Building Capital
I rushed breathlessly to our meeting spot. Kim Ye-rin was waiting there. Glancing at the time, I was relieved—I hadn't kept her waiting.
"Ye-rin, have you been waiting long?"
"Nah, I got here right on time."
"Uh... yeah, let's head in."
Ye-rin didn't show it, but she must have guessed something from the fact that I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. She acted totally casual about it.
As we entered the PC bang, I fired off a text to Lee Soo-min.
"Ye-rin, wanna play some games?" I blurted out of nowhere.
"Huh? What about stocks?"
"Nothing to do till 11. LK Chemicals will keep rising until then, and Saehan Bank will drop till 11."
"Saehan Bank's the play today?"
"Yeah. They've got some good news coming. Heh."
"Got it. But I suck at games."
"Hmm... so what should we do to kill time with you?"
"Ever tried KartRider X?"
"You know how to play KartRider X?"
"Not great, but... decent enough."
"Perfect. Let's do it~"
We spent a blast playing together—giggling like idiots, screaming at the screen, just having fun.
"This is so much fun, Hyun-su. Hehe."
"Yeah, I loved hanging with you. We'll hit the PC bang a lot, so we can pick up more games bit by bit. It'll be awesome."
"Sure. I'll practice some too."
Before we knew it, 11 o'clock rolled around, and we switched to the stock site. LK Chemicals had climbed to +17%. Current price: 146,000 won. The shares we'd bought at 76,800 were nearly double now.
We cashed out—Ye-rin netting 21,024,000 won, me 5,986,000. In just three days, my capital had ballooned over sixfold.
"Hyun-su... this feels like a dream."
"It's only going higher. Heh heh."
Then we snapped up Saehan Bank shares.
Saehan Bank 9,900 won, 600 shares bought.
Saehan Bank 9,900 won, 2,100 shares bought.
Saehan Bank had bottomed out at -10% by then.
"Ye-rin, let's grab food and head to class."
"Okay. You got lectures today, Hyun-su?"
"Yeah, two gen-eds."
"Whoa, same as me."
"Oh? We signed up for similar stuff? No Friday classes then?"
"Yeah... I wanted Fridays off too. Hehe."
"Cool. Hit that afternoon gen-ed, then sell Saehan at 3."
"Got it. What do you wanna eat today, Hyun-su?"
I almost slipped and said you. She probably would've said yes anyway.
"N-not you, right?"
"Me?"
"Uh... something Korean, like tteokgalbi? Haha..."
I laughed it off awkwardly after my near-miss. Still, Ye-rin pondered seriously, like she was hunting for the perfect Korean spot I might crave. Then it hit her—she grabbed my hand and led the way.
Lunch with Ye-rin was always a joy. Walking with her, every guy around stole glances. She was stunning, sure, but her aura was next-level.
"Have a good class, Hyun-su~"
"You too. I'll hit you up later, Ye-rin~"
"Uh... Hyun-su~"
As I turned to head to my building, Ye-rin called me back. Our classes were in different spots.
"Got plans tonight...?"
"Nah. What's up?"
"Dinner with me?"
"Dinner? Sure, sounds good."
"Great. Meet at the school gate at 5 when classes end~"
"Cool. See you soon~"
Ye-rin seemed curious why I was in yesterday's clothes and what went down with Soo-min, but she didn't pry. Woman's intuition probably told her we'd spent time together. For some reason, it sparked a sense of urgency in her.
I want to spend more time with him...
Ye-rin watched me go, that thought lingering. She wanted to sync schedules next semester—oblivious to the chaos ahead.
After parting with Ye-rin, I headed to the annex for my gen-ed. She was in the main building. Today's class: Understanding the Korean Wave. The young, handsome prof made it a hit with the girls.
The room was packed with them, as rumored—guy-to-girl ratio about 2:8.
Spotting a familiar face while hunting for a seat:
Right, Heerin signed up for this.
We'd bonded in major classes, but sharing this lecture sealed our friendship. I slid up to her.
"Hey. Mind if I sit?"
Heerin turned at my voice, her eyes flickering briefly before steadying.
"Hmph. Solo today? You took this too?"
"Yeah. Big into Hallyu."
"Suure."
She played it cool, but I could tell she was still salty about me ditching her lunch invite last time.
"This class any good? Pretty popular."
"Eh... prof's hot, content's decent."
"Nice. Good to have a familiar face." Or you, specifically.
Heerin stared right at me.
"Familiar face, or me?"
Her bold straight shot caught me off guard.
"Wh-what?"
"Heh. Kidding. You and Ye-rin a thing?"
"Nah. Just close friends. Shared hobbies."
"Hmm. Looked real close."
"Haha, not like that."
"Right."
She tuned back into the lecture, disinterested. I missed the faint smile tugging her lips.
Class ended, and at 2:40, I met Ye-rin back at the PC bang.
"Class go okay?"
"Yeah. But it was boring without you."
She froze, realizing the implication.
"I-I mean... haha..."
"Haha. Same here."
I brushed it off. Her haughty vibe melting into cute vulnerability around me? Irresistible.
Saehan Bank was up +22%.
Saehan Bank 13,420 won, 600 shares sold.
Saehan Bank 13,420 won, 2,100 shares sold.
After fees, I had 8 million won; Ye-rin, 28 million.
"Ye-rin, time to buy again. Hanseong Electronics this time—the one we sold last."
"Hanseong Electronics?"
"Yeah. Probably down -6% now. Let's grab it."
Hanseong Electronics 489,000 won, 16 shares bought.
Hanseong Electronics 489,000 won, 57 shares bought.
"It'll hit the daily limit tomorrow, maybe the next day too. From here, you handle it yourself, Ye-rin."
"O-okay. I'll give it my all."
Leaving the PC bang, she reminded me about 5 at the gate and headed to class. My last one: Probability and Statistics. A real headache back in the day.
The prickly female prof piled on homework. Kim Ga-young looked late 30s now—back then, at 41, I'd pegged her as a hysterical spinster. Office look suited her toned figure.
Hmm... doable. I chuckled. This life, I'd vowed to enjoy women freely—now I sized them up on sight.
But too many priorities ahead...
Pretty, sure, but her personality? Back burner.
The lecture dragged, self-centered as ever. Geniuses like her teach assuming you get it—no student empathy.
"Sigh... why's everyone so unmotivated? Too hard? Can't grasp it?"
Kim Ga-young snapped at the dead vibe.
"This is high school calc. Korea U students—top of the nation—and this is all you've got?"
Personal attacks now. Then she eyed me.
"Cha Hyun-su? Stand up."
I jolted—sudden callout.
"Pardon?"
"You've missed two weeks, right?"
"Yes. Wasn't feeling well."
"Sure. I told everyone last week we'd cover this, but no one gets it. Hyun-su, solve this?"
The board was crammed with tough formulas. I stared silently.
"Ugh, my fault for expecting anything."
"3."
"Pardon?"
"It's 3."
"H-how?"
"What how? It's obviously 3."
A old memory flashed: her yelling "3! 3! It's 3! How low can you be?!" Still burned in.
"Explain your process?"
"Process? For this? Anyone can see it's 3."
Ga-young choked. She belittled students but lacked confidence in mental math herself.
"Fine, this one then?"
She tossed another, pissed. Bell rang—class over.
"Heh. Next week, prof. I'll handle it then?"
I bolted. Felt great. Saw her fuming from afar, trembling.
She'd prep harder problems next time. No sweat—with the time loop, I'd nail anything.