2
# Chapter 2
“We’ll give you 2 billion won. What do you think?”
Kim Jin-woo almost blurted out, “That sounds good,” but managed to keep his mouth shut.
Then he forced himself to speak as calmly as possible.
“Just... just give me a moment to think.”
“Of course.”
The lawyer nodded as though he did not mind.
The moment the contract had been brought out, all the officers had left the room, leaving it completely quiet.
Only the occasional murmur of voices could be heard from outside.
“What’s going on?”
“Whoa! Regimental Commander... Attention!”
“Is Sergeant Kim in there?”
Oddly enough, those sounds helped settle his confused mind.
Kim Jin-woo calmly scanned through the contract.
‘There aren’t any unfavorable clauses.’
He had never specifically studied law, but he knew enough to look for problematic provisions.
The other party’s request was simple.
In exchange for taking ownership of the copyright to his song, they would pay him 2 billion won as compensation.
2 billion won.
It was an absolutely staggering amount of money. Kim Jin-woo had never even imagined that he would possess that kind of money in his lifetime.
And so.
One question came to mind.
‘They’re burning 2 billion won just to cover up a plagiarism case? Does that even make sense?’
It was a ridiculous question.
‘Of course it makes sense.’
Logan Mitchell.
A famous American pop star. The person himself was not what mattered.
What mattered was his social status.
How many contracts would a man like him have? And how much money changed hands through those contracts?
Even in Korea, when a celebrity caused trouble, the companies that had signed advertising contracts with them would sometimes file lawsuits seeking damages.
Compared to the losses this incident could cause that pop star, 2 billion won might be pocket change.
Therefore, Kim Jin-woo understood the 2 billion won settlement.
Two billion won might be pocket change to a pop star, but to Kim Jin-woo, it was enough money to change his entire life.
This was an offer he simply could not refuse.
‘But...’
He became a little greedy.
If his prediction was correct, perhaps he could ask for just a little more.
“I have something I’d like to ask.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Kim Jin-woo stared directly into the lawyer’s eyes.
“I want a percentage.”
“A percentage?”
“Yes. I want a certain portion of the profits generated by the song.”
The lawyer tapped away at his laptop before asking,
“You mean you would rather receive royalties instead of the 2 billion won?”
“No. I want both the 2 billion won and the royalties.”
His voice was firmer than even he had expected.
“I’ll look into it. It won’t take long, so please wait a moment.”
The lawyer answered in a businesslike tone before taking out his phone. It seemed he was calling someone.
Kim Jin-woo calmly watched him.
But inside, things were completely different.
‘Did I say too much?’
His heart was pounding as if it might burst.
What if the other party rejected his request because he had gotten greedy? What if, as a result, the 2 billion won disappeared from the table altogether?
He felt as though he might develop a panic disorder he had never even suffered from before.
He was that anxious.
Fortunately, the agonizing wait did not last long. Just as the lawyer had said, he finished the call quickly.
“All right. In addition to the original 2 billion won payment, we’ll pay you 1 percent of the profits generated by the song as royalties every month.”
“Then I’ll sign the contract.”
Kim Jin-woo answered immediately.
One percent in royalties might sound small, but in reality, it was anything but.
A singer who consistently ranked within the top ten on Billboard would be making at least hundreds of millions of won a month. One percent of that would amount to several million won.
Receiving that every month, what was the difference between that and winning a pension lottery?
Besides, this was compensation that had not even been included in the original contract.
There was a limit to how greedy he could be.
“Give me your bank account information, and I’ll have the payment transferred quickly.”
Kim Jin-woo wrote down his account number with a pen, and the lawyer smiled warmly.
“We’ll pay the 2 billion won immediately. The royalties will also be deposited monthly starting next month.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my job. Personally, though, congratulations. You’re quite a lucky man.”
Perhaps because the business was finished, the lawyer’s voice had become much friendlier than before.
Kim Jin-woo merely smiled awkwardly and shook his hand.
A fortune of 2 billion won had appeared overnight.
Yet the way people around him looked at him did not change.
That was because Kim Jin-woo had asked the lawyer to keep the details of the contract confidential.
