Big Life

Chapter 41



Chapter 41


Chapter 41 – With the Night’s Protection


“Yes?”


The girl shivered and lifted her head . Her expression was one that was fearful of him . She was fearful of the favor that he would want .


“I want to ask a favor so I came here . ”


“What favor?”


“Instead of singing, could you talk with me? Of course, I’ll pay you with the same fee . ”


The girl thought his words were weird .


There were a lot of people who looked for karaoke helpers because of their loneliness .


But the young man in front of her put talking as the main purpose .


“Talking comes with playing and singing . ”


“I want to have a serious conversation . Things about your work . Of course, if it doesn’t bother you . ”


“My work? Why?”


The girl asked surprisingly .


Jaegun thought he couldn’t hide it anymore and said the truth .


“I’m a writer . ”


“Writ…er? Writer?”


“Yes . ”


“I thought you go around and sell electric pads . ”


“It was a joke . I’m a writer . ”


Jaegun never introduced himself as a writer first . The weight of being a writer was very heavy . And he was not mature enough to consider himself that .


“When I met you yesterday and came home, I thought of a story . I wanted to make a female main with karaoke helper as their job so I made a quick plot . ”


The girl was listening to hims with wide open eyes .


“But I got stuck . I have no idea about the job of an karoake helper . I can’t writer anything like this . So I came here to ask you for information . ”


Jaegun’s words went into the girl’s ears clearly .


But the girl was still staring blankly .


“Is it hard?”


“No, no . ”


The girl lifted her head .


She was rubbing her sweat filled hands on her ankles .


“It’s not hard, but it’s a bit surprising . ”


“I understand . There’s no customer like me . ”


“So it’s only a conversation?”


“Yes, as I said . ”


“If I just answer things, I get the same amount of money .


“Of course . ”


The girl smiled widely after asking again . Her lips deep with lipstick was sparking .


“It would be stupid to refuse . It’s good for me . ”


The girl reached out and opened the two bottles of beer .


“Cheers . ”


“I’m sorry but I don’t…”


Jaegun refused politely . If he drank, his mind would be befuddled and he wouldn’t be able to write . He didn’t want to drink .


But the girl didn’t back off .


With a frown, she turned around and muttered .


“No cheers means no contract . ”


“Then… just one drink . ”


Jaegun gave in and picked up the bottle .


The girl immediately brightened and cheered .


“One shot . ”


“Yes? This thing?”


The girl was already driving the beer into her mouth .


Jaegun swallowed once and with a fierce face, he started to drink .


He cliched his eyes closed because of the drink .


The girl, who finished drinking, was looking at Jaegun with a smile .


“Khhhhhhhhh… . !”


Jaegun barely drank the entire thing and moaned as he put it down .


He crumpled the empty can unintentionally .


“What kind of man is this?”


The girl smiled as she looked at the coughing Jaegun . And she lighted a cigarette . Between her lips, a bunch of smoke came out .


“The time is ticking . Start . Ask me anything . ”


“Kh… Yes . ”


Jaegun took out the memo and the pen .


He regretted not having his laptop and asked his first question .


“I want to know the beginning of this job . ”


The girl looked at the ceiling .


“I dropped out of high school . The relationship between my new mom and me was bad . So I left . After I worked in many places, I found this job . It’s only been a month . ”


“Yes… . ”


Jaegun was surprised . .


Instead of just saying that worked here for money, she voluntarily talked about her personal information .


It was nice news for Jaegun . It was going to be a easier making the female main character .


“How did you find out…?”


“The internet . After I saw it, I got an interview from the person here at a cafe, then I came to work the next day . I come at 8 and until 2 . If there’s a lot of people, I end at 4 too . ”


“Ah 8 to 2 . Aren’t there tips?”


“The frequent people give tips . If they aren’t frequent, some people give it depending on their moods . There’s always the people who give 10 dollars and make a fuss about it . It’s tiring . ”


“Yes, it must be tiring . ”


Jaegun didn’t rest at all even while responding back . The white paper was slowly filling up with words .


***


‘Why is it so quiet?’


The owner at the counter felt it was weird .


It was too quiet .


Even though a lot of time passed, there wasn’t a song coming out at all .


‘Did something happen?’


It was a world with weird people .


There’s no way to see inside a person .


Sort of nervous, the owner went to Jaegun’s room


‘Hm? They’re just talking . ’


As she looked inside, the girl and Jaegun was facing each other and talking .


The owner became curious .


What are these two people talking about so intently even if they only met yesterday .


“Hey, give us 4 more bottles!”


“Yes, I’ll be there . ”


The owner went straight back to the refrigerator .


There was too much work to be done to care about one person . So that ended her interest in Jaegun .


The night creeped in .


