Buying My Alma Mater
"Case No. 2018-Ta-Gyeong 914 has been successfully bid."
Clap, clap, clap.
Hearing the scattered applause echoing through the auction room, Dojin clenched his fists.
I did it!
Although he had been confident he could pull it off, he couldn't help the nervous flutter in his chest once the bidding actually started.
It was his first time ever attending a court auction, and he had worried that the price might climb too high, causing him to lose the bid.
But when the envelopes were finally opened, it turned out Dojin was the sole bidder. The win was almost anticlimactically easy.
"Will the winning bidder please step forward?"
At the court official's call, Dojin quickly made his way to the front.
After receiving instructions, the deadline for the remaining balance, and his official bid acceptance certificate, he walked out of the courthouse.
"Whew. So this scrap of paper is worth seventy-nine million won."
Though the building was run-down and had been abandoned for five years, the sheer size of the school grounds meant the price tag was bound to be somewhat substantial.
Still, acquiring a total of 8,500 pyeong for that amount was an absolute steal.
Even considering the school's remote location on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, buying it at this price would normally have been utterly impossible.
"The timing is a bit awkward. What should I do now?"
Since court auctions usually took place on weekday mornings, Dojin had taken a day off from work.
But because the process had wrapped up much faster than expected, he now had a large block of free time.
For Dojin, whose free time outside of filming YouTube videos was usually spent sleeping in his dormitory, this sudden free time was rather perplexing.
"Hmm... Since I won the bid, maybe I should pay a visit to my alma mater?"
It seemed like a solid plan.
He hadn't been back to the school since his middle and high school days.
Even if it looked different from his memories, it wasn't a bad excuse to go see it.
Fortunately, the school's main gate wasn't locked.
A latch was holding it shut, but it was easy enough to reach through and slide it open. Dojin slipped inside without any trouble.
Creeeak.
Pushing open the stiff gate, which clearly hadn't been moved in years, Dojin stepped onto the school grounds and let out an involuntary sigh.
He had expected some decay since it was a closed school, but the state of the place was worse than he had imagined.
"Anyone looking at this would think it's a turf field."
The playground where children once ran and played was now completely overrun by weeds instead of footsteps.
They grew so thick and lush that, at a glance, one might mistake it for natural grass.
Avoiding the weeds, Dojin walked along the paved border stones, circling the playground.
That was when he spotted a small playground tucked away in a corner.
It was the area where the younger elementary students used to play.
"Ah, was the jungle gym always this small? The swings... one side is missing. And the slide... yeah, that's unusable."
As he looked at each piece of equipment, a wave of nostalgia washed over his face.
Compared to modern playgrounds, it was incredibly crude, but back then, it had a charm of its own.
Dojin's gaze drifted to the piece of equipment sitting right in the center of the playground.
It looked like the hollow skeleton of a giant metal sphere—the legendary, soul-shredding playground spinner, commonly known as the "spinning globe."
The defining feature of this ride was that its intensity depended entirely on who was spinning it. Back then, the kids who could spin it with the most destructive force were the most popular.
"Thinking about it now, it's terrifying. Why was everyone so obsessed with spinning it as fast as possible back then?"
The kids trapped inside must have felt like their souls were literally being ripped from their bodies.
It truly was a wild era where only the strong survived.
Squeak! Screeech!
Dojin gave the spinner a light push, but the metal sphere didn't budge, completely seized by thick rust.
"Well, this has reached the end of its life. I'll have to get rid of it."
Dusting off his hands, Dojin resumed his slow stroll around the grounds.
The pull-up bars connected to the Swedish ladder.
The monkey bars connected to the climbing wall.
And the poorly defined ssireum pit marked the end of the playground area.
Before he knew it, he had crossed half the field and was heading toward the school building.
"Was this... the parking lot?"
Unlike the dirt field, this area was paved with a fairly wide road, so it likely was.
Having completed his loop around the grounds, Dojin approached the front of the main building.
