Big Life - Chapter 231

“Oppa!”

— You scared me; I almost went deaf just now. Why are you so loud?

“I love getting calls from my manager these days. It means that I’m getting more work and that I have to go out for work again.”

— You should acknowledge your greed as a workaholic. I’m worried that you’ll collapse from all the work you’re taking up, Hong Ye-Seul. Are you at home?

“Yeah, I’m having coffee with Kim Na-Yeon unni. What about you, oppa?”

— I’m almost there. Come down in five. We should quickly finish up the interview and autograph event before going to the tourism office.

“Alright, see you in a bit!” Hong Ye-Seul grinned and hung up the call. She had stayed up late through the week, but she didn’t feel an ounce of exhaustion at all. Her determination to go on TV shows for even a second more was as firm as usual. She was determined to keep this up until the day of the long-awaited reunion.

“Don’t push yourself too much, Ye-Seul,” Kim Na-Yeon said as she brought the cups to the sink. “I know why you’re doing this, but I’m still worried for you.”

“I’ve been taking my vitamins and my meals regularly.”

“Sure, would you even listen to whatever I said? It’s great to be young.”

“The way you said that will make everyone think that you're old. I have to go now, so I can’t have lunch with you today. I’m sorry.”

“I’m grateful to see you pop by whenever you have time. You’re coming back tonight, right?”

“Yeah, if you’re not asleep yet, we can have supper together!” Hong Ye-Seul grabbed her bag and went out of the house again. She took the elevator down to the carpark, to see her manager already waiting for her downstairs.

Hong Ye-Seul jumped into the backseat of the car.

“Um, Ye-Seul.”

“Yeah, oppa.”

“About the rumor that has been going around recently…” Her manager began carefully.

Hong Ye-Seul’s face stiffened.

“It’s getting worse as the movie gets popular. Of course, I don’t think it’ll get any worse than this if we leave it alone, but the department head and CEO are worried.”

“Ah...” Hong Ye-Seul gave a soft moan in response. She hadn’t told the company about her past of working as a karaoke helper before, and that was why she had been feeling nervous about it for some time since the rumor began spreading.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not.” Her manager slowly drove out of the carpark and continued, “As the department head had mentioned, your job in the past is all water under the bridge now; it’s all in the past. So don’t feel burdened, and if there’s anything you need help dealing with, just tell us. I’m always on your side.”

“Thank you for saying that, oppa,” said Hong Ye-Seul.

Her manager smiled as he looked into the rearview mirror.

Hong Ye-Seul was smiling, albeit it was a bitter smile.

“Let’s talk about something more realistic.”

“More realistic?”

“You said that you became an actress just to find your mother, right?”

“Ah...”

“You weren’t serious about it?”

“N-no, I am. I was just surprised that you brought that up.”

The now-serious manager nodded and said, “Let’s talk about that today, during the interview, after your autograph event.”

“About me becoming an actress just to find my mother?” Hong Ye-Seul guessed her manager’s intention. He wanted her to create a more humane side to her own personality to bury the rumors of her being a karaoke helper in the past.

“You planned to talk about that on the shows before, anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s true…” Who knew that she would use her desperate desire to find her mom in a situation like this? Although it wouldn’t make much of a difference, a bitter taste still lingered in her mouth.

“Don’t think about anything else. You just have to row when the tide comes in. Your era is starting, so you must stay alert if you want to be able to own a magnificent building in Seoul.”

“Alright, oppa. I know what you’re getting at.”

The car soon arrived at its destination. They arrived at one of the halls inside a large theater, where Storm and Gale was being shown. Countless fans had gathered at the scene, which made Hong Ye-Seul's popularity clear.

‘Hmm? Why is my hair itching on one side?’ Hong Ye-Seul wondered as she was in the midst of signing her autograph when she felt someone’s gaze on her and looked up. However, she only saw everyone looking back at her.

‘That’s weird...’ Hong Ye-Seul tilted her head to one side as she brushed off that strange feeling she had. She failed to see a haggard-looking woman leaving the scene.

***

“Why is it that you haven’t improved a single bit? Is this an egg roll?”

“Just hand me the spoon. Don’t eat it if you’re unhappy with it.” Park Do-Joon reached out to snatch the spoon from Lee Chae-Rin. But Lee Chae-Rin was faster and stepped back, sticking out her tongue at him.

“Look at the shape of the proper egg roll. It’s all a mess, I’d love to take a photo of this and upload it onto Twitter.”

“Go ahead.” Park Do-Joon put a piece of the ruined egg roll into his mouth and replied softly, “Look at you, agreeing to publicize our relationship after getting so popular with C.Y.”

“I’ve said it’s not because of that. I was angry at you for that kiss scene with Hong Ye-Seul; that’s why I wanted to announce it right away.”

