Chapter 48
Meanwhile, a man was watching the café from a distance.
A man dressed in pure white robes with sharp, piercing eyes.
‘I never expected Yama to come himself.’
When an evil spirit threatening Jeongjikhan appears, the dokkaebi token should react.
The token serves both as Jeongjikhan’s protective shield and a conduit to temporarily borrow Gangmuche’s power.
Gangmuche had come personally because an anomaly had occurred with the token.
He sensed Jeongjikhan was under attack by a spirit, yet his power failed to transmit.
Assuming something was wrong, he rushed over—only to find King Yama’s trial in progress.
‘That old man’s temper is truly vile.’
After confirming Jeongjikhan was unharmed, Gangmuche sighed in relief and vanished like smoke.
The space where Gangmuche reappeared was uniformly white.
“Is anyone there?!”
A man in his early fifties shouted, trembling as he glanced around.
Gangmuche approached him.
Jingle—jingle—
With each step, bell sounds echoed, and azure ripples spread across the ground like droplets disturbing a lakeshore.
“Deceased Kwak Sang-cheol.”
“Ghk—!”
Kwak Sang-cheol yelped and fell backward.
Unfazed, Gangmuche pointed to the right.
“Enter the door at the end.”
“W-who are you?”
“No questions are needed.”
“A-are you the Jade Emperor?”
Gangmuche remained silent.
Under his impassive gaze, Kwak Sang-cheol gulped and shuffled toward the indicated path.
No answer was required—the man’s divine aura spoke plainly.
Crackle—zzzt—
After walking, a small door appeared, TV static flickering beyond it.
As Kwak Sang-cheol gripped the knob, the screen cleared abruptly.
A movie began: DiCaprio sprinting joyously with a boarding ticket.
‘Titanic?’
The film he’d longed to watch one last time before departing the mortal world.
Now he understood—this was the place Jeongjikhan had described.
A space to watch beloved films endlessly, free from worry.
Kwak Sang-cheol exhaled relief and glanced back.
The door was closing.
Beyond it, Gangmuche smiled faintly.
Just before the door sealed, Kwak Sang-cheol scrambled to his feet and bowed deeply.
“Thank you……!”
After the last midnight customers left, Jeongjikhan cleaned fervently until 4 AM.
Exhausted, he finished 20 minutes late and dragged himself home.
He showered immediately and collapsed into bed.
“Ugh… So tired.”
A groan escaped him—the day’s weight crushing his bones.
His eyelids fluttered shut, sleep claiming him instantly.
‘The lottery!’
His eyes snapped open.
He sat up, remembering the Great Fortune (大吉) from King Yama.
“Show my current karma.”
[Fortune (吉): 3,552]
[Great Fortune (大吉): 12]
[Misfortune (凶): 0]
[Great Misfortune (大凶): 0]
Roughly 1,020 Fortune points from Kwak Sang-cheol’s ascension and café work—plus 10 Great Fortunes from Yama.
‘How to use these? More lottery tickets?’
He opened his phone, checking stocks he’d monitored for long-term growth.
Banks felt unsafe lately due to PF loan scandals.
He needed more wealth—for himself, his sister Jeong Su-hye, and their mother.
A domestic stock caught his eye: 2.5% annual dividends, labeled a growth sector.
‘This one… and maybe an overseas pick.’
Charts showed prices bottoming out, unlikely to drop further.
He analyzed moving averages, investor ratios, even short-selling data.
Though wary of exchange rates and oil prices, falling interest rates hinted it was time.
He bought two more lottery tickets.
[Congratulations! 500 million won lottery chance acquired!]
[Congratulations! 500 million won lottery chance acquired!]
Still no jackpot—his windfall luck capped at 500 million.
But assets could grow. His future depended on present choices.
[Find the winning ticket at Lucky Lottery Store, OO-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. 2 PM tomorrow.]
[Find the winning ticket at OO Convenience Store, OO-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. 11 AM tomorrow.]
He saved the addresses, burrowed under his blanket, and clutched three 5-billion-won tickets.
990 million after taxes!
When the prize money comes in, I plan to invest it in a few stocks I’ve had my eye on.
Perhaps because my mind was wandering through a flower field, I couldn’t sleep at all.
The next morning, a biting winter wind slipped through the slightly open window.
Jeongjikhan bundled himself under a thick blanket, shivering head to toe.
Suddenly remembering something, he jolted upright, his double-lidded eyes flying open.
“Wh-what time is it?!”
He grabbed his phone—10:00 AM glared back.
Jeongjikhan scrambled out of bed in a panic.
Exhausted from yesterday’s events, he’d overslept for the first time in ages.
Abandoning plans to visit Seoul Forest, he rushed to his first destination: an OO convenience store in Gwangjin District.
Half-awake, he skipped washing his hair, splashed water on his face, and bolted out the door.
Fear of being late made him hail a taxi straight to Gwangjin.
The moment he entered the store, he checked the time: 10:57 AM.
He’d barely made it.
Scanning the instant lottery tickets on display, his eyes locked onto one shimmering with a golden border.
‘That’s the one?’
He bought the glimmering ticket and hurried to a corner to scratch it with a coin.
A game where matching numbers meant victory.
“Number 2… number 2… number 2…”
As he muttered and scraped, his eyes bulged wide, jaw dropping to the floor.
‘This is real?’
Prize: 500 million won.
The number 2 glared back.
He’d actually won.
Jeongjikhan clutched his pounding heart, sealing his lips tight.
If he didn’t, he’d scream—so he gritted his teeth and swallowed the surge of joy.
‘Next!’
His earlier anxiety vanished.
Grinning, he checked his next stops: Mapo District by 2 PM, then back to Gwangjin by 5 PM.
“Let’s go!!”
He strode out with newfound confidence.
This wasn’t just a reward for hard work—it was beyond that. Pure, uncontainable euphoria.
At 9 PM, Jeongjikhan hummed while mopping the café floor.
He usually liked work, but today he felt lighter than air.
Three 500-million-won tickets bulged in his pocket.
Though the bank had closed before he could claim the prize, his heart already soared, ready to shed worldly ties and ascend.
He longed to take a long vacation with his mother, but web drama Season 2 filming loomed.
Plus, he needed to ask Cha Seung-pyo about underworld envoy duties. No impromptu flights
