The Weight of Foresight
It was the morning after. The moment Park Jihun opened his eyes, he checked his phone. His inbox was overflowing with dozens of unread emails. It was the aftermath of the massive success of Levinael’s comeback track. Even though he had clearly told everyone on his broadcast to get in line, requests were pouring in overnight—people asking if he could look at their singers, screen their trainees, or pick their title tracks. But he didn't have the time to read through them one by one. Today was his father’s memorial day. His mother was coming over soon, and he had to at least tidy up the place before she arrived. Jihun flipped his phone over and headed straight for the sink. He washed the cup he’d used the night before, left it to dry, and pushed the stack of delivery boxes on the table to one side. He even ran the vacuum over the floor once. A moment later, the doorbell rang. When he opened the front door, his mother was standing there, holding a bag filled with fruit.
“You’re here early.”
“So this is the new place you moved into?”
“That’s right.”
His mother took a quick look around and said, “You found a good spot.”
“Come on in.”
Jihun took the bag from her hands first. “Rest for a bit before we go.”
“No, that’s alright. If we’re late, it’ll just get crowded.”
“Then should we head out now?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
The two of them headed toward the subway station together. Even though the morning rush hour had passed, the train car was still quite crowded. Jihun seated his mother in an inner seat and stood in front of her. How much time had passed? He was fiddling with his phone while holding onto the handrail when he felt gazes glancing at him from the surroundings. At first, it was two young women who had just sat down next to his mother. One of them, who had been looking at her phone, tilted her head and scanned Jihun’s face. She looked back and forth between her phone screen and Jihun’s face, then whispered to her friend sitting next to her.
“Doesn’t that guy look like the Perpetual Job Seeker?”
“Huh?”
“I think that’s him.”
Jihun pretended not to hear and turned his gaze away. But this time, a man standing and holding the handrail started glancing over as well.
“Is it really him?”
“Should I ask?”
“If not, oh well.”
It was starting to get annoying. Jihun swallowed a sigh. Just then, the announcement played. “The next station is Dongjak Station. Those heading to the Seoul National Cemetery, please disembark at this station.”
Jihun said quietly, “Mom, this is our stop.”
“We’re here already?”
“Yes.”
Jihun helped his mother up and slipped out the moment the doors opened. Regretful voices followed him from behind.
“Ah, I think that was him.”
“If it was really him, I should’ve asked for a Shamanic Reading.”
The doors closed and the train pulled away. Jihun looked down at the station floor and thought briefly, ‘I should start wearing a mask from now on.’ Once they got off at Dongjak Station and stepped outside, the air was quite chilly. The two walked side by side toward the Seoul National Cemetery. The place they visited was the charnel house. It was quiet inside. Under the soft lighting, the urns were neatly arranged in rows. In the photo, his father was wearing his firefighter uniform. His hair was neatly combed back, and his lips were firmly pressed together. It was a face that looked like he might turn around and run off somewhere at any moment.
His mother carefully placed the flowers down. The two bowed their heads in unison. A moment of silent prayer passed. His mother spoke first.
“Honey, we’re doing well. You don’t have to worry about Jihun anymore.”
Park Jihun listened to her words in silence. His mother straightened the flower petals once more and said, “I’ll come again next time.”
Only then did Jihun open his mouth. “I might not be able to live like you, Father, but I’ll protect what I can.”
A brief silence flowed. Jihun slowly bowed his head. “Rest in peace, Father.”
The two quietly left the charnel house. Jihun walked forward without a word. The face of his father he had seen just moments ago kept lingering in his mind.
When they returned home after dinner, the sky had already turned dark. There was about an hour left until the broadcast started. As soon as Jihun closed the front door, he tossed his padded jacket aside and went straight to the bathroom. After visiting the cemetery and having dinner with his mother, his body felt heavy as lead. Still, after finishing his shower, his energy returned a little. He turned on his computer while drying his hair. An internet streamer—a job that had become his profession before he knew it. He started the broadcast right on time.
The broadcast of Perpetual Job Seeker has begun.
As soon as the broadcast started, the chat window began to scroll rapidly.
Jihun scanned the chat and opened his mouth. “There’s a lot of talk about Levinael.” He pulled up an article.
The chat reacted immediately.
Jihun glanced at the article for a moment and nodded. “It’s truly amazing.” He closed the window immediately. “Enough with the small talk, I’m spinning the roulette. Apply now.” With those words, the word [Apply] flooded the chat window. A moment later, Jihun spun the roulette. Various nicknames flashed by quickly until the arrow finally stopped.
Jihun said, “Join the Discord. I’ll send the password.” A moment later, a man’s voice came through with a connection sound. “Hello. I’m PotatoTofu.” As soon as that voice was heard, a chilling sensation brushed against the back of his neck. Jihun asked immediately, “Buying a car?” PotatoTofu was startled and replied, “Ah, yes. That’s right. An older brother I know said he’d sell me the car he was driving for cheap.” Jihun didn’t hesitate. “Don’t buy it.”
