Big Life

“Now I’m all done,” Ha Jae-Gun mumbled to himself, and Rika reacted to him as she sat by the windowsill.

It had been five days since he decided to stay at Lee Soo-Hee’s apartment to avoid the readers. He managed to complete his work to perfection as Lee Soo-Hee’s scent lingered everywhere in the house, greatly improving his concentration.

“I should just tell Soo-Hee to cand stay here together for the tbeing.” Ha Jae-Gun drafted his email before looking at the clock. Lee Soo-Hee would soon return. He decided to read a book while waiting, so he walked into the study.

“Our cute Team Leader Lee.” Ha Jae-Gun chuckled as he looked at the back of the double bookshelf. He had recently found out the reason why Lee Soo-Hee was trying so hard to stop him from going into the study.

The door chimed as someone typed in the password to the door. The door soon opened, and Ha Jae-Gun put the book back into its place before going back to the living room.

Lee Soo-Hee was carrying a grocery basket in her hand and was taking off her shoes.

“You should have calledto help you with it.”

“It’s not that heavy.”

“Why did you buy so much food?”

”You said you wanted to have shabu-shabu and that your noona made it for you often so you enjoyed it a lot. I may not be able to make the broth as well as her, but I’ll still do my best.” Lee Soo-Hee didn't change her clothes and simply headed straight to the kitchen with her basket in hand.

“Go change your clothes first. I’ll organize the stuff.”

”Letstart the broth first. You don’t have to help. You’ll just be in the way, so go ahead and rest.” Lee Soo-Hee went to the sink and began rinsing the ingredients.

Ha Jae-Gun watched her back in a daze. She was in a fluttering green shirt and tight jeans that accentuated her body line.

“Yeah, they like the edited version of the manuscript, and I’ve also sent an email to Eden from Open House.”

“You’ve worked hard, Writer Ha. I’ll whip up a delicious shabu-shabu in a bit, so eat a lot of it later and have a good rest later.” Lee Soo-Hee smiled as she turned around, then winked at him.

Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t hold himself back from her beautiful smile and walked up to her. “You’re beautiful today. Did you buy a new pair of jeans?”

“I’ve worn this before. And you should say this in the morning. You slept so well that you didn’t even toss or turn in your sleep.”

Peeking over Lee Soo-Hee’s shoulders from behind, he found her washing the lettuce. Ha Jae-Gun hugged her slender waist from behind and held her close.

“Why are you doing this when I’m cooking?”

“Lethelp you.”

“There’s nothing for you to help.”

“You smell nice. Did you wear perfume?”

“Don’t you know that I don’t wear perfume?”

Of course, there was no way he wouldn’t know. Lee Soo-Hee’s bodily scent had always been addicting to him, and he would never get tired of it. Ha Jae-Gun’s lips slowly kissed her pale neck.

Lee Soo-Hee shuddered and said, “It’s ticklish, don’t do that.”

Ha Jae-Gun pretended that he didn't hear her and continued kissing her. He slid the collar of her shirt down her shoulder, and he began kissing her collarbones.

Lee Soo-Hee was slowly turning red. “Don’t do this…. I’m feeling weird now.”

However, her words didn’t work on Ha Jae-Gun at all, as he was already turned on.

Ha Jae-Gun slowly unbuttoned her shirt one by one from the top. Their lips met, and their tongues tangled together. Lee Soo-Hee let go of the lettuce in her hand, and she quivered ever so slightly.

“Please stop now, hmm?” Lee Soo-Hee pleaded as she took the chance when their mouths parted. Her breath was rapid and hot; her heart felt like it was about to explode as well. Her legs had weakened so much that she had to support herself with a hand on the sink.

Ha Jae-Gun interrupted her once more as he covered her lips with his. He unbuttoned her jeans with both hands and unzipped them. Now defenseless, she had no choice but to leave her heated body to him.