He knew how much money could ruin people. He had no intention of dealing with people constantly pestering him to lend them money.
‘It’ll only become a hassle. For now, it’s better to keep it hidden.’
In fact, even Kim Jin-woo himself could not really feel that he had 2 billion won.
He was still a soldier. That meant he could not exactly check his bank balance whenever he wanted.
Sometimes, he even wondered whether the whole thing was a scam and whether he had been tricked.
That uneasy feeling lasted until he finally got leave.
“Attention!”
“End-of-service leave?”
“No, sir. I’m just going out for a short while.”
“Yeah, all right. Don’t cause any trouble and come back safely.”
As soon as he arrived in his hometown, it was only natural that he went looking for a nearby bank.
‘It’s real.’
The moment Kim Jin-woo saw the number written in his bank account, he slowly closed his eyes.
‘It’s really real.’
You could never understand the sorrow of having no money unless you had experienced it yourself.
If he ever got money, there were so many things he wanted to do.
But among all of them, the thing he wanted to do most, the thing he needed to do first, was obvious.
‘Sua, Uncle will buy you something delicious.’
A smile appeared at the corners of Kim Jin-woo’s mouth.
Byeongjeom-dong, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do.
A man wearing a military uniform appeared in front of Kongkong Kindergarten.
It was Kim Jin-woo.
‘I’m not late, am I?’
He had tried his best to arrive in time for the kindergarten dismissal, but the bank had taken up too much of his time.
It was late afternoon.
The moment he entered the kindergarten with an anxious expression—
“Oh!”
A surprised voice rang out.
Before he could even greet her, a heavy mass slammed into his abdomen.
“Uncle!!”
The only reason Kim Jin-woo did not fall over was because he had consistently built up his strength in the training room every day.
‘Maybe I should have her play American football later...’
Kim Jin-woo gave a bitter smile and looked down.
“Uncle!!! I missed you!”
A very cute little girl was looking up at him with a bright smile.
She was Kim Jin-woo’s niece, Jung Sua, who had turned seven this year.
“Didn’t you miss me, Uncle?”
“I missed you.”
“How much? As much as the sky and the earth?”
“Yeah. As much as the sky and the earth.”
“Me too!”
Sua giggled and grabbed Kim Jin-woo’s hand.
Seeing her innocent expression, Kim Jin-woo said,
“Sua, is there a doll you want? Or something you want to eat?”
“Why?”
“Uncle will buy it for you.”
“But Uncle doesn’t have any money!”
Kim Jin-woo was momentarily speechless at the child’s innocent remark.
The silence was brief.
“I have lots of money.”
“Liar!”
“I’m not lying. I’m telling you first because you’re the one I want to tell first, but Uncle hit it big as a composer. From now on, I’ll buy you anything you want. I’ll buy you lots of delicious food too.”
“Really?”
“Just tell me what you want. No, forget that. I’ll buy you beef right now. Let’s go.”
As Kim Jin-woo confidently started walking, Sua blinked and tilted her head.
‘But Uncle probably doesn’t have any money.’
She had heard that soldiers were given very little money in the military, so they could not even buy snacks.
That was why she had received some spending money from her mom and dad recently.
Why was Uncle acting like this?
‘Oh!’
A sudden thought occurred to Sua, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
‘Uncle must be having a hard time in the military!’
He must be having such a difficult time that he was pretending to be strong in front of her so that she would not notice.
Sua looked at Kim Jin-woo with pity.
“I don’t want to. I’m not hungry.”
“Huh?”
Kim Jin-woo stopped walking at the unexpected words.
Sua shook her head.
“I’m not hungry. I had a snack at kindergarten earlier. Instead of eating, let’s go see Mom!”
Kim Jin-woo never imagined that his niece was saying this because she was worried about his financial situation.
“All right. Let’s go see Mom.”
He obediently called a taxi with his phone.
But Sua was shocked once again.
‘Taxis are expensive!’
Her mouth fell open in shock.
Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital.
Oncology Ward.
Bzzzt.
As soon as he passed through the gate, the gloomy atmosphere unique to the hospital seemed to settle over him.
