In an old, shabby house in Shandong I soaked myself in a small plastic tub.
This is the act of taking care of myself every morning.
Sitting in the water with your teeth trembling sparks the mind and you could feel the tension which had been building up being released.
It is a ritual to feel the vainness of a regression to the past.
And other actions that followed are:
The biting of my lips and feeling the cut on my palm.
-“huh”
The sharp feeling of cut flesh was difficult to adapt to; I don’t know why but the cut’s pain was subsided by the skin’s pain, which hurt considerably more when cold water ran over it.
The size of the wound is all about the degree to which you feel “pain” when you clench your fist.
But just the wound alone, hurt a lot.
It got more and more difficult to breathe because of the cold, despite that, I was sweating. The thought of what lies ahead was eating me up from the inside. No matter how much I tried to hide it. I was scared.
But that’s why I had to keep this little wound.
It was so that I can reflect on my past life with this pain every time I clench my fist. For it was to act as a reminder that I would not live a life of regret again.
After these two rituals are completed, the day begins.
What do I need now?
It is freedom.
Freedom to choose to live for ideals, not working to live on, not living for money.
But an ideal life was not far from a dream in this harsh reality. Despite that, it was indeed possible, with the resource called ‘money’. For money can greatly increase the options one can have in reality and thus it is a necessity for freedom.
In other words, you need money for your dreams.
-“It’s like a string instrument. People who don’t know how to use it properly will hear dissonance.”
In the words of Khalil Gibran(1), in the past, I was a poor performer. Rather than playing, I smashed all the instruments I had.
But now it is going to be different. I will prepare better instruments, use them to find true friends and present them to good people who will play them well.
To do that, I needed a lot of money.
No matter how much you save it, it would only grow to the size of millet. It only increases exponentially when invested, like a snowball, that gradually increases in size when rolled down a hill and ends up much bigger when it reaches the bottom.
So, to save money, I arranged for a cheaper apartment. And I moved to a place called Shandongne, 7km away from the school.
A man didn’t need much to eat and sleep alone. One suit for each season is enough for good clothes, and for sleeping, a blanket to cover is enough.
Eating ends with a pot and a microwave. When you go around the mart, there are deliciously well-made packaged dishes. From light porridge to steamed seafood, from side dishes, to soup there is nothing you can’t find.
Meanwhile, I am well aware of my friend who is entangled with a contract. I also looked at what Taejin prepared for.
He was also busy moving. And I soon noticed that all of his preparations and arrangements were for success in the game.
“You learn kendo dojo and taekwondo at a meditation centre, right?”
In his last life, he was immersed in games and was living a life for games, games, and only games till he ‘died’.
I was busy living so I didn’t play games, but I heard a lot of what Taejin said and I knew quite a bit about games.
According to the memory, the virtual reality game [New Century] applies certain abilities in reality to reflect the character’s stats.
This added ability is expressed in terms of ‘potential’, and this number affects the proficiency of the skills used in the game. This is an open hidden piece, which was revealed publicly about two years after the new century was commercialized.
‘Meditation was the ability to concentrate, and it was said that performing accurate movements with kendo and taekwondo affects the increase of passive skills.’
It’s that guy’s plan. Everything you do after you save your sister is related to the game. He is trying to become the best of the new century world.
On the other hand, the preparations I made after returning as well were quite different.
Tick. Tick.
View the chart and enter values. As I lifted my mouse, a female voice came out of the speaker.
-This is a buy order.
The purchase order price and quantity are displayed in a small window and confirmed. After pressing the OK button, it moved again. 112.4% of the price compared to the previous day. I contrasted it with the memories before the return and decided to release my hand.
-This is a sell order.
A small window pops up, and as soon as I press the OK button, a message indicating that it has been signed soon appears.
“OK. That’s all for today.”
After shutting down the computer, I started stretching.
What I was doing was stock.
I laid down on a soft blanket to relieve my eye strain from looking at the monitor. My arms and legs were stretched, and my tension was released.
-“I am comfortable.”
A small house in Shandongne. A small wardrobe and a computer are everything.
As a result of making stocks with insurance and sales of 1.9 billion won, my fortune is now 7 billion.
But this is not because I am by no means excellent. Rather, I could only earn this.
In my last life, I worked tirelessly as the head of a family. Of course, I also studied stocks. Of course, I blew away all the money. I didn’t have the talent to generate huge profits.
