12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

[There was an update error during the modification. I’m sure many of you haven’t seen the published article serially in the system since the alarm went off yesterday. Go back and watch Hanhwa.]

——————–

“Uh…” I got up holding my head. My head ached. I got up from my sofa.

‘Sofa?’ As I saw it now, Ji-hoon was sleeping in my bed.

Looking at him reminded me of a rarity. Drinking Soju, Makgeolli, and beer, I even drank a glass of spirits that I didn’t drink normally.

‘Brother, it’s $800 a bottle. Is it okay?’

‘Don’t ever talk about the price in front of me again. Drink it up. Drink up.’

It was worth having a headache.

‘What time is it now?’

I found my cell phone. It was 8:40. The habit was scary. Even if I drank like that, my eyes opened at 8:40. I sat down on the sofa again with a glass of cold water. Fortunately, today was Saturday, and the stock market was not open. I didn’t have to rush to check the news and sit on the computer. However, I checked the mailbox. In the mailbox, the emails I received last night were still there. The arrival time was 8:55 p.m.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

As they said, this passive skill was overlaid with other passive skills. After taking the passive skill Additional News, there came two emails at 8:55 p.m., 12 Hours After and 12 Days After.

I tried to look at them by clicking on them. No matter what they sent me Friday night, the news in 12 Days After could be useful. I tried to open the email. There was a ‘read’ sign next to the email. I guessed I had seen the email after drinking so much yesterday.

‘… I’m a big subscriber.’

I looked at all the emails I had gone through with that thought. I didn’t remember anything about yesterday, and there was only bad news in it. I looked at the clock again. It was 8:53.

‘It’s time to look.’

The news 12 Hours After would disappear of its own in just twelve hours. I didn’t know how it worked like that, but it was probably a secret. I took a drink of cold water.

Then, Ji-hoon rolled on the bed and talked in his sleep, “Give me another chance…”

I grinned at him. ‘You must have had a hard time.’

It was sad to see that. In fact, if Ji-hoon was as good as he was, joining a large company was not a big deal. He used to be a top student in the department of business administration. As he grew up in the U.S. for several years when he was young, he was good at English. Even if he couldn’t pick where he wanted to go for a year or so, he would get a good job somewhere. In a way, it was even greater to have chosen a difficult path, leaving the easy path if needed.

‘Though he failed in the end… he’s going to make himself stronger. It’s great that we met here again.

‘In the world, it’s hard to find a competent colleague, and even more difficult to find a trusted colleague. We parted because of our circumstances, but it’s time to join forces again. Of course, it has become an employer-employee relationship, not a “Steve Jobs and Wozniak” partnership, like before.’

It had been a while. I turned my head back to my mailbox. As expected, the old emails were gone.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

There was a new email. As usual, this email came at 8:55 a.m. Compared to the fact that I couldn’t pick a category when I was in the Bronze Class and only got one news a day, I was now getting twenty-eight news articles. That wasn’t just as useful as twenty-eight times, it was also clear that there was a higher chance of getting news that was worth some money. I quickly glanced through the news.

‘But… not today.’

Unfortunately, there was nothing today despite the twenty-eight-fold increase in probability. I threw my cell phone down and lay down on the sofa again, closing my eyes. I didn’t have to make money every day, but I felt bad because I didn’t have good news to make money.

‘I’m sure he’s alive, too. Shall we take the grand prize in Lotto again?’

————————

“Hurrah-.” Ji-hoon inhaled the soup coolly. “Uh, now you’re well off. How much did we drink yesterday, brother?”

“I have a rare memory, too. I’m glad the bar was near my house, or I almost fell asleep by the side of the road.”

“Of course.”

Ji-hoon finally came to his senses after slapping himself in the face with his hands. It was almost 1 p.m.. “But the view here is really nice, “Ji-hoon said, looking at the scenery outside of my studio window.

I followed him outside and said, “I have to pay for it. The monthly rent is $6,000.”

“$6,000?” Ji-hoon looked at me, his eyes sticking out.

“Yes.”

“Then that beautiful owner of the building that I saw yesterday… Is she making $6,000 a month?”

“It’s $6,000 a month. I think she’s got five or six in this studio building under her name. Of course, $30,000 to $36,000 won’t be the monthly rent every month, but… that’s what she is going to do.”

“Oh, she’s so pretty, she’s got a lot of money… her life must be exciting. If a beauty like that makes $30,000 to $36,000 a month, where would she spend it all? It’s Europe, America, Africa, and I think she’ll have to go abroad every day.”

“Well…” The conversation kept shifting to useless talk. I asked him insinuatingly, “Do you remember everything I said yesterday?”

“What did you say yesterday?”

I put my forehead on. Maybe he forgot all about that.

“Yes, I haven’t called you to drink together in a long time.”

