The Price of Foresight
Kim Tae-jun glanced down at his glass for a moment. The golden liquid inside the transparent crystal shimmered under the lights. 'I shouldn't drink this.' A strange chill traced its way down his spine. He turned his gaze away, careful not to show his unease, and called out to Research Director Yun Jeong-ho, who was standing nearby.
"Director Yun."
Startled by the sudden address, Yun blinked. "Yes?"
Tae-jun smiled faintly, took the glass his older brother had offered, and handed it to Yun instead. "This drink today... it shouldn't be for me, Director Yun. It should be for you."
Yun looked bewildered. "For me?"
"Of course. What have I even done?" Tae-jun continued lightly. "This project only came to fruition because of the hard work of the research team. I’ve just been riding their coattails."
Laughter erupted around them. The atmosphere shifted naturally. A few researchers immediately chimed in.
"Director, you should definitely take it today."
"You’re the one who worked the hardest, Director."
Yun Jeong-ho laughed with an awkward expression, but eventually, he took the glass and drank the champagne. Kim Tae-hun watched Tae-jun, his lips curling into a twisted smile.
"You've become quite the smooth talker," he said. It was meant to sound playful, but his eyes were cold.
Tae-jun met his gaze and replied, "I just think we need to take care of those who worked the hardest first."
Kim Tae-hun stared at him for a moment before smiling again. "I’ll head out first. I’m not the protagonist today, am I? Enjoy the rest of the night and get home safely."
With those words, Kim Tae-hun left the banquet hall. Only after he was gone did Tae-jun slowly exhale. His heart was pounding a little too fast. 'Was I being too sensitive?' Perhaps. But Park Jihun’s warning kept echoing in his mind.
The party continued, and as the night deepened, the atmosphere began to wind down. People started preparing to leave one by one. Tae-jun also stood up, as he had a meeting the next morning.
"I'll be heading out first. See you next time."
"Thank you for your hard work, Executive Director."
After shaking hands with Yun Jeong-ho, Tae-jun stepped out of the banquet hall. He was about to press the elevator button to head down to the underground parking lot when his fingertips stopped. It was only for a split second. There was no particular reason for it, but for some strange reason, he didn't want to go down to the parking garage. Park Jihun’s warning circled in his head again.
Frowning, Tae-jun pressed the button for the upper floor instead of the one below. The hotel’s reception was on the 8th floor.
Ding. The elevator doors closed. Tae-jun stood with his lips pressed tight as it slowly ascended. Once he stepped out, he headed straight to the reception desk. The night staff member stood up.
"Do you have a reservation?"
"No. Do you have any rooms available?"
The employee checked the screen and nodded. "Yes, we do."
"I'll take one."
After checking in, Tae-jun went straight to his room. He closed the door, engaged the lock, and even fastened the security chain, checking it two or three times. Only after entering the solitary room did his tension finally ease. He walked over to the sofa and collapsed onto it. He felt that, at the very least, he shouldn't drive his car today.
"Whew."
Exhaustion washed over him all at once. But he couldn't easily close his eyes. Checking the time, Tae-jun pulled his phone from his pocket and immediately opened the Ocean app.
Park Jihun logged into the Ocean homepage and checked the new notice. An update notification was displayed. Several new features had been added in this patch: a roulette system, donation sorting, a ranking system, enhanced fan clubs, and subscription services.
Jihun slowly scrolled through the screen with his mouse. His eyes stopped at the ranking system. It automatically assigned a queue number upon donation, and once the set number of people was reached, it would no longer accept entries.
"This is pretty good," Jihun nodded. There were quite a few viewers who hadn't been able to get a reading because they missed the first-come-first-served cutoff. It seemed he would finally be spared the hassle of having to cancel them one by one.
Jihun turned on his broadcast immediately.
The broadcast for Perpetual Job Seeker has started.
The chat window surged upward in an instant.
Jihun scanned the chat and spoke up. "From today, I'll be taking requests for readings through the ranking system."
