Chapter 22: Foundations for Tomorrow

The school was bustling with kids getting ready to leave after class ended.

Just as I was about to pack my bag and get up while watching the children head outside, Yua came up beside me.

“Don’t forget you have academy today, right?”

“Ah, right. That’s true. I almost forgot.”

What a careless slip.

Sorry.

“You, geez.”

Kim Yua glared at me with sharp eyes.

Not a secret that even that look was cute.

“I’m just kidding, just kidding. Let’s go.”

Though I actually did forget, I used that as a trick to get out of the current crisis.

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m serious. If I really forgot, I would have gone home already.”

Truth is, I was checking the class schedule to see what subjects were for tomorrow.

It’s a relief I didn’t go home late.

“Hmm, that sounds suspicious.”

“What’s suspicious about it? Come on, let’s go.”

You can barely even talk to your first love.

That was a story from a time too young for me.

Now I only have good feelings, with no desire to date her.

I just want to stay friends.

There’s one woman nestled deep in my heart; no other girl can enter it.

‘Come to think of it, I feel sorry for Jihee Yoo. We broke up because I had no financial means to take care of her properly.’

Right now, except for Jihee, whom I met when I was thirty and she was seven years younger, no other woman has entered my heart.

I desperately want to meet Jihee again and start over.

‘She must be just a little kid now.’

Heh.

Thinking of Jihee’s kindergarten and elementary school photos naturally brought a smile to my face.

“Hey, why are you grinning like that? It’s annoying.”

Yua’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“Haha, I was just remembering something. Sorry.”

“Hmm, there’s definitely something going on!”

As we left the school, Yua kept her suspicious eyes on me, grumbling in dissatisfaction.

“If there is, shh.”

I tried using Chanpyo’s index finger technique.

“Ugh. You’re totally an old man.”

“But you know that’s my charm, right?”

Since I really am an old man, it’s not an insult.

It’s actually friendly and nice.

“...Dummy.”

Nothing I said worked, so she pouted with a sulky face.

Despite being tall for a girl at 173cm, her mature physique and looks made even that expression cute and pretty.

“Don’t ruin that pretty face. I’ll buy you a drink on the way, so cheer up. If you keep pouting, you’ll end up with wrinkles and getting called an old lady.”

“You, geez!”

Kuk.

“Catch me if you can. If you do, I’ll treat you.”

Yua pinched my cheek lightly and dashed ahead.

“Hey, you! Seriously!!”

Yua, flustered, ran after me, but though the gods gifted her with a pretty face and excellent figure, unfortunately, they did not bless her with athletic ability.

She tried to catch me with a 20-second 100m dash, but it was impossible for her.

Eventually, she stopped running, panting.

“If you catch me, I’m seriously going to kill you!”

she shouted.

“I don’t want to die, so catch me now.”

I turned back from running, approached Yua, offered her a handkerchief, and smiled warmly.

“Sigh...”

Her face was fierce, but what could she do?

Yua sighed in resignation and wiped the sweat from her face with the handkerchief.

“I want orange juice.”

An order quickly followed.

“Okay. Let’s go to the store.”

I pointed to a sign 50 meters ahead that read “Pig Supermarket” and took Yua’s hand as we headed toward it.

“...”

For some reason, Yua was quiet.

Not thinking much of it, I entered the store, picked out two orange juices, and handed over my card.

Yua frowned when she saw the card but I ignored it completely.

At that time, card payments were not universally accepted, so clerks often made unhappy faces when a card was offered.

Some stores wouldn’t even process transactions under a thousand won, so I always carried 50,000 won in cash.

“Is that your parents’ card?”

Yua asked, looking at the card.

“No, it’s mine.”

“Yours?”

Yua’s eyes went wide as we left the store.

It was understandable. I don’t know about kids from wealthier neighborhoods, but here, it was very rare for a middle schooler to carry a credit card.

Most students had maybe one or two 10,000 won bills in their pockets at most.

So it was surprising that I had 50,000 won cash and a credit card in my wallet.

“Yeah, this is my allowance.”

“You’re allowed to spend it freely?”

“No, not really. There’s a limit. If I spend recklessly, I’m in trouble.”

I wondered what kind of expression she’d make if I told her I deposit several million to over ten million won into my bank account every month.

Curious, but that was something I couldn’t share.

“Oh, I see.”

A hint of envy lingered on Yua’s face.

“We’re here already.”

Ignoring Yua’s mood, I turned my gaze to the sign hanging in front of the building.

Joking around, I hadn’t noticed how quickly the time passed until we arrived.

“Let’s go upstairs.”

I lightly tapped Yua’s back and we entered the building.

“Oh my, you’re not a female student but a male? Is he your boyfriend?”

At the reception desk, a woman who looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties greeted us warmly.

She gave Yua a subtle glance.

I shifted my gaze to Yua.

“Ah, no. Just friends. Classmates.”

For some reason, Yua looked very flustered.

I expected her to laugh it off, but her reaction was like she was acting like she liked me.

There was zero chance of that happening, so I decided not to take it the wrong way.

“She’s right. Just classmates. Best friends in the class.”

I backed up Yua’s words.

“Hoho.”

The teacher didn’t seem to fully believe us though.

“Right, so you’re taking classes with Yua?”

“Ah, um. I’ll decide after trying the lessons. I’m really lacking in the basics. It won’t be easy to keep pace with Yua.”

Again, Yua is in the top ten out of forty-two students in the class academically.

I remember being about thirty-ninth in the previous life.