“...Is it a problematic car?”
For a brief moment, a scene floated above his vision. A black stain spreading on the parking lot floor. Warning lights flashing in succession on the dashboard. A repair estimate handed over silently at the shop. And a long, drawn-out sigh. “That thing is a total piece of junk.”
Jihun added, “If you buy it for no reason, the repair costs will end up being more than the price of the car.” PotatoTofu gasped. “Actually, I was a bit uneasy about it too. He did say to overlook the minor things since he was giving it to me cheap.”
“Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Jihun cut him off right there. “Next.” The Discord connection was cut. Jihun picked up his tumbler and drank some water. Then he looked at the chat window.
Jihun put down his tumbler and said, “I’m doing a free Shamanic Reading first.” The atmosphere in the chat window settled strangely.
“Shuyuni, come in.”
Kim Jihye held onto her laptop screen and held her breath. From the moment she was chosen for the free Shamanic Reading, her heart had been pounding. Her fingertips were tingling. She hurriedly shouted toward her father, who was watching television in the living room. “Dad, come here quickly!”
“Why again.” With a relaxed voice, her father stood up from the sofa. The face that approached, holding the remote control and pretending he couldn't win, was tinged with a half-annoyed expression.
“I won a free Shamanic Reading!”
“What’s that to make such a fuss about?”
“I showed you earlier today. That broadcast.”
“Ah, that Baksu shaman?”
Kim Jihye nodded and quickly joined the Discord. “Ah, hello. I’m Shuyuni.”
Park Jihun said immediately, “You’re fine.”
“Pardon?”
“For starters, you don’t have any lingering illnesses. You’re diligent and meticulous, so there’s nothing to worry about much. Your path ahead is smooth.”
Kim Jihye’s eyes widened.
“Your parents are also safe and sound. There’s nothing particularly concerning about you.”
Since it was a free reading, she had expected to hear bad things first, but unexpectedly, it was all good news. It was just when Kim Jihye was nodding with a dazed face.
“But your brother, if you don’t stop him now, he’s going to squander even the family’s money.”
Her expression stiffened. “...Pardon? My brother? Why?”
Kim Jihye blinked. They weren't close, but she thought her brother had found a job in the second half of the year and was working diligently at a company. But he was going to squander the family’s money? She couldn't comprehend it at all. Her father, who had been listening from the side, was also gesturing with an angry face as if to tell her to hang up.
“Your father is next to you, right? He just gestured for you to hang up.”
“...H-how did you know?”
“That’s enough, listen carefully. Your brother, he didn’t get a job.”
Kim Jihye, as well as her father, stiffened their expressions at the same time.
“...What did you say?”
“Lately, when he comes home, he must have talked about money. Saying an urgent matter came up. Saying he’d pay it back once he got his paycheck.”
Her father’s face froze completely. Kim Jihye asked in a trembling voice, “Dad... did brother really do that?”
“T-that’s true, but...”
Park Jihun continued, “That money isn't going to be used for anything urgent.”
“Then what is it for?”
“Illegal sports gambling.”
The other side of the Discord froze completely.
“Your brother, during the day he goes to an internet cafe to kill time, and when he comes home, he gambles on sports all night.”
“R-really? There’s no way my brother would do that.”
“Check it with your own eyes.” Park Jihun cut him off. “Turn on your brother’s computer.”
Kim Jihye looked at her father with a frozen face. Her father hesitated for a moment before finally standing up. Kim Jihye followed him into her brother’s room, holding the laptop. Her father pressed the power button on the computer. The desktop screen appeared immediately.
“It’s on.”
“Check the tabs he opened recently first.”
Unfamiliar sites appeared one after another. Soccer betting tables. Overseas match results. Unknown numbers. And the last site opened. It was an illegal sports gambling site. Kim Jihye’s breath caught in her throat. Her father also froze, still holding the mouse.
“...What is this.”
It was when Kim Jihye was biting her lip, bewildered. Her father, who was checking the website, muttered in a cracked voice, “Withdrawal request amount... checking...” He scrolled the mouse further down. “Additional deposit required to enable withdrawal?”
The chat window exploded instantly.
Kim Jihye asked, “What does that mean?”
“You can’t withdraw that money.” Park Jihun’s voice was cold. “The moment you put in the deposit, your father’s money will fly away with it too.”
“...”
“And your brother reached out for money to provide that deposit.”
Just then, Kim Jihye’s father caught his breath and opened his mouth. “Still... just because he did this, it doesn’t mean his employment is a lie too, right?”
“...”
When Park Jihun didn’t answer, Kim Jihye asked again, “You’re saying it’s a lie that my brother got a job?”
Park Jihun cut her off sharply. “Your brother didn’t get a job.”
It was then. *Click.* The sound of the front door opening was heard.
“I’m home.”
At that moment, the eyes of her father and Kim Jihye turned toward the front door simultaneously.