Chapter 38
Cha Seung-pyo swallowed the last of his americano and stood up from his seat.
“Thanks for the drink. Well then... have a good day at work.”
“You too, Team Leader.”
As Cha Seung-pyo was about to leave the cafe, he suddenly remembered something and raised his index finger.
“Ah, right. How much good fortune (吉) does Jung Jik-han have?”
“Why do you ask about good fortune (吉)?”
“The Department of Good and Evil contacted me. They said Jung Jik-han’s good fortune (吉) has been increasing at an abnormally rapid rate.”
Come to think of it, when was the last time I checked?
It must’ve been after receiving my first paycheck and Park Sang-bong’s ascension.
Back then, it was around 400 good fortunes (吉) and 3 great fortunes (大吉), right?
Since then, I’ve heard four more stories—all of them drank coffee before ascending.
Just like Grandpa Kang Chun-soo.
In that case, wouldn’t his good fortune (吉) have increased by over 2,000?
Jung Jik-han called out to Na-han in a hushed voice.
“Na-han, show me the karmic retribution I currently hold in the karmic ledger.”
Ding—!
[Good Fortune (吉): 12]
[Great Fortune (大吉): 4]
[Minor Misfortune (小凶): 0]
[Major Misfortune (大凶): 0]
Before I knew it, the great fortunes (大吉) had risen to four.
Just one more great fortune until the lottery win.
Cha Seung-pyo approached Jung Jik-han, checked the karmic ledger, and asked incredulously:
“You gathered all this in just two months?”
“Yes.”
“Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can’t believe it.”
“Is it fast?”
“On average, people work ten years to earn 15 great fortunes (大吉).”
Now it made sense why the Department of Good and Evil had reached out.
Not two years, but two months—he’d earned a quarter of a lifetime’s worth.
Jung Jik-han’s accumulation speed was error-level.
Embarrassed, Jung Jik-han scratched his head. Cha Seung-pyo gave a faint smile.
“I’ll notify the Department of Good and Evil separately. It’s not an error.”
“Thank you.”
“By the way, you’ve hardly used your good fortune, have you?”
“Didn’t you tell me to avoid using it unless necessary?”
“True... but given your error-level accumulation rate, it’s acceptable. Do you have another goal?”
Should I be honest?
Jung Jik-han wouldn’t criticize me for buying a lottery ticket. If anything, he’d warn me about the downsides.
“I’m aiming for the lottery first prize.”
“The lottery? The one that consumes five great fortunes (大吉)?”
“Yes.”
Cha Seung-pyo rubbed his chin, troubled.
Is there a catch after all?
With a forced smile, I asked:
“Does... fifth place still count as a win?”
“KarMa Entertainment isn’t that shameless.”
Thank god.
I’d worried they might be.
As relief washed over me, Cha Seung-pyo continued, as if waiting.
“However.”
“However? Why so ominous?”
“There are many types of lotteries.”
“Yes.”
“Each person’s destiny differs based on their birth chart.”
“...Is that relevant?”
Jung Jik-han stared anxiously. Cha Seung-pyo shrugged.
“Some lotteries have a 10 billion won first prize, others 2 billion.”
“So burning five great fortunes (大吉) could net me 2 billion?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a fivefold difference! You said they weren’t shameless!”
“Earthly currency means nothing to us. What we value is karmic retribution.”
He’s left me speechless.
Jung Jik-han swallowed dryly.
“Then... will they tell me beforehand if my destiny is 10 or 2 billion?”
“They’ll inform you, but once chosen, it can’t be reversed.”
“No turning back (落張不入)?”
“Yes. No turning back.”
A storm raged in my mind. Cha Seung-pyo chuckled.
“I can hear your mental calculator from here.”
“Of course I’m calculating!”
He laughed heartily at my outburst.
“Everything follows an order. Those who defy it face great trials.”
“Chasing windfalls wastes lifetimes.”
“But... this is different...”
Cha Seung-pyo raised an eyebrow.
“Of course, for someone too honest to need trials, the story changes. I’ll take my leave now.”
He bowed and exited.
Jung Jik-han stared blankly, then pulled out his phone and notebook.
How much was the Stock Search Tool again?
“Na-han, show me the Stock Search Tool’s price.”
Ding—!
[Stock Search Tool 15% — 10 Good Fortunes (吉)]
[Stock Search Tool 510% — 30 Good Fortunes (吉)]
[Stock Search Tool 10~20% — 70 Good Fortunes (吉)]
[Stock Search Tool (Upper Limit) — 150 Good Fortunes (吉)]
The upper limit was 30%.
The condition was clear: invest under ₩5 million.
Using 150 good fortunes (吉) to earn 30% of ₩5 million (₩1.5 million).
Since 5,000 good fortunes equal 1 great fortune (大吉), five great fortunes equal 25,000 good fortunes.
Roughly calculating, with 5 'Daegil' items, you can purchase 166 'Upper Limit Stock Search Tools.'
Multiplying 1.5 million won by 166...
'249 million won before taxes.'
Huh? Then using 5 'Daegil' items to test my fate doesn’t seem like a bad idea.
Junghon, who had been tense after hearing Cha Seung-pyo’s words, now realized Cha Seung-pyo had been teasing him.
"Ah...! Team Leader Cha, really."