In the past, Kim Jin-woo always felt suffocated whenever he came here.
Because the place felt like a prison.
Because he felt as though his older sister would never be able to leave this place again.
But today was different.
Kim Jin-woo’s steps were light.
“Big Sis.”
And even when he saw his older sister, Kim Ha-young, he could smile.
“Jin-woo, you’re here?”
Kim Ha-young, who had supported Kim Jin-woo since he was young, was surprisingly not much older than him.
Five years older.
In other words, Kim Ha-young was only thirty-four years old, yet she was suffering from colon cancer.
Her hair had fallen out and she had lost weight due to chemotherapy, but her gentle smile had still not disappeared.
“Mom!”
Sua ran over and threw herself into Kim Ha-young’s arms.
“There are other people here too. You need to be quiet.”
“Shh!”
“That’s right.”
Kim Ha-young smiled faintly and stroked Sua’s hair.
“Sua, did you have fun with Uncle?”
“Yes! Uncle even wanted to buy me beef, but I didn’t eat it because Uncle doesn’t have any money!”
“What?”
Kim Ha-young widened her eyes and looked at Kim Jin-woo.
“How would you have money? Don’t you have enough spending money? And why are you trying to spend money you don’t need to spend when we have food at home?”
“Big Sis.”
Hearing the concern in his sister’s voice, Kim Jin-woo had to suppress the emotions welling up inside him.
“It’s okay.”
Instead, he decided to tell her the good news.
That they no longer had to worry about hospital bills.
That he would repay her for giving up the studies she loved to work at a factory and raise him when he was young, and for sacrificing her youth because she had to take care of him.
But Kim Jin-woo was too embarrassed to express those feelings directly.
“I have a lot of money now.”
So instead of expressing his emotions, he spoke bluntly.
“From now on, just focus on getting healthy. I’ll pay all the hospital bills.”
“What?”
Of course, Kim Ha-young did not believe him.
“What are you talking about?”
How could her younger brother, who was currently a soldier, suddenly have money?
It was a perfectly reasonable suspicion.
And Kim Jin-woo had expected it.
“Look.”
Kim Jin-woo also knew something else.
Sometimes, showing someone something once was better than explaining it a hundred times.
So he brought up his bank balance on his phone.
“Gasp!”
Her reaction was immediate.
“H-How much is this?”
“2 billion won and 130 thousand won.”
“You’re lying, right?”
Kim Ha-young stared at Kim Jin-woo with trembling eyes.
Kim Jin-woo grinned.
“Big Sis. I don’t joke about things like this.”
“Th-That’s true. But... how could you possibly have this much money?”
“I became quite a successful composer. You don’t have to worry about money anymore.”
Kim Jin-woo took Kim Ha-young’s hand.
But he had not expected what happened next.
“Jin-woo...”
Kim Ha-young’s eyes reddened, and before long, tears began to fall.
“Big Sis?”
“Our Jin-woo. I always felt sorry that I couldn’t let you do the things you wanted when you were young. But you were doing so well on your own. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...”
When Kim Ha-young pulled Kim Jin-woo into her arms, he could not say anything and merely bit his lip.
Feeling the warmth of his sister’s body as she held him, feeling the worn skin that had been weathered by years of sacrifice, he finally managed to speak.
“I didn’t realize it before, but... the house has gotten really old.”
Kim Ha-young stared at Kim Jin-woo with wide eyes.
Kim Jin-woo smiled gently.
“There are only two rooms. Once Sua gets a little older, she’ll need her own room, but the place we live in now is too small. The school is the same. I heard that these days, kids who attend schools in good school districts have better chances of getting into good universities.”
“...Jin-woo?”
“Let’s move. To a new apartment complex with everything inside, like a gym, restaurants, and a swimming pool.”
Watching Kim Ha-young’s stunned reaction, Kim Jin-woo thought to himself.
This was what he had wanted all his life.
Once again, he knew that his choice had not been wrong.
Kim Jin-woo raised the corners of his mouth and sat Sua on his lap.
“Sua, let’s go shopping together tomorrow.”
“Shopping?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Jin-woo smiled.
“I told you I’d buy you everything you want, didn’t I?”