“Others might think that I did it for real. Are you going to do this every time it happens while I’m acting?”

“It’s just a joke. I don’t care. You can announce it on TV if you want.” Lee Chae-Rin wiped off the sauce stain on the corner of his mouth with a grin. Her lovable face almost made him smile as well.

“You’re about to smile, right?”

“No.”

“Liar.” Lee Chae-Rin scowled. She placed both hands under her thighs and shook her body side to side while acting all cutesy at him and asked, “You just can’t help but smile because I’m too cute, right? Hmm? Your heart flutters just looking at me, right?”

“My stomach's going to hurt; stop it.”

“We’ve been dating for so long, but Do-Joon is still the same as ever. It must be great that you’ve always been the same.”

Bzzt!

“Gosh, that surprised me.” Park Do-Joon flinched as the phone left on the table suddenly vibrated. Lee Chae-Rin was caught off guard; it was her first time seeing the nonchalant Park Do-Joon get surprised by the phone’s vibration.

“Yeah, Tae-Bong hyung. I’m just having a simple meal with Lee Chae-Rin. Yeah, I know, I won’t eat too much. Yeah, see you later.” Park Do-Joon ended the call and let out a sigh before standing up to put his half-finished bowl into the sink.

Lee Chae-Rin hugged him from behind and said, “I know now, oppa. You’re nervous because of today’s schedule.”

“I’m not...” Park Do-Joon denied it outwardly, but Lee Chae-Rin’s guess was right. He couldn’t suppress his nervousness as it was an event that numerous prominent figures would be attending. He was afraid that he might make a mistake somewhere.

“Ah, don’t hug me, it’s hot.”

“You’ll do well. You’re a top star.” Lee Chae-Rin wrapped her arms around Park Do-Joon’s neck and said, “I’m sure it’s something good, seeing how they had invited not just you but also the entire production team of Storm and Gale. Just think of it as it’s something for you.”

“Sorry, but the main character of today’s meeting is Ha Jae-Gun. I’m just a calafare. I just have to keep quiet during the meeting and leave after that.”

“I hate hearing that. How can that line be coming from Park Do-Joon?”

“Go brush your teeth and go to sleep early. Even if you sleep now, you still won’t be able to sleep until the public broadcast, that’s two hours later.”

The couple finished washing the dishes and went to brush their teeth together. While Park Do-Joon was wearing his outer coat, Lee Chae-Rin lied down on the sofa, scrolling on her phone.

“Are you not going to sleep?”

“I want to check if City of Emotion is still ranked first before going to sleep,” Lee Chae-Rin said.

“It’s going to drop if you keep looking at it. I’m going now.”

“Oh, my, oppa!” Lee Chae-Rin suddenly jumped up, her face turning pale. But Park Do-Joon did not even once look back while wearing his shoes as he knew that Lee Chae-Rin would often kick up a fuss even if it weren’t a big deal.

“It’s crazy, really…!”

“Why? Did it drop out of the top 10?”

“I’m not joking; look at this.”

“...?!”

Park Do-Joon looked at Lee Chae-Rin’s phone, speechless. It was the breaking news of a certain woman he had forgotten long ago.

[Breaking News, Celebrity Chae Bo-Ra charged with attempted murder and blackmail]

“How did this happen? Hmm?” Park Do-Joon snatched her phone away and closed the browser. A while later, Park Do-Joon hugged Lee Chae-Rin still standing in a daze.

“O-oppa, why are you hugging me out of the blue? It isn’t like you.”

“Wait a minute.”

It didn’t matter to him what happened to Chae Bo-Ra, but Park Do-Joon recalled the existence of the people who were precious to him through her.

“Mm, oppa smells good.”

“...Shush.” He was thankful to meet Lee Chae-Rin; she was as kind-hearted as she was pretty.

There was also his manager, Woo Tae-Bong, who was like his own blood brother, and Ha Jae-Gun, a close friend with whom he could share all his feelings with—their faces flashed across his eyes.

It was a blessing for him to have so many good people standing by him. He expressed his gratitude to fate and all of them who had made him who he was today, and in return, he hugged Lee Chae-Rin even tighter.

***

‘Wow, I should have taken some of calming pills before coming.’ Hyun Sung-Beom felt like he was going to go crazy. His senior had always been telling him off for not being like a reporter, and those words struck him unusually hard today.

He was currently at the Korea Tourism Organization Center located in Seoul. The meeting was held to discuss the exchange of cultural content between Korea and China. It was thanks to his connection with Ha Jae-Gun that Hyun Sung-Beom was able to grab hold of a ticket as an interviewer to be present at the venue.

‘Mr. Ha is really popular now…!’ Hyun Sung-Beom couldn’t help but be in awe of Ha Jae-Gun. Everyone attending the meeting had gathered in the conference room.