“Ha Jae-Gun…. Let’s not do this here. Let's go to the bedroom.”

“There’s no one here, anyway.” Ha Jae-Gun bent down, pulling Lee Soo-Hee’s jeans to her ankles, showing her beautiful and dazzling legs in all glory. Lee Soo-Hee held onto Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulder and lifted each foot one by one to allow him to take off her jeans more easily.

“How can anyone be so pretty,” Ha Jae-Gun exclaimed in admiration as he pulled Lee Soo-Hee—left in her lingerie—toward himself.

Lee Soo-Hee was now in a state of excitement and could not gather the strength to reply to him. She hooked her arms around Ha Jae-Gun’s neck, and they locked lips as Ha Jae-Gun lifted her up to sit by the sink.

“I can’t answer it right now.” Ha Jae-Gun said as he buried his face into Lee Soo-Hee’s cleavage. Lee Soo-Hee gathered her last ounce of sanity and pushed Ha Jae-Gun away just before her bra was unhooked.

“You sent an email to Open House, right? What if it’s from Eden?”

“It’s probably dawn in the U.S.; there’s no way he’d call.”

“But it could also be sother important call. Just go and check your phone. Hurry up.” Defeated, Ha Jae-Gun turned around. He checked the caller ID on his phone which was left on the dining table and found that Lee Soo-Hee was right. It was a call from Eden.

“Hello? Editor-in-chief Eden?”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. I called after reading your email. Ah, I’m sorry. I called you immediately.

“You don’t have to focus too much on your Korean expressions; it’s fine. But you’re awake quite early. It should be dawn right now.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled as he turned around to see Lee Soo-Hee in the kitchen. He signaled to her with his eyes that it was a call from Eden. She nodded, and then she disappeared to change into another set of clothes.

“Thank you. But I’m not sure if this will really sell well. It has a grim and heavy side to it.”

— I think it’ll suit the Westerners’ taste very well. It personally touched my heart, as I can relate to it very well because of the similarities in our birth backgrounds.

“I see….” Ha Jae-Gun smiled awkwardly.

— I struggled with the loneliness left by my parents who abandoned me. I craved only success, and I also got lost while finding my own identity. I suffered a lot from discrimination, too. I didn’t look away even for a single moment until I finished reading the manuscript. I didn’t even leave for a brief toilet break and finished it in one sitting. Thank you for writing such a great book. Thank you, Mr. Ha.

“Hearing your high praise madehave no regrets even if it was a flop, Eden.”

— It won’t flop, so leave it to us, Mr. Ha. We’ll begin marketing in L.A.

“L.A.?”

— Although Dragon Rider gained popularity there, there’s also a huge community of Koreans there. We will do proper promotion through newspapers, magazines, and Amazon. It’s great that the story was widely spread in L.A.

“Thank you.”

— I should be the one thanking you. And our CEO, Ben, likes it too. About your English pen name.

“Ahaha… It’s hard to cup with a pen name, so I’m ashamed. Did he recognize it right away?”

— He wondered why it sounded so familiar and was belatedly surprised. It’s our honor, so you don’t have to be ashamed, it’s good.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah.” Ha Jae-Gun turned around.

Lee Soo-Hee was in the middle of preparing the broth while wearing a comfortable T-shirt and shorts. Ha Jae-Gun let out a regrettable sigh.

“You changed already?”

“Are you kidding me? You talked on the phone for over twenty minutes. Dinner’s almost done, so cover.”

Instead of sitting down, Ha Jae-Gun turned off the stove where the broth was boiling. Then, he lifted Lee Soo-Hee in a heartbeat and held her in his arms.

“We should continue with what we were doing.”

“Is it that hard to control yourself? You’re such a beast.”

The lights that were shining on Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee went out as the two began expressing their affection for each other.

Meanwhile, Eden gave up on his sleep and began working.

Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee finished their dinner and watched a movie. Just as they were about to head to bed, Eden was still about to begin editing the manuscript.

