御宅伴侣高压版

“It’s not heavy at all, and it’s a carrier, so I can drag it along as well,” Kang Min-Ho said as he donned a neat suit.

Today was the day for Kang Min-Ho to head back to his hometown. The growth he had made this year was much greater as compared to the previous year; it could be said that he was returning home in glory.

“Just give it to me. I’ll send you to the bus terminal.”

Yang Hyun-Kyung grabbed the bag back from Kang Min-Ho.

Even Jang Eun-Young, who was standing by the side quietly, said, “Just let him carry it. You’ll be there for an entire week, so he’ll feel lonely while you aren’t around.”

“Seriously… All right, I get it,” Kang Min-Ho replied awkwardly, all the while consciously avoiding eye contact with Jang Eun-Young.

It was the same for Jang Eun-Young.

When Kang Min-Ho turned away; however, Jang Eun-Young’s hands naturally reached out for Kang Min-Ho’s shoulders and dusted the dirt off of his shoulders.

“Open your shoulders and walk confidently, hyung.”

“Stop nagging.”

Jang Eun-Young smiled faintly. This could be her last chance to fix his clothes. With that thought in mind, sadness started welling up in her.

“I’ll be going then,” Kang Min-Ho said without turning back.

Jang Eun-Young continued with her nagging in a chic tone and hit him lightly on the back. “If you meet a good lady, don’t stutter and maintain eye contact with her whenever you’re speaking.”

“You seem to wish me to do well, huh?”

“Of course. It’s a chore to worry about you, hyung. So become successful and get married already, you old bachelor. She looks quite pretty in that photo, too.”

Yang Hyun-Kyung could not help but feel pitiful as he watched Jang Eun-Young trying to act calm. He knew exactly what was going on between the two.

“Why aren’t you leaving already? Go, go. I want to focus and work quietly in the office.”

“What shall I buy back when I return?”

“Let’s talk about it once you’ve returned a week later. Go on now,” Jang Eun-Young urged.

“All right,” Kang Min-Ho said and stepped out of the office.

Yang Hyun-Kyung followed behind, dragging the luggage with him. As soon as the door closed, Jang Eun-Young fell silent.

‘Haa…’ The breath that escaped between her lips was hot. She stood at the same spot, not knowing to move.

Kang Min-Ho wasn’t going to return just to visit his parents.

His parents had actually arranged a blind date for him.

Kang Min-Ho didn’t particularly hide the conversation he had with his parents from Jang Eun-Young. His parents had called him one day during one of their meals when both Yang Hyun-Kyung and Jang Eun-Young were present, so they got to listen to the entire conversation.

However, the issue was with Jang Eun-Young.

She failed to conceal her feelings upon hearing about the blind date.

All sorts of emotions overwhelmed her so much that she was even shocked by them herself. Even Kang Min-Ho started becoming awkward with her since then until today.

‘Idiot!’

There was no way of knowing whether she was referring to Kang Min-Ho or herself.

Jang Eun-Young had always liked Kang Min-Ho since the moment they met in literary class back in high school. She had long regarded it as a simple fondness she felt toward a trustworthy older brother.

However, her feelings had come clear as day to her.

‘That idiot… stupid… dumbass…!’ Jang Eun-Young plopped down to the floor as her legs gave way. She buried her tear-stained face into her hands. She didn’t dare to express her emotions first as a divorcee, and she found herself pathetic and frustrated because of it.

***

“The sky is open to us~ And you are by my side~ Standing with a bright smile~ Yes, you’re the blue sea~~~!”[1]

Park Do-Joon was singing out loud in the basement lounge at Ha Jae-Gun’s house.

Meanwhile, Ha Jae-Gun was sitting comfortably on the sofa behind him, revising his scenario.

Ha Jae-Gun had invited Park Do-Joon over to his place on this peaceful weekend out of consideration for Park Do-Joon, who couldn’t really go out because he was a celebrity. They had also ordered black bean noodles for a late lunch.

“ Jae-Gun, just throw this machine out, man,” Park Do-Joon said after looking at his score on the screen. He had scored a whopping 70 points.

“I can’t get over 90 points no matter how well I sing.”

“Try putting in more sincerity when singing.”

“How much more should I put in? Did you not know? I was originally going to be a singer, but I stopped myself from doing it, afraid that I would become an obstacle to my beloved juniors’ career.”

“As expected of the most popular celebrity in the world…”

“Ah, I’m thirsty. Don’t you have anything to drink?” Park Do-Joon put down the microphone and rummaged through the fridge and cupboards. He looked at Ha Jae-Gun speechlessly and asked, “Hey, Jae-Gun. Is this all you have for alcohol?”

Park Do-Joon was holding a bottle of soju; nothing else.

Ha Jae-Gun grinned and nodded. “I prepared them in case my father decides to visit and have some drinks. I don’t drink much on my own.”

“You’ve got a bar and counter setup here, but what are these drinks? Soju, rice wine… and what’s this? Siberian ginseng? Is this raspberry wine?”

“Those sweet drinks are for my mother. Try opening the gray fridge, there are some beverages in there.”

Park Do-Joon cleared an entire can in an instant and then sat down next to Ha Jae-Gun. He peeked at the screen on Ha Jae-Gun’s laptop and asked casually, “Are you sure I’m not disturbing you?”

“Not at all. I’m not exactly working, I’m just double-checking my work.”

“All right, there’s nothing I should worry about, right? After all, it’s a rest day, and you’re the one who invited me over to play. What shall we have for dinner?”

“It’s only been an hour since we ate black bean noodles. Let’s think about it later.”

Ha Jae-Gun revised his scenario and closed his laptop, then looked up.

“Anyway, do you really have no advice for me when going on I Live Alone?”

Park Do-Joon frowned immediately, looking annoyed.

“How many times do I have to tell you? There’s nothing at all. The writer of the show just sets the situation, and all we have to do is play it out accordingly. What’s there to worry about?”

“Variety might be part of your daily life, but it’s my first time. It’s natural for me to be nervous.”

Bzzt!

Just then, Park Do-Joon’s phone rang.

“...!”

Upon seeing the caller ID, Park Do-Joon threw his phone into the other corner of the sofa.

“Who’s calling?”

“Someone annoying.”

Park Do-Joon’s phone kept ringing. Annoyed by the consistent ringing, Park Do-Joon resorted to burying his phone under a cushion before standing up

“Jae-Gun. Let’s bet on our dinner menu with a game of 4-ball billiard. I’ll remove three cushions for you.”

“No, you’re too good at billiards. I’d rather we go with a game of darts…”

Bzzt!

This time, it was coming from Ha Jae-Gun’s phone.

It was a call from AppleT’s Lee Chae-Rin. Ha Jae-Gun had an idea of what was going on and asked Park Do-Joon before answering the call, “It’s from Chae-Rin. You guys fought?”

“...Don’t answer it.”

“How can I ignore her call? She should know by now that you’re here with me. Even if you don’t tell her, your manager would have told her, too.”

Park Do-Joon wordlessly lay on his stomach on the sofa.

Ha Jae-Gun pondered for a while and eventually answered the call.

“Yes, Ms. Chae-Rin. Ah, I see. My novel is selling well, thanks to you. I saw that you promoted it on your social media this time as well. Thank you so much. Yes, ah… Yes, Park Do-Joon? He’s with me right now.”

There was no sign of movement from Park Do-Joon up until now. Keeping his eyes on Park Do-Joon, Ha Jae-Gun continued. “No, it’s all right. No problem. I’ll send it to you through text then. Yes, goodbye.”

Ha Jae-Gun ended the call and sent his address to Lee Chae-Rin.

Park Do-Joon sprung up immediately and looked at Ha Jae-Gun.

“What are you doing?”

“What else can I do? It’s not like you’ll go meet her anyway.”

“Ah, seriously. I think I’m going to fight with her if I see her later.”

“I don’t know why you guys fought, but talk it out in person.”

The doorbell rang in less than thirty minutes. Lee Chae-Rin didn’t show up alone. She had come with Lee Yu-Ri, whom Ha Jae-Gun had met before at Park Do-Joon’s place.

“Hello, Writer Ha.”

“Come on in. Feel free to park your car in the garage.”

Lee Chae-Rin and Lee Yu-Ri came over as soon as their live broadcast ended without even removing their makeup or changing out of their stage outfits.

Their stage outfits were quite revealing, making Ha Jae-Gun unsure of where he should look.

“Your house looks really great. I really wish our dorm was half as good as yours.”

“Our dorm is large enough right now. You don’t even help clean the house, yet you want to live in one yourself?”

“Hey, how dare you call me out like that in front of Writer Ha?”

Ha Jae-Gun led the girls down to the lounge in the basement.

The smile on Lee Chae-Rin’s face disappeared as soon as she saw Park Do-Joon on the sofa.

“Wake up. Ms. Chae-Rin and Ms. Yu-Ri are here.”

Ha Jae-Gun nudged him, but Park Do-Joon didn’t reply.

It was only when Ha Jae-Gun grabbed and shook Park Do-Joon by the shoulders that Park Do-Joon finally sat up with a tired look.

“Ah, why are you disturbing my sleep?”

“Ms. Chae-Rin is here.”

Park Do-Joon then saw both Lee Chae-Rin and Yu-Ri standing around five steps away from him. However, Park Do-Joon squinted and looked around, then muttered, “Who is she? I don’t see anyone around.”

Lee Chae-Rin’s clenched jaws trembled visibly, and Lee Yu-Ri stepped up, unable to watch on any further.

“Do-Joon oppa, why are you doing this to unni?”

“Ah, Yu-Ri, you’re here? Welcome.”

Park Do-Joon ignored Lee Chae-Rin and only greeted Lee Yu-Ri warmly. Ha Jae-Gun was at a loss for words at Park Do-Joon’s childish antics, despite him being unaware of what the couple was fighting over.

“...!”

Lee Chae-Rin noticed the bar counter and headed over with a distorted look. Like what Park Do-Joon did before, she rummaged through the fridge and cupboards and finally took out a bottle of raspberry wine and bowl, then sat down.

“Do-Joon, go on, do something.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Hey, raspberry wine is quite strong. And she’s drinking it from the bowl… Huh?”

Ha Jae-Gun’s eyes widened in shock.

Lee Chae-Rin was filling up the bowl once more after emptying it once. Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t watch any further and took the bowl from her hands.

“Don’t take it from me! Give it back!” Lee Chae-Rin yelled with tears streaming down her face. Her mascara smudged, and Ha Jae-Gun sat down in front of her.

“Ms. Chae-Rin, why are you doing this?”

“Sob… Sob…”

“I don’t wish to intervene in your problems, but seeing how both of you are acting in my house, there’s no way I could stand by and just watch.”

Lee Yu-Ri hooked arms with Ha Jae-Gun from behind and answered in Lee Chae-Rin’s stead.

“It’s because of the bed scene that Park Do-Joon oppa is supposed to do…”

“Bed scene?”

“In There Was A Sea. There’s a bed scene between Cho Kang-Jae and Ba-Da, isn’t there? They’re fighting because of that.”

Ha Jae-Gun finally understood. It was his first time witnessing something like this.

Lee Chae-Rin raised her voice while still crying, “Hey, Yu-Ri. You should get things right. I’m not doing this because I do not understand that he has a bed scene. It’s because he kept provoking me, saying that he likes acting with Kim Ji-Won and all!”

Kim Ji-Won was the name of the actress acting as the female lead, Ba-Da, in There Was A Sea. Ha Jae-Gun knew of her as well since she was a promising actress possessing both beauty and great acting skills.

Park Do-Joon sat in a corner of the room and muttered to himself, “Who was the one who said that she was going to date Block C’s Ziku if we ever broke up?”

“What are you saying?! I can’t hear you! Come here and say it in my face!”

“Ah, you’re seriously…! Are you not going to lower your voice?! Why disgrace yourself here at Jae-Gun’s house!” Park Do-Joon stood up in anger.

Soon afterward, Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Yu-Ri broke into a cold sweat, trying to break the fighting couple apart. Eventually, the fight ended for the time being with Lee Chae-Rin’s sobbing apology.

“Soooob…! I’m sorry, oppa… No, Writer Ha… I’m sorry…”

“Call me however you like. I’m fine, and you don’t have to apologize to me.”

“You’re really magnanimous—like the sea… Incomparable to someone who is so petty—”

“Lee Chae-Rin!”

“Stop yelling. Ms. Yu-Ri, there’s a bathroom up that way.”

Ha Jae-Gun sent Lee Chae-Rin upstairs with the help of Lee Yu-Ri and finally let out a sigh of relief. Park Do-Joon sat down in a daze with his arms stretched out along the sofa.

“I’m sorry, Jae-Gun.”

“Forget it. It’s weird, but this is a new experience for me. I had no idea that celebrity couples could fight like this.”

“Hey, honestly speaking, this isn’t the first or second time. I’m the real Buddha here. Ah, forget it. I have to take a quick shower.”

Park Do-Joon headed upstairs. Taking in the peaceful moment, Ha Jae-Gun took out his notepad and started writing away diligently with a pen in hand.

‘Hmm… That expression was really interesting. I think it’d be nice to use Oscar’s line there.’

He couldn’t help it. Ha Jae-Gun recorded every line said by both Park Do-Joon and Lee Chae-Rin, which left an impression in his mind. It felt like he had gotten a great scene to use in his novel.

His phone rang while he was scribbling on his notepad.

The call came from Kwon Tae-Won.

“Yes, President Kwon.”

— Hello, Writer Ha. Comic KT contacted us again, saying that they wished to adapt Oscar’s Dungeon into a webtoon. I think it’ll turn out well, too, seeing how well the Records series has performed before. What do you think, Writer Ha?

“Hmm, sorry. I think I’ll decline the offer this time,” Ha Jae-Gun replied, but he smiled.

Ha Jae-Gun wanted to delay any distribution rights acquisition for Oscar’s Dungeon for as long as possible until the illustrations that Jung So-Mi had drawn were acknowledged as an adaptation or even re-creation of his novel. It applied to any form of adaptation, not just webtoons.

“Yes, thank you for understanding. I’ll be hanging up.” Ha Jae-Gun continued writing on his notepad after the call.

Unsure how long it had been, Ha Jae-Gun heard the sound of laughter all of a sudden and looked up to see Park Do-Joon coming down the stairs with Lee Chae-Rin on his back.

***

‘Hmm…’

Planning director Nam Gyu-Ho’s eyes were shining like glass. In his hands was a copy of Oscar’s Dungeon, and he was reading it in the pantry next to Nextion’s mobile planning team office.

He had already finished reading all of The Breath on ebooks, and he was already finishing Oscar’s Dungeon, with a few more pages left over.

‘Did he work in a game company before? His dungeon composition is quite strong.’

The dungeon setting in the novel was so great that it was good enough to be applied directly to an actual game. Soon, the last line in the novel was carved in the retina of his eyes.

Nam Gyu-Ho finally put the book down and looked up to see Lee Soo-Hee passing by with a cup in hand.

“Team Leader Lee,” he said, calling out to her.

1. This is actually a song. It’s here if you want to listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=UVfXcq7n5Yc ☜