Translator: SourKimchi
It was getting on toward noon by the time Park Ji-hun finally pried his eyes open after tossing and turning for a while.
Maybe it was from streaming so late the night before, but his whole body felt like lead.
His head was heavy too.
Rubbing his eyes, he reached for his phone.
Dozens of notifications crowded the lock screen.
Ocean alerts, community alerts, texts, missed calls.
Park Ji-hun tapped the portal app first.
He typed a familiar name into the search bar.
[Novagen Therapeutics]
The moment he hit search, the articles came pouring down the screen.
-[BREAKING] Novagen Therapeutics Fails Phase 3 Clinical Trial
-Signs of Falsified Key Data...... Novagen Plunges
-Once-Promising Novagen Craters as Fraud Allegations Surface
Park Ji-hun skimmed the chart.
The line had spiked after the Main Session opened, then nosedived in after-hours trading until it slammed all the way to the bottom.
"......Just like I figured."
Park Ji-hun muttered to himself.
"......Would've made a tidy little sum if I'd shorted it."
It was a thought that had brushed through his mind the night before, when he'd wrapped up the stream and lay down in bed.
But from the instant that thought surfaced, something felt off.
His stomach churned.
His fingertips went cold, and it felt as if a hand were clamping down hard on his heart.
A feeling that said don't.
A filthy, clinging sense that if he forced his hand, something would go wrong, badly wrong.
Park Ji-hun pressed the spot between his brows.
"I can see other people's stuff just fine, but the second I think about putting my own money on it, this happens."
A dry laugh escaped him.
Put kindly, it was a taboo.
It meant he could see where others were headed for ruin, but he wasn't going to be allowed to scoop up the money himself.
"No reason to go out of my way to do what I'm told not to."
He opened the Ocean app.
The moment he checked the projected Settlement figure, his hand froze.
"......Huh?"
He brought the phone in closer.
After the platform fees were skimmed off the total Donations, the projected amount logged as his Settlement was well over 10 million won.
"Three days of streaming, and that's 10 million won?"
His mouth went dry.
He thought of all the time he'd burned trudging from interview to interview.
A whole month of scraping by, and the money that ended up in his hand was always the same pittance.
And yet, just three days.
Just a handful of streams, and next month's Settlement was clearing 10 million won.
Park Ji-hun hit refresh again.
The number didn't budge.
An amount north of 10 million won.
'A lot of it's thanks to Nathan dropping so much...... but still, this is huge.'
Park Ji-hun stared down at the screen for a while.
So this really could become money.
No.
He had to make money off this.
"Once I've got money, first thing is taking Mom to the hospital."
A place to live, the hospital, living expenses.
Things he wouldn't have dared to tally up just a few days ago rose into his mind.
Without hesitation, Park Ji-hun dialed his mother's number.
The ringtone sounded once, twice.
"Why isn't she picking up?"
He perched on the edge of the bed, looked down at the phone for a moment, then headed for the wardrobe.
He meant to treat his mother to a fine meal.
***
Park Ji-hun stood in front of the wardrobe for a long while.
Normally he'd have just grabbed a hoodie and headed out, but today that wouldn't do.
He dug out the crispest shirt he had and pulled a dark-colored knit over it.
With the coat on too, standing in front of the mirror, he looked a little unfamiliar to himself.
"......Is this too much?"
He shook his head and roughly swept his hair back.
This was good enough, he decided.
He was planning to share a meal with his mother for the first time in a while.
Not an ordinary meal, either, something a touch upscale.
Thinking of the figure that had just shown up on his screen, one pricey restaurant was nothing.
And he was confident he'd earn even more going forward.
'Beef, or maybe sashimi? Come to think of it, what does Mom even like?'
Park Ji-hun scratched his head.
He'd made up his mind to treat her to something nice, and yet what she actually liked wouldn't readily come to him.
He grabbed his wallet and phone and hurried out of the room.
The trip from Seoul to Incheon was a familiar one.
He boarded the rattling subway and fiddled with his phone, and before he knew it he was near the house.
Park Ji-hun climbed the familiar stairs of the building and stood at the front door.
He opened the door and stepped inside, but there was no one home.
When his socked feet touched the floor, the cold bit at them.
She must have left the boiler off, because the floor was like a sheet of ice.
"Where'd she go?"
It was just as he stepped back outside, a baffled look on his face.
The door to the next unit opened.
"Oh my, Ji-hun, you're here?"
It was the lady from next door.
Park Ji-hun asked at once.
"Hello. Do you happen to know where my mom went?"
"Jeong-suk ssi? She's off at the restaurant."
"The restaurant?"
"Hm? You didn't know? Your mom does part-time serving at a restaurant."
For a moment Park Ji-hun couldn't get a word out.
"She rushed out this morning. She's probably run off her feet over there."
"......Ah."
Flustered, Park Ji-hun gripped his phone tighter for no reason.
There was a reason his mother hadn't been able to answer the phone.
"Do you know around when she finishes?"
"Usually two thirty? She's back by around three."
Park Ji-hun asked again.
"Where's the restaurant my mom works at?"
"It's called Eunhui Sikdang, down that way at the bottom of the alley."
Park Ji-hun bowed his head.
"Thank you."
And then he headed straight down the stairs.
He had to go see for himself.
***
Eunhui Sikdang sat tucked at the very end of the alley.
It was the height of the lunch rush, and the inside was bustling.
Park Ji-hun stopped in front of the restaurant.
Through the glass door, he could see a familiar figure from behind.
His mother, an apron tied around her, was bustling back and forth between the tables.
A water glass was in one hand; in the other she carried a stack of empty plates.
Bending at the waist to wipe a table, then straightening to set side dishes down on a customer's table, she moved without a pause.