The next day at 7 p.m. in Korea, Ha Jae-Gun received the proposed covers from Open House.

***

“What is it about? Is it a fantasy story?”

“No, it’s about a cold and evil protagonist with only eyes for his own success. It’s dark and has depth.”

“But it's so appealing. It's heavy without being boring. You’ll like it too since you're Korean.”

“What has that got to do with me?”

“The protagonist is a Korean; he was adopted into the U.S. when he was young. I’m almost done reading this, so I’ll lend it to you after.”

“Really? Thanks. I should give it a try then.”

Of course, Open House did not put any hope that the would see results in the near future. They only continued the marketing efforts that they had promised Ha Jae-Gun.

- Wow, having such a rude and trashy guy as the protagonist! I really hoped that he would just drown at the end.

- Who is Eden Smith? I can say with certainty that this person isn't a new writer. This must be a famous writer publishing under a new pen njust to test their skills.

- This has pierced through my chest and into my heart! It's almost like our lives, terrifying, profound, light, and pleasant!

- Why did such a great like this not get printed in hardcover? Are the employees of Open House all dumb?

- I’m a 39-year-old housewife residing in California. This written by Eden Smith has becmy life's book. Are they really a new writer? Otherwise please reveal your real identity. I'd like to read all your previous books.

Ha Jae-Gun was already aware of the U.S. readers’ responses. Lee Soo-Hee had been looking up their responses daily, so there was no way he wouldn't know about it.

“There are only praises for it even on Facebook.” Lee Soo-Hee smiled brightly as she looked at the monitor screen. As usual, she sat on Ha Jae-Gun's lap after returning hfrom work immediately and looked up new readers' responses.

“Having a professional translator is indeed different. They were able to retain the original work’s charm. You must be happy, Mr. Ha Jae-Gun.”

“Of course. I should give them a call one of these days to express my thanks.”

“Oh, it's Professor Han Hae-Sun.”

“Oh my, Professor Han?” Lee Soo-Hee jumped out from Ha Jae-Gun's lap immediately.

Ha Jae-Gun reached out for his phone and answered the call. “Yes, Professor Han. This is Ha Jae-Gun.”

— Have you had dinner?

“Not yet. Have you eaten, Professor?”

— Of course, I have. How's life as a newlywed?

“It's great.”

— I can tell just by listening to your voice. Your voice is dripping with honey.

Ha Jae-Gun and Han Hae-Sun broke into chuckles at the stime. Lee Soo-Hee listened intently, curious about their conversation.

— Of course, I have to read it since it's a written by my best student. And this is the best you've ever written amongst all your works. There's nothing more forto teach you; I should be learning from you instead.

“Please don't say that. You should guidefor the rest of my life.”

“Ah, it should be sometnext week. There won't be any pre-orders for it, though.”

— Okay. I hope it is published early so that I can share my book review with others.

Ha Jae-Gun's eyes widened instantly. “You wrote a review?”

“Professor… Thank you so much for always looking out for me.”

— Buya delicious meal tomorrow, then.

“Of course, Professor. Please letknow what you'd like to have.”

— Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then. How is Lee Soo-Hee doing?

Just as Han Hae-Sun brought Lee Soo-Hee up, Lee Soo-Hee butted into the conversation at the stime.

“Professor~ I was afraid that you'd hang up without asking about me.”

— Oh my my, Lee Soo-Hee was with Ha Jae-Gun the entire time?

“Hahaha. Professor, I'll hand the phone to Lee Soo-Hee now.”

And the happiest person about all this was OongSung Publication Group’s editor-in-chief, Oh Myung-Suk…

He was still contemplating how he was supposed to do marketing for a that was published under the nof Eden Smith, which was an unfamiliar nto just about anyone. However, he finally had an idea, all thanks to the article from L.A. Times.

He cup with a promotional tagline that he could use on the book’s ribbon.