Chapter 3
Chapter 3
"A spectacular sight was created as meteors fell across the night sky near Odaesan Mountain in Gangwon Province..." The image of a meteor trailing a long tail as it cut across the pitch-black night sky filled the TV screen. ‘Wow, so that’s how it fell.’ I hadn't watched the news for a while because I was staying at the abandoned house in Ugok Village, which didn't have electricity connected yet. But seeing the meteorite burning fiercely as it fell made my jaw drop. I felt like I understood why they called meteorites the "Space Lotto." Since it cuts across the sky like that, no one knows where it will land, meaning no one knows who will become its owner. Luck! Literally, I had grasped the luck of the universe in my hand. "How could a meteorite fall right next to where I was sleeping?" The announcer recited her lines while the screen showed the repeated footage of the falling meteorite. [NEWS REPORT]
"In the case of meteor showers that embroider the night sky so beautifully, most are debris from satellites burning up as they pass through the atmosphere. However, it has been revealed that this meteor shower consisted of actual meteorites." They sure are reporting this late. I had already reported the meteorites and sold just one of them. The important thing here: ‘The one I sold was just one out of five.’ For the sake of our country's aerospace development, I sold a stone worth 2.3 billion won for 1.5 billion won. ‘I did a patriotic deed.’ I told them to use it to research the origins of the universe or Mars. As for the remaining four, I kept my mouth shut tight. I need to get the full price for those, after all. The researcher told me that I couldn't take the meteorite out of the country. But if the person who buys the meteorite from me goes abroad to sell it, that’s none of my business, is it? ‘If the winning bid in Australia was 2.3 billion, and they buy it from me for 2 billion, the middleman still makes 300 million.’ The term "middleman" sounds a bit sketchy, but anyway, handing them all over at a bargain price at once seemed like a fool's errand. I came up to Seoul carrying the four remaining meteorites. My profession? I was a former banker. If you entrust 1.5 billion won in cash, not only does the bank’s treatment of you change, but you can also use a private safe. Of course, you have to pay a storage fee, but there was no safer place to store expensive Martian meteorites. I deposited the 1.5 billion won and stored the meteorites in the bank's private safe. I planned to build a portfolio to invest the 1.5 billion cash. ‘I’m a former banker, so I’ll handle it well enough.’ After finishing my bank business, I was currently meeting high school friends for a drink for the first time in a while. When I said I had submitted my resignation to the bank I was doing well at and left for Gangwon Province, strange rumors had circulated. They said I was fired for being involved in an illegal loan scandal. Some even said I had gone crazy. So, I came to the gathering partly to show them I was perfectly fine. But these jerks, they’re just bragging about money. ‘They’re all measuring acorns [comparing insignificant things], not knowing the richest person here is me.’ I planned to leave as soon as my closest friend, Go Minseok, arrived. I fixed my gaze on the TV in the pub. [NEWS REPORT]
"The meteorite that fell in the Odaesan area this time is estimated to be debris created from a volcanic explosion on Mars. Since meteorites are named after the location they are found, it has been named the 'Ugok Meteorite'."
I had specifically asked them not to reveal my identity when I handed over the meteorite... but they went ahead and revealed the village name, omitting only my name. I looked it up online, and apparently, there are "meteorite hunters" all over the world. ‘Wait, aren't they going to make a ruckus digging around the mountain behind the village looking for meteorites?’ I was frowning when someone spoke. "Yunho, isn't the place you moved to recently near there? You said it was near Odaesan in Gangwon Province." Jinsu, who works for a public corporation, nudged my arm. "Uh, well, yes." "Hey! You should quit farming or whatever and go look for meteorites. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find one?" I already found them and sold one, you bastard. Jinsu had always felt a subtle sense of rivalry toward me. Even when I joined the bank, he used to brag that civil servants with iron rice bowls [guaranteed jobs] were the best, asking what was the point of a high salary if I could get fired. Perhaps disliking Jinsu’s attitude, another friend spoke up to scratch Jinsu’s nerves. "Actually, Jinsu, shouldn't you be the one chasing meteorites? Didn't you lose all the money you saved investing in crypto?" "Hey, my family is well-off." "Is that your money? It's your father's money." "Between parents and children, what's yours or mine? It's all the same." This is why I try not to meet high school friends. If we meet, it starts with money talk and ends with money talk. Especially if someone doesn't have money or things aren't going well, they pretend to worry while dragging them down until the end. "I'm seriously worried to death about Yunho. Right now, he’s doing the worst out of all of us." It seemed I was going to be the main character today. Starting with Jinsu, everyone began offering a word of advice. "If you don't get re-employed within six months of resigning, you have to consider it over. Are you really going to ruin your life like this?" "Yunho, you used to be good at cooking. Try opening a restaurant with your severance pay. I'll bring customers." "Hey, hey, why are you doing this to Yunho? He said he's sick. You guys call yourselves friends but have no compassion." Jinsu pretended to take my side, only to deliver the final blow. "I heard tinnitus implies a problem with the brain. Can't it be fixed with surgery? Shouldn't you be taking psychiatric medication or something?" "Haha." A person becomes generous when they have a lot of money. I burst out laughing and grabbed Jinsu's shoulder. "Jinsu-ya." "Uh, what?" "You pay for the drinks today. Since you seem to be doing the best. Your father has a building in Gangnam, right? You said there's no 'yours or mine' between parents and children." "S-Sure, whatever. Since you came from Gangwon Province after a long time." Just then, the swinging door opened and Go Minseok walked into the pub. "Ah, sorry. I tried to finish work as fast as possible, but I'm late. Ah." "Oh. It's fine. Since Minseok is here, let's move locations. He probably hasn't eaten, so let's go somewhere we can have a meal with alcohol." I stood up and slid the bill toward Jinsu. "Thanks for the meal." "Huh? Hey." When I led Go Minseok out, the friends stood up in a swarm and left the pub. Glancing through the glass window, I saw Jinsu pulling out several cards, sweating as he tried to figure out which one had enough limit. ‘Tsk tsk, you fool. Do you think anyone can make money with crypto?’ I smirked and gave Go Minseok a signal with my eyes. It was a signal that I had something to say to him privately. "Uh, what is it?" "It's nothing much, I just bought an abandoned house in Gangwon Province. I'm thinking of remodeling it, and I want you to do the design." Go Minseok was working at an architectural firm. He drew interior blueprints using CAD and handled furniture orders. "So you bought a house? Congratulations. But you're planning to remodel the abandoned house instead of tearing it down?" "Hmm, I took photos and showed them to a man named Carpenter Jang. He said the pillars and beams are all intact, so it would be better to keep them than to tear it down and rebuild." "It'll cost a lot of money." Go Minseok couldn't bring himself to readily recommend a remodel that would require a large sum. He knew. Given Go Minseok's personality, he wouldn't ask for money for drawing a remodeling plan or sourcing furniture for my house. However, I had no intention of exploiting my friend's kindness. I took out an envelope and stuffed it into Go Minseok's pocket. "This is the initial fee for drawing the blueprints. I put in 2 million won." I intended to pay him for his labor at each stage, from drawing the blueprints to making revisions and ordering furniture. "Hey. How can I take money from you..." "Shh!" Go Minseok's mother was chronically ill. He was a head of a household who had caused an accident during his military leave, resulting in a son, and his wife was expecting another child by the end of the year. He had to take responsibility for his mother, his wife, two children, and his own mouth to feed. "It's just the initial cost for the blueprints. I'll keep depositing any additional amounts needed." "Hey, Kim Yunho." "What? Go Minseok?" Go Minseok's house was close to school, so I used to skip mandatory evening study sessions and go to his place to boil ramen. Every time I did, Minseok's mother would give me pocket money. I draped my arm around Go Minseok's shoulder and said, "I'm asking you because I'm afraid some stranger will rip me off. I know you're busy, but please suffer a bit for me." "I don't know if I should accept this." "Take it. I have a lot of money." I have very deep pockets now. I grinned and continued. "I want to remodel it so it's warm in winter, cool in summer, and... structured so it looks clean even if I don't clean it much. Help me out." Eventually, Go Minseok couldn't refuse my request. "Alright. Write down everything you want and draw a rough sketch, then send it to my email. I'll give you comments. This isn't something that can be done in one go." "Okay." For the first time in a while, I ate and drank until I burst with my high school friends, and thanks to that, I crawled into my parents' house. Originally, I lived with my parents without moving out. But as soon as I left for Gangwon Province, my parents started traveling so often they were rarely home. Because of that, when I woke up in the morning, I was the only one in the house. There was a note on the fridge saying Mom had made side dishes, so I should eat. When I opened the fridge, I saw my favorite Soy-braised beef, ponytail radish kimchi, and braised tofu with stickers reading "Kim Yunho's Side Dish." ‘Mom, really...’ I packed the side dishes and left envelopes with 1 million won each in the empty spots in the fridge. Then, I smirked and wrote on the envelopes: "Kim Yunho's Allowance for Mom" and "Kim Yunho's Allowance for Dad." ‘Don’t fight and use this for spending money. Haha.’ Even though I only spent one night in Seoul, my body felt stiff. Wanting to get to my house and rest properly, I drove toward Ugok Village without even stopping at a rest area. But then... ‘What? Why is there so much traffic?’ Cars were lined up in a long queue on the road leading from the two-lane highway into the village. They were all cars heading to Ugok Village, District 1. Because of the narrow road width where an oncoming car had to pull over for another to pass, cars coming and going had gotten tangled up. "Hey! Stop there! Stop!" I saw the Village Foreman blowing a whistle and directing traffic. I got out of the car and approached him. "Sir, what is going on here?" "Oh, didn't you hear? They say a meteorite fell on the mountain behind our village!" After the news aired, meteorite hunters, people hoping for a stroke of luck, and even YouTubers seemed to have flocked here. "I just left my tent pitched and came out. Do you think people might just go into someone else's tent and mess it up?" "That could happen. That's why you need to raise a dog in the countryside." "A dog?" "That's right. There's a saying that raising a dog with white fur chases away ghosts. Since you saw that New Village hat ghost... no, since you said you saw a person wearing one, I'm just telling you." A white dog chases away ghosts? Then I absolutely shouldn't raise one. Because after I offered liquor and meat in the kitchen as the "New Village Hat Old Man" told me to, only good things have happened. I woke up in the morning with a clear head, and the next dawn, a meteorite fell, making me rich. It might not make sense to connect all those events to the old man, but as the person who actually experienced it, I had a gut feeling. Moments where you meet a "noble benefactor" in life are rare, but I had already met that benefactor. And that benefactor was the very old man wearing the New Village hat. ‘But didn't the Foreman say there was no such person when I told him about the old man in the New Village hat?’ And yet now, he was speaking as if confirming it was a ghost. I felt it before, but it really seems like the Foreman is hiding something.