However, unlike the main gate, this entrance was firmly locked, preventing him from going inside.
Left with no choice, he peered through the window. The state of the interior was quite different from what he had expected.
"Hmm... The inside is actually pretty clean."
Though there were some cracked paint and chipped floorboards typical of old buildings, it was in remarkably good condition overall.
If someone just swept away the dust visible from the window, it looked ready for kids to attend classes tomorrow.
"It feels strange. Why close the school down when it was kept in such good shape?"
Dojin sighed quietly.
While the student population had dwindled, that wasn't the sole reason his alma mater had shut down.
It was all due to the corruption and mismanagement of the school board's chairman at the time.
"Well, what's the point of dwelling on it now?"
The school was already closed, and he was now its new owner.
Rather than lamenting the past, it was far more constructive to think about how he would run the place.
"I wonder how the other buildings look."
Jeong-a Elementary School wasn't just the main building.
There was an annex, a warehouse, a cafeteria, a small gymnasium, an auditorium, and an audiovisual room.
Dojin was walking around the side of the main building to inspect the other facilities when—
"Meow!"
"Huh?"
The sudden sound of a cat stopped Dojin in his tracks.
Cats were very familiar animals to Dojin.
Since the school property included the mountain behind it, he had grown up seeing plenty of mountain cats.
But this particular meow had come from somewhere very close by.
"Where are you?"
Aside from the paved path, everything was covered in thick weeds, making it impossible to see.
Just then, the weeds ahead began to rustle and part.
Looking at the location, Dojin realized it was the vegetable garden in front of the old faculty residence.
It had once been a plot for lettuce, green onions, and chili peppers, but now it was just another patch of overgrown weeds.
In fact, because the soil had been well-tended in the past, the weeds here grew even thicker.
The path of the parting weeds was gradually drawing closer to him.
"Meeow!"
"Oh, there you are."
The weeds right in front of him parted, and a tiny, adorable kitten popped out.
It waddled slightly as it walked, its fur still looking like a fluffy cotton ball. It was clearly a newborn.
But that wasn't the only kitten emerging from the weeds.
"Meow!"
"Mew~"
"Uh, wait..."
Two, three, four, five.
A total of five kittens tumbled out of the weeds, starting to play right in front of Dojin.
Dojin, who had expected one cat at most, was utterly bewildered.
Then, the kitten that had emerged first took a step toward Dojin.
"Meow~"
"Uh, wait! Hold on. Don't come over here."
"Meow?"
The kitten tilted its head in confusion as Dojin took a step back.
But Dojin had no choice.
There were five tiny kittens here.
Their mother had to be nearby. If he touched them and left his scent on them, the mother might abandon them.
However, the kitten didn't understand Dojin's concern.
"Meeow~"
"Hey, I told you not to come closer. You're going to get in trouble with your mom. Do you want to get cat-slapped by her?"
Perhaps understanding Dojin's repeated warnings, the kitten sat down on the spot.
However, it kept tilting its head, as if unsatisfied with the situation.
Watching this, a warm, fatherly smile spread across Dojin's face.
"So... so cute."
The calico kitten, with its mix of gray, white, and black, was so adorable that just looking at it made him smile.
In particular, the white fur around its nose and mouth contrasted beautifully with its pink nose and lips, making it look even more charming.
Dojin nodded to himself as he looked at the kitten trying to approach him and then at the others.
"You're a handsome little fellow. One of your parents must be incredibly good-looking."
The other kittens were just as cute.
Though their patterns and colors differed, their appearance and behavior were incredibly captivating.
"Meow~"
"Mew!"
"Mew-mew-mew~"
Whether they were playing together, dozing off in the warm sunlight, or grooming themselves, watching them was pure joy.
"Ah, is this recording properly?"
Dojin checked the GoPro strapped to his chest.
Fortunately, it was recording fine.
He had started filming the moment he arrived at the school to upload it to YouTube later, and it seemed he had captured some great footage.