Park Ji-hun watched her in silence.
Just then a gravelly voice barked out from a corner table at the back.
"Hey, lady, another bottle of soju over here."
It was two construction workers, their hi-vis vests slung carelessly over their chairs.
Faces already flushed red this early, they were raising their voices.
"One moment. I'll bring it right over."
"Come on, hurry it up, would you."
"Yes, I'm sorry, sir. I'll bring it right away."
His mother bobbed her head apologetically as she fetched a bottle of soju and brought it over.
Then, this time, someone at another table held out a plate of stir-fried fish cake.
"Lady, when are we getting a refill over here?"
"Oh, I'll bring it right over."
Park Ji-hun bit down on his lip.
He was dying to walk straight in and help her.
But he didn't.
If he went in now, it was obvious his mother would only feel more awkward.
He stepped aside into the shadow of the utility pole beside the restaurant.
He checked the time on his phone.
If the lady next door was right, there wasn't much longer to wait.
The customers filtered out one by one, and the busy shop gradually emptied out.
Only then did Park Ji-hun push the door open and step inside.
Jingle.
The bell rang.
"Welcome in, si...... Ji-hun?"
His mother, who had spoken on reflex, froze mid-sentence.
Surprise reached her face before any gladness did.
And after that came embarrassment.
"How did you even find this place?"
Park Ji-hun said it as though it were nothing.
"I called and you didn't pick up."
His mother wiped her hands once on her apron.
"I was too busy to see it. More to the point, why'd you come all this way when you're busy? Have you eaten?"
Park Ji-hun shook his head as he spoke.
"You're almost done, right? Eat out with me today. My treat."
His mother waved him off at once.
"What's all this eating out, such a waste of money. Just go home and......"
Park Ji-hun cut her off.
"When you're done, we're going to eat. I told you, it's on me."
She looked quietly at her son's face, then let out a small sigh.
"......Honestly, you."
Park Ji-hun didn't look away.
This time he had no intention of backing down.
***
After they stepped out of the restaurant, mother and son walked slowly down the alley.
Maybe it was from being on her feet half the day.
His mother's steps were nothing but heavy.
Matching his pace to hers, Park Ji-hun asked gently.
"How long have you been working at the restaurant?"
"Hm? Just a few days."
"You should've at least told me."
"I didn't want to worry my son."
"Haah."
Park Ji-hun let out a short sigh.
Then his mother spoke up.
"Anyway, what's all this eating out about. We can just throw something together at home."
Park Ji-hun shook his head immediately.
"No. Today's on me."
"Such a waste of money."
"It's not a waste at all."
Park Ji-hun took a steadying breath, then said it as casually as he could manage.
"I made some money."
His mother's steps faltered.
"What money?"
"Just... made some."
"You're not off doing one of those drug-trial gigs again, are you?"
Park Ji-hun huffed a small laugh.
"It's nothing like that. Anyway, today's on me, so tell me everything you want to eat. Sashimi, beef, whatever, I'll get it all."
She gave her son a long, hard look.
Then she huffed a small laugh.
"Beef, my foot. Never mind that."
"Why not? I'm telling you to pick whatever you want."
"Well, if you insist...... let's just go get some pork belly."
Park Ji-hun paused a moment, then asked back.
"That's all you want?"
His mother shrugged.
"Even gimbap tastes good when my son's the one buying."
At that, Park Ji-hun couldn't even manage a smile and pressed his lips shut for a moment.
Something stiffened in the back of his throat.
"......You could go for something more expensive than pork belly, you know."
"Don't go throwing money around for no reason. Pork belly's fine."
With that, his mother turned her steps toward the barbecue place across the street.
"That place is only 7,900 won a serving. Cheap, right? I was going to treat you there when you came to visit."
Park Ji-hun, unable to answer, followed along behind his mother.
***
In the early evening, as the pork belly went onto the grill, the sizzling filled the space between the tables.
Tongs in hand, Park Ji-hun flipped the meat without a word.
"Why'd you order so much?"
"Two of us, we've gotta do at least four servings."
"Just because you made some money doesn't mean you go spending it like crazy."
Instead of answering, Park Ji-hun flipped over a piece of pork belly.
The smell of the meat browning to a golden crisp rose up.
Meanwhile, the news was playing on the TV mounted on one wall of the restaurant.
[A taxi driver, the suspect in last night's attempted abduction in Seoul's Seongbuk District, has been found to have a prior record of stalking.]
[The victim was rescued by a narrow margin, and police are investigating the possibility that the crime was premeditated.]
His mother frowned.
"The world's a frightening place these days."
Park Ji-hun's hand paused for a moment.
"You're not wrong."
"You shouldn't be out late at night either. All kinds of things happen these days."
Park Ji-hun answered as he flipped the meat.
"I know."
His mother clicked her tongue and went on.
"Honestly, I don't know why life out there has gotten so grim. When you go in your door, always glance behind you first, all right."
Park Ji-hun sank into thought.
The hallway of the run-down building.
The alley with its streetlights spaced too far apart.
The road near the house, which grew even darker at night, flickered through his mind.
It wasn't a safe neighborhood to begin with.
And in a place like that, his mother was living alone.
Park Ji-hun tightened his grip on the tongs.
"Mom."
"Hm?"
"The meat's done. Eat up."
His mother laughed as if there was no arguing with him and picked up her chopsticks.
Park Ji-hun watched her quietly.
He had no intention of leaving his mother alone in a neighborhood like that.
The moment the money came in, the first thing he meant to do was get her out of that place.
Just then, one thing snagged at him.
He could see other people's fates so clearly, but what about his own mother's future?
'I should do a Spirit Reading on Mom one of these days.'
It might just be the most urgent thing of all right now.