Big Life

"This looks pretty…" Ha Jae-Gun said while taking a closer look at the necklace that the female employee had taken out of the showcase. It was a thin gold necklace, and its pendant was shaped like a pansy flower, and there was a small diamond sitting in the middle of it.

"I think it'll suit her really well since she has such a beautiful neck. Please try it on, miss," the employee prompted energetically.

Da-Seul took the necklace with some hesitation.

Eventually, she compromised and decided to place it on her neck.

"Oh, my, it suits you really well! You can put it on, it's all right."

"I can just try it like that."

"Take a closer look, then. Here's the mirror," the employee moved the standing mirror closer to Da-Seul. Da-Seul looked at the necklace on her neck through the mirror, and a shy yet satisfied smile slowly spread across her lips.

"Do you like it?" Ha Jae-Gun asked upon seeing her expression.

Da-Seul did not reply to him. She only looked at the necklace in the mirror.

"There's no rush. There's a lot of other designs, so you can take your time."

"No, I do like this, but…" Da-Seul trailed off slowly.

Ha Jae-Gun realized why she was acting so hesitantly. She was still concerned about the price of the necklace because it cost a whopping 649,000 won, which was definitely not a small amount.

"Please wrap this up for me," Ha Jae-Gun told the employee.

There was no need to drag things out when she liked the necklace and didn’t have any issues with it.

Da-Seul gulped as she stood next to Ha Jae-Gun, feeling shy.

"Thank you, sir. I'll wrap this up for you. Please come this way for the payment."

Ha Jae-Gun headed to the cashier and paid for the necklace with his debit card. The employee then deftly placed the necklace into a jewelry box and put it into a small paper bag.

"Thank you, sir. Please come again."

Ha Jae-Gun and Da-Seul replied to the employee before leaving the store.

A few drunk passersby walked past them with arms around each other's shoulders. Ha Jae-Gun turned around with his back facing them as if he was protecting Da-Seul from them. Then, he handed over the paper bag to her.

"Take it. It should fit nicely into your hoodie pocket."

"I'm not sure if I can really accept this. It's too expensive."

"Stop it." Ha Jae-Gun pulled out the pocket of her hoodie and put the shopping bag inside of it. Afterward, Ha Jae-Gun stretched for a while as he turned to face the bustling street again.

"I don't think I can eat anything else. Shall we head to a beer pub and have some cream beer?" Ha Jae-Gun asked.

"I'm fine with either," Da-Seul answered coolly, but her pounding heart was betraying her. Her hand inside her hoodie's pocket tightly gripped the small shopping bag.

"You sound very calm now. Why is that?" Ha Jae-Gun asked, teasing her.

Da-Seul flinched and stared at Ha Jae-Gun with reddened cheeks. She approached Ha Jae-Gun and linked arms with him before saying, "Stop teasing me. Let's go."

They slowly walked down the street arm-in-arm like a couple. While Ha Jae-Gun was sweeping his gaze around, looking for a suitable pub, Da-Seul suddenly asked, "Why did you buy me a necklace?"

"Because you asked me to buy you one..."

"But you raised the topic up first. You asked why I’m not wearing one."

Ha Jae-Gun couldn't bring himself to say that he wanted to buy her a necklace because her neck looked beautiful.

Ha Jae-Gun went silent, and when the bright neon signboard of a pub caught his eyes, he started walking toward it while finally answering, "I wanted to gift you something in return for your help, and I coincidentally saw that you weren’t wearing a necklace, so I decided to buy you one, that’s it."

Da-Seul looked up at Ha Jae-Gun, speechless.

"What kind of reason is that? I'm not wearing a ring, bracelet or anklet either. Are you going to buy them for me as well?"

"Do you want them? All right, let's go back then."

Ha Jae-Gun turned around and pretended like he was heading for the branded accessories shop again.

Da-Seul was surprised and reflexively smacked his lower back. "I was just joking. I'm joking, all right? Let's go. How about that pub? The interior looks quite nice."

"Let's go there, then."

They entered the pub and took their seats across from each other in a corner of the pub. The pub was filled with faint pumpkin-colored lighting, and there was a sweet jazz melody playing from the speakers. It was the perfect location for Ha Jae-Gun, as he preferred quiet places over busy ones.

They already had dinner, so they only ordered two glasses of cream beer without any snacks. Da-Seul didn't drink the cream beer after their toast. Instead, she put the glass back on the table and took out the small shopping bag from her pocket.

"I can wear it now, right?"

"It's yours, so you don't have to ask me."

"Hehe, right." Da-Seul giggled playfully and took out the necklace from its box. She took off her hoodie and revealed her beautiful nape. Then, she wrapped the necklace around her neck.

"How is it?"

"Beautiful."

"You sound insincere. But are you sure that you can really afford to buy such an expensive gift for me? Are you sure you didn’t just spend your salary for the entire month just to pay for it?"

