Chapter 151. Tremble in Fear (10)

“Taiwan?”

Ha Jae-Gun stopped taking a spoonful of his stew and looked at Lee Soo-Hee. They were having dinner together at Ha Jae-Gun’s house.

“Why are you going to Taiwan?”

“To establish a branch office there. I’m not overseeing it, just giving some support.”

“When will you be going?”

“Probably before autumn hits.”

“Why are you only saying this now?”

“I was worried that you’ll get worried… Plus it felt strange to tell you this before meeting your parents. I’m sorry.”

Ha Jae-Gun put down his spoon; he had already lost his appetite. The harmonious atmosphere was immediately broken. Lee Soo-Hee bit her lips in confusion at the abrupt silence.

After a while, Ha Jae-Gun sighed and asked, “If you go… how long will you be staying there?”

“Around six months…”

“…”

“Taiwan isn’t that far, Jae-Gun. It’s only around two hours of flight time. I’ll fly back to see you whenever I can.”

“How is that possible when you’re there to work?”

“You can also come over for a holiday when you’re free.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled bitterly and nodded. They had just started dating, and something like this had to happen. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore, afraid that he might say something hurtful.

“You’re angry, right…?” Lee Soo-Hee asked carefully as her shoulders drooped.

Ha Jae-Gun shook his head and stood up. He still had about half a bowl of rice.

“I’m sorry for the leftovers, but I’ll eat them later. I need a cup of coffee right now.”

Ha Jae-Gun took a cup and headed for the coffee machine.

Lee Soo-Hee hugged him from behind.

“I really hope that your game will become a huge hit in Taiwan.” Lee Soo-Hee buried her face into his back and continued, “It’s a game made from your novel, and your girlfriend is overseeing it for you. It’s meaningful to me, so I hope you’ll understand.”

“I understand.”

“Really?”

Ha Jae-Gun pulled her arms away from his body and turned around. Looking slightly angry, he said, “But I’m not a machine. I understand it in my head, but I hope you’ll give me some time for my heart to accept it.”

“Mm…”

Ha Jae-Gun took his cup and walked past Lee Soo-Hee. He went to sit on the sofa and Rika came to sit on his lap. Ha Jae-Gun felt complicated as he met Rika’s eyes.

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his phone, it was a call from Park Do-Joon. He walked out to the garden to answer the call while cooling his head off.

“Yeah, Do-Joon? Are you back already?”

— I arrived two hours earlier than expected. Where are you? In the office?

“No, I’m at home today.”

— I see. I just had some tea with Director Tae-Sung, and I’m heading over to you now. I can drop by, right?

Ha Jae-Gun hesitated to tell him about Lee Soo-Hee. During that hesitation, Park Do-Joon continued talking.

— I’ve got a truckload of presents for you. I’ll be there in twenty minutes, so wait for me. I’ll be extremely busy from tomorrow on, so it’ll be hard for us to meet for the time being.

“But, Do-Joon…”

— Tae-Bong hyung! It’s here, here! Hey Jae-Gun, I need to hang up now. I’ll see you later.

Park Do-Joon didn’t even give Ha Jae-Gun a chance to talk and ended the call unilaterally.

Left without a choice, Ha Jae-Gun headed back into the house and sought Lee Soo-Hee’s understanding. He explained that Park Do-Joon would be coming soon, and shock filled her face.

“He must be exhausted, but he still brought presents for you. He’s really a good friend. I’m fine, so don’t worry about me.”

“He’ll be busy tomorrow, so he probably won't stay for too long.”

“It’s fine if he stays for longer. Thanks to you, I’m about to see the global top star up close and personal,” Lee Soo-Hee said jokingly.

However, her joke didn’t make Ha Jae-Gun smile.

It had just been a few minutes since he heard news of her heading to Taiwan. Lee Soo-Hee soon erased the smile on her face and looked down.

“Leave the dishes be, I’ll do them.”

“No, I can do them. We should keep the place clean before he comes. You can rest in the living room.”

The two didn’t talk to each other until Park Do-Joon arrived. The intercom rang, and Ha Jae-Gun slowly put on his slippers and went up to the door.

“That’s fast. Hello, Tae-Bong hyung.”

“Heheh, Writer Ha. How have you been?” Woo Tae-Bong greeted Ha Jae-Gun politely as he got out of the driver’s seat.

Park Do-Joon followed behind, taking off his sunglasses. He looked around first, looking quite guarded.

