"Grandfather, you know... I thought that if I worked hard, everything would just turn out well."
Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I would visit my grandfather's grave to pour out my heart. But today, it wasn't just about venting.
"But I realized that's not how it works."
I poured a glass of soju, swirled it around, and placed it in front of the grave.
"Have a drink. I'm sorry. I know you like Andong soju, but my wallet's a little tight right now. Please be satisfied with just this today."
This time, I filled my own glass.
"I'll have some too."
I lightly tapped my glass against his, then brought it to my lips. After downing the drink in one go, I sank to the ground.
"I'll just rest here for a little while before I go."
I thought I had done everything I could, growing up in a small countryside town. I studied hard, got into a university in Seoul, and even had a wife who was too good for me and a lovely daughter.
I poured another glass of soju and downed it in one gulp.
"That damn woman."
My wife was too good for me. For someone like me, working in the general affairs team of a mid-sized company, it was a miracle to have married a beautiful woman who worked in the strategy department of a major corporation.
When she said she wanted to focus on her career after having our child, I supported her decision to pursue an MBA. I never imagined she would meet someone there and do something like that.
["Jaegoo, if you just sit back and do nothing, you'll lose everything. For now, go through with a fake divorce. Think about Hayun."]
That's what my wife, Seo Eun-chae, told me when I was being investigated for allegedly embezzling 1.5 billion won from the company. In my mentally drained state, thinking about my daughter, whom I loved more than anything, I had no choice but to go through with the divorce.
"I'm sorry for cursing, Grandfather. But she held my daughter hostage and tricked me. After spending two years in prison, I came out to find her living with another man..."
I downed another glass of soju.
That wretched woman—what did **Dokgo Jung**, the third son of the **Dokgo Group**, see in her that made him snatch her up so eagerly? I even heard rumors that she sold our newlywed home—the one she took in the divorce—to pay for her dowry.
"Dokgo Trading was our company's biggest client, you know. No matter how I look at it, this was a setup. But there's no proof. No proof at all."
It was infuriating. I had every reason to believe I was framed, but no evidence to back it up. Even if I wanted to investigate, I was penniless and had a criminal record. No one would help a man in my position.
"And on top of that, she won't even let me see my daughter."
That awful woman made sure I couldn't meet **Hayun**. She had married into a powerful family with nothing but her own body—of course, she wouldn't want to upset her in-laws by keeping contact with me.
"At the very least, she should let me see my daughter! That's the least a human being should do!"
It was unfair. I had only ever worked hard, but now, I had nothing left.
"My parents are suffering so much because of me, too…"
My parents had come to Seoul, determined to prove my innocence, and protested in front of the courthouse. They endured harsh criticism from many people, and as a result, they were ostracized even in our hometown.
Our family had run a small convenience store, but the business failed due to the backlash. Now, my mother barely scraped by, working as a cleaner just to put food on the table.
"I feel like I destroyed my family, Grandfather."
Tears spilled from my eyes out of guilt. If he were alive, my grandfather would have gently patted my head and said, **'A man shouldn't cry.'** He would have looked at me with sympathy, even as he spoke firmly. But I knew—despite his words, he would have secretly slipped me an extra piece of candy.
"I miss you, Grandfather."
But I couldn't just sit here forever while my parents continued to struggle. They were fighting to survive, and I had to do the same. **Today, I would let it all go and be reborn.** The past was behind me. No matter how low I had fallen, I would start over—even if it meant unloading cargo to rebuild my family.
I filled my glass to the brim once more.
"Just for today. I'll drink just for today, and then I'll start again."
I downed the drink in one go.
"Ugh… it's so bitter! Life is just too bitter, Grandfather."
***
"You rascal. Do you really think it's okay to sleep here?"
A playful yet familiar voice rang out. A voice I had longed to hear.
"Grandfather?"
I opened my eyes and looked around. It felt like I was sitting on a cloud made of cotton candy. This was definitely **not** the grave where I had been drinking.
I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up.
"Is this… a dream?"
"That's right. It's a dream, you rascal."
Suddenly, my grandfather appeared before me, just as I remembered him—dressed in his traditional **hanbok**. Overcome with joy, I jumped to my feet and ran toward him.
"Grandfather!"
"You fool!!"
With a sharp shout, his figure vanished.
"The living and the dead must not touch."
A little farther away, he reappeared. Though I couldn't reach him, just seeing him again filled me with happiness. I had so much I wanted to say.
"Grandfather, you know—"
"There's not much time. Take this."
He pulled out a round piece of candy and carefully placed it in my hand, making sure not to touch me.
"Eat it."
"What is this?"
"I went through a lot of trouble to get it, so hurry up and eat."
My grandfather had always secretly given me candy behind my mother's back, so without hesitation, I popped it into my mouth. Expecting sweetness, I was instead met with a bitter, dry taste. I wanted to spit it out, but when I saw my grandfather's hopeful expression, I couldn't bring myself to do it. So, with some difficulty, I swallowed it.
"Ugh… What *is* this?"
"Well done. Everything will be fine now."
His figure began to fade.
"Grandfather!! Where are you going? Grandfather!!"
***
"Grandfather!!!"
With a scream bordering on a desperate cry, I jolted upright. My whole body was drenched in sweat.
"Oh my, Jaegoo! Honey! Jaegoo woke up!"
"Jaegoo!"
At my mother's shout, my father rushed in from the kitchen. The damp towel that had been resting on my forehead slipped off.
Just moments ago, I had been drinking at my grandfather's grave… or so I thought.
