Big Life

Chapter 216. Laugh, Why Don’t You (4)

“Seems like Rika isn’t shy anymore.”

“Yes, it’s quite fascinating....” Han Yu-Na answered with pride and joy, the corners of her eyes turning hot as she stroked Rika’s neck.

“Come and have some coffee. Take your time telling me what’s going on.”

Han Yu-Na sat down on the sofa and slowly took a sip of coffee while collecting herself. Ha Jae-Gun did not try to push her; he quietly read his book while waiting for her to start.

“...I just met Chae Bo-Ra.” Han Yu-Na began after drinking around half a cup of coffee.

Ha Jae-Gun looked up. Rika jumped from Ha Jae-Gun’s lap and moved onto Han Yu-Na's lap.

“I’m not sure where I should start, but... I got to know her when I joined ICU Entertainment and was put in the group debuting as HyperSoda....”

Rika’s warmth calmed Han Yu-Na down, and she continued the story with ease. “My family’s situation became a problem for me, and I needed money urgently back then. While I was still wondering if I should take up a part-time job, Chae Bo-Ra lent me some money. I was really grateful to her, and she was a really good friend to me until she wasn't...”

Things that Han Yu-Na couldn’t bring herself to tell her family, colleagues, or even her manager were coming out from her now.

Ha Jae-Gun listened to her silently while nodding occasionally with an indifferent expression.

“...And she said that using the photos of me and my ex-boyfriend, Seong-Je, as leverage.” Han Yu-Na grabbed the cup in front of her after finishing her piece. The coffee had turned cold by then.

“Photos, huh...” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled.

After some hesitation, Han Yu-Na then added, “Um, please don’t get me wrong, those aren’t weird photos, just normal....”

“I didn’t...”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I have the tendency to get ahead of myself.” Han Yu-Na turned red and looked down.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and stood up from his seat, picking up the two empty cups. “Just do as you always have. It’s a sensitive period for you now, and that’s why you’re overly concerned about it, but I don’t think it’s much of an issue. Do you really think that you've made a mistake dating that guy back then?”

“No.”

“Isn’t that solved then? There’s no need to reveal this yourself, but it’s also not something that you aren’t proud of, isn’t it?”

“Thank you, Mr. Ha....” Han Yu-Na scrunched her tingling nose with a small smile. She never thought that she would feel so relieved after pouring out her feelings. Looking back, she had definitely felt desperate and frantic as she prepared for her debut. She couldn’t get over the smallest and slightest issue during this period.

‘It's a good thing I decided to visit Mr. Ha today, Rika.’ Han Yu-Na looked down at Rika. As if understanding her thoughts, Rika looked up at her from her curled-up position. Rika’s shining eyes were so deep that Han Yu-Na felt like she was falling into the abyss.

After a good thirty minutes, Han Yu-Na finally stood up to leave.

Han Yu-Na got into the cab that Ha Jae-Gun had called for her. She smiled at Ha Jae-Gun, looking more relaxed than ever as she said, “Thank you so much for today, Mr. Ha. I apologize for taking up so much of your precious time, too.”

“Don’t say that. Be careful on your way back, and I’ll see you in a few days.”

The cab soon drove off into the distance. Ha Jae-Gun headed back into his house, his expression hardening. He had pretended to be calm and collected in front of Han Yu-Na while they were together, but he was feeling otherwise inside. Anger began boiling within him the moment he heard about Chae Bo-Ra from the younger girl.

“Rika.”

“Meow...?”

“A person’s malicious intent really knows no bounds.” Ha Jae-Gun hugged Rika and went up to his study. He turned on his laptop and began working on his novel.

The next short story to be added in Market Place was the head of the district office, who had different personalities both inside and out. The model of this main character was Yang Beom-Shik, whom Ha Jae-Gun had first met at his recent lecture held at the library.

‘The head of the district office decided to appear at the market more often in order to attract public sentiment and build his image. The blatant and soulless activities only garnered a lukewarm response from the people of the market....’

Ha Jae-Gun thought it over repeatedly as he came up with an overall storyline. Unlike reality, he wanted to instill hope in his novel. He needed an opportunity that would allow the head of the district office to change humanely.

‘Why can’t I think of anything?’

Could it be because of the story he had just heard? Strangely, it was hard for him to concentrate on the story now. He had been typing and deleting the lines he wrote over and over again. Ha Jae-Gun eventually let out a long sigh and bent his head back as much as possible.

“A person’s malicious intent....” he mumbled as he stared into space. In fact, he had felt it, too, after sending Han Yu-Na off. The faces of a few people had surfaced and stayed in his mind for a while now. There was Haetae Media’s CEO Ma Jong-Goo, Oh Myung-Hoon, whom he had started off on the wrong foot since university, the arrogant Director Woo Jae-Hoon, Assistant Writer Won Ji-Yeon, and even the celebrity Chae Bo-Ra.

