Learning to Adapt
Kang Ihyun sat in the passenger seat for the fourth time that day, turning the brand-new check card over in his hands once more. Staring at his own English name printed across the sleek black plastic left him with a strangely disorienting feeling.
Han Do-yun glanced over at him and let out a quiet chuckle. "What, you still can't believe it?"
"...A little," Ihyun answered honestly.
Do-yun chuckled again, turning the key in the ignition as he added, "Well, let's grab something to eat before we handle the next thing. You haven't had lunch either."
Now that he mentioned it, that was true. Ihyun had been so busy all morning—activating his phone, opening a bank account, rushing from place to place—that he hadn't noticed how much time had passed. He gave a small nod.
"...Sounds good."
The place Do-yun took him to was an old Korean beef soup restaurant tucked away in an alley in Euljiro. Even though the lunch rush had mostly passed, the dining room was still packed with customers. The moment they opened the door, the noisy, bustling atmosphere hit them like a wave.
The elderly owner spotted Do-yun immediately and greeted him with a loud, cheerful scolding. "Hey, you rascal! You kept saying you'd come often, but how many years has it been this time?"
"Haha, have you been well, ma'am?"
"My back's been killing me, so no, I haven't!"
Do-yun laughed heartily, ordered two bowls of soup, and led the way to a familiar table deeper inside the restaurant. Ihyun glanced around and murmured, "There are a lot of customers."
"This is one of the best spots in Euljiro for the older crowd."
A short while later, the owner brought over two large earthenware pots along with side dishes. Steam rose in lazy curls from the rich, dark broth.
"Who's this young man? Your son?"
"Not my son, no... He's my nephew. My nephew."
"Is that so? Young man, you come here more often then. This one always says he'll visit but it's all just empty talk."
Do-yun watched the grumbling old woman with a wry smile, then picked up his spoon and spoke to Ihyun. "She talks like that, but her cooking is incredible. Let's eat."
Ihyun lifted a spoonful of broth to his lips. For a brief moment, his eyes widened.
"...Wow. This is really good."
Do-yun chuckled. "I knew you'd say that."
Ihyun took another sip. It was true. The food from the other world had been decent enough, but as someone born and raised in Korea, nothing quite hit the spot like a spicy, hearty beef soup filled with bean sprouts and greens.
Partway through the meal, Do-yun suddenly spoke up. "...You don't need to be too nervous when we get to the gold exchange later."
Ihyun's gaze lifted. Do-yun set down his water cup and continued. "The transaction itself is completely legal. The gold bar has official refinery certification."
"Yes."
"That said, we're not selling everything today. Just one bar for now."
"...Only one?" Ihyun thought for a moment before asking, "Why not sell them all?"
Do-yun gave a small smile. "You just opened that account, remember? Imagine what happens when someone who just created their first bank account suddenly gets hundreds of millions deposited into it."
"...Ah."
"Plus, you have no financial transaction history at all."
He tapped the side of the earthenware pot with his spoon. "If a huge sum suddenly appears in an account like that..." Do-yun pointed upward with his finger. "It might make the important people who handle the country's money a little too curious for comfort."
Ihyun nodded slowly. He understood where Do-yun was coming from.
Do-yun continued in a calm tone. "Right now, don't think of this as becoming rich. Think of it as building the foundation for your daily life."
"A foundation..."
"The director might not mind, but you can't keep living at the orphanage forever, can you? You'll need your own place to stay. And you'll need to get a driver's license too." He folded down his fingers one by one. "There will be mountains of other expenses."
Ihyun quietly stared down at the remaining soup in his bowl. Modern life here really did feel far more complicated than life on the other side.
After finishing their meal, the two men got back in the car and headed toward the jewelry district in Jongno. Their destination was the main branch of the Korea Gold Exchange. Gold and silver shop signs lined both sides of the street in dense rows.
Ihyun looked out the window and murmured, "...There really are a lot."
"This is one of the main hubs for gold trading in Korea."
A short while later, they stepped into the exchange. Unlike regular gold shops, the atmosphere here was much calmer and more professional. Reinforced glass display cases. Electronic price boards. And on the wall, today's gold prices. Ihyun's eyes naturally drifted upward.
The employee guided them into a private consultation room. At a look from Do-yun, Ihyun reached into his pocket, took out a small case, and placed it on the table. With a soft click, the lid opened to reveal the gold bar inside. Two hundred grams, perfectly stamped with refinery certification markings.
The employee, wearing gloves, carefully lifted the bar and immediately began verifying the certification number and condition.
"It's fully certified from refining as well."
"Yes," Do-yun replied evenly. "This was processed a few days ago."
The employee nodded and stood up. "Could you wait just a moment? I'll double-check the weight and certification number for you."
A brief silence settled over the consultation room. Ihyun quietly watched through the glass wall as the staff moved about. The gold bar had been taken to an inspection station, where two employees alternated between checking the computer screen and the certification number.
Ihyun murmured softly, "...This is pretty complicated too."
Do-yun chuckled. "It's not exactly pocket change we're dealing with. If it weren't complicated, that would be stranger."
A few minutes later, the employee returned to the consultation room and placed several documents on the table.