I am a common loser. However, it is enough to remember some of the example sentences that appeared between the books. This would be the case for anyone as ordinary as me.
The book tells. Indicators, charts, trends, CCI, RSI, DMI and more. Past examples are provided to aid in understanding. However, the difficult and esoteric explanations were not very memorable. Instead, what remained was data that plummeted and soared terribly.
‘This is a chart from a parent company 5 years ago.’ The book said. It’s a practical case with theory applied. But this is what comes to mind when a guy like me looks at the chart.
-If I had bought and sold that time… …
Looking at the past data, I have many thoughts that I should buy at the low and sell at the high. I look forward to it, roll my head and buy stock. And crushing.
For that reason, the success stories in the book are engraved more like a mirage.
“Let’s go safely.”
I recalled that memory. All unclear memories were erased. It also erases vague speculative data. I only recalled what I remembered properly.
I was careful. The basics of buying and selling stocks are buying something that will definitely climb, and selling it when it rises.
I planned to prepare and finish before 15 days.
-“If he gets ready to play, I’ll buy and sell the company’s stock.”
For Taejin, the game is life. He longed for a return to the past to make up for the failures in the game and even change his life. And I am back now.
For me, this is the guy and the game.
‘Gyereuk(??).’
I’m not sure, but I can be seen as a contracted position under the same terms as Taejin. It is a very neat and moving yard because I cannot risk my life to confirm it.
Because of that, I had to know about his current situation.
Running away because it’s scary is just a shallow thought looking ahead. What if Taejin dies because he breaks the terms of the contract even if he goes abroad and does not collide with Chairman Shin Jin-Kwon?
‘I can do that too.’
So it shouldn’t be too far away.
On the contrary, it is difficult to interfere greatly with his life. There is a high likelihood of violating the terms of the contract not to announce a regression in the past.
In other words, the answer becomes concise.
‘Impossible’.
It’s like a noose around my neck.
I plan to raise money by the end of this week. I will buy Z&F’s stock in moderation. Then, when the game launches and makes a huge sensation, I’ll sell the stocks with record high streaks.
If I become a shareholder, it would just cause headaches.For example, Chairman Shin Jin-Kwon might be interested in me, who owns a large number of stocks at a young age.
However, it is a situation where there is no one to trust, and it causes unnecessary rumours by itself.
So, I’m not going to make a fortune for myself, but I’m going to deliberately make a reasonable profit.
That’s it.
The remaining money is clearly undervalued as of now, but will be buried in stocks that will certainly guarantee it in 20 years. Since it is a stock of a large company, there will be dividends in the middle. This will not interfere with my life. Not only that but the big numbers that I remember will last me fine for every few years. Spend money on real estate auctions or something like that.
If I finish well as planned, I will be a sufficient asset and I will be liberated from ‘money’ and ‘work’.
“Let’s live properly.”
Don’t forget to move toward your true goal in life.
Money is a means, not a goal.
Stretching, I got up from my seat and prepared to go out.
I didn’t know it before, but if I go to a winding shantytown, I get to know different aspects of society. And I see that there is something unexpectedly bad about the government that has always been a curse.
For example, Korea’s welfare policy was very good for those who are eligible for livelihood security, as well as subsidies, they are regularly managed by social workers and provided with convenience.
There is support for small side dishes, foods such as milk and rice, and education and support for living quarters.
There is a prejudiced glance that it is poor housing, but this is just a saying that it is worth living.
It is a very grateful system that provides a place to eat and live at an affordable price.
Some are deliberately divorced for such government subsidies or support, while others are taking money from childcare expenses by bringing a child who has lost their parents. There were some cases where they received benefits by registering falsely.
However, wearing such fine hair means that there is not much money supported by the government. It is profitable, so you use one or the other shortcuts.
Conversely, there are cases of children who are treated ruthlessly by their parents, and elderly people who have children but cannot receive support. They do not receive government support because they have family members.
Old parents are forgotten just like that.
-“It’s the way people decide to live.”
No matter how well you make an institution, it cannot be perfect. It is clearly the government’s fault for not improving or updating the system and not dealing with injustices properly.
So there are people who help them.
Those who know how to share and give on their own. They are the small merchants and ordinary people like the owners of a side dish store or a supermarket.
