Chapter 1: The Night the World Changed

Description

Everyone has times when life doesn’t go their way.

Failing the college entrance exam.

Failing to get a job.

Failing in business.

Or breaking up with someone you love.

But my case seemed a bit extreme.

For starters, I grew up as an orphan.

Left at an orphanage so young that I didn’t even know my parents’ faces.

Even after that, life never went smoothly.

The reason was simple.

I had no special talents at all.

It wasn’t just whining.

There really wasn’t a single thing I was good at.

The only thing I had going for me was a somewhat decent-looking face, but no matter what I tried, I couldn’t excel at anything.

Not studying, not sports, no particular foreign language, not even games.

I tried my best in my own way, but achieved nothing.

Maybe that’s why.

My life as a person kept sinking deeper into the pit of despair.

The one saving grace was that I got married.

A convenience store part-time job I did to survive.

While working there, I met a customer and ended up getting married.

Truth be told, our circumstances were so poor that married life was tough, but still, I was happy.

Living with a woman who loved someone like me—who had nothing and was good at nothing—was truly a happy thing.

And what made it even happier was that we had a child.

A daughter who looked just like her mother, incredibly pretty.

After much thought, we named our daughter ‘Eunbyeol’ and lived happily.

Though things were hard right now, we lived with the hope of working hard together so Eunbyeol could have a happier life.

But unfortunately, that hope withered away quickly.

The reason was simple.

My wife died in a traffic accident while out grocery shopping.

The cause was a drunk driver.

Upon hearing that my beloved wife was in the emergency room, I dropped everything and rushed over.

But by the time I arrived at the hospital, my wife was already a cold corpse.

At that moment, it really felt like the world was collapsing.

Because the woman I loved had left my side, and in such a painful way—my heart was torn to shreds.

Honestly, back then I tried to make an extreme choice.

A world without my wife, who was like half of me, wasn’t worth living in.

But I didn’t give up on life.

I had no choice but to keep going.

Because of Eunbyeol.

She was young even now, but back then she was even younger.

Eunbyeol, who couldn’t even speak properly yet.

I couldn’t leave her behind.

If I did, it would leave her with an even greater wound than what I had received.

So I lived.

Even as my life kept crumbling, I somehow pushed through.

But there was no sign of things turning around.

“Haa…….”

On a moonlit night.

I sat at the table in the cramped kitchen and let out a deep sigh.

“This is really driving me crazy…….”

In my hand were all sorts of bills.

Electricity, gas, credit card, pension, and places here and there demanding money.

Bills from so many places.

Some were even months overdue.

“What am I supposed to do……..”

My chest felt stuffed, like I’d eaten sweet potatoes.

I was working hard, even taking side jobs.

I was living diligently to raise Eunbyeol well, yet the weight of life only grew heavier.

Bad thoughts kept creeping in.

My mind was tangled with thoughts of wanting to give up on life and the need to stay strong as a father.

As I felt that suffocating frustration and rubbed my dry face.

“Daddyyy!”

Eunbyeol came churring out of the small room.

Because of that, I forced a smile despite my despair and answered.

“Yeah? What is it, my daughter? What’s wrong?”

No matter how hard life was, I couldn’t share that burden with a mere five-year-old daughter.

I smiled as if nothing was wrong and spoke gently.

“Eunbyeol has something to show you!”

“Something to show? What is it?”

“It’s this!”

Eunbyeol said that and revealed what she had hidden behind her back.

“Ta-da! Eunbyeol got 100 points on the dictation! Nyang!”

What Eunbyeol held out.

It was a dictation test paper from kindergarten.

Written there in red pen was ‘100 points.’

“Wow, our Eunbyeol. You got 100 again?”

“Ung! Eunbyeol did good, right?”

“Haha, yes. Well done. How do you get 100 every time? You’re really amazing.”

I looked at Eunbyeol’s dictation paper in admiration.

In fact, Eunbyeol had never once missed 100 points on any dictation test she’d taken so far.

“Good job, our Eunbyeol. Eunbyeol-ah, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Something to eat?”

“Yes. Our Eunbyeol did so well and brought home 100 points, so Daddy has to buy you something delicious. So, what do you want to eat? Daddy will buy you anything.”

“Umm, chicken! Eunbyeol wants chicken! Fried chicken!”

“Haha, got it. Daddy will order chicken.”

I said that and ordered the chicken.

The pressure from the bills made even a single won precious right now, but what could I do.

My daughter did well; I had to reward her with at least one chicken.

About 40 minutes passed like that.

The delicious chicken was delivered.

“You waited a lot, right, Eunbyeol? Let’s eat quickly.”

I set the chicken on the table and placed it in front of Eunbyeol.

“Wooow! It’s chicken! Chicken! Delicious chicken!”

“Haha, Eunbyeol-ah. Do you like it?”

“Ung ung! I feel super good! Chicken is the best! Chicken rocks!”

Eunbyeol said while giving a big thumbs-up.

Such a bright and sunny expression.

I stroked Eunbyeol’s head.

She was so adorable, getting this happy over a single fried chicken.

“Mmm! Super delicious!”

Eunbyeol gnawed fiercely at a drumstick.

Smiling widely while chewing the chicken.

Watching her, I smiled warmly.

“Ung? What? Why isn’t Daddy eating?”

Then, Eunbyeol, who had been eating enthusiastically, asked.

“Huh? No, Daddy is eating too.”

“Nooo. Daddy hasn’t eaten even one piece? There’s not even a single chicken bone.”

Indeed, there wasn’t a single bone in front of me.

Unlike the pile of bones stacked in front of Eunbyeol.

“I’m just eating slowly. So don’t worry and eat quickly.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I’ll eat while watching Eunbyeol eat, so hurry. The chicken will get cold.”

“Ung ung! Got it! Delicious chicken!”

Eunbyeol quickly smiled brightly again and started eating the chicken.

Stuffing both cheeks full like a squirrel, eating so deliciously.

Watching her, I smiled.

Ha, I’m hungry…….

Even then, grrr sounds kept coming from my stomach.

That’s right.

I wasn’t trying to eat slowly; I was deliberately not eating the chicken.

I’ll save it so Eunbyeol can eat one more time.

The reason I, a chicken maniac, wasn’t eating was simple.

I was saving my portion to give Eunbyeol one more meal.

If she wanted chicken again later, ordering more would cost money.

What can I do? 

Every penny is precious right now.

It was bitter, but there was no choice.

Right now, even ten thousand won was precious to me.

Paying next month’s rent was already tight.

After chatting warmly while watching Eunbyeol eat the chicken.

“If Eunbyeol is done eating, let’s brush your teeth!”

I told Eunbyeol, who had eaten her fill and was patting her belly, to brush her teeth.

Eunbyeol went into the bathroom, and I returned to the tiny kitchen to clean up.

Fwaat!

Suddenly, a blue flash burst from my entire body.

[Congratulations. You have received the blessing of awakening.]

[Player ‘Seo Juwon’s information is being recorded in the system.]

[A special power dwells in your entire body.]

[All abilities greatly increase.]

All sorts of system messages floated before my eyes.

“W-What is this……?!”

Startled, I opened my mouth wide.

It was the moment my shabby life turned around.