Big Life

[Grand Prize Category]

Foolish Woman - Seo Gun-Woo

The name Seo Gun-Woo caught Oh Tae-Jin’s eyes.

Oh Tae-Jin flinched upon seeing the name. He couldn’t be more familiar with that name. However, he had never dreamed of seeing those three words on the list of awardees for a Literature Award, especially when his son was a participant as well.

‘It’s definitely not a common name.’

Oh Tae-Jin felt uncomfortable and briefly looked away from the monitor before looking back at the monitor and gripping the mouse with narrowed eyes.

‘Maybe the participant is that son of his?’

Seo Gun-Woo had a son, and he was also a writer. However, his son ended up being a loser after committing career suicide by making an unforgivable mistake.

Oh Tae-Jin’s thoughts suddenly ran down a specific route. The news outlets also posted photos of the awardees from the ceremony. Oh Tae-Jin clicked on every photo news related to the Digital Literature Award event and searched for the one labeled with the name Seo Gun-Woo.

He soon spotted a group photo consisting of family and friends. The person in the middle of the crowd was a young man in his 20s, and he was smiling brightly at the camera.

'It's not him. Well, of course, there's no way it would be him…'

Oh Tae-Jin's worries disappeared, and he called his youngest son.

Oh Myung-Hoon answered it rather quickly.

— Yes, Father?

"Good job."

— Pardon?

"You should have told me about it. If you had just told me earlier, I could have arranged for the entire family to go and congratulate you."

— It’s not the grand prize…

"Come back early, let's have dinner together."

— Okay.

As soon as Oh Tae-Jin ended the call, his eldest child, Oh Myung-Suk, knocked on the door and entered the room. In his hands was a huge stack of book cover samples of the sci-fi novels that their company was planning to publish.

"These are the samples I mentioned earlier today."

"Leave them there. By the way, did you know?"

"Pardon? What are you referring to?"

"Myung-Hoon participated in something called the Digital Literature Award."

"No… I had no idea about that," Oh Myung-Suk replied hesitantly while scratching his head.

Of course, there was no way his body language could escape Oh Tae-Jin’s detection.

"I heard he was awarded the runner-up prize.”

“Runner-up?”

“His work is titled Solitude in Seoul.”

“Ah… yes.”

“So you knew?” Oh Tae-Jin’s eyes grew wide.

Oh Myung-Suk flinched. He almost dropped the stack of cover samples in his arms.

“I had no idea. I only know that he was working on a novel with that title since he asked me to help him do a read-through.”

“So, you just did a read-through?”

“Pardon?”

“Was it all Myung-Hoon’s own efforts?”

“O-Of course, Father.”

“You sure?” Oh Tae-Jin asked once more with more pressure.

Oh Myung-Suk fixed his glasses and nodded profusely. “It was definitely written by Myung-Hoon alone. We should congratulate him for getting the runner-up award.”

“All right, you can leave now.”

Oh Myung-Suk left the study.

Oh Tae-Jin looked out the window with complex emotions.

***

“It’s cold these days.”

“You’ll naturally feel cold because you’re only wearing a piece of shirt.”

“I didn’t know it’d be this cold. Give it to me; I’ll carry it.”

“It’s not heavy.”

“Just give it to me.” Ha Jae-Gun snatched the basket that Ha Jae-In was carrying. The basket contained the ingredients for their dinner, and their main dish tonight was bossam[1].

“But I think we bought too much meat…”

“We can definitely finish it all.”

It had been a week since the awards ceremony.

The siblings walked down the quiet autumn-painted road together.

“Has the cover been confirmed?”

“Yeah, I already told them the rough design I wanted. They are professionals, so they should be able to do it according to my requests.”

“So when will the book be published?”

“Probably within a month?”

They were discussing the novel, Foolish Woman. Only the grand prize from the Digital Literature Award would get published as a physical book. All other awarded novels would be turned into ebooks to be sold on the online market.

“Your wish has finally come true. You’ve always wanted to publish a full-length novel in a paperback all this time.”

Ha Jae-Gun grinned without saying anything. There was a reason why he had always wanted to publish a novel in physical form, despite the extra production cost. First of all, it was every writer’s dream out there.

The sensation of touching and flipping through the pages of a sturdy physical book instead of flipping through the pages of an ebook also felt sublime.

However, Ha Jae-Gun had an important personal reason as well.

