A Call from Busan

In the end, I liquidated the Solari Coin.

Even after a 4.25% climb over two weeks, I didn't feel an ounce of regret. Two hundred billion won had ballooned into 154.7 billion — what was there to be sorry about?

And over those same two weeks, the money I'd steadily transferred from the exchange into my accounts alone came to a full 75 billion.

"Heh heh heh...! Ah, calm down. I should be used to this by now, right?"

There was still over 79 billion sitting on the exchange. What to do with it? Pull it all out and run U-INVESTMENT properly? Or pour a little more into Art Company?

"Hmm... if the stocks had been doing well, I wouldn't be agonizing this much..."

The three stocks I'd sunk even more money into than Solari Coin were all struggling to stay afloat.

Samhyang: -10.89%

FPR: -8.6%

Zeronik: -18.3%

Samhyang was down about 2.7 billion, FPR about 2.1 billion, and Zeronik a staggering 4.5 billion-plus. Over nine billion in losses across the board.

Should I just dump them all? Sell everything and go all-in on a coin that was actually performing?

No — the crypto news lately had been anything but reassuring. Delisting rumors everywhere, scams and price manipulation left and right. The market as a whole had slipped into a downturn. Sure, Solari Coin had rebounded and a handful of others were still painting red graphs, but the whole thing felt too shaky to jump back in.

"When you're stuck, you ask the experts."

I dialed Choi Hyun-il the PB, Park Daehan the lawyer, and Kim Jeong-hoon the tax accountant. Not so much for advice as to ask if they knew of any solid investment opportunities. Their networks ran far wider than mine, and more importantly, they could point me toward something trustworthy.

"Alright then. If you come across anything good, give me a call."

If they introduced me to something decent, I'd invest. Diving into the crypto market right now just felt a little too risky.

Knock knock knock—

"Oppa, dinner's ready."

"Yeah. Be right there."

I shut off the computer and left the study. Sitting side by side at the island table where a simple meal had been laid out, I spoke to Iseul between bites.

"I keep telling you we should just go out to eat."

"Does it not suit your taste?"

"It's not that. I just don't want you going to the trouble. And it's the weekend — I figured we could go out, make a date of it."

"Ah... then let's finish eating and go on a date! It's no trouble at all! Hee~"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Then I'll do the dishes."

"No way! We have a housekeeper — why would you do the dishes, oppa?"

"There you go again. I've told you, she's not a housekeeper anymore."

"She still is! Even if it's just my own insecurity... please keep treating her that way for now..."

"Haah... you really are stubborn."

"Hee~"

Iseul smiled and set a piece of her homemade jangjorim on top of my rice. I took a big spoonful.

"Oh! By the way, did you hear from Ichan?"

"Ichan? Was he supposed to contact me?"

"He asked for your number a little while ago, so I gave it to him. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I even checked with you first — asked if it was okay to share it..."

"Ah, right. I remember that. But why does Ichan want my number?"

"Maybe to say thank you? For helping out last time."

"That was ages ago. He's thanking me now?"

"Is that weird...? Then why did he ask for it? I'll call and find out!"

"Don't. He'll call if he wants to. Let's just eat quick and go on our date."

"Okay... hee..."

We were still eating when a call came in from Iseul's younger brother, Ichan.

"Your brother."

"Ah..."

"Hello?"

The voice that answered was a girl's.

"Who is this?"

"Lee Min-ju?"

"It's Min-ju??"

I nodded and kept the call going.

"Why are you calling me?"

"Awful about what?"

"Since when are you my little sister?"

"......"

At the name Serin, I felt my expression harden. Whether it was my face or the sound of Min-ju's voice, Iseul beside me started fidgeting restlessly. She knew. She knew how much I hated anything to do with that side of the family.

"Lee Min-ju. She is not my sister."

"She's not. Don't go running your mouth about things you don't understand. That's a shitty thing to do."

"However she's doing has nothing to do with me. Don't call me about this again."

I hung up.

Ever since that man who called himself my father died... no, even before he died — I'd had nothing to do with those people.

"I'm so sorry, oppa... I'll call her myself and give her a piece of my mind!"

"Don't. Just forget it. Let's go on our date. We can clean up when we get back."

"...Okay..."

We finished the meal halfheartedly and headed out. We watched a movie, went shopping, took a walk, grabbed coffee. Having money didn't really change what a date looked like.

"Oppa..??"

"Hm?"

"Should we head back..?"

"Already?"

"You seem like you've been thinking about something else this whole time... You don't even answer when I call your name..."

