drained from Chae Bo-Ra’s face.

She had been looking forward to returning to variety shows, but they had actually been canceled? A loud, heavy sound rang in her ears as if a huge boulder had dropped on her heart.

“What do you mean...? Why me?”

— They said you don’t fit their concept for the upcoming special episode.... That’s just an excuse. I think there are other reasons behind it.

Her manager only stopped there, believing that Chae Bo-Ra would also be aware of the other reasons that he had mentioned. She had managed to deceive the whole world, so there was no way Chae Bo-Ra wouldn’t know the truth.

“No...!” Chae Bo-Ra’s breathing turned rough. She gripped the edge of the table so tightly that her palm was turning red. “No...! How is that possible...? How can they do that? How can they stop me like this?”

— It’s hard to say that Ha Jae-Gun had a hand in this. He’s not someone to do that.

“Are you siding with him now?!”

— Don’t raise your voice at me when you haven't done anything right. I’m just stating facts.

“Oppa, are you reprimanding me...?”

— Do you still not know his character by now? If he wanted to do something, he would have done so already. Why would he stop you from appearing on a small variety show at this point? Does that make any sense?

Her manager let out a long sigh.

Grrr.

Her manager then continued.

— It was tough for me to ask Assistant Director Ji Jung-Hwan out and ask him about this personally. He didn’t say all that, but I could tell from his expression. The broadcasting station had made the changes.

“...!” Chae Bo-Ra gritted her teeth so hard that it was on the verge of breaking. Her manager’s words were implying the truth.

“Producer Oh values Ha Jae-Gun much higher than me?”

— Bo-Ra....

“Is that it? He’s being careful around that guy, so he’s decided to kick me out of the show? Wow...! But all the effort I’ve put in to get to where I am now...!”

— Calm down and listen to me....

“How can I calm down?! How does any of this make sense?! Oppa, what did you do?! You know all the hard work I’ve done to get to where I am, but why are you just watching on the side?!” Chae Bo-Ra yelled into the phone and threw the plate of salad away.

Clatter!

The plate broke on the floor, and the salad scattered in all directions.

Yu-Na turned pale in fear and retreated.

“Managers are all there just to extort money from us! Ah, how annoying. Disgusting, bye!”

Beep!

Chae Bo-Ra unilaterally hung up the call and threw her phone away at random, which happened to hit Yu-Na on her forehead.

“Ah!”

“Why did you stand there?! Stop getting on my nerves, I want to be alone, so leave! Bloody hell, did he really think that I’d step down just like this?! I have people to back me up, too!”

Chae Bo-Ra left the hurting Yu-Na and headed to her room, slamming the door. Yu-Na rubbed her forehead, tears welling up in her eyes. Her forehead hurt, but she felt sadder than pain. Her nose was turning red, and a tear rolled down her face.

Bzzt!

The phone vibrated on the floor. Yu-Na wiped her tears and looked up. It was her own phone ringing; the incoming call was from her manager.

“H-Hello.”

— Where are you now? Why do you sound so tired?

“No, I just had a nap.”

— Okay, you can come to the office right away, right? Within thirty minutes.

“Now? Why?”

— AppleT’s Chae-Rin is here.

Yu-Na’s teary eyes widened in surprise.

— She’s here for the Real Theater, and they’re filming scenes of her reminiscing about her trainee days. You guys can practice dance steps together and have a chat, too. They said they’ll do a brief interview if there’s time.

“R-really...?”

— Yes, so come quickly. You should take the chance to go on the shows when you have the chance.

“I’ll be right there. I’ll fly over.”

Yu-Na wiped her tears again and stood up. She was in a hurry, but she was also afraid of Chae Bo-Ra, so she quickly cleaned up the mess in the kitchen first. She stepped out of the door with a hopeful face and slipped her feet into her sneakers.

***

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Yes, hyung. Why would I lie to you, hyung.” Lee Yeon-Woo repeated himself a few times.

Ha Jae-Gun sat across from him like a fortune teller with a doubtful look, staring straight at Lee Yeon-Woo.

They were at Ha Jae-Gun’s family home in Suwon. He thought of Lee Yeon-Woo and decided to give him a call, as he had also come to Suwon to visit his family. They then agreed to meet at his parent’s place, and they were currently eating lunch, courtesy of Ha Jae-In.

“Why are you going back home so often these days?” Ha Jae-Gun asked, unable to get past his doubts. “I hear from Writer Jang that you have been going out every day and would sometimes stay out too. Did you stay out because you’ve been going back home?”

“Yeah, well... My situation is getting better, too, and I’ve been wanting to resolve the misunderstandings with my parents. I should be a filial son.” Lee Yeon-Woo looked up at Ha Jae-Gun, and then he added, “That’s all.”

“Writer Jang is really worried for you. She said you’ve been spacing out lately, too.”

“I guess I’ve just been tired. I've encountered writer’s block, too, so I’ve got quite a lot on my mind.”

“Why didn’t you discuss it with me?”

“You’re so busy, so I feel apologetic and weird to ask you every time.”

“Why do you think I won't have time to help you no matter how busy I am? Stop with the nonsense; just tell me if you’re having a hard time.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

“...Eat. The stew is getting cold.”

The two of them picked up their cutlery and began eating. The meal was over soon without any accompaniments. Lee Yeon-Woo stood up with the empty dishes.

Ha Jae-Gun said, “We’ve got four new writers in the office.”

“I heard from Hyun-Kyung hyung. One of them is a female, right?”

“Yeah, she writes romance novels, apparently. She looks quite cute, too. I think you’ll be surprised.”

“I’m not interested....”

“Something really must have happened to you. Why is your response so dead?”

Just then, a door flung wide open, and Ha Jae-In stepped out of her room. With an anxious look, she asked, “Jae-Gun, what should I do?”

“Noona, what’s wrong?”

“The alumni gathering venue we booked is a garden for twenty pax, but those who initially said that they wouldn’t turn up changed their minds. Now we have twenty-seven people turning up. It’s almost the end of the year, too, so I’m not sure where to book to fit all these people.”

“Let’s calm down and look for one. How can there not be a place good enough for an alumni gathering here in Seoul?”

“Well, I don’t care where it is as long as it’s fitting, but the girls are different. Especially Sook-Hee, if they find anywhere unbefitting of their status...! No, I don't have to tell you this, but anyway...!” Jae-In swept her fringe and let out a long sigh.

Ha Jae-Gun moved the used dishes into the sink and chuckled as if it wasn’t that big of an issue.

“What’s with that expression? Are you making fun of my pain?”

“No, it’s just... why don’t you ask a favor?”

“To whom?”

“What do you mean? Your boyfriend, of course.”

Ha Jae-In’s face flushed instantly at that.

Lee Yeon-Woo turned around in surprise and asked, “Huh, noonim? You have a boyfriend? Who is it?”

“N-n-no. I’ll leave the kitchen to you...!” Ha Jae-In hurried back into her room with her phone in hand.

Could she really bother a busy person with such trivial matters? She couldn’t bear to dial the number, feeling burdened about the possibility of interrupting him in the middle of business affairs.

‘I heard that he has been busy recently trying to acquire some company.’ Nam Gyu-Ho seemed to be quite busy recently, as they had only exchanged a few short text messages these days.

It had been over a week since he had last turned up randomly at the academy.

Bzzt!

“Oh, my!”

Speak of the devil, a call came in, and it was the name she had been longing to see. Was it telepathy? Ha Jae-In was so happy to see his name that she cleared her throat before answering the call.

1. The raws uses the term ???, which actually literally translates to: mother's friend's daughter. ?