He had been trying to shake them off in his head, but his worries only grew deeper by the minute to the extent that he couldn't focus on writing his short story.

“A person’s malicious intent... Malicious intent....” Still staring into space, Ha Jae-Gun mumbled repeatedly. His eyes turned unfocused while staring at the white space, looking as if he was possessed.

“Meow.” Rika stood on her hind legs and scratched at Ha Jae-Gun’s chest.

Ha Jae-Gun then slowly looked down at her, seeing the waver in her eyes. Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly as he recognized the worrying look on her face.

“...?!” Just then, a thought hit Ha Jae-Gun like a lightning bolt. His hands reacted faster than his brain could, which reached for the keyboard and began typing away on it.

‘Gathered every speck of malicious intent...!’

Tadadadak! Tadak! Tadadak! Tadak!

His fingers began working, making a sound similar to a heavy rain in midsummer, producing countless words on the document. The words strung into sentences, and the entire world’s malice began to converge and take shape

There was no knowing what he was typing, but it was definitely not his short story. It wasn’t even in the right composition suitable for a novel. Ha Jae-Gun only typed out all the malice he knew on the Word document. He typed away tirelessly, forgetting the flow of time. Rika did not bother Ha Jae-Gun after seeing how immersed he had become and moved to curl up at the end of the table instead of staying on his lap.

The winter sun quickly set, and darkness filled the study as the lights in the room did not turn on. The only light source was coming from the monitor screen and Rika’s eyes. Even so, Ha Jae-Gun did not stop typing. He continued without rest, with all the malice in him flowing out endlessly.

The malice needed to live in this harsh modern society, the malice one needed to stand out, the malice arising from hatred due to difference in standards, the malice that was born for no specific reason....

There was a huge variety of malice in the world.

Plat!

The study was lit up instantly. Lee Soo-Hee’s jaws dropped as she stood at the door to the study after turning on the switch to the lights. Ha Jae-Gun was still typing away with his back bent, oblivious to the fact that Lee Soo-Hee had arrived after getting off work and was standing behind him.

“What are you working on so focused with the lights off?”

“...When did you come?”

“Wow, I’m speechless. You wouldn’t know if a burglar entered your house.” Lee Soo-Hee laughed with absurdity and put down her bag. She hugged Ha Jae-Gun from behind and looked at the screen.

“What are you working on? Market Place?”

“No, not exactly....” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off as he placed a hand on Lee Soo-Hee’s waist. Her bodily scent was his favorite in this world, and it never failed to make his heart flutter. He felt as if all the fatigue in his body had been washed off.

“What is this? It reads weirdly.” Lee Soo-Hee frowned as she reached for the mouse. As she scrolled to the top of the document and scanned the document, the look on her face hardened the more texts she read.

“Writer Ha Jae-Gun, just what have you been writing?”

“Um... I’m not sure how to explain this....” Ha Jae-Gun organized his thoughts and slowly continued, “I... gathered all the malice I’ve felt from the people I’ve met so far and put them all together?”

“But why would you write this....”

“I’m not sure either. It suddenly came to mind, and I began writing it without stopping. I somehow created the most evil character in the entire world, so evil that people wouldn’t think that someone like this would actually exist.”

Lee Soo-Hee suddenly noticed that Ha Jae-Gun’s back was drenched in sweat. She reached under his shirt and gently stroked his bare back. She felt his expanded back muscles, and she couldn’t erase her bitter smile at all.

“How hyper-focused were you?”

“I’m always like this.”

“I won’t say anything if you wrote a good one. But if you get too hyper-focused while writing such content, it won’t do you good mentally.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled as he reached out to his keyboard. Lee Soo-Hee pushed his hands away and sat herself down on his lap, asking, “Then do I have evil intentions doing this?”

“Um, I’m not very sure about that....” Ha Jae-Gun tilted his head and placed a hand on Lee Soo-Hee’s thigh. Lee Soo-Hee giggled, feeling ticklish as he reached under her skirt.

“I’ll accept them with open arms if they’re from you.”

“Stop looking at the screen and look at me instead.”

“I am; I just need a moment to save this.”

“Don’t save it.”

“Waaahhh.”

Lee Soo-Hee pounced and kissed Ha Jae-Gun on the lips. As they fell to the ground in a tangle, Rika walked out of the study without a sound, giving them their privacy.

***

Ha Jae-Gun’s speculation was accurate. Time passed, and it was already New Year’s, but nothing had happened to Han Yu-Na. Everything was quiet with Chae Bo-Ra, and no rumors of her and Seong-Je could be found on the internet.

Han Yu-Na appeared on I Live Alone with Ha Jae-Gun as planned. Her popularity grew exponentially day by day, and her activity as a member of HyperSoda had increased relatively as well. Although she was busy as a bee without much time for rest, Han Yu-Na felt extremely happy.

