Chapter 3 The world I live in

It was raining and I closed the only window in the semi-basement room. It was because the rainwater was splashing on the ground and coming in through the window. “It’s been a year since I felt this way.” There was a thick fog in the room. A natural phenomenon caused by excessive humidity. In this kind of weather, mold forms under the blanket or flooring, so you have to turn on the boiler in midsummer, but there were advantages. It was cool all summer long without having to turn on the air conditioner. Do you think cool energy always flows? One small room. The semi-basement of an old multi-family house was used as a briquette warehouse and then converted into rooms, so the living environment was poor. It was such a low price, so it was a very good place for me. “Student, are you there?” “Yes. grandmother.” When I opened the door and went outside, the owner of the house, the grandmother, was there. The house I’ve lived in since I was in high school, and came back after getting a divorce. Even though he became an office worker, he was still called a student. “Potato. It’s because you’ve steamed a lot, so eat some.” “Thank you. grandmother. I will eat well.” I received it without hesitation. I ate a lot of what my grandmother prepared for me, including kimchi, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and even fish and fruits. “Eat a lot. You have to cheer up.” “Yes. I want to live hard and cheer up.” There were a few days when I got divorced and felt down. But now, with coins, the so-called financial treatment has been perfected. I was happy when I saw the evaluation amount, and I was happy just thinking about it. ‘How on earth did my father know and buy Bitcoin?’ On a rainy day, I ate Grandma’s potatoes and looked back at memories from 6 years ago. When my father bought bitcoins, they went up to $31 each, and in about 3 months, they fell below $2. As little as 15 pieces. It would have been a bloody tear for those who owned Bitcoin. A big drop was bound to bring in new buyers looking to hit the jackpot. ‘My father says he lives very cheaply. I was told that if I just buy this, it will go up 3 times unconditionally.’ It was like a blind investment, close to a gamble, but somehow it fit perfectly. Even if I had invested coins, a return of more than 2,500 times was impossible. Even if it rose 2 or 3 times in a short period of time, I would have thought it was a jackpot, and I would have sold it because I was afraid of falling again. Because it was buried for six years, it became a huge amount of over 27 billion won. * * * Business trip to Busan. I usually take the KTX for long-distance business trips, but it can be inconvenient if I don’t have a car for my 3-night and 4-day schedule. It was his hometown for Jo Soo-ah, so she asked to take her car. “Get on.” “Thanks for the ride.” She came to the subway station near her room in the morning. Carefully open the door and board. Although Jo Soo-ah’s car was domestically produced, it was a high-end brand. The softness of the finish or seat. The center fascia and instrument panel are a bit flamboyant. In the past, I would have been intimidated by a car like this. A car that can be bought only after earning 2 or 3 years of annual salary. “Do you like the car?” “I inherited my brother’s car last year. I sold it cheaply because it was my brother.” “I see.” Having a light conversation with her, I headed for Busan on the highway. Work life, ophthalmology stories, doctors' stories. Most of the conversations were about work, but sometimes about hobbies. “What do you usually do, sir?” “Climbing or playing games?” “Wow… Climbing is a good hobby.” “Don’t you feel like an uncle?” “No. These days, a lot of women also climb mountains.” Arrive at Cheonan Rest Area. Since it was lunchtime, I decided to grab a quick bite and go. “What do you want to eat?” “Udon. I want to eat it.” “Do you like udon?” “When I traveled with my dad, I always bought udon at a rest area.” For me, most of the trips I took by car with my father were in Jeongseon, where there is a casino. My father, who drove a yellow bus for kindergarten, went to Jeongseon on weekends and holidays. It was like going on a trip when we rode the yellow bus together to Jeongseon. “I’m crazy about gambling, so I bring a kid like that to the casino.” “Tsk tsk. If you fall into gambling, you lose your mind. What’s wrong with your son?” people’s criticism. My father often blew all his money at casinos, he entered with a smile on his face. At night, I just covered myself with a blanket and slept on the bus with my dad. The bed was uncomfortable, but the feeling of being on the trip was good. Occasionally, if I won money, the next day, I would buy something delicious in the downtown area near the casino. “Is it delicious? Eat a lot.” “Yes. Dad.” Those good times were short-lived. My father went to the casino again and blew his money, and when he returned to Seoul, he was mostly broke. “Two fish cake udon, please.” Meals at the service area can be paid with a corporate card. While eating two bowls of udon with Jo Soo-ah, I could feel the eyes of the people around me subtly gathering. Either a man or a woman. Even children look at them. ‘Let’s do it… … Sua deserves to be said to be the most beautiful woman not only in our company, but also in our building.’ In the past, it was difficult to see Jo Soo-ah face to face. Is it awkward and embarrassing because she is so beautiful? Even now, I have to quietly find the cause. “I’m so excited because I’m going to Busan after a long time.” “Didn’t you go down often on the weekend?” “When I was a new employee, I went every time. But I do CrossFit. There is a study meeting in the evening.” “CrossFit?” “It’s been about two years. You can think of it as a gym workout. It’s called a ward. It’s a frantic movement of the body according to a training routine that changes every day.” “It will be very difficult.” “Whoops. The basis of company life is physical strength.” Jo Soo-ah smiled widely. Her efforts to live diligently were the basis. When I was in high school or college, I thought that if a girl is pretty, it’s just a pretty face. After coming out to society, I realized that beauty is innate, but hard work and management are very important. I work out diligently to manage my body shape, and pay attention to my hair and clothes. Thinking about it, I remembered that Jo Soo-ah’s English pronunciation was fluent. “Have you ever studied abroad?” “Yes. One year as an exchange student in the United States while attending college.” “Also.” I nodded. ‘It’s different from me, who went to college, managed grades, and barely spoke English.’ I was not discouraged in this part. Each of them must have lived their lives according to their circumstances. “You must be tired. Do you want to take turns driving from here on out?” “Yes. I would be very grateful if the manager did that.” After leaving the Cheonan service area, I took the wheel. To be honest, I wanted to drive a luxury car. Compared to the Avante I used to ride in the past, the excellent ride quality and the ability to hit and run without lack of power even with a slight step on the accelerator, were excellent. Boo! Luxury cars or sports cars are passing fast on the highway. For a while, I wanted to follow those cars. ‘It’s not even my car, let’s go slowly. I’ll buy a sports car later.’ Jo Soo-ah chattered and chattered for about an hour, and was fast asleep. I secretly stare at the sleeping figure as I head for Busan. For some reason, the distance to Busan felt short. * * * “Hello, Director. It’s from Arkor.” “Yeah. I heard that Aces are coming from Seoul. Please take good care of me.” Representative Director of Myung Ophthalmology. It was a large ophthalmology clinic with only 12 doctors. I arrived in the evening after office hours, installed the surgical equipment with the technical team, and completed a brief test. From the next day, I started working on a demo. The work went so smoothly that there was not much to do. The Busan team actively stepped forward because it was their domain, and Jo Soo-ah handled all the work dealing with doctors. “When error messages popped up one after another on the device… … .” “Cartridge replacement cost… … .” Miscellaneous questions from male doctors turn to Jo Soo-ah. Even if the company does not operate directly, it was introduced to the latest surgical techniques and equipment at the annual ophthalmology conference. It was clear that the reason why he was asking Jo Soo-ah a question for which he knew the obvious answer was because of his outstanding appearance. ‘Thanks to you, I’m free.’ On the first day, I applied for work at the hospital during the day, and at night, I went around looking at Haeundae Beach. Haeundae, where the cool breeze blows. There were many foreigners and nice men and women taking a walk on the beach. ‘Because the world people live in is all different. I thought a place like this didn’t suit me.’ Until now, I had no regrets about what I couldn’t have. dream or hope. These are things you only have when you see some potential from the beginning or when your life is stable. I was curious after having a huge fortune. ‘What would the world be like for a person with as much money as I do?’ * * * On the second day, hospital work was busy as the surgical patients rushed in. Eye surgery is performed quickly in a factory fashion, and after various tests are completed, the operation is over quickly. “What about the next patient?” “The cornea is thin. The refractive index is not severe.” “Surgery may be possible. Patient, would you like to come over here to check again?” A forced march in which surgery is performed in collaboration with nurses and several doctors. While the doctors were busy with surgery, Jo Soo-ah approached with a droopy shoulder. “Ha.” “Isn’t it very difficult? Don’t you like canned coffee?” There was a can of coffee that the nurses handed over. I said it because I was worried that I would only drink good coffee at the coffee shop. “I love it. I’ve been drinking canned coffee since I was in my third year of high school.” “I see. I knew you would like high-end coffee.” “I’m a sweet canned coffee maniac.” “Then I’m glad. We now have two days left to stay in Busan.” “You have to work hard. And I’m going to come to Busan after a long time and do some shopping. Would you like to go to the department store together in the evening?” “Department store?” “I have something else to say to the manager.” “… … .” Jo Soo-ah, who is no different from an idol in the company, has something to say to herself. “Okay. then. See you in the evening.” * * * The department stores in Busan had a variety of brands and were huge in size. Before marriage, I remembered that I had no choice but to go to a department store in Seoul because I needed something to buy for my new husband. Bloody water prices costing hundreds of thousands of won for a single blanket. Home appliances were much more expensive than the lowest prices on the Internet. ‘The internet is cheap. Why do I have to come to the department store to buy them?’ With great doubts, the housekeeping was prepared in that way. Usually, women get married and men prepare a house, but they are in a poor situation where they cannot do that. I got married by breaking credit card installments and installment savings… After the divorce, all that was left was credit card debt. “Would you like to pick out a suit?” “Dress?” While looking around the department store, Jo Soo-ah suddenly said something. “Yes. I’ll match you with a suit.” “Why does Sua buy my clothes?” I felt a little off. It was such an outrageous proposal. “Actually, I have a favor to ask of you.” “Request?” “It’s such a shameless and troublesome request. I want you to think of clothes as a bribe.” I stared at Joshua’s face. I thought I knew something about her personality. I was wondering what request to make. “Tell me what favor you are asking.” “that is… … .” “Tell me. It’s not like I don’t have money to buy clothes in a place like this.” To be honest, it was a difficult comment not too long ago. Debts arising out of marriage. Because of my pride, I was in no position to match a suit worth hundreds of thousands of won at a department store. “I want you to play the role of a boyfriend in front of your parents.” “Boyfriend?” “I have a younger brother. I’m dating a boyfriend. My parents kept pushing me to bring my boyfriend.”