Chapter 19: A Family’s Promise to Stay Healthy

At the company, deadlines kept slipping for months, and they demanded overtime every day.

After working overtime and leaving the office, I would get home around 10 p.m.

By the time I finished washing up, it was past 10:30.

Even though I wanted to take care of my children, reality wasn’t that easy.

Because working even an extra hour meant earning more pay, I clung stubbornly to my work.

Although Seunghyun was making a decent amount as a writer, that money wasn’t mine—it was his, money saved for his future.

Besides, from what I heard around, a writer’s income was unstable and risky.

I wanted to be a support if my son ever had a hard time.

So, unless there was a special promise, I worked overtime without fail, trying to earn even a single extra penny.

I repaired a computer that someone else was about to throw away and gave it to my son.

At a time when I couldn’t afford to buy him a good computer with my meager earnings, I felt sorry.

【Mom, Dad, thank you for raising me and Dahye all this time.】

My son handed us money along with words of gratitude.

【Now, live your life as a woman, not just as a mom. And Dad, hold your head up high too.】

At those words, I broke down crying.

Clutching the money my son gave me tightly, I held it close and cried endlessly.

That day was probably the time I cried the most since having Seunghyun and Dahye.

‘Seunghyun said so too. I’ll work harder. I’ll cut down on drinking and smoking from now on.’

After my husband’s repeated words, I quit the company a few days later.

The time spent with my children gradually increased.

Then, I learned a new fact I hadn’t known before.

My son was very good at cooking.

I felt heartbroken, thinking how much that must have meant to him.

I really had to do well.

I had to live earnestly as a mother. I had to take good care of them.

But when I saw the food filling the veranda and refrigerator, I was left speechless.

“What is all this seaweed for? And why are there so many bags of brown rice and oatmeal?”

Looks like we won’t have to worry about rice for a while.

[Saehan had become the undisputed leading financial group in Korea.

Han-gyeol graduated early from high school, saying he had nothing more to learn.

Although he felt sad about not spending more time with friends, he didn’t think continuing school was a good option.

‘I’ve enjoyed school life enough. Now, I’m curious about what the military is like. I’ll go check it out.’

In 1999, at the early age of nineteen, he enlisted in the military for a ridiculous reason.]

“Han-gyeol’s military stories are funny. I hope I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

Han-gyeol was assigned to the Armed Forces Hospital as his unit. His specialty was a type 3 fuel supply soldier.

The unit kept Han-gyeol’s true identity strictly confidential.

[“New recruit.”

The rookie’s initiation ceremony began.

“Private Yu Han-gyeol!”

“Do you remember everything I told you to memorize yesterday? Recite it all. If you miss a single character, you’re dead.”

The senior soldier smirked with a mocking look.

“Combat reserve: 275 drums, diesel: 135 drums, gasoline: 100 drums, kerosene: 12 drums, thinner: 7 drums, brake...”

Han-gyeol began reciting flawlessly.

“Current stock: diesel 7,000 liters, gasoline 3,000 liters...”

He recited Excel shortcuts, Hangul shortcuts, and memorized the entire roster and enlistment months, repeating it all.

“Staff Sergeant Im Seong-tae, Staff Sergeant An Gyoseop, Staff Sergeant Park Seong-gwan... That’s all!”

Everyone there was stunned.

“...Crazy.”

It wasn’t a rookie being broken in, but the rookie was breaking everyone else.

“Everything’s so precise, with no margin of error even at one hundredth of a percent. If the hospital commander is a lieutenant colonel, regulations prohibit fuel distribution. The calculations were as meticulous as those of a bank heir...”

To his juniors, Han-gyeol was a demon, and to the officers, a treasure, but as time passed, even his superiors couldn’t relax around him.

“Staff Sergeant Yu Han-gyeol, your parents are unwell, so you must leave.”

“If you’re lying, study math with me all day.”

“...”

“Give your leave to a junior. Don’t steal it with some weird excuse.”]

No one dared lie in front of Han-gyeol.

And the day of discharge came.

[Waaah!

“Freedom!”]

All the soldiers, including the officers, celebrated Han-gyeol’s discharge.

“I swear, even I think this is creepy.”

A perfect senior was a disaster to the juniors.

From the group’s perspective, it was good, but for juniors, it was exhausting.

“Let’s include Saehan’s investment in Saerom Technology and the 2000 investment in Lead Corp between these episodes.”

Weaving real past events into the narrative.

I felt this could be key in this life.

My fingers moved busily.

I filled in the gaps based on the plotted outline.