“Tae-Bong hyung, you’re sure you shook them off, right?”

“I said you don’t have to worry.”

“What’s wrong?” Ha Jae-Gun asked.

Woo Tae-Bong then explained, “There were reporters following us from the airport. I had a hard time shaking one of them off earlier. I don’t exactly remember, but they could be from Daspatch.”

“Whatever. Jae-Gun, come look at this. Let me prove to you how much I care about you.”

Park Do-Joon pulled Ha Jae-Gun with him to the trunk and opened it. The trunk was filled with various types of alcohol, tea, and dolls, including traditional costumes for women from China.

“You can enjoy the alcohol and tea however you like. This is a qipao. I bought one set for Chae-Rin. I think she’ll look good in it, and I bought another set for you.”

“Why for me?”

Park Do-Joon grinned and poked Ha Jae-Gun in the ribs. “Get yourself a girlfriend and have her wear it. You have my blessings, so you’ll definitely get a girlfriend soon.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled and carried as many presents as he could with both arms.

Woo Tae-Bong and Park Do-Joon both gave him a hand and carried them in.

“Jae-Gun. How long are you going to drive that around?” Park Do-Joon gestured to Ha Jae-Gun’s car with his chin.

The front bumper had gone through wear and tear, and it had to have been quite a while since the car was sent to the car wash, so it looked exceptionally shabby.

“Um, for at least ten more years?”

“Change cars. You’re earning more than me, so why keep the Avante?”

“It’s fine as long as it runs.”

“Argh, seriously. You’re making me want to buy you a car instead. When is your birthday?”

“I’ve already received so much tea[1], so you don’t have to buy me more.” Ha Jae-Gun laughed as he held up his arms full of Chinese tea sets.

Park Do-Joon stared at Ha Jae-Gun speechlessly before laughing.

“Oh? What’s this? You’ve got a guest?” Park Do-Joon asked upon seeing the pair of shoes left in the foyer.

Ha Jae-Gun took off his slippers first and stepped into the living room. Lee Soo-Hee had just finished cleaning the kitchen and stepped out to greet the guests.

Park Do-Joon and Woo Tae-Bong’s eyes both widened in shock at the same time.

“Hello, I’m Lee Soo-Hee. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hello. Ah, are you…” Park Do-Joon trailed off, and then he turned to Ha Jae-Gun before muttering, “Is she the one-piece girl who has been trending on the Internet…?”

“Yes.”

“Are you guys dating?”

“Yeah.”

Park Do-Joon was speechless for a while as he stared alternatingly between Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee. All of a sudden, he stood straight and saluted Lee Soo-Hee.

“Sorry, let me just do an arm bar on Jae-Gun.”

“…Pardon?” Lee Soo-Hee was stunned and confused.

Park Do-Joon immediately knocked Ha Jae-Gun down and grabbed his arm, twisting it like some mixed martial arts player. It was a punishment for dating such a beautiful woman and keeping it a secret.

However, Ha Jae-Gun still didn’t laugh despite Park Do-Joon’s prank.

***

“We’re almost there, Father.”

“Drive slowly, we’re in no hurry.”

“It would have been great if Soo-Hee could join us.”

“Mom, how could an office worker go anywhere they want so freely? How is that an office worker, then?” Ha Jae-Gun’s family were all in his car.

Their destination was the Social Hall where the Baeksong Arts Awards was held. It was fortunate that they left earlier as the traffic was relatively bad today.

“It would have been great if you sent the car to the car wash this morning. It looked quite messy when we got on,” Ha Jae-In complained, dusting the seats.

Even Myung-Ja sitting next to her in a hanbok agreed. “Jae-Gun, make an appointment and send your car for a wash and service. Your bumper and even your door had scratches.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

Myung-Ja leaned in the seat and clicked her tongue.

“You’re my son, so how come you’re so dull? What kind of life would you have led if you weren’t a writer? That’s why such a pretty girl like Soo-Hee is having such a hard time with you…”

“Wait, Mom. Why are you bringing Soo-Hee up here?”

Bzzt!

Ha Jae-Gun’s phone rang. It was a call from Oh Myung-Suk. He put on an earphone and answered the call.

“Yes, editor-in-chief.”

— Hello, Mr. Ha. You are on the way, right? I’ve arrived, and I was wondering where you are now.

“I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

— You know how to enter the designated car park area, right? There’s a valet parking service here, so you can leave your car keys with the staff.

“Yes, I remember. I’ll see you soon.”

— I’ll be waiting for you.

Ha Jae-Gun arrived at the destination earlier than he had mentioned. He had seen the route guide earlier and had memorized it, so he easily found his way to the designated car park.

“Wow… It’s a sea of foreign cars,” Ha Jae-In mumbled with wide eyes.

The long line of cars were all expensive imports—even the one right in front of them was a yellow sports car only seen in movies.

“Jae-Gun, what kind of car is that?”

“I’m not familiar with cars… Is that not a bumblebee?”

“Hey, that’s the name of the robot. Oh my, the car behind is another sports car too. Huh? The person driving is that celebrity… isn’t he Oh Woo-Bin?!”

“Oh Woo-Bin? The main character in My Daughter is Geum Oh-Wol? W-where? I want to see him, too!” Myung-Ja exclaimed.

“You guys…! Jae-Gun is driving, so be quiet.”

“It’s fine, Father. We’re almost there, anyway.”

The cars slowly moved along, and it was finally Ha Jae-Gun’s turn.

The staff in charge of parking hurried over to his side, waving his arms wildly at Ha Jae-Gun.

“What’s he saying?”

“Are we not supposed to be here?”

“It’s the right place. Wait a minute. Let me talk to him.”

Ha Jae-Gun tilted his head and wound down his window.

The staff approached and bowed slightly before shouting, “You can’t come in here! Please turn around!”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, seriously. Didn’t you hear from the start of the line that we’re prohibiting cars from the public?! This is the designated car park for those attending the award ceremony!”

The young staff had a buzz cut as if he had just been discharged from the military. He looked annoyed as he continued. “Ah, how many times has it been? Please turn around.”

“Look here.”

“What is it?”

“I’m an attendee for the Baeksong Arts Awards, too,” Ha Jae-Gun spoke calmly.

Ha Jae-Gun was angry at the staff who had raised his voice at him and his family.

Ha Suk-Jae was pretending to be calm out of consideration for Ha Jae-Gun, but not Myung-Ja and Ha Jae-In were trembling in the back seat while holding hands.

“You… are an attendee?” the staff asked in a puzzled tone. He scanned the car’s exterior with a frown. He couldn’t understand. There was no way the owner of a car like this was an attendee of the awards ceremony.

Just then, a man with a huge build stood behind the staff.

“Is there something you have to say to Mr. Ha Jae-Gun?”

“…?!” The staff turned around, and the blood drained from his face.

Park Do-Joon was staring down at the staff with narrowed eyes.

He used the very same look as seen in There Was A Sea.

“Do you have something you want to say to Mr. Ha Jae-Gun?”

“M-Mr. Ha Jae-Gun?”

“Yes! He’s the author of the original novel, Summer in My 20s! Don’t you know?!”

“Uggh!”

Overwhelmed by Park Do-Joon’s domineering aura, the staff retreated, and his back hit the car. Meanwhile, Park Do-Joon growled as he approached the staff and asked, “Are you a contractor? Do you guys not memorize the list of attendees?”

“Ah, I-I’m really sorry. I-I was tied up as there were many cars from the public driving in so… I’m really sorry. I’m really, really sorry. Mr. Ha Jae-Gun, I’m really sorry.” The staff turned around to Ha Jae-Gun and apologized profusely, bowing deeply.

In fact, the staff didn’t have a huge interest in books, so he wasn’t aware of Ha Jae-Gun up until now. Park Do-Joon’s words made him realize that Ha Jae-Gun was someone of huge significance.

“That’s enough.” Ha Jae-Gun looked at Park Do-Joon past the staff.

Park Do-Joon signaled at him as if he was saying, “Please be understanding.”

Ha Jae-Gun smiled wryly and nodded. “Can I go in now?”

“Y-y-yes, Mr. Ha. T-this way…”

Ha Jae-Gun grabbed the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator.

His day was ruined just like that. He felt bitter. It would have been fine if he were alone, but his family was around, and he felt thoroughly uncomfortable as well as annoyed.

“It’s fine, punk. It’s nothing to be angry over.” Ha Suk-Jae looked ahead while patting Ha Jae-Gun’s shoulder.

Ha Jae-Gun’s nose tingled. He felt both thankful and apologetic for his father’s consolation.

Meanwhile, he had no idea that Oh Myung-Suk was staring at him from afar.

1. In Korean, both car and tea use the same word: 차 ☜