“Yes, I know. Are you doubting me?” Ji-hoon said with curiosity.

I asked him like an interview, “Then why did I call you yesterday?”

“To set up an investment company. I know the field well.”

“And then?”

“You asked me to look for a company to take over.”

“What kind of company is it?”

“Entertainment. Or a company where people are the main players.”

“Yes, that’s good.” I gave Ji-hoon a smack on the back. As expected, he was brilliant.

Ji-hoon tapped his chest and said, “Don’t worry, brother. Who am I? Yes? Isn’t this Seo Ji-hoon, the genius of the ten-year history of the founding club? I met a lot of investment companies while I was a start-up company. I’ve learned a lot about investing in them. Trust me.”

“Yes. I only believe in you.”

“Brother… Do you remember what you said yesterday for sure?”

“What?”

“$5,000 a month.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll give you a big bonus if you work well.”

“Yes, sir.” Whenever he talked about money, he put the word “sir” on his words.

‘Is this a power of $5,000 per month?’

After he got rid of his hangover, Ji-hoon got up from his seat. “I’m going to go now. Thank you for calling me.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll start working with you and who will I be with?”

“Yes.” Ji-hoon went to the door with a single smile. “Oh, by the way… What are you going to name your company?”

“Well… I haven’t thought about it yet.”

I thought for a moment. What would be the name? I’d never thought about it. I asked Ji-hoon the other way around.

“What good name do you have?”

“Concept or… Don’t you have that?”

“Concept?”

“Yes. It’s good to name it. We used to do it when we were in the start-up club. What we are going to do with brand-naming.”

I could remember a little bit from back then. “Well… OK. My investment company concept is… An investment firm that never loses.”

Ji-hoon rewrote my words as if he didn’t want to forget them.

“An investment firm that never loses…”

“Yes. An investment firm that never loses. That’s my company concept. I’ve never thought about a specific name before. I’ll think about the name. Think about it, too.”

“Brother. I’ll call you as soon as I get on with my work.”

“Yes, about your salary… I’ll just give it to you as of today. Text me your account number.”

“Huh, oh, really?”

“Yes, just leave your account number.”

“Thank you, my brother.”

——

Ji-hoon thanked me several times and left the studio. It wasn’t long before I got a text message [Seo Ji-hoon, Mingook Bank XXX-XXXXX-XXX].

He sent it fast.

‘He must have been desperate.’

I remitted $5,000 to him right away. I started to close the mobile phone app, but I remembered something.

‘Ah…’

At my thought, I pressed to add the account transfer. I had been putting $3,000 each into my dad’s and mom’s account since last month, as it was time to send the allowance after a month.

‘Let’s see… $3,000 in my dad’s account, $3,000 in my mom’s account.’

After a while after the transfer, my dad called me.

“Sang-hoon.”

“Yes, dad.”

“Did you send $3,000 each for us? I didn’t even use the money I got last month.”

“No, it’s just… it’s a reward for raising your son.”

“No, but there’s too much… Are you all right?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Yes, I see. Thank you, son.”

As soon as my dad’s phone was finished, my mom called me.

“Sang-hoon, why did you put so much money in here? We’re fine.”

“No, I’ve got a lot of money, but I can’t be the only one who eats well. I have to be filial at a time like this. Take it.”

“Thank you. Is your new place okay?”

“Yes, I like it. Come sometime.”

“Yes, we will.”

After the call with my parents, I looked down at my cell phone for a while and called my sister.

“Hello, brother?”

“Yes, Su-jeong.”

“Why? What’s going on? I’m busy right now.”

“…Oh, well, that’s a good story.”

“Speak quickly. I came to the cafe with my friends.”

‘Is that a busy matter?’

“I’ve decided to start up again with my former colleague.”

“Really? Will you do it again? Don’t you think you’re going to lose everything you earned with the Lotto?”

I said to my sister, forcing my blood pressure to rise slowly. “I think I’m going to be a little busy in the future anyway. So I hope you’ll be nice to our parents at home, because I won’t be home often to do that.”

“What you’re talking about?” She was asking what I was talking about, even though she understood it.

I spoke in a direct way, “I’ll give you $1,000.”

“$1,000?”

“$1,000 every month. Try to serve our parents both materially and spiritually on my behalf.”

Su-jeong changed her posture in an instant. “I’ll do it, brother.”

‘Bah. As expected.’

“Yes, then, please.”

“Yes, brother.”

At the end of the conversation, I hung up the phone. ‘Money is also a thing of temptation. If anyone shows it, they’re deluded, and if anyone gives it to them, they obey.’

The reason I didn’t realize this was that I was always tempted by money and obedient. However, I was against it now. I would be now the CEO and owner of an investment company, and with this money, I would delude others and make them obedient to me.