Big Life

— I must show up, so I'll let Paramountain and the agency know. I'm truly ashamed for turning up late for such an important meeting like today.

"No, editor-in-chief. I'm fine." Ha Jae-Gun didn't feel offended at all since Oh Myung-Suk had always been quite a diligent person.

However, Ha Jae-Gun did not ask Oh Myung-Suk for the reason for his turning up late as he believed Oh Myung-Suk would have shared it willingly if possible. Since he had decided to keep it under wraps, it had to be something personal.

"I believe that something incredible must have happened if you had to run late for the meeting. I can head over directly from the office myself, so don’t worry too much about it.”

— Thank you for your understanding. I will only know how late I’ll arrive thirty minutes later. I’ll call you again.

“Sure, please update me.”

Ha Jae-Gun hung up the call and returned to the dining table. He picked up his chopsticks and prayed that nothing serious had happened to Oh Myung-Suk.

***

“Please make sure to keep it tightly under wraps. Please also check if there are any reporters who have found out about it.”

“Don’t worry, young master. I will clean everything up neatly,” Department Head Gu replied with a reliable answer like always.

He had been working for the OongSung Group for two generations since he started working for Oh Tae-Jin. His main job was to resolve all sorts of problems that should not be revealed to the public. Of course, it was also his job to deal with the mess that Oh Myung-Hoon had created recently.

“I always feel safe with you, Department Head Gu. I always feel apologetic.”

“Don’t mention it. Considering the warmth you’ve shown me all this time, this isn’t much. Please go quickly before the President returns.”

Oh Myung-Suk smiled bitterly and nodded. He turned around and got into the car where his chauffeur was waiting.

“Let’s go home. Please drive faster if possible.”

“I understand.”

As soon as they drove into the garage back at home, Oh Myung-Suk’s eyes widened in shock. His father’s car was still parked in the garage.

Oh Myung-Suk blamed himself for the delay in handling the mess and quickly got out of the car.

“H-Honey! Calm down!”

“Let me go, I said let me go!”

Oh Myung-Suk was horrified as soon as he stepped into the house. He ran inside without even taking off his shoes.

Oh Tae-Jin was outraged that he was about to hit Oh Myung-Hoon with a golf club in hand. Two maids and his mom couldn't even stop his father.

“Father, please calm down!”

Oh Myung-Suk hugged his father, pulling Oh Tae-Jin away. Meanwhile, Oh Myung-Hoon stood before them with his head half bowed down.

“I have done nothing wrong.”

“W-what?!”

“I was quietly drinking by myself, and they picked up a fight first. They were also the ones who had thrown an alcohol bottle in my direction, and I almost got hit by it. This was self-defense on my end.”

“What?! You’re already ruining the company image that your father and older brother worked so hard to keep up, and what? Self-defense?!”

Oh Myung-Suk was desperately holding his father back while scolding his brother. Oh Myung-Suk was sweating more than anyone else while getting sandwiched like a ham.

“Oh Myung-Hoon!”

"You're quick to change your attitude! Who would believe in someone who is all talk!"

A sharp glint showed in his eyes. "No, that's not right. I've been doing well in the company all this while, haven't I? Even in the States."

Oh Tae-Jin grunted and grabbed his nape while Oh Myung-Suk and his wife supported him on both sides.

Oh Myung-Hoon stayed lying on the ground and continued with his apology. "I apologize for the mess I've made. I think I was overwhelmed with stress from the workload overseas. I will make sure this never happens again."

However, his apology sounded emotionless, as if he were a machine. Still, an apology was an apology, and Oh Tae-Jin's haggard breathing calmed down slightly.

Taking the chance, Oh Myung-Suk quickly signaled with his eyes.

"Then I'll change into a fresh set of clothes," Oh Myung-Hoon got up and bowed down deeply, and then he hurriedly went to his room. His mother and a maid followed behind him.

"Let's go to the study," Oh Tae-Jin said and let out a long sigh.

Oh Myung-Suk stared blankly at his father.

"Let's have a cigarette each, son."

"Ah, yes. Let's go, Father."

Oh Tae-Jin put a stick of cigarette into his mouth as soon as he stepped into the study. It had been a while since he last smoked in the study. Oh Myung-Suk helped his father light up the cigarette. A huge cloud of smoke dispersed in the dark study.

"Was I too harsh just now?"

"No, Father."

"There's no way of knowing what he'll do next, so how can I ever feel relieved? He has been taking his medicine ever since going to the States, right?"

"Yes, I've been checking in regularly."

Everyone in the family knew that Oh Myung-Hoon had anger management issues.

Oh Tae-Jin nodded and continued puffing on his cigarette. The expression on his face spotted through the smoke was distorted.

"Sorry." Oh Tae-Jin slowly reached out and grabbed Oh Myung-Suk's hand firmly. He patted Oh Myung-Suk with his wrinkled hand and continued. "I'm ashamed to face you as your father."

"Please don't say that."