Ha Jae-Gun wanted to prove himself to his father, who was an exceptionally conservative man, considering how he had always been distancing himself from advanced technology like mobile phones and computers.

Even now, his father still loved going into large bookstores or secondhand bookstores to purchase paperback books to read. Ha Jae-Gun’s wish was for his father to find his own son’s book on the display shelves of the New Arrivals.

“Aigoo, why did you guys buy so much meat? There are only four of us, so how can we eat everything?” Myung-Ja exclaimed upon seeing the siblings.

Ha Jae-Gun brought the bags to the sink and replied, “We’ll boil some, and make some jangjorim[2]. We can grill some and put some in stews. Eventually, we'll run out of meat.”

“How much did you buy? You should spend your money wisely…”

“Mom.” Ha Jae-Gun rolled up his sleeves and looked at Myung-Ja. “You don’t have to worry about money. Your son’s career has stabilized. I don't really spend that much money. I know because I’ve been in the industry for a long time now.”

“Alright, alright. Look, Jae-In. Look at your brother boasting after getting the grand prize. Looks like he’s going to get the Nobel Prize next year, at this rate.” Myung-Ja scoffed and scrunched her nose, acting speechless.

Ha Jae-In laughed in response.

After unpacking the grocery bags, Ha Jae-Gun looked around the old interior and said, “Don’t extend the yearly lease.”

“What?”

“Let’s buy and move into a new house.”

It had been quite a while since Ha Jae-Gun thought of moving his parents somewhere else. He had always been planning on saving up enough money to buy them a house.

The current house needed a lot of repair work, and the noise pollution was too much that Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t help but wonder how they managed to live in this house for so long.

“The thirty million grand prize will become twenty-three million after taxes. The advance royalties are still not included, but I’m not sure if I still have more money to squeeze. Anyway, this amount should be enough for us to get a decent apartment around here.”

“Ha Jae-Gun…”

“No, maybe not an apartment. Wait a year more. I think I can get us a small detached house with a front yard. Mom likes gardening, so a detached house would be great, and we also won't get affected by the noise pollution anymore," Ha Jae-Gun continued.

Myung-Ja and Ha Jae-In were both worried. It felt like Ha Jae-Gun was biting off more than he could chew, and he also seemed to be putting the cart before the horse.

"The better-selling books are still genre fiction novels. I will be releasing another new novel sometime soon, too. Anyway, just be informed. Don't extend the lease because we'll be buying a new house and moving out."

Beep, beep.

The door to the house opened, and Ha Jae-Gun’s father—Ha Suk-Jae—came in. He turned to look at the dining table where his wife and two children had gathered.

"Honey, Jae-Gun bought meat home, so we’ll have boiled pork tonight. Wash up and come here for dinner."

"I've already eaten." Ha Suk-Jae took off his coat and headed straight to the bedroom.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly while gazing at the microwave in the corner of the kitchen.

“He’s always like that. I’ll bring him out later,” Myung-Ja whispered and poked Ha Jae-Gun’s waist with her elbow.

Ha Jae-In opened an old-looking low-rise dining table[3] in the middle of the living room. The table was then crowded with boiled pork, a basket of vegetables, various side dishes, and soju glasses.

Just then, Ha Suk-Jae stepped out of the shower.

“Honey, come here and have some of your favorite boiled pork and soju.”

“You guys should just enjoy the meal yourselves.”

“Don’t be a spoilsport. Come join us for a while. The meat is really delicious.”

Ha Suk-Jae didn’t even bother to pretend that he was listening. He opened the refrigerator, took out a jug of barley tea, and poured some tea into his cup. After finishing the entire cup, he then headed right back into the bedroom.

Ha Jae-Gun glanced at the dishes on the table and muttered, “What are you so upset about?”

Ha Suk-Jae stopped in his tracks and turned around.

“What are you so upset about that you’re actively avoiding having dinner with me?”

“I said that I’ve already had dinner, you punk.”

“No, that doesn’t make sense. Your work just ended work thirty minutes ago, so how could you finish dinner and go home in just thirty minutes? Just tell me the truth. The reason you can’t have dinner with me is that the sight of me alone upsets you to the point of losing your appetite. Am I right? Is that why you won’t eat with me?”

“You punk…?!”

“J-Jae-Gun, what are you saying?” Even Ha Jae-In’s dissuasion was useless.

