Big Life

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.

1. Scotch whiskey ☜