"I paid for it using the prize money."

"How much is it? A million won? No, that's too little. Three million?"

"Thirty million."

"...!" Da-Seul's jaws dropped in astonishment.

The surprise in her eyes grew exponentially as she muttered in disbelief, "The prize money is 30 million won?"

"Yes, so you don’t have to feel burdened by the necklace."

"You should have told me earlier, then. I wouldn't have felt even a tinge of guilt earlier. I would have actually asked for the more expensive stuff.”

"Hahaha." Ha Jae-Gun chuckled. Da-Seul chuckled as well before raising her glass.

Clink!

They made another toast.

"Are you going to tell me now?"

"About what?"

"Your name. You won such a huge prize money thanks to me, so you should let me know your name."

"It's Ha Jae-Gun," Ha Jae-Gun replied immediately, putting his glass down. There was no need for him to conceal his name any longer.

"Ha Jae-Gun? I'm not a bookworm, so I don't know what’s going on out there. Are you very popular? If I looked you up, will I be able to see you on the Internet?”

"I'm not sure about that, but you can try looking me up."

"Really? Now I've got another person I can look up on the net."

Da-Seul took out her phone and started typing Ha Jae-Gun's name into the browser.

Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Wow, it automatically completed your name! I just typed Ha, and your name appears immediately."

She clicked on his name, and Ha Jae-Gun's picture and profile appeared. Da-Seul looked back and forth between the picture on her phone and the person sitting across from her several times with her mouth agape the whole time.

"Wow! Wow! This is amazing! There's a star in front of me!"

"What, star? Having my own profile on the Internet isn't that big of a deal."

"I'm not sure about that, but this is fascinating. Ah, you look great. Writer Oppa is so incredible! The picture came out great, too! Did you upload this yourself?"

"It's one of the photos taken when I did the interview with Navin's Book of the Day. I asked for permission to use it since I don't really have any photos of myself," Ha Jae-Gun explained.

"I see… wow, Oppa, you use Twitter too?"

“I have an account there, but I don't usually use it."

"But you have over 5,000 followers on it. Wow! They all said that your books are interesting. Foolish Woman? Is that the title? A 90s Kid, too?"

"Stop looking at it." Ha Jae-Gun tried stopping her but to no avail. Da-Seul continued scrolling Twitter with clear admiration in her eyes. "I suddenly feel like reading your novels now. I feel like reading a book, and it’s all thanks to you."

"I'll give you one."

"I'll buy one myself to read." Da-Seul looked up from her phone and stuck her tongue out at Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and picked up his glass.

"What's the story of your winning novel?"

"Mm… You can read it when it gets published."

"Tell me the gist of it. I'm extremely curious now. Hmm? Please?" Da-Seul pleaded and even moved to sit next to Ha Jae-Gun. She then proceeded to put her legs on Ha Jae-Gun's thighs and grinned.

“I can do this, right? I mean, we’re facing the wall, so the other people in here won’t be able to see my shoes.”

"Sure."

"Tell me. You even won thirty million, thanks to me, so I'm curious what the story is about." Da-Seul powerfully shook her legs on Ha Jae-Gun's thighs. Her knees hit the table, which almost made the glasses fall to the ground.

"It's a romance story between a salaried worker who is tired of his work life and a female karaoke helper," Ha Jae-Gun said as he gently pressed on Da-Seul's knees.

Da-Seul trembled lightly at his touch.

It felt weird.

It felt different compared to when she first touched him.

She could feel herself getting hot by the second.

"The karaoke helper in the novel isn't as young as you, Ms. Da-Seul. She is divorced and in her thirties, and she’s working hard to raise her child alone."

"Please… tell me more."

"The male lead went to a karaoke room with his close colleague on a particularly stressful day. There, he called for karaoke helpers and met the female lead for the first time. The male protagonist fell in love with her at first sight, but for the female protagonist, he was just one of the many customers she had to entertain on a daily basis. Ah, our glasses are empty. Excuse me, please give us another two glasses of cream beer."

"Yes, sir," the server replied.

Da-Seul was now completely immersed in Ha Jae-Gun's story, so she found it annoying that Ha Jae-Gun had to stop talking to order more drinks for them.

"The two of them got into an ambiguous relationship where they were neither lovers nor friends. They are both nice people, but their lifestyles were very different. The man is diligent and tries to live by his principles, but unlike him, the woman has a strong and firm personality. She’s working as a karaoke helper to put bread on the table at home, but she still has her pride and faces everything head-on, like the gale."

Ha Jae-Gun took a sip of the cream beer, and he seemed embarrassed as he said to her, "The novel is titled Storm and Gale."

"Storm and Gale? What's the meaning behind it?"

"A gale-like karaoke helper, something like that?"

"Wow…! Damn, the title sounds quite dumb."

"I thought so, too. However, I have never been good at naming my novels. The publisher might actually ask me to change the title before it gets published."