"Me? No way~ Since we're already out, let's grab a drink and then go home."

"......"

I stood up, but Iseul stayed seated. Hadn't finished her coffee?

"Oppa..."

"I'll wait. Take your time."

"That's not it... I want to see the ocean."

"Out of nowhere??"

"Yes. I want to see the ocean in Busan."

"....Han Iseul."

"I want to see it. Let's go."

"If this is because of her...."

"I want to see it. The ocean we looked at together that night. Is that not okay?"

"......"

Tomorrow was Sunday anyway — nothing stopping us. And I knew exactly why Iseul had suddenly decided she wanted to see the Busan ocean. But if I chose not to look, that was that. I had no interest in how some girl who wasn't even related to me was doing.

It was the exact same room where Iseul and I had first been together. Giving in and coming here had been the right call.

The glittering bridge, the lights of the city, the fishing boats scattered across the water. Just like that night — a truly beautiful view of the night sea.

"It's beautiful. Just like you, Iseul."

"I remember everything."

"Remember what?"

Nestled in my arms, gazing down at the nightscape, Iseul turned around and put her back to that beautiful view. She lifted her face to mine and carefully laid her hand against my cheek.

"Your eyes that night. Your expression. Your breathing. Every drop of sweat that ran down your face. All of it."

"I remember too. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life."

"Hold me... like that night.... mmph..."

I kissed her and pulled her close with the same racing, trembling heart as that night. I could feel how desperately we wanted each other. Neither of us — not me, not Iseul — could let go, craving each other until every last drop of desire had been spent.

Softly— softly— softly—

"......"

Before I knew it, Iseul was asleep in my arms. I brushed the hair from her face and carefully slipped out of bed.

"Ayy, I'm wiped... I've been slacking on workouts lately — my stamina's not what it used to be..."

For my own sake, and for Iseul's, I probably needed to start exercising again. Did that mean I should start leaving work earlier?

Bzzzzzt!!!

"Haah... does this girl ever get tired?"

The second I picked up my phone, it buzzed hard. I'd already blocked three numbers — including Ichan's — and now a text had come in from a fourth. So I called it. I was curious.

"Whose phone is it this time?"

"Haah... why are you going this far? What you're doing to me right now isn't all that different from what those pieces of trash did to Ichan."

"No, it's the same. At least to me."

"So stop. Please."

"Good. Get some sleep."

Thankfully, that seemed to be the end of it. I unblocked the numbers I'd locked out and deleted the mountain of accumulated texts....

"Hoo..... Damn it... You win, Iseul."

"......"

I glanced once at the sleeping Iseul, got dressed, and left the hotel. Then I took a taxi to the address Min-ju had texted me. I was too exhausted to drive.

But was this really the place..?

"We're here?"

"Cars can't go any further from here~ Just keep walking up that way."

"Ah.. right... Thank you."

There were streetlights, but it was a dark night road with not a soul in sight. I had an ominous feeling I was about to get my organs harvested, but I started walking anyway.

I followed what looked like a park path uphill, and the faint sound ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of crashing waves grew steadily louder. Then I heard a human voice. No — a singing voice.

There she was. A little ways from the big lighthouse, standing in the glow of a streetlamp, singing — Yoo Serin.

Had that kid been through something painful too? Well, it was a remarried household either way — her life couldn't have been smooth. You could hear it in her voice. All that hard time, and a grief she still hadn't overcome.

But damn, she could really sing.

When Yoo Serin finished that song full of sorrow, she stood for a long while staring out at the dark night sea in complete silence. Then she turned around.

"......"

Why was I hiding? This made me look like a stalker.

Wait. Where was she going?

Step— step— step— step—

I followed Yoo Serin as she started walking. Kept following. Ten minutes, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty.

"Huff... huff... What is she, made of steel..?! Why doesn't she ever stop..!!"

She walked for nearly a full hour without pausing for even a second, except when she stopped at crosswalks. Even after we reached a neighborhood of old houses and aging multi-family units, she kept climbing the endless uphill without rest. And then, finally, she stopped — as if she'd arrived at her destination.

Along with a loud crash.

CRASSSHH!!!!!

"M-Mom..!!"

"......"

I broke into a run after Yoo Serin, who had suddenly started sprinting. Up ahead, thugs were blocking the front of a shabby house with its lights on.

What the hell? Weren't they supposed to be living well? They'd shown up to Grandma's funeral in a luxury foreign car.

"Haah... a piece of trash right to the end. Not a single family he managed to protect. Son of a bitch..."

I spat out a curse I couldn't hold back and turned around. Those people weren't my family.