I got that rank without even looking at the test questions, purely by luck.

Though I studied like crazy after entering high school and got into college, it didn’t mean much.

“Hmm, alright. That sounds good. You’re strict with yourself and honest.”

“I’m paying for the lessons. I want to learn at my own pace.”

Whatever you do, you need to be honest and coldly realistic with yourself.

It’s something I realized late in my late thirties.

“Hoho, are you really a middle schooler? You talk like the older brother I know.”

I flinched.

My body reacted on its own.

Back then, I didn’t think thirty was that old, but now I realize it is.

“Haha, maybe I am, mentally.”

I answered honestly.

“Hoho, you’re funny. Yua’s lucky to have a fun friend.”

I couldn’t understand why the teacher found it so amusing, but since she said it was funny, I didn’t argue.

“The academy fee is 150,000 won. How will you pay?”

“By card, please.”

I had to be thrifty.

If they didn’t accept card, it would be troublesome.

“Is that your card?”

“Yes, my name is on the back. You can check with the bank or my parents if you want.”

That was the practical response.

Seeing a middle schooler swipe a card was not common here.

“Alright, since you’re Yua’s friend, I’ll trust you. Sign here.”

The teacher smiled warmly, swiped the card smoothly, and handed over a paper.

I signed it neatly as “Yoo Seunghyun.”

“Shall we go to the classroom now?”

The teacher took the signed paper and led us to the classroom.

The room was already filled with kids.

Yua and I found empty seats and sat down.

“Everyone, pay attention. Today we’ll work on page 15. If you don’t have a book, look with your neighbor and take notes.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The kids answered in unison and opened their workbooks.

Since I didn’t have a book, I borrowed a notebook from Yua and looked at the problems with her.

“Ah...”

Soon my mind merged with a confusing world of numbers I couldn’t understand.

And I realized.

Starting from the basics was definitely the right choice.

Saturday afternoon came.

Since the academy was closed today, Dahye went out to hang with some girls she recently got close to.

I went to check out a real estate office to look for a house.

I wanted to see if a house I had my eye on was on the market and planned to tell my parents so we could move into the house I had seen in my previous life.

A house my mom, dad, and younger sibling would be satisfied with.

I decided on that house because there was no other suitable place.

“Let’s see... this looks familiar.”

The agent, who I had talked to with my mom earlier, adjusted his glasses, studied the map carefully, and flipped through some files on his desk.

Since the house was nearby, he wouldn’t be unfamiliar with it.

“That’s right, here it is. Yes, here.”

Before long, I heard the agent’s welcoming words.

“Is it available?”

I looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Please let it be on the market.

“If you’re looking for a house with a yard in this area, there’s only one. This must be it.”

“Can I check the selling price?”

I asked for the price.

I hoped it wouldn’t be too expensive...

“Eight million.”

“Eight million?”

Wow, that’s cheap.

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

Having experienced 2023’s housing prices, the 1999 prices shocked me.

I roughly knew the market, but the comparison was absurd.

It wasn’t near a subway station, nor was it a very convenient neighborhood, so the price didn’t even reach 100 million won.

‘Well, the housing prices plummeted after the IMF crisis. I think Eunma Apartments are around 100 million now.’

I wanted to give in and pick that place, but we didn’t want to live in the chaotic city of Seoul.

Dad’s workplace was here, and my sibling’s friends were here, so no need to go all the way to Seoul.

‘I used to want that, but not anymore.’

I now thought living within one’s means was best.

And this was the real way to make money.

Taking out reckless loans and trying to invest wasn’t investing—it was gambling.

If luck was on your side, you made money; if not, you went bankrupt.

I wasn’t about to get on that ride.

“Can I see the house? I want to look before telling my mom.”

I asked cautiously.

“Sure, just a moment.”

I worried they might think I was joking since I was a student and refuse, but the agent nodded positively and called the owner.

“Yes, okay. Thank you. We’ll be right there.”

From the call, it sounded like the owner agreed.

That was a relief.

“You’re lucky. Usually it’s tough, but this place has some circumstances. Shall we go?”

He gave me unsolicited info.

I smiled slightly and followed the agent.

In less than five minutes, we arrived at the destination.

“Wow.”

I quietly gasped after seeing the house.

It was a two-story building of about 30 pyeong with an attic and a small yard in sight.

There was a small garden space, a water faucet, and cornelian cherries growing.

When I was in early elementary school, I used to climb other people’s walls and pick cornelian cherries with neighborhood kids.

The owners kindly handed over their property to us.

“This is nice.”

The nearby hill gave off a strong scent of grass.

It was close to my sibling’s elementary school and not far from the middle school.

It wasn’t far from our current house either.

It needed some remodeling, but for the price, it was enough for the four of us.

“Shall we go inside?”

“Yes.”

I followed the agent into the building and carefully inspected the interior.

The place was full of classic charm.

‘You can tell how much the owner cared for this house just by how well it’s maintained.’

The water worked well, the heating was fine, and the toilet flushed without issue.

Sunlight streamed in nicely.

The house was solidly built—no cold drafts.

It would be warm in winter and cool in summer.

‘This will do.’

A smile came naturally.

“Thank you for showing me the house.”

I politely greeted the owner.

“You’re polite. Be sure to talk to your parents properly.”

“Yes.”

Seeing the owner’s positive attitude, I left the house satisfied.

“I’ll contact you.”

“Alright, be careful going home. Here’s my business card.”

That evening, I told Mom and Dad about today and planned to go look at the house with them.