Big Life

Chapter 39

Chapter 39


Chapter 39 – With the Night’s Protection


“Come in . ”


As Jongjin went in, a woman in her 30s greeted them with a smile . The stress was evident beneath the makeup of hers .


Jongjin was shaking as a he went over to the counter and asked .


“You can call her?”


“Yes, of course . ”


“2 people . We’re only gonna be here for 2 hours . Just give us 4 bottles of beer . How much is it . ”


“156 dollars . ”


Jongjin put down his card and paid .


“……”


Jaegun was shocked that he couldn’t say anything . He had no time to stop him . It happened so fast .


“Go in and sing some songs . The second room . ”


“Yes, Jaegun, let’s go,”


Jongjin pulled Jaegun into the room .


Not understanding the situation, Jaegun asked with a pale face before he sat down .


“Hey! Park Jongjin! What are you doing!”


“What am I doing . Let’s have fun . ”


“What are you talking about . How is the fee over 150 dollars? What is this place?”


Jaegun’s two eyes were looking at the room .


It was a room with a huge tv on the wall, with two mikes . It was a plain karaoke bar .


“You idiot, how do you not know this when you’re writing . I called a helper . ”


“Helper?”


Jaegun asked since he didn’t understand .


Jongjin laughed and continued as he took off his coat .


“A karaoke helper . ”


“What?”


Jaegun squinted immediately .


He had never experienced this before . . He knew it through the internet but he only had a little information about it .


“Don’t be nervous . We’re only singing together and having fun . I don’t know what you’re thinking but it’s not a disorderly, chaotic environment so be a.s.sured . ”


“Where did you learn this?”


“I got it from my superior . We came here once . We just cleanly talk and sing and then we just leave . It’s much better than just two men singing here alone . “


“I don’t understand you . ”


Jaegun shook his head .


Jaegun’s actions right now weren’t very good in his mind .



He had no plan to reject him for the reason of losing to pleasure . He wasn’t a child and even he had that flexibility . But the problem was different .

“Did you have this feeling to play because of Hyojin?”


“Ahh, it’s not what you think . And it’s already fate that


I’m not getting with Hyojin . ”


Jaegun thought Jongjin was already drunk as he was laughing like this . He didn’t know that he would get drunk this easily .


Jaegun asked as he sat beside him .


“Were you working overtime a lot?”


“How did you know?”


“I can tell from your face . I feel like you might collapse if I just tap you . Let’s go to my room and sleep . ”


“I’m not tired, idiot, and I already called them . ”


“Then I can go out and cancel it so let’s…”


Creak!


As Jaehn was saying, the owner opened the door and came in .


4 bottles of beer, with snacks, and a plastic cup came on the table quickly .


Jaegun said to the woman .


“Ma’am, I’m sorry but we’re about to go?”


“Going?”


“Ah, Ha Jaegun . What are you doing?”


“You be quiet, I’m sorry . I’ll give you the beer cost . ”


With Jaegun’s words, the owner pointed behind her back sullenly .


“The girls are already here?”


“Yes?”


Jaegun could see them .


Two girls were standing behind the woman’s back


They were both in their early 20s . With a see through short hotpants, with black stockings, with heels, they were very skinny .


“We just go?”


The girl on the left asked . She had a pretty face that looked like a cat . With heavy makeup and hair that was pulled up, the two girls looked the same like siblings .


“No, come in . ”


Jongjin stood up and pulled them together . At the same time, he pulled out 30 dollars and gave it to the woman .


“Bring me some more beer . As much as the money gets . ”


“Yes, I’ll bring it . ”


The woman closed the door and left .


Understanding that it was too late, Jaegun gave up and sat down on the couch as he fell down . The two woman sat beside Jaegun and Jongjin and opened the beer bottle .


“Should I pour it?”


“I’ll just drink it . ”


Jaegun took the bottle and drank a sip . It was a uncomfortable and weird feeling . His heartbeat was faster than usual .


“What’s your names?”


Jongjin asked .


The two people looked at each other and answered .


“It’s Dasul . ”


“Sulgi . ”


They were names that was felt spontaneous .


But anyway, it was all fine . The girl that called herself Dasul was beside Jaegun . She lifted the remote?


“Can I sing a song . ”


The girl picked a song and stood up . As if he waited, Jongjin shook the tambourine and shouted . Jaegun looked at the screen and simpered .


‘There was nothing that isn’t too much . ’


It was the thought that came as time went by .


As Jongjin said, it wasn’t a chaotic atmosphere .


They sang songs alternating and danced when they felt like it . In between, they drank and said small things .


That was it .


They were people that they weren’t going to see each other after this, there was no need for heavy talks .


‘How many drinks do these girls drink each day . Can their bodies stand this?’


Jaegun clucked his tongue as he looked at the empty bottle below the table . After our time is up, they’re going to sing with others and drink more . It felt like even if he was paid, he couldn’t drink this much .


“Yah, Ha Jaegun . Go sing a song . ”


Jongjin shouted as he was singing and having fun til he was sweating .


Jaegun shook his head and refused .


He wasn’t the type of person to have fun in front of strangers .


‘Yes, Park Jongjin, thank you, for letting me have this experience . ”


Anyway, it was a positive thing as a writer to have a lot of experiences . Maybe the day will come when I write about these 2 days . Jaegun thought this as he clapped to Jongjin’s singing .


At that moment .


“Are you mad?”


The girl next to Jaegun asked .


As Jaegun wrinkled his forehead because he didn’t hear,


the girl said louder to his ear .


“Are you angry! Why do you have no words!”


“That’s not it . I just can’t sing . ”


“Not singing! You’re not talking! Do you not like me?”


“No, if I tell you truthfully, I never had an experience like this so it’s awkward . ”


“Phew, so boring . What’s your job? I feel like it’s nothing with strength?”


Jaegun thought for a second .


He didn’t want to tell her that he was a writer . So the thought that came up was the job was his debut work .


“I go around markets and I sell electric pads . ”


“Electric pad? If you’re talking about market, you go around the entire country? With a truck?”


“I have a lamborghini . ”


“What, a lamborghini? Makes no sense . ”


Even though she said that, she was smiling as if it was funny .


Jaegun smiled with as an answer . They knew that nothing was truthful in this place . This place was somewhere that even lying didn’t feel bad .


“Just work hard . There is an easy job to get money . Just working everyday to eat and live is something to be grateful for . ”


The woman said after the song was over and it was less loud .


Jaegun was thinking .


It was something that didn’t fit with a girl who looked to be in her early 20s .


‘Yes, everything is hard . ”


He could see through the heavy make up . A look of sadness in her eyes . The chin that was shaking because of her sighs . It was a feeling that the girl’s hard life was pa.s.sing through him .


“Want to drink?”


“Yes, gimme it . ”


Jaegun’s mind was solemn all of a sudden .


Thinking that it was a reader’s over thinking, he berated himself and drank the cup .


Time went by very fast .


The 2 hours pa.s.sed by and the alarm that sent the message of goodbye was ringing .


“I had fun . ”


Jaegun stood up quickly and pulled up Jongjin who was moving limply . Jongjin drank a lot and he was out of control for the 2 hours, so he was completely tired .


“Good bye . ”


“It was nice to meet you . ”


The two women waved their hands and said their superficial goodbyes . As the women stayed as if to calculate something, Jaegun and Jongjin left .


As they left, the cool air was pushing on to the,


Jongjin stretched and he yawned . Jaegun asked as he was stretching .


“Is your mind a bit better?”


“Ah, hm… . ”


Jongjin scratched his nose, looked around, and shook his head .


“Seriously, it was a waste of money when I woke up . ”


“Why did you get drunk so early?”


“I must have been tired . I had a lot of fun but it’s too


expensive . Next time if we’re going, you stop me . ”


“You insane person . Let’s go get some seolleongtang . ”


“Good . Can I stay at your house for today?”


“Yeah, I can get some blankets . ”


The two people ate a hot dish of seolleongtang and came back to his house with a taxi .


As he opened the door, Rika jumped out from the cat tower and greeted him .


“Rika, It’s Jongjin . Come to me . ”


Jongjin said as he opened his arms .


Rika glared at him with a sharp glance and went to the cat tower to avoid him .


“What? Are you discriminating? Right now?”


“She sort of is a bit shy . Go ahead and clean up . ”


Jaegun took out the clothes to change in to .


As he took them, Jongjin looked around the one room and said .


“You get a lot of money . Can’t you move to a larger


place/”


“Why, this is the best place to write . ”


“You have a cat so isn’t this a bit stuffy? And even so,


the location is a bit too weird . Move to a place where the subway is 5 minutes away . ”


“I like this place . It’s quiet . ”


The place where Se Gunwoo was resting


He might think about moving to a larger house nearby, but he wasn’t going to leave this place .


Jongjin, as if he didn’t understand, shook his head and went into the bathroom and locked the door .


Using this time, Jaegun took about a 100 dollar bill and put it secretly into Jongjin’s wallet . It was half of the cost of the karaoke bar .


‘I want to give everything but, if I did, he’s going to get made later . So, how about we write today’s diary . ”


Jaeun sat on the chair and turned on the laptop .


He was rewriting the diary that he hadn’t written for a while . Maybe writing a diary would help him find a good plot and a story .


‘I wrote Pegelon’s Swordsman … I went on a drive with Rika… I went to the grave of Se Gunwoo… I met with Jongjin and went to a karaoke bar… . ’


There were so many things to write about .


It doubled up to twice the size with Jongjin entering the day instead it only being with Rika and him . Jaegun,


feeling the heat of Rika on his knees, wrote the diary .


‘What did that girl say . ’


After he finished writing


He thought of the words that the girl had said .


Looking through his memory, Jaegun quickly remembered and typed on the keyboard .


-Just work hard . Where is there an easy job to get money . Just working everyday to eat and live is something to be grateful for .


‘This has a good feeling to it . ’


A sentence that’s plain but has human feeling and emotion to it .


Jaegun repeated the words in his head .


He didn’t even know that Jongjin finished washing and was standing there right behind