Big Life

‘Did someone else help him as well?’

Despite being the newest hire within the company, she often heard others mention that she was one of the fastest editors on the team. Even so, she still needed roughly eight to nine hours to edit a single volume.

Jung So-Mi looked around the silent office. She did not spot any signs of Yang Hyun-Kyung or Jang Eun-Young coming out into the common area, and she could even hear soft snores from behind their doors.

‘How did he complete all four novels… It hasn’t even been four hours.’

She couldn’t guarantee that all novels had been completely edited.

Either way, the novels would have to be read over carefully again.

Still, Jung So-Mi was still alarmed at the fact that someone could actually edit so many words in such a short period of time.

‘How did he do all of them when he’s so exhausted…’

Her heart ached as she watched him sleep at his desk. She shouldn’t have brought her work here, or at least she should only start on them when no one else was around.

Rika was lying extremely still, unlike the usual sensitive reactions to even the slightest movements. Every time she breathed, her body would inflate, and the light that was reflected off her deep blue fur made it turn even darker.

“Writer Ha, go sleep on a bed instead of sleeping here,” Jung So-Mi said while tapping on Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulder lightly. There was a foldable bed in the living room. However, Ha Jae-Gun was too fast asleep.

“Writer Ha, you should sleep well. Sleeping like this will make you even more tired the next day. Please wake up.” Jung So-Mi did not give up and continued waking him.

Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes opened lazily, and Jung So-Mi’s face was reflected in his eyes.

“Just a while; there’s a bed a few steps away, so please sleep there.” Jung So-Mi smiled, but there was still no other response from Ha Jae-Gun.

However, Jung So-Mi did not know that only Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes were opened.

His mind was still wandering in dreamland.

“Writer Ha, quick. Wake up—ack.”

Jung So-Mi grabbed him by the shoulders and holstered him up. Ha Jae-Gun seemed to be following her actions subconsciously, but the next moment, he lost his balance, and his upper body leaned sideways.

“Ugh! Writer Ha.” Jung So-Mi reached under his armpits instinctively to stop him from falling over, and he ended up leaning against her small physique.

‘Urgh… He’s heavy!’

His weight was too much for her to handle. Jung So-Mi hugged Ha Jae-Gun’s waist and staggered toward the foldable bed. Just when she was about to lay him in bed, her weak legs gave way, and she tripped.

“Ack!” A short scream came out of her. Jung So-Mi looked at the fluorescent light on the ceiling. She wanted to lay Ha Jae-Gun on the bed, but she was the one who ended up on the bed instead of Ha Jae-Gun.

Ha Jae-Gun was lying over her diagonally, with his arms and legs spread wide.

“W-writer Ha…?”

“Keugh…” Ha Jae-Gun grunted softly, and his face was next to Jung So-Mi’s shoulder. His hot breath blew against her neck, making her tremble ever so slightly.

Jung So-Mi then suddenly felt a drop of sweat forming on her forehead. All of a sudden, Jung So-Mi felt as if gravity had become even stronger on her, and she couldn’t move even a single finger.

Her heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was about to burst.

She felt herself heating up.

The second hand on the wall clock ticked diligently, and the noise traveled to Jung So-Mi’s ears. She finally came to her senses and carefully twisted herself out from underneath Ha Jae-Gun to finally free herself.

‘Phew…!’ Jung So-Mi wiped the sweat off her forehead, but her heart was still pounding madly against her chest. She had never expected that she would get tangled up with Ha Jae-Gun on the bed like that, and she also found it surprising that she couldn’t immediately escape the awkward position.

“Oh, Rika?”

When did Rika wake up? Jung So-Mi found Rika standing by her feet.

Rika jumped onto the bed and pressed Ha Jae-Gun’s neck with her front paws.

“Rika, don’t do that. We should let Writer Ha sleep.” Jung So-Mi nagged at Rika.

However, Rika continued pressing on him, ignoring Jung So-Mi’s words.

Ha Jae-Gun frowned in his sleep and turned over, continuing his deep sleep.

“Meow…”

With that, Rika curled up comfortably next to Ha Jae-Gun, and her head was lying on his arm.

A wonderful smile blossomed on Jung So-Mi’s face.

‘Rika is Writer Ha’s girlfriend.’ Jung So-Mi thought to herself.

Rika blinked slowly and soon fell asleep like Ha Jae-Gun.

Jung So-Mi watched Rika enviously before covering them with a blanket.

***

Ha Jae-Gun slept soundly for a few good hours.

It had been a while since he had such a good sleep.

He didn’t even have any nightmares; nothing disturbed him in his sleep.

Rika woke up earlier than him, but she didn’t move away from him.

‘Mm…’ Ha Jae-Gun licked his lips first thing when he woke. There was a sweet taste in his mouth… Just how long had he been sleeping?

Rika lifted her head from Ha Jae-Gun’s arm and licked the tip of her nose. Ha Jae-Gun stroked her, and then she turned around to glance at the clock.

‘It’s already 3 p.m.?’

Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened, and then he looked down to see Jung So-Mi working on her illustrations. However, Jang Eun-Young and Yang Hyun-Kyung couldn’t be seen anywhere.

‘Oh, Ms. So-Mi stayed overnight too.’

Jung So-Mi had changed into a pair of shorts instead of the jeans that she had worn yesterday. Her small, dainty feet that were out of their indoor slippers were wriggling away under the desk.

“Oh my, when did you wake, Writer Ha?” Jung So-Mi asked after turning around.

Ha Jae-Gun scratched the back of his head upon making eye contact with Jung So-Mi before sitting on the bed.

“I woke up just now; where are the writers?”

“They went to the bookstore; there’s apparently a book that they have to buy,” Jung So-Mi said as she walked to the kitchen.

“I made some boiled chicken meat with rice for you as you look exhausted. Please wash up and have a meal first.”

“You’re making me feel bad…”

“I should do at least this much for you. You edited those novels for me, after all. Just how did you manage to do it?”

“Ah, um… About that…” Ha Jae-Gun trailed off, thinking of how he should answer her. He had been thinking about how he should answer her question since dawn.

“I’ve only properly completed Alcohol is the Way to Go; the others aren’t done well. I started off with high energy, but it took so long to complete. I think you’ll have to check through them again.”

“Of course I will. I’m very grateful for your help, even if it’s just one novel. Thank you so much, Writer Ha.”

“That’s good to hear. I was worried that I was unnecessarily nosy.”

“I welcome your nosiness with open arms for this.” Jung So-Mi smiled brightly and turned on the microwave.

After washing up, Ha Jae-Gun headed to the balcony to take a look outside. As he stretched his body, which was feeling slightly under the weather, worry started to fill his mind. Was his stamina dropping, or was it due to the accumulated fatigue?

‘My wrist is hurting quite a bit as well.’ Ha Jae-Gun thought while massaging both his wrists.

He suddenly recalled Ha Suk-Jae’s words about how one’s health was one’s most important asset.

Ha Jae-Gun knew that he should take some time out to exercise and get ample sleep, but he would always forget everything else once he started working on his novel.

‘I should rest for a while after completing this current novel.’

Ha Jae-Gun didn’t want to make plans for something he knew that he couldn’t follow through. Plus, he knew himself well enough that he wouldn’t stop working on it until he completed it.

“Writer Ha, I’ve heated up all the food, so please eat.”

“Okay.” Ha Jae-Gun sat across from Jung So-Mi and started having his late lunch. However, his mind was already busy plotting the next developments for his novel to the extent that he didn’t even pay attention to what Jung So-Mi was saying.

“Writer Ha, did you hear my question?”

“Pardon?” Ha Jae-Gun looked up all of a sudden.

“I asked if it’s okay for me to stay over for another day.”

“Ah, of course. You can stay for as long as you like,” Ha Jae-Gun replied.

Ha Jae-Gun was able to complete his revision for the female characters much faster thanks to Jung So-Mi, and her question was actually something that he couldn’t bring up himself first.

“Thank you. Please have more.” Jung So-Mi placed another chicken drumstick in his bowl.

Ha Jae-Gun was already full, but he couldn’t say no to her.

Jung So-Mi smiled as she watched him eat. She was glad that he was enjoying the food, and she was already thinking about the dishes that she would make for him next time.

***

“Myung-Suk, are you not going to eat?” Oh Tae-Jin asked after knocking on the door.

However, no response could be heard from inside the room.

“Is he asleep?” Oh Tae-Jin wondered out loud and turned the door knob.

Oh Tae-Jin spotted Oh Myung-Suk sleeping on his desk in a corner of the study room. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly and walked over to his son.

"He must have stayed up all night yesterday… he didn't even sleep in his own bed."

Oh Tae-Jin was about to wake his son, but his hands stopped mid-air as his eyes laid on a stack of A4 paper on the desk.

The papers were held together by a paper binder, with the cover labeled Untitled, and the author's name, Ha Jae-Gun.

'Is this the novel he mentioned that would be launching together with Mysterium…?' The author's name piqued Oh Tae-Jin’s interest. He picked up the stack and started reading it on the spot.

'This is surprising…!'

His interest went up the roof, even though he had just started reading.

He finally understood why his eldest son had been singing praises of this author all this while. The sentences were dense, without unnecessary fillers. It read so smoothly, and the story development was plotted skillfully.

The incomplete manuscript stopped mid-way through the entire plot.

Oh Tae-Jin couldn’t find even a single plot hole or mistake. The plots that invoked mysterious feelings were also well-placed throughout the story.

'And he hasn't turned thirty yet?' Oh Tae-Jin's eyes stared into space, falling into a daze. The manuscript showed the writer's growth, and it was much better than his previous novel, Foolish Woman. Oh Tae-Jin was amazed at the writer's mature writing style, even though he was still in his twenties.

He only knew of one person who had achieved something like this.

However, he had already passed away.

'This feels strange. I can feel traces of you from this youngster's works…'

Oh Tae-Jin grew solemn when he came to mind. As far as Oh Tae-Jin could remember, that man had no sky above him because he had always been looking down at the world from its highest point.

Oh Tae-Jin clenched his jaws and closed his eyes as he realized that his own shabby appearance was among the boring view that that person had to be looking down at right now.

"Mm… Father?" Oh Myung-Suk stirred from his sleep and raised his head.

Oh Tae-Jin was pulled back to reality at his son's words and placed the stack of papers back on the desk.

"I came to ask you to eat."

"I must have dozed off. Oh, were you reading this?"

"Ah, yes…"

"What do you think? Is it good?" Oh Myung-Suk asked as he put on his glasses.

He sounded excited to hear his father’s opinion.

"You caught a good one."

"Really? Do you really think that way?"

"We don't have to worry about Mysterium's launch now. Do it well." Oh Tae-Jin patted Oh Myung-Suk's shoulder.

Oh Myung-Suk sat up straight with excitement and replied, "I'm doing my best. There's a part where Osaka is brought up, so I arranged flights and hotel accommodations for him. He didn’t need a local guide, and he's leaving today, so the plane must have taken off already."

"Mm, good job."

"I'm feeling more positive now that I've heard your compliments. I was actually worried that I would lose my objectiveness in the process, wondering if the novel only looks good to me."

"It's a good read to me as well. You did a good job."

“I’m only telling you this since you’ve read it. He would immediately send his manuscripts over whenever he had revised or updated them, and his progress has never failed to amaze me. His descriptions of the female characters were quite sloppy initially, but the quality was still above average. And after I pointed it out to him—look, it became perfect in less than ten days.”

Oh Myung-Suk shared excitedly like a child. Oh Tae-Jin could relate to the joy the former was experiencing right now.

Oh Tae-Jin had also been this excited when he first encountered his manuscript, and he couldn’t even sleep properly for the next few days.

“I got it, so let’s go have a meal.”

“Yes, Father. Let’s head down now. I’m sorry. Oh right. Father, you’ve read Writer Ha’s previous novels, right? Have you read A 90s Kid as well?” Oh Myung-Suk continued asking things related to Ha Jae-Gun as they walked through the hallway and down the stairs.

Oh Tae-Jin responded with a nod and a bitter smile. Aside from their generation gap, Oh Tae-Jin was filled with envy to hear his eldest son always constantly mentioning Ha Jae-Gun. After all, he was a writer as well.

Oh Tae-Jin looked up at the blue sky through the windows, and he saw a plane soaring through the skies, leaving a white trail in its wake.