Chapter 4 : A Matured Son

I finished the meal and quietly talked with my wife in the living room.

As she carefully fed the kids, I recalled the first conversation I had with my son before dinner.

“Dad, I need to talk to you.”

My son, who had always been timid because of his reserved personality, was nowhere to be found. Instead, there stood a confident, determined boy who seemed to have armored himself with resolve.

“Did something happen with Seung-hyun?”

I wondered if a person could really change so quickly, and at the same time, I felt an unexpected sense of pride.

“Today, Seung-hyun hugged Dahye tightly and cried bitterly.”

“He cried?”

“Yeah. He cried so sadly that Dahye was taken aback.”

“Why did he do that?”

“He said he regrets his past so much. He was so upset that tears welled up. He must have been holding back a lot inside.”

My wife set down the remote control and turned off the TV.

She listened carefully as I shared the story and cautiously gathered her thoughts.

“I never thought he’d be having dreams like that. Seems like Seung-hyun has been wrestling with some deep worries.”

“Yeah, that seems to be the case.”

Choosing a career based on one’s strengths was not as easy as it sounded.

No matter how talented you were, if it didn’t translate into income, it would remain just a ‘special skill’ or a ‘hobby.’

I never expected my son to even think about such practical matters.

It wasn’t just a simple desire to ‘write stories’—he was determined to link that passion to his livelihood and profession.

“Should I say he’s matured?”

“It’s because he had the wrong parents.”

“Even if we couldn’t do much, at least we won’t block his future path.”

Without stopping, my wife continued to speak about our son.

“Speaking of which, we’ve only been scolding Seung-hyun, but we never cared about what he likes or what he wants to do.”

I was at a loss for words.

Her words struck home.

Caught up in the struggles of a modest household, we never really gave him enough time or support.

“Seung-hyun’s birthday is coming up soon.”

Hearing that, I finally felt a stir in my heart.

February 17th.

It was almost Seung-hyun’s birthday.

“Alright. I get what you mean.”

My wife’s intention was clear.

This year, at least for this birthday, we’d make sure to celebrate properly.

“Ask Seung-hyun what he wants.”

“Will do.”

Yes.

From now on, we won’t block our son’s path.

We’ll trust him and wait.

---

After spending a warm evening together,

the next morning dawned bright.

I sat down at my desk and opened my notebook.

My hand moved quickly, writing out plans for the future.

[1. Before my regression, my main genres were modern fantasy, corporate and chaebol-related works.

The flow of modern Korean society was mostly stored in my head.

2. Goara platform: Established June 2003.

Account opened Nov 5, 2000 → Goara launched March 2001.

November 2002 saw the appearance of ‘Transparent Dragon.’]

“Transparent Dragon...”

Back then, it was practically a legend.

Even up to 2023, the work was still widely talked about among writers and readers.

[3. Runpia platform: Started in 2002 as a gathering of martial arts writers called ‘Gumulim.’

Later, fantasy writers joined, and it was renamed ‘Gudupan.’]

I wrote down whatever came to mind.

“I never imagined that writing only corporate stories would be this helpful.”

Before regression, I had written a total of ten volumes of chaebol-related works.

Thanks to that, the history of corporations and symbolic stocks were deeply embedded in my mind.

I even remembered the timing and names of stocks that skyrocketed, sometimes down to the month.

Bitcoin was just a bonus.

Back then, all the popular materials were explored, and “If only I had bought that” was a common topic at drinking parties.

“1999, huh? Let’s see.”

I traced back my memory and recalled the stocks that exploded during that period.

“Ah! That one!”

As if a seal was broken, information was pulled from my mental storage.

[Listed on KOSDAQ in August 1999 – Saerom Technology!!]

This was a representative stock whose price soared more than 150 times within six months.

The stock price jumped from 1,890 won in October 1999 to 280,000 won in no time.

The cause of the surge was the success of dial-pad free internet phone services.

It was an excellent period.

“Of course, as 2000 approached, the utilization dropped, and the stock price plunged to one-fiftieth.

But if you sold before that, there would have been no problem. Plus, Ridcorp went bust afterward.”

An unprecedented 40-fold rise.

There was no special catalyst like new technology development, but the stock price exploded from 1,380 won in January 2000 to 139,000 won two months later.

It was a must-have stock.

“Alright, the money-making flow is sorted out. To put this into action, I need two things.”

One was to open a stock trading account.

The other was to publish a work.

“Being young isn’t always a good thing.”