Ha Jae-Gun was smiling while shaking the hands of the visitors.

“Thank you for giving me a seat at such an honorable event.”

Ha Jae-Gun shook hands with Liu Bao, head of the Central Publicity Department. Standing with the esteemed figure was Teencent Literature’s CEO Ren Xue, Teencent Pictures’ CEO Mao Yen, and top star and lead actress for Storm and Gale Yang Ying, amongst many others filling the seats of the China delegates.

“I’m extremely happy to see CEO Ren Xue and CEO Mao Yen again at such an important event. Ms. Yang Ying, you’re indeed stunning, as they said.”

Ha Jae-Gun’s greetings were immediately translated by the interpreter on site. Everyone smiled upon hearing the translation; even Mao Yen winked at Ha Jae-Gun, showing everyone their close relationship.

After Ha Jae-Gun, the Korean delegates began to shake hands with everyone else. They were the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Director Yoon Tae-Sung, Park Do-Joon, and even Hong Ye-Seul.

The official discussion began after the greetings.

“As of noon today, the cumulative audience for Storm and Gale in China has exceeded 70 million,” Liu Bao shared, which was conveyed into Korean by the interpreter. “If this momentum does not stop and continues growing, we predict that the movie will hit over 100 million in audience count. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Ha Jae-Gun for bringing such great work to the Chinese market.”

“No, it's okay,” Ha Jae-Gun quickly replied with a flustered look, “I wasn't alone. There’s Director Yoon here who did a great job with the movie, and the actors have put in a lot of effort as well. On top of that, there’s Teencent Pictures’ CEO Mao Yen, who has come up with a great local marketing strategy that contributed to the movie’s huge success.”

Ha Jae-Gun wasn’t being humble. It was a fact that all the success they had seen right now was not based on his efforts alone, so he couldn’t take all the credit.

Liu Bao showed a satisfactory smile while looking at Ha Jae-Gun. Ha Jae-Gun smiled awkwardly in return as he looked at Liu Bao, who seemed to be of a similar age range as his father. Liu Bao’s soft expression made Ha Jae-Gun feel at ease while thinking that the man had to be a nice person.

The pleasant discussion continued amidst a warm atmosphere.

Discussion about the storyline of Storm and Gale, the production process, and the elements that were focused on during the writing of the original novel were exchanged on the table.

As time passed, the subjects of their conversation naturally narrowed down to two people at the table, Ha Jae-Gun and Liu Bao.

Liu Bao’s questions were mostly directed at Ha Jae-Gun in his capacity as a writer. Ha Jae-Gun answered them with conviction while looking at both Liu Bao and the interpreter alternatively.

‘He’s so good…!’ Ha Jae-Gun remarked internally as the discussion continued.

Liu Bao’s detailed description of Storm and Gale had Ha Jae-Gun in amazement. Liu Bao’s claims that he had watched the movie countless times and even read the entire novel from end to end, leaving behind a somewhat tattered book, didn't seem like an exaggeration.

Ha Jae-Gun wasn't alone. The members of the Korean delegates were equally impressed with Liu Bao, who came off like a professional critic to them. Thanks to his opinions, the assistant secretary of the Ministry of Culture broke into a cold sweat, blaming himself for not studying enough on the movie and novel before showing up.

“...That's how much interest he is showing toward Mr. Ha Jae-Gun. The head of the Central Publicity Department, Mr. Liu Bao, thinks that the original novel written by Mr. Ha is the main content.

"He also thinks that it will hold the highest value going forward.”

“I’m feeling so shy that I can't raise my head properly. Thank you very much.”

“CEO Mao Yen hopes that both Korea and China will continue to exchange such high-quality cultural content and produce good works like Storm and Gale. And that is why she is ecstatic to see Mr. Ha here this time.”

Liu Bao then added a few more words to the interpreter. The interpreter nodded and gestured to the staff standing at the back. A stack of A4 papers was then delivered to Liu Bao.

“I’m an old man, so I prefer to read from papers. I hope to ask for your understanding. I bought and printed it out, so I’d appreciate it if you could understand.”

“What do you mean…?” Ha Jae-Gun asked with a confused expression, not understanding what he meant.

Liu Bao smiled and pushed the stack of A4 papers to Ha Jae-Gun. Ha Jae-Gun took the stack, but perplex only grew more evidently on his face as he couldn’t read a single line from it since it was entirely in Mandarin.

“Can I ask what this is?”

“It’s Records of the Murim Master.”

“...Pardon?” Ha Jae-Gun looked up, stunned. The embarrassment of him not recognizing his own work was a problem for later. No one could imagine that Records of the Murim Master would appear here at a discussion with the Chinese delegates.