My gaze on the monitor burned with passion.

Soon, it was the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Only about half a year left of middle school third grade.

I decided to include soccer in the story to commemorate it.

“How should I weave this in?”

I flipped through the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup match records again.

Memories of watching nervously in front of the TV naturally surfaced.

Those vivid scenes still made my heart race.

With a pounding heart, I placed my hands on the keyboard.

[“The Korean team that reached the quarterfinals enters the field. Look at those solid figures. They’re comparable to Spain, ranked 8th in FIFA.”

The commentator introduced the team’s entrance.

The word “Korea” heated up the stadium.

The match began.

If Korea won against Spain, they’d reach the semifinals. Tens of thousands gathered in Gwanghwamun, Han River, stadiums, all shouting for Korea.

Suddenly!

The red wave surged with a roar like a scream.

“Spain’s powerful shot! But our goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae blocks it! A counterattack follows! Ah, so close. Our striker’s last shot hit the post and bounced off.”

The tense match went to a penalty shootout, but in the end, Korea was edged out by Spain and eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The players’ faces were full of regret, but the stands erupted in cheers and applause.

“Our players never gave up until the end. We are truly proud.”]

Sweat formed on my pounding hands as I typed, my heart still alive with excitement, but I decided to take a different path from history.

Since I was rewriting it anyway, I even thought about having Korea win, but I chose to cheer for their real victory outside the novel.

[“Balaga was fast.”

Han-gyeol, watching the game, casually remarked.

“…Was that a joke?”

Yuchae-ri, watching with him, gave a bewildered look.

“Yeah.”

Han-gyeol said confidently.

“Hey... what did you learn in the military?”

After discharge, Han-gyeol was turning into an uncle. He casually told jokes that none of us would.

Tears welled in Yuchae-ri’s eyes.

“Maybe I should try being a comedian?”

Trying out a new world didn’t seem so bad.

I seriously considered it.

“…Thank goodness. You’re human after all. I felt some humanity for the first time.”

A genius with a screw loose somewhere.

Better than being perfect.

‘Or is it not?’

That joke didn’t suit that face.

And a comedian?

“Shut up!”

Yuchae-ri decided to shut down her younger brother Han-gyeol’s comedic ambitions.

She hoped he’d remain the cold, handsome, genius urbanite who didn’t seem human.

But does Han-gyeol know?

Just by looking at his handsome face, women’s faces naturally light up with smiles.

A handsome face made people smile even without trying.]

“In 2004, Han-gyeol lost interest in college and again graduated early, then joined Saehan as a new employee…”

[Han-gyeol was assigned to the financial accounting department.

“That’s odd.”

Unlike a typical new employee, Han-gyeol was immediately put to work, quickly identifying accounting problems by memorizing all the numbers in his head.

“The client embezzled trust funds from the bank to invest in acquiring shares of an unlisted company. When losses became unbearable, they borrowed money from other financial institutions to cover it up, and even took money from other places.”

There were at least 16 companies involved according to the numbers.

It seemed Han-gyeol wasn’t working alone.

Without hesitation, he immediately contacted the chairman’s office at headquarters.

“A genius who uncovered Saehan’s corruption at once, Yu Han-gyeol made his presence felt as soon as he joined and was promoted swiftly. End of Part 1.”]

After struggling through hard times, I finished Part 1 of “A Genius Adopted into a Chaebol Family.”

Of course, in the book, it was labeled as “Complete,” not Part 1.

It was an open ending for now.

“Dad, aren’t you going to eat?”

Dad, who usually valued breakfast, for some reason didn’t eat and was preparing to leave for work.

“I have a health checkup today, so I won’t eat breakfast.”

“Oh, health checkup.”

The word I’d forgotten pierced my ears.

My heart pounded.

At the same time, my heart throbbed.

Even the word ‘health’ made my heart tremble, and my stomach vibrated.

“Alright, Dahye should get a health checkup yearly too.”

My parents’ health was important, but my younger sister’s health was even more so.

“Mom, Dahye and I will get health checkups too.”

I turned my gaze from Dad to Mom.

“Good idea. It’s good to get them.”

Mom readily approved.

“That’s a good plan. Seunghyun’s mom can take the kids and get checked too. Seunghyun’s mom should get checked.”

Dad responded to my words and also showed concern for Mom’s health.

“Let’s all get checked together this time!”

Up to the early 2020s, history was well known.

Dad struggled with gout, and Mom had a brief spell of back pain.

This time, the plan was to steer the family toward health.

Thus, our family’s health checkup plan was set.