On one cold January day, articles related to the drama Summer in My 20s, which had hit thirty percent in viewership ratings, were flooding the internet. The laughter in the warm Bucheon office seemed like it wouldn't stop soon.

“You guys are finally getting married. I’m envious.” Yang Hyun-Kyung mumbled with a scowl, his face full of jealousy. Kang Min-Ho and Jang Eun-Young had just announced their marriage to everyone else.

With eyes shining, Jeon Bong-Yi congratulated the pair. “Congratulations! Where will you be going for your honeymoon?”

“Ah, um... we’re going to Guam for four days and three nights.”

“That sounds great. I haven’t had the chance to travel overseas yet.”

“It’s going to be my first time as well. But Eun-Young had traveled a few times to Japan before.” Kang Min-Ho and Jang Eun-Young smiled at each other, their hands held tightly together.

“Actually, we were thinking of skipping the honeymoon altogether since we’re on a tight budget and wouldn’t be able to hit our deadlines. But Mr. Ha made a fuss, insisting that we should go.”

“I have the same thoughts as Mr. Ha. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. Look at everyone’s reviews on their honeymoon online; it’ll be a shame if you guys don't go on a honeymoon,” Jeon Bong-Yi said.

“Looks like Bong-Yi really wants to get married.”

“Hehehe, that’s right. I’d love to meet a nice person and get married as soon as possible. I get lonely easily and would love to have a child of my own, too,” Jeon Bong-Yi said with an adorable smile.

Yang Hyun-Kyung, next to her, reflexively raised his hand and swept his fringe.

Jang Eun-Young mumbled, “I don’t even know how we should repay Mr. Ha for this.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Our honeymoon is sponsored by him. He said it’s our wedding gift.”

“Gosh, really?!”

“Hey, Jang Eun-Young. Writer Ha said it’s a secret....”

“Who cares? I can’t keep things like this a secret.”

Just then, the main door opened, and Ha Jae-Gun stepped in with Rika in his arms. The writers gathering around stood up immediately and welcomed him.

“Hello, Writer Ha.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

“We were discussing our wedding.”

“Haha, I thought so, watching your expressions.” Ha Jae-Gun put Rika down on the floor and headed to the kitchen.

Kang Min-Ho quickly headed to the kitchen, pushing Ha Jae-Gun aside and picked up a cup. “I bought a new type of coffee; it tastes incredible. Let me make a cup for you.”

“No, I can make myself a cup.”

“Just take a seat; let me do it.” Kang Min-Ho insisted and made a cup of coffee for Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun took a sip of the fragrant coffee, and his eyes widened instantly. “It smells great, and it tastes great as well.”

“Right?”

“I’m not good with coffee tastes, but it’s great. I’ll be able to work well today thanks to your special coffee.”

“If it really does, I’ll gladly make you a cup of coffee every time you come to the office in the future.”

“I’m just saying it.”

Kang Min-Ho then whispered to Ha Jae-Gun as he sat across from him, “Thank you so much, Writer Ha.”

“I understand what you’re referring to, so enough with the thanks.”

“Thanks to you, we are able to get married and even get ourselves a house on a yearly lease. You even sponsored our honeymoon... I will do my best to return the money for the rent. If it hadn't been for you, we would have ended up getting a unit by some noisy market and paying monthly rent instead.”

“I’ve already said that you don’t have to rush paying it back.” Ha Jae-Gun stood up and headed to his desk, sitting down in front of his laptop. While he was deciding on what to work on first for the day, Kang Min-Ho’s words from earlier rang in his ears.

"If it hadn't been for you, we would have ended up getting a unit by some noisy market and paying monthly rent instead."

‘Oh, right...!’ Ha Jae-Gun exclaimed silently and snapped his fingers. This was why communication was important. Meeting Kang Min-Ho at the office had allowed him to discover valuable treasure.

‘A pair of newlyweds were forced to live in the market, not because of work but because of the cheap rent. The cheap rent led them to stay in a shabby rental room located in the noisy market...’

Tak! Tadadak! Tadak!

The storyline of a pair of newlyweds was added to the collection of short stories in Market Place. The story was split into two versions, one from the husband’s perspective and the other from the wife’s point of view. Ha Jae-Gun was all smiles as he continued typing out line after line.

‘I think it’s good enough to end the collection here.’ He thought it would be great to conclude Market Place after the addition of the latest three short stories he had come up with.

Afterward, he would have to work on organizing the American version of The Breath and the ambiguous text he had recently worked on about mankind's malice.

‘Should I write it in the form of an essay or a full-length novel...?’

Bzzt!

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang. He stopped typing on the keyboard and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

— Mr. Ha, this is Reporter Hyun Sung-Beom. There’s something I have to tell you.

“What is it?”

Curious, Ha Jae-Gun tilted his head to the side. Why would Hyun Sung-Beom, a reporter from the entertainment department, call him all the way from Japan when he was on a business trip there?