With the increasing number of customers singing, the night was getting hotter . But one room stayed quiet till the end .


“Phew… Thank you . ’


It was about 2 hours when Jaegun put away the pen .


He had gotten the answers to a lot of the questions .


If he wrote a bit more, he was going to find more information he needed . He didn’t know at this point what sort of information he was going to need .


“Thank you . I’ll use the information you gave me today very well . Could I ask you again if I have more questions?”


The girl pulled out another cigarette and nodded .


Her eyebrows were shivering on top the narrow eyes . The girl was also a bit tired after the 2 hour talk .


“I work at 8 so as early as possible . If it’s later, I’ll drink more and I can’t talk too much then . ”


“I get it . It was tiring right?”


The girl shook her hand and laughed .


“Not really . It was fun . ”


“Fun?”


“It’s the first time I’ve gotten question like these . It feels like I’m a star . Like that . ”


She let out her tongue . Then her face seemed very youthful . It was probably more younger if she didn’t have the makeup .


“Call me there . Not to here . ”


The girl gave a phone number and the name Dasul on the memo .


Jaegun smiled and thanked inside .


To the girl who had saved him . For real .


***


The draft started .


Days that began with writing and ended with writing went fast . He wrote at least 16 hours a day but he couldn’t see the end .


‘I don’t get it . It doesn’t make sense!’


If it was the length, he would have finished a long time ago .


He had the special notebook that made him write very fast .


But he just didn’t like the writing that he wrote . The writing that he kept and the writing that he erased were about equal in amount .


Jaegun typed and asked his master .


‘Sir, how do you think of this moment when the helper goes to the motel with him?’


-Don’t ask . There’s no answer . It’s just that the writing is a bit too much . The important thing is that two people met each other but the writing is ruining it . Erase it all .


‘Is it . I don’t want the writing to be too light . I’m not writing a simple romance novel . This is also a growing up novel with the mains growing up . ’


-You care too much about the quality that it might be harmful . Don’t worry about that . Worry about the sincerity . Use the words that come to your head first . That’s real writer .


‘Yes sir . I’ll remember it . ’


Se Gunwoo was teaching his student with effort .


Jaegun was writing with the same amount of energy .


‘Ah I got stuck again…! Not enough!’


Jaegun was stuck again and he touched his forehead .


There were too many issues with the female main .


‘It can’t always be like this . It can’t end with always singing and drinking a few bottles . I need more information!’


He already thought that this was about to happen .


He didn’t ask about the embarrassing things when he met Dasul .


It was the first conversation and there was the feeling that he could ask again later .


‘Can I ask again right now,’


It was about 9 .


There was a huge possibility that she was helping other customers .


But he decided to send a message at least .


-Hello, I’m the writer from before . I’m sorry it’s too late, but could we meet?


Jaegun hurried because he was going so well until this . He wanted to see her today as fast as he could and listen to her .


Her reply didn’t come too fast .


Jaegun was nervous enough because he knew that she was busy .


He waited about one hour .


The phone vibrated .


Jaegun lifted himself up from the floor .


-Sorry, was working . Right now?


-I’ll go . Hub?


-There’s a Hansung Pocha . I’ll be there .


-Ok, 20 minutes .


Jaegun switched clothes to a shirt and jeans and left . He thought about driving but it was a bar so he felt that girl would make him drink some .


“Here!”


Dasul held her hand up as he went in . She was in the corner .


Jaegun passed through the hall and sat down next to her . There was a bean sprout stew and a bottle of beer in front of the circular table .


“We’re not going to sing, so this place is better . ”


Dasul smiled after she said .


There was almost no make up this time .


The clothes were not flashy and normal . It was a brown jacket and tight jeans that girls in their 20s wore .


‘Pretty . ’


He thought she was pretty in the beginning . But now she was really pretty .


She was a natural beauty . There was light on her face without any help .


“Did you eat dinner? I’m hungry . ”


“I didn’t eat . You can eat whatever you want . ”


“Can I get anything I want? I love spicy things?”


“I do too . ”


“OK . Hey! Give us some chicken!”


Dasul offered a cup to Jaegun after she ordered .


Jaegun thought it was good that he didn’t bring the car and took the drink .


“So what are you wondering?”


“Um, that’s… it’s…”


It was hard to ask as the first word .


He didn’t want to drink but his mouth went to the drink anyway .


“They are things that aren’t good . Or things that are a bit inappropriate . ”


“What’s that? You’re saying it very strangely . ”


“It’s… The customers won’t always just go and sing only, right?”


“Hm?”


Dasul looked with narrowed eyes .


Jaegun, embarrassed, picked up his chopsticks .


As he picked up a bean sprout . Dasul laughed with her mouth half opened like she understood


“You’re curious about that? Do they go to a motel and have sex? ”





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