The chat surged again.
About five minutes into the stream, Jihun activated the ranking system. "I'll take the requests now."
The numbers climbed instantly.
[1/5] [2/5] [3/5] [4/5] [5/5]
From 1st to 5th place. The moment the five spots were filled, the ranking system locked. Anyone who tried to apply late was automatically canceled.
Jihun immediately called the first winner. "ControversyHut, come on in."
A moment later, the Discord connection sound rang out. Ding.
"Hello." It was a young man's voice. The edge of his voice was trembling slightly with nervousness.
"Can I ask what I'm curious about right now?"
At that moment, a dreary energy brushed against the back of his neck. Jihun replied shortly.
"What are you curious about?"
"...My love life."
The chat window reacted immediately.
Jihun stared at the monitor. Blurred scenes began to overlap. A man and a woman clashing at every opportunity. A relationship where one side constantly endured and backed down. A daily life that didn't change even after marriage.
"You're seeing someone right now. You're even thinking about marriage."
"Yes, that's right."
"You fight often lately, don't you? You keep clashing over trivial things."
ControversyHut hesitated before speaking. "Yes, since we're preparing for marriage... we are fighting quite a bit."
Jihun continued, his gaze fixed. "This hasn't just built up over a day or two. Even now, you're the one enduring more and backing down."
ControversyHut couldn't speak for a moment. The chat reacted.
ControversyHut asked cautiously. "But wouldn't it get better if we got married?"
Jihun didn't answer immediately. Another vision flashed by. A middle-aged couple waiting in front of a tightly locked door, trying to smile. A container of fresh kimchi they had brought with great difficulty. A daughter-in-law who deliberately wouldn't open the door. The footsteps of the parents turning back without a word, leaving only the kimchi container behind.
Jihun’s eyes turned cold. "Do you think it'll get better just because you get married?"
The line went quiet.
"...Then what?"
"It’s going to fall apart even more than it is now."
ControversyHut’s voice trembled slightly. "Fall apart?"
Jihun frowned as he continued. "It won't end with just you being tired. Eventually, your parents will get dragged into it too."
ControversyHut’s gasp was audible.
"Why my parents?"
Jihun added in a chilling tone. "Because your parents came up from the countryside with kimchi, only to find they couldn't even open the door to your new home, and they're going to end up taking the midnight bus back down that very same day."
The chat exploded.
ControversyHut’s voice shook noticeably. "I-is it really going to go that far?"
"You're still the one who can't let go of your lingering attachment, aren't you?" Jihun added shortly. "It doesn't fit, so why are you trying to drag it out?"
For a while, only breathing could be heard on the other end of the Discord. After suppressing his emotions for a long time, ControversyHut replied in a small voice.
"...I understand."
"Think it over carefully. Next."
As the connection cut, the chat boiled over once more.
Readings continued without a break. Some asked about health, some about family issues, and some about employment. Each time, the chat boiled over. After squeezing in one free reading in the middle, it was finally the last requester's turn.
Park Jihun closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. '...Still holding up okay.' Usually, his temples would have been throbbing by now. But today, his condition wasn't bad yet. Of course, it wasn't that he had no fatigue. His eyes were a bit dry, and the back of his neck was stiff. But it didn't feel like he had reached his limit.
Jihun’s lips curled up slowly. 'I could probably see one or two more soon.'
After finishing the last consultation, he leaned back in his chair. The chat was still flowing rapidly.
Jihun checked the time. 11:00 PM. Three hours had passed since he started the stream. It was time to wrap up. After a moment of thought, he opened his mouth.
"Oh, I have one announcement before I end the stream."
Jihun said it nonchalantly. "I'm looking for an editor."
The chat was instantly covered in question marks.
Jihun scanned the chat and parted his lips. "Please send your applications via email according to the format. The deadline is in 3 days. I'll select a few people and see them on Discord."
He caught his breath for a moment before adding, "Oh, the final interview will be conducted via a shamanic reading."