"Yeah, you must change it; otherwise, the novel will flop."

"Hahaha." Ha Jae-Gun laughed.

Da-Seul looked down at the necklace around her neck and muttered, "You're such an incredible person, Writer Oppa. I thought you were a weirdo at first when you asked for me specifically and when you asked me to do an interview."

"Your influence on me was great,” remarked Ha Jae-Gun.

Da-Seul looked up and asked, "What happened to the female lead in the novel?"

Her teary eyes reminded Ha Jae-Gun of Storm and Gale’s female lead.

Da-Seul was extremely curious about its ending.

"You'll have to read the book to find out."

"Please just give me the gist of it, hmm? Hmm?"

"She becomes happy."

"That's too vague!"

"She eventually gets what she had always wanted and becomes really happy. That's all I can give for spoilers." Ha Jae-Gun picked up his glass.

Da-Seul looked as if she were upset, but she eventually gave up on probing any further. She lifted her glass for another toast with Ha Jae-Gun.

As the beer flowed down her throat, she couldn’t help but think if she could also become happy and get what she had always wanted—like the female lead of Storm and Gale.

“What’s up with that dazed look?”

"I just feel… slightly dizzy." Da-Seul put her head on Ha Jae-Gun's shoulder to feel his warmth.

Ha Jae-Gun moved his shoulder slightly, making it easier for her to lean on it.

Da-Seul smiled sweetly upon realizing that he had a warm side on him as well.

He was such a nice guy, so there was no way his novel would end perform badly.

"If you’re feeling tipsy, how about we leave now?" asked Ha Jae-Gun.

"No, I want to stay like this for a while,” replied Da-Seul.

With that being said, Ha Jae-Gun continued drinking his beer while Da-Seul continued leaning on his shoulder. The pub had gotten quieter as the table next to them finally departed the pub.

The night deepened as time went on.

***

"Sorry, but I don't think I can sign a contract for the time being," Ha Jae-Gun said firmly as he put down his cup after drinking water from it.

The two men, Haetae Media's Ma Jong-Goo and Park Kyung-Soo, turned pale.

Meanwhile, the few pieces of ribeye sitting still on the grill were starting to burn from the heat after being abandoned by the dumbstruck men.

"To be honest, it's all because my financial difficulties have all been resolved. Now, I don’t have any reason to write for the sake of earning money, so from now on, I want to write novels that I like to write. I might want to return to writing fantasy and martial arts genres later on, but I’m definitely not going back in the near future."

"Mm, I see… If you have already made a decision, then I understand. Of course…"

Ma Jong-Goo's words sounded polite, but his face was extremely dark. The president had ordered him to sign Ha Jae-Gun's next novel, but now, it had become an impossible task.

"I apologize, Department Head Ma and Deputy Park..."

"Ah, no, no, no! We’re the ones who should apologize and thank you as well. You must be extremely busy, but you still came out to meet us."

"Should we get going then?"

"Of course, Writer Ha."

Ha Jae-Gun headed to the cashier and pulled out his wallet. The astonished Ma Jong-Goo and Park Kyung-Soo hurried over to stop Ha Jae-Gun.

"No way, Writer Ha. We will pay for it."

"I will pay for it. I couldn't sign a contract with you, so it's not right for you to use the company card for this meal."

"You don't have to worry about that. This meal is a treat from us—it’s totally unrelated to the contract. Please keep your wallet, Writer Ha."

"Please think of this as a small token of my sincerity. The two of you have helped me a lot during our time together."

Ha Jae-Gun eventually paid for the meal after eventually persuading the two men.

They ate Hanwoo ribeye, so the bill came up to almost 200,000 won.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Thank you, please come again."

Ha Jae-Gun grinned as he stepped out of the restaurant.

He could still remember when his hands would tremble in nervousness at the idea of buying a pack of ramen. Unlike back then, he didn't feel any pinch now; he only felt refreshed to be able to spend his money on the things that he wanted and needed.

"We'll part ways here, then. Please be careful on your way back," Ha Jae-Gun said.

Since Ha Jae-Gun had a car, Ma Jong-Goo couldn’t suggest dropping Ha Jae-Gun off at his place. Ma Jong-Goo suppressed his disappointment and bowed to Ha Jae-Gun, bidding him goodbye.

"Please drive safely, Writer Ha. Let’s meet again."

"Yes. Goodbye." Ha Jae-Gun clicked on one of the saved addresses in his navigator.

He was full from the expensive Hanwoo ribeye, but that place was full of hungry, lurking souls who could barely afford ramyun.

'What time is it going to be announced again?' Ha Jae-Gun wondered as he looked at the time. It was already well past 1 PM.

Today, the Modern Youth Literature Award would announce the final winner of the contest. Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t help but smile just imagining the stupefied faces of his family and friends upon hearing the great news.

With that being said, Ha Jae-Gun held the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator.