Big Life

“I’m sorry, I have no time to accept manuscript commissions. I will contact you when I feel like taking them up. Have a nice day,” said Ha Jae-Gun before ending the call, but another call came in.

Ha Jae-Gun was having ramyun with Park Jung-Jin, but the continuous incoming calls stopped him from having a single bite.

“Hello? Ah, yes… A lecture? Sorry, I can’t do that right now. There are many things I have to prepare for that, and I don’t have time.”

While Ha Jae-Gun was busy answering calls, Park Jung-Jin had already cleared his own bowl and placed it in the sink, while Ha Jae-Gun’s noodles had turned cold and soggy like udon noodles.

“Sorry, Jung-Jin. I’m not sure why the calls are coming in at once,” said Ha Jae-Gun before sighing. “I might have to change my phone number at this rate.”

“Did your phone number get leaked?”

“I want to know that as well. My email inbox is bursting too.”

There was a significant increase in incoming unsolicited phone calls after the promotions for Summer in My 20s had officially started. Most of them were requests for manuscripts, but there were also lecture requests from small and medium-sized companies and public institutions.

It was definitely a good thing that more people were recognizing his ability and sending in requests, but there was no way he could agree to all of them when there was only one of him. Moreover, he was already exhausted.

He still had accumulated fatigue that had yet to disappear, including the pain in his neck and wrists.

“Maybe you can pick a few good lectures to give,” Park Jung-Jin said as he returned to his seat. “I heard they’d pay you a few million per few hours of lecture. I’d agree to those immediately if I were given the chance. A few hours will be like monthly salary already.”

“It was hard for me when I had to deal with the freshmen during the orientation lecture. I think I’m finally burnt out after writing Summer in My 20s. I’ll have to get some time off and rest.”

Ha Jae-Gun picked up some ramyun with his chopsticks, and before he could take a bite, Park Jung-Jin took away the bowl and poured it all into the sink.

“Why throw it out when it’s still edible?”

“Stop fussing when you can just make a new pot. Wait, the issue here isn’t the ramyun…” Park Jung-Jin stopped his sentence midway and looked around Ha Jae-Gun’s place, then clicked his tongue pitifully. “You earned so much money, yet you’re still renting this tiny one-room apartment? Just move out already.”

“This is enough for me anyway.”

“Maybe for you, but what about Rika? Aren’t you going to think for her?”

“I don’t have excess money to move right now since I spent most of it on the detached house in Suwon. I’ll save up once my royalties come in again.”

“Yeah, so just do some lectures on the side.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I just rest and then continue writing novels afterward?”

“Sure, sure. Do whatever you want. The standard of a popular writer having ramyun with his friend on the morning of his own autograph session is really…” Park Jung-Jin trailed off.

Today was Ha Jae-Gun’s autograph session for Summer in My 20s. It was also because of the event that Park Jung-Jin had come looking for his friend as coincidentally, it was held at the flagship store of Bandi & Lunia, just like last time.

“Hey, go get changed,” Park Jung-Jin said. He added water into the pot and put it on the electric stove. Unlike Park Jung-Jin, who was decked out in a formal suit, Ha Jae-Gun was still in his sloppy-looking tracksuit.

Ha Jae-Gun saw Park Jung-Jin open a new packet of ramyun.

“Thanks,” said Ha Jae-Gun.

“Pay me 10,000 won for the service.”

“I’m saying thanks for coming today.”

“I’m here since I’ve got nothing else to do on my rest day. Just go get changed already.”

“Alright.” Ha Jae-Gun took off his tracksuit and changed into the formal suit on the wall. He wanted to wear a comfortable shirt and jeans, but he couldn’t ignore Ha Jae-In’s sincerity when she gifted him that set of formal wear.

“It really doesn’t look good on you,” Park Jung-Jin joked as he watched Ha Jae-Gun sit back down on the floor in his suit and start eating.

Ha Jae-Gun slurped the noodles off the lid of the pot and chuckled.

***

“Chae-Rin, stop reading for a while and get some sleep."

"It's fine, I had five hours of sleep last night. Plus, I'm on my personal schedule until tomorrow, so it's not that tiring," Chae-Rin said as she sat in the back seat of the van that was moving her around.

Chae-Rin was currently reading Summer in My 20s and was sitting in the most comfortable position ever. She had preordered the book, and she had already read more than half of the book.

"Wow, this writer is really good at his work…" Chae-Rin exclaimed.

She was the leader of one of the top three girl groups in Korea, and her passion for novels had never turned cold. She had always loved both reading and writing, and it was also her own decision to take a major in Korean Literature.

"How much practice had he put in to write something like this?"

Her manager was never interested in books. He turned around with a sour look, but he never got a response from Chae-Rin.

"Oppa, you should read this whenever you’re free. He’s a really good writer."

"I'm the same major as Do-Joon. I'll sleep immediately with a book open in front of me, so that'll be dangerous. Accidents can happen on the road."

"What an excuse."

Chae-Rin's wrist was starting to feel stiff, so she put her book down and changed her sitting position. She picked up her phone and started looking up Ha Jae-Gun's name on the Internet.

She had skimmed through his profile before, but today, she decided to read it meticulously and muttered, "He majored in Creative Writing at Myungkyung University? I've wanted to attend this school before."

She clicked on his Twitter profile link, which filled up her screen subsequently.

"...!" Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oppa, we just turned into Jamsil, right?"

"Yeah, the traffic is kinda bad."

"Let's drop by Bandi and Lunia for a bit."

"Is there a book you want to get? Just order it online."

"I want to get it now. It'll take time if I order it online."

"All right, fine. I'll park the car and buy it for you."

"No, I want to get it myself."

"What?"

Her manager turned around and frowned, and he saw Chae-Rin all ready to head out. She was wearing sunglasses, a mask that covered most of her face, and a hat.

"This wouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Chae-Rin, you’ll still be recognized by a dedicated fan."

"I'll be quick. It won't take me more than five minutes."

Chae-Rin finally won. Her manager parked the van in the basement, and Chae-Rin alighted from it after making sure that the coast was clear. She wore a long coat over her see-through top and shorts, which covered her stage outfit.

'Huhuhu, it feels like I've become some sort of spy.'

Chae-Rin chuckled to herself while hurrying over, and she soon found herself stepping into Bandi & Lunia.

'Wow, there are so many people!'

The autograph event in the middle of the bookstore was going great.

Chae-Rin joined the end of the queue.

'Thank goodness, it just started…'

Chae-Rin started counting the number of people standing in front of her.

There were around fifty people ahead of her. It seemed like she would have to queue for at least a good thirty minutes, but she didn't have the luxury of time to wait that long.

"Hmm?"

Just then, another line was formed on her left, and there were roughly five to eight people in that line.

Chae-Rin decided to ask the guy standing in front of her, "Excuse me, what queue is that for?"

"Oh, it's for the people who are here to get Ha Jae-Gun's autograph on Summer in My 20s."

"Oh? Then what is this queue for?"

"This is for the people getting his autograph on the fantasy genre books that he wrote under the pseudonym, Poongchun-Yoo. That line will get their signature first before we do."

"Ah, I see. Thank you." Chae-Rin bowed and yelled inwardly with joy while changing queues.

The guy whom she had talked to found her back profile somewhat familiar as he watched her walk away.

"Hmm, oppa? No, just three minutes more. Okay, I won't delay anymore. I'll go down in three minutes."

Chae-Rin ended the call from her manager and waited anxiously in line.

Thankfully, it didn't take long until it was finally her turn.

"Hello."

"Please sign this for me."

Chae-Rin grinned as she handed over her copy of Summer in My 20s.

Ha Jae-Gun looked up at her as he received her book and asked, "Did you catch a cold?"

"Ah, no. The fine dust has been quite bad recently."

"Haha, I see. May I know what's your name?"

Chae-Rin pondered for a moment and finally answered with a whisper, "It's Lee Chae-Rin."

Ha Jae-Gun opened the book and started signing on it without a significant reaction. His mind had been very preoccupied with the continuous autograph event, so he didn’t expect that AppleT's Chae-Rin would actually come here.

'He looks quite sharp for a writer.'

Chae-Rin observed Ha Jae-Gun intently behind her sunglasses while he was signing her book. It seemed that her boyfriend, Park Do-Joon, was right. He did look better in person.

While she was observing his thin black hair, fine jawline, straight nose bridge, shining eyes, and thinly pressed lips, Ha Jae-Gun was finally done signing her book.

"Here you go. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for your hard work, too. I really enjoy your novels."

"Thank you."

Chae-Rin returned to the van with a spring in her steps and with her autographed book in hand. Her manager was about to give Chae-Rin another call when he saw her hop into the van.

"Are you finally done?"

"Yeah, we can go now."

The engine of the van started, and it drove out of the parking lot.

Chae-Rin took off her sunglasses and mask, and then she called Park Do-Joon.

— What is it?

"How unaffectionate. What's with that cold response?"

— You know that I'm having a photoshoot today. Where are you?

"I'm heading to the broadcast station. Oppa, I just received Ha Jae-Gun's autograph~"

— Ha Jae-Gun? Who's that?

"Are you kidding me? Storm and Gale!"

— Ah… The writer of that novel? What about it?

"What do you mean, I'm calling to brag, of course. No one recognized me when I wore a mask. And I got it signed with my real name."

— Yeah, it feels nice to receive autographs for a change after giving out autographs for so long.

"I've almost finished reading Summer in My 20s. I'll pass it to you later tonight when we meet, so make sure you read it. It's really interesting."

— I haven't even finished reading that Storm and Gale.

"Read faster. I hope you'll read more books, oppa. Then, we can have more topics to talk about whenever we meet. Plus, won't it be beneficial to your acting as well?”

— All right. Is that all? I have to go.

Park Do-Joon asked bluntly.

Chae-Rin puffed her cheeks and glanced outside the window.

"Oh, you were right. He looks quite good in person. He's totally my type."

— Yeah, sure. Go ask him to date you, then. I'm hanging up.

"Oppa? Oppa!"

Her provocation didn’t work, and the call was unceremoniously ended.

Chae-Rin pouted and tossed her phone to the seat behind her.

Meanwhile, her manager up front was giggling at her failure.

"What's so funny?"

"Sorry. Anyway, are you meeting Do-Joon tonight?"

"I'm not sure, I suddenly don't feel like seeing him."

"Just let me know in advance if you're meeting him. Don't just meet out of the blue because you have some free time. The CEO scolded me last time, you know."

"Fine, fine."

Chae-Rin picked up her phone again as something else came to her mind.

She opened the page where Ha Jae-Gun's autograph was located, and then she took a selfie with it.