Ha Jae-Gun stood up and looked directly at his father.

“It was the first time I’ve ever gotten a Literature Award. It wasn’t a huge contest, but I was still awarded the grand and runner-up prizes. Can’t you even congratulate your own son? Are you really unable to forgive your son because he insists on being an ink slinger?”

“Ha—Fine, I got it. Congrats.” Ha Suk-Jae waved his hand tiredly to dismiss him.

Ha Jae-Gun stomped toward his father.

He blocked his father’s way and said, “Do you know how much I’ve earned so far? I am now capable of getting us a new house. Do you still hate the fact that I’m an ink slinger? I’m already earning, and I will be more successful from now on.”

Ha Suk-Jae’s face was red. However, every time he wanted to say something, he would eventually remain silent. Ha Suk-Jae finally walked past Ha Jae-Gun into his room and closed the door behind him.

“Jae-Gun, come over here.” Ha Jae-In came over and grabbed Ha Jae-Gun’s arm. Myung-Ja sighed and turned to look at her flower pots on the balcony without saying anything. She knew that this conflict was bound to happen.

“Thank you for the food.” Ha Jae-Gun quickly finished his food. Myung-Ja and Ha Jae-In took turns offering him drinks, but Ha Jae-Gun never accepted their offer because he wouldn’t be able to work if he drank liquor.

“I’ll take my leave now,” Ha Jae-Gun said.

“It’s already 9 p.m. Just stay for the night.”

“It’s okay. I still have work to do. I’ll visit again. Please sleep early, Mom. You too, noona.”

“I’ll send you out.” Ha Jae-In put on her cardigan and followed him.

The street lamps illuminated the dark streets. Ha Jae-In hooked arms with Ha Jae-Gun as they walked, and she finally broke the silence.

“Father was just feeling anxious.”

“Anxious about what?”

“I overheard their conversation the other day. He suggested that you should learn more about the publishing industry.”

“What’s wrong with the publishing industry?”

“Well, he thinks it’s better to have a backup plan and that it’s better if you have a stable monthly income. I guess it’s only natural for him to think that way since he had always been a salaried worker. I’m sure you understand.”

“I know,” Ha Jae-Gun muttered. It seemed that his father still had doubts about his son’s career as a writer. In that case, the only solution would be—

Honk!

A taxi passing by honked at them, and the noise pulled Ha Jae-Gun out of his thoughts. Ha Jae-Gun flagged the taxi down and said to Ha Jae-In, “I’ll head to Sungdae station, and then I’ll take the train home.”

“Sure, be careful on the road, and call me when you’re home.”

“Okay.”

Ha Jae-Gun hopped onto the back passenger seat. Then, he looked up Jung So-Mi’s number on his phone. He dialed her number, and he soon heard her voice from the other end of the line.

— Ah, hello, Writer Ha.

“Hello, Ms. So-Mi. Are you done working?”

— Not yet. I still have some things to do, but I should be done at around 11 p.m.

“Oh, my, you must be quite busy. I’ll call you at another time.”

— No, it’s alright! Feel free to speak!

“It’s just that I think I’m done resting, and I would like to release my next novel.” Ha Jae-Gun looked out the window.

Jung So-Mi’s excited voice could be heard.

— Of course, Writer Ha! We thought you’d still be exhausted after the Digital Literature Award, so we were hesitant about contacting you. How about we meet up and talk about this? I’ll inform the editor-in-chief and contact you again.

“Yes. Good luck at work.”

— Thank you, you too!

When the call ended, Ha Jae-Gun also ended his dream of publishing a physical book because he was sure that he had proven himself enough to his father.

As he leaned against the car seat, Ha Jae-Gun started weighing the pros and cons of the popular sales methods of genre fiction novels.

1. A pork dish that usually consists of pork shoulder that is boiled in spices and thinly sliced. The meat is served with side dishes such as spicy radish salad, sliced raw garlic, ssamjang, saeu-jeot, kimchi, and ssam(wrap) vegetables such as lettuce, perilla leaves, and inner leaves of a napa cabbage. This dish is a common accompaniment to alcohol drinks. ☜

2. A Korean simmered preserved dish made with beef braised in soy sauce with shisito peppers and eggs. ☜

3. These are the tables Koreans often use when having large family meals at home. The legs are foldable. (Image) ☜