Because they are local people, they knew each other’s circumstances better than anyone else. Because they know it intimately, they share kimchi and rice cake for holidays. Although it may not become a big thing, practice sharing regardless.
That’s why I came to Sandongne, because I wanted to meet them, ‘The Good people.’
I went to the town to find out about those who loved their neighbours.
Those who support them with what they have. I want to go to them and help them become familiar with everyone. Hear the difficult life stories of different people.
I don’t want to stop there, but I also want to visit Taejin and check up on him from time to time.
Pure service with an unselfish heart?
Not by any means.
Because all of this is for my life.
-“I want to get people.”
I want a friend I can trust. But can I find such a person at a glance?
Had I not failed so miserably in this department in my past life, I would not know how difficult of a feat this actually was. After experiencing the miracle of regression, I didn’t want to fail once again.
There was no such thing as an eye for recognizing friends at a glance. That’s why I set a principle in finding people I can trust.
I want to find people by that measure.
-“A person who finds his or her way and tries to walk it.”
However, there are some who struggle with real difficulties. Those who have talent, want to work for it, but don’t know what to do.
A person who has a lot of enthusiasm, but has to put his dreams aside because of his life and has a family to support.
If I found them.
I can help.
The reason why the rich continue to be rich is that money brings in more money. If you roll billions of dollars, the powder that falls will amount to millions of won. Depending on how much money is spent, the money can be a night’s entertainment expense, or it can be a break for a tired and difficult person.
Those who have hopes, dreams and hopes strive. Besides, I know how to recognize the passion of others. The reason is that I have such a passion.
I will help and watch them.
If the situation improves and the person changes, I will cut my interest as well.
On the other hand, if I keep a mind that I can share with others without losing my original intention, I will try to be their friend.
Even if I can’t be friends, I want to live by watching them.
I want to see and protect their innocence because they are indeed innocent.
This is my wish.
Translator’s and Editor’s Corner
Sotheno’s comments-
1: Kahlil Gibran was a writer, poet, and considered a philosopher. He is best known as the author of The Prophet which is a book I plan to read… eventually. Anyway if you are interested in him here is a link to the wikipedia page about him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahlil_Gibran
In an old, shabby house in Shandong I soaked myself in a small plastic tub.
This is the act of taking care of myself every morning.
Sitting in the water with your teeth trembling sparks the mind and you could feel the tension which had been building up being released.
It is a ritual to feel the vainness of a regression to the past.
And other actions that followed are:
The biting of my lips and feeling the cut on my palm.
-“huh”
The sharp feeling of cut flesh was difficult to adapt to; I don’t know why but the cut’s pain was subsided by the skin’s pain, which hurt considerably more when cold water ran over it.
The size of the wound is all about the degree to which you feel “pain” when you clench your fist.
But just the wound alone, hurt a lot.
It got more and more difficult to breathe because of the cold, despite that, I was sweating. The thought of what lies ahead was eating me up from the inside. No matter how much I tried to hide it. I was scared.
But that’s why I had to keep this little wound.
It was so that I can reflect on my past life with this pain every time I clench my fist. For it was to act as a reminder that I would not live a life of regret again.
After these two rituals are completed, the day begins.
What do I need now?
It is freedom.
Freedom to choose to live for ideals, not working to live on, not living for money.
But an ideal life was not far from a dream in this harsh reality. Despite that, it was indeed possible, with the resource called ‘money’. For money can greatly increase the options one can have in reality and thus it is a necessity for freedom.
In other words, you need money for your dreams.
-“It’s like a string instrument. People who don’t know how to use it properly will hear dissonance.”
In the words of Khalil Gibran(1), in the past, I was a poor performer. Rather than playing, I smashed all the instruments I had.
But now it is going to be different. I will prepare better instruments, use them to find true friends and present them to good people who will play them well.
To do that, I needed a lot of money.
No matter how much you save it, it would only grow to the size of millet. It only increases exponentially when invested, like a snowball, that gradually increases in size when rolled down a hill and ends up much bigger when it reaches the bottom.
So, to save money, I arranged for a cheaper apartment. And I moved to a place called Shandongne, 7km away from the school.
A man didn’t need much to eat and sleep alone. One suit for each season is enough for good clothes, and for sleeping, a blanket to cover is enough.