"He is still quite pitiful. The smart and shrewd kid didn't get to enjoy much of his mother's love while growing up…. Please continue to look after him, although you're already doing a great job."

"Yes, I understand."

Oh, Tae-Jin continued smoking without a word. Just as he was done with the cigarette butt, Oh Myung-Suk tried to change the topic of their conversation and chuckled.

"Congratulations, Father."

"I heard that Writer Ha was awarded the commendation, right?"

"Yes, the Minister of Culture commendation in the Webtoon category."

"You look disappointed."

"Yeah…. He had made countless achievements despite his young age. To be honest, I was expecting him to receive the Presidential commendation."

Oh Tae-Jin patted Oh Myung-Suk on his shoulder lightly and smiled, "How old is your father?"

"Why do you ask about that?"

"It took me this long to receive the Geumgwan Order of Culture Merit; it's the same everywhere in the world."

Oh Tae-Jin grunted as he stood up from his chair. He looked around in the air, contemplating for a while, and said to Oh Myung-Suk, “Can you set up a meeting with him for me after the Arts Awards?”

“With Writer Ha?”

“I'm glad that you've kept a good relationship with such a great writer, so I'd like to treat home to a good dinner."

Oh Tae-Jin paused for a moment and added, "Plus, you said it before, too, that I am relying too much on your judgment."

"Yes, let's make use of the global writer's judgment this time. I'm already nervous that he would say it's a mess and curse at my work."

The father and son burst into laughter at the joke. Oh Myung-Hoon wasn't with them at that moment, but he was still a part of the family in their hearts.

***

The licensing rights meeting did not take long to conclude in a hotel's small meeting room in Myeongdong Seoul. The person in charge from Paramountain was able to come to a decision swiftly while exclaiming over a dozen times. Even the interpreter was grinning as they finished their work early for the day.

"Didn't it end much earlier than the meeting we had with Director Yoon Tae-Sung?" Oh Myung-Suk said jokingly as he kept his laptop.

Aside from the condition of letting Ha Jae-Gun review the script after it was done before proceeding with filming, there was nothing else he could have asked for.

"Even the movie production method as well, there is a huge gap in culture. I think it’s best to let go of the reins when it comes to movies produced overseas. Especially when we’re talking about Paramountain.”

“Ah, yes. Feel free to speak, Mr. Ha.”

“I can give you a definite answer right now. I’ve gone through a few similar experiences so far, and I firmly believe that I’m a writer by nature. Movies and dramas are great, but I’d love it if I could start off with the book publication first. Money aside, I think it’s better for me to put my mind at ease as a writer first.”

Chae Yoo-Jin smiled warmly. She was here on two agendas, and she had been waiting for the opportunity to bring the second agenda up as well.

“Dinner? Sure, I don’t mind…”

“It’s still early, but it’ll soon be dinner time, too. Thanks to a certain slacker, the meeting ended later as well.”

Oh Myung-Suk cleared his throat, embarrassed. He couldn’t retort to her since Ha Jae-Gun was with them.

“So you’re agreeing to dinner, right? Let’s go then. Since we’re in Myeongdong, how about having mixed stew for dinner?”

Chae Yoo-Jin grabbed her bag and stood up excitedly. Ha Jae-Gun and Oh Myung-Suk both smiled while looking at each other and followed her out of the hotel.

They weren’t too far from the restaurant. The three of them chose to walk to the restaurant instead of driving over. As it was still early, they were able to grab seats in a relatively quiet area of the restaurant.

“It is already very popular from the get-go under the table.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled happily and nodded slowly.

“The stew is going to boil into nothingness at this rate. Let’s eat first.”

“Please give me the ladle, Mr. Ha. Let me serve you. Ah, it’s been a while since I had mixed stew; I’m so excited.”

Oh Myung-Suk always seemed flustered by Chae Yoo-Jin’s cheerful personality, but he didn’t particularly dislike it. Could this be called the warmth of a couple who had been dating for a long time?

The friendship that had overcome many hardships over the years—those emotions were clearly conveyed to Ha Jae-Gun as he sat across from them.

Lee Soo-Hee was pretty, good at work, and thoughtful, but she lacked Chae Yoo-Jin's carefreeness. Would Lee Soo-Hee change ten years later?

Ha Jae-Gun was unknowingly looking forward to it.

“Mr. Ha, what are you thinking about so deeply? Please have a glass.”

Ha Jae-Gun accepted a glass poured by Chae Yoo-Jin and poured one in return, as well as for Oh Myung-Suk. The trio raised their glasses.

“So early? We haven’t even signed a contract yet. If you've brought a contract with you, let’s go ahead and sign it. We can then toast to that.”

“Ah, really? Oh my, what should I do? I didn’t think we would need that contract today, so I left it at the hotel.”

“Then you’ll have to drink two shots as punishment.”

They burst into laughter and made a toast. At this point in time, Ha Jae-Gun never expected that their dinner and drinking would go past midnight.