"We can proceed with the purchase."
The employee continued with a natural explanation. "We'll need to verify the owner's ID again for the transaction registration. We'll also need to confirm the account where you'd like the funds deposited."
Next came signing the transaction agreement, account verification, and finally, an electronic signature. Do-yun laughed quietly from the side.
"Good thing we went to the bank first, right?"
"...What would have happened if I didn't have an account? Would the deal have fallen through...?"
"It wouldn't have fallen through, but it would have taken more time. We'd have to count out cash and deal with additional paperwork."
"..."
Ihyun closed his mouth, looking slightly overwhelmed. About ten minutes later, after the employee finished the final checks, they said, "We'll proceed with the deposit now."
At that exact moment, Ihyun's phone vibrated briefly.
-Vrrrr.
Still not entirely used to the motions, Ihyun opened the internet banking app with slightly clumsy fingers. His eyes stopped when he saw the notification. Of course, he'd seen the per-gram price on the exchange's display board and figured it would be expensive. But there was a world of difference between vaguely thinking it would be a lot and actually seeing the concrete number right in front of him.
Ihyun remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, very slowly. "...Is this amount correct?"
Do-yun glanced at the screen and smiled. "It is."
"...Two hundred grams is this expensive?"
Ihyun looked back at the screen. The balance showed eight digits, including the five and eight. 'Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million... ten million...?' The monthly allowance the director had given him as a high schooler had been about fifty thousand won. This was roughly a thousand times that amount, maybe more.
Beside the stunned Ihyun, Do-yun laughed softly. "Exactly."
He added with a completely serious expression, "So manage your money carefully. Especially for someone like you who lacks financial sense—losing it all can happen in the blink of an eye."
Late that night, the orphanage hallways had already fallen quiet. The sounds of children running around energetically during the day had vanished. Only the occasional sound of a bathroom door closing or faint snoring drifting from far away occasionally broke the silence.
Ihyun sat half-reclined on the bed that Jeong Seok-woo had recently brought in. The ceiling light was off. Only the stand lamp on the bedside table cast a soft glow across the room. Beneath that light, he held the smartphone he'd bought that day.
-Swipe.
With movements that were growing more familiar, he unlocked the screen and opened the internet banking app. At first it had felt like some kind of magical tool, but after fiddling with it all day, he had adapted to it surprisingly quickly.
Ihyun had never been a stupid person. As the hero who had survived by reading the movements of hundreds of enemies on the battlefield, analyzing magic formations, and understanding monster behavior, his ability to learn new tools had always been sharp.
"..."
Ihyun stared silently at the number on the screen.
Honestly, it still didn't feel real. He was used to gold coins and jewels. He had seen treasures piled like mountains in a dragon's lair and had carried magic stones worth more than an average kingdom's annual budget. But the concept of money in modern society felt completely different. Especially this number displayed on the smartphone app.
It had no weight. No texture. Just digits floating on a screen, representing his money.
Ihyun stared blankly at the screen for a while before thinking slowly. 'First... I should get a driver's license.'
Once he had his license, he'd need to buy a car. A car was practically essential for living in the modern world. Public transportation was certainly a decent option, but dealing with other people all the time made having his own car the better choice, all things considered.
And a house. That was necessary too. No matter how much Jeong Seok-woo said it was fine, Ihyun's personality wouldn't let him feel comfortable continuing to live at the orphanage indefinitely. Of course, he wasn't planning to move out immediately. He had only just returned, and there was still so much to adjust to. It might be more realistic to contribute something like monthly living expenses for now.
Ihyun unconsciously tapped his fingers against the bedsheet. Then a thought suddenly came to him.
An old yellow van. Rust spots everywhere, the metal panels rattling loudly every time the doors closed. The air conditioner was basically just for decoration, and the engine would shake violently before finally catching. The sticker with the orphanage's name had faded from years of sunlight until it was barely visible.
It had already been that van when Ihyun was in middle school. It was the one they used to pick up the kids from school on rainy days, to go grocery shopping, and to take anyone who got sick to the hospital. Always that van.
And probably, for the twelve years after Ihyun had disappeared, it had continued to be that van.
"..."
Ihyun's gaze returned to the smartphone screen. Nearly sixty million won. After thinking for a long time about where to use it, the first thing that had come to mind was that van belonging to Jeong Seok-woo.
Ihyun let out a small sigh. "...It doesn't have to be a new car."
A used one would be fine. Something a little safer than that old van, a little less shaky, with working air conditioning and more space for the kids. That would be enough.
But a realistic problem immediately occurred to him.
"...He probably won't accept it."
Ihyun smiled wryly. Knowing Jeong Seok-woo's personality, if Ihyun suddenly showed up with a car, he'd more likely get a smack on the back first. The reaction would probably be something like, "You get a little money and suddenly think you can spend it however you want?"
After thinking for a moment, Ihyun eventually turned off the smartphone screen.
-Click.
His own face reflected faintly on the darkened display. He slowly lay down on the bed. After staring at the ceiling and thinking for a long time, he reached one conclusion.
'...I'll talk to him about it tomorrow.'
It wasn't about asking for permission. He simply wanted to explain why he wanted to do it. That much... should be okay, right?