Eating ends with a pot and a microwave. When you go around the mart, there are deliciously well-made packaged dishes. From light porridge to steamed seafood, from side dishes, to soup there is nothing you can’t find.
Meanwhile, I am well aware of my friend who is entangled with a contract. I also looked at what Taejin prepared for.
He was also busy moving. And I soon noticed that all of his preparations and arrangements were for success in the game.
“You learn kendo dojo and taekwondo at a meditation centre, right?”
In his last life, he was immersed in games and was living a life for games, games, and only games till he ‘died’.
I was busy living so I didn’t play games, but I heard a lot of what Taejin said and I knew quite a bit about games.
According to the memory, the virtual reality game [New Century] applies certain abilities in reality to reflect the character’s stats.
This added ability is expressed in terms of ‘potential’, and this number affects the proficiency of the skills used in the game. This is an open hidden piece, which was revealed publicly about two years after the new century was commercialized.
‘Meditation was the ability to concentrate, and it was said that performing accurate movements with kendo and taekwondo affects the increase of passive skills.’
It’s that guy’s plan. Everything you do after you save your sister is related to the game. He is trying to become the best of the new century world.
On the other hand, the preparations I made after returning as well were quite different.
Tick. Tick.
View the chart and enter values. As I lifted my mouse, a female voice came out of the speaker.
-This is a buy order.
The purchase order price and quantity are displayed in a small window and confirmed. After pressing the OK button, it moved again. 112.4% of the price compared to the previous day. I contrasted it with the memories before the return and decided to release my hand.
-This is a sell order.
A small window pops up, and as soon as I press the OK button, a message indicating that it has been signed soon appears.
“OK. That’s all for today.”
After shutting down the computer, I started stretching.
What I was doing was stock.
I laid down on a soft blanket to relieve my eye strain from looking at the monitor. My arms and legs were stretched, and my tension was released.
-“I am comfortable.”
A small house in Shandongne. A small wardrobe and a computer are everything.
As a result of making stocks with insurance and sales of 1.9 billion won, my fortune is now 7 billion.
But this is not because I am by no means excellent. Rather, I could only earn this.
In my last life, I worked tirelessly as the head of a family. Of course, I also studied stocks. Of course, I blew away all the money. I didn’t have the talent to generate huge profits.
I am a common loser. However, it is enough to remember some of the example sentences that appeared between the books. This would be the case for anyone as ordinary as me.
The book tells. Indicators, charts, trends, CCI, RSI, DMI and more. Past examples are provided to aid in understanding. However, the difficult and esoteric explanations were not very memorable. Instead, what remained was data that plummeted and soared terribly.
‘This is a chart from a parent company 5 years ago.’ The book said. It’s a practical case with theory applied. But this is what comes to mind when a guy like me looks at the chart.
-If I had bought and sold that time… …
Looking at the past data, I have many thoughts that I should buy at the low and sell at the high. I look forward to it, roll my head and buy stock. And crushing.
For that reason, the success stories in the book are engraved more like a mirage.
“Let’s go safely.”
I recalled that memory. All unclear memories were erased. It also erases vague speculative data. I only recalled what I remembered properly.
I was careful. The basics of buying and selling stocks are buying something that will definitely climb, and selling it when it rises.
I planned to prepare and finish before 15 days.
-“If he gets ready to play, I’ll buy and sell the company’s stock.”
For Taejin, the game is life. He longed for a return to the past to make up for the failures in the game and even change his life. And I am back now.
For me, this is the guy and the game.
‘Gyereuk(??).’
I’m not sure, but I can be seen as a contracted position under the same terms as Taejin. It is a very neat and moving yard because I cannot risk my life to confirm it.
Because of that, I had to know about his current situation.
Running away because it’s scary is just a shallow thought looking ahead. What if Taejin dies because he breaks the terms of the contract even if he goes abroad and does not collide with Chairman Shin Jin-Kwon?
‘I can do that too.’
So it shouldn’t be too far away.
On the contrary, it is difficult to interfere greatly with his life. There is a high likelihood of violating the terms of the contract not to announce a regression in the past.
In other words, the answer becomes concise.
‘Impossible’.
It’s like a noose around my neck.
I plan to raise money by the end of this week. I will buy Z&F’s stock in moderation. Then, when the game launches and makes a huge sensation, I’ll sell the stocks with record high streaks.