"Mew?"
"Huh? When did you get so close?"
Dojin, who had been checking the camera, turned his head at a sensation against his leg and gasped.
Without him noticing, the first kitten had crept up and was tapping his leg with its tiny front paw.
Though startled, Dojin backed away as calmly as possible.
Moving too suddenly at such close range might scare the kitten.
Since it was still so young, a bad experience could make it overly wary of humans in the future.
"Hmm, let's see. Do I have anything to give you?"
Stepping back a few paces, Dojin rummaged through his bag.
Since they had given him such great footage, he wanted to give them a little treat in return.
Fortunately, he had a few Churu cat treats in his bag.
He had packed them beforehand to feed the stray cats that lived around his factory yard.
"Since you guys are still babies, let's share this one tube among the five of you."
Dojin tore open a tube of Churu.
A whole tube was fine for an adult cat, but it was too much for kittens.
Especially for ones as young as these.
"Mew?"
"Meow-meow."
"Mew-mew-mew."
Perhaps catching the scent of the treat, the kittens, who had been busy with their own things, scurried over to Dojin.
They lined up right in front of him.
Careful not to touch them, Dojin gently squeezed the treat onto the ground in separate spots.
He wanted to make sure they wouldn't fight over it.
While the kittens were distracted eating the treat, he quickly slipped away.
He had a feeling that at least one of them would try to follow him once it finished eating.
"Whew, this should be far enough."
Having moved completely out of sight, Dojin decided to just check the annex and the gym before heading back, cutting his original plan short.
He had spent too much time with the kittens, and if he kept wandering around and ran into them again, the mother cat might truly abandon them.
"I can check the rest after I pay the balance."
Besides, the sun was starting to set.
Although the days were getting longer in April compared to winter, the nights were still longer than the days.
Since Dojin didn't have a car, he needed to hurry.
Even he would find it creepy if darkness fell in such a deserted place.
After paying the remaining balance,
Dojin returned to the closed school, which was now officially his property.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
"Is this really the school you bought, Oppa?"
Peering past the gate next to Dojin, Dohee squealed with excitement.
Her eyes sparkling, she looked all around the school grounds.
"Yeah. A good property came up, so I bought it at an auction."
"Wow! Amazing! You're incredible, Oppa!"
"Haha, it's nothing. I just got lucky."
"So you're going to film your YouTube videos here from now on?"
"Yeah, that's the plan."
"My boyfriend is so cool! Right, Seungwan?"
Dohee said, clinging to Dojin's arm as she looked back.
Behind them stood Seungwan, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"...I don't know. Why did you even invite me if you two were just going to be all lovey-dovey?"
"Hehe!"
Despite Seungwan's grumpy tone, Dohee just smiled brightly, clearly in high spirits.
Sighing at her friend's reaction, Seungwan walked up to Dohee's side.
"I mean, don't people usually put some effort into their first date? This is... a bit too unusual, don't you think?"
Looking around the school grounds, she stared at her friend and Dojin—who was now her friend's boyfriend—as if they were complete oddballs.
But the couple only shrugged in response to her gaze.
How unusual. For Dohee to start dating a guy so quickly.
This was the result of Dojin pouring his heart and soul into winning her over.
While it was true that Dojin was close to Dohee's ideal type,
Dojin, who remembered all of Dohee's interests from their dating days to their marriage, had closed the distance between them in no time.
Thanks to that, they had officially started dating less than a month after their first meeting.
Though they were still a bit awkward at times, Dohee was growing more comfortable around Dojin by the day.
"Sigh... You guys aren't normal. Or maybe you're just a match made in heaven? Just get married and live happily ever after."
"Hey! What are you talking about already? Today is our very first date. That's way too fast."
"Oh? You don't want to marry me? I'm planning to marry you, Dohee. That's why I brought you here for our first date. Consider this me showing off my assets."
"Pfft! What are you saying! Well... it's not like I haven't thought about marriage, but..."
