Leisure Makes the World Beautiful
Last night, Kim Taesoo hyung and I got absolutely hammered at our neighborhood dive bar specializing in mudfish stew, this rundown joint that's been our regular spot.
Kim Taesoo hyung, finally ditching his unemployed life while still squeezed into that decade-old threadbare suit, alternated between tearing up with emotion and cracking manic laughs as he downed soju like water.
I was no better, high on the thrill of seeing 7 billion won staring back at me from my bank account—way past my usual limit, emptying glasses left and right.
And then the next morning. I snapped awake on the rickety cot in my junkyard, checked my condition, and let out a hollow chuckle.
"Whoa, this is straight-up cheating."
Normally, my head would be splitting, stomach churning, hugging the toilet bowl for dear life. But right now? I felt refreshed. Crystal clear.
There was only one reason I could think of. The Dragon Heart nestled in my chest.
Alcohol sloshing through human veins? Pfft. Every pump from the dragon's mana treated it like a handful of impurities, breaking it down perfectly into breath and sweat, evaporating it away.
Hangovers? Deleted from my dictionary.
Get buzzed with zero crash? Insane. Perfect for drinking alone.
Jermad would've screamed that Dragon Hearts weren't for booze if he'd heard. Whistling a tune, I hopped up feeling light as air.
Splashed water on my face, threw on a hoodie, rolled up the junkyard shutter, and stepped out.
Today's morning agenda trumped everything else. A trip to the bank.
The bank was in a shabby building on the bustling local strip. The teller alternated glances between her tablet PC and the paperwork, asking in clipped professional tones:
"Sir, the remaining balance on your land-collateralized loan and credit loan under your name totals 920 million won, principal plus interest. You're requesting full early repayment?"
"Yes. Wipe it all out in one lump sum."
"There will be some early repayment fees..."
"Doesn't matter. Clean it down to the last won. Leave nothing."
"Understood."
The teller's eyes widened mid her dry response. Probably just checked my account balance for the repayment and got the shock of her life.
Surprised? Shabby young guy with over 7 billion in his account?
A weird thrill hit me. Is this the taste of capitalism?
Click, clack. A few mouse clicks later, her tone warmed up.
"Mr. Kwon Daesung, your requested loans have been fully repaid. Thank you sincerely for banking with us."
Thwack—the 'PAID IN FULL' stamp hit the papers bold and clear.
"......"
I stared blankly at the documents.
"Haa..."
A heavy lump deep in my chest melted away smooth as butter.
All those years scrambling to keep the junkyard afloat, shouldering the debts my parents left to scrape by day to day. Haggling for scrap, fixing busted gadgets for neighborhood aunties for pennies—those brutal days flashed by like a montage.
What a moving word. Paid in full!
Stepping out the bank doors, the morning sun peeking between buildings felt warmer than ever.
Even after clearing every debt, I still had over 7 billion won burning a hole in my pocket.
"What to do first?"
Walking the street, I sank into happy dilemmas. Splash cash on a luxury high-rise overlooking the Han River? Or hit a dealership for a Ferrari or Porsche supercar?
Money I'd never touched or dreamed of back in my F-rank repairman days. Whatever I wanted, it was mine.
But I chuckled and shook my head. "Nah, let's take it slow."
The money wasn't going anywhere.
Funny thing. When you're broke and struggling, you dream of all the things you'd do with a windfall. But with that fat stack actually sitting there? Somehow, doing nothing felt fulfilling.
Is this what leisure feels like? No wonder the world looks so damn beautiful.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
Giggles kept slipping out. Let passersby stare like I was nuts!! 7 billion in the bank, baby!!
Plus, once the Roijir Guild exclusive repairman contract wrapped, they'd hook me up with top-tier housing or a workshop. No need to dip into my own cash yet.
Just firing up the mobile banking app and eyeing that balance turned the world rosy.
"Oh, right. Today's the day."
Mid-chuckle at the numbers, I checked the time.
Today's the day we planned: party up with Seo Ayoung and the newly minted Roijir Guild recruit Kim Taesoo hyung for a D-rank gate run. Rendezvous at 2 PM.
I hustled back to the junkyard to gear up.
In the taxi back to the junkyard, I recalled Seo Ayoung's bubbly chatter from last night at that fancy restaurant.
'Of course!! Running D-rank gates with me, oppa's rank'll skyrocket!'
Hunters on Earth hunt monsters, absorb the lingering mana from their corpses via breathing to expand their vessels.
But since yesterday, I'd been seriously questioning that for myself.
'My heart's a Dragon Heart now. Will sucking up low-grade mana from goblins or orcs even raise my rank?'
What if that weak mana contaminated my precious heart and glitched it out? Disaster.
Better to ask an expert than stew alone. I opened the Multidimensional Secondhand Market community app and fired off a 1:1 to Jermad.
I closed the 1:1 with my sugar-addict pal Jermad.
'Martial arts manuals, huh...'
Sticking safe as a repairman? Fine, but boring as hell.
My dream included gate raids and combat. Rocking a Dragon Heart and just fixing stuff? Lame.
Plus, that apocalypse Jermad mentioned nagged at me.
'Time to trade with the wuxia world's folks next.'
Resolved, I hit the junkyard, stuffed my main weapon—the black iron spear—into my bag, threw on my leather coat with a flourish, and headed to the rendezvous.