If I become a shareholder, it would just cause headaches.For example, Chairman Shin Jin-Kwon might be interested in me, who owns a large number of stocks at a young age.
However, it is a situation where there is no one to trust, and it causes unnecessary rumours by itself.
So, I’m not going to make a fortune for myself, but I’m going to deliberately make a reasonable profit.
That’s it.
The remaining money is clearly undervalued as of now, but will be buried in stocks that will certainly guarantee it in 20 years. Since it is a stock of a large company, there will be dividends in the middle. This will not interfere with my life. Not only that but the big numbers that I remember will last me fine for every few years. Spend money on real estate auctions or something like that.
If I finish well as planned, I will be a sufficient asset and I will be liberated from ‘money’ and ‘work’.
“Let’s live properly.”
Don’t forget to move toward your true goal in life.
Money is a means, not a goal.
Stretching, I got up from my seat and prepared to go out.
I didn’t know it before, but if I go to a winding shantytown, I get to know different aspects of society. And I see that there is something unexpectedly bad about the government that has always been a curse.
For example, Korea’s welfare policy was very good for those who are eligible for livelihood security, as well as subsidies, they are regularly managed by social workers and provided with convenience.
There is support for small side dishes, foods such as milk and rice, and education and support for living quarters.
There is a prejudiced glance that it is poor housing, but this is just a saying that it is worth living.
It is a very grateful system that provides a place to eat and live at an affordable price.
Some are deliberately divorced for such government subsidies or support, while others are taking money from childcare expenses by bringing a child who has lost their parents. There were some cases where they received benefits by registering falsely.
However, wearing such fine hair means that there is not much money supported by the government. It is profitable, so you use one or the other shortcuts.
Conversely, there are cases of children who are treated ruthlessly by their parents, and elderly people who have children but cannot receive support. They do not receive government support because they have family members.
Old parents are forgotten just like that.
-“It’s the way people decide to live.”
No matter how well you make an institution, it cannot be perfect. It is clearly the government’s fault for not improving or updating the system and not dealing with injustices properly.
So there are people who help them.
Those who know how to share and give on their own. They are the small merchants and ordinary people like the owners of a side dish store or a supermarket.
Because they are local people, they knew each other’s circumstances better than anyone else. Because they know it intimately, they share kimchi and rice cake for holidays. Although it may not become a big thing, practice sharing regardless.
That’s why I came to Sandongne, because I wanted to meet them, ‘The Good people.’
I went to the town to find out about those who loved their neighbours.
Those who support them with what they have. I want to go to them and help them become familiar with everyone. Hear the difficult life stories of different people.
I don’t want to stop there, but I also want to visit Taejin and check up on him from time to time.
Pure service with an unselfish heart?
Not by any means.
Because all of this is for my life.
-“I want to get people.”
I want a friend I can trust. But can I find such a person at a glance?
Had I not failed so miserably in this department in my past life, I would not know how difficult of a feat this actually was. After experiencing the miracle of regression, I didn’t want to fail once again.
There was no such thing as an eye for recognizing friends at a glance. That’s why I set a principle in finding people I can trust.
I want to find people by that measure.
-“A person who finds his or her way and tries to walk it.”
However, there are some who struggle with real difficulties. Those who have talent, want to work for it, but don’t know what to do.
A person who has a lot of enthusiasm, but has to put his dreams aside because of his life and has a family to support.
If I found them.
I can help.
The reason why the rich continue to be rich is that money brings in more money. If you roll billions of dollars, the powder that falls will amount to millions of won. Depending on how much money is spent, the money can be a night’s entertainment expense, or it can be a break for a tired and difficult person.
Those who have hopes, dreams and hopes strive. Besides, I know how to recognize the passion of others. The reason is that I have such a passion.
I will help and watch them.
If the situation improves and the person changes, I will cut my interest as well.
On the other hand, if I keep a mind that I can share with others without losing my original intention, I will try to be their friend.
Even if I can’t be friends, I want to live by watching them.
I want to see and protect their innocence because they are indeed innocent.
This is my wish.
Translator’s and Editor’s Corner
Sotheno’s comments-
1: Kahlil Gibran was a writer, poet, and considered a philosopher. He is best known as the author of The Prophet which is a book I plan to read… eventually. Anyway if you are interested in him here is a link to the wikipedia page about him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahlil_Gibran