I sighed deeply.

There were many hurdles to overcome.

“But I have to do it. To rebuild my household.”

And to change history, impossibilities must not exist beforehand.

It was all about moving forward.

“If my memory serves me right, there should be a Saemaeul Geumgo bankbook somewhere in this room.”

When I was young, under my father’s guidance, I saved my New Year’s money in a Saemaeul Geumgo account.

I had spent all that money by the time I turned twenty and entered the military, never even looking at the account again.

Opening the second drawer, just as I remembered, there was the Saemaeul Geumgo bankbook.

It seemed to have been recently organized, with the last record dated January 22, 1999.

[Balance: ₩351,280]

“I definitely had at least this much. And wow, I really saved quite a lot.”

Back then, I was frustrated because I couldn’t withdraw the money even if I wanted to.

Seeing the number in the passbook made me proud.

“Perfect timing that this week is Lunar New Year.”

Lunar New Year was the only time a minor could legally receive a large sum of cash as New Year’s money.

Luck was on my side.

“Alright, I’ll take as much New Year’s money as I can get and deposit it.”

---

“I never thought he’d be having dreams like that. Seems like Seung-hyun has been wrestling with some deep worries.”

“Yeah, that seems to be the case.”

Choosing a career based on one’s strengths was not as easy as it sounded.

No matter how talented you were, if it didn’t translate into income, it would remain just a ‘special skill’ or a ‘hobby.’

I never expected my son to even think about such practical matters.

It wasn’t just a simple desire to ‘write stories’—he was determined to link that passion to his livelihood and profession.

“Should I say he’s matured?”

---

“After all, it’s better to serialize on HiTEL.”

The HiTEL novel board.

It was the place where the legend began.

Starting from this author’s “Dragon Braza,” countless fantasy novels were serialized and eventually led to formal publishing contracts.

“Since I’m used to Runpia serialization, HiTEL will suit me best.”

The stage for my story was decided.

Now it was time to conceive the work to serialize.

---

“What should I write?”

I recalled the works I had serialized so far.

《I’ll Write the Success Myth》

《Chaebol Myth》

《Super Chaebol》

《I Became the Heir of the Greatest Chaebol》

《Making Money Is an Art》

《A Genius Was Adopted by a Chaebol Family》, and so on.

And finally, my only hit: My Solo Convenience Store.

“Except for ‘A Genius Was Adopted by a Chaebol Family’ and ‘My Solo Convenience Store,’ most were mediocre or failed.

But what if I write one of these in this era?”

Although the bar for writers was higher than in 2023, it was still worth trying.

“Maybe I’m making a prophecy here.”

Regardless of how well or poorly I write, almost all my works revolve around chaebols.

And these stories reflect historical facts of Korea and several other countries thoroughly.

It was like Nostradamus-level future prediction captured in fiction.

---

“Why hold back? Just write.”

Better than wasting time worrying.

After some thought, I decided to serialize ‘A Genius Was Adopted by a Chaebol Family.’

Though I didn’t know if it would fit this era, this was the chaebol novel that had received the best response from readers among my works, despite being discontinued due to lost momentum.

“Good stories transcend eras. And since readers back then empathized and welcomed it freshly, the start will definitely catch attention.”

Seeing how works popular in the 1990s–2000s were still well received in 2023, I realized that although the times change, the core audience’s tastes don’t differ much.

---

“Besides, my work has a huge advantage.”

Novels of this era mostly dragged on, burdened with unnecessary scenes and explanations that bored readers, making them skim just for the conclusion.

“I can’t write like other authors anyway. My expression and storytelling skills are lacking.

To survive, I have only one choice: minimize unnecessary explanations, focus on character development, and emphasize readability.”

By this method, I figured my story would do well even in 1999.

---

“‘A Genius Was Adopted by a Chaebol Family’ had many flaws.

Let’s polish it and write it well this time.”

There is a saying that a well-written work can earn you a lifetime pension.

Taking this opportunity, I decided to rebirth ‘A Genius Was Adopted by a Chaebol Family’ as a more complete work.

The plan was nearly perfect.

It might have a few gaps, but for the current me, this was the best I could do.

---

“I’ll hide this notebook here.”

If an adult were to find this notebook, they might think its contents strange, so it was better to be cautious.

I hid the notebook in a secret space and opened my workbook, gripping my mechanical pencil.

---

“Synopsis.”

Short thoughts, fast action.

Cutting off all distractions, I began preparations to write the novel.