He let out a sigh of relief, calming his startled heart. Later, he recalled what Cha Seung-pyo had said just before leaving the café:
"For someone as honest as you, there’s no need to test your fate."
An honest person.
Was he talking about Junghon? Maybe it was a hint.
If so... I’ll just have to work hard to collect 5 'Daegil' items as planned.
Junghon slapped his cheeks with both hands, making a loud clap sound, and pulled himself together.
"Let’s go, let’s go!"
At 11 p.m., the café’s regular customers arrived as if they had been waiting.
"Junghon, I’m here!"
"Welcome, Hyejeong."
"I’m here too."
"Sookhee, come on in!"
Familiar faces lined up as they entered. Welcoming the customers and brewing coffee, Junghon smiled warmly.
Had he grown close to them? The workplace no longer felt like just a workplace—it felt like hanging out with friends.
"Junghon, are you busy right now?"
"Just a moment."
"Oh, okay!"
Yoon Hyejeong stared at Junghon with wide eyes like a child waiting for Santa’s gift.
After serving coffee to the customers, Junghon wiped his hands and walked over to the counter.
"Junghon!"
"You startled me. Yes, Hyejeong?"
"The spin-off! I finished it—please take a look!"
Hyejeong exclaimed excitedly. It was the spin-off of her romance novel. The main story had already concluded, but the spin-off hadn’t been serialized yet because it wasn’t complete.
Checking her laptop, Junghon saw that the spin-off alone was 25 chapters long.
In web novels, 25 chapters is about the length of a book...
"You wrote all this already?"
"Actually, I’m late. I should have finished it sooner—you waited so long!"
"I don’t mind waiting at all. If you show me your work for free, I’ll gladly read it."
"No, not my work—the laptop! You’ve been leaving it here at the café for me all this time."
"Oh? It’s fine. I hardly use it anyway."
She had been leaving her laptop at the café so she could continue working even when Junghon wasn’t around. Still, she only had about 2 hours a day to use it.
How immersed must she have been to write 25 chapters in just a month?
Instead of wondering when he’d finish reading it all, Junghon felt admiration for Hyejeong first.
"Junghon, would you like to read it?"
"It would be an honor. Getting to read a great author’s novel before its serialization?"
"Pfft! You’re embarrassing me."
Hyejeong blushed and laughed heartily. She seemed both embarrassed and pleased by being called a great author.
Junghon sat down in front of the laptop with reverence and opened Chapter 1 of the spin-off.
"Well then, I’ll start reading."
"You can read it twice if you want."
Like a child waiting for test results, Hyejeong clasped her hands together and stared intently at Junghon’s face.
The spin-off contained the backstory of the main couple and side characters from her novel after they officially started dating.
Immersive world-building.
A readable writing style.
Well-placed events and charming characters—Junghon couldn’t stop exclaiming in awe as he turned the pages that flowed smoothly.
She really writes well.
Just from the first sentence, he could tell this was on another level.
He had noticed before—Hyejeong wasn’t ordinary at all.
Though she might not admit it herself, her work was undeniably captivating.
Was it because of her smooth prose and gripping storytelling?
He finished reading the entire spin-off in just an hour.
Was it okay to read someone else’s month-long effort in such a short time? But what could he do—it was just that good!
"This is amazing! This could totally be adapted into a drama."
At Junghon’s honest praise, Hyejeong widened her eyes and covered her mouth with both hands.
"Really? Right? It’s amazing?! It could be a drama?!"
"Yes—every scene plays out like a cut in my head."
"Oh? You can even imagine that?"
"Well, I did recently appear in a web drama."
"What?! You were an actor?"
"No... not exactly... I just got lucky."
Calling himself an actor felt awkward—not because acting was shameful but because he lacked the talent or skill for it.
Writing in his diary didn’t make him an author either; that was how he felt about acting.
But Hyejeong grabbed both his hands without hesitation.
"Please do!"
"Huh?"
"If this gets adapted into a drama later, please play the male lead!"
"Me?! Oh no, don’t ruin a good thing."
The male lead’s personality—narcissistic—clashed with Junghon’s altruistic nature.
But Hyejeong shook her head vigorously.
"No way! With your looks, any role suits you!"
"Huh?"
"Not many people can pull off both hero and villain roles. Your thick eyebrows and sharp eyes make anything possible!"
"...Is that a compliment?"
"Of course! If this becomes a drama, you’re perfect for the male lead. The original author demands it!"
Nowadays, dramas, movies, animations, and webtoons are often based on web novels—hence the term "source material."
But only a few chosen works achieve such glory.
Adaptation often depends on luck, and Hyejeong’s masterpiece was no exception.
Outright refusal would seem petty, so Junghon relented.
"Alright, if it gets produced, I’ll audition."
"Oh! Promise?"
"Sure."
"Great! Then... could you pass the manuscript to my editor?"
"Could I get their contact info?"
She wrote down the editor’s number.
"Just say it’s the new manuscript by ‘Prinares.’"
"Prinares? That’s your pen name?"
"Haha! Busted!"
"At this point, you weren’t even trying to hide it, right?"
Junghon teased. Hyejeong grinned brightly.
"Now that I know what kind of person you are, I’m telling you the truth."
"The honor is mine, Author-nim."
"Well... since the spin-off’s done, I should rest."
Following this, a faint light began to swirl around her heart, spreading throughout her body.