"Ugh! Then why did you bring me along? Be honest. You just needed a driver, didn't you?"
After that, Dojin and Dohee had to spend some time soothing Seungwan's ruffled feathers.
Sick of the couple's sweet-talking, she had threatened to drive back home.
"Alright, the closed school tour begins now!"
Arriving in front of the main building, Dojin confidently led the way.
Unlike before, he now held the key to the main building's lock.
He had received all the security keys and physical keys after paying the balance.
Click, creeeak.
While the lock was relatively new, the door of the main building let out a grating screech, likely due to rust.
As the door finally swung open, Dohee, who had been watching from behind, turned to Seungwan.
"Wow, this is my first time doing something like this. My heart is pounding."
"...You don't think ghosts are going to pop out, do you?"
"Oh, come on. Why would there be ghosts here? Don't worry, if one shows up, I'll handle it! Humans are way scarier than ghosts anyway."
Dohee confidently stepped into the main building, looking as though she truly meant every word.
Knowing exactly who the "scary human" she was referring to might be, Dojin could only offer a bitter smile.
"Alright, let's start from the end of the hallway. First up is the first-grade classroom."
The tour proceeded from the first-grade classroom to the administrative office, the staff room, the principal's office, and the nurse's office.
Perhaps because the area used to have many children, the main building was larger than expected.
It was a full three stories high.
In the end, after looking around just the first floor, the group had to head outside to grab some lunch.
"Oh? I left my phone inside. Sorry, but could you guys wait outside for a second?"
"Huh? Where did you leave it?"
"I'm not sure. Probably either the staff room or the principal's office. I remember checking a text message there."
"Should we go with you? It's so big, it might take a while to find it alone, and it's kind of creepy."
Touched by Dohee's genuine concern, Dojin chuckled and patted her head.
"I'm fine. Take care of Seungwan first. She's looked pale for a while now."
"Oh? You're right. Seungwan, are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine. It just feels a bit chilly and spooky in here."
"Geez, what a scaredy-cat! You should've said something if you were scared. Let's go outside. You'll feel better once we're out. Oppa, find it quickly and come out."
"Okay."
Watching Dohee lead Seungwan outside, Dojin turned and headed straight back to the principal's office.
His expression had grown serious.
In truth, he hadn't lost his phone.
He had only lied to create an excuse to enter the principal's office alone.
Rattle.
Quickly entering the office, Dojin moved the only desk remaining in the room.
According to the news reports he had seen in the future, the item he was looking for was hidden right beneath it.
Screeech.
It was a heavy solid wood desk, so moving it was no easy task.
Fortunately, Dojin was in great physical shape, so he managed to slide the desk aside with a bit of effort.
In the space where the desk had stood, there was a small hatch door.
Without hesitation, Dojin grabbed the handle and pulled it open.
Creak, rattle.
Having remained closed for a very long time, the hatch opened with an ominous, groaning sound.
Inside, stacks of items wrapped in plastic were piled high.
Click.
Dojin switched on his phone's flashlight, a satisfied smile spreading across his lips.
The items wrapped in plastic were all ten-thousand-won bills.
Eight billion won.
The news before his regression had reported that the cash buried here amounted to a staggering eight billion won.
The person who originally discovered this cash was someone who had bought the school to remodel it into a pension.
Having come to inspect the site before construction, he wrestled with his conscience before finally reporting it to the police, winning the equivalent of a lottery ticket in return.
Twenty percent of eight billion won.
By simply reporting it, he had instantly pocketed a massive sum of 1.6 billion won, making him a lucky man who earned back the purchase price of the school and the remodeling costs all at once.
And in this life, Dojin intended to claim that stroke of luck for himself.
And he would make it an even bigger fortune than the pension owner ever did.
"Is it time to call the Great Grandmother now?"
The original owner of this closed school, and the owner of this money.
Dojin hesitated no longer and dialed the number of that very person.