"Your father found you collapsed in front of your grandfather's grave and carried you home," my mother said.
"How could you sleep in such a cold place?" my father scolded, concern laced in his voice.
So he had gone to my grandfather's grave in the middle of the night? Maybe he, too, visited when he was struggling.
"Here, have some porridge."
My father returned from the kitchen, holding a bowl of steaming porridge. Freshly made, still warm. I blew on it gently and started eating.
"No matter how hard things get, you can't just go drinking alone in the mountains like that," my mother said, her eyes brimming with tears.
She must have been heartbroken. Out of everyone, my parents had suffered the most because of me. And now, I had caused them even more worry. Guilt weighed heavily on me.
"I'm sorry. I was just feeling suffocated… But starting today, I'll really do my best."
"Really?"
"Yes."
It had already been two months since I was released from prison, wandering around trying to prove my innocence. But I hadn't achieved anything. The only thing that had changed was the deepening wrinkles on my parents' faces.
I couldn't stay like this forever. For my parents' sake—and for the chance to see my daughter, **Hayun**, again—I had to get back on my feet.
"I'll find a job."
"Just don't push yourself too hard," my father said.
"I won't."
My mother left for work, and my father started cleaning the house. It wasn't much—just wiping down our small home—but it was all he could do after injuring his back at a construction site. He hadn't been able to work since.
If it weren't for me, they would still be running their little grocery store. But because of me, they lost everything. The guilt was suffocating.
I sat down in front of the computer and started searching for job listings. With a criminal record, getting a regular corporate job was out of the question, but at the very least, I figured I could find work unloading packages at a warehouse.
As I scrolled through a job site, something strange happened—the screen blurred, and a new message overlapped the page.
**[Lv1. Would you like to see tomorrow's stock prices?]**
**[Clench your right hand if you accept. Clench your left hand if you decline.]**
I rubbed my eyes and stared again. The words were still there, layered over the screen. Thinking it was a display glitch, I switched to another website—but the message remained. Even when I turned my head away, the text hovered in front of me.
*"What do I have to lose?"*
Curious, I clenched my right hand. Immediately, the text changed.
**[Happiness Telecom – 24,640
Marine Transport – 3,640
Jindo Mobile – 4,600
Kangil Aviation – 5,620
Haddex – 16,420]**
**[Clench your left hand twice quickly to dismiss this window.]**
My breath caught in my throat. What the hell was this?
I quickly opened a text editor and typed out the stock prices I had seen. After double-checking, I clenched my left hand twice, and the text disappeared. The words that had filled my vision were now gone, and everything was clear again.
*What in the world is this?*
I decided to check the stock prices of those companies online.
**Happiness Telecom – 25,420**
**Marine Transport – 2,950**
**Kangil Aviation – 5,300**
**Jindo Mobile – 4,700**
**Haddex – 15,890**
"Hmm, the numbers are a bit off."
The stock prices weren't drastically different, but the figures were slightly changed. That's when the initial message popped back into my mind:
*"Would you like to see tomorrow's stock prices?"*
Could it be… that the numbers I saw were from tomorrow?
My hand holding the mouse trembled with anxiety. What if the numbers I had written down in the text editor were tomorrow's stock prices?
This strange phenomenon had appeared out of nowhere, but I was desperate for money. However, with that desperation came the realization that I couldn't just recklessly invest.
*But what if this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?*
The memory of visiting my grandfather's grave came rushing back, and I remembered receiving the strange-tasting candy in my dream from him.
*What if it's related to that?*
Pieces started falling into place in my mind. I had been caught in a fraud case and had my entire fortune confiscated, leaving me with nothing. I couldn't ask my already struggling parents for money.
*The highest rise in stock prices was 23% for Marine Transport.*
That was enough to consider taking out a loan from a loan shark. It was an expensive choice, but with my current credit rating, I could definitely manage to borrow the money. After all, I was a healthy man in my early thirties.
*"Yeah. If not now, then when?"*
With this thought in my mind, I couldn't afford to hesitate when a supernatural event like this had occurred. I quickly gathered my things and started getting ready to leave. My father approached.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to look for a job."
I couldn't tell him I was heading to borrow money from a loan shark.
"You're still not feeling well…"
It seemed like he was suggesting I rest today, but I couldn't do that. The only thing I had left was tomorrow's stock prices. If I hesitated today, the opportunity would be gone.
"Don't worry about me."
"Don't overdo it."
"Okay."
Both my mother and father, despite everything, still worried for me. The thought of their care made my throat tighten.
***
*"Only 3 million?"*
I thought bitterly to myself.
Given my unemployment and the fraud charges in my past, there was no way I could get a loan from a bank. The approval process would take too long anyway, so I eventually ended up turning to loan sharks.
After all that, I had managed to gather just 3 million won.
*"My worth is just 3 million..."*
The thought of being unable to repay this debt and possibly being forced to work on a deep-sea fishing vessel filled me with a sense of hopelessness. With the stock market closing at 3:30 p.m., I hurriedly made the deposit and opened the app.
**{Marine Transport 2,980}**
The price had gone up slightly from the starting point, but that made it seem even more credible. I invested the full 3 million won at the current price. After a moment, an alert popped up.
**[Executed: Marine Transport 1,000 shares]**
I felt all the energy drain from my body. The 3 million won, which was all I had, was now entirely invested in Marine Transport.
*"Please, it has to work out..."*
It had been a long time since I felt this tense.
The weight of my decision pressed on me. I couldn't afford to fail. If this didn't work, I was done.